Beauty and the Beast · chapter 17 of 23
Don't Go Back!
不要回去！
Tonight Beauty must go back to the palace, as she promised. Her sisters have one evening to stop her, and Beauty has a question for Father about her dreams.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，在爸爸家里，美儿要回宫殿了。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, zài bàba jiā li, Měi'ér yào huí gōngdiàn le.
That evening, at Father's house, Beauty was about to go back to the palace.
- Second Sister 美儿，你不要回去！
Měi'ér, nǐ bú yào huíqù!
Beauty, don't go back!
- Eldest Sister 我的好妹妹，七天太少了！
Wǒ de hǎo mèimei, qī tiān tài shǎo le!
My dear little sister, seven days is too short!
Chapter 17 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of Beauty and the Beast are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Beauty 大姐，二姐，你们怎么了？不要抓头发了！
Dàjiě, èrjiě, nǐmen zěnme le? Bú yào zhuā tóufa le!
Eldest Sister, Second Sister, what's wrong? Stop tearing at your hair!
- Eldest Sister 美儿，你再住一个星期，好吗？
Měi'ér, nǐ zài zhù yí gè xīngqī, hǎo ma?
Beauty, won't you stay one more week?
- Beauty 我答应了野兽，今天晚上要回去。
Wǒ dāying le Yěshòu, jīntiān wǎnshang yào huíqù.
I promised the Beast. I have to go back tonight.
- Second Sister 你只想你的野兽！我们呢？
Nǐ zhǐ xiǎng nǐ de Yěshòu! Wǒmen ne?
All you think about is your Beast! What about us?
- Beauty 今天没有洋葱……她们是真的哭了。
Jīntiān méiyǒu yángcōng… tāmen shì zhēn de kū le.
No onion today... they're really crying.
- Beauty 好吧，不要哭了。我再住一个星期。
Hǎo ba, bú yào kū le. Wǒ zài zhù yí gè xīngqī.
All right, don't cry. I'll stay one more week.
- Narrator 两个姐姐不哭了。
Liǎng gè jiějie bù kū le.
The two sisters stopped crying.
- Second Sister 太好了！我去睡觉了。
Tài hǎo le! Wǒ qù shuìjiào le.
Wonderful! I'm off to bed.
- Eldest Sister 妹妹，你看！她听我们的。
Mèimei, nǐ kàn! Tā tīng wǒmen de.
See, sister? She does what we say.
- Narrator 美儿一个人在房间里，看她的戒指。
Měi'ér yí gè rén zài fángjiān li, kàn tā de jièzhi.
Alone in her room, Beauty looked at her ring.
- Beauty 野兽，你会去看我的椅子吧？椅子上没有人……
Yěshòu, nǐ huì qù kàn wǒ de yǐzi ba? Yǐzi shang méiyǒu rén…
Beast, you'll go and look at my chair, won't you? And no one will be in it...
- Beauty 是我不好。你有没有好好吃饭？我很想你。
Shì wǒ bù hǎo. Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu hǎohǎo chīfàn? Wǒ hěn xiǎng nǐ.
It's my fault. Are you eating properly? I miss you so much.
- Narrator 第二天，美儿和爸爸在花园里。
Dì èr tiān, Měi'ér hé bàba zài huāyuán li.
The next day, Beauty and Father were in the garden.
- Father 美儿，你在想什么？在想野兽吗？
Měi'ér, nǐ zài xiǎng shénme? Zài xiǎng Yěshòu ma?
Beauty, what are you thinking about? The Beast?
- Beauty 是。他天天问我：“美儿，做我的妻子，好吗？”
Shì. Tā tiāntiān wèn wǒ: “Měi'ér, zuò wǒ de qīzi, hǎo ma?”
Yes. Every day he asks me, “Beauty, will you be my wife?”
- Father 他的妻子？那你说什么？
Tā de qīzi? Nà nǐ shuō shénme?
His wife? And what do you say?
- Beauty 我天天都说：“不，野兽。”在宫殿里，我的梦里还有一个人。
Wǒ tiāntiān dōu shuō: “Bù, Yěshòu.” Zài gōngdiàn li, wǒ de mèng li hái yǒu yí gè rén.
Every day I say, “No, Beast.” And in the palace, there was someone else in my dreams.
- Father 一个人？好看吗？
Yí gè rén? Hǎokàn ma?
Someone else? Is he handsome?
- Beauty 很好看！他说：“救我！不要相信你的眼睛。”
Hěn hǎokàn! Tā shuō: “Jiù wǒ! Bú yào xiāngxìn nǐ de yǎnjing.”
Very handsome! He said, “Save me! Don't trust your eyes.”
- Beauty 一个女人也说：“要相信你的心。”
Yí gè nǚrén yě shuō: “Yào xiāngxìn nǐ de xīn.”
And a lady said, “Trust your heart.”
- Beauty 在家里，我没有梦见他。爸爸，这是什么意思？
Zài jiā li, wǒ méiyǒu mèngjiàn tā. Bàba, zhè shì shénme yìsi?
Here at home, I haven't dreamed of him. Father, what does it mean?
- Father 你的眼睛说野兽很丑。你的心呢？
Nǐ de yǎnjing shuō Yěshòu hěn chǒu. Nǐ de xīn ne?
Your eyes say the Beast is ugly. What does your heart say?
- Father 他很爱你，对你很好。我想，梦的意思是：你要答应他。
Tā hěn ài nǐ, duì nǐ hěn hǎo. Wǒ xiǎng, mèng de yìsi shì: nǐ yào dāying tā.
He loves you very much, and he's good to you. I think the dream means you should say yes to him.
- Beauty 梦里的那个人呢？爸爸，我还不能说“好”。
Mèng li de nàge rén ne? Bàba, wǒ hái bù néng shuō “hǎo”.
But what about the man in my dreams? Father, I can't say “yes” yet.
- Narrator 第十个晚上，美儿睡了。她做了一个梦。
Dì shí gè wǎnshang, Měi'ér shuì le. Tā zuò le yí gè mèng.
On the tenth night, Beauty fell asleep. She had a dream.
- Beauty 这是哪儿？那个人不在……这是什么梦？
Zhè shì nǎr? Nàge rén bú zài… zhè shì shénme mèng?
Where am I? He isn't here... What kind of dream is this?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Beauty ask her sisters to stop doing?
“不要抓头发了！”
- Why does Beauty believe her sisters' tears this time?
“今天没有洋葱……她们是真的哭了。”
- What does Beauty tell Father the Beast asks her every day?
“美儿，做我的妻子，好吗？”
- What has changed in Beauty's dreams since she came home?
“在家里，我没有梦见他。”
- What does Father think Beauty's dream means?
“我想，梦的意思是：你要答应他。”