HSK 3 · Story · 152 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/easy-chinese-story-tomato-and-egg

先放什么？

Cooking tomato and egg: which goes in first?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

我wǒ第一次dìyīcì一yí个gè人rén住zhù。今天jīntiān，我wǒ想xiǎng做zuò西红柿xīhóngshì炒鸡蛋chǎojīdàn。

我wǒ给gěi妈妈māma打电话dǎdiànhuà：“妈mā，先xiān放fàng鸡蛋jīdàn，还是háishì先xiān放fàng西红柿xīhóngshì？”

妈妈māma说shuō：“先xiān放fàng鸡蛋jīdàn！”

爸爸bàba在zài旁边pángbiān说shuō：“不bú对duì，先xiān放fàng西红柿xīhóngshì！”

“先xiān放fàng鸡蛋jīdàn！”“先xiān放fàng西红柿xīhóngshì！”

他们tāmen说shuō了le十shí分钟fēnzhōng，还hái没méi说shuō完wán。

我wǒ说shuō：“好hǎo，我wǒ知道zhīdào了le。”没有méiyǒu人rén听见tīngjiàn。

我wǒ一边yìbiān听tīng，一边yìbiān做zuò。很hěn快kuài，菜cài做zuò好hǎo了le，很hěn好吃hǎochī。

妈妈māma问wèn：“你nǐ先xiān放fàng的de什么shénme？”

我wǒ说shuō：“我wǒ是shì一起yìqǐ放fàng的de。”

电话diànhuà里li，他们tāmen都dōu不bù说话shuōhuà了le。

过guò了le一会儿yíhuìr，妈妈māma说shuō：“下次xiàcì先xiān放fàng鸡蛋jīdàn。”爸爸bàba说shuō：“不bú对duì！”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
还是	háishì	still; nevertheless; after all
旁边	pángbiān	beside; next to; nearby
快	kuài	fast; quick
一起	yìqǐ	together
一会儿	yíhuìr	a moment; a while
先	xiān	first; in advance
放	fàng	to put; to place
一边	yìbiān	at the same time; while (as in 一边吃一边说) (as in pairs)
西红柿	xīhóngshì	tomato

It’s my first time living on my own. Today I want to make tomato and egg.

I call Mum. “Mum, do the eggs go in first, or the tomatoes?”

Mum says, “Eggs first!”

Dad says from beside her, “No, tomatoes first!”

“Eggs first!” “Tomatoes first!”

They go on for ten minutes and still haven’t finished.

I say, “OK, got it.” Nobody hears me.

I cook while I listen. Soon the dish is ready, and it’s delicious.

Mum asks, “So what did you put in first?”

I say, “I put them in together.”

On the other end of the line, they both go quiet.

After a moment, Mum says, “Next time, eggs first.” Dad says, “No!”