The Envelope for the Boss

Thirty thousand yen

三万日元

Kenji lives in Tokyo. He is thirty-eight. He works in a big office in the city.

健司住在东京。他三十八岁。他在城里的一个大办公室工作。

Kenji is a quiet man. He comes to work at eight. He goes home at seven. He does not talk much.

健司是一个安静的人。他八点来上班。他七点回家。他不怎么说话。

His desk is next to the window. He likes his job. “A good team,” he thinks.

他的桌子在窗户旁边。他喜欢他的工作。“一个很好的团队，”他想。

On Monday morning, the team has a meeting. The boss is not there. Everybody talks in a quiet voice.

星期一早上，团队开会。老板不在那里。大家说话的声音都很小。

“Friday is the boss’s birthday,” says a woman from the team. “He is fifty. We want to buy a present.”

“星期五是老板的生日，”团队里的一个女人说。“他五十岁了。我们想买一件礼物。”

“A good present,” says a young man. “A nice pen. Or a watch.”

“一件好礼物，”一个年轻男人说。“一支好看的笔。或者一块手表。”

“Everybody puts three thousand yen in an envelope,” says the woman. “OK?”

“每个人在一个信封里放三千日元，”那个女人说。“好吗？”

“OK,” says everybody. Kenji says “OK” too, very quietly.

“好的，”大家都说。健司也很小声地说：“好的。”

In the afternoon, people come to Kenji’s desk. They give him money. “Here, Kenji,” says the young man. “For the envelope.”

下午，大家来到健司的桌子前。他们给他钱。“给你，健司，”年轻男人说。“放进信封里。”

“Why me?” asks Kenji.

“为什么是我？”健司问。

“Because you are careful,” says the woman. “You never lose anything.”

“因为你很细心，”女人说。“你从不会弄丢东西。”

Kenji looks at the envelope. It is white. On the front, he writes: “For the boss. Kenji Tanaka, Sales Team.”

健司看着信封。信封是白色的。他在正面写上：“给老板。田中健司，销售部。”

At six o’clock, he counts the money. “Ten people, three thousand yen. Thirty thousand yen.”

六点钟，他数钱。“十个人，三千日元。三万日元。”