On the kitchen wall there was a paper chart. It listed every chore in the house. Quinn washed the dishes. Her brother Rafi took out the trash. That was the rule for the whole month.
厨房的墙上贴着一张纸质表格，上面列着家里所有的家务。奎因洗碗，她弟弟拉菲倒垃圾。这条规矩要管一整个月。
On Tuesday, Rafi came home from school with a plan. He stood in front of the chart. He rubbed his chin. He was twelve, and he thought he was a businessman. "Quinn," he said.
星期二，拉菲放学回家，心里有了个主意。他站在表格前，摸了摸下巴。他十二岁，自以为是个生意人。“奎因，”他说。
"I want to trade."
“我想交换。”
"Trade what?" she asked. She was fourteen. She sat at the table with her phone.
“换什么？”她问。她十四岁，正坐在桌边看手机。
"Chores," said Rafi.
“家务，”拉菲说。
"I wash the dishes. You take out the trash."
“我洗碗，你倒垃圾。”
"Why?" she said.
“为什么？”她说。
"I like water," said Rafi.
“我喜欢水，”拉菲说。
"It is calm." Quinn looked at him for a long time.
“水很平静。”奎因看了他很久。
"You hate water," she said.
“你明明讨厌水，”她说。
"You wash your hands in two seconds."
“你洗手两秒钟就完事了。”
"I changed," said Rafi.
“我变了，”拉菲说。
"No."
“不行。”
"I give you a cookie," he said.
“我给你一块饼干，”他说。
"I do not want your cookie."
“我不要你的饼干。”
"Two cookies." Quinn put down her phone. She thought about the trash. It was heavy and it smelled bad. The big bins were far from the door. In winter, the walk was cold and dark. The dishes were warm and easy.
“两块饼干。”奎因放下手机，想了想垃圾的事。垃圾又重又臭，大垃圾桶离门口还很远。到了冬天，那段路又冷又黑。洗碗的水是暖的，活儿也轻松。
"Three cookies and one week," she said.
“三块饼干，一个星期，”她说。
"Deal," said Rafi. They shook hands. For one week, Quinn took out the trash. She did not like it. On Friday, a cat jumped out of the bin. Quinn shouted. Rafi washed the dishes, but he did it badly. The plates still had food on them. Their mother said nothing. She looked at the chart. She raised her eyebrows.
“成交，”拉菲说。两人握了握手。整整一个星期，奎因都在倒垃圾，她一点也不喜欢。星期五，一只猫从垃圾桶里蹿了出来，吓得奎因大叫。拉菲洗了碗，可洗得很糟，盘子上还粘着食物。妈妈什么也没说，只是看了看那张表格，挑起了眉毛。
On Monday, Rafi was tired of the dishes. His hands were red. He found Quinn in her room. "I want to trade back," he said.
星期一，拉菲洗碗洗腻了，手也泡红了。他在奎因的房间里找到她。“我想换回来，”他说。
"I do not," said Quinn.
“我不想，”奎因说。
"I like the trash now."
“我现在喜欢倒垃圾了。”
"You said the cat scared you."
“你不是说那只猫吓到你了吗？”
"I met the cat. We are friends."
“我见过那只猫了，我们是朋友。”
Rafi was angry for a minute. Then he smiled. "Okay. I give you half of my game time."
拉菲生了一分钟的气，然后笑了起来。“好吧，我把我一半的游戏时间给你。”
"All of it," said Quinn.
“全部，”奎因说。
"Two days of it," said Rafi.
“两天的，”拉菲说。
"Three days," said Quinn.
“三天，”奎因说。
"And you wash my cup too."
“你还得帮我洗杯子。”
Rafi groaned, but he agreed. They shook hands again. Quinn went back to the dishes. Rafi took out the trash. Quinn also wanted her cookies back. Rafi brought them. They were a little old.
拉菲哼哼唧唧的，但还是答应了。他们又握了一次手。奎因回去洗碗，拉菲去倒垃圾。奎因还想把饼干要回来，拉菲就拿了过来，饼干已经有点放陈了。
The next day, Rafi wanted more trades. He wanted to trade the floor and the plants too. Quinn had her own ideas. Soon they had a long list. It was on an envelope. One chore cost a snack. Another cost a favor. A third cost a funny story.
第二天，拉菲想要更多的交换，连拖地和浇花也想换。奎因也有她自己的想法。很快，他们就列出了一长串清单，写在一个信封上。有的家务值一份零食，有的值一个人情，还有的值一个好笑的故事。
By Thursday, the list was very long. Nobody could remember who did what. Quinn washed the floor, but Rafi paid her in cookies. Rafi watered the plants. Quinn paid him in game time. Their mother came home and found the kitchen floor wet. She looked at the chart. It still said: Quinn, dishes. Rafi, trash.
到了星期四，清单已经很长了，谁也记不清谁该做什么。奎因拖了地，可拉菲用饼干付她工钱；拉菲浇了花，奎因用游戏时间付他工钱。妈妈回到家，发现厨房地板是湿的。她看了看墙上的表格，上面还写着：奎因，洗碗；拉菲，倒垃圾。
"Why is the floor wet?" she asked.
“地板怎么是湿的？”她问。
"I washed it," said Quinn.
“我拖的，”奎因说。
"Why?"
“为什么？”
"Rafi pays me in cookies."
“拉菲用饼干付我工钱。”
"And who took out the trash?"
“那谁倒的垃圾？”
"Me," said Rafi.
“我，”拉菲说。
"But Quinn pays me with her phone time." Their mother put down her bag. She took a pen from the shelf. She looked at them for a long time.
“可奎因用她的手机时间付我工钱。”妈妈放下包，从架子上拿了一支笔，看了他们很久。
"So," she said.
“这样啊，”她说。
"You trade chores. You trade cookies. You trade game time. And in the end, who works more?" Quinn and Rafi looked at each other. They did a quick count in their heads. Then they looked at the long list on the envelope. Nobody spoke.
“你们换家务，换饼干，换游戏时间。到头来，谁干得更多呢？”奎因和拉菲对视了一眼，在心里飞快地算了算，又看了看信封上那张长长的清单，谁也没说话。
"I think we both work more," said Rafi at last.
“我想我们俩都干得更多了，”拉菲终于说。
"And we both have less cookies," said Quinn.
“而且我们俩的饼干也都少了一点，”奎因说。
"Fewer," said their mother.
“是少了很多，”妈妈说。
"Fewer cookies." She picked up the envelope and tore it in half. Then she wrote the old rules again. She used a big black pen. Quinn: dishes. Rafi: trash. She put the chart back on the wall.
“少了很多饼干。”她拿起信封，撕成两半，然后用一支粗粗的黑笔把老规矩又写了一遍：奎因，洗碗；拉菲，倒垃圾。她把表格重新贴回墙上。
Rafi looked at it sadly. "I miss the business," he said.
拉菲难过地看着它。“我怀念做生意的日子，”他说。
"Next month," said their mother, "you can trade."
“下个月，”妈妈说，“你们可以交换。”
"Really?" said Quinn.
“真的吗？”奎因问。
"No," said their mother.
“不行，”妈妈说。
"Dinner is at six. Wash your hands."
“六点吃晚饭，去洗手。”
