我小时候最怕去的地方，是菜市场。
Wǒ xiǎoshíhou zuì pà qù de dìfang, shì cài shìchǎng.
The place I feared most as a child was the wet market.
那里地上全是水，空气里全是味道。
Nàlǐ de shàng quán shì shuǐ, kōngqì lǐ quán shì wèidào.
Water covered the ground, and smells filled the air.
可是每个星期天早上，妈妈都要带我去。
Kěshì měi gè xīngqītiān zǎoshang, māma dōu yào dài wǒ qù.
Yet every Sunday morning, my mother took me there.
她说，书要在学校里念。
Tā shuō, shū yào zài xuéxiào lǐ niàn.
She said books are studied at school.
日子这门课，要在菜市场里学。
Rìzi zhè mén kè, yào zài cài shìchǎng lǐ xué.
But the lessons of life are learned in the market.
我听不懂，只觉得那里又吵又挤。
Wǒ tīng bù dǒng, zhī juéde nàlǐ yòu chǎo yòu jǐ.
I did not understand; I only found it loud and crowded.
妈妈的布包很沉，我的手被勒得红红的。
Māma de bù bāo hěn chén, wǒ de shǒu bèi lēi de hóng hóng de.
Mother's cloth bag was heavy, and the handles left red marks on my hand.
妈妈买菜，有一套她自己的办法。
Māma mǎi cài, yǒu yī tào tā zìjǐ de bànfǎ.
Mother had her own way of buying vegetables.
她先看，再摸，最后才问价钱。
Tā xiān kàn, zài mō, zuìhòu cái wèn jiàqián.
She looked first, then touched, and only then asked the price.
她拿起一个西红柿，先看它的底。
Tā ná qǐ yī gè xīhóngshì, xiān kàn tā de dǐ.
Picking up a tomato, she first looked at its bottom.
她说，底是青的还是黄的，味道不一样。
Tā shuō, dǐ shì qīng de háishi huáng de, wèidào bù yíyàng.
She said a green bottom and a yellow bottom taste different.
买鱼要看眼睛，眼睛亮的才新鲜。
Mǎi yú yào kàn yǎnjing, yǎnjing liàng de cái xīnxiān.
For fish, look at the eyes; bright eyes mean fresh.
买肉要早一点去，好肉不等太阳出来。
Mǎi ròu yào zǎo yī diǎn qù, hǎo ròu bù děng tàiyáng chūlái.
For meat, go early; good meat does not wait for the sun.
这些书上都没有。
Zhèxiē shū shàng dōu méiyǒu.
None of this is in books.
学校教我认字，市场教我认菜。
Xuéxiào jiāo wǒ rèn zì, shìchǎng jiāo wǒ rèn cài.
School taught me to read characters; the market taught me to read vegetables.
学校教我算题，市场教我算账。
Xuéxiào jiāo wǒ suàn tí, shìchǎng jiāo wǒ suànzhàng.
School taught me sums; the market taught me accounts.
哪一种菜在哪个月最好吃，我心里都记得。
Nǎ yī zhǒng cài zài nǎge yuè zuìhǎo chī, wǒ xīnlǐ dōu jìde.
Which vegetable is best in which month, I keep in my heart.
这都是她一年一年看出来的。
Zhè dōu shì tā yī nián yī nián kàn chūlái de.
She saw it all out for herself, year after year.
妈妈也会讲价钱。
Māma yě huì jiǎng jiàqián.
Mother also bargained over prices.
可是她讲价钱，从来只讲一毛两毛。
Kěshì tā jiǎng jiàqián, cónglái zhī jiǎng yī máo liǎng máo.
But she only ever argued over one or two mao.
我问她，为什么不狠狠讲。
Wǒ wèn tā, wèi shénme bù hěn hěn jiǎng.
I asked her why she did not bargain hard.
她说，卖菜的人起得比我们还早。
Tā shuō, mài cài de rén qǐ de bǐ wǒmen hái zǎo.
She said the sellers rise even earlier than we do.
他赚一毛是一毛，都是辛苦钱。
Tā zhuàn yī máo shì yī máo, dōu shì xīnkǔ qián.
Every mao he earns is hard earned money.
价钱讲定了，菜就好拿了。
Jiàqián jiǎng dìng le, cài jiù hǎo ná le.
Once the price was settled, the vegetables came easily.
有一个卖豆腐的阿姨，认识我妈妈。
Yǒu yī gè mài dòufu de āyí, rènshi wǒ māma.
A woman selling tofu knew my mother.
我们的脸一出现，她就把最好的那块留下了。
Wǒmen de liǎn yī chūxiàn, tā jiù bǎ zuìhǎo de nà kuài liúxia le.
The moment our faces appeared, she set aside the best piece.
妈妈从来不说要留。
Māma cónglái bù shuō yào liú.
Mother never asked her to.
阿姨也从来不说留了。
Āyí yě cónglái bù shuō liú le.
And the woman never said she had.
可是那块豆腐总是在那里等着。
Kěshì nà kuài dòufu zǒngshì zài nàlǐ děng zhe.
Yet that piece of tofu was always waiting there.
这就是熟人和生人不一样的地方。
Zhè jiùshì shúrén hé shēng rén bù yíyàng de dìfang.
That is where a familiar face differs from a stranger.
熟人之间，很多事情不用说。
Shúrén zhījiān, hěn duō shìqing búyòng shuō.
Between familiar people, much need not be said.
他知道你要什么，你知道他的东西不骗人。
Tā zhīdào nǐ yào shénme, nǐ zhīdào tā de dōngxi bù piàn rén.
He knows what you want; you know his goods do not lie.
妈妈说，买菜的信任，是一天一天买出来的。
Māma shuō, mǎi cài de xìnrèn, shì yī tiān yī tiān mǎi chūlái de.
Mother said trust in buying vegetables is bought one day at a time.
你骗我一次，我下次就不来了。
Nǐ piàn wǒ yī cì, wǒ xià cì jiù bù lái le.
Cheat me once, and I will not come again.
你不骗我，我就天天来买你的菜。
Nǐ bù piàn wǒ, wǒ jiù tiān tiān lái mǎi nǐ de cài.
Do not cheat me, and I will come buy from you every day.
后来我离开家，去了外地上学。
Hòulái wǒ líkāi jiā, qù le wàidì shàngxué.
Later I left home to study in another city.
在外地，我学着妈妈的样子买菜。
Zài wàidì, wǒ xué zhe māma de yàngzi mǎi cài.
Away from home, I bought vegetables the way my mother did.
先看，再摸，最后问价钱。
Xiān kàn, zài mō, zuìhòu wèn jiàqián.
Look first, then touch, then ask the price.
卖菜的小伙子笑了。
Mài cài de xiǎohuǒzi xiào le.
The young seller laughed.
他说，你挺懂行。
Tā shuō, nǐ tǐng dǒng xíng.
He said, you really know the trade.
那是我头一次因为会买菜被人夸。
Nà shì wǒ tóu yī cì yīnwèi huì mǎi cài bèi rén kuā.
It was the first time I was praised for knowing how to buy vegetables.
我站在那里，忽然很想妈妈。
Wǒ zhàn zài nàlǐ, hūrán hěn xiǎng māma.
Standing there, I suddenly missed my mother.
现在买菜越来越方便了。
Xiànzài mǎi cài yuè lái yuè fāngbiàn le.
Buying groceries grows ever easier now.
在手机上点几下，菜就送到家。
Zài shǒujī shàng diǎn jǐ xià, cài jiù sòng dào jiā.
A few taps on the phone, and vegetables arrive at your door.
不用早起，不用讲价钱，不用踩一地的水。
Búyòng zǎo qǐ, búyòng jiǎng jiàqián, búyòng cǎi yī de de shuǐ.
No early rising, no bargaining, no wading through water.
我也用，真的很方便。
Wǒ yě yòng, zhēn de hěn fāngbiàn.
I use it too; it is truly convenient.
只是送菜的人放下东西就走，我们谁也不认识谁。
Zhǐshì sòng cài de rén fàng xià dōngxi jiù zǒu, wǒmen shéi/shuí yě bù rènshi shéi/shuí.
Only the courier drops the goods and leaves; we do not know each other at all.
可是送来的西红柿，我总要翻过来看看底。
Kěshì sòng lái de xīhóngshì, wǒ zǒng yào fān guòlái kàn kàn dǐ.
But I still turn over every delivered tomato to look at its bottom.
送来的鱼，我总要看看眼睛亮不亮。
Sòng lái de yú, wǒ zǒng yào kàn kàn yǎnjing liàng bù liàng.
And I still check whether the fish's eyes are bright.
妻子笑我，说都送来了还看什么。
Qīzi xiào wǒ, shuō dōu sòng lái le hái kàn shénme.
My wife laughs at me: it is already here, what are you checking?
我说，习惯改不了。
Wǒ shuō, xíguàn gǎi bù le.
I say, habits do not change.
上个月，我回了一趟老家。
Shàng gè yuè, wǒ huí le yī tàng lǎojiā.
Last month, I went back to my hometown.
老菜市场拆了，搬进了新大楼。
Lǎo cài shìchǎng chāi le, bān jìn le xīn dà lóu.
The old market was torn down and moved into a new building.
地是干的了，灯是亮的了。
De shì gàn de le, dēng shì liàng de le.
The ground is dry now, and the lights are bright.
卖豆腐的阿姨还在，头发全白了。
Mài dòufu de āyí hái zài, tóufa quán bái le.
The tofu woman is still there, her hair all white.
她认出了我。
Tā rèn chū le wǒ.
She recognized me.
她说，你妈妈有好几年没有来了吧。
Tā shuō, nǐ māma yǒu hǎo jǐ nián méiyǒu lái le ba.
She said, your mother has not come for years, has she?
我说，她走不动远路了。
Wǒ shuō, tā zǒu bù dòng yuǎn lù le.
I said, she can no longer walk that far.
阿姨听了，没有说话。
Āyí tīng le, méiyǒu shuōhuà.
Hearing this, the woman said nothing.
她把一块豆腐装进我的布包里。
Tā bǎ yī kuài dòufu zhuāng jìn wǒ de bù bāo lǐ.
She put a piece of tofu into my cloth bag.
她说，这块不要钱。
Tā shuō, zhè kuài búyào qián.
She said, this one is free.
我说那怎么行。
Wǒ shuō nà zěnme xíng.
I said, how can that do?
她说，你妈妈在我这儿买了三十年豆腐。
Tā shuō, nǐ māma zài wǒ zhèr mǎi le sān shí nián dòufu.
She said, your mother bought tofu from me for thirty years.
这一块，是请她吃的。
Zhè yī kuài, shì qǐng tā chī de.
This piece is my treat for her.
我提着那块还热的豆腐往家走。
Wǒ tí zhe nà kuài hái rè de dòufu wǎng jiā zǒu.
I carried that still warm piece of tofu home.
一路上我想，菜市场教我的到底是什么。
Yílù shàng wǒ xiǎng, cài shìchǎng jiāo wǒ de dàodǐ shì shénme.
All the way I wondered what the market really taught me.
是挑西红柿，是讲价钱，都不是。
Shì tiāo xīhóngshì, shì jiǎng jiàqián, dōu bù shì.
Choosing tomatoes? Bargaining? Neither.
它教我，人和人之间，是可以慢慢熟的。
Tā jiāo wǒ, rén hé rén zhījiān, shì kěyǐ màn màn shú/shóu de.
It taught me that between people, familiarity can grow slowly.
一天见一次，一次说两句。
Yī tiān jiàn yī cì, yī cì shuō liǎng jù.
See each other once a day, say two words each time.
三十年以后，就是一块不要钱的豆腐。
Sān shí nián yǐhòu, jiùshì yī kuài búyào qián de dòufu.
Thirty years later, that is a piece of tofu that money cannot buy.
到家的时候，豆腐还是热的。
Dào jiā de shíhou, dòufu háishi rè de.
When I reached home, the tofu was still warm.
妈妈把它切成块，放在锅里煮了汤。
Māma bǎ tā qiē chéng kuài, fàng zài guō lǐ zhǔ le tāng.
Mother cut it into pieces and boiled it into a soup.
我们一家人喝着汤，谁都没有说话。
Wǒmen yī jiārén hē zhe tāng, shéi/shuí dōu méiyǒu shuōhuà.
Our whole family drank the soup, and nobody spoke.
汤是淡的，可是喝到最后，有点甜。
Tāng shì dàn de, kěshì hē dào zuìhòu, yǒu diǎn tián.
The soup was plain, but at the last sip, it was a little sweet.