ขาว — Page 2
The gate in front of the house swelled slightly in the humidity, as it did every year, and needed lifting rather than simply pushing to open.
屋前的大门每年都会因潮湿而略微膨胀，开门时需要往上提一提，而不能只是简单地推。
Khao understood this.
考明白这一点。
He had understood it the first rainy season, watching Nipa's small adjustments, and now he positioned himself to watch the gate with the same expectant attention whether it was dry season or wet.
他在第一个雨季就已明白，那时他注意到了尼帕开门时细微的动作调整；如今，无论旱季还是雨季，他都会以同样专注期待的神情守望着那扇门。
He did not distinguish between the difficulty of the gate's opening and the fact of it.
他并不在意开门是否费力，在意的只是开门这件事本身。
All that mattered was the sequence: the sound, the movement, and then her.
他所在乎的只是那一连串的顺序：声音、动作，然后是她。
One afternoon in July, Nipa came home with a packet of papers folded into her school bag.
七月的一个下午，尼帕回到家，书包里折放着一叠文件。
She set her bag down at the door, gave Khao his customary greeting — both hands at his ears, her forehead briefly against the top of his head — and then brought the papers to the table where Malee was sitting with green beans and a knife, preparing for the evening meal.
她把书包放在门口，按照惯例向考打了个招呼——双手捧住他的耳朵，额头轻轻贴了贴他的头顶——然后将那叠文件带到桌边，玛莉正坐在那里，手边放着豆角和一把刀，准备做晚饭。
"It's an application," Nipa said.
「这是一份申请，」尼帕说。
Malee looked at the papers without touching them.
玛莉看着那叠文件，没有去碰它。
Then she set down her knife and read the cover sheet slowly, the way she read things she wanted to understand completely.
然后她放下刀，慢慢地读起封面，就像她读每一件想彻底弄明白的事情时那样。
"This is in Bangkok," she said.
「这是在曼谷，」她说。
"Yes."
「是的。」
"That is very far."
「那很远。」
Nipa sat down across from her.
尼帕在她对面坐下。
"Mae. I know."
「妈。我知道。」
They were quiet for a moment.
两人沉默了片刻。
Outside, rain began again, a light steady falling that made the garden sounds go soft.
屋外，雨又下起来，绵绵细细，均匀而轻柔，让庭院里的声响都变得温和起来。
Khao came inside and settled near the doorway, his chin on his forepaws, watching both of them with the calm attention he gave to all important conversations, as if he understood that the still and listening thing was sometimes the most necessary thing in the room.
考走进屋里，在门口附近蜷下身来，下巴搁在前爪上，以他旁听一切重要谈话时那种平静专注的神情注视着她们两人，仿佛明白，安静地守候和倾听，有时候是屋子里最不可缺少的事。
"I would come home," Nipa said.
「我会回家的，」尼帕说。
"For holidays. And after. It is only school."
「假期会回来。毕业后也会。只是上学而已。」
Vocabulary
- 屋
- wū — house; room; dwelling place
- 前
- qián — front; before; in front of
- 的
- de — structural particle indicating possession or modification
- 大门
- dàmén — main gate; front door of a building
- 每年
- měi nián — every year; annually
- 都会
- dōu huì — will always; inevitably will happen
- 因
- yīn — because of; due to; owing to
- 潮湿
- cháoshī — damp; moist; humid
- 而
- ér — and; but; connecting clauses or causes
- 略微
- lüèwēi — slightly; a little bit; marginally
- 膨胀
- péngzhàng — to expand; to swell; to inflate
- 开门
- kāimén — to open a door
- 时
- shí — when; at the time of; during
- 需要
- xūyào — to need; to require; necessity
- 往上
- wǎng shàng — upward; in an upward direction
- 提
- tí — to lift; to raise up; to carry
- 一提
- yī tí — lift once; give a single upward lift
- 不能
- bù néng — cannot; must not; unable to
- 只是
- zhǐshì — merely; simply; just; only
- 简单
- jiǎndān — simple; uncomplicated; straightforward
- 地
- de — adverbial particle modifying verbs or adjectives
- 推
- tuī — to push; to shove forward
- 考
- kǎo — to figure out; to examine; to investigate
- 明白
- míngbai — to understand; clear; to comprehend something
- 这
- zhè — this; referring to something nearby
- 一点
- yīdiǎn — a little; a bit; this point
- 他
- tā — he; him; third person masculine pronoun
- 在
- zài — at; in; to be present; located at
- 第一个
- dì yī gè — the first one; the very first
- 雨季
- yǔjì — rainy season; monsoon season
- 就已
- jiù yǐ — had already; by then already done
- 那时
- nà shí — at that time; back then; in those days
- 注意到
- zhùyì dào — to notice; to become aware of something
- 了
- le — particle indicating completed action or change
- 细微
- xìwēi — subtle; minute; very slight difference
- 动作
- dòngzuò — movement; action; motion; gesture
- 调整
- tiáozhěng — to adjust; to regulate; to fine-tune
- 如今
- rújīn — nowadays; currently; at present
- 无论
- wúlùn — regardless of; no matter what or whether
- 旱季
- hànjì — dry season; drought season
- 还是
- háishi — or; still; whether…or
- 以
- yǐ — with; using; by means of
- 同样
- tóngyàng — same; equally; in the same way
- 专注
- zhuānzhù — focused; concentrated; attentive
- 期待
- qīdài — to anticipate; to look forward to; expectation
- 神情
- shénqíng — expression; look on one's face
- 守望
- shǒuwàng — to watch and wait; to keep vigil
- 着
- zhe — particle indicating ongoing action or state
- 那扇
- nà shàn — that (door/window); measure word for doors
- 门
- mén — door; gate; entrance
- 并不
- bìng bù — not at all; simply does not; emphatically not
- 在意
- zàiyì — to mind; to care about; to take notice
- 是否
- shìfǒu — whether or not; if or not
- 费力
- fèilì — laborious; requiring effort; strenuous
- 这件事
- zhè jiàn shì — this matter; this thing; this affair
- 本身
- běnshēn — itself; in itself; the thing itself
- 所
- suǒ — particle used before verbs for nominalization
- 在乎
- zàihu — to care about; to mind; to be concerned
- 那
- nà — that; those; referring to something distant
- 一连串
- yīliánchuàn — a series of; a string of consecutive things
- 顺序
- shùnxù — order; sequence; proper arrangement
- 声音
- shēngyīn — sound; voice; noise
- 然后
- ránhòu — then; after that; subsequently
- 是
- shì — to be; is; am; are
- 她
- tā — she; her; third person feminine pronoun
- 七月
- qīyuè — July; the seventh month
- 一个
- yī gè — one; a single (general measure word)
- 下午
- xiàwǔ — afternoon; the post-noon period
- 回到
- huí dào — to return to; to come back to
- 家
- jiā — home; family; house
- 书包
- shūbāo — school bag; backpack for books
- 里
- lǐ — inside; within; interior
- 折
- zhé — folded; to fold; bent over
- 放着
- fàng zhe — placed there; kept; stored in a position
- 一叠
- yī dié — a stack of; a pile of flat items
- 文件
- wénjiàn — document; file; official paper
- 把
- bǎ — disposal particle; handle; a bunch of
- 放在
- fàng zài — to place at; to put in a location
- 门口
- ménkǒu — doorway; entrance; threshold
- 按照
- ànzhào — according to; in accordance with
- 惯例
- guànlì — convention; customary practice; routine
- 向
- xiàng — toward; facing; to; in the direction of
- 打了
- dǎ le — gave (a greeting); performed an action
- 个
- gè — general measure word for people or things
- 招呼
- zhāohu — greeting; to greet; to say hello
- 双手
- shuāngshǒu — both hands; two hands together
- 捧住
- pěng zhù — to cup and hold; to cradle in both hands
- 耳朵
- ěrduo — ear; the organ of hearing
- 额头
- étóu — forehead; the front of the head
- 轻轻
- qīngqīng — gently; softly; lightly
- 贴了贴
- tiē le tiē — pressed gently against; touched lightly once
- 头顶
- tóudǐng — top of the head; crown of the head
- 将
- jiāng — to take; will; going to; disposal marker
- 那叠
- nà dié — that stack of; that pile of papers
- 带到
- dài dào — to bring to; to carry something to a place
- 桌边
- zhuō biān — beside the table; next to the desk
- 正
- zhèng — just; right; in the middle of doing
- 坐在
- zuò zài — sitting at; seated in a location
- 那里
- nàlǐ — there; that place; over there
- 手边
- shǒu biān — beside one's hand; within arm's reach
- 豆角
- dòujiǎo — green beans; string beans; pod vegetables
- 和
- hé — and; together with; along with
- 一把
- yī bǎ — a handful of; one (knife/tool measure word)
- 刀
- dāo — knife; blade; cutting tool
- 准备
- zhǔnbèi — to prepare; to get ready; preparation
- 做
- zuò — to do; to make; to cook
- 晚饭
- wǎnfàn — dinner; evening meal
- 这是
- zhè shì — this is; this refers to
- 一份
- yī fèn — one copy of; a portion; one set of documents
- 申请
- shēnqǐng — application; to apply for something
- 说
- shuō — to say; to speak; to tell
- 看着
- kàn zhe — looking at; watching; gazing upon
- 没有
- méiyǒu — don't have; there is no; haven't
- 去
- qù — to go; to proceed toward; to leave
- 碰
- pèng — to touch; to bump into; to make contact
- 它
- tā — it; third person pronoun for objects
- 放下
- fàng xià — to put down; to set down; to lay aside
- 慢慢
- mànmàn — slowly; gradually; at a leisurely pace
- 读起
- dú qǐ — began to read; started reading
- 封面
- fēngmiàn — cover page; front cover of a document
- 就像
- jiù xiàng — just like; as if; exactly as
- 读
- dú — to read; to study; to read aloud
- 每一件
- měi yī jiàn — every single item; each and every thing
- 想
- xiǎng — to want; to think; to wish; to intend
- 彻底
- chèdǐ — thorough; complete; thoroughly; to the end
- 弄明白
- nòng míngbai — to figure out; to fully understand something
- 事情
- shìqing — matter; affair; thing; issue
- 那样
- nàyàng — like that; in that way; that kind of
- 是的
- shì de — yes; that's right; affirmative response
- 很远
- hěn yuǎn — very far; a long distance away
- 对面
- duìmiàn — opposite side; across from; facing
- 坐下
- zuò xià — to sit down; to take a seat
- 妈
- mā — mom; mother; an informal address
- 我
- wǒ — I; me; first person singular pronoun
- 知道
- zhīdào — to know; to be aware of; to understand
- 两人
- liǎng rén — the two people; both persons
- 沉默
- chénmò — silence; silent; to remain quiet
- 片刻
- piànkè — a moment; a brief period of time
- 屋外
- wū wài — outside the house; outdoors
- 雨
- yǔ — rain; rainfall
- 又
- yòu — again; once more; also; additionally
- 下起来
- xià qǐlái — started to fall (rain); began raining
- 绵绵
- miánmián — continuous; unending; soft and steady
- 细细
- xìxì — fine; thin; delicate; in fine detail
- 均匀
- jūnyún — even; uniform; evenly distributed
- 轻柔
- qīngróu — gentle; soft; light and tender
- 让
- ràng — to let; to allow; to cause; to make
- 庭院
- tíngyuàn — courtyard; garden within a residence
- 声响
- shēngxiǎng — sound; noise; acoustic sensation
- 都
- dōu — all; both; entirely; each
- 变得
- biàn de — to become; to grow; to turn into
- 温和
- wēnhé — mild; gentle; moderate; soft in manner
- 起来
- qǐlái — resultative particle; becoming; starting to
- 走进
- zǒu jìn — to walk into; to enter by walking
- 屋里
- wū lǐ — inside the house; indoors
- 附近
- fùjìn — nearby; in the vicinity; close by
- 蜷下身来
- quán xià shēn lái — to curl up; to crouch down compactly
- 下巴
- xiàba — chin; lower jaw area
- 搁在
- gē zài — to rest on; to place upon; to set on
- 前爪
- qián zhuǎ — front paws; forepaws of an animal
- 上
- shàng — on top of; above; upper
- 旁听
- pángtīng — to listen in; to audit; to eavesdrop quietly
- 一切
- yīqiè — everything; all; every single thing
- 重要
- zhòngyào — important; significant; crucial
- 谈话
- tánhuà — conversation; talk; to have a discussion
- 那种
- nà zhǒng — that kind of; that type of; such a
- 平静
- píngjìng — calm; tranquil; peaceful; serene
- 注视
- zhùshì — to gaze at; to watch steadily; to stare
- 她们
- tāmen — they (female); them (referring to women)
- 仿佛
- fǎngfú — as if; as though; seemingly
- 安静
- ānjìng — quiet; still; peaceful; calm
- 守候
- shǒuhòu — to wait for; to stand by; to keep watch
- 倾听
- qīngtīng — to listen attentively; to lend an ear
- 有时候
- yǒu shíhou — sometimes; at times; occasionally
- 屋子
- wūzi — room; house; living space
- 最
- zuì — most; the most; extremely
- 不可
- bùkě — must not; cannot; impermissible
- 缺少
- quēshǎo — to lack; to be short of; insufficient
- 事
- shì — matter; thing; affair; event
- 会
- huì — will; can; able to; likely to
- 回家
- huí jiā — to go home; to return home
- 假期
- jiàqī — holiday; vacation; break from school or work
- 回来
- huí lái — to come back; to return
- 毕业后
- bìyè hòu — after graduation; post-graduation period
- 也会
- yě huì — will also; would also; likewise will
- 上学
- shàngxué — to attend school; to go to school
- 而已
- éryǐ — that's all; nothing more; merely that
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →