Room 302 · chapter 7 of 8
The Little Red Box
红色的小盒子
Auntie Zhang finally talks to Mr. Gao, and the little red box on the roof has a promise inside.
Read what you hear
- Auntie Zhang 高明……真的是你？
Gāo Míng… Zhēnde shì nǐ?
Gao Ming... is it really you?
- Mr. Gao 老张。对不起。我走的时候，没有告诉你。
Lǎo Zhāng. Duìbùqǐ. Wǒ zǒu de shíhou, méiyǒu gàosu nǐ.
Old Zhang. I'm sorry. I didn't tell you when I left.
- Auntie Zhang 你这个笨老头！你的腿不好，为什么不告诉我？我可以去看你！
Nǐ zhège bèn lǎotóu! Nǐ de tuǐ bù hǎo, wèishénme bú gàosu wǒ? Wǒ kěyǐ qù kàn nǐ!
You silly old man! Your leg is bad, why didn't you tell me? I could have visited you!
Chapter 7 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.
- Mr. Gao 我怕你担心。我是个胆小的人。
Wǒ pà nǐ dānxīn. Wǒ shì gè dǎnxiǎo de rén.
I didn't want you to worry. I'm a coward.
- Auntie Zhang 胆小？二十年前你也是这样！话只说了一半，就跑下楼了！
Dǎnxiǎo? Èr shí niánqián nǐ yě shì zhèyàng! Huà zhǐ shuō le yíbàn, jiù pǎo xiàlóu le!
A coward? You were the same twenty years ago! You said half of it and ran downstairs!
- Mr. Gao 你说得对。我想了二十年，还是不知道怎么说。
Nǐ shuō de duì. Wǒ xiǎng le èr shí nián, háishi bù zhīdào zěnme shuō.
You're right. I've thought about it for twenty years and still don't know how to say it.
- Doudou 哇……他们像电视里的人。
Wā… Tāmen xiàng diànshì lǐ de rén.
Wow... they're like people on TV.
- Auntie Zhang 豆豆，你不要笑！……高明，我要好好想一想。
Dòudou, nǐ búyào xiào!… Gāo Míng, wǒ yào hǎohao xiǎng yi xiǎng.
Doudou, don't laugh! ... Gao Ming, I need to think.
- Mr. Gao 好。你想好了，就告诉我。屋顶的盒子，请你让小雨去开。
Hǎo. Nǐ xiǎng hǎo le, jiù gàosu wǒ. Wūdǐng de hézi, qǐng nǐ ràng Xiǎoyǔ qù kāi.
All right. When you've thought, tell me. Please let Xiaoyu open the box on the roof.
- Auntie Zhang 盒子……原来这都是你的游戏。
Hézi… Yuánlái zhè dōu shì nǐ de yóuxì.
The box... so this has all been your game.
- Mr. Gao 对。这一次，不要一个人锁着屋顶。
Duì. Zhè yí cì, búyào yí gè rén suǒzhe wūdǐng.
Yes. This time, don't keep the roof locked all by yourself.
- Auntie Zhang ……晚安，高老师。
… Wǎn'ān, Gāo lǎoshī.
...Good night, Mr. Gao.
- Auntie Zhang 我要告诉你们一件事。屋顶的钥匙……我没有丢。
Wǒ yào gàosu nǐmen yí jiàn shì. Wūdǐng de yàoshi… Wǒ méiyǒu diū.
I have something to tell you. The roof key... I didn't lose it.
- Fang Xiaoyu 张阿姨，我知道。您的口袋一直在响。
Zhāng āyí, wǒ zhīdào. Nín de kǒudài yìzhí zài xiǎng.
I know, Auntie Zhang. Your pocket has been jingling this whole time.
- Auntie Zhang 你这个聪明的孩子。走吧，屋顶的风很冷。
Nǐ zhège cōngming de háizi. Zǒu ba, wūdǐng de fēng hěn lěng.
You clever girl. Come on, the wind on the roof is cold.
- Grandma Wu 张阿姨，您的口袋里有钥匙，我的厨房里有汤圆。哈哈！
Zhāng āyí, nín de kǒudài lǐ yǒu yàoshi, wǒ de chúfáng lǐ yǒu tāngyuán. Hāhā!
Auntie Zhang, you have keys in your pocket and I have tangyuan in my kitchen. Ha ha!
- Grandma Wu 哇，好多灰。三个月了！小雨，你的盒子在哪儿？
Wā, hǎoduō huī. Sān gè yuè le! Xiǎoyǔ, nǐ de hézi zài nǎr?
Wow, so much dust. Three months! Xiaoyu, where's your box?
- Fang Xiaoyu 高老师说，在水箱后面。
Gāo lǎoshī shuō, zài shuǐxiāng hòumiàn.
Mr. Gao said it's behind the water tank.
- Fang Xiaoyu 找到了！在水箱后面，一个红色的小盒子！
Zhǎodào le! Zài shuǐxiāng hòumiàn, yí gè hóngsè de xiǎo hézi!
Found it! A little red box!
- Grandma Wu 快，用你的小钥匙。
Kuài, yòng nǐ de xiǎo yàoshi.
Quick, use your little key.
- Fang Xiaoyu 开了。里面有一个小灯笼，还有一张纸。
Kāi le. Lǐmiàn yǒu yí gè xiǎo dēnglóng, háiyǒu yì zhāng zhǐ.
It's open. There's a small lantern inside, and a piece of paper.
- Auntie Zhang “元宵节，晚上七点，请全楼的人来屋顶。我会到。”……
“Yuánxiāojié, wǎnshang qī diǎn, qǐng quán lóu de rén lái wūdǐng. Wǒ huì dào.”…
"Lantern Festival, seven in the evening. Everyone in the building, please come to the roof. I will be there." ...
- Grandma Wu 他会到？六楼，没有电梯，他的腿……
Tā huì dào? Liù lóu, méiyǒu diàntī, tā de tuǐ…
He'll be here? Six floors, no elevator, his leg...
- Auntie Zhang 六层楼……他的腿不能走那么多路。
Liù céng lóu… Tā de tuǐ bù néng zǒu nàme duō lù.
Six floors... his leg can't manage that many steps.
- Fang Xiaoyu 高老师说，他不能再爬楼梯了。那他要怎么上来？
Gāo lǎoshī shuō, tā bù néng zài pá lóutī le. Nà tā yào zěnme shànglái?
Mr. Gao said he can't climb stairs anymore. So how will he get up here?
- Fang Xiaoyu 灯笼、汤圆、屋顶、高老师……好像一个很大的秘密，快要打开了。
Dēnglóng, tāngyuán, wūdǐng, Gāo lǎoshī… Hǎoxiàng yí gè hěn dà de mìmì, kuàiyào dǎkāi le.
Lanterns, tangyuan, the roof, Mr. Gao... it feels like a very big secret is about to open.
- Auntie Zhang 明天晚上……他真的要回来了吗？
Míngtiān wǎnshang… Tā zhēnde yào huílái le ma?
Tomorrow evening... is he really coming back?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Auntie Zhang feel when she hears Mr. Gao's voice?
“你这个笨老头……我要好好想一想”
- What did Mr. Gao do twenty years ago, according to Auntie Zhang?
“话只说了一半，就跑下楼了”
- What does Auntie Zhang confess on the roof?
“屋顶的钥匙……我没有丢”
- Where is the little red box?
“在水箱后面……一个红色的小盒子”
- What does the note in the box say?
“晚上七点，请全楼的人来屋顶。我会到”