Station Four was a small fire station on Mill Road. Four people worked there on Thursdays. Every Thursday one of them made dinner.
四号消防站是米尔路上的一座小消防站。每个星期四有四个人值班。每个星期四，其中一个人负责做晚饭。
This week it was Wesley's turn. He was a tall man with big hands. He was good with hoses. He was not good with soup.
这个星期轮到韦斯利。他是个高个子，手很大。他很会用水带，但不太会煮汤。
At noon he put a big pot on the stove. He added water, carrots, and a bag of white beans. Then he looked at his phone.
中午，他把一口大锅放到炉子上。他加了水、胡萝卜和一袋白豆。然后他看了看手机。
"Ten minutes," he said. "Then I check the soup."
“十分钟，”他说，“然后我来看汤。”
A bell rang in the yard. A truck needed a new tire. Wesley went outside to help. The kitchen was empty.
院子里响起了铃声。一辆车需要换新轮胎。韦斯利出去帮忙了。厨房里没有人。
Stellan walked in. He was thin and quiet. He lifted the lid and smelled the pot.
斯泰伦走了进来。他又瘦又安静。他掀开锅盖，闻了闻锅里。
"Hmm," he said. "It smells like nothing."
“嗯，”他说，“什么味道都没有。”
He looked around. He saw a jar of dry herbs on the shelf. It was green and old. He put in four big spoons.
他环顾四周，看到架子上有一罐干香草。绿绿的，已经放了很久。他放进去四大勺。
"Now it smells like soup," he said. He left the room.
“现在闻起来像汤了。”他说。他离开了房间。
Next came Valentina, the captain. She was a short woman with a loud voice. She tasted the soup with a spoon.
接着来的是队长瓦伦蒂娜。她个子矮，嗓门大。她用勺子尝了尝汤。
"This is water with beans," she said. "No taste at all."
“这是豆子水，”她说，“一点味道也没有。”
She took a small red jar from her bag. It held her favorite hot pepper. She put in a big pinch. Then she added another. Then a third one, to be safe.
她从包里拿出一个红色的小罐子，里面是她最爱的辣椒。她放进一大撮，又放了一撮，为保险起见又放了第三撮。
"Better," she said. She walked out.
“好多了。”她说着走了出去。
A little later Wesley came back. His hands were black from the tire. He tasted the soup.
过了一会儿，韦斯利回来了。他的手被轮胎弄得黑乎乎的。他尝了尝汤。
"It is too hot," he said. "And too green. What happened?"
“太辣了，”他说，“还太绿了。这是怎么回事？”
He thought for a moment. Then he took a bottle of milk from the fridge. He put in a big cup. The soup turned a strange pink color.
他想了一会儿，然后从冰箱里拿出一瓶牛奶，倒进去一大杯。汤变成了奇怪的粉红色。
"Hmm," he said. "That is not right."
“嗯，”他说，“这不对啊。”
He found a lemon and cut it in half. He squeezed both halves into the pot. The soup made a small noise. It looked worse.
他找来一个柠檬，切成两半，把两半都挤进了锅里。汤发出了一声轻响，看起来更糟了。
"I will leave it," said Wesley. "Maybe it will be fine in time."
“不管了，”韦斯利说，“也许放一阵子就好了。”
At six the table was ready. Four plates and four spoons. A tall pot of pink soup sat in the middle. Everyone looked at it.
六点钟，餐桌摆好了。四个盘子，四把勺子。一大锅粉红色的汤放在中间。大家都看着它。
"What is in this?" asked Valentina.
“这里面有什么？”瓦伦蒂娜问。
"Beans," said Wesley.
“豆子，”韦斯利说。
"And herbs," said Stellan.
“还有香草，”斯泰伦说。
"And pepper," said Valentina. She looked at the others. "Did you all fix it?"
“还有辣椒，”瓦伦蒂娜说。她看着其他人。“你们都在补救它，对吧？”
Nobody answered.
没有人回答。
Then the alarm rang. It was loud and long. Four people jumped up. They ran to the truck. Nobody touched the soup.
就在这时，警报响了，又响又长。四个人跳了起来，跑向消防车。谁也没碰那锅汤。
It was a small job. A car horn stuck in a parking lot. They fixed it in forty minutes.
那是个小警情：停车场里一辆车的喇叭卡住了。他们四十分钟就解决了。
When they came back, the kitchen door was open. A young boy stood by the table. He was the son of the cook next door. His face was pink.
他们回来时，厨房的门开着。一个小男孩站在桌子旁。他是隔壁厨师的儿子。他的脸红扑扑的。
The pot was empty.
锅空了。
"I came to say hello," he said. "The door was open. I was so hungry. I ate a little. Then a little more. I am sorry."
“我是来打招呼的，”他说，“门开着。我太饿了。我先吃了一点，又吃了一点。对不起。”
The firefighters looked at each other.
消防员们互相看了看。
"How was it?" asked Wesley, slowly.
“味道怎么样？”韦斯利慢慢地问。
"It was the best soup ever," said the boy. "Can I have the recipe?"
“这是我喝过最好喝的汤，”男孩说，“能把食谱给我吗？”
Wesley looked at Stellan. Stellan looked at Valentina. Valentina looked at the empty pot.
韦斯利看着斯泰伦，斯泰伦看着瓦伦蒂娜，瓦伦蒂娜看着空锅。
"Beans," said Wesley. "And a little of everything."
“豆子，”韦斯利说，“再加一点每样东西。”
"Can you make it again?" asked the boy.
“你们能再做一次吗？”男孩问。
"No," the three of them said together.
“不行。”他们三个人异口同声地说。
