Mandarin Chinese

Face Lan's mother alone at the shop: hear that she saw you two, say you know and you're sorry, hear her ask if you really like her, say you do, hear her condition, say she needn't worry, and hear that Lan's father still doesn't know.

Settle with Lan when to tell her father: ask when, hear what if he doesn't agree, say her mother already has, hear that her father is different, offer to go alone, hear no, together, say early beats late, and fix the day.

Tell Lan's father at Sunday lunch: say you have something to say, hear go on, say you and Lan are together, hear how long, say half a year, hear why not sooner, say you were afraid he wouldn't agree, and hear that he needs to think.

Tell Master Chen and Missus Wang in their kitchen: say there's something, hear that Lan has a boyfriend and it's you, ask how she knows, hear she's known for ages, ask if Master Chen objects, hear his one condition, say you're not leaving, and hear no hurry.

Introduce Lan to your parents on a video call to Seattle: hear your mother's Chinese hello, hear Lan greet them, pass on your mother's question about the bride price, hear Lan explain it, ask who it goes to, pass on your father's question, and hear that you haven't got to that yet.

Ask Missus Wang what to bring to Lan's parents at New Year: hear you must bring a gift, ask if tea is all right, hear two bottles of liquor are good too, say you were thinking of a clock, hear never a clock, ask who gets red envelopes, and hear the children do.

Shop with Lan for the New Year gifts: ask what to buy her father, hear he lacks nothing, suggest two bottles of liquor, hear he likes a drink, ask what if he doesn't like them, hear that the thought is what counts, and settle on a box of Longjing for her mother.

Spend New Year's Eve in the Chens' kitchen: hear it's the night for dumplings, offer to help, hear Lan ask if you can make them, say that although you're a foreigner you can, hear you fold and she cooks, hear you fold them well, say your mother taught you, and hear Happy New Year.

Hear Lan's father's conditions at the New Year's Day table: hear he has three, say you're listening, hear only with a flat can you marry, hear Lan say flats are expensive, hear a steady job, say yours is steady, hear unless you stay in China, and hear Lan say you won't leave.

Give Lan's father your answer at the table: say that even without a flat you won't leave, hear where you'd live, say a flat can be bought bit by bit, hear how many years, hear Missus Wang say a house is a house and a life is a life, hear what she means, and hear Master Chen agree.

Hear from Old Hu that the village is holding a tea-frying contest, say you don't fry well enough, be pushed with a why not, and agree to sign up.

Ask Master Chen to let you enter the tea-frying contest, hear his terms, practise every day, a big fire and quick hands, say what you're afraid of, and hear that losing doesn't matter.

Practise beside Little Wu, hear that you fry better and better, say you're still a bit short and your hands aren't fast enough, and hear that the more you practise, the faster you get.

Pick with Auntie Liu at six in the morning, hear that it's only six and you're here already, say you've only picked one jin, hear she's already picked three, and fend off the question about a girlfriend.

Sign in with the head judge on the morning of the contest: give your name, take number eighteen, ask the rules, and hear that it's one wok each, one jin a wok, and an hour for everyone.

Fry against the clock: hear there are ten minutes left, ask whether you can make it, be told to go for it, cry that the fire's too big, hear don't stop your hands, and run out of time with half the leaves to go.

Hear your name called for third place, ask who came first, hear that an old master's fragrance was the best, ask about your own fragrance and shape, and promise to come back next year.

Be stopped by a reporter from the local news after the contest: hear who she is, say ask away, say you took part in order to learn to fry tea well, say you weren't nervous, and name your master.

Watch the evening news with Lan's father: hear that you're on TV, hear he never thought you really would be, hear that third place is better than he thought, and hear that the flat can wait.

Go up to the family grave with Master Chen and Lan at Ching Ming: be asked to come too, bring the new tea, bow, be presented to the great-grandfather, and say what you hope for.

Take a call from Missus Lin: hear the shop will sell pu'er, say you've never bought it, hear you're to go to Yunnan for ancient-tree tea, and that you should go early, while the rainy season hasn't come.

Ride a minibus up to Bulang Mountain: ask the driver how long it takes, hear three hours because the mountain road is bad, say that if it rains it takes four, and ask him to drive slowly if the fog is thick.

Arrive at a Bulang family's house: meet Yan Wen's grandmother, be given roasted tea, hear that the Bulang all drink it this way, and hear that the tree outside is said to be a thousand years old and that the caravans once passed here.

Pick tea in the old grove with Yan Wen: be told to climb up and on no account fall, say you climbed trees as a child, pick one bud and two leaves, and hand them down.

Press pu'er cakes with Grandmother Yu and Yan Wen: hear the three steps, steam, press and dry in the sun, ask how heavy a cake is, hear three hundred and fifty-seven grams, and say last year's cake is both fragrant and sweet.

Buy pu'er at the Menghai market: be asked raw or ripe, hear that you either buy ancient-tree or terrace, ask which year a cake is from, say ancient-tree is never this cheap, and taste before you talk.

Be stopped on the mountain road in a storm with Yan Wen: hear it is thundering, hear from the officer that a landslide has cut the road, ask when it can open, hear that it depends on the rain, and turn back.

Take Lan's call after a week cut off in the village: say the road has been cut for a week, hear if only it were open, say had you known you would have left earlier, and hear that she is flying over and has already bought a ticket.

Meet Lan at the gate of the village: say she is here at last, hear the road is finally open, introduce her to Yan Wen as the Lan you talked about, and hear Grandmother Yu welcome her to the village.

Sit with Lan under the thousand-year tree: ask when to tell both families, hear wait until your parents come, say they come this summer, ask what if you asked her, and hear ask first, then we'll see.