The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 6 of 8
The Ma Family's Proposal
马家提亲
Yingtai hurries home afraid her father is ill. Instead she finds the hall piled high with red chests, and news that changes everything.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 几天以后，英台回到了家，又穿上了女孩子的衣服。
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, Yīngtái huí dào le jiā, yòu chuān shàng le nǚháizi de yīfu.
A few days later, Yingtai reached home and put on a girl's dress once more.
- The Matchmaker 祝老爷，恭喜恭喜！马家的聘礼都送到了，秋天我就来接新娘子！
Zhù lǎoye, gōngxǐ gōngxǐ! Mǎ jiā de pìnlǐ dōu sòng dào le, qiūtiān wǒ jiù lái jiē xīnniángzi!
Congratulations, Master Zhu, congratulations! The Ma family's betrothal gifts are all here, and come autumn, I'll be back to fetch the bride!
- Master Zhu 好，好，辛苦你了！秋天，我们等你来接人。
Hǎo, hǎo, xīnkǔ nǐ le! Qiūtiān, wǒmen děng nǐ lái jiē rén.
Good, good, thank you for all your trouble! We'll expect you in the autumn.
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，谁是新娘子？这些红箱子，又是做什么的？
Bàba, shéi shì xīnniángzi? Zhèxiē hóng xiāngzi, yòu shì zuò shénme de?
Father, who's the bride? And what are all these red chests for?
- Master Zhu 英台，你回来得正好！你看，这些都是马家送来的聘礼。
Yīngtái, nǐ huílái de zhèng hǎo! Nǐ kàn, zhèxiē dōu shì Mǎ jiā sòng lái de pìnlǐ.
Yingtai, you're just in time! Look, these are all betrothal gifts from the Ma family.
- Zhu Yingtai 什么聘礼？信上说家里有急事，我还以为您病了！
Shénme pìnlǐ? Xìn shang shuō jiā lǐ yǒu jíshì, wǒ hái yǐwéi nín bìng le!
What betrothal gifts? The letter said it was urgent. I thought you were ill!
- Master Zhu 我好得很！这就是急事，是天大的好事：马家的公子马文才，要娶你！
Wǒ hǎo de hěn! Zhè jiù shì jíshì, shì tiān dà de hǎo shì: Mǎ jiā de gōngzǐ Mǎ Wéncái, yào qǔ nǐ!
I'm perfectly well! This is the urgent matter, and the best news in the world: young Master Ma Wencai wants to marry you!
- Zhu Yingtai 不，我不嫁！我不认识他，也不想嫁给他！
Bù, wǒ bú jià! Wǒ bú rènshi tā, yě bù xiǎng jià gěi tā!
No! I won't! I don't even know him, and I don't want to marry him!
- Master Zhu 马家是城里最有钱的人家。你嫁过去，天天穿好的，吃好的，有什么不好？
Mǎ jiā shì chéng lǐ zuì yǒu qián de rénjiā. Nǐ jià guòqù, tiāntiān chuān hǎo de, chī hǎo de, yǒu shénme bù hǎo?
The Ma family is the richest in town. Marry into it, and you'll have the finest clothes and the finest food every day. What's wrong with that?
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，我不要好衣服，也不要好吃的。我已经有喜欢的人了。
Bàba, wǒ bú yào hǎo yīfu, yě bú yào hǎochī de. Wǒ yǐjīng yǒu xǐhuan de rén le.
Father, I don't want fine clothes or fine food. There's already someone I love.
- Master Zhu 你喜欢的是谁家的孩子？
Nǐ xǐhuan de shì shéi jiā de háizi?
Oh? And whose son might he be?
- Zhu Yingtai 他叫梁山伯，是我三年的同学。他人好，书也读得好，很快就会来提亲的！
Tā jiào Liáng Shānbó, shì wǒ sān nián de tóngxué. Tā rén hǎo, shū yě dú de hǎo, hěn kuài jiù huì lái tíqīn de!
His name is Liang Shanbo. We studied together for three years. He's a good man and a fine scholar, and he'll come to ask for my hand very soon!
- Master Zhu 没听说过这个人。他家里有钱，有地吗？
Méi tīngshuō guo zhège rén. Tā jiā lǐ yǒu qián, yǒu dì ma?
Never heard of him. Does his family have money? Land?
- Zhu Yingtai 他家里没有钱，可是他对我很好。
Tā jiā lǐ méiyǒu qián, kěshì tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.
His family has no money, but he's good to me.
- Master Zhu 一个穷书生，怎么能跟马家比？聘礼我已经收了，这件事不能改了！
Yí gè qióng shūshēng, zěnme néng gēn Mǎ jiā bǐ? Pìnlǐ wǒ yǐjīng shōu le, zhè jiàn shì bù néng gǎi le!
A poor scholar? How could he compare with the Ma family? I've already accepted their gifts. It's settled!
- Master Zhu 英台，爸爸是为了你好。女孩子读书有什么用？嫁个好人家，才是真的。
Yīngtái, bàba shì wèile nǐ hǎo. Nǚháizi dú shū yǒu shénme yòng? Jià gè hǎo rénjiā, cái shì zhēn de.
Yingtai, I'm doing this for your own good. What use are books to a girl? Marrying into a good family is what really matters.
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，您收了聘礼，可是我没有答应！
Bàba, nín shōu le pìnlǐ, kěshì wǒ méiyǒu dāying!
Father, you may have accepted the gifts, but I never said yes!
- Master Zhu 这件事，你说了不算。回你的房间去！
Zhè jiàn shì, nǐ shuō le bú suàn. Huí nǐ de fángjiān qù!
This isn't yours to decide. Go to your room!
- Narrator 那天晚上，英台一个人坐在窗前，一直坐到天亮。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Yīngtái yí gè rén zuò zài chuāng qián, yìzhí zuò dào tiān liàng.
That night, Yingtai sat alone by the window until dawn.
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你明白了吗？我说的妹妹，就是我啊。
Liáng xiōng, nǐ míngbai le ma? Wǒ shuō de mèimei, jiù shì wǒ a.
Brother Liang, do you understand yet? The sister I told you about is me.
- Zhu Yingtai 你什么时候才来呢？快一点儿来吧，再晚就来不及了。
Nǐ shénme shíhou cái lái ne? Kuài yìdiǎnr lái ba, zài wǎn jiù láibují le.
When will you come? Please hurry. Any later, and it will be too late.
What changed in the story?
- What are the red chests in the hall?
“这些都是马家送来的聘礼。”
- What was the “urgent matter” in the letter?
“这就是急事，是天大的好事：马家的公子马文才，要娶你！”
- Why is her father so pleased with the Ma family?
“马家是城里最有钱的人家。”
- What does her father want to know about Shanbo?
“他家里有钱，有地吗？”
- What is Yingtai hoping for at the end of the chapter?
“快一点儿来吧，再晚就来不及了。”