Strings at the Shore (A)

tug /tʌɡ/

kéo, thôi thúc; verb; Curiosity … at Hu Tao as she stared at the locked door behind the teahouse. She knew Yae Miko had specifically told her not to open it, which naturally made her even more interested. Paimon noticed the look on her face and immediately warned her not to do anything suspicious. Hu Tao smiled innocently and said she was merely "observing."

catch /kætʃ/

mẻ cá bắt được; noun; The fishermen returned at sunset with an impressive ... of silver fish. Paimon immediately declared that she had contributed greatly, despite spending the entire afternoon sitting on the dock and eating snacks. Furina insisted on helping prepare dinner, although Arlecchillo quickly discovered that she did not know how to gut a fish. Yae Miko quietly took charge before the kitchen became a disaster.

odds and ends

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Odds and sods

những đồ vật lặt vặt, linh tinh; idiom; Hu Tao spent the afternoon sorting through a box full of ... that she had collected over the years. There were old ribbons, broken charms, dried flowers, buttons, and even a tiny wooden spoon. Paimon asked why anyone would keep such useless things. Hu Tao simply smiled and said that sometimes the smallest objects carried the best memories.

deputy /ˈdepjuti/

cấp phó, người đứng thứ hai trong một tổ chức; noun; second-in-command, assistant leader; The village ... arrived at the festival carrying a stack of forms that nobody wanted to read. Furina immediately tried to avoid him by hiding behind Paimon. Unfortunately, Paimon was too small to provide useful cover. Yae Miko laughed so hard that she nearly dropped her tea.

got it covered

tôi lo được rồi, cứ để tôi lo; saying; Hu Tao waved her hands dramatically when everyone started worrying about the festival decorations. "Don't panic—I ...," she said with complete confidence. Ten minutes later, she had accidentally hung half the lanterns upside down. Arlecchino looked at the ceiling, then at Hu Tao, and decided not to comment.

(go) above and beyond (sth)

vượt quá mong đợi, làm hơn cả yêu cầu; idiom; When Furina complained that her birthday had not been impressive enough, everyone expected Yae Miko to laugh and ignore her. Instead, Yae quietly arranged an elegant dinner beside the river, complete with lanterns and a small orchestra. Furina stared at the decorations in speechless delight. Even Paimon admitted that Yae had truly ... this time.

make it out this way

đến, ghé qua; phrase; We were going to spend the evening quietly, but Paimon suddenly asked whether Arlecchino could ... for dinner. To everyone's surprise, she actually arrived carrying several boxes of pastries. Hu Tao immediately welcomed her inside, while Furina proudly announced that she had prepared the table herself. Raiden looked at the slightly crooked plates and politely chose not to mention it.

soak it in

tận hưởng trọn vẹn, đắm mình vào khoảnh khắc; phrase; The six of them sat beside the sea as the sun slowly disappeared beneath the horizon. Even Paimon became quiet for once, watching the sky turn gold and violet. Hu Tao leaned back with a peaceful smile and told everyone to just ... . For a rare moment, nobody was in a hurry to go anywhere.

hold close to heart

nâng niu, trân trọng sâu sắc; phrase; Hu Tao kept a small wooden charm that her friends had made for her and always ... . It was not expensive or particularly beautiful, but it reminded her of a quiet evening when everyone had laughed around the same table. She often carried it in her pocket without telling anyone. Yae Miko noticed it once and decided, wisely, not to tease her.

mind you

nhưng mà này, tuy nhiên; saying; "The cake was delicious," Paimon announced proudly after finishing three slices. "..., I think the strawberries were a little sour." Hu Tao stared at her in disbelief and asked why she had eaten half the cake if she had complaints about it. Paimon replied that criticism was easier after dessert.

poke around

dò xét, tìm hiểu xung quanh; phrasal verb; While everyone else was preparing lunch, Hu Tao decided to ... the old storeroom behind the teahouse. She moved boxes aside and inspected every dusty shelf, convinced there was something interesting hidden there. Paimon followed her despite repeatedly saying that this was probably a bad idea. They eventually discovered a forgotten collection of festival decorations instead of treasure.

cluster /ˈklʌstə(r)/

tụ lại, tạo thành một nhóm; verb; By evening, the children had ...ed around Hu Tao in the town square, all eager to hear another ghost story. Paimon tried to scare them with her most dramatic expression, but the children simply laughed. Furina joined the performance and made the story ten times more theatrical. Arlecchino stood nearby with folded arms, secretly amused by the whole scene.

dart /dɑːt/

di chuyển nhanh chóng, chạy nhảy khắp nơi; verb; The children were ...ing everywhere during the festival, chasing ribbons and trying to catch fireflies. Paimon joined them within minutes and completely forgot that she was supposed to be helping with the decorations. Hu Tao watched the chaos from the steps, laughing as Furina desperately tried to keep everyone organized. Raiden quietly rescued three lanterns before they were knocked into the river.

absently /ˈæbsəntli/

một cách lơ đãng, vô thức; adverb; Yae Miko ... stirred her tea while listening to Furina describe her latest dramatic disagreement with a waiter. She was clearly paying attention, but the faint smile on her face suggested that she already knew how the story would end. Furina finally stopped and demanded to know whether Yae was actually listening. Yae calmly replied that she had heard every word, which somehow made Furina even more embarrassed.

tuck /tʌk/

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tuck sb in: làm ai đó thoải mái trên giường bằng cách đắp chăn cho họ
tuck (sheets, clothes, skirt, hair, legs…)
be tucked away

nhét, gấp, vén; giấu một vật gì đó; verb; During the picnic, Hu Tao gently ...ed a strand of hair behind her ear as the wind grew stronger. Furina noticed and immediately declared that the gesture looked unusually elegant. Hu Tao laughed and asked whether she was secretly writing poetry now. Paimon said she thought the moment was romantic, which made everyone suddenly go quiet.

fleeting /ˈfliːtɪŋ/

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flee: bỏ chạy (fled)

ngắn ngủi, thoáng qua; adjective; For a ... moment, Furina forgot about the audience and simply watched the fireworks beside the river. The colors reflected in her eyes while the others stood quietly around her. Then Paimon shouted that one of the fireworks looked exactly like a giant potato. The beautiful moment disappeared almost instantly as everyone burst out laughing.

cast a shadow over

làm mất vui, phủ bóng lên; phrase; The sudden rain threatened to ... the little garden party they had planned for weeks. Furina stared sadly at the dark clouds while Paimon began protecting the cakes with her own body. Arlecchino quietly brought out several large umbrellas, saving the decorations and the food. Within minutes, everyone was laughing again beneath the colorful canopy.

slip away

trôi qua, biến mất dần; phrasal verb; The afternoon seemed to ... while everyone talked, ate, and watched the sunset. Nobody noticed how late it had become until the lanterns along the street began to glow. Paimon groaned when she realized dinner was already finished. Hu Tao smiled and said that the best days always seemed to disappear the fastest.

slight /slaɪt/

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slight (verb) xúc phạm ai đó

một sự xúc phạm, sự coi thường; noun; insult, offence; Furina took Yae Miko's teasing as a personal ... and immediately demanded an apology. Yae looked genuinely surprised, since she had meant the comment as a joke. Paimon whispered that Furina was being dramatic again, which did not help at all. A few minutes later, Furina was laughing about it herself.

wind chime /tʃaɪm/

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chime (verb) đồng hồ kêu vang

chuông gió; noun; A soft ... rang outside the window as the evening breeze moved through the garden. Raiden Shogun sat quietly with her tea while the sound mixed with the distant laughter of Hu Tao and Paimon. Furina leaned against the railing and said that the scene felt almost too peaceful to be real. Yae Miko smiled and replied that perhaps peace was easier to find when nobody was trying to create it.