The Long Way Home · chapter 2 of 3
The Snowy Road
下雪的路
Snow closes the highway, the last bus to the village leaves without her — and a stranger in a small truck pulls over.
Read what you hear
- Xiao Lin 雪越下越大。高速公路上的车，越来越慢。
Xuě yuè xià yuè dà. Gāosù gōnglù shang de chē, yuè lái yuè màn.
The snow gets heavier and heavier. The traffic on the highway gets slower and slower.
- Xiao Lin 中午，车停了。前面的路封了。
Zhōngwǔ, chē tíng le. Qiánmiàn de lù fēng le.
At noon, the bus stops. The road ahead is closed.
- Xiao Lin 司机说，今天可能到不了县城了。
Sījī shuō, jīntiān kěnéng dào bù liǎo xiànchéng le.
The driver says we might not reach the county town today.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Long Way Home 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 Lin 车上的人都不说话了。有一个小孩哭了。
Chē shang de rén dōu bù shuōhuà le. Yǒu yí gè xiǎohái kū le.
Everyone on the bus goes quiet. A child starts to cry.
- Xiao Lin 我们在车上等了一天一夜。
Wǒmen zài chē shang děng le yì tiān yí yè.
We wait on the bus for a day and a night.
- Xiao Lin 路终于开了。可是我们到县城的时候，已经是第二天下午五点了。
Lù zhōngyú kāi le. Kěshì wǒmen dào xiànchéng de shíhou, yǐjīng shì dì èr tiān xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn le.
The road finally reopens. But by the time we reach the county town, it's five o'clock the next afternoon.
- Xiao Lin 今天是除夕。去我们村的最后一班车，四点就走了。
Jīntiān shì chúxī. Qù wǒmen cūn de zuìhòu yì bān chē, sì diǎn jiù zǒu le.
It's New Year's Eve. The last bus to our village left at four.
- Xiao Lin 我站在车站外面，雪下得很大。
Wǒ zhàn zài chēzhàn wàimiàn, xuě xià de hěn dà.
I stand outside the station in the heavy snow.
- Xiao Lin 我想给妈妈打电话。可是我说过，我不回家的。
Wǒ xiǎng gěi māma dǎ diànhuà. Kěshì wǒ shuō guo, wǒ bù huí jiā de.
I want to call Mom. But I told her I wasn't coming home.
- Xiao Lin 这时候，一辆小货车停在了我前面。
Zhè shíhou, yí liàng xiǎo huòchē tíng zài le wǒ qiánmiàn.
Just then, a small truck pulls up in front of me.
- Master Wang 姑娘，你去哪儿？这么晚了，没车了。
Gūniang, nǐ qù nǎr? Zhème wǎn le, méi chē le.
Miss, where are you headed? It's late — the buses are done.
- Xiao Lin 我去石头村。
Wǒ qù Shítou cūn.
I'm going to Shitou Village.
- Master Wang 巧了，我也往那边走。上来吧。
Qiǎo le, wǒ yě wǎng nàbiān zǒu. Shànglái ba.
What luck — I'm heading that way too. Hop in.
- Xiao Lin 司机姓王，五十多岁。车里贴着一个小孩的照片。
Sījī xìng Wáng, wǔshí duō suì. Chē lǐ tiēzhe yí gè xiǎohái de zhàopiàn.
The driver's name is Wang, in his fifties. A photo of a little kid is taped up in his cab.
- Xiao Lin 王师傅，这是您的孩子吗？
Wáng shīfu, zhè shì nín de háizi ma?
Master Wang, is that your child?
- Master Wang 是我孙子。我在外面开车，也三年没回家了。
Shì wǒ sūnzi. Wǒ zài wàimiàn kāi chē, yě sān nián méi huí jiā le.
It's my grandson. I've been driving far from home — haven't been back in three years either.
- Master Wang 今年，我也是偷偷回去的。
Jīnnián, wǒ yě shì tōutōu huíqù de.
This year, I'm sneaking home too.
- Xiao Lin 我们都笑了。
Wǒmen dōu xiào le.
We both laugh.
- Xiao Lin 山路上的雪很厚。车开得很慢很慢。
Shānlù shang de xuě hěn hòu. Chē kāi de hěn màn hěn màn.
The snow is thick on the mountain road. The truck crawls along.
- Xiao Lin 晚上十一点，车突然停了。前面有一棵大树倒在了路上。
Wǎnshang shíyī diǎn, chē tūrán tíng le. Qiánmiàn yǒu yì kē dà shù dǎo zài le lù shang.
At eleven at night, the truck suddenly stops. A big tree has fallen across the road.
- Master Wang 车过不去了。离你们村，还有两公里。
Chē guò bú qù le. Lí nǐmen cūn, hái yǒu liǎng gōnglǐ.
The truck can't get through. It's still two kilometers to your village.
- Xiao Lin 还有一个小时，就是新年了。我还能在十二点以前，走到家吗？
Hái yǒu yí gè xiǎoshí, jiù shì xīnnián le. Wǒ hái néng zài shí'èr diǎn yǐqián, zǒu dào jiā ma?
One hour until the New Year. Can I still walk home before midnight?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does the bus stop at noon?
“前面的路封了.”
- What day is it when she reaches the county town?
“今天是除夕.”
- Who gives her a ride?
“司机姓王，五十多岁.”
- What do Xiao Lin and Master Wang have in common?
“我……也三年没回家了。今年，我也是偷偷回去的.”
- Why does the truck stop at eleven?
“前面有一棵大树倒在了路上.”