A Lanzhou noodle master starts his broth the night before, but only one pot exists — and the line outside keeps growing.
天还没亮。兰州的一条小街上，一家拉面馆已经开了灯。店里有一口很大的锅，里面的汤从昨天晚上一直煮到现在，热气一直往上飘。锅边站着一位师傅，他戴着白帽子，系着白围裙，正在准备今天的第一锅面。
The sky was not yet light. On a small street in Lanzhou, a noodle shop had already turned on its lights. Inside the shop was a huge pot, and the broth in it had been simmering from last night until now, steam rising up the whole time. By the pot stood a master, wearing a white cap and a white apron, preparing the first batch of noodles for the day.
师傅把面团放在台子上，用手不停地拉。面团在他手里越来越长，越来越细。他刚把一团面拉好，门外就有客人推门进来了。一个老人说：“师傅，来一碗，要辣的。”师傅点点头，把面下进了锅里。
The master put the dough on the counter and pulled it nonstop with his hands. The dough grew longer and thinner in his hands. He had just finished pulling one piece of dough when a customer pushed the door open from outside. An old man said, "Master, one bowl, with chili." The master nodded and dropped the noodles into the pot.
天慢慢有了一点光。门外的客人越来越多，队伍排到了街角。他们有的看手机，有的低声说话。一个年轻人对旁边的人说：“这家的汤不仅味道好，而且每天只煮一锅，卖完就没有了。”旁边的人听了，点了点头。
The sky slowly gained a little light. More and more customers gathered outside, the line reaching the street corner. Some looked at their phones, some talked quietly. A young man said to the person beside him, "This shop's broth is not only delicious, but they also only make one pot a day, and once it's sold out it's gone." The person beside him heard this and nodded.
一碗一碗的面从台子上端出去。收银的是一个年轻女孩，她一边收钱，一边大声叫号：“三十八号！三十九号！”客人听到自己的号，就赶紧上前端碗。师傅的手拉得更快了，台子上的白面团一团接着一团地变成了细面。
Bowl after bowl of noodles went out from the counter. The cashier was a young girl. While taking money, she loudly called numbers, "Number thirty-eight! Number thirty-nine!" When customers heard their number, they hurried forward to pick up their bowl. The master's hands pulled even faster, and the white dough on the counter became thin noodles piece after piece.
锅里的汤越来越少了。师傅每下一次面，就用大勺子往碗里舀一次汤。刚才还满满的一锅，现在已经能看到锅底了。他既要拉面，又要看着锅，手里一刻也没停。女孩还在叫号：“五十号！五十一号！”
The broth in the pot grew less and less. Each time the master dropped in noodles, he scooped broth into a bowl with a big ladle. The pot that had been full just moments ago now showed its bottom. He had to both pull noodles and watch the pot, his hands not stopping for a moment. The girl was still calling numbers, "Number fifty! Number fifty-one!"
队伍还是很长。后面的客人不知道前面的事，只是慢慢往前走。一个女人对孩子说：“快了，我们前面就剩几个人了。”孩子问：“妈妈，今天的面好吃吗？”女人说：“这家又便宜又好吃，等会儿你就知道了。”
The line was still long. The customers at the back did not know what was happening up front; they just moved forward slowly. A woman said to her child, "Almost there, there are only a few people in front of us now." The child asked, "Mom, are today's noodles tasty?" The woman said, "This shop is both cheap and delicious, you'll find out in a while."
师傅又舀了一勺汤，勺子碰到了锅底，发出了声音。他往锅里看了看，又舀了一下，这次勺子里只有一点点汤。他把这碗面端给了客人，然后停下了手。台子上的白面团还有很多，可是汤快没了。
The master scooped another ladle of broth, and the ladle touched the bottom of the pot, making a sound. He looked into the pot, scooped once more, and this time there was only a tiny bit of broth in the ladle. He handed this bowl of noodles to a customer, then stopped his hands. There was still a lot of white dough on the counter, but the broth was almost gone.
师傅走到门口，举起了两只空手。他对外面的人说：“对不起，今天的汤卖完了。”大家先是没听懂。他又说了一遍：“不是面没有了，是汤没有了。没有汤，我不能给大家做面。”
The master walked to the doorway and raised his two empty hands. He said to the people outside, "I'm sorry, today's broth is sold out." At first everyone did not understand. He said it again, "It's not that the noodles are gone, it's that the broth is gone. Without broth, I can't make noodles for you all."
后面来晚的客人听了，有的叹气，有的说：“我刚排了半个小时，怎么就没了？”师傅说：“这锅汤是昨天晚上就开始煮的。首先要选好的骨头，其次要慢慢煮一整夜，所以一天只能煮一锅。”
The latecomers at the back heard this; some sighed, some said, "I've only just lined up for half an hour, how can it be gone already?" The master said, "This pot of broth was started cooking last night. First you have to choose good bones, second you have to simmer it slowly all night, so we can only make one pot a day."
虽然吃不到面，可是很多人没有马上走。他们走到锅边，看着那口已经空了的大锅。锅还在冒一点热气，可是慢慢凉了下来。几个年轻人拿出手机，给锅拍照，还互相说：“明天一定要早点来。”
Even though they couldn't eat noodles, many people did not leave right away. They walked to the pot and looked at the big pot that was now empty. The pot was still giving off a little steam, but it slowly cooled down. A few young people took out their phones and photographed the pot, saying to each other, "Tomorrow we definitely have to come earlier."
师傅拿出一支笔，在门上的纸上写下了明天开门的时间。他写得很认真，写完又看了一遍。然后他转过身，对门外还站着的客人深深地鞠了一个躬。女孩在旁边小声说：“师傅每天都这样。”
The master took out a pen and wrote tomorrow's opening time on the paper on the door. He wrote very carefully, and after finishing he read it over once more. Then he turned around and bowed deeply to the customers still standing outside. The girl beside him said softly, "The master does this every day."
天已经亮了。太阳刚升起来，街上慢慢热闹起来。拉面馆却关了门。台子上还放着一袋一袋的面粉，可是那口锅里的汤已经空了。汤先卖完了，面还剩很多。这是这家店每天的样子。
The sky was already light. The sun had just risen, and the street slowly grew lively. But the noodle shop had closed its door. On the counter there were still sacks and sacks of flour, but the broth in the pot was already empty. The broth was sold out first, while plenty of noodles remained. This was what this shop looked like every day.
门关上了，可是街角又有人站住了。一个老人放下袋子，靠着墙坐下，闭上了眼睛。又来了两个人，站在他的后面。太阳越升越高，新的队伍，已经为明天的那一锅汤排了起来。
The door was closed, but at the street corner someone had stopped again. An old man set down his bag, leaned against the wall and sat down, and closed his eyes. Then two more people came and stood behind him. The sun rose higher and higher, and a new line had already formed for tomorrow's pot of broth.