The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 2 of 8

Three Years at School

学堂三年

Lessons side by side, a bowl of water between two beds, and a secret Yingtai must keep from the brother she sees every day.

Hear the chapter

Read what you hear

Narrator 春天，杭州的学堂里很安静。学生们低着头，都在认真地写字。
Chūntiān, Hángzhōu de xuétáng lǐ hěn ānjìng. Xuéshengmen dī zhe tóu, dōu zài rènzhēn de xiě zì.
It was spring, and the school in Hangzhou was quiet. The students sat with their heads bent, carefully writing.
Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你在写什么？让我看看好不好？
Liáng xiōng, nǐ zài xiě shénme? Ràng wǒ kànkan hǎo bu hǎo?
Brother Liang, what are you writing? Can I have a look?
Liang Shanbo 别说话，先生就在后面。这个字很难，我已经写了十遍了。
Bié shuōhuà, xiānsheng jiù zài hòumiàn. Zhège zì hěn nán, wǒ yǐjīng xiě le shí biàn le.
Shh, the teacher's right behind us. This character is hard. I've already written it ten times.
Zhu Yingtai 你的字真好看。可是，你的鼻子上也有一个字了！
Nǐ de zì zhēn hǎokàn. Kěshì, nǐ de bízi shang yě yǒu yí gè zì le!
Your writing is beautiful. But now there's a character on your nose too!
Liang Shanbo 你怎么不早说？先生看见了，又要笑我了！
Nǐ zěnme bù zǎo shuō? Xiānsheng kànjiàn le, yòu yào xiào wǒ le!
Why didn't you tell me sooner? If the teacher sees, he'll laugh at me again!
Zhu Yingtai 他写字的时候，眼睛里只有字，真认真。我怎么看，也看不够。
Tā xiě zì de shíhou, yǎnjing lǐ zhǐ yǒu zì, zhēn rènzhēn. Wǒ zěnme kàn, yě kàn bu gòu.
When he writes, he sees nothing but the page. I could watch him forever.
Liang Shanbo 英台，天黑了，该睡觉了。咦，你为什么在两张床中间放一碗水？
Yīngtái, tiān hēi le, gāi shuìjiào le. Yí, nǐ wèishénme zài liǎng zhāng chuáng zhōngjiān fàng yì wǎn shuǐ?
Yingtai, it's dark. Time for bed. Hey, why did you put a bowl of water between our beds?
Zhu Yingtai 这是我们家的老规矩。睡觉的时候，谁也不能碰翻这碗水。
Zhè shì wǒmen jiā de lǎo guīju. Shuìjiào de shíhou, shéi yě bù néng pèng fān zhè wǎn shuǐ.
It's an old rule in my family. While we sleep, neither of us may knock over this bowl.
Liang Shanbo 要是碰翻了，会怎么样？要打手心吗？
Yàoshi pèng fān le, huì zěnmeyàng? Yào dǎ shǒuxīn ma?
And if someone does? Does he get his palm smacked?
Zhu Yingtai 不打手心。碰翻了的人，明天要多写一百个字！
Bù dǎ shǒuxīn. Pèng fān le de rén, míngtiān yào duō xiě yìbǎi gè zì!
No smacking. Whoever spills it writes a hundred extra characters tomorrow!
Liang Shanbo 没问题！我睡觉最老实了，一定不会碰翻的。
Méi wèntí! Wǒ shuìjiào zuì lǎoshi le, yídìng bú huì pèng fān de.
No problem! I sleep like a log. I'll never knock it over.
Zhu Yingtai 这个书呆子，我说什么，他都信。
Zhège shūdāizi, wǒ shuō shénme, tā dōu xìn.
What a bookworm. He believes every word I say.
Liang Shanbo 英台，你看，一个晚上过去了，水一点儿也没少！我睡得老实吧？
Yīngtái, nǐ kàn, yí gè wǎnshang guòqù le, shuǐ yìdiǎnr yě méi shǎo! Wǒ shuì de lǎoshi ba?
Look, Yingtai! A whole night went by, and not a drop is gone. See how still I sleep?
Zhu Yingtai 老实，老实！梁兄睡觉，就像一块大石头。
Lǎoshi, lǎoshi! Liáng xiōng shuìjiào, jiù xiàng yí kuài dà shítou.
Very still! You sleep like a big rock, Brother Liang.
Narrator 就这样，一年过去了，两年过去了，三年过去了。
Jiù zhèyàng, yì nián guòqù le, liǎng nián guòqù le, sān nián guòqù le.
And so one year passed, then two, then three.
Liang Shanbo 英台，你长得这么好看，要是个女孩子，我一定娶你！哈哈！
Yīngtái, nǐ zhǎng de zhème hǎokàn, yào shi gè nǚháizi, wǒ yídìng qǔ nǐ! Hāhā!
Yingtai, you're so good-looking. If you were a girl, I'd marry you for sure! Ha!
Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你……你又开玩笑了！
Liáng xiōng, nǐ… nǐ yòu kāi wánxiào le!
Brother Liang! You're… you're joking again!
Liang Shanbo 开个玩笑嘛！我们是结拜兄弟，对不对？
Kāi gè wánxiào ma! Wǒmen shì jiébài xiōngdì, duì bu duì?
Just a joke! We're sworn brothers, right?
Zhu Yingtai 对，对，我们是好兄弟……
Duì, duì, wǒmen shì hǎo xiōngdì…
Right, right… we're good brothers.
Zhu Yingtai 三年了，我们一起读书，一起写字，一起看月亮。冬天，他还把衣服给我穿。
Sān nián le, wǒmen yìqǐ dú shū, yìqǐ xiě zì, yìqǐ kàn yuèliang. Dōngtiān, tā hái bǎ yīfu gěi wǒ chuān.
Three years now. We've studied together, practiced writing together, watched the moon together. In winter, he even gave me his coat.
Zhu Yingtai 我好像，真的爱上他了。可是他呢？他只把我当兄弟，什么也没看出来。
Wǒ hǎoxiàng, zhēn de ài shàng tā le. Kěshì tā ne? Tā zhǐ bǎ wǒ dāng xiōngdì, shénme yě méi kàn chūlái.
I think I've really fallen in love with him. But him? He only sees me as a brother. He hasn't noticed a thing.
Narrator 不过，学堂里有一个人，早就看出来了。
Búguò, xuétáng lǐ yǒu yí gè rén, zǎo jiù kàn chūlái le.
But someone at the school had noticed long ago.

What changed in the story?

What does Yingtai tease Shanbo about in class?
“你的鼻子上也有一个字了！”
What reason does Yingtai give for the bowl of water between the beds?
“这是我们家的老规矩。睡觉的时候，谁也不能碰翻这碗水。”
What happens to whoever spills the water?
“不打手心。碰翻了的人，明天要多写一百个字！”
What joke does Shanbo make after three years?
“要是个女孩子，我一定娶你！”
What has happened to Yingtai's feelings?
“我好像，真的爱上他了。”

All chapters in The Butterfly Lovers.