scruta

[Ferret is on the bus on his way home from dinner with friends. The bus driver is crazed, catapulting the 20 ton piece of metal through the Central Huaihai Road’s busiest shopping district. At one traffic light, he pounces on the accelerator, lurching the bus forward into action, only to slam on the breaks as an equally crazed bus driver runs the red light. They nearly collide. Everyone on the bus mutters indictments under their breath. Ferret‘s life flashes before his eyes, and he finds it utterly disappointing, yet full of beautiful vistas and extraordinary sights, like a Hollywood film that one remembers for the cinematography and little else. The bus continues at its breakneck speed, and soon he is ready to get off at his stop. He walks to the bus door as the bus is slowing down. The driver slams on the breaks.]

Ferret

[As he grabs hold of something to keep himself from being launched:]

Oh, my God!

Chinese Man Getting Off the Bus

哦！你的发音这么好！

Oh! Your pronunciation is very good.

Ferret

真的吗？

Really?

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

真的。你是哪国家的？美国？英国？

Really. Where are you from? America? England?

Ferret

美国。

America.

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

啊！你的发音比英国BBC主持人的好多！

Oh! Your pronunciation is better than a BBC Newsbroadcaster’s!

Ferret

你觉得吗？

You think so?

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

对呀！啊，你觉得你的发音怎么样？

Yeah! Hey, what you do you think your pronunciation is like?

Ferret

我觉得我的还可以的。这是那个第一次一个人告诉我我的发音那么好。

I think it’s okay. This is the first time anyone ever said that my pronunciation is that good.

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

非常好!

It’s really good.

Ferret

你的普通话说得很好。

You speak Mandarin really well.

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

当然，我是中国人。

Of course, I’m Chinese.

Ferret

可是你不是上海人吗？

But, aren’t you Shanghainese?

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

是的。

Yes.

Ferret

所以普通话不是你的－

So Mandarin isn’t your –

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

[rather dismissively, as they part ways and Ferret walks into a coffee shop on the side of the road

对对对。

Yes, yes, yes.

Ferret

Oh, okay. 再见。

Oh, okay. Goodbye.

Chinese Man Who Got Off the Bus

再见。

Goodbye.