The Second Cup of Tea · chapter 6 of 8
A Voice on the Phone
电话里的声音
Late one night, Jiang Ning calls Lu Wei just to hear his voice. What she hears instead is a secret, a woman's laugh, and her own name.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Jiang Ning 星期二晚上十点。我一个人坐在家里。
Xīngqī'èr wǎnshang shí diǎn. Wǒ yí gè rén zuò zài jiā lǐ.
Tuesday night, ten o'clock. I'm sitting at home by myself.
- Jiang Ning 电脑开着，可是我一个字也没看。
Diànnǎo kāi zhe, kěshì wǒ yí gè zì yě méi kàn.
My laptop is open, but I haven't read a single word.
- Jiang Ning 这两天，陆伟很少给我打电话。他说他工作很忙。
Zhè liǎng tiān, Lù Wěi hěn shǎo gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà. Tā shuō tā gōngzuò hěn máng.
These past two days, Lu Wei has hardly called. He says work is busy.
- Jiang Ning 我想听听他的声音。打一个吧。
Wǒ xiǎng tīngting tā de shēngyīn. Dǎ yí gè ba.
I want to hear his voice. I'll just call.
- Jiang Ning 他会说什么呢？“江宁，我想你”？
Tā huì shuō shénme ne? “Jiāng Níng, wǒ xiǎng nǐ”?
What will he say? “Jiang Ning, I miss you”?
- Lu Wei ……对，星期四晚上七点。别告诉江宁！
…… Duì, xīngqīsì wǎnshang qī diǎn. Bié gàosu Jiāng Níng!
…Right, Thursday night at seven. Don't tell Jiang Ning!
- Jiang Ning 别告诉江宁？
Bié gàosu Jiāng Níng?
Don't tell Jiang Ning?
- Jiang Ning 我还听见一个女人在笑：“阿伟，快！下一个！”
Wǒ hái tīngjiàn yí gè nǚrén zài xiào: “Ā Wěi, kuài! Xià yí gè!”
And I can hear a woman laughing: “A-Wei, hurry! Next one!”
- Lu Wei 喂？江宁？你……你好！
Wéi? Jiāng Níng? Nǐ…… nǐ hǎo!
Hello? Jiang Ning? Oh… hi!
- Jiang Ning 陆伟，你在哪儿？旁边有人吗？
Lù Wěi, nǐ zài nǎr? Pángbiān yǒu rén ma?
Lu Wei, where are you? Is someone with you?
- Lu Wei 没有，没有人！我在家。
Méiyǒu, méiyǒu rén! Wǒ zài jiā.
No, nobody! I'm at home.
- Jiang Ning 没有人？可是我听见了。
Méiyǒu rén? Kěshì wǒ tīngjiàn le.
Nobody? But I heard someone.
- Lu Wei 你听错了。是……是电视！
Nǐ tīng cuò le. Shì…… shì diànshì!
You heard wrong. That was… the TV!
- Lu Wei 江宁，我今天有点儿忙。明天给你打电话，好吗？
Jiāng Níng, wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎnr máng. Míngtiān gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà, hǎo ma?
Jiang Ning, I'm a bit busy tonight. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?
- Jiang Ning ……好。
…… Hǎo.
…Okay.
- Jiang Ning 电话没有声音了。我看着手机，看了很久。
Diànhuà méiyǒu shēngyīn le. Wǒ kàn zhe shǒujī, kàn le hěn jiǔ.
The line goes quiet. I stare at my phone for a long time.
- Jiang Ning 那个女人是谁？“下一个”是什么意思？
Nàge nǚrén shì shéi? “Xià yí gè” shì shénme yìsi?
Who was that woman? And what did “next one” mean?
- Jiang Ning 星期四晚上七点……那是我们的星期四啊。
Xīngqīsì wǎnshang qī diǎn…… nà shì wǒmen de xīngqīsì a.
Thursday night at seven… That's our Thursday.
- Jiang Ning 那个下雨的星期四，他的桌子上，有两杯茶，还有花。
Nàge xià yǔ de xīngqīsì, tā de zhuōzi shàng, yǒu liǎng bēi chá, hái yǒu huā.
That rainy Thursday, there were two cups of tea on his table, and flowers.
- Jiang Ning 那天，我想错了。那个女人是他的姐姐。
Nà tiān, wǒ xiǎng cuò le. Nàge nǚrén shì tā de jiějie.
I got it wrong that night. That woman was his sister.
- Jiang Ning 这次，我是不是又想错了？
Zhè cì, wǒ shì bu shì yòu xiǎng cuò le?
This time, am I getting it wrong again?
- Jiang Ning 问问陆芳吧。她是他姐姐，她什么都知道。
Wènwen Lù Fāng ba. Tā shì tā jiějie, tā shénme dōu zhīdào.
I'll ask Lu Fang. She's his sister. She knows everything.
- Jiang Ning 快接啊，陆芳……快接电话啊。
Kuài jiē a, Lù Fāng…… kuài jiē diànhuà a.
Pick up, Lu Fang… please pick up.
- Jiang Ning 她也不接？
Tā yě bù jiē?
She's not picking up either?
- Jiang Ning 他们两个人，都不接我的电话……为什么？
Tāmen liǎng gè rén, dōu bù jiē wǒ de diànhuà…… Wèishénme?
Neither of them will answer me… Why?
- Jiang Ning 我们的星期四，他要跟谁在一起？
Wǒmen de xīngqīsì, tā yào gēn shéi zài yìqǐ?
Our Thursday. Who is he going to spend it with?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Jiang Ning call Lu Wei?
“我想听听他的声音。打一个吧。”
- What does Jiang Ning overhear Lu Wei say?
“……对，星期四晚上七点。别告诉江宁！”
- What does Lu Wei say when Jiang Ning asks if someone is with him?
“没有，没有人！我在家。”
- What mistake does Jiang Ning remember making before?
“那天，我想错了。那个女人是他的姐姐。”
- What happens when Jiang Ning calls Lu Fang?
“她也不接？”