The Little Noodle Shop · chapter 1 of 8
The Blue Bowl
蓝碗在哪里
Grandma's old blue bowl has vanished from the shelf on the very morning of a busy day. Then Xiao Mei spots something small and white on the kitchen floor.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Nainai 我的蓝碗呢？谁看见了？
Wǒ de lán wǎn ne? Shéi kànjiàn le?
Where is my blue bowl? Did anyone see it?
- Baba (Old Lin) 妈，别急。你再找一找。
Mā, bié jí. Nǐ zài zhǎo yi zhǎo.
Mom, don't worry. Look once more.
- Nainai 我找了三次。这儿没有，那儿也没有！
Wǒ zhǎo le sān cì. Zhèr méiyǒu, nàr yě méiyǒu!
I looked three times. Not here, not there!
- Xiao Mei 奶奶，昨天晚上它还在这儿！
Nǎinai, zuótiān wǎnshang tā hái zài zhèr!
Grandma, it was still here last night!
- Baba (Old Lin) 一个碗，不会自己走路。
Yí gè wǎn, bú huì zìjǐ zǒulù.
A bowl can't walk away by itself.
- Nainai 面面在睡觉。它也不会拿碗。
Miànmian zài shuìjiào. Tā yě bú huì ná wǎn.
Mianmian is asleep. And cats don't carry bowls either.
- Xiao Mei 猫不拿，爸爸不拿，奶奶不拿……是谁拿了？
Māo bù ná, Bàba bù ná, Nǎinai bù ná… shì shéi ná le?
The cat didn't take it, Dad didn't, Grandma didn't… so who did?
- Nainai 那是我们店的第一个碗。
Nà shì wǒmen diàn de dì yī gè wǎn.
That was our shop's very first bowl.
- Xiao Mei 奶奶，别不高兴。我一定找到它，一定！
Nǎinai, bié bù gāoxìng. Wǒ yídìng zhǎodào tā, yídìng!
Grandma, don't be sad. I will find it, I promise!
- Baba (Old Lin) 好，好。八点了，客人要来了！
Hǎo, hǎo. Bā diǎn le, kèrén yào lái le!
All right, all right. It's eight o'clock, the customers are coming!
- Lao Wang 早，小美！我饿了！我要一碗面。
Zǎo, Xiǎo Měi! Wǒ è le! Wǒ yào yì wǎn miàn.
Morning, Xiao Mei! I'm hungry! I want a bowl of noodles.
- Lao Wang 听好了：不要葱，不要辣，要两个鸡蛋。
Tīng hǎo le: bú yào cōng, bú yào là, yào liǎng gè jīdàn.
Listen closely: no green onions, nothing spicy, and two eggs.
- Xiao Mei 不要葱，不要辣，两个鸡蛋。对吗？
Bú yào cōng, bú yào là, liǎng gè jīdàn. Duì ma?
No green onions, nothing spicy, two eggs. Right?
- Lao Wang 对！汤要热！很热很热！
Duì! Tāng yào rè! Hěn rè hěn rè!
Right! And the soup must be hot! Very, very hot!
- Teacher Li 小美，我也来了。一小碗，少放盐，多放菜。
Xiǎo Měi, wǒ yě lái le. Yì xiǎo wǎn, shǎo fàng yán, duō fàng cài.
Xiao Mei, I'm here too. A small bowl, less salt, more vegetables.
- Teacher Li 还有，我的筷子要红色的。
Háiyǒu, wǒ de kuàizi yào hóngsè de.
And my chopsticks must be red.
- Xiao Mei 红筷子！李老师，我知道！
Hóng kuàizi! Lǐ lǎoshī, wǒ zhīdào!
Red chopsticks! Teacher Li, I know!
- Xiao Mei 爸爸，两碗面！
Bàba, liǎng wǎn miàn!
Dad, two bowls of noodles!
- Xiao Mei 一碗不要葱，不要辣，两个鸡蛋，汤很热！
Yì wǎn bú yào cōng, bú yào là, liǎng gè jīdàn, tāng hěn rè!
One with no onions, not spicy, two eggs, very hot soup!
- Xiao Mei 一碗少盐，多菜，红筷子！
Yì wǎn shǎo yán, duō cài, hóng kuàizi!
One with less salt, more vegetables, red chopsticks!
- Lao Wang 哈哈！一个都对！小美真好！
Hāhā! Yí gè dōu duì! Xiǎo Měi zhēn hǎo!
Ha ha! Not one mistake! Xiao Mei is wonderful!
- Teacher Li 你比电脑还快，小美！
Nǐ bǐ diànnǎo hái kuài, Xiǎo Měi!
You're faster than a computer, Xiao Mei!
- Nainai 客人都走了。小美，你看这儿！
Kèrén dōu zǒu le. Xiǎo Měi, nǐ kàn zhèr!
All the customers are gone. Xiao Mei, look here!
- Nainai 地上有白色的东西。
Dìshang yǒu báisè de dōngxi.
There is something white on the floor.
- Xiao Mei 是面粉！还有小小的脚印！
Shì miànfěn! Hái yǒu xiǎoxiǎo de jiǎoyìn!
It's flour! And tiny footprints!
- Xiao Mei 脚印一直走到后门。这不是大人的脚印！
Jiǎoyìn yìzhí zǒu dào hòumén. Zhè bú shì dàrén de jiǎoyìn!
They go all the way to the back door. These aren't a grown-up's feet!
- Nainai 这么小……是一个小孩子！
Zhème xiǎo… shì yí gè xiǎo háizi!
So small… it's a child!
- Xiao Mei 小孩子，为什么要我们的蓝碗？
Xiǎo háizi, wèishénme yào wǒmen de lán wǎn?
A child… but why would a child want our blue bowl?
What changed in the story?
- Why is Grandma upset at the start?
“我的蓝碗呢？谁看见了？”
- What does Lao Wang want in his noodles?
“不要葱，不要辣，要两个鸡蛋。”
- What does Teacher Li ask for with her bowl?
“我的筷子要红色的。”
- Why is the blue bowl special to Grandma?
“那是我们店的第一个碗。”
- What does Xiao Mei find on the floor at the end?
“是面粉！还有小小的脚印！”