Grandpa's workshop smelled of glue and sawdust. On a shelf sat twelve toy birds with missing wings, loose tails, and painted eyes that had faded. Ming called the shelf 'the bird hospital.'
爷爷的工作间里有胶水和木屑的味道。架子上放着十二只玩具鸟，有的缺了翅膀，有的尾巴松了，有的眼睛掉了颜色。小明叫那架子“小鸟医院”。
Every Saturday they repaired one bird. Grandpa held the small parts; Ming chose the colors. 'A repaired bird is still a bird,' Grandpa said. Ming liked that idea very much.
每个星期六，他们修好一只鸟。爷爷拿着小零件，小明选颜色。“修好的鸟还是鸟。”爷爷说。小明很喜欢这个说法。
One windy afternoon, a real sparrow flew against the window and dropped onto the step. Ming ran outside, then stopped. The bird was breathing fast, its wings folded.
一个刮风的下午，一只真的麻雀撞到窗户上，掉在台阶上。小明跑到外面，又停住了。小鸟呼吸得很快，翅膀收着。
He did not pick it up. He called Grandpa, who quietly closed the door and kept the cat inside. They sat on the floor and waited, saying nothing. After a long while, the sparrow lifted its head.
他没有把它捧起来。他叫来爷爷，爷爷轻轻关上门，把猫留在屋里。他们坐在地板上等着，一句话也不说。过了很久，麻雀抬起了头。
The sparrow walked two steps, tilted its head, and flew to the fence. It stayed there, as if checking that the world was still in place. Then it was gone.
麻雀走了两步，歪了歪头，飞到了篱笆上。它停在那里，好像在确认这个世界还在原来的位置。然后它就飞走了。
Ming looked at the shelf of toy birds. 'We didn't repair that one,' he said. Grandpa smiled. 'Some things only need a quiet place to rest.' That night Ming painted a new sign for the workshop: BIRD REPAIR STATION - ALL KINDS.
小明看着架子上那些玩具鸟。“我们没修好那一只。”他说。爷爷笑了。“有些东西只需要一个安静的地方歇一歇。”那天晚上，小明给工作间画了一块新牌子：小鸟修理站——各种都修。