Pearl was a grain of rice, small and pale, living inside a green husk. All summer, she floated in warm water beside her sisters and brothers. The sun leaned close. The rain tapped like soft fingers.
珍珠是一粒米，又小又白，住在一个绿色的壳里。整个夏天，她和兄弟姐妹们泡在暖暖的水里。太阳凑得很近。雨点像柔软的手指，轻轻敲着。
One morning, Auntie Lin waded into the paddy. Her hands smelled of mud and lemon leaves. She bent the stalks and spoke to them. 'Time to go,' she said. Pearl felt the world tilt. The field, the sky, and the little frogs all slid sideways.
一天早上，林阿姨走进稻田。她的手上有泥和柠檬叶的味道。她弯下稻秆，对它们说话。“该走了，”她说。珍珠觉得世界倾斜了。田野、天空和小青蛙都往旁边滑去。
Pearl rode in a basket to a wide yard. Machines hummed, and the husks fell away like small brown coats. Then came a truck, a dark storehouse, and a sack that smelled of canvas. Pearl grew dizzy and quiet.
珍珠坐在筐里，来到一个宽阔的院子。机器嗡嗡响，稻壳像一件件棕色小外套落了下来。接着是卡车、昏暗的仓库，还有一只散发着帆布味的麻袋。珍珠头晕目眩，安静下来。
In the city, a boy named Ben carried the sack to his family's kitchen. His mother poured Pearl into a pot. Water bubbled. Steam rose. Pearl grew soft and round, and the kitchen filled with a smell like a warm field after rain.
在城里，一个叫本的男孩把麻袋搬进家里的厨房。他妈妈把珍珠倒进锅里。水咕嘟咕嘟地响。蒸汽升起来。珍珠变得又软又圆，厨房里飘着一股雨后暖田野的味道。
Ben's mother spooned Pearl into a blue bowl. Pearl sat beside beans, eggs, and a slice of orange. Ben held his chopsticks above her. 'Do not play with food,' said his mother. He smiled and ate slowly.
本的妈妈把珍珠舀进一个蓝碗里。珍珠身边有豆子、鸡蛋和一片橙子。本把筷子举在她上方。“别玩食物，”妈妈说。他笑了笑，慢慢吃起来。
Pearl became warmth in Ben's hands and strength in his legs. He ran to the window and saw the rain. 'Where does rice come from?' he asked. His mother pointed past the roofs, toward the green fields. Pearl, no longer a grain, remembered the sun.
珍珠变成了本手里的温暖，也变成了他腿上的力气。他跑到窗边，看见外面的雨。“米是从哪里来的？”他问。妈妈越过屋顶，指向绿色的田野。珍珠不再是一粒米了，可它还记得太阳。