About this episode
Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: A Tale of Tradition and Kindness: Qingming Festival Adventure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-03-19-07-38-20-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在上海繁华的市场上,春天的阳光洒在熙熙攘攘的人群中。En: In the bustling market of Shanghai, the spring sunshine shone down on the bustling crowd.Zh: 小雨今天决定要为清明节准备一顿特别的家宴。En: Xiaoyu decided to prepare a special family feast for the Qingming Festival today.Zh: 她的好朋友美琳陪着她,两人挤在人潮中,寻找那份特别的食材。En: Her good friend Meilin accompanied her, and the two squeezed through the crowd, searching for that special ingredient.Zh: 小雨的家庭非常重视传统。En: Xiaoyu's family values tradition greatly.Zh: 清明节时,全家人会聚在一起,享用祖母传下来的传统菜肴。En: During Qingming Festival, the whole family would gather to enjoy the traditional dishes handed down by her grandmother.Zh: 为了准备这顿饭,小雨需要特别的新鲜食材。En: To prepare this meal, Xiaoyu needed particularly fresh ingredients.Zh: 市场的一切都很热闹,摊贩们热情地介绍自己的商品,空气中飘荡着新鲜蔬菜、水果的味道,还有些淡淡的香灰味。En: The market was lively, vendors enthusiastically introducing their goods, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh vegetables, fruits, and a faint smell of incense ash.Zh: “小雨,我们需要哪种特殊的香料?En: "Xiaoyu, what special spice do we need?"Zh: ”美琳问。En: Meilin asked.Zh: “是八角,”小雨回答,“可是到现在还没找到。En: "It's star anise," Xiaoyu answered, "but we haven't found it yet."Zh: ”他们走遍了市场的每一个角落,但八角已经被其他准备过节的人买完了。En: They scoured every corner of the market, but the star anise had been bought out by others preparing for the festival.Zh: 时间不多了,商店可能很快就要关门。En: Time was running out, and the stores might close soon.Zh: 小雨很着急。En: Xiaoyu was anxious.Zh: “怎么办?En: "What should we do?Zh: 祖母的菜谱没有八角就不完整。En: Grandmother's recipe isn't complete without star anise."Zh: ”美琳拍拍小雨的肩膀,“我听说在另一边有个老商贩可能还有剩余的八角。En: Meilin patted Xiaoyu on the shoulder, "I heard there's an old vendor on the other side who might have some star anise left.Zh: 我们要去试试吗?En: Should we give it a try?"Zh: ”小雨点点头,于是她们迅速往那个方向走去。En: Xiaoyu nodded, and they quickly headed in that direction.Zh: 市场的末端,人群更密集,但小雨和美琳坚持不懈。En: At the end of the market, the crowd was thicker, but Xiaoyu and Meilin persevered.Zh: 在最后一个摊位上,她们终于找到了一小包八角,是最后一包。En: At the last stall, they finally found a small bag of star anise, the very last one.Zh: 就在这时,一位年迈的老太太走过来,面带焦急。En: Just then, an elderly lady walked up, looking anxious.Zh: “小姑娘,我需要八角,我家里的人都等着我呢。En: "Young lady, I need star anise, my family is waiting for me at home."Zh: