我离开故乡已经十年了。
It has already been ten years since I left my hometown.
刚来这个大城市的时候，我以为自己很快就会回去。
When I first came to this big city, I assumed I would go back very soon.
后来，工作、朋友、爱人，一样一样地把我留在了这里。
Later, a job, friends, someone I love — one by one, they kept me here.
每年春节，我坐二十个小时的火车回家，母亲总是在门口等我。
Every Spring Festival I take a twenty-hour train home, and my mother is always waiting for me at the door.
她做的菜还是那个味道，可是她的头发白了很多。
Her cooking still tastes the same, but her hair has turned so much whiter.
城市给了我新的生活，故乡却留着我最老的记忆。
The city gave me a new life, yet my hometown keeps my oldest memories.
有人问我：“你的家在哪儿？”我说不清楚。
When someone asks me, "Where is your home?" — I cannot answer clearly.
也许，移民就是这样的人：在新的地方生活，把心留在了远方。
Perhaps that is what a migrant is: someone who lives in a new place, but has left their heart somewhere far away.
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Key words 生词
移民yímínmigrant; to migrate
故乡gùxiānghometown
记忆jìyìmemory
远方yuǎnfāngfaraway place
母亲mǔqīnmother
留liúto stay; to keep
Grammar note 语法点
却
却 means "yet / however" and sits after the subject, inside the second clause, to mark a contrast: 城市给了我新的生活，故乡却留着我最老的记忆。 Unlike 但是, it cannot start the clause before the subject.
他很想家，却很少回去。— He misses home a lot, yet rarely goes back.
把 + object + 留在 + place
The 把 structure highlights where something ends up being left or kept: 工作把我留在了这里；把心留在了远方。
我把钥匙留在了家里。— I left my keys at home.
Check yourself 小测验
1. How long has the narrator been away from their hometown?
2. What does the narrator notice about their mother when going home for Spring Festival?
3. How does the narrator answer the question "Where is your home?"