On Monday, the greenhouse was dark. Nana arrived early with a tray of tomato seedlings and found the lamps off, the glass cold, and the little plants leaning toward the gray window. Someone had flipped the switch during the night. Mr. Bao, the caretaker, checked the fuse and the timer. Both were fine.
星期一，温室里黑着。娜娜端着一盘番茄苗早早到来，发现灯关着，玻璃冰凉，小苗都朝灰蒙蒙的窗户歪着。有人在夜里按下了开关。管理员鲍师傅检查了保险丝和定时器，两样都好好的。
“That's the third time,” he said. Nana looked along the narrow path between the benches. Nothing seemed disturbed: no broken pot, no open vent, no footprints except their own. The winter fair was in two weeks, and the seedlings needed every hour of light. “We should watch tonight,” she said.
“这是第三次了。”他说。娜娜沿着长凳之间的小路看过去。一切似乎都没被动过：没有碎花盆，没有打开的通风口，除了他们自己的脚印，什么也没有。冬季义卖还有两个星期，这些苗需要每一小时的光。“我们今晚该守着看看。”她说。
They waited behind the potting shed with a thermos of tea. At half past eleven, a small figure crossed the lawn and slipped into the greenhouse. The lamps clicked off. Mr. Bao switched on his torch, and the beam found Lili, the new girl from Class 4, holding a blue scarf over her mouth.
他们躲在上盆棚后面，带着一保温瓶茶等着。十一点半，一个小小的身影穿过草坪，溜进了温室。灯啪地灭了。鲍师傅打开手电，光柱照到了莉莉——四年级新来的女孩，她用一条蓝围巾捂着嘴。
She froze. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. “The lights hum all night. I thought the plants couldn't sleep.” Nana looked at the rows of seedlings, then at Lili's frightened face. “They do sleep,” she said. “Just not the way we do. These lamps keep them warm until spring.”
她僵住了。“对不起，”她小声说，“灯整夜都在嗡嗡响。我以为植物睡不着。”娜娜看看一排排的苗，又看看莉莉害怕的脸。“它们确实会睡，”她说，“只是和我们不一样。这些灯是让它们暖和地过冬。”
Mr. Bao did not shout. He showed Lili the timer and explained that the lamps would switch themselves off at midnight. The humming came from an old fan, which he promised to oil. Then Nana had an idea. They hung a thick curtain along the glass wall so the light would not spill onto the path.
鲍师傅没有大声训人。他给莉莉看定时器，解释说灯到午夜会自己关掉。嗡嗡声来自一台旧风扇，他答应给它上油。这时娜娜有了个主意。他们沿着玻璃墙挂上一幅厚窗帘，这样灯光就不会漏到小路上。
By Friday, Lili was helping with the watering. She wrote a sign for the door: Please do not switch off. The plants are sleeping with the lights on. Nana read it twice and decided it was the truest thing in the greenhouse. The seedlings, unaware of all the fuss, grew another leaf.
到了星期五，莉莉已经在帮忙浇水了。她在门上写了一张牌子：请勿关灯。植物们开着灯睡觉。娜娜读了两遍，觉得这是温室里最真实的一句话。那些苗完全不知道发生的这些事，又长出了一片叶子。