A Vietnamese exchange student in China invites his roommate out for hot pot, but his friend's polite reply leaves him completely misreading the situation. A small misunderstanding reveals how differently Vietnamese and Chinese people tend to speak.
An Invitation to Hot Pot
搬进的第一个周末，阿明就敲开了对面的门。
On his very first weekend in the dorm, Minh knocked on the door across the hall.
Minh
李伟，晚上一起去吃吧？我！
Li Wei, want to grab hot pot together tonight? My treat!
Li Wei
啊……今天有点忙，吧。
Ah... I'm a bit busy today. Some other day, maybe.
Minh
哦，好吧。那你忙。
Oh, okay. I'll let you get back to it, then.
A Misunderstanding
阿明一个人去吃了，心里有点不舒服。
Minh went for hot pot on his own, feeling a little hurt.
Minh
他是不是不喜欢我？“”到底是哪天啊？
Does he just not like me? And what does "some other day" even mean—which day?
回到，他看见李伟正坐在桌子前看书，桌上一点饭菜都没有。
Back at the dorm, he found Li Wei sitting at his desk reading, without a scrap of food in sight.
Minh
你不是很忙吗？怎么饭也没吃？
Weren't you supposed to be so busy? How come you haven't even eaten?
Saying It Straight
Li Wei
我没那么忙。我怕你刚来，钱不够花，就……没好意思让你请。
Honestly, I wasn't that busy. I just figured you'd only just arrived and money might be tight, so... I didn't feel right letting you pay.
Minh
是这样！在越南，不想去我们会直接说，我还以为你我呢。
So that's what it was! Back in Vietnam, if we don't want to go, we just say so. I actually thought you couldn't stand me.
Li Wei
哈哈，下次我直接说。走，店还没关，我请你！
Haha, next time I'll just say it straight. Come on, the hot pot place is still open—this one's on me!
两个人笑着冲出了门，路灯把他们的影子拉得很长。
Laughing, the two of them dashed out the door, the streetlights stretching their shadows out long behind them.