For a month, a red boot sat on the shelf of Mr. Han's repair stall. It was small, scuffed at the toe, and its laces had been replaced with blue string. No one came to claim it. Lily, who helped after school, dusted it every Friday. 'Maybe its owner moved away,' she said.
一个月来，一只红靴子一直放在韩师傅修鞋摊的架子上。它很小，鞋头磨花了，鞋带被换成了蓝色细绳。没人来认领。放学后常来帮忙的莉莉每个星期五都给它掸灰。“也许它的主人搬走了，”她说。
Mr. Han shook his head. 'Maybe its owner grew,' he said, and tapped the tiny sole. He turned the boot over and showed her the neat rows of stitches inside. Someone had mended it at least three times. 'A shoe like this has walked a long way,' he said. 'It should not end on a shelf.'
韩师傅摇摇头。“也许它的主人长大了，”他说着，敲了敲那小小的鞋底。他把靴子翻过来，让她看里面一排排整齐的针脚。有人至少补过它三次。“这样的鞋走过很长的路，”他说，“不该在架子上结束。”
Lily had an idea. She asked Mr. Han for a plank and painted a sign: 'Shoes that still have roads in them.' Neighbors brought outgrown shoes, boots, and sandals. Mr. Han repaired what he could and set them on the shelf. A boy named Sam found a pair of black school shoes and wore them home without a word.
莉莉有了个主意。她向韩师傅要了一块木板，漆了一块牌子：“还有路要走的鞋。”邻居们送来了穿不下的鞋、靴子和凉鞋。韩师傅把能修的都修好，摆到架子上。一个叫山姆的男孩找到一双黑色校鞋，一句话也没说就穿着回家了。
The red boot stayed, waiting for a foot that fit. Lily began to greet people who stopped to look. She learned their sizes, their names, and which colors made them smile. The shelf was never full for long. Something always left in the morning, and something else always arrived by evening.
红靴子留了下来，等着一双合脚的脚。莉莉开始和停下来看的人打招呼。她记住了他们的尺码、名字，还有哪种颜色能让他们笑。架子从来没有空太久。早上总有东西被带走，傍晚又总有东西被送来。
On the last warm Saturday, a girl with a ponytail tried the red boot. Then Mr. Han brought out its partner, dusty but whole, from a box behind the stall. The pair fit. She ran to the corner and back, laughing at the blue laces. Her mother said they could not pay much. Mr. Han waved his hand.
最后一个暖和的星期六，一个扎马尾的女孩试了试那只红靴子。接着，韩师傅从摊位后面的箱子里找出另一只，满是灰，但完好无损。这双鞋正合脚。她跑到街角又跑回来，笑那双蓝色鞋带。她母亲说她们付不了多少钱。韩师傅摆了摆手。
Lily watched the boots disappear down the street. The shelf did not feel emptier; it felt wider. That evening, she wrote in the stall's notebook: 'Red boots, size small, gone to a girl who runs.' Then she swept the floor and waited for Monday, when someone else might come looking.
莉莉看着那双靴子消失在街上。架子并没有显得更空，反而更宽了。那天傍晚，她在摊子的本子上写道：“红靴子，小号，去了一位会奔跑的女孩那里。”然后她扫了地，等着星期一，也许会有别的人来找。