The Second Cup of Tea: Season 2 · chapter 2 of 8
A Thousand Questions
一千个问题
Mama opens her notebook and starts on question one. Jiang Ning has a job, a secret and one hot pot of water to survive. Then Mama asks the worst question.
Read what you hear
- Mama Lu 江宁，坐。第一个问题：你做什么工作？
Jiāng Níng, zuò. Dì yī gè wèntí: nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?
Jiang Ning, sit. Question one: what work do you do?
- Jiang Ning 阿姨，我是老师。我教小朋友，每天都很开心。
Āyí, wǒ shì lǎoshī. Wǒ jiāo xiǎopéngyǒu, měi tiān dōu hěn kāixīn.
Auntie, I'm a teacher. I teach little kids, and I'm happy every day.
- Mama Lu 老师！好，好。第二个问题：你喜欢我儿子什么？
Lǎoshī! Hǎo, hǎo. Dì èr gè wèntí: nǐ xǐhuan wǒ érzi shénme?
A teacher! Good, good. Question two: what do you like about my son?
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Second Cup of Tea: Season 2 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 and Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing from start to finish.
- Lu Wei 妈！姐姐问过这个了！
Mā! Jiějie wèn guò zhège le!
Mom! My sister already asked that!
- Mama Lu 她问她的，我问我的。江宁，说吧。
Tā wèn tā de, wǒ wèn wǒ de. Jiāng Níng, shuō ba.
She asks hers, I ask mine. Go on, Jiang Ning.
- Jiang Ning 他很会等人。我等了他六个月，他也等了我六个月。
Tā hěn huì děng rén. Wǒ děng le tā liù gè yuè, tā yě děng le wǒ liù gè yuè.
He's good at waiting. I waited for him six months, and he waited for me six months.
- Mama Lu 六个月？你们六个月都没说话？
Liù gè yuè? Nǐmen liù gè yuè dōu méi shuō huà?
Six months? You two didn't talk for six months?
- Lu Wei 我们说了！我们说了“你好”！
Wǒmen shuō le! Wǒmen shuō le “nǐ hǎo”!
We talked! We said "hello"!
- Mama Lu 就“你好”？我的儿子，真慢。
Jiù “nǐ hǎo”? Wǒ de érzi, zhēn màn.
Just "hello"? My son is so slow.
- Mama Lu 第三个问题：你喝什么茶？
Dì sān gè wèntí: nǐ hē shénme chá?
Question three: what tea do you drink?
- Jiang Ning 我……喝红茶。
Wǒ… hē hóngchá.
I... drink red tea.
- Mama Lu 红茶？我们家的人，都喝绿茶。阿伟，对不对？
Hóngchá? Wǒmen jiā de rén, dōu hē lǜchá. Āwěi, duì búduì?
Red tea? Everyone in our family drinks green tea. A-Wei, right?
- Lu Wei 对……我们家喝绿茶。我最爱。
Duì… wǒmen jiā hē lǜchá. Wǒ zuì ài.
Right... our family drinks green tea. I love it most.
- Jiang Ning 二十年了，他还在说“最爱”。
Èr shí nián le, tā hái zài shuō “zuì ài”.
Twenty years, and he's still saying "love it most."
- Mama Lu 好。江宁，你去给我泡一杯茶。我要看看你怎么泡。
Hǎo. Jiāng Níng, nǐ qù gěi wǒ pào yì bēi chá. Wǒ yào kànkan nǐ zěnme pào.
Good. Jiang Ning, go make me a cup of tea. I want to see how you do it.
- Jiang Ning 王阿姨，帮帮我！我不会泡茶！
Wáng Āyí, bāngbang wǒ! Wǒ bú huì pào chá!
Auntie Wang, help me! I don't know how to make tea!
- Auntie Wang 别怕。水不要太热，茶不要太多。
Bié pà. Shuǐ bú yào tài rè, chá bú yào tài duō.
Don't worry. The water shouldn't be too hot, and not too much tea.
- Jiang Ning 这样吗？
Zhèyàng ma?
Like this?
- Auntie Wang 对。慢一点儿，再慢一点儿。
Duì. Màn yìdiǎnr, zài màn yìdiǎnr.
Yes. Slower. A little slower.
- Mama Lu 啊……不太热，也不太苦。谁教你的？
A… bú tài rè, yě bú tài kǔ. Shuí jiāo nǐ de?
Ah... not too hot, not too bitter. Who taught you?
- Jiang Ning 是……我自己。
Shì… wǒ zìjǐ.
It's... myself.
- Auntie Wang 她泡得真好！
Tā pào dé zhēn hǎo!
She makes it so well!
- Jiang Ning 王阿姨，谢谢您。
Wáng Āyí, xièxiè nín.
Auntie Wang, thank you.
- Auntie Wang 我什么都没看见。
Wǒ shénme dōu méi kànjiàn.
I didn't see a thing.
- Mama Lu 好。这个问题，你过了。
Hǎo. Zhège wèntí, nǐ guò le.
Good. You pass that question.
- Mama Lu 最后一个问题：你会做饭吗？
Zuìhòu yí gè wèntí: nǐ huì zuòfàn ma?
Last question: can you cook?
- Jiang Ning 会……一点儿。
Huì… yìdiǎnr.
A... little.
- Mama Lu 太好了！明天中午，你做饭给我吃。
Tài hǎo le! Míngtiān zhōngwǔ, nǐ zuòfàn gěi wǒ chī.
Wonderful! Tomorrow at noon, you'll cook for me.
- Jiang Ning 做饭？我只会做泡面！
Zuòfàn? Wǒ zhǐ huì zuò pàomiàn!
Cook? All I can make is instant noodles!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is the first question Mama asks Jiang Ning?
“你做什么工作”
- What did Jiang Ning and Lu Wei say to each other for six months?
“我们说了“你好””
- What does Jiang Ning answer when Mama asks about tea?
“我……喝红茶”
- Who helps Jiang Ning make the tea?
“水不要太热，茶不要太多”
- What does Mama ask Jiang Ning to do tomorrow?
“明天中午，你做饭给我吃”