The Second Cup of Tea: Season 2 · chapter 5 of 8
The Six O'Clock Train
早上六点的火车
Lu Wei has one night to work out how to say a very small word to a very big person. The platform is cold, and the train does not wait.
Read what you hear
- Jiang Ning 那天晚上，陆伟一句话也不说。我们在河边走了一个小时。
Nà tiān wǎnshàng, Lù Wěi yí jù huà yě bù shuō. Wǒmen zài hé biān zǒu le yí gè xiǎoshí.
That night Lu Wei didn't say a word. We walked by the river for an hour.
- Lu Wei 江宁，我很怕。我不知道怎么办。
Jiāng Níng, wǒ hěn pà. Wǒ bù zhīdao zěnme bàn.
Jiang Ning, I'm scared. I don't know what to do.
- Jiang Ning 怕你妈妈吗？
Pà nǐ māma ma?
Of your mother?
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1 and 2 of The Second Cup of Tea: Season 2 are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Lu Wei 我怕说“不”。我说了，她那么难过。我不想再看到她哭。
Wǒ pà shuō “bù”. Wǒ shuō le, tā nàme nánguò. Wǒ bù xiǎng zài kàndào tā kū.
I'm scared of saying "no." I said it, and she was so sad. I don't want to see her cry again.
- Jiang Ning 你说的是真话。真话有时候是这样。
Nǐ shuō de shì zhēnhuà. Zhēnhuà yǒu shíhou shì zhèyàng.
You told the truth. Sometimes the truth is like that.
- Lu Wei 可是我怕她一个人回去，会哭。
Kěshì wǒ pà tā yí gè rén huíqù, huì kū.
But I'm afraid she'll go home alone and cry.
- Jiang Ning 那明天，你去火车站，对她说真话。
Nà míngtiān, nǐ qù huǒchēzhàn, duì tā shuō zhēnhuà.
Then tomorrow, go to the station and tell her the truth.
- Lu Wei 我也想帮她。可是我回成都，就没有你了。
Wǒ yě xiǎng bāng tā. Kěshì wǒ huí Chéngdū, jiù méiyǒu nǐ le.
I want to help her too. But if I go back to Chengdu, I won't have you.
- Jiang Ning 你想回去吗？
Nǐ xiǎng huíqù ma?
Do you want to go back?
- Lu Wei 不想。我的家在这儿。
Bù xiǎng. Wǒ de jiā zài zhèr.
No. My home is here.
- Jiang Ning 那你就说真话。她是你的妈妈，她会听的。
Nà nǐ jiù shuō zhēnhuà. Tā shì nǐ de māma, tā huì tīng de.
Then tell the truth. She's your mother. She'll listen.
- Jiang Ning 早上六点，火车站好冷。
Zǎoshàng liù diǎn, huǒchēzhàn hǎo lěng.
Six in the morning, and the train station is freezing.
- Lu Wei 妈！
Mā!
Mom!
- Mama Lu 你来了。你的包呢？
Nǐ lái le. Nǐ de bāo ne?
You came. Where's your bag?
- Lu Wei 我没有带包。妈，我不回成都。
Wǒ méiyǒu dài bāo. Mā, wǒ bù huí Chéngdū.
I didn't bring a bag. Mom, I'm not going back to Chengdu.
- Mama Lu 唉……
Āi…
Sigh... (a long pause)
- Lu Wei 我喜欢红茶，我喜欢这个地方。我喜欢江宁。可是，我也喜欢你。
Wǒ xǐhuan hóngchá, wǒ xǐhuan zhège dìfang. Wǒ xǐhuan Jiāng Níng. Kěshì, wǒ yě xǐhuan nǐ.
I like red tea, I like it here. I like Jiang Ning. But I like you too.
- Mama Lu 你喜欢我，可是你不跟我走。
Nǐ xǐhuan wǒ, kěshì nǐ bù gēn wǒ zǒu.
You like me, but you won't come with me.
- Mama Lu 我做的茶，你不喝。我的店，你不来。
Wǒ zuò de chá, nǐ bù hē. Wǒ de diàn, nǐ bù lái.
You won't drink my tea. You won't come to my shop.
- Lu Wei 妈，我会去看你。一个月去一次。
Mā, wǒ huì qù kàn nǐ. Yí gè yuè qù yí cì.
Mom, I'll visit you. Once a month.
- Mama Lu 火车要开了。
Huǒchē yào kāi le.
The train is leaving.
- Jiang Ning 阿姨……
Āyí…
Auntie...
- Lu Fang 阿伟！江宁！妈妈走了吗？
Āwěi! Jiāng Níng! Māma zǒu le ma?
A-Wei! Jiang Ning! Did Mom leave?
- Jiang Ning 走了。可是你看，她的本子还在椅子上。
Zǒu le. Kěshì nǐ kàn, tā de běnzi hái zài yǐzi shàng.
She left. But look, her notebook is still on the seat.
- Lu Fang 那是她的一千个问题！
Nà shì tā de yì qiān gè wèntí!
Those are her thousand questions!
- Jiang Ning 最后一页，就两个问题。
Zuìhòu yí yè, jiù liǎng gè wèntí.
The last page has just two questions.
- Jiang Ning 第一个：阿伟在那儿，开心吗？
Dì yī gè: Āwěi zài nàr, kāixīn ma?
The first: Is A-Wei happy over there?
- Jiang Ning 第二个：我的店，还能开几个月？
Dì èr gè: wǒ de diàn, hái néng kāi jǐ gè yuè?
The second: How many more months can my shop stay open?
- Lu Fang 她的店？江宁，我们得去成都！
Tā de diàn? Jiāng Níng, wǒmen děi qù Chéngdū!
Her shop? Jiang Ning, we have to go to Chengdu!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is Lu Wei afraid of?
“我怕说“不””
- What does Jiang Ning say when Lu Wei worries?
“你就说真话”
- What does Lu Wei tell his mother at the station?
“我不回成都”
- What does Lu Fang find?
“她的本子还在椅子上”
- What does the last question in the notebook ask?
“我的店，还能开几个月”