You’ve been tasked with ordering propane for the flat.

You somehow already know none of the words for “(propane|natural gas) (canister|tank|bottle)” in your dictionary— or that autocomplete on Google— will be correct.

You call around to local places. There’s a suspiciously high number of 煤氣有限公司 in the city. You ring the closest one and ask for propane. Then gas. Then a bottle. Then a tank. Then a container. Then just ask, hey, do you deliver things? The woman on the other side is unimpressed at your incoherent blathering of unfamiliar words.

Finally, you text a friend, asking if your neighborhood has a propane service company? “瓦斯行嗎？The number is on the tank.”

You’d seen that number. Noted its presence. Then ignored it.

You ring that number.

The same woman, from before, answers.

You ask if she delivers 瓦斯行, because, you’re not even sure if that’s how you can use that noun. Is it even a noun? And how is that last character pronounced?

She says, hold on a moment, and covers the microphone on her phone. Shouting to her coworker, “I don’t understand this guy. Can you help?” The coworker takes the phone, “Hello, can I help you?” You repeat your same request.

“Oh, you want 加瓦斯嗎？”

In hindsight, of course that’s what you wanted.