Part 2 A Heart to Heart with Mom

Jesse： Hey Mom！

Mom： Hey Jes， how are you doing？

Jesse： ①Can’t complain. How about you？

Mom： Same old， same old.

Jesse： ②Well， you know what they say—no news is good news.

Mom： Ha ha， this is from the family news anchor.

Jesse： Except， as you may or may not remember， I’m not the 1）anchor anymore， due to visa issues.

Mom： I thought you cleared all those up.

Jesse： Yes and no. It’s a long story…

Mom： ③I’ve got all the time in the world.

Jesse： Fine. But the truth is I’d rather not get into it.

Mom： Why’s that？

Jesse： Cuz I just don’t wanna. ④Geez Mom， what’s with the third degree？

Mom： Sorry. I’m not trying to investigate you.⑤It’s just that we only Skype once a week， so when we do talk I like to be kept in the loop， so to speak.

Jesse： OK， but let’s change the subject. Lemme think， what else has 2）transpired of late.

Mom： No hurry. I just love to see your face and hear your voice.

Jesse： Yeah， yeah， yeah…Well， Joni， the interview queen， is deciding which new job to take right now.

Mom： Oh yeah？ Are there some good offers on the table？

Jesse： A few. She’s in the process of weighing all the pros and cons. ⑥It’s a tough decision， and I know she doesn’t take it lightly. She doesn’t wanna rush to judgment or anything.

Mom： That’s very mature and responsible of her. ⑦Perhaps you could pick up a few pointers from your better half.

Jesse： That’s an understatement.⑧And rather ironic， considering that I’m somewhat of a cradle robber…

Mom： Yeah， but not really. There isn’t that much of an age difference between the two of you.

Jesse： But the Chinese have a great saying that deals with this exact subject. I think it roughly translates into English as “The old cow eats the fresh grass.”

Mom： That is one way of looking at it. Jesse： And my other favorite Chinese saying is： “A man who turns thirty is like a blossoming flower， but a woman who turns thirty is like leftover crumbs of tofu.”

Mom： Woah， hold on！ Are all Chinese sayings so 3）misogynistic？

Jesse： Not that I’m aware of. But they do seem to shine a bit of a light on the values of Chinese culture.

Mom： Well， at least China has a culture， as opposed to America， which is just a blend of hundreds of other immigrant cultures.

Jesse： True. True. ⑨And on that note，I’m gonna get some shut-eye.

Mom： Alright. That was a nice heart to heart. Goodnight my son. Or should I say， my blossoming flower…

Jesse： Please， do us both a favor， and never call me that again.

Mom： Deal. Love you. Sleep tight.

Jesse： Love you too. Talk soon. Bye！

Smart Sentences

① Can’t complain. 都挺好的。

can’t complain： used to admit that things are mostly satisfactory（用以坦承一切都讓人滿意）。例如：

My new job gives me a month’s vacation， plus a hefty bonus， so I really can’t complain.

我的新工作給我一個月的假，還有可觀的獎金，所以我沒什么可說的。

② Well， you know what they say—no news is good news. 好吧，你知道人們怎么說嗎——沒消息就是好消息。

No news is good news： Not hearing any news signifies that nothing is wrong（沒有消息就是好消息）。例如：

I’m worried about my son， because he hasn’t called for two months. But my husband said that no news is good news.

我兒子兩個月沒來電話了，我擔心了，但我丈夫說沒有消息就是好消息。

all the time in the world： an unlimited amount of time（大把時間）。例如：

My mom always makes me feel as if she has all the time in the world to listen to my problems.

我母親讓我覺得她總是有用不完的時間來聽我說各種問題。

④ Geez Mom， what’s with the third degree？ 天啊媽媽，為什么要逼問我呢？

third degree： a long and detailed period of questioning（逼供，盤問）。例如：

Why do I get the third degree from you every time I come home late？

為什么我每次回來晚了你就會盤問我？

⑤ It’s just that we only Skype once a week， so when we do talk I like to be kept in the loop， so to speak. 因為我們一個星期只在Skype聊一次，所以當我們真的聊天，可以說我想了解更多。

keep sb. in the loop： let sb. know about sth.（讓某人了解某事）。例如：

We can’t keep Mary in the loop about this surprise party because she has a big mouth.

我們不能讓瑪麗知道驚喜派對這事兒，她嘴不嚴。

so to speak： used to explain that what you are saying is not to be understood exactly as stated（可以說）。例如：

You’re part of the family， so to speak. So I’m gonna tell you what happened last night.

你可以說是這個家的一員，所以我會把昨晚發生的事告訴你。

⑥ It’s a tough decision， and I know she doesn’t take it lightly. 這是個艱難的決定，我知道她很重視。

take sth. lightly： treat sth. with indifference（不重視）。例如：Children’s education is something that should not be taken lightly.孩子的教育應該得到應有的重視。

⑦ Perhaps you could pick up a few pointers from your better half. 也許你應該向你更好的另一半學點東西。

pick up a pointer： learn a helpful piece of advice（接受好點子，接受有用的建議）。例如：

As for how to solve problems effectively， we can always pick up a few pointers from Mr. Johnson.

在如何有效地解決問題方面，我們總是能從約翰遜先生身上學到點東西。

⑧ And rather ironic， considering that I’m somewhat of a cradle robber… 我是老牛吃嫩草，這真的很諷刺……

cradle robber： A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger（老牛吃嫩草者）。例如：

He is nearly 50 and always dates girls under 20—he is such a cradle robber.

他快五十了，可總是與二十歲以下的女孩子交往——他太喜歡老牛吃嫩草了。

⑨ And on that note， I’m gonna get some shut-eye. 就說到這兒吧，我得睡覺了。

shut-eye： sleep（睡覺）。例如：

I need to get home and get some shut-eye because there’s a big exam tomorrow.

我得趕回家睡一覺，因為明天還要考試呢。