last tuesday there was a quarrel between father and mother about a certain thing. for the whole week my family seemed unusually lifeless①.no smile, no laugh, no songs. now and then i could hear mother's deep sighs. how sad i was! how could i make them on good terms again?

　　on the way home from school i was still thinking of the problem. suddenly i heard an old woman hawk② in the street:“tea-eggs!”a good idea hit me. i remembered father liked to eat tea-eggs best. so i hurried to the marketplace and bought two jin of eggs. then i went to a fruit shop and bought tow packs of plums③. as soon as i got home, i began to be busy with my great work----cook tea-eggs, following the set pattern of mum's. the clock was striking four when i heard father's motorcycle drawing near.“what a sweet smell! are they tea-eggs?”“yes, papa, mum has boiled some tea-eggs for you. she says you've worked so hard.”“she said so?”“certainly. nobody will look after you so carefully except mum. when mum comes back you must thank her,”i added.“of course,”papa nodded repeatedly while chewing the eggs happily.“liangliang, i'm very busy. i'm going back to my factory and can't come back for supper with you. please tell mum”.“ok,”i answered.about half an hour later, mum came in. after she had placed her bike, i took out the plums from the drawer. “look! here are plums for you. papa bought them from hangzhou. he knows you like to eat them very much.”mum seemed a bit puzzled, but she believed me. to tell the truth i had never told a lie.

　　after supper i began to do my homework in my room. mum was knitting a woolen sweater alone in the sitting room. at about nine the noise of the motorcycle was heard again. i knew father came back. quickly but quietly i stepped to the door and peeped into the sitting room. what i saw! with all smiles father came in. mum rose from the chair and said to him,“thank you!”almost at the same time father said to her,“thank you, too!”“aha, my great plan worked!” i was full of joy because i was a successful peacemaker④.

　　　　【词语解释】

　　①lifeless ['laiflis] a.没有生气的;沉闷的

　　②hawk [h&:k] v.叫卖;兜售

　　③two packs of plums两包梅子

　　④peacemaker ['pi:s?meik ] n.调解人;和事老