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A single Shan-song(instant delivery platform) order at my front door suddenly made me see a lot of things I usually pretend not to see.   Because her phone was on “Do Not Disturb Mode,” my mom missed the courier’s calls. He waited downstairs for a long time, unable to get through, and finally had to ask the security guard for help before he was able to reach our family. By the time I found out what had happened, he had already been standing in the cold wind for nearly an hour

It started as a simple school field trip. Our class went to a wetland near the city with binoculars, cameras and a worksheet that listed five specific bird species we were supposed to find. The instructions were very clear: only those five would count for the assignment.   In my mind, the whole activity turned into something very straightforward. If I could match what I saw to those five names, I would be done. I was not thinking about calm nature walks or quiet moments of ob

Even now, I still cannot clearly say what “jintuan” actually is. Was it golden glutinous rice wrapped around red bean paste? Or a rice cake dusted with soybean powder?   In my memory it has no fixed shape. It is only a name, a sound, held between my grandfather’s lips as they slowly grew cold. It became his last gentle and stubborn wish left to the living.   At that time none of us understood. My mother could not drive. Food delivery was nothing like it is today. So that afte

I dreamed that I was hiding under a table in a music classroom. The score in front of me showed a long rest: twenty-five measures of silence. Nothing complicated. Nothing dramatic. I simply was not supposed to play yet. Sunlight fell across the room, and for a moment the space felt peaceful, the way only music rooms can. I followed the instructions exactly as written, waiting quietly for the next cue. But the teacher kept stopping the rehearsal. Each time, she insisted that s

After a short break caused by some unexpected technical issues, SpeakAcross was temporarily down for the past two weeks. We’ve now fixed the problem, and everything is up and running again. Thank you so much for your patience and for sticking with us. We’re excited to have you back on SpeakAcross. Feel free to jump in, explore, and continue sharing your thoughts across languages and perspectives. www.speakacross.com

The house was already humming when Lina arrived—last chair filled, cards shuffled, everyone ready. We play tight: no redraws, no peeking, no “just this once.” Lina, new to the group, pulled the worst role three rounds straight. You could feel the table lean away from her—small jokes, quicker hands, the way people avoid eye contact when they think the night might get awkward. She laughed it off the first time. The second time, she went quiet. By the third, she reached for her

Welcome, dear murmurers! I’m the creator of this site. If you have thoughts, stories, or feedback, please share them during the comment session — we read every submission and truly appreciate your voice. Want to stay in the loop? Join our mailing list and we’ll send you updates whenever the site grows or a new question goes live. Enjoy exploring — and thank you for being part of this conversation. Best, A programmer & philosopher, S