3:12
妈妈的半张支票，和他画布上的周挽
Her Mother's Half-Check, and the Girl on His Canvas
HSK 1-3 Chinese listening practice. In Never-Ending Summer, cohabitation, a bowl of noodles, and a camera: Lu Xixiao discovers Zhou Wan is his muse, while her mother's half-check and Zhou Wan's secret weigh on it all.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 13 key vocabulary words such as 钱、妈妈、母亲 and walks through 4 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
上次说到，为了给奶奶凑齐手术费，周挽当着满堂宾客，第一次叫了那个女人一声“妈妈”，随后干脆搬进了陆家，和陆西骁住在同一个屋檐下。
Last time, to gather grandma's surgery money, Zhou Wan — before a whole room of guests — called that woman "Mom" for the first time, then simply moved into the Lu home, living under the same roof as Lu Xixiao.
今天，接着往下说。
Today, let's keep going.
真正住到一起，两个人之间那点说不清的东西，一天比一天浓。
Once they were really living together, that indescribable something between them grew thicker by the day.
有一次，陆西骁病倒了。
One time, Lu Xixiao collapsed with illness.
周挽二话不说，给他煮了一碗热乎乎的三鲜面，一勺一勺，事无巨细地照顾他。
Without a word, Zhou Wan cooked him a bowl of hot three-fresh noodles and looked after him, spoonful by spoonful, sparing no detail.
陆西骁靠在床上，看着忙前忙后的周挽，心里某个地方，悄悄软了下来。
Leaning on the bed, watching Zhou Wan bustle around for him, something somewhere in his heart quietly softened.
可是甜里头，总藏着刀子。
But inside the sweetness, a blade was always hidden.
周挽的妈妈又找上门来，塞给她一张十五万的支票。
Zhou Wan's mother showed up again and shoved a check for a hundred and fifty thousand into her hand.
她说得很清楚：这只是奶奶手术费的一半。
She said it plainly: this is only half of grandma's surgery money.
剩下的十五万，得看周挽听不听话——她要周挽去劝陆西骁，趁着这个暑假，一个人出国。
The other hundred and fifty thousand depended on whether Zhou Wan obeyed — she wanted her to talk Lu Xixiao into going abroad alone this summer.
只要陆西骁肯走，剩下的钱就立刻打进周挽的账户。
The moment Lu Xixiao agreed to go, the rest of the money would land in Zhou Wan's account at once.
周挽攥着那张支票，心里像压了一块石头。
Clutching that check, Zhou Wan felt as if a stone were pressing on her heart.
再说陆西骁这边，他也有自己迈不过去的坎。
As for Lu Xixiao, he had a wall of his own he couldn't cross.
他从小喜欢画画，可秦教授一句话戳中了要害：你画的这些，都只是在模仿你母亲，没有一笔是你自己的。
He'd loved painting since he was small, but one line from Professor Qin struck the nerve: everything you paint only imitates your mother; not a single stroke is your own.
陆西骁的妈妈已经去世了，那些画，是他和母亲之间最后的联系。
Lu Xixiao's mother had already passed, and those paintings were the last link between him and her.
周挽看出了他的心结，就劝他：别老把自己关在画室里，出去走走，去看看真实的生活。
Seeing his knot, Zhou Wan urged him: stop shutting yourself in the studio, go out, go see real life.
她甚至拉着他去了福利院，两个人一起给小朋友演手偶戏，配合得出奇地好。
She even dragged him to a children's home, where they put on a puppet show for the kids together, in surprisingly perfect sync.
后来，陆西骁干脆借着找灵感，带周挽去了游乐园。
Later, using "finding inspiration" as an excuse, Lu Xixiao took Zhou Wan to an amusement park.
一路上，他举着相机，偷偷地拍她。
The whole way, he held up a camera and secretly filmed her.
他一边拍，一边问：你到底为什么，非要这么帮我？
As he filmed, he asked: what exactly is this for — why do you have to help me like this?
回到家，陆西骁对着相机里周挽的侧脸，忽然一下子全明白了。
Back home, looking at Zhou Wan's profile on the camera, he suddenly understood it all.
原来这么久以来，他心里真正想画的，一直都是眼前这个女孩。
All this time, what his heart had truly wanted to paint was, all along, the girl right in front of him.
从那天起，周挽成了他画布上，最重要的那个人。
From that day, Zhou Wan became the most important person on his canvas.
他还带周挽去了一家很旧的小卖部。
He even took Zhou Wan to a very old convenience store.
看店的李叔说，陆西骁小时候常常和妈妈来这里，这么多年，这是他第一次带朋友来。
The Uncle Li who ran it said Lu Xixiao often came here with his mother as a child; in all these years, this was the first time he'd brought a friend.
陆西骁支起画板，安安静静地画，周挽就坐在一旁陪着他。
Lu Xixiao set up his easel and painted quietly, while Zhou Wan sat beside him keeping him company.
那一刻，两个人都尝到了一种很久没有过的幸福。
In that moment, the two of them tasted a happiness they hadn't felt in a very long time.
可周挽心里比谁都清楚，这份幸福是踩在秘密上面的。
But Zhou Wan knew better than anyone: this happiness was standing on top of a secret.
她一边越陷越深，一边还揣着妈妈的钱，瞒着他自己的真实身份。
She was sinking deeper and deeper, while still carrying her mother's money and hiding her true identity from him.
这个夏天，又甜又疼。
This summer was both sweet and painful.
如果换成你，明明动了心，却背着一个不能说的秘密，你还敢继续靠近吗？
If it were you — clearly moved, yet carrying a secret you can't speak — would you still dare to keep drawing closer?
HSK 1. 剩下的钱立刻打进周挽的账户 = the rest of the money lands in her account.
HSK 1. 周挽的妈妈又找上门来 = her mother came to the door again.
HSK 4 (母亲); via 妈妈 HSK 1. 模仿你母亲 = imitating your mother.
HSK 3. 事无巨细地照顾他 = caring for him in every detail.
HSK 4, taught here. 秦教授一句话戳中了要害 = Professor Qin's words hit the nerve.
HSK 4, taught here. 都只是在模仿你母亲 = only imitating your mother.
Beyond HSK 3. 奶奶手术费的一半 = half of grandma's surgery fee.
Beyond HSK 3. 一张十五万的支票 = a 150,000 check.
Beyond HSK 3. 拉着他去了福利院 = dragged him to a children's welfare home.
Beyond HSK 3. 借着找灵感 = using 'finding inspiration' as an excuse.
Beyond HSK 3. 周挽成了他画布上最重要的那个人 = she became the key figure on his canvas.
Beyond HSK 3. 瞒着他自己的真实身份 = hiding her true identity from him.
Beyond HSK 3. 这份幸福是踩在秘密上面的 = this happiness stands on a secret.
* beyond level超纲词
二话不说
二话不说 = without a second word / without hesitation, acting at once.
周挽二话不说，给他煮了一碗面。
得看 + 从句
得看 + (whether-clause) = it depends on whether …
剩下的十五万，得看周挽听不听话。
借着 + 名词 + 动词
借着 X = using X as a pretext / on the excuse of X.
借着找灵感，带周挽去了游乐园。
比谁都 + 形容词
比谁都 + adjective = more … than anyone; clearer than anyone.
周挽心里比谁都清楚。
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