My cousin Peng was coming from the city, and I had promised to be his guide. The night before, I drew a map of our town on the back of a bus ticket. I marked the noodle shop, the bridge, and the old tree.
我的表哥鹏要从城里来，我答应给他当导游。前一天晚上，我在一张公交车票的背面画了我们镇的地图。我标出了面馆、桥和那棵老树。
In the morning I held the map proudly. 'Follow me,' I said. Peng followed. Ten minutes later, we stood at a corner I had never seen before.
早上，我得意地拿着地图。“跟我走。”我说。鹏跟着我。十分钟后，我们站在一个我从来没见过的路口。
My ears felt hot. 'This way,' I said, and turned left. We passed a wall of red flowers, a cat asleep on a bicycle, and a man mending a chair.
我的耳朵发烫。“这边。”我说着向左转。我们经过一面开满红花的墙、一辆自行车上睡着的猫，还有一个在修椅子的男人。
Peng did not seem worried. 'The city has no cats on bicycles,' he said. I laughed and put the map in my pocket. Instead of finding the bridge, I showed him the things I had forgotten to draw.
鹏好像一点也不担心。“城里可没有睡在自行车上的猫。”他说。我笑了，把地图塞进口袋。我没有带他找到那座桥，而是给他看了那些我忘记画下来的东西。
Behind the flower wall, an old woman was watering plants. She waved us in. Her courtyard had a fish pond, a lemon tree, and a chair for every visitor.
花墙后面，一位老奶奶正在给植物浇水。她招手让我们进去。她的院子里有一个鱼池、一棵柠檬树，还有给每位客人准备的椅子。
We stayed until the sky turned orange. On the way home, Peng said, 'You were a good guide.' I looked at my map, folded and useless in my pocket, and understood that a good guide does not need to know every road. He only needs to keep walking with you.
我们一直待到天空变成橙色。回家的路上，鹏说：“你是个好导游。”我看了看口袋里那张折起来、已经没用的地图，明白了：好导游不必认识每一条路，他只需要陪着你一直走。