4 Ama’s Tea House

4 AMA's TEA HOUSE Ama's Tea House was smoky and dimly lit. A woodstove and several oil lanterns cast a cozy light over the room. Mina and Fuli placed their baskets inside the door. Jack and Annie dropped their backpacks there, too. They hung their parkas on hooks on the wall. A woman in a long brown apron came out from the kitchen. "Ama! We brought new friends home!" Fuli called out. "Jack and Annie!" The woman smiled. Her black hair gleamed in the firelight. "Welcome, new friends!" she said. Annie pressed her hands together. "We salute you, Ama," she said. Ama laughed warmly. "And I salute you. Who are you? Where are you from?" "We're Jack and Annie," said Annie.

阿玛的茶馆烟雾缭绕，灯光昏暗。 一个柴炉和几盏油灯在房间里投下舒适的灯光。 米娜和富力把篮子放在门里面。 杰克和安妮也把背包掉在那里了。 他们把大衣挂在墙上的挂钩上。 一个系着棕色长围裙的女人从厨房里走了出来。 “Ama !我们带了新朋友回家！”富力喊道。 “杰克和安妮！”女人笑了。 她的黑发在火光下闪闪发光。 “欢迎，新朋友！”她说。 安妮双手合十。 “我们向你致敬，妈妈，”她说。 妈妈热情地笑了。“我向你致敬。 你是谁？你是哪里人？”“我们是杰克和安妮，”安妮说。

"A brother and sister from America!" said Fuli. "Wonderful," said Ama. "But you are so young. Where are your parents?" Jack cleared his throat. "Well…actually, we'll see them tomorrow." "They gave us a day on our own," said Annie. "Really?" said Ama. She shook her head. "They must trust you very much to give you such freedom. But please, allow me to take care of you before they arrive." "Okay, sure. Thanks," said Jack. "Sit at a table," said Ama. "And we will bring you some dinner. Come, girls. Help me." The two sisters followed their mother back to the kitchen. Jack and Annie sat at an empty table and looked around. Through the smoky haze, Jack saw men playing cards. They looked like they came from the village. They had weathered faces and wore long shirts and vests. At another table sat a group of young hikers. They had large backpacks and walking sticks. They were laughing and looking at maps. Ama and her daughters came out of the kitchen, carrying food. "For you, Jack and Annie!" Fuli said. She put down a plate of fried bread.

“来自美国的兄妹！”富力说。 “太好了。”妈妈说。“可是你太年轻了。 你的父母呢？”杰克清了清嗓子。 “嗯……实际上，我们明天再看。” “他们给了我们一天的时间，”安妮说。 “真的吗？”她摇了摇头。 “他们一定非常信任你，才给你这样的自由。 但是，请允许我在他们到来之前照顾你。” “好的,没问题。谢谢，”杰克说。 “请坐。”妈妈说。 “我们会给你送晚餐来的。 来吧,女孩。帮助我。”两姐妹跟着母亲回到厨房。 杰克和安妮坐在一张空桌子旁，环顾四周。 透过烟雾，杰克看见人们在打牌。 他们看起来像是从村里来的。 他们的脸饱经风霜，穿着长衬衫和背心。 另一张桌子旁坐着一群年轻的徒步旅行者。 他们背着大背包，拄着拐杖。 他们一边笑一边看地图。 妈妈和她的女儿们端着食物从厨房出来。 “给你们，杰克和安妮！”富力说。 她放下一盘炸面包。

Mina set down little pots of butter and honey. Ama gave them bowls of lentil soup. "Thanks!" said Annie. Jack thought the soup smelled like a dish their mom made at home. It made him feel a little homesick. As he and Annie started eating, Ama and the girls sat down at their table. "So you have traveled here for the festival?" asked Ama. "No, not really," said Annie. What festival? Jack wondered as he spread butter and honey over a piece of bread. Before he could ask, Fuli jumped in. "They came here to find a story about a gray ghost!" she said. "So we took them to meet Tenzin!" said Mina. "We told them he was a great storyteller."

米娜放下几小罐黄油和蜂蜜。 妈妈给了他们几碗扁豆汤。 “谢谢！”安妮说。杰克觉得这汤闻起来像妈妈在家做的菜。 这让他有点想家了。 当他和安妮开始吃饭时，妈妈和女儿们在桌旁坐下。 “这么说你是来过节的？”妈妈问。 “不，不完全是，”安妮说。 什么节日吗?杰克一边把黄油和蜂蜜涂在一片面包上一边想着。 他还没来得及问，富力就插了进来。 “他们来这里是为了找一个关于灰鬼的故事！”她说。 “所以我们带他们去见丹增！”米娜说。 “我们告诉他们他很会讲故事。”

"Tenzin said he will help them tomorrow," said Fuli. "Oh?" said Ama. "That's wonderful! Tenzin hardly ever sees visitors now. He's not been well. And he certainly doesn't tell stories anymore." "Why? What's wrong?" asked Annie. "Tenzin has a broken heart," said Fuli. "What happened to him?" said Jack. "His wife and daughter died of the fever last winter," said Ama. "He couldn't get them to a hospital in time. The closest one is far away." Tears came to her eyes. Jack thought of the man living all alone in his mountain hut. Then he thought about how he would feel if he didn't have Annie or his parents. "That's terrible," he said. "Yes, it is," said Ama. "The whole village has missed him. Before he lost his family, he would stop by the tea house every day. He carried wood for the elderly. He taught climbing skills to the little ones. It is good that you are going to visit him tomorrow." "I hope we can cheer him up," said Annie. "Me too," said Ama with a smile. "Come, girls, we must clean up now. Mina, collect payments. Fuli, clear the tables, please."

“丹增说他明天会帮助他们，”富力说。 “哦？”妈妈说。“太棒了!丹增现在几乎没有见过访客。 他身体不太好。他当然也不再讲故事了。” “为什么?怎么了？”安妮问。 “丹增心碎了，”富力说。 “他怎么了？”杰克问。 “他的妻子和女儿去年冬天死于热病，”阿玛说。 “他没能及时把他们送到医院。 最近的那个也很远。” 泪水涌上了她的眼睛。杰克想起了那个独自住在山间小屋里的人。 然后他想，如果没有安妮和父母，他会有什么感觉。 “太可怕了，”他说。 “是啊，”妈妈说。“全村的人都想念他。 在失去家人之前，他每天都会去茶馆。 他为老人扛柴。 他教小孩子登山技巧。 你明天要去看他，真是太好了。” “我希望我们能让他高兴起来，”安妮说。 “我也是。”妈妈笑着说。 “来吧，姑娘们，我们现在必须打扫了。 米娜，收款。富力，请收拾桌子。”

Mina and Fuli jumped up and started helping their mother. "Poor Tenzin," Annie said to Jack. "Yeah. Really," he said. The other customers were starting to leave. Soon they were all gone. The lanterns were nearly out, and the fire was low. The tea room had grown chilly. "Jack and Annie, since your parents do not arrive until tomorrow, you must stay with us tonight," said Ama. "Thanks!" said Annie. "The girls and I sleep in the small attic upstairs. But you and your brother can sleep in this room. We will bring you some blankets." "That's okay, don't worry," said Jack. "We have sleeping bags in our backpacks." "Wonderful," said Ama. "Come, girls. To bed. Tomorrow is a big day." "The festival!" said Fuli, clapping her hands. "Good night!" said Mina. She and her sister followed Ama up steep wooden stairs to the attic. Jack and Annie pulled off their hiking boots. They unrolled their sleeping bags and crawled inside them. "Ohh, this is nice," said Annie. "I feel warm and toasty."

米娜和富力跳起来，开始帮助他们的妈妈。 “可怜的丹增，”安妮对杰克说。 “是的。真的，”他说。其他顾客开始离开。 很快他们都走了。灯笼快灭了，火也很低。 茶室里变得很冷。 “杰克和安妮，既然你们的父母明天才到，你们今晚必须和我们呆在一起，”妈妈说。 “谢谢！”安妮说。“我和女儿们睡在楼上的小阁楼里。 但你和你哥哥可以睡在这个房间里。 我们会给你拿些毯子来。” “没关系，别担心，”杰克说。 “我们的背包里有睡袋。” “太好了。”妈妈说。“来,女孩。 上床睡觉。明天是个大日子。” “节日！”富力拍着手说。 “晚安！”米娜说。她和妹妹跟着妈妈爬上陡峭的木楼梯，来到阁楼。 杰克和安妮脱下登山靴。 他们展开睡袋，爬了进去。 “哦，这太好了，”安妮说。 “我觉得又暖和又暖和。”

"Me too," said Jack. "It's so quiet and peaceful here," murmured Annie. "No cars. No trucks. No computers. No television. No radio. No phones…." She yawned. "Yeah, it is a peaceful place," said Jack. But he thought it was a sad place, too. The people worked so hard, yet they seemed poor. And there were no hospitals nearby. "I'm wondering what that festival is," said Annie, yawning again. "Tomorrow we'll check our guide book," said Jack. "I feel bad about Tenzin," said Annie. "Me too," said Jack. "Maybe tomorrow we can…" Her voice trailed off. "We can what?" said Jack. Annie didn't answer. She was asleep. Jack finished her sentence. "Maybe tomorrow we can help him…," he said softly. Then he closed his eyes. And he, too, fell fast asleep.

“我也是，”杰克说。“这里是如此的安静和安宁，”安妮喃喃地说。 “没有汽车。没有卡车。没有电脑。 没有电视。没有收音机。没有手机……” 她打了个哈欠。“是的，这是一个宁静的地方，”杰克说。 但他认为这也是一个悲伤的地方。 人们如此努力地工作，然而他们似乎很穷。 附近也没有医院。 “我想知道那个节日是什么，”安妮说，又打了个哈欠。 “明天我们去看看我们的旅游指南，”杰克说。 “我为丹增感到难过，”安妮说。 “我也是，”杰克说。“也许明天我们可以……”她的声音变小了。 “我们能做什么？”安妮没有回答。 她睡着了。杰克把话说完。 “也许明天我们可以帮他……”他轻声说。 然后他闭上了眼睛。他也很快地睡着了。