Learn 字

Alex wanted to invite his neighbour for tea. He had a small card and a pen, but not much confidence in his handwriting. He wrote a short invitation in English, then added the Chinese character he already knew for tea.

He made that character much larger than everything else. There was room for it, so he slowed down and finished carefully. Lin, visiting with a library book, waited while he checked the card. “Ready?” she asked. He nodded and went across the landing.

The neighbour was out, so he slid the card beneath her door. That evening, a folded reply appeared beneath his own, with his original card inside. He picked them up. Her English reply accepted the invitation and included a carefully written character for tea.

The neighbour had made hers large too. Alex put the two cards together on the table and moved a spare chair closer. Before putting the kettle on, he checked the time they had agreed. There was still room to clear the table.