The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 10 of 25
A Letter from Home
一封家信
A letter from Master Zhu calls Yingtai home, and it holds a plan for her future. Tonight is her last night at school, and Shanbo still knows nothing.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天早上，学堂门外，英台打开了家里的信。银心站在她旁边。
Nà tiān zǎoshang, xuétáng mén wài, Yīngtái dǎkāi le jiā lǐ de xìn. Yínxīn zhàn zài tā pángbiān.
That morning, outside the schoolroom door, Yingtai opened the letter from home. Yinxin stood beside her.
- Zhu Yingtai “英台：三年到了，马上回家。家里的船，在十八里外的渡口等你。”
“Yīngtái: sān nián dào le, mǎshàng huí jiā. Jiā lǐ de chuán, zài shíbā lǐ wài de dùkǒu děng nǐ.”
'Yingtai: The three years are up. Come home at once. Our boat will wait for you at the ferry crossing, eighteen li away.'
- Zhu Yingtai “你已经长大了，该给你找婆家了。”……婆家？
“Nǐ yǐjīng zhǎngdà le, gāi gěi nǐ zhǎo pójia le.”… Pójia?
'You are grown now. It is time to find you a husband's family.'... A husband's family?
Chapter 10 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of The Butterfly Lovers 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.
- Yinxin 公子，老爷的意思是……要你去做别人的妻子？
Gōngzǐ, lǎoye de yìsi shì… yào nǐ qù zuò biérén de qīzi?
Young Master, does the master mean... he wants you to be someone else's wife?
- Zhu Yingtai 我不嫁！银心，我心里已经有人了，你知道的。
Wǒ bú jià! Yínxīn, wǒ xīn lǐ yǐjīng yǒu rén le, nǐ zhīdào de.
I won't marry! Yinxin, there's already someone in my heart. You know who.
- Yinxin 那你快告诉梁公子啊！三年了，他还以为你是男孩子。你不着急，我着急！
Nà nǐ kuài gàosu Liáng gōngzǐ a! Sān nián le, tā hái yǐwéi nǐ shì nánháizi. Nǐ bù zháojí, wǒ zháojí!
Then tell Young Master Liang, quick! Three years, and he still thinks you're a boy. You may not be worried, but I am!
- Zhu Yingtai 我答应过爸爸，谁也不能知道。这是祝家的秘密。
Wǒ dāying guo bàba, shéi yě bù néng zhīdào. Zhè shì Zhù jiā de mìmì.
I promised Father that nobody would know. It's the Zhu family's secret.
- Zhu Yingtai 不能说……可是不说，他怎么会明白呢？
Bù néng shuō… kěshì bù shuō, tā zěnme huì míngbai ne?
I can't tell him... but if I don't, how will he ever understand?
- Liang Shanbo 英台！先生说，你收到了家里的信？看你这么着急，家里出什么事了？
Yīngtái! Xiānsheng shuō, nǐ shōudào le jiā lǐ de xìn? Kàn nǐ zhème zháojí, jiā lǐ chū shénme shì le?
Yingtai! The teacher says you've had a letter from home? You look so upset. Has something happened?
- Zhu Yingtai 没事，你别着急。爸爸要我回家，梁兄，我明天早上就走。
Méi shì, nǐ bié zháojí. Bàba yào wǒ huí jiā, Liáng xiōng, wǒ míngtiān zǎoshang jiù zǒu.
It's nothing, don't worry. Father wants me home. Brother Liang, I leave tomorrow morning.
- Liang Shanbo 明天？这么快？可是……先生说，我还要再读一个月。
Míngtiān? Zhème kuài? Kěshì… xiānsheng shuō, wǒ hái yào zài dú yí gè yuè.
Tomorrow? So soon? But... the teacher says I have another month of study.
- The Teacher 梁山伯，书要读完，以后才能做官。读书，不能只读一半。
Liáng Shānbó, shū yào dú wán, yǐhòu cái néng zuò guān. Dúshū, bù néng zhǐ dú yíbàn.
Liang Shanbo, finish your studies, or you'll never be an official. Learning can't be done by halves.
- The Teacher 祝英台，我的学生里，你学得最快。回家以后，不要放下书。
Zhù Yīngtái, wǒ de xuésheng lǐ, nǐ xué de zuì kuài. Huí jiā yǐhòu, bú yào fàngxià shū.
Zhu Yingtai, of all my students, you learn the fastest. At home, don't put your books down.
- Zhu Yingtai 学生记住了。这三年，谢谢先生！
Xuésheng jìzhù le. Zhè sān nián, xièxie xiānsheng!
I'll remember, sir. Thank you for these three years!
- Liang Shanbo 三年了，我们没有一天不在一起……英台，明天我送你！
Sān nián le, wǒmen méiyǒu yì tiān bú zài yìqǐ… Yīngtái, míngtiān wǒ sòng nǐ!
Three years, and we've never spent a day apart... Yingtai, tomorrow I'll see you off!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你真好……可是到渡口有十八里路，你还要走回来。
Liáng xiōng, nǐ zhēn hǎo… Kěshì dào dùkǒu yǒu shíbā lǐ lù, nǐ hái yào zǒu huílái.
Brother Liang, you're so good to me... But it's eighteen li to the ferry, and you'd have to walk all the way back.
- Liang Shanbo 十八里算什么？我们是兄弟。我送你到渡口，看着你上船。
Shíbā lǐ suàn shénme? Wǒmen shì xiōngdì. Wǒ sòng nǐ dào dùkǒu, kànzhe nǐ shàng chuán.
What's eighteen li? We're brothers. I'll walk you to the ferry and see you onto the boat.
- Sijiu 十八里去，十八里回……公子，我的腿又要断了！
Shíbā lǐ qù, shíbā lǐ huí… Gōngzǐ, wǒ de tuǐ yòu yào duàn le!
Eighteen li there, eighteen li back... Young Master, my legs are going to snap again!
- Yinxin 四九，你说腿要断，说了三年了，断了没有？
Sìjiǔ, nǐ shuō tuǐ yào duàn, shuō le sān nián le, duàn le méiyǒu?
Sijiu, you've been saying your legs will snap for three years. Have they snapped yet?
- Sijiu 腿没断……可是银心，我也舍不得你们走。
Tuǐ méi duàn… Kěshì Yínxīn, wǒ yě shěbude nǐmen zǒu.
My legs are fine... but Yinxin, I can't bear to see you two go either.
- Narrator 这是英台在学堂的最后一个晚上。床中间，还放着那碗水。
Zhè shì Yīngtái zài xuétáng de zuìhòu yí gè wǎnshang. Chuáng zhōngjiān, hái fàngzhe nà wǎn shuǐ.
It was Yingtai's last night at the school. The bowl of water still sat in the middle of the bed.
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你睡了吗？我……有话想跟你说。
Liáng xiōng, nǐ shuì le ma? Wǒ… yǒu huà xiǎng gēn nǐ shuō.
Brother Liang, are you asleep? I... I have something to tell you.
- Liang Shanbo 还没睡。你说吧，哥哥听着呢。
Hái méi shuì. Nǐ shuō ba, gēge tīngzhe ne.
Not yet. Go on, your big brother's listening.
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，其实我……我不是……
Liáng xiōng, qíshí wǒ… wǒ bú shì…
Brother Liang, actually I... I'm not...
- Liang Shanbo 我知道，你是舍不得走。我也舍不得和你分开，好兄弟。
Wǒ zhīdào, nǐ shì shěbude zǒu. Wǒ yě shěbude hé nǐ fēnkāi, hǎo xiōngdì.
I know. You can't bear to leave. I can't bear to part with you either, my good brother.
- Liang Shanbo 别难过，我们是一辈子的兄弟。以后我会去上虞看你的。睡吧，明天还要走十八里呢。
Bié nánguò, wǒmen shì yíbèizi de xiōngdì. Yǐhòu wǒ huì qù Shàngyú kàn nǐ de. Shuì ba, míngtiān hái yào zǒu shíbā lǐ ne.
Don't be sad, we're brothers for life. I'll come to Shangyu to see you one day. Now sleep. We've got eighteen li to walk tomorrow.
- Zhu Yingtai 他睡了……三年了，那碗水，他一次也没有碰翻过。
Tā shuì le… Sān nián le, nà wǎn shuǐ, tā yí cì yě méiyǒu pèngfān guo.
He's asleep... Three years, and he never once knocked over that bowl of water.
- Zhu Yingtai 你说过，要是我是女孩子，你就娶我……书呆子，我就是女孩子啊！
Nǐ shuō guo, yàoshi wǒ shì nǚháizi, nǐ jiù qǔ wǒ… Shūdāizi, wǒ jiù shì nǚháizi a!
You said that if I were a girl, you'd marry me... Bookworm, I am a girl!
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸要给我找婆家了……可是你，还以为我是你的弟弟。
Bàba yào gěi wǒ zhǎo pójia le… Kěshì nǐ, hái yǐwéi wǒ shì nǐ de dìdi.
Father is going to find me a husband... and you still think I'm your little brother.
- Zhu Yingtai 明天这十八里路，是我最后的机会了……梁兄，你一定要明白！
Míngtiān zhè shíbā lǐ lù, shì wǒ zuìhòu de jīhuì le… Liáng xiōng, nǐ yídìng yào míngbai!
Tomorrow's eighteen li are my last chance... Brother Liang, you have to understand!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Master Zhu's letter tell Yingtai to do?
“三年到了，马上回家。家里的船，在十八里外的渡口等你”
- Why can't Yingtai simply tell Shanbo the truth?
“我答应过爸爸，谁也不能知道”
- Why can't Shanbo leave school with Yingtai?
“我还要再读一个月”
- What does Shanbo think Yingtai is trying to tell him that night?
“我知道，你是舍不得走”
- What does Yingtai hope will happen on tomorrow's walk?
“明天这十八里路，是我最后的机会了……梁兄，你一定要明白”