The Second Cup of Tea · chapter 1 of 8
Two Cups at the Window
窗边的两杯茶
Jiang Ning has one sentence ready for Lu Wei tonight. Then she sees two cups on his table — and someone else walks in.
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Read what you hear
- Jiang Ning 每个星期四下班以后，我都去同一家小茶馆。
Měi gè xīngqīsì xiàbān yǐhòu, wǒ dōu qù tóng yì jiā xiǎo cháguǎn.
Every Thursday after work, I go to the same little teahouse.
- Jiang Ning 陆伟也总在那里。他喝绿茶，我喝红茶。
Lù Wěi yě zǒng zài nàlǐ. Tā hē lǜchá, wǒ hē hóngchá.
Lu Wei is always there too. 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 guo liǎng jù huà: “nǐ hǎo” hé “zàijiàn”.
Six months, and we've only ever said two things to each other: “hello” and “goodbye.”
- Jiang Ning 今天，我想说第三句话。
Jīntiān, wǒ xiǎng shuō dì sān jù huà.
Today, I want to say a third.
- Jiang Ning 在路上，我说了十遍：“下个星期四，我们一起喝茶，好吗？”
Zài lùshang, wǒ shuō le shí biàn: “Xià gè xīngqīsì, wǒmen yìqǐ hē chá, hǎo ma?”
On the way here, I practiced it ten times: “Next Thursday, shall we have tea together?”
- Jiang Ning 我到了，把伞放在门边。
Wǒ dào le, bǎ sǎn fàng zài mén biān.
I arrive and leave my umbrella by the door.
- Jiang Ning 可是今天，他的桌子上有两杯茶，还有一束花。
Kěshì jīntiān, tā de zhuōzi shang yǒu liǎng bēi chá, hái yǒu yí shù huā.
But today there are two cups of tea on his table — and a bunch of flowers.
- Lu Wei 你好。
Nǐ hǎo.
Hello.
- Jiang Ning 你好。
Nǐ hǎo.
Hello.
- Jiang Ning 这是第一句话。第二句话，我还不想说。
Zhè shì dì yī jù huà. Dì èr jù huà, wǒ hái bù xiǎng shuō.
That's the first sentence. I'm not ready for the second one — goodbye — 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。
Shì, wǒ zài děng yí gè rén.
Yes. I'm waiting for someone.
- Jiang Ning 这不是我想说的第三句话。
Zhè bú shì wǒ xiǎng shuō de dì sān jù huà.
That was not the third sentence I meant to say.
- 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 他知道我的名字？
Tā zhīdào wǒ de míngzi?
He knows my name?
- Lu Wei 我想请你……
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ…
I've been wanting to ask you…
- 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，坐到他旁边。
Yí gè hěn piàoliang de nǚrén zǒu jìnlái, zuò dào tā pángbiān.
A very pretty woman walks in and sits down right beside him.
- Lu Fang 这位是……？
Zhè wèi shì…?
And who's this…?
- Jiang Ning 我……我只是来喝茶的。
Wǒ… wǒ zhǐ shì lái hē chá de.
I'm… I'm just here for the tea.
- Jiang Ning 我一个人坐在那边。红茶冷了，第三句话也没说出来。
Wǒ yí gè rén zuò zài nàbiān. Hóngchá lěng le, dì sān jù huà yě méi shuō chūlái.
I sit over there alone. My tea goes cold, and my third sentence never comes out.
What changed in the story?
- What do Jiang Ning and Lu Wei usually say to each other?
She says, “我们只说过两句话：‘你好’和‘再见’” — they have only ever said hello and goodbye.
- What sentence did Jiang Ning practice on the way?
She practiced “下个星期四，我们一起喝茶，好吗？” ten times on the way.
- What is on Lu Wei's table tonight?
She sees “两杯茶，还有一束花” — two cups of tea and a bunch of flowers.
- What happens right after Lu Wei says “我想请你……”?
Before he can finish, a woman calls “阿伟！” and sits down beside him.
- Why does Jiang Ning say “我只是来喝茶的”?
Seeing the woman beside him, she hides her feelings and pretends she only came for the tea.