A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
奶奶不在了那年，一直陪着她的那个人
The Year She Lost Grandma, and the One Who Stayed
About this story
In Never-Ending Summer, grandma dies and Zhou Wan breaks down, but Lu Xixiao stays, saves her from a gas accident, wins her a bicycle, and sells his motorbike to save her home. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 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、离开 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Last time, on a swing, Lu Xixiao asked Zhou Wan whether she wanted to fall in love.
He was already about to go abroad.
Today, let's keep going.
But right at this moment, Zhou Wan's grandma passed away.
Grandma had been ill a long time, and in the end she left.
Zhou Wan had grown up with grandma since she was little.
Now that grandma was gone, all at once she had nothing.
Zhou Wan shut herself in at home, crying every day, not eating or sleeping.
Watching her like this, Lu Xixiao felt terrible inside.
He was supposed to leave, but he didn't.
He stayed and helped Zhou Wan handle grandma's affairs, taking care of every detail.
Even the bad man who'd lent her money asked for less.
But Zhou Wan still couldn't come out of it.
One day, missing grandma too much, she fell asleep alone at home.
Something happened at home, very dangerous — Zhou Wan nearly didn't make it.
Luckily, Lu Xixiao rushed over, broke the window, and got her to the hospital.
After coming home from the hospital, the wound in her heart was still deep.
Lu Xixiao just held her, stayed with her, and pulled her out little by little.
Slowly, Zhou Wan finally smiled again.
Later, it was Zhou Wan's birthday.
Zhou Wan had once said she really wanted a bicycle.
So Lu Xixiao played all night at the arcade and won a bicycle.
Alone, he carried that heavy bike up to the rooftop and gave it to Zhou Wan.
Not only that — to help Zhou Wan get her family's house back,
Lu Xixiao sold his own favorite motorbike.
At this time, Zhou Wan's mother appeared again.
She urged Zhou Wan to leave Lu Xixiao.
She said: you and he are not from the same world.
But this time, Lu Xixiao didn't leave, and Zhou Wan didn't push him away.
Grandma was gone, but Lu Xixiao was always there.
In the darkest time of this summer, it was he who pulled Zhou Wan, bit by bit, out of the dark.
Only, the secret in Zhou Wan's heart, and her mother, were both still there.
Can the two of them really stay together?
In your hardest time, was there someone who never left?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. 借钱给她的坏人也少要了钱 = the man who lent her money asked for less.
HSK 1. 周挽的妈妈又出现了 = Zhou Wan's mother appeared again.
HSK 2. 她劝周挽离开陆西骁 = she urges Zhou Wan to leave Lu Xixiao.
HSK 1. 把她送到了医院 = got her to the hospital.
HSK 2. 是周挽的生日 = it's Zhou Wan's birthday.
Beyond HSK 2. 他本来就要出国了 = he was already about to go abroad.
Beyond HSK 2. 问周挽想不想谈恋爱 = asked her if she wanted to fall in love.
Beyond HSK 2. 她很想要一辆自行车 = she really wanted a bicycle.
Beyond HSK 2. 把最喜欢的摩托车也卖了 = sold even his favorite motorbike.
Beyond HSK 2. 家里出了事，很危险 = something happened at home, very dangerous.
Beyond HSK 2. 把周挽从黑暗里拉了回来 = pulled Zhou Wan back out of the dark.
Beyond HSK 2. 周挽心里那个秘密还在 = the secret in her heart is still there.
Beyond HSK 2. 把车搬到了楼顶上 = carried the bike up to the rooftop.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法就连…也/都…
就连 X 也/都 Y = even X does Y — stresses an extreme, unexpected case.
就连那个借钱给她的坏人，也少要了一些钱。
把 + 宾语 + 动词 + 方向
把 fronts the object; a directional ending (到/回来) shows where it ends up.
把她送到了医院。
把周挽从黑暗里拉了回来。
为了 + 目的
为了 X = for the sake of X / in order to X.
为了帮周挽把家里的房子拿回来，陆西骁把摩托车卖了。
还是 + 动词 (still)
还是 = still / after all, despite everything.
周挽还是走不出来。
陆西骁一直都在。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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