Cinderella · chapter 1 of 5
By the Fire
在火边
Her mother is gone, her stepmother gives the orders, and her stepsister has a cruel name for her. Then a letter arrives from the palace.
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- Narrator 很久很久以前，有一个女孩。天刚亮，她已经在火边干活了。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, yǒu yí gè nǚhái. Tiān gāng liàng, tā yǐjīng zài huǒ biān gànhuó le.
Long, long ago, there was a girl. The sun was barely up, and she was already at work by the fire.
- Cinderella 妈妈不在了，爸爸又结婚了。
Māma bú zài le, bàba yòu jiéhūn le.
Mother is gone, and Father has married again.
- Cinderella 继母和姐姐来了以后，家里的事都是我一个人做。
Jìmǔ hé jiějie lái le yǐhòu, jiā lǐ de shì dōu shì wǒ yí gè rén zuò.
Ever since my stepmother and stepsister came, I've done all the work in this house by myself.
- The Stepmother 灰姑娘！水热了吗？早饭好了吗？
Huī gūniang! Shuǐ rè le ma? Zǎofàn hǎo le ma?
Cinderella! Is the water hot? Is breakfast ready?
- Cinderella 水热了。早饭……马上就好！
Shuǐ rè le. Zǎofàn… mǎshàng jiù hǎo!
The water's hot. Breakfast is… almost ready!
- The Stepmother 快一点儿！你看，地上都是灰！
Kuài yìdiǎnr! Nǐ kàn, dì shang dōu shì huī!
Hurry up! And look at this floor. It's covered in ash!
- Cinderella 对不起，我现在就扫。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ xiànzài jiù sǎo.
I'm sorry. I'll sweep it up right now.
- The Stepmother 扫完了，去洗衣服。我的，姐姐的，都要洗。
Sǎo wán le, qù xǐ yīfu. Wǒ de, jiějie de, dōu yào xǐ.
Then go and do the washing. My clothes and your sister's, every piece.
- Cinderella 好的。洗完衣服，我可以吃饭吗？
Hǎo de. Xǐ wán yīfu, wǒ kěyǐ chīfàn ma?
Yes, ma'am. After the washing, may I have something to eat?
- The Stepmother 吃饭？先干活，再吃饭！
Chīfàn? Xiān gànhuó, zài chīfàn!
Eat? Work first, eat later!
- The Stepsister 妈妈，你看她的脸！都是灰！
Māma, nǐ kàn tā de liǎn! Dōu shì huī!
Mom, look at her face! It's all ash!
- The Stepmother 她天天晚上都坐在火边。
Tā tiāntiān wǎnshang dōu zuò zài huǒ biān.
That's because she sits by the fire every night.
- The Stepsister 灰衣服，灰脸……灰姑娘！灰姑娘！
Huī yīfu, huī liǎn… Huī gūniang! Huī gūniang!
Ashy clothes, ashy face… Cinderella! Cinderella!
- Cinderella 灰姑娘……她们天天这样叫我。
Huī gūniang… tāmen tiāntiān zhèyàng jiào wǒ.
Cinderella… that's what they call me, every single day.
- Cinderella 我的小房间在楼上，晚上很冷。可是火边不冷。
Wǒ de xiǎo fángjiān zài lóushàng, wǎnshang hěn lěng. Kěshì huǒ biān bù lěng.
My little room upstairs gets cold at night. But it's never cold by the fire.
- Cinderella 我不能告诉爸爸。爸爸只听继母的话。
Wǒ bù néng gàosu bàba. Bàba zhǐ tīng jìmǔ de huà.
I can't tell Father. Father only listens to my stepmother.
- Cinderella 妈妈，您在天上，看见我了吗？我没事，我很好。
Māma, nín zài tiānshàng, kànjiàn wǒ le ma? Wǒ méi shì, wǒ hěn hǎo.
Mother, can you see me from up in heaven? I'm all right. Really, I am.
- Narrator 这时，有人从王宫送来了一封信。
Zhèshí, yǒu rén cóng wánggōng sòng lái le yì fēng xìn.
Just then, someone brought a letter from the palace.
- The Stepsister 妈妈！王宫的信！快看！
Māma! Wánggōng de xìn! Kuài kàn!
Mom! A letter from the palace! Quick, look!
- The Stepmother 王子要开一个大舞会……请你去！
Wángzǐ yào kāi yí gè dà wǔhuì… qǐng nǐ qù!
The prince is giving a grand ball… and you're invited!
- The Stepsister 舞会！我要穿最漂亮的衣服，和王子跳舞！
Wǔhuì! Wǒ yào chuān zuì piàoliang de yīfu, hé wángzǐ tiàowǔ!
A ball! I'll wear my most beautiful dress and dance with the prince!
- Cinderella 舞会……那是什么样子的呢？
Wǔhuì… nà shì shénme yàngzi de ne?
A ball… I wonder what that's like.
What changed in the story?
- What happened to Cinderella's mother?
“妈妈不在了”
- What does the stepmother complain about?
“地上都是灰！”
- Why is Cinderella's face covered in ash?
“她天天晚上都坐在火边。”
- Why doesn't Cinderella tell her father how she is treated?
“爸爸只听继母的话。”
- What news does the letter from the palace bring?
“王子要开一个大舞会”