On Thursday afternoon, the robotics club gathered around a half-built cart with one crooked wheel. Yifan, the captain, had already rewritten the schedule twice and moved every tool to a place he considered logical. When An reached for the distance sensor, he lifted it first. “I’ll mount it,” he said. “You can cut the wires.” An’s hand stayed in the air for a moment before falling back to her side. Mei pretended to study the manual, though she had read the same page three times.
星期四下午，机器人社团围着一辆只造了一半、一个轮子歪斜的小车站着。队长一帆已经把时间表改了两遍，还把每件工具都挪到了他认为合理的位置。阿安伸手去拿距离传感器时，他先一步把它拿了起来。“我来装，”他说，“你负责剪线。”阿安的手在半空中停了一下，才落回身侧。梅假装在研究说明书，尽管同一页她已经看了三遍。
By the time Ms. Qiao arrived, the cart could roll forward but refused to turn. Yifan gave orders faster than anyone could follow them. “Hold the frame. No, not like that. Mei, read the code again.” The room grew quiet in a way that had nothing to do with concentration. Ms. Qiao asked who had tested the rear sensor. No one answered. Yifan realized, with a small shock, that he had not asked a question all afternoon; he had only issued instructions.
乔老师来时，小车能向前走，却不肯转弯。一帆下命令的速度比谁跟得都快。“扶住框架。不对，不是那样。梅，再把代码读一遍。”教室里安静下来，那种安静和专心毫无关系。乔老师问，谁测试过后面的传感器。没有人回答。一帆忽然有些吃惊地意识到，整个下午他一个问题也没问过；他只是在发号施令。
The final practice took place on Friday beneath the gym’s high windows. Yifan had designed a route with three sharp turns, convinced that speed would impress the judges. During the first run, the cart wobbled, missed the second turn, and knocked a plastic cone into the wall. “Again,” Yifan said, reaching for the controller. “The sensor is tilted too low,” An said. “It sees the floor, not the line.” Yifan tightened a screw without answering.
最后一次排练在星期五，体育馆高高的窗下。一帆设计了一条有三个急转弯的路线，坚信速度能让评委印象深刻。第一次运行时，小车摇晃着错过了第二个弯，把一个塑料锥桶撞到了墙边。“再来，”一帆说着伸手去拿遥控器。“传感器角度太低了，”阿安说，“它看到的是地板，不是线。”一帆拧紧一颗螺丝，没有回答。
On the third failed run, Ms. Qiao handed each member a sticky note. “Write one thing the robot needs,” she said. Yifan expected empty paper, but five notes appeared. Two mentioned the sensor. One mentioned the loose wheel. Mei had drawn a simple map with a gentler route. Yifan stood alone at the table, holding the controller, while the others waited for him to speak. For the first time, he understood that their silence was not agreement. “An,” he said at last, “show me what you see.”
第三次失败后，乔老师给每个成员发了一张便利贴。“写下机器人需要的一件事，”她说。一帆以为纸会空着回来，却出现了五张。两张提到传感器，一张提到松动的轮子。梅画了一张简单的地图，路线更平缓。一帆独自站在桌边，握着遥控器，其他人都在等他开口。他第一次明白，他们的沉默并不是同意。“阿安，”他终于说，“让我看看你看到的东西。”
On Saturday morning, the team rebuilt the route with chalk. An adjusted the sensor, Mei simplified the code, and Jun timed each run with a stopwatch. Yifan wanted to take over every task, but each time the urge rose, he asked a question instead. “How much space does the cart need here?” “Would this turn be safer slower?” The answers came quickly, and some were better than his own.
星期六早上，大家用粉笔重新画了路线。阿安调整传感器，梅简化代码，俊拿着秒表为每次运行计时。一帆想接过每一项任务，但每次这种冲动升起，他就改为提问。“这里小车需要多大空间？”“这个弯慢一点会不会更稳？”答案来得很快，有些比他自己想的更好。
Their demonstration was not the fastest. The cart crept around corners and paused once to reconsider a line, which made the younger students laugh. Yet it completed every turn without touching a cone. When a judge asked Yifan who had designed the route, he pointed to the whole team. “We did,” he said. “I mostly kept us talking.” Walking back to the club room, he carried no controller. His hands felt oddly light, and the conversation around him felt like something he had helped build.
他们的展示不是最快的。小车绕着弯慢慢爬行，还停下来重新辨认了一次路线，逗得低年级学生笑了起来。但它没有碰到一个锥桶，完成了每一个转弯。一位评委问一帆，路线是谁设计的，他指向整个团队。“我们，”他说，“我主要是让大家一直说话。”走回社团教室时，他手里没有遥控器。双手轻得有些奇怪，而身边的谈话声，像是他参与建造的某种东西。