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Upper-Intermediate Chinese · Short story

外卖小哥

The Delivery Rider

Lao Zhou has delivered takeaway for three years. He knows every jammed road, and one kind old woman.

Key words in this reading

  • wàimài · takeaway, food delivery
  • diàndòngchē · electric scooter
  • tǐlìhuó · manual labour
  • qíshíbùrán · in fact it isn't so
  • dǔchē · traffic jam
  • yìqīng'èrchǔ · perfectly clear
  • dìngdān · order
  • jíshǐ · even if
  • nánmiǎn · hard to avoid
  • chàpíng · bad review
  • gǎndòng · to move, to touch (emotionally)
  • zhíde · to be worth it

Tap any word to hear it and see what it means.

老周今年四十五岁,送外卖已经三年了。每天早上十点,他骑着电动车出门,晚上十一点多才回家。

很多人觉得送外卖只是体力活,其实不然。哪条路中午堵车,哪个小区不让电动车进,哪家餐厅出餐慢,老周心里都一清二楚。

下雨天是最忙的时候,订单多,路又滑。即使再小心,也难免会迟到。有一次,一位顾客因为晚了十分钟给了他差评,他难过了好几天。

不过,让他感动的事也不少。有位老奶奶每次都在门口放一瓶水,旁边留一张纸条:“小伙子,辛苦了。”虽然老周早就不是“小伙子”了,可他每次都笑得很开心。

问他打算干多久,他说:“无论多累,只要能供女儿读完大学,就值得。”他的女儿明年就要毕业了。

Comprehension check

0/4 answered

1. What does the second paragraph show about the job?

2. Why did one customer give him a bad review?

3. What does the old woman leave for him?

4. Why does he think the job is worth it?