Xiaoran had sat in the back corner since September. The corner was safe. He could see the whole room without being seen, and the radiator kept his knees warm. When Ms. Lu said the class would change seats, his stomach felt like a dropped stone.
从九月起，小然一直坐在后排角落。角落很安全。他看得见整个教室，别人却不容易看见他，暖气片还把他的膝盖烘得暖暖的。陆老师说班里要换座位时，他的胃像一块石头沉了下去。
His new place was by the window, next to Lele, who talked to everyone. Lele's desk was covered in pencil marks and tiny paper planes. Xiaoran put his books down slowly and hoped the window would be interesting enough to look at all day.
他的新位置在窗边，旁边是乐乐，一个跟谁都能聊起来的人。乐乐的桌上全是铅笔印和纸飞机。小然慢慢放下书，希望窗外的东西够有趣，能让他看一整天。
On the second morning, Xiaoran noticed a nest in the tree outside the window. It sat in a fork of branches, made of twigs and a bit of red string. A brown bird flew in and out with food. He forgot to be nervous.
第二天早上，小然发现窗外那棵树上有只鸟巢。它卡在树杈间，用细枝和一小段红线搭成。一只棕色的鸟飞进飞出，忙着送食物。他忘了紧张。
Lele leaned closer too. For once, he did not talk. He opened his notebook and drew the nest with quick, careful lines. Xiaoran watched his pencil move. Then he took out his own notebook and added a tiny bird at the edge of the page.
乐乐也凑了过来。这一次，他没有说话。他打开本子，用又快又稳的线条画那只鸟巢。小然看着他的铅笔移动。然后他拿出自己的本子，在纸边添了一只小鸟。
At break, Lele saw the drawing and grinned. He wrote his name beside the tiny bird and pushed the notebook back. Xiaoran hesitated, then wrote his own name in small letters. They spent the break adding leaves, clouds, and one very round cat.
课间，乐乐看见那幅画，咧嘴笑了。他在小鸟旁边写下自己的名字，把本子推回来。小然犹豫了一下，然后用小字写下了自己的名字。剩下的课间，他们一起添上叶子、云，还有一只圆得不得了的猫。
When Ms. Lu asked who wanted to read aloud, Xiaoran's hand went up before he could stop it. His voice shook at first, then grew steady. From the window seat, he could see the nest and his new friend, and the room no longer felt huge.
陆老师问谁愿意朗读时，小然的手在他反应过来之前就举了起来。他的声音起初有点抖，后来稳了下来。从窗边的座位，他看得见鸟巢，也看得见新朋友，教室似乎不再那么大了。