The Little Noodle Shop · chapter 3 of 8
The Night Guest
晚上的客人
In the dark shop, Xiao Mei waits and rehearses what to say. When the mystery guest finally shows up, he is much smaller than she expected.
Read what you hear
- Xiao Mei 来了……有人进来了！小美，别动。
Lái le… yǒurén jìnlái le! Xiǎo Měi, bié dòng.
He's here… someone's come in! Don't move, Xiao Mei.
- Xiao Mei 好黑啊。我要说什么？“你是谁？”不好，太不好听了。
Hǎo hēi a. Wǒ yào shuō shénme? “Nǐ shì shéi?” Bù hǎo, tài bù hǎotīng le.
It's so dark. What should I say? “Who are you?” No, that sounds terrible.
- Xiao Mei “站住！”不行，他会跑。“晚上好！”……这个好。
“Zhànzhù!” Bù xíng, tā huì pǎo. “Wǎnshang hǎo!”… Zhège hǎo.
“Stop right there!” No, he'll run. “Good evening!”… Yes, that one is good.
Chapter 3 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.
- Xiao Mei 听！水的声音。他在做什么？
Tīng! Shuǐ de shēngyīn. Tā zài zuò shénme?
Listen! Water. What is he doing?
- Xiao Mei 他在热面！他在我们的店里热面！
Tā zài rè miàn! Tā zài wǒmen de diàn lǐ rè miàn!
He's heating up noodles! In our shop!
- Xiao Mei 好。一，二，三……走！
Hǎo. Yī, èr, sān… zǒu!
Okay. One, two, three… go!
- Xiao Mei 晚上好！
Wǎnshang hǎo!
Good evening!
- Xiao Hu 啊！别叫，别叫！
Ā! Bié jiào, bié jiào!
Ah! Don't shout, don't shout!
- Xiao Hu 我给钱了！你看，桌子上有钱！
Wǒ gěi qián le! Nǐ kàn, zhuōzi shang yǒu qián!
I paid! Look, there's money on the table!
- Xiao Mei 我看见了。五块钱。原来是你放的钱！
Wǒ kànjiàn le. Wǔ kuài qián. Yuánlái shì nǐ fàng de qián!
I see it. Five yuan. So it was you who left the money!
- Xiao Mei 蓝碗也是你拿走的，对不对？
Lán wǎn yě shì nǐ ná zǒu de, duì bu duì?
And you took the blue bowl too, right?
- Xiao Hu 对。我妈妈喜欢蓝色。它像河，像天。
Duì. Wǒ māma xǐhuan lánsè. Tā xiàng hé, xiàng tiān.
Yes. My mom likes blue. It looks like a river, like the sky.
- Xiao Mei 你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What's your name?
- Xiao Hu 我叫小虎。我七岁。
Wǒ jiào Xiǎo Hǔ. Wǒ qī suì.
I'm Xiao Hu. I'm seven.
- Xiao Mei 小虎，这么晚了，你为什么来这儿？
Xiǎo Hǔ, zhème wǎn le, nǐ wèishénme lái zhèr?
Xiao Hu, it's so late. Why are you here?
- Xiao Hu 我妈妈工作很忙，她很晚才回家。
Wǒ māma gōngzuò hěn máng, tā hěn wǎn cái huíjiā.
My mom works so hard, she comes home very late.
- Xiao Hu 她回家的时候很饿，也很累。
Tā huíjiā de shíhou hěn è, yě hěn lèi.
When she gets home she's hungry and tired.
- Xiao Hu 所以我给她热一碗面。
Suǒyǐ wǒ gěi tā rè yì wǎn miàn.
So I warm up a bowl of noodles for her.
- Xiao Mei 那，你妈妈知道吗？
Nà, nǐ māma zhīdào ma?
Does your mom know?
- Xiao Hu 她不知道！请你不要告诉别人！
Tā bù zhīdào! Qǐng nǐ bú yào gàosu biérén!
She doesn't know! Please don't tell anyone!
- Xiao Mei 你为什么给钱？
Nǐ wèishénme gěi qián?
Why did you leave money?
- Xiao Hu 妈妈说，不能要别人的东西。
Māma shuō, bù néng yào biérén de dōngxi.
Mom says we must never take other people's things.
- Xiao Mei 我知道。我爸爸也很晚回家。等人的时候，很长很长。
Wǒ zhīdào. Wǒ bàba yě hěn wǎn huíjiā. Děng rén de shíhou, hěn cháng hěn cháng.
I know. My dad comes home late too. When you wait for someone, it feels so long.
- Xiao Mei 你真是一个好孩子。
Nǐ zhēn shì yí gè hǎo háizi.
You are a really good kid.
- Xiao Mei 来，坐下吧。我帮你热面。汤要很热，对不对？
Lái, zuò xià ba. Wǒ bāng nǐ rè miàn. Tāng yào hěn rè, duì bu duì?
Come, sit down. I'll help you heat the noodles. The soup should be very hot, right?
- Xiao Hu 你……你不生气？
Nǐ… nǐ bù shēngqì?
You… you're not angry?
- Xiao Mei 我不生气。可是我的奶奶……
Wǒ bù shēngqì. Kěshì wǒ de nǎinai…
I'm not angry. But my grandma…
- Xiao Hu 小美，你后面！有一个人！
Xiǎo Měi, nǐ hòumiàn! Yǒu yí gè rén!
Xiao Mei, behind you! Someone's there!
- Nainai 这么晚了，谁在我的店里？
Zhème wǎn le, shéi zài wǒ de diàn lǐ?
So late at night, and who is in my shop?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is Xiao Mei doing when the back door creaks?
“来了……有人进来了！小美，别动。”
- What has the boy left on the table?
“我给钱了！你看，桌子上有钱！”
- Why does Xiao Hu heat up noodles?
“她回家的时候很饿，也很累。”……“所以我给她热一碗面。”
- Why does Xiao Hu leave money?
“妈妈说，不能要别人的东西。”
- Who turns on the light at the end?
“这么晚了，谁在我的店里？”