The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 15 of 25
Two Months
两个月
Two months pass, then three, and red gifts fill the Zhu hall. Far away in Kuaiji, Shanbo has his own reason for being late.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 一天一天过去了。两个月过去了，到了第三个月，梁山伯也没有来。
Yì tiān yì tiān guòqù le. Liǎng gè yuè guòqù le, dào le dì sān gè yuè, Liáng Shānbó yě méiyǒu lái.
Day after day went by. Two months went by, then a third month began, and still Liang Shanbo did not come.
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，你看，石榴花都掉光了。他还是没有来。
Yínxīn, nǐ kàn, shíliuhuā dōu diào guāng le. Tā háishì méiyǒu lái.
Yinxin, look. The pomegranate flowers have all fallen. And he still hasn't come.
- Yinxin 小姐，梁公子会不会是生病了？
Xiǎojie, Liáng gōngzǐ huì bu huì shì shēngbìng le?
Miss, could Young Master Liang have fallen ill?
Chapter 15 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 不会的。他是书呆子，说过的话，从来不会忘。
Bú huì de. Tā shì shūdāizi, shuō guo de huà, cónglái bú huì wàng.
No. He's a bookworm. He never forgets a thing he's said.
- The Old Steward 老爷，恭喜，恭喜！马家的聘礼送来了，满屋子都是红的！
Lǎoye, gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ! Mǎ jiā de pìnlǐ sòng lái le, mǎn wūzi dōu shì hóng de!
Congratulations, Master, congratulations! The Ma family's betrothal gifts are here. The whole room is red with them!
- Master Zhu 哈哈哈，好，聘礼我收下了！明年二月，英台就是马家的人了！
Hāhāhā, hǎo, pìnlǐ wǒ shōu xià le! Míngnián èryuè, Yīngtái jiù shì Mǎ jiā de rén le!
Ha ha ha, good, I accept the gifts! Come the second month next year, Yingtai belongs to the Ma family!
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，聘礼不能收！女儿有话，要跟您说。
Bàba, pìnlǐ bù néng shōu! Nǚ'ér yǒu huà, yào gēn nín shuō.
Father, you can't accept the gifts! I have something to tell you.
- Zhu Yingtai 在杭州，我有一个同学，叫梁山伯。我们说好了，他要来我们家提亲。
Zài Hángzhōu, wǒ yǒu yí gè tóngxué, jiào Liáng Shānbó. Wǒmen shuō hǎo le, tā yào lái wǒmen jiā tíqīn.
In Hangzhou I had a classmate called Liang Shanbo. We agreed he'd come to our house to propose.
- Master Zhu 梁山伯？他是哪里人，家里是做什么的？
Liáng Shānbó? Tā shì nǎlǐ rén, jiā lǐ shì zuò shénme de?
Liang Shanbo? Where is he from, and what does his family do?
- Zhu Yingtai 他是会稽人，家里很穷。可是他人好，书也读得好！
Tā shì Kuàijī rén, jiā lǐ hěn qióng. Kěshì tā rén hǎo, shū yě dú de hǎo!
He's from Kuaiji. His family is very poor. But he's a good man, and a fine scholar!
- Master Zhu 一个穷读书人，怎么能跟马家比？
Yí gè qióng dúshūrén, zěnme néng gēn Mǎ jiā bǐ?
A poor scholar? How can he compare with the Ma family?
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，石榴花开的时候，您说我是您的好女儿。这一次，您就听我的吧！
Bàba, shíliuhuā kāi de shíhou, nín shuō wǒ shì nín de hǎo nǚ'ér. Zhè yí cì, nín jiù tīng wǒ de ba!
Father, when the pomegranate flowered, you called me your good daughter. Just this once, listen to me!
- Master Zhu 聘礼收了，话也说出去了。你要让别人笑话我们祝家吗？
Pìnlǐ shōu le, huà yě shuō chūqù le. Nǐ yào ràng biérén xiàohua wǒmen Zhù jiā ma?
The gifts are accepted, and my word is given. Do you want people laughing at the Zhu family?
- Master Zhu 眼泪有什么用？嫁到马家，你不会后悔的，别说了！
Yǎnlèi yǒu shénme yòng? Jià dào Mǎ jiā, nǐ bú huì hòuhuǐ de, bié shuō le!
What good are tears? You won't regret marrying into the Ma family. Not another word!
- Zhu Yingtai 我真后悔……那天在路上，我为什么不直接告诉他？
Wǒ zhēn hòuhuǐ… Nà tiān zài lù shàng, wǒ wèi shénme bù zhíjiē gàosu tā?
How I regret it... That day on the road, why didn't I just tell him?
- Narrator 原来，在会稽，山伯一回到家，梁妈妈就病了。
Yuánlái, zài Kuàijī, Shānbó yì huí dào jiā, Liáng māma jiù bìng le.
In Kuaiji, as it turned out, Shanbo's mother had fallen ill the moment he came home.
- Liang Shanbo 妈，药好了，您慢慢喝。喝了药，病就好了。
Mā, yào hǎo le, nín mànmàn hē. Hē le yào, bìng jiù hǎo le.
Mother, your medicine's ready. Drink it slowly. Once you've taken it, you'll get better.
- Sijiu 公子，夏天你在床边，秋天你还在床边。两个月，早就过了……
Gōngzǐ, xiàtiān nǐ zài chuángbiān, qiūtiān nǐ hái zài chuángbiān. Liǎng gè yuè, zǎo jiù guò le…
Young Master, you sat by her bed all summer, and this autumn you're still there. The two months are long gone...
- Liang Shanbo 我知道……可是妈病成这样，我怎么能走？英台会明白的。
Wǒ zhīdào… Kěshì mā bìng chéng zhèyàng, wǒ zěnme néng zǒu? Yīngtái huì míngbai de.
I know... But with Mother this sick, how can I leave? Yingtai will understand.
- Narrator 到了十月，梁妈妈的病终于好了。
Dào le shíyuè, Liáng māma de bìng zhōngyú hǎo le.
In the tenth month, his mother was well at last.
- Liang Shanbo 四九，快走！我们去上虞，去祝家提亲！
Sìjiǔ, kuài zǒu! Wǒmen qù Shàngyú, qù Zhù jiā tíqīn!
Sijiu, let's go! We're off to Shangyu, to the Zhu house to propose!
- Sijiu 公子，那个妹妹你还没见过，就这么高兴？
Gōngzǐ, nàge mèimei nǐ hái méi jiàn guo, jiù zhème gāoxìng?
Young Master, you haven't even met this sister, and you're this happy?
- Liang Shanbo 英台说了，他妹妹跟他长得一模一样！
Yīngtái shuō le, tā mèimei gēn tā zhǎng de yìmúyíyàng!
Yingtai said his sister looks exactly like him!
- Sijiu 跟祝公子一模一样？那不就是个男孩子吗？
Gēn Zhù gōngzǐ yìmúyíyàng? Nà bú jiù shì gè nánháizi ma?
Exactly like Young Master Zhu? Then isn't she just a boy?
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈，你这个笨四九，快走吧！
Hāhā, nǐ zhège bèn Sìjiǔ, kuài zǒu ba!
Ha ha, you silly Sijiu, come on!
- Sijiu 公子，晚了这么久，那个妹妹，会不会已经嫁了？
Gōngzǐ, wǎn le zhème jiǔ, nàge mèimei, huì bu huì yǐjīng jià le?
Young Master, we're so late. What if that sister's already married?
- Liang Shanbo 不会，不会来不及的！有英台帮我说话，祝老爷一定会答应。
Bú huì, bú huì láibují de! Yǒu Yīngtái bāng wǒ shuōhuà, Zhù lǎoye yídìng huì dāying.
No, it won't be too late! With Yingtai putting in a word for me, Master Zhu is sure to agree.
- Sijiu 到了祝家，我还要好好看看那个银心！
Dào le Zhù jiā, wǒ hái yào hǎohǎo kànkan nàge Yínxīn!
And when we get to the Zhus', I'm going to take a good long look at that Yinxin!
- Narrator 几天以后，梁山伯和四九，站在了祝家的大门口。
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, Liáng Shānbó hé Sìjiǔ, zhàn zài le Zhù jiā de dàménkǒu.
A few days later, Liang Shanbo and Sijiu stood at the Zhu family's front gate.
- The Old Steward 这位公子，您找谁？
Zhè wèi gōngzǐ, nín zhǎo shéi?
Young sir, who are you looking for?
- Liang Shanbo 老人家，我是会稽的梁山伯。我来找我的同学，祝英台，祝公子！
Lǎorénjia, wǒ shì Kuàijī de Liáng Shānbó. Wǒ lái zhǎo wǒ de tóngxué, Zhù Yīngtái, Zhù gōngzǐ!
Sir, I'm Liang Shanbo from Kuaiji. I've come to see my classmate, Zhu Yingtai, Young Master Zhu!
- The Old Steward 公子？我们祝家，没有公子啊。祝英台？那是我们家小姐！
Gōngzǐ? Wǒmen Zhù jiā, méiyǒu gōngzǐ a. Zhù Yīngtái? Nà shì wǒmen jiā xiǎojie!
Young master? The Zhu family has no young master. Zhu Yingtai? That's our young lady!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Master Zhu say about Liang Shanbo?
“一个穷读书人，怎么能跟马家比”
- Why hasn't Shanbo come to the Zhu house?
“山伯一回到家，梁妈妈就病了”
- When does Shanbo finally set out for Shangyu?
“到了十月，梁妈妈的病终于好了……我们去上虞，去祝家提亲”
- What joke does Sijiu make about the sister?
“跟祝公子一模一样？那不就是个男孩子吗”
- What does the old steward tell Shanbo at the gate?
“我们祝家，没有公子啊。祝英台？那是我们家小姐”