Grandma's Dumplings · chapter 1 of 3
Grandma Forgot My Name
外婆忘了我的名字
Ajie comes home to find his grandmother greeting him like a polite stranger — who insists on making dumplings for her guest.
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- Ajie 外婆八十岁了。她得了一种病，会慢慢忘记事情。
Wàipó bāshí suì le. Tā dé le yì zhǒng bìng, huì mànmàn wàngjì shìqing.
Grandma is eighty. She has an illness that makes her slowly forget things.
- Ajie 一开始，她忘记关火，忘记钥匙放在哪儿。
Yì kāishǐ, tā wàngjì guān huǒ, wàngjì yàoshi fàng zài nǎr.
At first, she forgot to turn off the stove, and where she'd put her keys.
- Ajie 后来，她忘记了今天是星期几，忘记了自己已经吃过饭。
Hòulái, tā wàngjì le jīntiān shì xīngqī jǐ, wàngjì le zìjǐ yǐjīng chī guo fàn.
Later, she forgot what day it was, and that she had already eaten.
- Ajie 今天，我从北京回来看她。
Jīntiān, wǒ cóng Běijīng huílái kàn tā.
Today, I've come back from Beijing to see her.
- Mom 阿杰，你外婆最近不太好。你别难过。
Ā Jié, nǐ wàipó zuìjìn bú tài hǎo. Nǐ bié nánguò.
Ajie, Grandma hasn't been well lately. Try not to be upset.
- Ajie 外婆坐在窗边，阳光照在她的白头发上。
Wàipó zuò zài chuāng biān, yángguāng zhào zài tā de bái tóufa shang.
Grandma sits by the window, the sunlight on her white hair.
- Ajie 外婆，我回来了！
Wàipó, wǒ huílái le!
Grandma, I'm home!
- Ajie 外婆看着我，笑了笑，很客气。
Wàipó kànzhe wǒ, xiào le xiào, hěn kèqi.
Grandma looks at me and smiles — politely.
- Grandma 你好你好。你是……哪位啊？
Nǐ hǎo nǐ hǎo. Nǐ shì… nǎ wèi a?
Hello, hello. And you are…?
- Ajie 我的心一下子空了。
Wǒ de xīn yíxiàzi kōng le.
My heart goes suddenly hollow.
- Ajie 外婆，我是阿杰啊。您的外孙。
Wàipó, wǒ shì Ā Jié a. Nín de wàisūn.
Grandma, it's me, Ajie. Your grandson.
- Grandma 阿杰？阿杰还小呢，才这么高。
Ā Jié? Ā Jié hái xiǎo ne, cái zhème gāo.
Ajie? Ajie is just a little boy — only this tall.
- Ajie 她用手比了一下，只到桌子那么高。
Tā yòng shǒu bǐ le yíxià, zhǐ dào zhuōzi nàme gāo.
She holds out her hand, only as high as the table.
- Ajie 在她的记忆里，我永远是一个小孩。
Zài tā de jìyì lǐ, wǒ yǒngyuǎn shì yí gè xiǎohái.
In her memory, I'm forever a little boy.
- Grandma 家里来客人了，我去包饺子。
Jiā lǐ lái kèrén le, wǒ qù bāo jiǎozi.
We have a guest. I'll go make dumplings.
- Mom 妈，您别忙了，您坐着吧。
Mā, nín bié máng le, nín zuòzhe ba.
Mom, don't go to any trouble. Sit down.
- Grandma 不行，客人来了，一定要吃饺子。
Bù xíng, kèrén lái le, yídìng yào chī jiǎozi.
No, no. When a guest comes, there must be dumplings.
- Ajie 外婆走进厨房。她忘了很多事，可是没有忘记怎么和面。
Wàipó zǒu jìn chúfáng. Tā wàng le hěn duō shì, kěshì méiyǒu wàngjì zěnme huó miàn.
Grandma goes into the kitchen. She's forgotten so much — but not how to make dough.
- Ajie 她的手很慢，可是很稳。
Tā de shǒu hěn màn, kěshì hěn wěn.
Her hands are slow, but steady.
- Ajie 我站在厨房门口看着她。小时候，我也这样看着她。
Wǒ zhàn zài chúfáng ménkǒu kànzhe tā. Xiǎoshíhou, wǒ yě zhèyàng kànzhe tā.
I stand in the kitchen doorway watching her. When I was little, I watched her just like this.
- Grandma 小伙子，你会包饺子吗？
Xiǎohuǒzi, nǐ huì bāo jiǎozi ma?
Young man, do you know how to make dumplings?
- Ajie 我摇了摇头。我从来没学过。以前，总有外婆包给我吃。
Wǒ yáo le yáo tóu. Wǒ cónglái méi xué guo. Yǐqián, zǒng yǒu wàipó bāo gěi wǒ chī.
I shake my head. I never learned. There was always Grandma to make them for me.
What changed in the story?
- What is happening to Grandma?
“她得了一种病，会慢慢忘记事情.”
- What does Grandma say when Ajie arrives?
“你是……哪位啊？”
- How does Grandma remember Ajie?
“阿杰还小呢，才这么高.”
- What does Grandma insist on doing for her “guest”?
“客人来了，一定要吃饺子.”
- Why doesn't Ajie know how to make dumplings?
“以前，总有外婆包给我吃.”