我这一辈子，排过很多队。
Wǒ zhè yíbèizi, pái guò hěn duō duì.
In my life, I have stood in many lines.
小时候，队是跟妈妈一起排的。
Xiǎoshíhou, duì shì gēn māma yìqǐ pái de.
As a child, I queued together with my mother.
冬天的早上五点半，天还黑着。
Dōngtiān de zǎoshang wǔ diǎn bàn, tiān hái hēi zhe.
On winter mornings at five thirty, it was still dark.
妈妈把我从被子里拉出来。
Māma bǎ wǒ cóng bèizi lǐ lā chūlái.
Mom would pull me out from under the quilt.
我们去买豆浆和油条。
Wǒmen qù mǎi dòujiāng hé yóutiáo.
We went to buy soy milk and fried dough sticks.
店门口已经有一支长长的队。
Diàn ménkǒu yǐjīng yǒu yī zhī cháng cháng de duì.
A long line was already at the shop door.
队的最后面在风里，最前面在热气里。
Duì de zuìhòu miàn zài fēng lǐ, zuì qiánmiàn zài rè qì lǐ.
The end of the line stood in the wind, the front in the steam.
妈妈把我拉到她的身后。
Māma bǎ wǒ lā dào tā de shēn hòu.
Mom pulled me behind her.
她说，排队的时候，心不能急。
Tā shuō, páiduì de shíhou, xīn bù néng jí.
She said, when you queue, your heart must not hurry.
急了，队也不会变短。
Jí le, duì yě bù huì biàn duǎn.
Hurrying would not make the line any shorter.
我那时候一点也不懂。
Wǒ nà shíhou yī diǎn yě bù dǒng.
I did not understand at all back then.
我只觉得脚冷。
Wǒ zhī juéde jiǎo lěng.
I only felt my feet were cold.
妈妈就让我跳几下，再数一数前面还有多少人。
Māma jiù ràng wǒ tiào jǐ xià, zài shù yī shù qiánmiàn hái yǒu duōshao rén.
Mom told me to jump a few times, then count how many people were ahead.
数了三遍以后，队就短了。
Shù le sān biàn yǐhòu, duì jiù duǎn le.
After counting three times, the line had grown short.
轮到我们的时候，妈妈总会多说两句。
Lún dào wǒmen de shíhou, māma zǒng huì duō shuō liǎng jù.
When our turn came, Mom always said a few extra words.
她问，今天的油条好不好。
Tā wèn, jīntiān de yóutiáo hǎobù hǎo.
She would ask whether the dough sticks were good today.
卖油条的师傅笑了。
Mài yóutiáo de shīfu xiào le.
The master selling the dough sticks would smile.
那支队在笑声里往前走。
Nà zhī duì zài xiào shēng lǐ wǎng qián zǒu.
The line moved forward inside that laughter.
队里的人互相都认识。
Duì lǐ de rén hùxiāng dōu rènshi.
The people in the line all knew one another.
谁家的老人病了，谁家的孩子上学了，大家都知道。
Shéi/shuí jiā de lǎorén bìng le, shéi/shuí jiā de háizi shàngxué le, dàjiā dōu zhīdào.
Whose old folks were ill, whose child had started school, everyone knew.
那支队也是一个小小的家。
Nà zhī duì yě shì yī gè xiǎo xiǎo de jiā.
That line was also a small family.
长大以后，我一个人在城里排队。
Cháng dà yǐhòu, wǒ yī gèrén zài chéng lǐ páiduì.
Grown up, I queued alone in the city.
在银行排，在医院排，在车站排。
Zài yínháng pái, zài yīyuàn pái, zài chēzhàn pái.
At the bank, at the hospital, at the station.
城里的队不讲话，人人看手机。
Chéng lǐ de duì bù jiǎnghuà, rén rén kàn shǒujī.
City lines are silent; everyone looks at their phone.
每个人都看着手心里那一小块光。
Měi gèrén dōu kàn zhuóshǒu xīnlǐ nà yī xiǎo kuài guāng.
Each person watches the small patch of light in their palm.
有一次在医院，一个年轻人想走到前面去。
Yǒu yī cì zài yīyuàn, yī gè niánqīng rén xiǎng zǒu dào qiánmiàn qù.
Once at the hospital, a young man tried to move to the front.
他说他赶时间。
Tā shuō tā gǎn shíjiān.
He said he was in a hurry.
队伍里没有人说话。
Duìwu lǐ méiyǒu rén shuōhuà.
No one in the line spoke.
只有一位老人开了口。
Zhǐyǒu yī wèi lǎorén kāi le kǒu.
Only one old man opened his mouth.
老人说，小伙子，这里的人都赶时间。
Lǎorén shuō, xiǎohuǒzi, zhèlǐ de rén dōu gǎn shíjiān.
The old man said, young man, everyone here is in a hurry.
生病的人赶时间，陪着的人更赶时间。
Shēngbìng de rén gǎn shíjiān, péi zhe de rén gèng gǎn shíjiān.
The sick are in a hurry; those beside them even more so.
年轻人看了看队伍，慢慢走到了最后。
Niánqīng rén kàn le kàn duìwu, màn màn zǒu dào le zuìhòu.
The young man looked at the line and slowly walked to the end.
那一刻，队伍里没有人笑他。
Nà yī kè, duìwu lǐ méiyǒu rén xiào tā.
At that moment, no one in the line laughed at him.
整支队伍安安静静地往前走了一步。
Zhěng zhī duìwu ān ānjìng jìng de wǎng qián zǒu le yī bù.
The whole line quietly took one step forward.
我发现，排队是一所小小的学校。
Wǒ fāxiàn, páiduì shì yī suǒ xiǎo xiǎo de xuéxiào.
I found that a queue is a small school.
它教人的头一课，是先来的在前面。
Tā jiāo rén de tóu yī kè, shì xiān lái de zài qiánmiàn.
Its first lesson: those who come first go in front.
它还教人，急没有用。
Tā hái jiāo rén, jí méiyǒu yòng.
It also teaches that hurry is useless.
你看着前面，队也不会走得更快。
Nǐ kàn zhe qiánmiàn, duì yě bù huì zǒu de gèng kuài.
Staring at the front will not move the line faster.
真正的学问是，站在自己的位置上不动。
Zhēnzhèng de xuéwen shì, zhàn zài zìjǐ de wèizhì shàng bù dòng.
The real art is standing still in your own place.
把等的时间，变成自己的时间。
Bǎ děng de shíjiān, biànchéng zìjǐ de shíjiān.
Turn the waiting time into your own time.
我见过在队里看书的人。
Wǒ jiàn guò zài duì lǐ kàn shū de rén.
I have seen people reading in line.
见过在队里背单词的学生。
Jiàn guò zài duì lǐ bēi dān cí de xuéshēng.
I have seen students memorizing words in line.
还见过一位妈妈，在队里给孩子讲完了一本书。
Hái jiàn guò yī wèi māma, zài duì lǐ gěi háizi jiǎng wán le yī běn shū.
And I saw a mother finish a whole book to her child in line.
时间在这些人手里，好像走得慢一点。
Shíjiān zài zhèxiē rénshǒu lǐ, hǎoxiàng zǒu de màn yī diǎn.
In those people's hands, time seemed to move more slowly.
我慢慢明白，会等的人，也是会过日子的人。
Wǒ màn màn míngbai, huì děng de rén, yě shì huì guò rìzi de rén.
I slowly understood that people who can wait also know how to live.
现在很多事情变了。
Xiànzài hěn duō shìqing biàn le.
Many things have changed now.
银行给我一张小纸条，上面写着号码。
Yínháng gěi wǒ yī zhāng xiǎo zhǐ tiáo, shàngmiàn xiě zhe hàomǎ.
The bank gives me a small slip of paper with a number.
医院的号码在手机上就出来了。
Yīyuàn de hàomǎ zài shǒujī shàng jiù chūlái le.
The hospital number appears right on the phone.
人不用一直站在那里了。
Rén búyòng yìzhí zhàn zài nàlǐ le.
People no longer have to stand there the whole time.
可是我发现，号码也是一支队。
Kěshì wǒ fāxiàn, hàomǎ yě shì yī zhī duì.
But I have found that a number is also a line.
你看不见它，它还在那里。
Nǐ kàn bújiàn tā, tā hái zài nàlǐ.
You cannot see it, yet it is still there.
你还是得等，还是不能急。
Nǐ háishi de děng, háishi bù néng jí.
You still have to wait, and you still cannot hurry.
等本来就是生活的一部分。
Děng běnlái jiùshì shēnghuó de yī bùfen.
Waiting was always part of life.
从前的人在队里学会等，现在的人在号码前学。
Cóngqián de rén zài duì lǐ xuéhuì děng, xiànzài de rén zài hàomǎ qián xué.
People once learned to wait in lines; now they learn in front of a number.
上个月，我又去吃那家早点。
Shàng gè yuè, wǒ yòu qù chī nà jiā zǎo diǎn.
Last month, I went back to that breakfast shop.
店还在，队也还在，只是比从前短了一些。
Diàn hái zài, duì yě hái zài, zhǐshì bǐ cóngqián duǎn le yìxiē.
The shop is still there, and so is the line, just shorter than before.
卖油条的师傅头发全白了。
Mài yóutiáo de shīfu tóufa quán bái le.
The dough stick master's hair has gone all white.
他已经认不出我了。
Tā yǐjīng rèn bù chū wǒ le.
He can no longer recognize me.
我站在队里，前面有七个人。
Wǒ zhàn zài duì lǐ, qiánmiàn yǒu qī gèrén.
I stood in line with seven people ahead of me.
我没有看手机，也没有说话。
Wǒ méiyǒu kàn shǒujī, yě méiyǒu shuōhuà.
I did not look at my phone, and I did not talk.
我数了数前面的人，像小时候那样。
Wǒ shù le shù qiánmiàn de rén, xiàng xiǎoshíhou nàyàng.
I counted the people ahead, the way I did as a child.
队伍里有个孩子问他妈妈，还要多久。
Duìwu lǐ yǒu gè háizi wèn tā māma, hái yào duō jiǔ.
A child in the line asked his mother how much longer.
那位妈妈说，快了，再数一遍就到了。
Nà wèi māma shuō, kuài le, zài shù yī biàn jiù dào le.
The mother said, soon, one more count and we will be there.
数了三遍，就轮到了我。
Shù le sān biàn, jiù lún dào le wǒ.
After three counts, it was my turn.
师傅抬起头问，要点什么。
Shīfu tái qǐ tóu wèn, yàodiǎn shénme.
The master raised his head and asked what I wanted.
我说，一碗豆浆，两根油条。
Wǒ shuō, yī wǎn dòujiāng, liǎng gēn yóutiáo.
I said, a bowl of soy milk and two dough sticks.
他把油条递给我，油条还是热的。
Tā bǎ yóutiáo dì gěi wǒ, yóutiáo háishi rè de.
He handed me the dough sticks, and they were still warm.
我走出店门，咬了一口油条。
Wǒ zǒu chū diàn mén, yǎo le yī kǒu yóutiáo.
I walked out of the shop and took a bite of the dough stick.
是热的，跟很多年以前一样。
Shì rè de, gēn hěn duō nián yǐqián yíyàng.
It was warm, just like many years ago.
妈妈已经走不动那么早的路了。
Māma yǐjīng zǒu bù dòng nàme zǎo de lù le.
Mom can no longer walk that early morning road.
我把热的油条带回家给她。
Wǒ bǎ rè de yóutiáo dài huí jiā gěi tā.
I brought the warm dough sticks home to her.
她吃了一口，问我排了多久。
Tā chī le yī kǒu, wèn wǒ pái le duō jiǔ.
She took a bite and asked how long I had queued.
我说，不久，数三遍就到了。
Wǒ shuō, bùjiǔ, shù sān biàn jiù dào le.
I said, not long, just three counts.
她笑了，说她还记得很多年前的那支队。
Tā xiào le, shuō tā hái jìde hěn duō nián qián de nà zhī duì.
She smiled and said she still remembered that line from many years ago.
窗外的天还黑着，和四十年前一样。
Chuāng wài de tiān hái hēi zhe, hé sì shí nián qián yíyàng.
Outside the window the sky was still dark, just like forty years ago.