A plump city mouse and a thin mountain mouse argue about whose home is better — until a hungry cat slips through the door.
山里的傍晚很安静。一座老房子靠着梯田，门口的灯刚亮起来。豆豆刚从西安的一家面馆赶过来，身上还带着灰。他是城里的老鼠，长得圆圆胖胖的。他一边拍着身上的灰，一边喊：“毛毛，我到了！”
Dusk in the mountains was very quiet. An old house leaned against the terraced fields, and the lamp at the door had just lit up. Doudou had just rushed over from a noodle shop in Xi'an, still carrying dust on his body. He was a city mouse, round and plump. While brushing the dust off himself, he called out: "Maomao, I'm here!"
毛毛从墙角钻出来。他是山里的老鼠，瘦瘦的，眼睛很亮。“你可算到了，”他笑着说，“路上累不累？”豆豆喘着气说：“累，可是这山路也太长了。你怎么住在这么远的地方？”毛毛说：“住惯了就好。”
Maomao crawled out from the corner of the wall. He was a mountain mouse, thin, with bright eyes. "You finally made it," he said with a smile, "Was the journey tiring?" Doudou panted and said: "Tiring, but this mountain road is just too long. How can you live in such a faraway place?" Maomao said: "Once you get used to it, it's fine."
毛毛带豆豆看自己的家。屋里有几袋粮食，还有满地的种子。“你看，”毛毛说，“这里既安静又干净，天空又大又蓝。我们山里的种子，不仅新鲜，而且什么时候吃都有。”豆豆点点头，可是脸上有点不满意。
Maomao took Doudou to see his home. Inside the room were several sacks of grain, and seeds all over the floor. "Look," Maomao said, "here it's both quiet and clean, and the sky is big and blue. Our mountain seeds are not only fresh, but also available to eat anytime." Doudou nodded, but his face looked a little dissatisfied.
豆豆吃了一颗种子，皱起眉头。“太硬了，”他说，“你们山里就只有这些吗？我在城里可不一样。面馆里整天热气腾腾，客人吃面的时候，常常掉饺子在地上。我不仅能吃饱，还能吃得很好。”
Doudou ate one seed and frowned. "Too hard," he said, "Is this all you have in the mountains? In the city it's quite different. The noodle shop is full of warm steam all day, and when customers eat noodles, they often drop dumplings on the floor. I can not only eat my fill, but also eat very well."
毛毛听了不高兴。“掉在地上的东西也敢吃？”他说，“城里又吵又脏，人那么多，你住得下去？”豆豆也不服气：“你这山里又冷又黑，连个热气都没有。我看你才住不下去呢。”两只老鼠你一句我一句，谁也不让谁。
Maomao was unhappy hearing this. "You dare eat things dropped on the floor?" he said, "The city is both noisy and dirty, with so many people. How can you live there?" Doudou wasn't convinced either: "This mountain of yours is both cold and dark, without even any warm steam. I think you're the one who can't live here." The two mice went back and forth, neither giving in.
毛毛说：“我先说说我们山里的好。首先，空气新鲜，呼吸都舒服；其次，没人来打扰我们。”豆豆马上接：“可是城里热闹，吃的又多又香。你说哪个好？”毛毛刚要回答，门口忽然传来一点声音。
Maomao said: "Let me first talk about how good our mountains are. First, the air is fresh, even breathing feels comfortable; second, no one comes to disturb us." Doudou immediately followed: "But the city is lively, and the food is plentiful and delicious. You tell me which is better?" Maomao was just about to answer when a faint sound suddenly came from the door.
刚才还关着的门，不知什么时候被风吹开了一条缝。一只又黑又瘦的猫，正好从门缝里钻了进来。它饿了好几天，眼睛盯着地上的两只老鼠。屋里一下子安静下来，两只老鼠都不敢动。
The door, which had still been closed moments ago, had somehow been blown open a crack by the wind. A black, thin cat slipped in right through the door crack. It had been hungry for several days, its eyes fixed on the two mice on the floor. The room suddenly went quiet, and neither mouse dared to move.
猫慢慢走近。豆豆小声说：“怎么办？”毛毛也害怕，可是他比豆豆熟悉这个屋子。他低声说：“别怕。我们不能光站着，得想办法。”豆豆这才明白，这里再安静，一只老鼠也是不安全的。
The cat slowly approached. Doudou whispered: "What do we do?" Maomao was also scared, but he knew this room better than Doudou. He said in a low voice: "Don't be afraid. We can't just stand here, we have to think of a way." Only then did Doudou understand that no matter how quiet this place was, a single mouse was not safe.
毛毛指着墙边一个倒着的空罐子。“你跑，我引它。”他说。豆豆刚想反对，毛毛已经冲了出去。猫立刻去追毛毛。毛毛跑得飞快，把猫引向那个罐子，自己却在最后一刻拐了个弯。
Maomao pointed at an empty jar lying on its side by the wall. "You run, I'll lure it," he said. Doudou was just about to object when Maomao had already dashed out. The cat immediately chased Maomao. Maomao ran extremely fast, luring the cat toward the jar, but at the last moment he made a turn.
猫没拐过来，一头撞进了罐子里。罐子滚了起来，猫被困在里面，叫个不停。豆豆看见机会，大喊：“快走！”毛毛跑回来，两只老鼠一起冲向墙角。那里有一道窄窄的裂缝。
The cat couldn't make the turn and crashed headfirst into the jar. The jar rolled, the cat was trapped inside, meowing nonstop. Doudou saw the chance and shouted: "Hurry, let's go!" Maomao ran back, and the two mice rushed together toward the wall corner. There was a narrow crack there.
豆豆太胖，卡在裂缝里出不去。毛毛从前面拉，又从后面推，两只老鼠不仅一起使劲，而且谁也没放手。最后“噗”的一声，豆豆挤了出去。他们终于逃到了墙的另一边。
Doudou was too plump and got stuck in the crack, unable to get through. Maomao pulled from the front and pushed from behind, the two mice not only strained together, but also neither let go. Finally, with a "pop," Doudou squeezed through. They had finally escaped to the other side of the wall.
墙的另一边，是放粮食的角落。两只老鼠喘着气，并排靠在墙上。豆豆喘了好一会儿才说：“你刚才跑得真快。”毛毛笑了：“你刚才喊得也不小声。”说完，两个都笑了起来。
On the other side of the wall was the corner where the grain was kept. The two mice panted, leaning side by side against the wall. Doudou panted for quite a while before saying: "You ran really fast just now." Maomao laughed: "You weren't exactly quiet shouting just now either." After saying that, they both burst out laughing.
外面的猫还在罐子里挣扎，过了好久才跑掉。豆豆和毛毛在粮食袋后面找到了一个小洞。这个洞既温暖又安全，刚好够两只老鼠住。
Outside, the cat was still struggling in the jar, and only after a long while did it run off. Doudou and Maomao found a small hole behind the grain sacks. This hole was both warm and safe, just big enough for two mice to live in.
那天晚上，两只老鼠挤在同一个洞里。豆豆不再说城里的饺子，毛毛也不再说山里的种子。窗外的星星很亮，屋里很安静。豆豆打了个哈欠，毛毛已经睡着了。
That night, the two mice squeezed into the same hole. Doudou no longer talked about the city's dumplings, and Maomao no longer talked about the mountain's seeds. Outside the window the stars were bright, and inside the room it was quiet. Doudou yawned, and Maomao had already fallen asleep.