11

The builders all got out of our house pretty QUICK, but they weren't the ONLY ones who thought there was an actual emergency. MANNY thought so, too. And, when the smoke detector went off, he threw all his stuffed animals out of his bedroom window, then hopped on to the pile.

那些建筑工人全都飞快地跑出了咱们家，但不是只有他们觉得真出了紧急状况。 曼尼也这么觉得。 烟雾报警器一响，他就把所有毛绒玩具都从卧室窗户扔出去了，然后自己也跳到那堆玩具上。

Mom and Dad weren't happy with me for the smoke-detector thing, but I don't think they were crazy about the builders using our toilets, EITHER. So this evening Mom ordered one of those porta-potties for the work site, and now everybody's happy. Friday Yesterday the construction crew poured concrete for the foundations, and today they started on the framing for the extension. I thought it was pretty cool seeing how everything was coming together.

烟雾报警器那事儿，爸爸妈妈本来就对我不太高兴，但他们也不乐意建筑工人用咱们家的厕所。 所以今晚妈妈给工地订了一个移动厕所，现在大家都皆大欢喜了。 周五 昨天施工队浇好了地基的混凝土，今天他们开始给扩建部分搭框架了。 看着一切一点点成型，我觉得还挺酷的。

Unfortunately Dad noticed that I was interested in what was happening outside, and that put an IDEA into his head. Dad said this project was a good opportunity for me to learn from REAL professionals and to pick up skills I could use down the road. I wasn't really on board with that plan, though. Most of those builders look like they've got really rough hands from working with all that heavy equipment. But I use all sorts of lotions and creams to make my hands nice and SOFT.

不巧的是，爸爸发现我对外面发生的事很感兴趣，这让他脑子里冒出了一个主意。 爸爸说这个工程对我来说是个好机会，可以跟着真正的专业人士学手艺，将来能用上这些技能。 不过我其实不太赞同这个计划。 那些建筑工人大多因为操作重型设备，手都变得特别粗糙。 可我一直用各种各样的润肤乳和面霜，把我的手保养得软软嫩嫩的。

And I'd like to KEEP them that way, because my hands are my best feature. But that was EXACTLY the wrong thing to tell my dad, because it earned me a one-way ticket outside.

而且我就想一直保持这样，因为我的手是我最好看的地方。 但这话跟爸爸说可大错特错了，说完我就得乖乖出门去工地了。

I don't know why Dad sent ME out there and not Rodrick. Manny actually wanted to go WITH me, but Dad told him he was too YOUNG to help. And Manny didn't take it that well. Dad told me I needed to find the person in charge and see how I could pitch in. So I asked around, and someone introduced me to the FOREMAN, who was in his trailer.

我搞不懂爸爸为什么偏派我去，而不是叫罗德里克去。 曼尼其实还想跟我一起去，可爸爸说他太小了，还不能帮忙。 曼尼对此可不太服气。 爸爸让我去找负责人，看看我能做点什么。 于是我四处打听，有人把我介绍给了工头，他在自己的拖车里。

I guess the foreman was too busy to deal with some middle-school kid, so he told me to go and find a guy named Buddy and talk to HIM. Well, Buddy was pretty easy to find, especially since his name was tattooed on his forehead. Buddy was working with some guys on the frames for the walls, so I thought I'd start off by telling them who I WAS. But they weren't as impressed as I THOUGHT they should be.

我猜工头太忙了，没空搭理我这个初中生，所以他让我去找一个叫巴迪的伙计，听他安排。 嘿，巴迪其实很好找，毕竟他的名字就纹在他额头上呢。 巴迪正和几个人搭墙框架，所以我一开始打算先跟他们说清楚我是谁。 可他们根本没有表现出我以为该有的那种兴趣。