早上五点 Five in the Morning

第一章 · 四十八岁 Chapter 1: Forty-Eight

小雪xiǎoxuě四sì十shí八bā岁suì。她tā在zài一yī个gè公司gōngsī工作gōngzuò，已经yǐjīng二èr十shí二èr年nián了le。

Xiao Xue is forty-eight years old. She works at a company, and has been there for twenty-two years already.

每měi天tiān早上zǎoshang七qī点diǎn起床qǐchuáng，八bā点diǎn上班shàngbān，晚上wǎnshang七qī点diǎn回家huíjiā。回家huíjiā做饭zuòfàn，吃chī饭fàn，看kàn电视diànshì，睡觉shuìjiào。第dì二èr天tiān，都dōu是shì这些zhèxiē事shì。

Every morning she gets up at seven, starts work at eight, and goes home at seven in the evening. She gets home, cooks, eats, watches TV, and goes to sleep. The next day, it's all the same things.

她tā有yǒu一yī个gè女儿nǚ'ér，二èr十shí三sān岁suì。女儿nǚ'ér不bù住zhù在zài家jiā里lǐ，一yī个gè月yuè来lái一yī两liǎng天tiān。

She has a daughter who is twenty-three. Her daughter doesn't live at home; she comes for a day or two each month.

小雪xiǎoxuě很hěn累lèi。不bù是shì一yī天tiān累lèi，是shì每měi天tiān都dōu累lèi。晚上wǎnshang她tā睡shuì不bù好hǎo，白天báitiān她tā想xiǎng睡shuì。

Xiao Xue is very tired. It's not that she's tired for just one day — she's tired every day. At night she can't sleep well, and during the day she wants to sleep.

一yī个gè星期天xīngqītiān，她tā去qù医院yīyuàn看病kànbìng。

One Sunday, she went to the hospital to see a doctor.

医生yīshēng看kàn了le看kàn她tā，说shuō：“你nǐ没有méiyǒu大dà病bìng。”

The doctor examined her and said, "You don't have any serious illness."

“那nà我wǒ怎么zěnme很hěn累lèi？”

"Then why am I so tired?"

医生yīshēng说shuō：“你nǐ的de身体shēntǐ没有méiyǒu病bìng，但是dànshì你nǐ的de身体shēntǐ不bù高兴gāoxìng。你nǐ每měi天tiān都dōu坐zuò十shí几jǐ个gè小时xiǎoshí。你nǐ要yào做zuò点diǎn儿ér什么shénme。”

The doctor said, "There's nothing wrong with your body, but your body isn't happy. You sit for more than ten hours every day. You need to do something."

小雪xiǎoxuě说shuō：“我wǒ很hěn忙máng。”

Xiao Xue said, "I'm very busy."

医生yīshēng说shuō：“大家dàjiā都dōu很hěn忙máng。”

The doctor said, "Everyone is busy."

回家huíjiā的de车chē上shàng，小雪xiǎoxuě想xiǎng：今年jīnnián四sì十shí八bā，明年míngnián四sì十shí九jiǔ，后年hòunián五wǔ十shí。我wǒ在zài做zuò什么shénme呢ne？

On the bus home, Xiao Xue thought: I'm forty-eight this year, forty-nine next year, and fifty the year after. What am I doing?

晚上wǎnshang，电视diànshì里lǐ有yǒu人rén在zài唱chàng歌gē。小雪xiǎoxuě没有méiyǒu听tīng。她tā想xiǎng医生yīshēng说shuō的de那些nàxiē东西dōngxi：你nǐ的de身体shēntǐ不bù高兴gāoxìng。

In the evening, someone was singing on TV. Xiao Xue wasn't listening. She was thinking about the things the doctor had said: your body isn't happy.

她tā不bù是shì不bù高兴gāoxìng。但是dànshì她tā也yě没有méiyǒu高兴gāoxìng。

It wasn't that she was unhappy. But she wasn't happy either.

第二章 · 五点的车站 Chapter 2: The Five O'Clock Station

星期xīngqī一yī早上zǎoshang五wǔ点diǎn，小雪xiǎoxuě没有méiyǒu睡shuì好hǎo。她tā起床qǐchuáng了le。

At five o'clock on Monday morning, Xiao Xue hadn't slept well. She got up.

她tā穿chuān好hǎo衣服yīfu，去qù了le外边wàibian。

She got dressed and went outside.

五wǔ点diǎn的de天气tiānqì有点儿yǒudiǎnr冷lěng。路上lùshàng人rén很hěn少shǎo，车chē也yě很hěn少shǎo。

The weather at five o'clock was a little cold. There were few people on the road, and few cars too.

她tā不bù知道zhīdào去qù哪儿nǎr。她tā从cóng家jiā里lǐ走zǒu。走zǒu到dào商店shāngdiàn，商店shāngdiàn没有méiyǒu开kāi。走zǒu到dào学校xuéxiào，学校xuéxiào也yě没有méiyǒu开kāi。

She didn't know where to go. She walked out from home. She walked to the store, but the store wasn't open. She walked to the school, and the school wasn't open either.

她tā就jiù走zǒu到dào了le车站chēzhàn。

So she walked to the bus stop.

车站chēzhàn没有méiyǒu人rén。她tā在zài那里nàlǐ几jǐ分钟fēnzhōng，看kàn天tiān。

There was no one at the bus stop. She stayed there for a few minutes, looking at the sky.

她tā想xiǎng：我wǒ在zài这里zhèlǐ做zuò什么shénme？我wǒ四sì十shí八bā岁suì，早上zǎoshang五wǔ点diǎn，一yī个gè人rén在zài车站chēzhàn。

She thought: What am I doing here? I'm forty-eight years old, it's five in the morning, and I'm alone at the station.

就jiù在zài这个zhège时候shíhou，她tā看见kànjiàn一yī个gè人rén来lái了le。

Just at that moment, she saw someone coming.

那个nàge人rén不bù小xiǎo。他tā八bā十shí几jǐ岁suì。

That person was not young. He was in his eighties.

他tā不bù是shì走zǒu来lái的de。

He didn't come on foot.

第三章 · 那个爷爷 Chapter 3: That Old Man

那个nàge人rén是shì一yī个gè爷爷yéye。八bā十shí几jǐ岁suì，很hěn小xiǎo，穿chuān一yī件jiàn老lǎo衣服yīfu。

That person was an old grandpa. He was in his eighties, very small, wearing an old piece of clothing.

他tā在zài跑pǎo。不bù是shì走zǒu，是shì跑pǎo。

He was running. Not walking — running.

他tā跑pǎo，很hěn慢màn。真zhēn的de很hěn慢màn。

He ran very slowly. Really slowly.

小雪xiǎoxuě在zài车站chēzhàn看kàn他tā。他tā从cóng她tā前面qiánmiàn跑pǎo，跑pǎo到dào路lù那边nàbiān，跑pǎo远yuǎn了le。

Xiao Xue watched him at the bus stop. He ran past in front of her, ran to the other side of the road, and ran off into the distance.

三sān分钟fēnzhōng后hòu，他tā回来huílái了le。他tā还hái在zài跑pǎo。

Three minutes later, he came back. He was still running.

小雪xiǎoxuě说shuō：“您nín好hǎo。您nín每měi天tiān都dōu在zài这里zhèlǐ跑步pǎobù吗ma？”

Xiao Xue said, "Hello. Do you run here every day?"

爷爷yéye没有méiyǒu不bù高兴gāoxìng。他tā说shuō：“每měi天tiān。八bā年nián了le。”

The old man wasn't displeased. He said, "Every day. For eight years now."

“八bā年nián？”

"Eight years?"

“八bā年nián。”

"Eight years."

“您nín跑pǎo多duō远yuǎn？”

"How far do you run?"

“不bù远yuǎn。四sì十shí分钟fēnzhōng。”

"Not far. Forty minutes."

“四sì十shí分钟fēnzhōng不bù远yuǎn吗ma？”

"Forty minutes isn't far?"

爷爷yéye说shuō：“我wǒ八bā十shí二èr岁suì的de时候shíhou不bù远yuǎn。我wǒ七qī十shí四sì岁suì的de时候shíhou，走zǒu十shí分钟fēnzhōng都dōu累lèi。”

Grandpa said: "When you're eighty-two, it's not far. When I was seventy-four, even a ten-minute walk tired me out."

他tā没有méiyǒu再说zàishuō什么shénme，就jiù跑pǎo了le。

He didn't say anything more and just ran off.

小雪xiǎoxuě在zài车站chēzhàn，看kàn他tā跑pǎo到dào很hěn远yuǎn的de那边nàbiān。

Xiǎo Xuě stood at the station, watching him run far off into the distance.

她tā想xiǎng：他tā八bā十shí二èr。我wǒ四sì十shí八bā。

She thought: He's eighty-two. I'm forty-eight.