家里的那辆白车，父亲开了十二年。
Jiā lǐ de nà liàng bái chē, fùqīn kāi le shí èr nián.
That white car of our family, Father had driven it for twelve years.
它是父亲三十多岁时买的，那时候我刚上小学。
Tā shì fùqīn sān shí duō suì shí mǎi de, nà shíhou wǒ gāng shàng xiǎoxué.
He bought it in his thirties, when I had just started primary school.
车不大，后座放一个儿童椅子，就差不多满了。
Chē bú dà, hòu zuò fàng yí gè értóng yǐzi, jiù chàbuduō mǎn le.
The car was small; with a child seat in the back it was nearly full.
小时候它带我去过海边，也在半夜送我去过医院。
Xiǎoshíhou tā dài wǒ qù guò hǎi biān, yě zài bànyè sòng wǒ qù guò yīyuàn.
In my childhood it took me to the sea, and to the hospital in the middle of the night.
今年父亲七十岁了，眼睛越来越花，看不清远处。
Jīnnián fùqīn qī shí suì le, yǎnjing yuè lái yuè huā, kàn bù qīng yuǎn chù.
This year Father turned seventy; his eyes got dimmer, and he could not see far away clearly.
全家开了三次会，最后决定：车，卖了。
Quán jiā kāi le sān cì huì, zuìhòu juédìng: chē, mài le.
The whole family met three times and finally decided: the car must be sold.
父亲听完没有说话，第二天早上自己去把车洗干净了。
Fùqīn tīng wán méiyǒu shuōhuà, dì èr tiān zǎoshang zìjǐ qù bǎ chē xǐ gānjìng le.
Father said nothing; the next morning he went and washed the car himself.
来看车的人不少，大多是二手市场的。
Lái kàn chē de rén bù shǎo, dàduō shì èrshǒu shìchǎng de.
Quite a few people came to look, mostly used car dealers.
他们看两眼，就把价钱说得很低。
Tāmen kàn liǎng yǎn, jiù bǎ jiàqián shuō de hěn dī.
They glanced twice and quoted very low.
有个老板说：这车太老了，值不了几个钱。
Yǒu gè lǎobǎn shuō: zhè chē tài lǎo le, zhí bù le jǐ gè qián.
One dealer said: this car is too old, not worth much.
父亲每次都笑着送人走，一句也不争。
Fùqīn měi cì dōu xiào zhe sòng rén zǒu, yí jù yě bù zhēng.
Each time Father smiled, saw them off, and argued not a word.
我在旁边看得着急，悄悄说：爸爸，可以再谈谈。
Wǒ zài pángbiān kàn de zháojí, qiāoqiāo shuō: bàba, kěyǐ zài tán tán.
I watched anxiously and whispered: Dad, you could bargain more.
他说：不是钱的事。
Tā shuō: bú shì qián de shì.
He said: it is not about money.
我不懂，一辆旧车，不是钱还是什么？
Wǒ bù dǒng, yí liàng jiù chē, bú shì qián háishi shénme?
I did not understand: an old car, if not money, then what?
上个月来了个年轻人，进门先绕着车走了一圈。
Shàng gè yuè lái le gè niánqīng rén, jìn mén xiān rào zhe chē zǒu le yì quān.
Last month a young man came; he first walked a circle around the car.
他摸了摸车门上一道浅浅的印，问：这是怎么弄的？
Tā mō le mō chē mén shàng yídào qiǎn qiǎn de yìn, wèn: zhè shì zěnme nòng de?
He touched a faint mark on the door and asked: how did this happen?
父亲说：他小时候学骑自行车，撞的。
Fùqīn shuō: tā xiǎoshíhou xué qí zìxíngchē, zhuàng de.
Father said: when he was little learning to ride a bicycle, he ran into it.
说完看了我一眼，我赶紧看别处。
Shuō wán kàn le wǒ yì yǎn, wǒ gǎnjǐn kàn bié chǔ.
He glanced at me as he said it, and I quickly looked away.
他坐进车里，两只手放在前面，半天没有说话。
Tā zuò jìn chē lǐ, liǎng zhī shǒu fàng zài qiánmiàn, bàntiān méiyǒu shuōhuà.
He sat inside, both hands in front of him, silent for a long while.
然后他说：我小时候，家里也有一辆这样的车。
Ránhòu tā shuō: wǒ xiǎoshíhou, jiā lǐ yě yǒu yí liàng zhèyàng de chē.
Then he said: when I was little, my family had a car like this too.
后来爸爸生病，车卖给了别人，我一直觉得可惜。
Hòulái bàba shēngbìng, chē mài gěi le biérén, wǒ yìzhí juéde kěxī.
Later my father got sick and the car was sold to someone else; I always regretted it.
他问父亲：这车声音还是好的吗？
Tā wèn fùqīn: zhè chē shēngyīn háishi hǎo de ma?
He asked Father: does it still sound right?
父亲坐进车里，一打火，车的声音低低的，很好听。
Fùqīn zuò jìn chē lǐ, yì dǎ huǒ, chē de shēngyīn dī dī de, hěn hǎotīng.
Father sat in, turned the key, and the car hummed low, a lovely sound.
年轻人笑了，说：就是这个声音。
Niánqīng rén xiào le, shuō: jiùshì zhège shēngyīn.
The young man smiled and said: that is exactly the sound.
谈价钱的时候，他说了一个数，比正常的还高一点。
Tán jiàqián de shíhou, tā shuō le yí gè shù, bǐ zhèngcháng de hái gāo yì diǎn.
When it came to price, he named a number a little above the usual.
我踢了踢父亲的鞋，让他别急着答应。
Wǒ tī le tī fùqīn de xié, ràng tā bié jí zhe dāying.
I nudged Father's shoe, signaling him not to agree too fast.
父亲像没有看见一样，握手成交。
Fùqīn xiàng méiyǒu kànjiàn yíyàng, wòshǒu chéngjiāo.
Father acted as if he had not seen it and shook hands to close the deal.
办手续那天，父亲把一个小箱子交给了年轻人。
Bàn shǒuxù nà tiān, fùqīn bǎ yí gè xiǎo xiāngzi jiāo gěi le niánqīng rén.
On the day of the paperwork, Father handed the young man a small box.
里面有备用钥匙、保险单，还有一本厚厚的记录。
Lǐmiàn yǒu bèiyòng yàoshi, bǎoxiǎn dān, hái yǒu yì běn hòu hòu de jìlù.
Inside were the spare key, the insurance papers, and a thick notebook of records.
十二年，每次加油、每次修理、每次检查，都写着。
Shí èr nián, měi cì jiāyóu, měi cì xiūlǐ, měi cì jiǎnchá, dōu xiě zhe.
Twelve years: every fill up, every repair, every check, all written down.
年轻人翻了两页，抬起头说：您放心，我会好好开它。
Niánqīng rén fān le liǎng yè, tái qǐ tóu shuō: nín fàngxīn, wǒ huì hǎohǎo kāi tā.
The young man flipped two pages, looked up and said: rest assured, I will drive it well.
车开走的时候，父亲站在门口，抬了抬手。
Chē kāi zǒu de shíhou, fùqīn zhàn zài ménkǒu, tái le tái shǒu.
As the car drove off, Father stood at the gate and raised his hand slightly.
我扶他回家，他没有说一个字，眼睛亮亮的。
Wǒ fú tā huí jiā, tā méiyǒu shuō yí gè zì, yǎnjing liàng liàng de.
I helped him back inside; he did not say a word, his eyes shining.
我说：爸爸，其实可以不卖的。
Wǒ shuō: bàba, qíshí kěyǐ bú mài de.
I said: Dad, we really did not have to sell it.
他摇头说：车是给人开的，不是给人想的。
Tā yáo tóu shuō: chē shì gěi rén kāi de, bú shì gěi rén xiǎng de.
He shook his head and said: a car is for someone to drive, not for someone to keep thinking about.
给一个会好好开它的人，比放在车库里强。
Gěi yí gè huì hǎohǎo kāi tā de rén, bǐ fàng zài chēkù lǐ qiáng.
Giving it to someone who will drive it well beats leaving it in the garage.
过年前，那个年轻人发来一张照片。
Guònián qián, nàge niánqīng rén fā lái yì zhāng zhàopiàn.
Before the New Year, the young man sent a photo.
白车洗得干干净净，停在老家的院子门口。
Bái chē xǐ de gān gānjìng jìng, tíng zài lǎojiā de yuànzi ménkǒu.
The white car, freshly washed, was parked at a courtyard gate back in his hometown.
车里坐着一家人，每个人都在笑。
Chē lǐ zuò zhe yì jiārén, měi gèrén dōu zài xiào.
A whole family sat inside, everyone smiling.
父亲看了很久，然后用手机回了两个字：真好。
Fùqīn kàn le hěn jiǔ, ránhòu yòng shǒujī huí le liǎng gè zì: zhēn hǎo.
Father looked at it for a long time, then typed two characters back: wonderful.
那天晚上，他把那本记录拿出来，又慢慢看了一遍。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, tā bǎ nà běn jìlù ná chūlái, yòu màn màn kàn le yí biàn.
That evening he took out that notebook and slowly read it through once more.
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