After school Lin Hao and Mum stop at a small shop near the gate. They need water, bread, and some fruit for tomorrow's breakfast. The shop is tiny, but it has many things on the shelves. A fan turns slowly above their heads.
Lin Hao picks a bottle of water and a bag of oranges. He walks to the counter and asks, "How much is it?" The woman looks at the bottles and says, "The water is three yuan. The oranges are eight." Lin Hao counts in his head: eleven yuan together.
Mum pays with her phone, but she lets Lin Hao say thank you. "Thank you. Have a nice evening," he says. The woman smiles. "Come again." Outside, the street is busy, and a bus rings its bell.
On the way home Lin Hao carries the oranges. They are heavier than he thought. Mum says, "You asked the price yourself. That is real English." He did not think of it as a lesson, but now he does.