The Second Cup of Tea · chapter 1 of 8
Two Cups at the Window
窗边的两杯茶
Six months of hello and goodbye. Tonight Jiang Ning has a third sentence ready for Lu Wei, but there are two cups on his table.
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Read what you hear
- Jiang Ning 下个星期四，我们一起喝茶，好吗？
Xià gè xīngqīsì, wǒmen yìqǐ hē chá, hǎo ma?
Next Thursday, shall we have tea together?
- Jiang Ning 不好，不好，太快了。慢一点儿，再来一次。
Bù hǎo, bù hǎo, tài kuài le. Màn yìdiǎnr, zài lái yí cì.
No, no, too fast. Slower. One more time.
- Jiang Ning 每个星期四下班以后，我都去那家小茶馆。他也在。
Měi gè xīngqīsì xiàbān yǐhòu, wǒ dōu qù nà jiā xiǎo cháguǎn. Tā yě zài.
Every Thursday after work, I go to that little teahouse. And he's always there.
- Jiang Ning 他叫陆伟。他喝绿茶，我喝红茶。
Tā jiào Lù Wěi. Tā hē lǜchá, wǒ hē hóngchá.
His name is Lu Wei. He drinks green tea; I drink black tea.
- Jiang Ning 六个月了，我们只说过两句话：“你好”和“再见”。
Liù gè yuè le, wǒmen zhǐ shuō guò liǎng jù huà: “Nǐ hǎo” hé “zàijiàn”.
Six months, and we've said exactly two things to each other: “hello” and “goodbye.”
- Jiang Ning 今天，我要说第三句！在路上，我已经说了十遍了。
Jīntiān, wǒ yào shuō dì sān jù! Zài lù shàng, wǒ yǐjīng shuō le shí biàn le.
Tonight I'm saying a third! I've already practiced it ten times on the way.
- Jiang Ning 我到了……他的桌子上，有两杯茶，还有花？
Wǒ dào le…… Tā de zhuōzi shàng, yǒu liǎng bēi chá, hái yǒu huā?
I'm here… There are two cups of tea on his table. And flowers?
- Lu Wei 你好。
Nǐ hǎo.
Hello.
- Jiang Ning 你好。
Nǐ hǎo.
Hello.
- Jiang Ning 第一句话，说了。第二句话是“再见”，我现在还不想说。
Dì yī jù huà, shuō le. Dì èr jù huà shì “zàijiàn”, wǒ xiànzài hái bù xiǎng shuō.
Sentence one: done. Sentence two is “goodbye,” and I'm not ready to say it yet.
- Jiang Ning 你……在等人吗？
Nǐ…… zài děng rén ma?
Are you… waiting for someone?
- Lu Wei 是，我在等一个人。等了很久了。
Shì, wǒ zài děng yí gè rén. Děng le hěn jiǔ le.
Yes. I'm waiting for someone. I've been waiting a long time.
- Jiang Ning 一个人。两杯茶。还有花。我明白了。
Yí gè rén. Liǎng bēi chá. Hái yǒu huā. Wǒ míngbai le.
Someone. Two cups. Flowers. I get it.
- Jiang Ning 她一定很漂亮。我呢？我只是喝红茶的江宁。
Tā yídìng hěn piàoliang. Wǒ ne? Wǒ zhǐ shì hē hóngchá de Jiāng Níng.
She must be beautiful. And me? I'm just the black-tea girl.
- Jiang Ning 那……我去那边坐。
Nà…… wǒ qù nàbiān zuò.
Well… I'll go and sit over there.
- Lu Wei 江宁，等一下！
Jiāng Níng, děng yíxià!
Jiang Ning, wait!
- Jiang Ning 他……他知道我的名字？他怎么知道的？
Tā…… tā zhīdào wǒ de míngzi? Tā zěnme zhīdào de?
He… he knows my name? How does he know it?
- Lu Wei 江宁，我……我想请你……
Jiāng Níng, wǒ…… wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ……
Jiang Ning, I… I've been wanting to ask you…
- Jiang Ning 请我什么？快说啊，陆伟！
Qǐng wǒ shénme? Kuài shuō a, Lù Wěi!
Ask me what? Say it, Lu Wei!
- Lu Fang 阿伟！对不起，我来晚了！
Ā Wěi! Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le!
A-Wei! Sorry, I'm late!
- Jiang Ning 一个很漂亮的女人走进来，坐在了他的旁边。
Yí gè hěn piàoliang de nǚrén zǒu jìnlái, zuò zài le tā de pángbiān.
A very pretty woman walks in and sits down right next to him.
- Lu Fang 阿伟，这位是……？
Ā Wěi, zhè wèi shì……?
A-Wei, and who's this…?
- Lu Wei 她是……她是……
Tā shì…… tā shì……
She's… she's…
- Lu Fang 阿伟，你的脸怎么红了？
Ā Wěi, nǐ de liǎn zěnme hóng le?
A-Wei, why is your face so red?
- Jiang Ning 我……我只是来喝茶的！对不起！
Wǒ…… wǒ zhǐ shì lái hē chá de! Duìbuqǐ!
I'm… I'm just here for the tea! Sorry!
- Jiang Ning 我一个人坐到那边。红茶冷了，我一口也没喝。
Wǒ yí gè rén zuò dào nàbiān. Hóngchá lěng le, wǒ yì kǒu yě méi hē.
I sit over there alone. My black tea goes cold. I haven't had a sip.
- Jiang Ning 第三句话，还在我心里。今天又没说出来。
Dì sān jù huà, hái zài wǒ xīn lǐ. Jīntiān yòu méi shuō chūlái.
My third sentence is still stuck inside me. Another night I didn't say it.
- Jiang Ning 那第二杯茶……也是给她的吗？
Nà dì èr bēi chá…… yě shì gěi tā de ma?
And that second cup of tea… is it for her too?
What changed in the story?
- How many things have Jiang Ning and Lu Wei said to each other in six months?
“六个月了，我们只说过两句话：“你好”和“再见”。”
- What does Jiang Ning see on Lu Wei's table?
“他的桌子上，有两杯茶，还有花？”
- What surprises Jiang Ning when Lu Wei says “wait”?
“他……他知道我的名字？”
- What happens just as Lu Wei starts to ask Jiang Ning something?
“一个很漂亮的女人走进来，坐在了他的旁边。”
- What does Jiang Ning wonder at the end?
“那第二杯茶……是给她的吗？”