The Little Noodle Shop · chapter 7 of 8
The Long Noodle
长长的面
On Sunday morning Xiao Hu tries again with Dad's slow hands, and the noodle just keeps growing. Then two surprises arrive at the door at once.
Read what you hear
- Baba (Old Lin) 星期天到了！小虎，准备好了吗？
Xīngqītiān dào le! Xiǎo Hǔ, zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?
Sunday is here! Xiao Hu, are you ready?
- Xiao Hu 准备好了……可是我有点怕。
Zhǔnbèi hǎo le… kěshì wǒ yǒudiǎn pà.
I'm ready… but I'm a little scared.
- Baba (Old Lin) 手给我。你看：面粉，水，盐。只要三样东西。
Shǒu gěi wǒ. Nǐ kàn: miànfěn, shuǐ, yán. Zhǐyào sān yàng dōngxi.
Give me your hands. Look: flour, water, salt. You only need three things.
Chapter 7 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Little Noodle Shop is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Baba (Old Lin) 不要太快，也不要用力太大。
Bú yào tài kuài, yě bú yào yònglì tài dà.
Not too fast, and don't push too hard.
- Xiao Hu 为什么要这么慢呢？
Wèishénme yào zhème màn ne?
Why does it have to be so slow?
- Baba (Old Lin) 因为面像人。你太快，它会生气。
Yīnwèi miàn xiàng rén. Nǐ tài kuài, tā huì shēngqì.
Because noodles are like people. If you rush, they get angry.
- Xiao Mei 蓝碗我洗好了。汤也很热了。
Lán wǎn wǒ xǐ hǎo le. Tāng yě hěn rè le.
I washed the blue bowl. The soup is hot too.
- Baba (Old Lin) 面要休息一下。面也要睡觉。
Miàn yào xiūxi yíxià. Miàn yě yào shuìjiào.
The dough needs a rest. Dough sleeps too.
- Xiao Hu 面也要睡觉？哈哈！
Miàn yě yào shuìjiào? Hāhā!
Dough sleeps too? Ha ha!
- Baba (Old Lin) 对。睡好了，它就听话。
Duì. Shuì hǎo le, tā jiù tīnghuà.
Yes. When it has slept well, it listens.
- Baba (Old Lin) 来，这样拉，慢慢地，不要停。
Lái, zhèyàng lā, mànmàn de, bú yào tíng.
Come, pull like this, slowly, without stopping.
- Xiao Hu 慢慢地……不要停……
Mànmàn de… bú yào tíng…
Slowly… without stopping…
- Xiao Mei 小虎，你的手真好！它是一条长面！
Xiǎo Hǔ, nǐ de shǒu zhēn hǎo! Tā shì yì tiáo cháng miàn!
Xiao Hu, your hands are great! It's a long noodle!
- Xiao Hu 没有断！小美，没有断！
Méiyǒu duàn! Xiǎo Měi, méiyǒu duàn!
It's not breaking! Xiao Mei, it's not breaking!
- Baba (Old Lin) 别叫！小声一点儿，面会听见。
Bié jiào! Xiǎoshēng yìdiǎnr, miàn huì tīngjiàn.
Shh! Quieter, the noodle can hear you.
- Xiao Hu 面，你别断，你别断……
Miàn, nǐ bié duàn, nǐ bié duàn…
Noodle, don't break, don't break…
- Boss Gao 早……早上好。我带了很多面粉。
Zǎo… zǎoshang hǎo. Wǒ dài le hěn duō miànfěn.
Good… good morning. I brought flour.
- Lao Wang 高老板？你来做什么？
Gāo lǎobǎn? Nǐ lái zuò shénme?
Boss Gao? What are you doing here?
- Boss Gao 我来学做面。我想说：对不起。
Wǒ lái xué zuò miàn. Wǒ xiǎng shuō: duìbuqǐ.
I came to learn noodle-making. And I want to say: I'm sorry.
- Nainai 对不起什么？
Duìbuqǐ shénme?
Sorry for what?
- Boss Gao 我的店开在你们对面。我的免费面，让你们没有客人。
Wǒ de diàn kāi zài nǐmen duìmiàn. Wǒ de miǎnfèi miàn, ràng nǐmen méiyǒu kèrén.
My restaurant opened right across from yours. My free noodles took your customers.
- Nainai 你的面，好吃吗？
Nǐ de miàn, hǎochī ma?
Are your noodles any good?
- Boss Gao 不好吃。我自己也不吃。
Bù hǎochī. Wǒ zìjǐ yě bù chī.
No. I don't even eat them myself.
- Lao Wang 哈哈！他说了真话！
Hāhā! Tā shuō le zhēnhuà!
Ha ha! He told the truth!
- Boss Gao 我现在知道了。免费的面，不是好面。好面要用手，用心。
Wǒ xiànzài zhīdào le. Miǎnfèi de miàn, bú shì hǎo miàn. Hǎo miàn yào yòng shǒu, yòng xīn.
I know now. Free noodles are not good noodles. Good noodles need hands and heart.
- Nainai 进来吧。手洗了吗？
Jìnlái ba. Shǒu xǐ le ma?
Come in. Did you wash your hands?
- Boss Gao 洗了，洗了三次！
Xǐ le, xǐ le sān cì!
Yes, three times!
- Nainai 好。后面是厨房，小声一点儿。小虎在做长面。
Hǎo. Hòumiàn shì chúfáng, xiǎoshēng yìdiǎnr. Xiǎo Hǔ zài zuò cháng miàn.
Good. The kitchen is at the back, be quiet. Xiao Hu is making his long noodle.
- Lao Wang 看！外面有人来了……是小虎的妈妈！她走得好快！
Kàn! Wàimiàn yǒu rén lái le… shì Xiǎo Hǔ de māma! Tā zǒu de hǎo kuài!
Look! Someone's coming… it's Xiao Hu's mom! She's walking so fast!
- Nainai 快！小虎，你的面呢？怎么办？
Kuài! Xiǎo Hǔ, nǐ de miàn ne? Zěnme bàn?
Quick! Xiao Hu, where's your noodle? What do we do?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What are the three things in the dough?
“面粉，水，盐。只要三样东西。”
- What does Dad say about the dough?
“面要休息一下。面也要睡觉。”
- Why does Gao Laoban come to the shop?
“我来学做面。我想说：对不起。”
- What does Gao Laoban admit about his noodles?
“不好吃。我自己也不吃。”
- Who arrives at the end?
“是小虎的妈妈！”