Room 302 · chapter 8 of 8
Lantern Night
元宵夜
On Lantern Festival night the whole building waits on the roof for one last guest.
Read what you hear
- Grandma Wu 汤圆来了！小心，很烫！老陈，你的猫不要吃我的汤圆！
Tāngyuán lái le! Xiǎoxīn, hěn tàng! Lǎo Chén, nǐ de māo búyào chī wǒ de tāngyuán!
Tangyuan coming through! Careful, it's hot! Old Chen, keep your cat off my tangyuan!
- Old Chen 大王不吃汤圆。它只喜欢鱼。
Dàwáng bù chī tāngyuán. Tā zhǐ xǐhuan yú.
Dawang doesn't eat tangyuan. He only likes fish.
- Doudou 七点了！高老师怎么还没到？
Qī diǎn le! Gāo lǎoshī zěnme hái méi dào?
It's seven o'clock! Why isn't Mr. Gao here yet?
Chapter 8 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Room 302 is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Grandma Wu 别急。好饭不怕晚。
Bié jí. Hǎo fàn bú pà wǎn.
Don't rush. Good food is never too late.
- Grandma Wu 他女儿说，车已经到楼下了。可是我们这儿是六楼，没有电梯。
Tā nǚ'ér shuō, chē yǐjīng dào lóuxià le. Kěshì wǒmen zhèr shì liù lóu, méiyǒu diàntī.
His daughter says the car is already downstairs. But we're on the sixth floor, and there's no elevator.
- Doudou 那我们下去帮他吧！我可以拿他的帽子和拐杖！
Nà wǒmen xiàqù bāng tā ba! Wǒ kěyǐ ná tā de màozi hé guǎizhàng!
Then let's go down and help him! I can carry his hat and cane!
- Old Chen 我数了，从一楼到这里，一百二十级楼梯。
Wǒ shǔ le, cóng yì lóu dào zhèlǐ, yì bǎi èr shí jí lóutī.
I counted. From the first floor to here, one hundred twenty steps.
- Old Chen 我有办法。我下去，把他背上来。
Wǒ yǒu bànfǎ. Wǒ xiàqù, bǎ tā bèi shànglái.
I have a plan. I'll go down and carry him up.
- Doudou 陈爷爷，您真的可以吗？
Chén yéye, nín zhēnde kěyǐ ma?
Grandpa Chen, are you really able to?
- Old Chen 我每天晚上上上下下，给大王送饭。六层楼算什么！
Wǒ měi tiān wǎnshang shàngshàng xiàxià, gěi Dàwáng sòng fàn. Liù céng lóu suàn shénme!
I go up and down every night to feed Dawang. What are six floors!
- Grandma Wu 哈！你终于说出来了！
Hā! Nǐ zhōngyú shuō chūlái le!
Ha! You finally said it!
- Old Chen ……好，我养猫。快，让开！
… Hǎo, wǒ yǎng māo. Kuài, ràng kāi!
...Fine, I keep a cat. Move aside, quick!
- Doudou 张阿姨呢？她还在楼下吗？
Zhāng āyí ne? Tā hái zài lóuxià ma?
Where is Auntie Zhang? Is she still downstairs?
- Grandma Wu 她在换衣服。她说她不紧张，可是已经换了三次。
Tā zài huàn yīfu. Tā shuō tā bù jǐnzhāng, kěshì yǐjīng huàn le sān cì.
She's changing clothes. She says she isn't nervous, but she's changed three times.
- Mr. Gao 老张！我的老腿说，六楼太高了！
Lǎo Zhāng! Wǒ de lǎo tuǐ shuō, liù lóu tài gāo le!
Old Zhang! My old leg says six floors is too high!
- Auntie Zhang 你……你怎么这么瘦？
Nǐ… Nǐ zěnme zhème shòu?
You... why are you so thin?
- Mr. Gao 深圳的饭太清淡了。我想念吴奶奶的红烧肉。
Shēnzhèn de fàn tài qīngdàn le. Wǒ xiǎngniàn Wú nǎinai de hóngshāoròu.
The food in Shenzhen is too bland. I miss Grandma Wu's braised pork.
- Fang Xiaoyu 张阿姨，陈叔叔背他上来的！他说他一点也不累！
Zhāng āyí, Chén shūshu bèi tā shànglái de! Tā shuō tā yìdiǎn yě bú lèi!
Auntie Zhang, Uncle Chen carried him up! He says he isn't tired at all!
- Auntie Zhang 你这个笨老头！三个月，你为什么不给我打电话？
Nǐ zhège bèn lǎotóu! Sān gè yuè, nǐ wèishénme bù gěi wǒ dǎdiànhuà?
You silly old man! Three months, and you didn't call me?
- Mr. Gao 因为我要当面说。二十年前，我只说了一半，今天我要说完。
Yīnwèi wǒ yào dāngmiàn shuō. Èr shí niánqián, wǒ zhǐ shuō le yíbàn, jīntiān wǒ yào shuō wán.
Because I wanted to say it to your face. Twenty years ago I only said half. Tonight I'll finish.
- Auntie Zhang ……说吧。
… Shuō ba.
...Go on then.
- Mr. Gao 老张，我喜欢你，喜欢了二十年。你愿意和我一起看灯吗？
Lǎo Zhāng, wǒ xǐhuan nǐ, xǐhuan le èr shí nián. Nǐ yuànyì hé wǒ yìqǐ kàn dēng ma?
Old Zhang, I've liked you for twenty years. Will you look at the lanterns with me?
- Auntie Zhang 笨老头。这句话，我等了二十年。
Bèn lǎotóu. Zhè jù huà, wǒ děng le èr shí nián.
Silly old man. I've waited twenty years for that sentence.
- Fang Xiaoyu 真好……
Zhēn hǎo…
How lovely...
- Mr. Gao 元宵节快乐，老张。今年的汤圆，一定特别甜。
Yuánxiāojié kuàilè, Lǎo Zhāng. Jīnnián de tāngyuán, yídìng tèbié tián.
Happy Lantern Festival, Old Zhang. This year's tangyuan will surely be extra sweet.
- Mr. Gao 小雨，谢谢你找到钥匙。三零二怎么样？你喜欢吗？
Xiǎoyǔ, xièxie nǐ zhǎodào yàoshi. Sān líng èr zěnmeyàng? Nǐ xǐhuan ma?
Xiaoyu, thank you for finding the key. How is 302? Do you like it?
- Fang Xiaoyu 我喜欢。这里有汤，有猫，有朋友，还有你们的秘密。
Wǒ xǐhuan. Zhèlǐ yǒu tāng, yǒu māo, yǒu péngyou, háiyǒu nǐmen de mìmì.
I love it. There's soup, a cat, friends, and all of your secrets.
- Fang Xiaoyu 我一点也不孤单了。三零二，现在是我的家。
Wǒ yìdiǎn yě bù gūdān le. Sān líng èr, xiànzài shì wǒ de jiā.
I'm not lonely at all anymore. Room 302 is my home now.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is on the roof table for the festival?
“汤圆来了”
- What problem does everyone worry about?
“六楼，没有电梯”
- What secret does Old Chen finally admit?
“好，我养猫”
- What did Mr. Gao only half-say twenty years ago?
“我喜欢你，喜欢了二十年”
- How does Xiaoyu feel about Room 302 at the end?
“三零二，现在是我的家”