After Dinner

After dinner the family puts the bowls away together. Mum wipes the table. Dad washes the pot. Lin Hao dries the chopsticks and puts them in the drawer. The kitchen becomes quiet again.

晚饭后，一家人一起把碗收好。 妈妈擦桌子，爸爸刷锅。 林浩把筷子擦干，放进抽屉。 厨房又安静下来。

On the sofa there is a short storybook from the school library. Lin Hao reads two pages about a boy on a small farm. The boy wakes up early and helps with the animals, but he never feels tired. Lin Hao thinks his own life is different, but both lives can be healthy.

沙发上有一本学校图书馆借来的短篇故事书。 林浩读了两页，讲一个住在小农场的男孩。 那个男孩起得很早，帮忙照顾动物，却从不觉得累。 林浩觉得自己的生活不一样，可两种生活都可以很健康。

Mum looks at the clock. "Time to wash up," she says. Lin Hao wants one more page, but he closes the book. "Five more minutes tomorrow," Dad says with a smile. A quiet evening helps him sleep well, and sleep helps tomorrow's classes.

妈妈看了看钟，说：“该去洗漱了。” 林浩还想再看一页，可还是合上了书。 爸爸笑着说：“明天再多五分钟。” 安静的晚上让他睡得好，睡得好也帮得了明天的课。

In bed he hears a motorbike far away, then nothing. He remembers the farm boy in the book, and the basketball on the playground. "Sleep well," Mum says from the door. "You too," Lin Hao answers, and the day is over.

躺在床上，他听见远处一辆摩托车，然后什么也没有了。 他想起书里的农场男孩，也想起操场上的篮球。 妈妈在门口说：“睡个好觉。” 林浩回答：“你也是。”这一天就结束了。