下雪了。窗外一片雪白。楼群、工地、高架吊车都盖着雪、迎着雪、衔着雪。气象预报：“小雪”，老天却一个劲儿地扯着鹅毛逗引我。小雪季节还没到，北京下起了今年的初雪——几年来难见的大雪。我换上凹凸底防滑暖靴，找出绒线帽，穿着宝坻县大中庄小柱子当上服装厂经理送我的西洋红的羽绒胖胖袄，向家人请了假出门。像小孩子在下雪天非打雪仗不可，我不能白白放过这场雪。谁说我是七十老太？大雪纷扬撩拨着我的童趣。

It was snowing. Outside the window, it was a world of white. The buildings, construction sites and towering cranes were all covered with white. The weather forecast had said there would be a light snow, but the sky was pouring out an endless stream of white. The snow season has not yet arrived, but Beijing has already had its first snow of the year, so far the heaviest in years.

I slipped into my warm snow boots with the spiked soles, put on my woolen ski hat and the carmine down jacket that Little Pillar from Big Middle Village of Baodi county had given me when he became manager of the garment factory, and then asked leave of my family. Like a child who’d never miss a frolic in the snow, I couldn’t let slip this godsend. Did I hear you say that it’s too much for a lady in her seventies? Well, the snow had drawn out the child in me.

上哪儿？越远越好。去科学院植物园。坐360路公车是香山前一站。我给花卉专家佘树勋打了个电话，他说：“十一月十五到三月十五植物园不开门，那么大雪，你‘找’得着我家吗？”我答：“下午两点我从西城出发，一个半小时不到达，就多半在卧佛寺参禅了。您别在意，我只是好奇地看看大雪天花卉专家在干啥。”

Where to go? The further the better. I decided to visit the Botanical Garden under the Academy of Sciences. I would take the No.360 and get off right before the Fragrant Hills stop, which is where the garden is located. I made a call to horticulturist Shi Shuxun whom I had scheduled to interview. “The Botanical Garden will stay closed from November 15 to March 15,” he said. “Besides, the snow is so heavy, can you find my house?” “I’ll start out from the West District on the dot of 2:00 pm. If I don’t arrive within an hour and a half, I would probably be sitting in meditation in the Sleeping Buddha Monastery. I’ve no serious business, I just want to know what does a horticulturist do on such a snowy day.” *

从家门口到360路先要转两趟车。宿舍楼台阶上洒了盐挺滑，给我个下马威。我被看电梯的女同志扶下台阶：“您可挤不上车，打个‘面的’吧。”“好，就打‘面的’。”我恋恋地牺牲了与北京市民挨肩挤车的“时代享受”，上了门前一辆“面的”。车上还有位靓女，一位张罗给我开车门的热心中年男子。大雪天车少，搭车是常事，我没多想。

I had to change two buses to get to the No.360 bus terminal. The steps of my building were slippery, though sprinkled with salt. I had a fall and was helped down the flight by the lift operator. “You won’t be able to squeeze into the bus at this hour. Better take a miandi,” she advised me, meaning the mini-taxi. Okay, I would have to make do with a miandi. Reluctantly, I gave up on the pleasures of the age, the pleasure of pressing together in a packed bus with other Beijingers.

I hailed a taxi at the entrance of our building. There was already a pretty girl inside and a middle-aged man, who kindly opened the door for me. Taxis were rare on snowy days, and it’s customary for taxi drivers to take more than one fare at a same time. I didn’t think much of it.

开出胡同，我说我要去植物园，热心男子说：“我们送您去动物园360路车站吧。您别叫‘面的’。这天，不跟您要四百块才怪。瞧您这派头不宰您宰谁呢？”“我咋个派头？”“您这身打扮玩雪景去㗑。”“行，您开个价，我付不起，把袄留下。”

As the taxi drove out of the alley, I told the driver I was going to the Botanical Garden. The middle-aged man said to me, “We’ll take you to the No.360 bus stop at the Zoo. Forget about taking a taxi. It would be a miracle if they don’t charge you 400 yuan on a day like this. A lady like you is just the kind of person they would overcharge.”

“Why me?”

“I can tell by your outfit that you’re out to enjoy the snow.”

“Okay,” I said, “name your price, and if I can’t pay, I’ll leave this jacket with you.”

“瞧您说的。”中年男子笑了，“我们是管‘面的’的。我们说‘面的’这个天上不了香山，八成就是上不去；也没人肯去，没回头生意。您从动物园坐360路在植物园下，还安全。我是您邻居。”这倒真不错。

“What are you talking about,” he protested laughingly, “we are managers of the miandi taxi. If we tell you that the miandi taxi will not be able to make it to the Fragrant Hills, it’s more likely than not that it wouldn’t. And no miandi will take you, since there wouldn’t be any return fare. It’s much safer to take the No.360 bus from the Zoo and get off at the Botanical Garden. I’m your neighbor.” What he said made sense.



动物园——植物园，360路，离绕地球360°差远了，有什么了不起。上车打票才7毛钱。我一下子仿佛自己赚进了（400元－0.70元）399.30元，发财了。这年头也就数公车和邮票还不算贵；别说快别说，一说，过年也又涨价了。

From the Zoo to the Botanical Gardens on the No.360 bus, that’s a far cry from traveling 360 degrees around the globe. What’s the big deal, I’ll have a go at it. The fare was only 0.70 yuan. I felt I had made a profit of 399.30 yuan – 400 yuan minus 0.70 yuan. Nowadays, prices for everything are going up, except bus fares and stamps. Knock on wood.

居然有人给我让座在长途车上。是一位跟我打过招呼的中年人：“您远远来，我就想起您在大沙漠探险的镜头。”并嘱咐我：“回来时您得坐一站去香山起点站上车，保险有座。摇摇晃晃站着您受不了。要个把小时哩！”

And can you imagine, someone gave up his seat for me, on a long-distance bus! It was a middle-aged man who had greeted me first: “As you approached from afar, I was reminded of the screen image of an explorer in the desert sands,” he told me. He also gave me some advice: “When you return, better go to the Fragrant Hills bus terminal. It’s the first stop. There’ll be vacant seats. You won’t be able to stand the rocking and swaying if you get on midway and have to stand. It’s more than an hour.”