A Misunderstanding at the Post Office

下个月十号是我妈妈的生日。

Xià (fourth tone, falling) ge (neutral tone) yuè (fourth tone, falling) shí (second tone, rising) hào (fourth tone, falling) shì (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) māma (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) shēngrì. (first tone, high and level)

My mother’s birthday falls on the tenth of next month.

她在摩洛哥，我在北京，我想给她寄一件生日礼物。

Tā (first tone, high and level) zài (fourth tone, falling) Móluògē, (second tone, rising) wǒ (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) Běijīng, (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) gěi (third tone, dipping) tā (first tone, high and level) jì (fourth tone, falling) yí (second tone, rising) jiàn (fourth tone, falling) shēngrì (first tone, high and level) lǐwù. (third tone, dipping)

She is in Morocco and I am in Beijing, so I wanted to post her a birthday present.

星期六上午，我拿着东西去了学校附近的邮局。

Xīngqīliù (first tone, high and level) shàngwǔ, (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) ná (second tone, rising) zhe (neutral tone) dōngxi (first tone, high and level) qù (fourth tone, falling) le (neutral tone) xuéxiào (second tone, rising) fùjìn (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) yóujú. (second tone, rising)

On Saturday morning I carried the parcel to the post office near the university.

邮局里人不多，我不用等很长时间。

Yóujú (second tone, rising) lǐ (third tone, dipping) rén (second tone, rising) bù (fourth tone, falling) duō, (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) búyòng (second tone, rising) děng (third tone, dipping) hěn (third tone, dipping) cháng (second tone, rising) shíjiān. (second tone, rising)

There were not many people inside, so I did not have to wait long.

工作人员问我：“里面是什么？”

Gōngzuò (first tone, high and level) rényuán (second tone, rising) wèn (fourth tone, falling) wǒ: (third tone, dipping) “Lǐmiàn (third tone, dipping) shì (fourth tone, falling) shénme?” (second tone, rising)

The clerk asked me, “What is inside?”

我说：“一件衣服和一些中国茶，都是给我妈妈的。”

Wǒ (third tone, dipping) shuō: (first tone, high and level) “Yí (second tone, rising) jiàn (fourth tone, falling) yīfu (first tone, high and level) hé (second tone, rising) yìxiē (fourth tone, falling) Zhōngguó (first tone, high and level) chá, (second tone, rising) dōu (first tone, high and level) shì (fourth tone, falling) gěi (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) māma (first tone, high and level) de.” (neutral tone)

I said, “A piece of clothing and some Chinese tea — all of it for my mother.”

她把我的东西放好，说：“两公斤。”

Tā (first tone, high and level) bǎ (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) dōngxi (first tone, high and level) fàng (fourth tone, falling) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) shuō: (first tone, high and level) “Liǎng (third tone, dipping) gōngjīn.” (first tone, high and level)

She set my parcel down and said, “Two kilos.”

“寄到摩洛哥，一共两百八十块。”

“Jì (fourth tone, falling) dào (fourth tone, falling) Móluògē, (second tone, rising) yígòng (second tone, rising) liǎngbǎi (third tone, dipping) bāshí (first tone, high and level) kuài.” (fourth tone, falling)

“To Morocco, that comes to two hundred and eighty yuan.”

我给了她三百块，她找了我二十块。

Wǒ (third tone, dipping) gěi (third tone, dipping) le (neutral tone) tā (first tone, high and level) sānbǎi (first tone, high and level) kuài, (fourth tone, falling) tā (first tone, high and level) zhǎo (third tone, dipping) le (neutral tone) wǒ (third tone, dipping) èrshí (fourth tone, falling) kuài. (fourth tone, falling)

I gave her three hundred and she handed back twenty in change.

我问她：“要多长时间？”

Wǒ (third tone, dipping) wèn (fourth tone, falling) tā: (first tone, high and level) “Yào (fourth tone, falling) duō (first tone, high and level) cháng (second tone, rising) shíjiān?” (second tone, rising)

I asked, “How long will it take?”

她说：“十四天。”

Tā (first tone, high and level) shuō: (first tone, high and level) “Shísì (second tone, rising) tiān.” (first tone, high and level)

She said, “Fourteen days.”

我听了以后很着急。

Wǒ (third tone, dipping) tīng (first tone, high and level) le (neutral tone) yǐhòu (third tone, dipping) hěn (third tone, dipping) zháojí. (second tone, rising)

What I heard alarmed me.

因为我觉得她说的是“四十天”。

Yīnwèi (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) juéde (second tone, rising) tā (first tone, high and level) shuō (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) shì (fourth tone, falling) “sìshí (fourth tone, falling) tiān”. (first tone, high and level)

Because I thought she had said “forty days”.

四十天以后，我妈妈的生日已经过去了。

Sìshí (fourth tone, falling) tiān (first tone, high and level) yǐhòu, (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) māma (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) shēngrì (first tone, high and level) yǐjīng (third tone, dipping) guòqù (fourth tone, falling) le. (neutral tone)

In forty days my mother’s birthday would be long past.

我问她：“不能快一点儿吗？我妈妈的生日是下个月十号。”

Wǒ (third tone, dipping) wèn (fourth tone, falling) tā: (first tone, high and level) “Bù (fourth tone, falling) néng (second tone, rising) kuài (fourth tone, falling) yìdiǎnr (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone) Wǒ (third tone, dipping) māma (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) shēngrì (first tone, high and level) shì (fourth tone, falling) xià (fourth tone, falling) ge (neutral tone) yuè (fourth tone, falling) shí (second tone, rising) hào.” (fourth tone, falling)

I asked her, “Can it not go any faster? My mother’s birthday is the tenth of next month.”

她笑了，拿出手机，在上面写了“14”。

Tā (first tone, high and level) xiào (fourth tone, falling) le, (neutral tone) ná (second tone, rising) chū (first tone, high and level) shǒujī, (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) shàngmiàn (fourth tone, falling) xiě (third tone, dipping) le (neutral tone) “14”. (neutral tone)

She smiled, took out her phone and typed “14” on it.

她说：“是十四天，不是四十天。”

Tā (first tone, high and level) shuō: (first tone, high and level) “Shì (fourth tone, falling) shísì (second tone, rising) tiān, (first tone, high and level) bú (second tone, rising) shì (fourth tone, falling) sìshí (fourth tone, falling) tiān.” (first tone, high and level)

She said, “Fourteen days, not forty.”

我看着手机，也笑了。

Wǒ (third tone, dipping) kàn (fourth tone, falling) zhe (neutral tone) shǒujī, (third tone, dipping) yě (third tone, dipping) xiào (fourth tone, falling) le. (neutral tone)

I looked at the screen and laughed too.

“十”和“四”，这两个字的声音很近，我常常听错。

“Shí” (second tone, rising) hé (second tone, rising) “sì”, (fourth tone, falling) zhè (fourth tone, falling) liǎng (third tone, dipping) ge (neutral tone) zì (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) shēngyīn (first tone, high and level) hěn (third tone, dipping) jìn, (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) chángcháng (second tone, rising) tīng (first tone, high and level) cuò. (fourth tone, falling)

十 and 四 sound so close to each other that I mishear them all the time.

回学校的路上我想：以后听到时间和钱的时候，我一定要问清楚。

Huí (second tone, rising) xuéxiào (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) lù (fourth tone, falling) shang (neutral tone) wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng: (third tone, dipping) yǐhòu (third tone, dipping) tīng (first tone, high and level) dào (fourth tone, falling) shíjiān (second tone, rising) hé (second tone, rising) qián (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) shíhou, (second tone, rising) wǒ (third tone, dipping) yídìng (second tone, rising) yào (fourth tone, falling) wèn (fourth tone, falling) qīngchu. (first tone, high and level)

On the way back I told myself: from now on, whenever a time or a price is said aloud, I will ask until I am sure.

半个月以后，妈妈打电话告诉我，礼物已经到了。

Bàn (fourth tone, falling) ge (neutral tone) yuè (fourth tone, falling) yǐhòu, (third tone, dipping) māma (first tone, high and level) dǎ (third tone, dipping) diànhuà (fourth tone, falling) gàosu (fourth tone, falling) wǒ, (third tone, dipping) lǐwù (third tone, dipping) yǐjīng (third tone, dipping) dào (fourth tone, falling) le. (neutral tone)

Half a month later my mother rang to say the parcel had arrived.

她说她很喜欢那件衣服，也很喜欢中国茶。

Tā (first tone, high and level) shuō (first tone, high and level) tā (first tone, high and level) hěn (third tone, dipping) xǐhuan (third tone, dipping) nà (fourth tone, falling) jiàn (fourth tone, falling) yīfu, (first tone, high and level) yě (third tone, dipping) hěn (third tone, dipping) xǐhuan (third tone, dipping) Zhōngguó (first tone, high and level) chá. (second tone, rising)

She loved the clothes, she said, and the Chinese tea just as much.