The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 13 of 25
The Pomegranate in Flower
石榴开花了
Home at last, Yingtai finds her pomegranate branch in bright red flower, and starts counting the days until Shanbo comes.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 几天以后，船到了上虞。英台回到了祝家。
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, chuán dào le Shàngyú. Yīngtái huí dào le Zhù jiā.
A few days later the boat reached Shangyu, and Yingtai was back at the Zhu house.
- The Old Steward 老爷，老爷！是小姐回来了！天哪，她穿成这样，我又没认出来！
Lǎoye, lǎoye! Shì xiǎojie huílái le! Tiān na, tā chuān chéng zhèyàng, wǒ yòu méi rèn chūlái!
Master, Master! The young lady is home! Heavens, dressed like that, I didn't know her again!
- Master Zhu 英台，快过来，让爸爸看看！三年了，长高了，也瘦了！杭州的饭不好吃吧？
Yīngtái, kuài guòlái, ràng bàba kànkan! Sān nián le, zhǎng gāo le, yě shòu le! Hángzhōu de fàn bù hǎochī ba?
Yingtai, come here, let me look at you! Three years! You've grown taller, and thinner too! Was the food in Hangzhou that bad?
Chapter 13 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.
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，女儿回来了。说好三年，就是三年，一天也没多！
Bàba, nǚ'ér huílái le. Shuō hǎo sān nián, jiù shì sān nián, yì tiān yě méi duō!
Father, your daughter is home. We said three years, and it was three years, not one day more!
- Master Zhu 好，好！先别说话，跟我来，爸爸给你看个东西！
Hǎo, hǎo! Xiān bié shuōhuà, gēn wǒ lái, bàba gěi nǐ kàn gè dōngxi!
Good, good! Don't say anything yet. Come with me, I've got something to show you!
- Zhu Yingtai 这是三年前，我种在这儿的那枝石榴？
Zhè shì sān nián qián, wǒ zhòng zài zhèr de nà zhī shíliu?
Is this the pomegranate branch I planted here three years ago?
- Master Zhu 对，它活了，长出了这么多叶子！你看，还开了红红的花！
Duì, tā huó le, zhǎngchū le zhème duō yèzi! Nǐ kàn, hái kāi le hónghóng de huā!
Yes, it lived, and grew all these leaves! And look, it's covered in bright red flowers!
- Zhu Yingtai 我记得那天，我发誓：我清清白白的，它就会活下来，花也会开。
Wǒ jìde nà tiān, wǒ fāshì: wǒ qīngqīngbáibái de, tā jiù huì huó xiàlái, huā yě huì kāi.
I remember that day. I swore that if I kept my good name, it would live, and it would flower.
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，它的花，比三年前还红！
Bàba, tā de huā, bǐ sān nián qián hái hóng!
Father, its flowers are even redder than three years ago!
- Master Zhu 哈哈哈，好女儿！我祝老爷的女儿，说到做到！你走了以后，爸爸天天来看它，还跟它说话呢！
Hāhāhā, hǎo nǚ'ér! Wǒ Zhù lǎoye de nǚ'ér, shuōdào zuòdào! Nǐ zǒu le yǐhòu, bàba tiāntiān lái kàn tā, hái gēn tā shuōhuà ne!
Ha ha ha, that's my girl! Master Zhu's daughter keeps her word! After you left, I came to see it every day. I even talked to it!
- Yinxin 小姐，快来换衣服！你的裙子，我都找出来了。
Xiǎojie, kuài lái huàn yīfu! Nǐ de qúnzi, wǒ dōu zhǎo chūlái le.
Miss, come and change! I've found all your dresses.
- Zhu Yingtai 三年没穿裙子，我都不会走路了！
Sān nián méi chuān qúnzi, wǒ dōu bú huì zǒulù le!
Three years without a dress, and I've forgotten how to walk in one!
- Yinxin 我也是，我穿上裙子，走起路来，还像个书童！
Wǒ yě shì, wǒ chuān shàng qúnzi, zǒu qǐ lù lái, hái xiàng gè shūtóng!
Me too! Even in a dress, I still walk like a book boy!
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，从渡口分开到今天，是第几天了？
Yínxīn, cóng dùkǒu fēnkāi dào jīntiān, shì dì jǐ tiān le?
Yinxin, how many days has it been since we parted at the crossing?
- Yinxin 小姐，今天是第十天了，我天天都记着呢。
Xiǎojie, jīntiān shì dì shí tiān le, wǒ tiāntiān dōu jìzhe ne.
Miss, today is the tenth day. I've been keeping count every day.
- Zhu Yingtai 才十天啊，还有五十天呢！我好着急。
Cái shí tiān a, hái yǒu wǔshí tiān ne! Wǒ hǎo zháojí.
Only ten days, and fifty more to go! I'm so anxious.
- Yinxin 小姐，你这么着急，为什么不跟老爷说梁公子的事？
Xiǎojie, nǐ zhème zháojí, wèi shénme bù gēn lǎoye shuō Liáng gōngzǐ de shì?
Miss, if you're this anxious, why not tell the master about Young Master Liang?
- Zhu Yingtai 不能说。我跟一个男人，在一个屋子里住了三年，别人会怎么想？
Bù néng shuō. Wǒ gēn yí gè nánrén, zài yí gè wūzi lǐ zhù le sān nián, biérén huì zěnme xiǎng?
I can't. I lived three years in one room with a man. What would people think?
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸知道了，也会怀疑我。梁兄要自己来，好好地提亲才行。
Bàba zhīdào le, yě huì huáiyí wǒ. Liáng xiōng yào zìjǐ lái, hǎohǎo de tíqīn cái xíng.
If Father knew, even he would have doubts about me. Brother Liang has to come himself and propose properly.
- Yinxin 可是梁公子那么笨，他不会忘了吧？
Kěshì Liáng gōngzǐ nàme bèn, tā bú huì wàng le ba?
But Young Master Liang is so slow. He won't forget, will he?
- Zhu Yingtai 他不笨，他只是个书呆子。他答应了，就一定会来。
Tā bú bèn, tā zhǐshì gè shūdāizi. Tā dāying le, jiù yídìng huì lái.
He's not slow, he's just a bookworm. He promised, so he'll come.
- Zhu Yingtai 他还以为，我家里真的有一个妹妹呢！
Tā hái yǐwéi, wǒ jiā lǐ zhēn de yǒu yí gè mèimei ne!
He still thinks I really have a sister at home!
- Yinxin 那个妹妹，就在这儿，还穿着裙子呢！
Nàge mèimei, jiù zài zhèr, hái chuānzhe qúnzi ne!
And that sister is right here, wearing a dress!
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，小声点儿，别让爸爸听见！
Yínxīn, xiǎoshēng diǎnr, bié ràng bàba tīngjiàn!
Yinxin, keep your voice down! Don't let Father hear!
- Master Zhu 英台，你在这儿啊。来，爸爸跟你说一件事。
Yīngtái, nǐ zài zhèr a. Lái, bàba gēn nǐ shuō yí jiàn shì.
Yingtai, there you are. Come, I have something to tell you.
- Master Zhu 你才回来几天，就有好几家来问了。你十九岁了，也该嫁了！
Nǐ cái huílái jǐ tiān, jiù yǒu hǎo jǐ jiā lái wèn le. Nǐ shíjiǔ suì le, yě gāi jià le!
You've only been back a few days, and several families have already come asking. You're nineteen. It's time you married!
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，女儿还不着急。
Bàba, nǚ'ér hái bù zháojí.
Father, I'm in no hurry.
- Master Zhu 傻孩子，你不着急，爸爸着急！放心，爸爸一定给你找个最好的婆家。
Shǎ háizi, nǐ bù zháojí, bàba zháojí! Fàngxīn, bàba yídìng gěi nǐ zhǎo gè zuì hǎo de pójia.
Silly child, you may not be in a hurry, but I am! Don't worry, I'll find you the very best family to marry into.
- The Old Steward 老爷，老爷！安乐村马家的媒人来了！
Lǎoye, lǎoye! Ānlè Cūn Mǎ jiā de méirén lái le!
Master, Master! The Ma family's matchmaker from Anle Village is here!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why doesn't the old steward know Yingtai at first?
“她穿成这样，我又没认出来”
- What has happened to the pomegranate branch?
“它活了，长出了这么多叶子……还开了红红的花”
- How long has it been since Yingtai and Shanbo parted?
“第十天了”
- Why won't Yingtai tell her father about Shanbo?
“我跟一个男人，在一个屋子里住了三年，别人会怎么想”
- Who arrives at the end of the chapter?
“安乐村马家的媒人来了”