The Second Cup of Tea · chapter 5 of 8
His Sister's Questions
一百个问题
Dinner at Lu Fang's comes with six dishes and a notebook full of questions. Jiang Ning has one of her own, and then Lu Fang asks a strange last one.
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- Jiang Ning 星期天晚上，我第一次去陆芳家。
Xīngqītiān wǎnshang, wǒ dì yī cì qù Lù Fāng jiā.
Sunday evening. My first time at Lu Fang's place.
- Jiang Ning 桌子上有六个菜，都是她做的。
Zhuōzi shàng yǒu liù gè cài, dōu shì tā zuò de.
There are six dishes on the table, and she made every one.
- Lu Fang 江宁，快坐！多吃点儿！
Jiāng Níng, kuài zuò! Duō chī diǎnr!
Jiang Ning, sit, sit! Eat up!
- Jiang Ning 谢谢陆芳！这么多菜，太好吃了！
Xièxie Lù Fāng! Zhème duō cài, tài hǎochī le!
Thank you, Lu Fang! So many dishes, and they're delicious!
- Lu Fang 好，你吃，我问。我们开始吧！
Hǎo, nǐ chī, wǒ wèn. Wǒmen kāishǐ ba!
Great. You eat, I ask. Let's begin!
- Jiang Ning 她拿出了一个本子。他们家的人，都爱写问题！
Tā ná chū le yí gè běnzi. Tāmen jiā de rén, dōu ài xiě wèntí!
She pulls out a notebook. This whole family loves writing down questions!
- Lu Fang 第一个问题：你做什么工作？
Dì yī gè wèntí: nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?
Question one: what do you do for a living?
- Jiang Ning 我……我是小学老师。
Wǒ…… wǒ shì xiǎoxué lǎoshī.
I… I teach elementary school.
- Lu Fang 老师好！第二个问题：你喜欢阿伟什么？
Lǎoshī hǎo! Dì èr gè wèntí: nǐ xǐhuan Ā Wěi shénme?
Hello, Teacher! Question two: what do you like about A-Wei?
- Lu Wei 姐！你让她吃饭吧！
Jiě! Nǐ ràng tā chīfàn ba!
Sis! Let her eat!
- Lu Fang 不说？好，下一个。你们什么时候结婚？
Bù shuō? Hǎo, xià yí gè. Nǐmen shénme shíhou jiéhūn?
Not telling? Fine, next one. When are you two getting married?
- Jiang Ning 结……结婚？
Jié…… jiéhūn?
Mar… married?
- Jiang Ning 我拿着筷子，脸红了，又说不出来了。
Wǒ ná zhe kuàizi, liǎn hóng le, yòu shuō bu chūlái le.
I sit there holding my chopsticks, red in the face, and once again the words won't come.
- Lu Wei 结婚？姐！我们昨天才一起喝了奶茶！
Jiéhūn? Jiě! Wǒmen zuótiān cái yìqǐ hē le nǎichá!
Married? Sis! We only had bubble tea together yesterday!
- Jiang Ning 他不敢看我。可是我听见了，他在笑。
Tā bù gǎn kàn wǒ. Kěshì wǒ tīngjiàn le, tā zài xiào.
He can't even look at me. But I can hear him laughing.
- Jiang Ning 陆芳，我也有一个问题。可以问吗？
Lù Fāng, wǒ yě yǒu yí gè wèntí. Kěyǐ wèn ma?
Lu Fang, I have a question too. May I ask?
- Lu Fang 好啊！你问！
Hǎo a! Nǐ wèn!
Ooh, yes! Ask away!
- Jiang Ning 那天在茶馆，你真的来晚了吗？
Nà tiān zài cháguǎn, nǐ zhēn de lái wǎn le ma?
That night at the teahouse, were you really late?
- Lu Fang 你怎么知道？我没有来晚。我早就到了！
Nǐ zěnme zhīdào? Wǒ méiyǒu lái wǎn. Wǒ zǎo jiù dào le!
How did you know? I wasn't late at all. I was there early!
- Lu Fang 我在门外等了二十分钟，想让阿伟一个人跟你说。
Wǒ zài mén wài děng le èrshí fēnzhōng, xiǎng ràng Ā Wěi yí gè rén gēn nǐ shuō.
I waited outside for twenty minutes so A-Wei could ask you on his own.
- Lu Fang 可是他太慢了！外面下着雨，我太冷了！
Kěshì tā tài màn le! Wàimiàn xià zhe yǔ, wǒ tài lěng le!
But he was so slow! It was raining out there, and I was freezing!
- Lu Wei 我就要说了！我真的就要说了！
Wǒ jiù yào shuō le! Wǒ zhēn de jiù yào shuō le!
I was just about to ask! I really was!
- Lu Fang 六个月了，你还是“就要说了”！阿伟，我喜欢她！
Liù gè yuè le, nǐ háishi “jiù yào shuō le”! Ā Wěi, wǒ xǐhuan tā!
Six months, and you're still “just about to ask”! A-Wei, I like her!
- Lu Fang 好，最后一个问题：你喜欢那家茶馆吗？
Hǎo, zuìhòu yí gè wèntí: nǐ xǐhuan nà jiā cháguǎn ma?
Okay, last question: do you like that teahouse?
- Jiang Ning 喜欢啊！那是我们的茶馆。
Xǐhuan a! Nà shì wǒmen de cháguǎn.
Of course I do! It's our teahouse.
- Jiang Ning 陆芳看着陆伟，陆伟看着陆芳。
Lù Fāng kàn zhe Lù Wěi, Lù Wěi kàn zhe Lù Fāng.
Lu Fang looks at Lu Wei. Lu Wei looks at Lu Fang.
- Jiang Ning 他们怎么都不笑了？
Tāmen zěnme dōu bú xiào le?
Why have they both stopped smiling?
What changed in the story?
- What does Jiang Ning do for work?
“我是小学老师。”
- Why does Lu Wei protest when Lu Fang asks about getting married?
“姐！我们昨天才一起喝了奶茶！”
- What was the truth about Lu Fang being “late” that night?
“我在门外等了二十分钟，想让阿伟一个人跟你说。”
- Why did Lu Fang finally go in?
“可是他太慢了！外面下着雨，我太冷了！”
- What is strange at the end of dinner?
“陆芳看着陆伟，陆伟看着陆芳。……他们怎么都不笑了？”