Finding Home: The Heartwarming Winter Solstice in Beijing

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Finding Home: The Heartwarming Winter Solstice in Beijing
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2024-12-19-23-34-02-zh

Story Transcript:

Zh: 北京的冬天总是让人觉得又冷又安静。
En: Winter in Beijing always feels both cold and quiet.

Zh: 每年到了冬至，街道上的灯笼闪烁着温暖的光，使雪白的城市有了些许温度。
En: Every year when the winter solstice arrives, the lanterns on the streets flicker with warm light, giving the snow-white city just a bit of warmth.

Zh: 在这座繁忙的城市里，高中学生梅正在生活着一段不同寻常的日子。
En: In this busy city, Mei, a high school student, is experiencing an unusual period in her life.

Zh: 梅的父母在国外工作，她则和奶奶住在北京的一个老房子里。
En: Mei's parents work abroad, so she lives with her grandmother in an old house in Beijing.

Zh: 奶奶是个重视传统的老人，总是提醒梅要努力学习，保持家族的荣誉。
En: Her grandmother, who values traditions, constantly reminds Mei to study hard and uphold the family's honor.

Zh: 但在这个冬至，梅的心情格外复杂。
En: But during this winter solstice, Mei's feelings are particularly complex.

Zh: 尽管屋子里弥漫着饺子的香味，梅还是感觉缺少了什么。
En: Despite the aroma of dumplings filling the house, she still feels that something is missing.

Zh: 梅望着教室里那些忙于为冬至准备的同学们，感到一丝孤独。
En: Looking at her classmates busy preparing for the winter solstice in the classroom, Mei feels a tinge of loneliness.

Zh: 金和李——她最好的朋友——都忙着和他们的家人庆祝节日。
En: Jin and Li, her best friends, are preoccupied with celebrating the festival with their families.

Zh: 梅决定自己也要创造一个温馨的晚上。
En: Mei decides to create a warm evening for herself as well.

Zh: 她鼓起勇气邀请金和李来家里一起吃晚饭。
En: She musters the courage to invite Jin and Li over for dinner.

Zh: 她希望这顿简单的饺子能带来一点快乐。
En: She hopes that this simple meal of dumplings will bring a bit of joy.

Zh: 傍晚时分，雪开始轻轻飘落，金和李如约而至。
En: In the evening, snow begins to fall gently, and Jin and Li arrive as promised.

Zh: 梅的奶奶起初有些不高兴，觉得应该把更多时间放在学习上。
En: Initially, Mei's grandmother is a bit displeased, thinking they should spend more time on studying.

Zh: 但看到梅难得的笑容，她也并未多言。
En: But seeing Mei's rare smile, she doesn't say much more.

Zh: 饭桌上，三人开始分享过去的故事和未来的小目标，笑声充满了整个房间。
En: At the dinner table, the three begin to share stories of the past and small goals for the future, laughter filling the entire room.

Zh: 梅想起了过去和父母一起过冬至的美好时光，不由得鼻子一酸。
En: Mei recalls the wonderful times she spent with her parents during past winter solstices and can't help but feel a little emotional.

Zh: 这时，奶奶从厨房端出了几道传家菜，并给他们讲起了她年轻时候的故事。
En: At that moment, her grandmother brings out several dishes of traditional family recipes from the kitchen and starts telling stories from her youth.

Zh: 老人的眼中闪烁着光芒，她将古老的传统化作一碗碗热腾腾的菜，带给梅意想不到的感动。
En: There is a sparkle in the elderly lady's eyes as she turns the ancient traditions into steaming hot dishes, unexpectedly touching Mei.

Zh: 梅意识到，原来亲情不只在血缘之间，它也存在于这样温暖的陪伴和美好的时刻中。
En: Mei realizes that familial love isn’t only found in blood relations; it also exists in warm companionship and beautiful moments like this.

Zh: 夜深了，金和李告别离去。
En: As the night deepens, Jin and Li say their goodbyes and leave.

Zh: 梅望着窗外安静的街道，心里多了一份满足。
En: Mei gazes out at the quiet streets, feeling a sense of contentment.

Zh: 虽然父母不在身边，但这个冬至，她不再感到孤独。
En: Although her parents aren't around, this winter solstice, she no longer feels lonely.

Zh: 暖意充盈心头，梅第一次体会到了，原来家不只是一处屋檐，还有那份相聚的快乐与爱。
En: Warmth fills her heart, and for the first time, Mei understands that a home is not just a roof over one's head, but also the joy and love of being together.

Zh:...