Xiaohe found three sunflower seeds in her pocket on Monday. She did not know where they came from. At lunch, she dug a small hole beside the playground wall, dropped the seeds in, and covered them with soft dirt.
星期一，小禾在口袋里摸到三颗向日葵种子。她不知道它们是从哪里来的。午饭时，她在操场围墙边挖了一个小坑，把种子放进去，再盖上松软的泥土。
Every morning, she visited the patch before class. She whispered to the bare earth as if it were a sleepy friend. Nothing showed for days. Then a boy kicked his ball over the wall, and his shoes landed right on her little garden.
每天早晨上课前，她都会去看看那块地。她对着光秃秃的泥土小声说话，好像它是一个困倦的朋友。好几天什么也没冒出来。后来，一个男孩把球踢过墙，他的鞋正好落在她的小花园上。
Xiaohe did not shout. She knelt down and smoothed the dirt with her hands. The boy, whose name was Bo, stood behind her with red ears. He helped her pick up the ball and said sorry in a very small voice.
小禾没有喊叫。她蹲下来，用手把泥土抚平。那个男孩叫波波，他站在她身后，耳朵红红的。他帮她捡起球，用很小的声音说了对不起。
After school, they collected thin sticks from under the trees. Bo held them while Xiaohe pushed them into the ground. She made a low fence and a paper sign: "Seeds are sleeping. Please walk around." The sign wobbled, but it stood.
放学后，他们从树下捡来细细的树枝。波波扶着树枝，小禾把它们插进土里。她围了一圈矮矮的篱笆，又做了一块纸牌：“种子在睡觉，请绕道走。”牌子有点晃，但立住了。
On Friday, a tiny green hook pushed through the soil. Xiaohe saw it from across the playground and ran so fast that her bag bounced. Bo came too. They crouched by the fence and stared at the small plant as if it had done something magical.
星期五，一个绿色的小弯钩顶开了泥土。小禾从操场另一头看见它，跑得太快，书包都跳了起来。波波也来了。他们蹲在篱笆边，盯着那株小苗，好像它做了一件了不起的事。
By next month, three tall stalks stood by the wall, each with a wide yellow face. Children walked around them without being reminded. Xiaohe gave one seed to Bo and kept two in her pocket, already wondering where next year's garden might grow.
到了下个月，墙边立着三根高高的茎，每根都顶着一张宽宽的黄脸。孩子们不用提醒也会绕开走。小禾把一颗种子送给波波，自己留下两颗，已经在想明年的花园该种在哪里。