The Last Delivery · chapter 3 of 3
A Grandson for One Night
一个晚上的孙子
Help arrives. In the ambulance, Grandma Li calls Xiao Zhao by another name — and he decides not to correct her.
Read what you hear
- Xiao Zhao 四十分钟以后，楼道里终于有了脚步声。
Sìshí fēnzhōng yǐhòu, lóudào lǐ zhōngyú yǒu le jiǎobù shēng.
Forty minutes later, at last there are footsteps in the stairwell.
- Xiao Zhao 消防员打开了门。李奶奶躺在地上，身上很冷。
Xiāofángyuán dǎkāi le mén. Lǐ nǎinai tǎng zài dì shang, shēn shang hěn lěng.
Firefighters open the door. Grandma Li is lying on the floor, cold.
- Grandma Li 你……你就是送药的孩子？
Nǐ… nǐ jiù shì sòng yào de háizi?
You… you're the boy who brought my medicine?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Last Delivery 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Xiao Zhao 是我，奶奶。药在这里。
Shì wǒ, nǎinai. Yào zài zhèlǐ.
It's me, Grandma. Here's your medicine.
- Xiao Zhao 医生让她先吃了药，然后把她抬了下去。
Yīshēng ràng tā xiān chī le yào, ránhòu bǎ tā tái le xiàqù.
The medic has her take the medicine first, then they carry her down.
- Grandma Li 孩子，你陪我去，好吗？我一个人……害怕。
Háizi, nǐ péi wǒ qù, hǎo ma? Wǒ yí gè rén… hàipà.
Child, will you come with me? I'm… scared on my own.
- Xiao Zhao 好，我陪您。
Hǎo, wǒ péi nín.
Okay. I'll stay with you.
- Xiao Zhao 在救护车上，她一直拉着我的手。
Zài jiùhùchē shang, tā yìzhí lāzhe wǒ de shǒu.
In the ambulance, she holds my hand the whole way.
- Grandma Li 小明，你回来了……奶奶好想你……
Xiǎo Míng, nǐ huílái le… nǎinai hǎo xiǎng nǐ…
Xiao Ming, you came home… Grandma missed you so much…
- Xiao Zhao 小明是她的孙子。我没有说“我不是”。
Xiǎo Míng shì tā de sūnzi. Wǒ méiyǒu shuō “wǒ bú shì”.
Xiao Ming is her grandson. I don't say “I'm not him.”
- Xiao Zhao 我说：“奶奶，我在呢。”
Wǒ shuō: “Nǎinai, wǒ zài ne.”
I say, “I'm here, Grandma.”
- Xiao Zhao 医生说，她没有大问题，只是摔伤了腿，还有一点儿发烧。
Yīshēng shuō, tā méiyǒu dà wèntí, zhǐ shì shuāi shāng le tuǐ, hái yǒu yìdiǎnr fāshāo.
The doctor says it's nothing serious — an injured leg and a slight fever.
- Xiao Zhao 天快亮的时候，她的孙子从外地打来电话，哭着说谢谢。
Tiān kuài liàng de shíhou, tā de sūnzi cóng wàidì dǎ lái diànhuà, kūzhe shuō xièxie.
Near dawn, her grandson calls from far away and thanks me through his tears.
- Xiao Zhao 我走出医院，雨停了。
Wǒ zǒu chū yīyuàn, yǔ tíng le.
I walk out of the hospital. The rain has stopped.
- Xiao Zhao 我站在路边，拿出手机，找到了一个很久没打的号码。
Wǒ zhàn zài lù biān, ná chū shǒujī, zhǎodào le yí gè hěn jiǔ méi dǎ de hàomǎ.
I stand by the road, take out my phone, and find a number I haven't called in a long time.
- Xiao Zhao's mom 喂？小赵？这么早，出什么事了？
Wèi? Xiǎo Zhào? Zhème zǎo, chū shénme shì le?
Hello? Xiao Zhao? So early — has something happened?
- Xiao Zhao 没事，妈。我就是……想听听您的声音。
Méi shì, mā. Wǒ jiù shì… xiǎng tīngting nín de shēngyīn.
Nothing's wrong, Mom. I just… wanted to hear your voice.
- Xiao Zhao's mom 傻孩子。吃早饭了吗？
Shǎ háizi. Chī zǎofàn le ma?
Silly boy. Have you had breakfast?
- Xiao Zhao 妈，您的药还够吗？您一个人……还好吗？
Mā, nín de yào hái gòu ma? Nín yí gè rén… hái hǎo ma?
Mom, do you still have enough medicine? On your own… are you okay?
- Xiao Zhao's mom 我好着呢。你照顾好自己就行。
Wǒ hǎozhe ne. Nǐ zhàogù hǎo zìjǐ jiù xíng.
I'm fine. Just take care of yourself.
- Xiao Zhao 妈，今年过年，我回家。
Mā, jīnnián guònián, wǒ huí jiā.
Mom, this New Year, I'm coming home.
- Xiao Zhao's mom ……好。妈给你包饺子。
…Hǎo. Mā gěi nǐ bāo jiǎozi.
…All right. I'll make you dumplings.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who opens Grandma Li's door?
“消防员打开了门.”
- What does Grandma Li call Xiao Zhao in the ambulance?
“小明，你回来了……”
- What does Xiao Zhao do when she calls him by the wrong name?
“我没有说‘我不是’。我说：‘奶奶，我在呢.’”
- Who does Xiao Zhao call after leaving the hospital?
He finds “一个很久没打的号码” — his mom's.
- What does he promise his mother?
“今年过年，我回家.”