The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 22 of 25
One Condition
一个条件
Yingtai agrees to marry Ma Wencai without another word, but she names one condition that shocks her father and the matchmaker alike.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 雪还在下。花园里，祝老爷看着女儿，好像不认识她了。
Xuě hái zài xià. Huāyuán lǐ, Zhù lǎoye kànzhe nǚ'ér, hǎoxiàng bú rènshi tā le.
The snow was still falling. In the garden, Master Zhu stared at his daughter as if he no longer knew her.
- Master Zhu 英台，你说什么？你真的愿意嫁到马家去了？
Yīngtái, nǐ shuō shénme? Nǐ zhēn de yuànyì jià dào Mǎ jiā qù le?
Yingtai, what did you say? You're really willing to marry into the Ma family now?
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，我嫁到马家，一句话也不多说。可是，我有一个条件。
Bàba, wǒ jià dào Mǎ jiā, yí jù huà yě bù duō shuō. Kěshì, wǒ yǒu yí gè tiáojiàn.
Father, I'll marry into the Ma family without another word. But I have one condition.
Chapter 22 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The Butterfly Lovers (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Master Zhu 条件？什么条件？你说。
Tiáojiàn? Shénme tiáojiàn? Nǐ shuō.
A condition? What condition? Tell me.
- Zhu Yingtai 去马家那天，花轿要在梁兄的墓前停一下。我要下来，拜一拜他。
Qù Mǎ jiā nà tiān, huājiào yào zài Liáng xiōng de mù qián tíng yíxià. Wǒ yào xiàlái, bài yi bài tā.
On the day I go to the Ma family, the bridal sedan must stop at Brother Liang's grave. I'll step down and pay my respects to him.
- Master Zhu 什么？结婚的好日子，去墓前拜？这太不吉利了！
Shénme? Jiéhūn de hǎo rìzi, qù mù qián bài? Zhè tài bù jílì le!
What? Bow at a grave on your wedding day? That's terribly bad luck!
- Zhu Yingtai 他是我三年的同学，也是我的好兄弟。去拜一拜他，是应该的。
Tā shì wǒ sān nián de tóngxué, yě shì wǒ de hǎo xiōngdì. Qù bài yi bài tā, shì yīnggāi de.
He was my classmate for three years, and my good brother. It's only right that I pay my respects.
- Master Zhu 可是，马家会怎么想？别人会怎么说我们祝家？
Kěshì, Mǎ jiā huì zěnme xiǎng? Biérén huì zěnme shuō wǒmen Zhù jiā?
But what will the Ma family think? What will people say about the Zhu family?
- Zhu Yingtai 您答应了，我就上花轿。您不答应，这花轿，我不上。
Nín dāying le, wǒ jiù shàng huājiào. Nín bù dāying, zhè huājiào, wǒ bú shàng.
If you agree, I'll get into the sedan. If you don't, I won't set foot in it.
- Narrator 祝老爷在雪里走来走去，走了很久。
Zhù lǎoye zài xuě lǐ zǒu lái zǒu qù, zǒu le hěn jiǔ.
Master Zhu paced back and forth in the snow for a long time.
- Master Zhu 好吧，就停一下，拜完就走。这件事不能让外人知道！
Hǎo ba, jiù tíng yíxià, bài wán jiù zǒu. Zhè jiàn shì bù néng ràng wàirén zhīdào!
All right, one short stop, a bow, and on you go. And no outsider is to hear of this!
- The Matchmaker 恭喜恭喜，祝老爷！听说小姐答应了？马家的好日子早就选好了，就在二月！
Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ, Zhù lǎoye! Tīngshuō xiǎojie dāying le? Mǎ jiā de hǎo rìzi zǎo jiù xuǎn hǎo le, jiù zài èryuè!
Congratulations, Master Zhu! I hear the young lady has said yes? The Ma family picked the lucky day long ago: it's in the second month!
- Master Zhu 小姐有一个条件。去安乐村的路上，花轿要在一个墓前停一下。
Xiǎojie yǒu yí gè tiáojiàn. Qù Ānlè Cūn de lù shàng, huājiào yào zài yí gè mù qián tíng yíxià.
The young lady has one condition. On the road to Anle Village, the sedan must stop for a moment at a grave.
- The Matchmaker 天哪！新娘子去墓前？不吉利，太不吉利了！还有，那是谁的墓啊？
Tiān na! Xīnniángzi qù mù qián? Bù jílì, tài bù jílì le! Hái yǒu, nà shì shéi de mù a?
Heavens! A bride going to a grave? Bad luck, terrible luck! And besides, whose grave is it?
- Master Zhu 这个你不用问，停一下就走……我给你两个红包。
Zhège nǐ bú yòng wèn, tíng yíxià jiù zǒu… Wǒ gěi nǐ liǎng gè hóngbāo.
That's none of your business, a short stop and on you go... I'll give you two red envelopes.
- The Matchmaker 两个红包？……好，好！停一下嘛，有什么不吉利的？我什么都没听见，什么也没问！
Liǎng gè hóngbāo? … Hǎo, hǎo! Tíng yíxià ma, yǒu shénme bù jílì de? Wǒ shénme dōu méi tīngjiàn, shénme yě méi wèn!
Two red envelopes?... Fine, fine! It's only a short stop, what's unlucky about that? I didn't hear a thing, and I didn't ask a thing!
- Narrator 冬天过去了。二月里，柳树绿了，马家选好的日子到了。
Dōngtiān guòqù le. Èryuè lǐ, liǔshù lǜ le, Mǎ jiā xuǎn hǎo de rìzi dào le.
Winter passed. In the second month the willows turned green, and the day the Ma family had chosen arrived.
- Yinxin 小姐，嫁衣穿好了，您看，红红的，多漂亮啊。
Xiǎojie, jiàyī chuān hǎo le, nín kàn, hónghóng de, duō piàoliang a.
Miss, your wedding dress is on. Look at you, all bright red. How beautiful.
- Zhu Yingtai 好看。银心，今天我要去见一个很重要的人，要穿得好看一点儿。
Hǎokàn. Yínxīn, jīntiān wǒ yào qù jiàn yí gè hěn zhòngyào de rén, yào chuān de hǎokàn yìdiǎnr.
It's lovely. Yinxin, today I'm going to see someone very important. I want to look my best.
- Yinxin 小姐，从那天起，您一次也没有哭过。您心里难过，就哭出来吧。
Xiǎojie, cóng nà tiān qǐ, nín yí cì yě méiyǒu kū guo. Nín xīn lǐ nánguò, jiù kū chūlái ba.
Miss, since that day you haven't cried once. If your heart is aching, let yourself cry.
- Zhu Yingtai 傻银心，今天是好日子，我为什么要哭？
Shǎ Yínxīn, jīntiān shì hǎo rìzi, wǒ wèi shénme yào kū?
Silly Yinxin, today is a happy day. Why would I cry?
- Yinxin 小姐太安静了，安静得让我害怕。
Xiǎojie tài ānjìng le, ānjìng de ràng wǒ hàipà.
Miss is too calm, so calm it scares me.
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，今天你一直走在我旁边，好吗？
Yínxīn, jīntiān nǐ yìzhí zǒu zài wǒ pángbiān, hǎo ma?
Yinxin, walk beside me all day today, will you?
- Yinxin 小姐去哪儿，银心就去哪儿。去杭州是这样，今天也一样！
Xiǎojie qù nǎr, Yínxīn jiù qù nǎr. Qù Hángzhōu shì zhèyàng, jīntiān yě yíyàng!
Wherever Miss goes, Yinxin goes. It was that way when we went to Hangzhou, and it's the same today!
- Master Zhu 英台，好了没有？马家的人快到了！
Yīngtái, hǎo le méiyǒu? Mǎ jiā de rén kuài dào le!
Yingtai, are you ready? The Ma family's people are almost here!
- Zhu Yingtai 好了，爸爸。
Hǎo le, bàba.
I'm ready, Father.
- Narrator 就在这时，大门外面，音乐响了起来。
Jiù zài zhè shí, dàmén wàimiàn, yīnyuè xiǎng le qǐlái.
Just then, outside the front gate, music struck up.
- The Matchmaker 花轿来了！新娘子，上花轿！
Huājiào lái le! Xīnniángzi, shàng huājiào!
The bridal sedan is here! Bride, into the sedan!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is Yingtai's one condition?
“花轿要在梁兄的墓前停一下。我要下来，拜一拜他”
- Why does Master Zhu hesitate at first?
“结婚的好日子，去墓前拜？这太不吉利了！”
- What makes the matchmaker agree?
“我给你两个红包”……“好，好！”
- Why is Yinxin frightened on the wedding morning?
“您一次也没有哭过”……“小姐太安静了，安静得让我害怕”
- What does Yingtai ask Yinxin to do today?
“今天你一直走在我旁边，好吗？”