In this relatable dialogue, a convenience store clerk chats a bit with his customer, since both of them are awake in the middle of the night.
There are a couple of confusing things to watch out for. For example, you won’t find the term “叮咚” in the dictionary. That’s because this is not a word – this is the sound the door of the convenience store makes when it opens. If you’ve ever walked into a Chinese convenience store, you know that a bell usually rings whenever someone comes in.
Another thing that might trip you up: When the customer first walks in, the clerk asks him, 今天也是泡面吗？” The 也 in this sentence is doing quite a lot of heavy lifting. Before we explain what the sentence means with 也, let’s look at the sentence without it. If the clerk had asked 今天是泡面吗？, without 也, this would mean, “Will it be instant noodles [for you] today?” This would indicate that the clerk is assuming the customer wants instant noodles, maybe suggesting that most people who come to this store buy instant noodles. But instead, the clerk asked, 今天也是泡面吗？, meaning, “Will it be instant noodles for you again today?” In other words, the addition of “也” tells us that this customer often comes to this store, and usually buys instant noodles, and the clerk is guessing what the customer wants based on their past purchases. That adds an element of warmth to the dialogue, because the clerk clearly remembers this customer and what he buys.
Key vocab
安静 – ānjìng – quiet
泡面 – pàomiàn – instant noodles
辣 – là – spicy
冰箱 – bīngxiāng – refrigerator
一共 – yígòng – in total
出租车司机 – chūzūchē sījī – taxi driver
辛苦 – xīnkǔ – hard/tiring (work)
赚钱 – zhuànqián – to make money
深夜便利店
夜里两点，便利店里很安静。小李坐在桌子后面，有点想睡觉。
门开了。”叮咚”。
王先生走进来。他穿着旧外套，头发有点乱。
王先生： 你好。
小李： 你好，王先生。今天也是泡面吗？
王先生： 对，还是牛肉的。
小李： 我们这个星期有新的，是辣的。你要试试看吗？
王先生： 不要，我不吃辣。
小李： 好的。
王先生从冰箱拿了一瓶水，然后走到桌子前。
小李： 一共十五块。
王先生： 给你。
小李： 谢谢。你每天都来，工作很忙吗？
王先生： 是的，我晚上工作，早上睡觉。
小李： 你做什么工作？
王先生： 我是出租车司机。
小李： 啊，很辛苦。
王先生： 你也辛苦。这么晚还在工作。
小李： 没办法，要赚钱。
两个人都笑了。
王先生： 那我走了，明天见。
小李: 明天见。
门关上了。便利店又安静了。
The Late-Night Convenience Store
At two in the morning, the convenience store was very quiet. Xiao Li sat behind the counter, feeling a bit sleepy.
The door opened. “Ding dong.”
Mr. Wang walked in. He was wearing an old coat, and his hair was a bit messy.
Mr. Wang: Hello.
Xiao Li: Hello, Mr. Wang. Instant noodles again today?
Mr. Wang: Yes, beef flavor as usual.
Xiao Li: We have a new one this week, it’s spicy. Do you want to try it?
Mr. Wang: No thanks, I don’t eat spicy food.
Xiao Li: Okay.
Mr. Wang grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then walked to the counter.
Xiao Li: That’s fifteen yuan total.
Mr. Wang: Here you go.
Xiao Li: Thank you. You come every day – is work really busy?
Mr. Wang: Yes, I work at night and sleep in the morning.
Xiao Li: What do you do for work?
Mr. Wang: I’m a taxi driver.
Xiao Li: Ah, that’s tough.
Mr. Wang: You work hard too. Still working this late.
Xiao Li: No choice, gotta make money.
They both laughed.
Mr. Wang: Well, I’m off. See you tomorrow.
Xiao Li: See you tomorrow.
The door closed. The convenience store was quiet again.