The Overturned Bin

“Char siu bao,” I pushed my cart (推车) around table after table of hungry customers. It was Saturday morning — the height of the brunch rush — and everyone in the neighborhood knew that Grandma Wu’s restaurant offered the freshest dim sum. Grandma’s Chinese dishes were so irresistible that customers were numerous.

After a while, my cart was empty and I took some of my favorite char siu bao at the tiny table in the alley (巷子) behind the restaurant. But just as I was about to take my first bite, I noticed something strange. Our garbage bins had been knocked over! Trash and half-eaten dim sum littered the ground.

Swallowing my bao, I quickly picked up the mess. Then I headed back inside to help with the rest of the rubbish. I forgot all about the mystery of the knocked-over bins until I took out the trash only to find the garbage bins had tipped over again!

Could it have been the wind? As I cleaned up for a second time, I looked at the darkening sky. A storm was heading our way, but the tree branches were not moving. Determined to avoid cleaning up a third time, I placed three stones on top of the bins.

I was met with another surprise early next morning. Looking out of my window for signs of the storm, I spotted the garbage bins — knocked over again! I complained as it started to rain. That’s when I noticed two yellow eyes staring back at me — it was a little gray cat!

“So you’re the one that keeps leaving messes!” I rushed to the alley, finally understanding. I watched as the cat tried to get the half-eaten bao inside. Cats aren’t supposed to eat bao. Garlic could be deadly to cats. But the cat was clearly too hungry to care.

I took a cautious step toward him when there was suddenly a loud thunder above us.

Like all of Grandma’s customers, the cat cheered up at the scent (气) of the warm char siu bao.

The Boy and the Puppy

A farmer had some puppies and he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising (广告)the pups and set about nailing (钉)it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a pull on his overalls (工装). He looked down into the eyes of a little boy “Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat of the back of his neck, “These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.” And with that he let out a whistle. “Here, Dolly!” he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp(斜坡) ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence (篱笆). His eyes danced with happiness. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else moving inside the doghouse.

Slowly another little fur ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it rolled. Then the little pup began awkwardly shaking its body toward the others, doing its best to catch up. “I want that one,” the little boy said, quickly pointing to the little dog .

The farmer knelt (蹲) down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.”

“Just that one.” With the answer, the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he showed a steel brace (支架) running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. It is obvious that the poor condition of the little fur ball also apply to the little boy.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said,

“No charge (费用),” answered the farmer,

I had an independent and clever dog named Stickeen. He enjoyed the delicious food that my family prepared for him every day. He often ran out of my sight when walking with me.

Early one morning, I went to explore a nearby glacier (冰川). Stickeen followed me, and together we went upon the glacier. Later, I discovered that we were trapped between two very deep cracks (裂缝) in the glacier. The only way across it was a very thin ice that connected the cracks. I made a path across the “bridge” and got to the other side. But my dog was afraid to have a try and began to cry. After taking another careful look at the large cracks, he ran away hopelessly to find some other crossings. By the time he got back, he was confused of course.

When I reached the other side, he screamed louder than ever, and after running back and forth without searching for a good way to escape, he would return to the edge (边缘) of the crack, crying as if in the sadness of death. I called again and again in a sure voice to come on and fear nothing, but he would think for a moment, look down again at the “bridge”, and shout his unshakable thought that he could never, never come that way, and then lie back hopelessly, as if screaming, “O-o-oh! What a place! No-o-o, I can never go-o-o down there!” At last, I seriously shouted to him that now I must certainly leave him and I could wait no longer if he could not come.

He knew very well what I meant.

When we went back home, Stickeen was a changed dog.