The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 3 of 8
The Teacher's Wife
师母
The teacher's wife has noticed what Shanbo never has. Now Yingtai must decide whether to trust her with her secret, and with a small jade butterfly.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 又一个春天到了。一天晚上，英台一个人坐在院子里的梅树下。
Yòu yí gè chūntiān dào le. Yì tiān wǎnshang, Yīngtái yí gè rén zuò zài yuànzi lǐ de méishù xià.
Another spring came. One evening, Yingtai sat alone under the plum tree in the courtyard.
- The Teacher's Wife 英台，天这么晚了，你怎么一个人坐在这里？
Yīngtái, tiān zhème wǎn le, nǐ zěnme yí gè rén zuò zài zhèlǐ?
Yingtai, it's getting late. What are you doing out here all alone?
- Zhu Yingtai 师母，是您啊！我在看这棵梅树呢。
Shīmǔ, shì nín a! Wǒ zài kàn zhè kē méishù ne.
Oh, it's you, ma'am! I was just looking at this plum tree.
- The Teacher's Wife 看梅树？我看，你是在想一个人吧？
Kàn méishù? Wǒ kàn, nǐ shì zài xiǎng yí gè rén ba?
The plum tree? If you ask me, you're thinking about someone.
- Zhu Yingtai 没有，没有！我谁也没想，就是一个人坐坐。
Méiyǒu, méiyǒu! Wǒ shéi yě méi xiǎng, jiù shì yí gè rén zuòzuo.
No, no! I'm not thinking about anyone. I'm just sitting here by myself.
- The Teacher's Wife 孩子，别怕，我早就看出来了。你看山伯的样子，跟我年轻的时候一模一样。你是个女孩子，对不对？
Háizi, bié pà, wǒ zǎo jiù kàn chūlái le. Nǐ kàn Shānbó de yàngzi, gēn wǒ niánqīng de shíhou yìmú-yíyàng. Nǐ shì gè nǚháizi, duì bu duì?
Don't be afraid, child. I saw it long ago. You look at Shanbo exactly the way I looked at someone when I was young. You're a girl, aren't you?
- Zhu Yingtai 她怎么知道的？师母对我一直这么好，我还是告诉她吧。
Tā zěnme zhīdào de? Shīmǔ duì wǒ yìzhí zhème hǎo, wǒ háishi gàosu tā ba.
How did she know? She's always been so kind to me. I'd better tell her.
- Zhu Yingtai 师母，您说得对，我是女孩子。请您千万别告诉别人！
Shīmǔ, nín shuō de duì, wǒ shì nǚháizi. Qǐng nín qiānwàn bié gàosu biérén!
You're right, ma'am. I'm a girl. Please, please don't tell anyone!
- The Teacher's Wife 放心吧，你的秘密，我不会告诉别人的。那山伯呢，他知道吗？
Fàngxīn ba, nǐ de mìmì, wǒ bú huì gàosu biérén de. Nà Shānbó ne, tā zhīdào ma?
Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. And Shanbo? Does he know?
- Zhu Yingtai 他呀，跟我住了三年，什么也没看出来。
Tā ya, gēn wǒ zhù le sān nián, shénme yě méi kàn chūlái.
Him? He's shared a room with me for three years and hasn't noticed a thing.
- The Teacher's Wife 山伯真是个傻孩子。那你呢，你喜欢他，对不对？
Shānbó zhēn shì gè shǎ háizi. Nà nǐ ne, nǐ xǐhuan tā, duì bu duì?
That Shanbo is a silly boy. And you? You like him, don't you?
- Zhu Yingtai 是，我想嫁给他。可是这些话，我一直不敢告诉他。
Shì, wǒ xiǎng jià gěi tā. Kěshì zhèxiē huà, wǒ yìzhí bù gǎn gàosu tā.
Yes. I want to marry him. But I've never dared to tell him.
- Zhu Yingtai 我骗了他整整三年。他要是知道了，一定会生我的气。
Wǒ piàn le tā zhěngzhěng sān nián. Tā yàoshi zhīdào le, yídìng huì shēng wǒ de qì.
I've fooled him for three whole years. If he finds out, he'll be so angry with me.
- The Teacher's Wife 那你打算怎么办呢？
Nà nǐ dǎsuàn zěnme bàn ne?
Then what will you do?
- Zhu Yingtai 师母，这是我的玉蝴蝶。要是有一天我走了，请您把它交给梁兄。
Shīmǔ, zhè shì wǒ de yù húdié. Yàoshi yǒu yì tiān wǒ zǒu le, qǐng nín bǎ tā jiāo gěi Liáng xiōng.
Ma'am, this is my jade butterfly. If I ever have to leave, please give it to Brother Liang.
- Zhu Yingtai 告诉他，我在家里等他，等他来提亲。
Gàosu tā, wǒ zài jiā lǐ děng tā, děng tā lái tíqīn.
Tell him I'll be waiting at home. Waiting for him to come and ask for my hand.
- The Teacher's Wife 好，我替你收着。蝴蝶啊，总是两只一起飞的。
Hǎo, wǒ tì nǐ shōuzhe. Húdié a, zǒng shì liǎng zhī yìqǐ fēi de.
All right, I'll keep it safe for you. Butterflies, you know, always fly in pairs.
- Liang Shanbo 师母，英台，你们两个在说什么蝴蝶呢？
Shīmǔ, Yīngtái, nǐmen liǎng gè zài shuō shénme húdié ne?
Ma'am! Yingtai! What's all this about a butterfly?
- Zhu Yingtai 他听见了多少？他会不会已经知道了？
Tā tīngjiàn le duōshao? Tā huì bu huì yǐjīng zhīdào le?
How much did he hear? Does he already know?
- The Teacher's Wife 没什么。春天到了，我们在说，山上的蝴蝶快要来了。
Méi shénme. Chūntiān dào le, wǒmen zài shuō, shān shang de húdié kuài yào lái le.
Oh, nothing. It's spring, and we were saying the butterflies will soon be back on the hills.
- Liang Shanbo 真的？英台，等蝴蝶来了，我们一起去山上看，好不好？
Zhēn de? Yīngtái, děng húdié lái le, wǒmen yìqǐ qù shān shang kàn, hǎo bu hǎo?
Really? Yingtai, when the butterflies come, let's go up the hill and see them together, okay?
- Zhu Yingtai 好，我们一言为定！
Hǎo, wǒmen yìyán-wéidìng!
All right. It's a promise!
- Narrator 蝴蝶还没有来，一封家信就先到了。
Húdié hái méiyǒu lái, yì fēng jiā xìn jiù xiān dào le.
But before the butterflies came, a letter from home arrived.
What changed in the story?
- How does the teacher's wife guess Yingtai's secret?
“你看山伯的样子，跟我年轻的时候一模一样。你是个女孩子，对不对？”
- Why hasn't Yingtai told Shanbo the truth?
“我骗了他整整三年。他要是知道了，一定会生我的气。”
- What does Yingtai leave with the teacher's wife?
“这是我的玉蝴蝶……请您把它交给梁兄。”
- What message should go with it?
“我在家里等他，等他来提亲。”
- How does the teacher's wife cover for Yingtai when Shanbo walks in?
“春天到了，我们在说，山上的蝴蝶快要来了。”