Granny Liu Visits the Grand View Garden · chapter 2 of 6
Melons and a Story
瓜和故事
Granny Liu keeps her promise and returns with the biggest melons in the village. Then she tells a story that leaves the whole Jia family begging for the ending.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二年秋天，刘姥姥背着一大篮子瓜和青菜，又来到了贾府。
Dì'èrnián qiūtiān, Liú lǎolao bèizhe yídà lánzi guā hé qīngcài, yòu láidào le Jiǎ fǔ.
The next autumn, Granny Liu came to the Jia mansion again, carrying a huge basket of melons and greens on her back.
- Granny Liu 凤姐奶奶，您看！这是我们地里最大的瓜，青菜也是刚摘的，新鲜得很！
Fèngjiě nǎinǎi, nín kàn! Zhèshì wǒmen dìlǐ zuìdà de guā, qīngcài yě shì gāng zhāi de, xīnxiān dé hěn!
Lady Feng, look! These are the biggest melons in our fields, and the greens were picked just now, fresh as can be!
- Xifeng 刘姥姥，您真的来了！这么大的瓜，我还是第一次见呢。
Liú lǎolao, nín zhēnde lái le! Zhème dà de guā, wǒ háishi dìyīcì jiàn ne.
Granny Liu, you really came! I've never seen such big melons in my life.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Granny Liu Visits the Grand View Garden is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Granny Liu 我说话算数嘛。我家的瓜大得很，晚上可以抱着它当枕头睡觉。
Wǒ shuōhuà suànshù ma. Wǒjiā de guādàdé hěn, wǎnshang kěyǐ bào zhe tā dāng zhěntou shuìjiào.
I keep my word. My melons are so big you could hug one as a pillow at night.
- Xifeng 那您今晚就抱着瓜睡吧！好了，先跟我去见老太太，她今天心情正好。
Nà nín jīnwǎn jiù bào zhe guā shuì ba! Hǎo le, xiān gēn wǒ qù jiàn lǎotàitai, tā jīntiān xīnqíng zhènghǎo.
Then go ahead and sleep with a melon tonight! Now come with me to see the old lady. She's in a good mood today.
- Granny Liu 老太太？就是那位最有福气的老寿星吗？我怕自己说错话，惹她生气。
Lǎotàitai? Jiùshì nàwèi zuì yǒufúqì de lǎoshòuxīng ma? Wǒpà zìjǐ shuō cuòhuà, rě tā shēngqì.
The old lady? The most fortunate old star of long life? I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing and upset her.
- Xifeng 别怕，您有什么说什么就行。我们老太太最爱听实话。
Biépà, nín yǒu shénme shuō shénme jiùxíng. Wǒmen lǎotàitai zuì'ài tīng shíhuà.
Don't be afraid. Just say whatever is on your mind. Our old lady loves honest words.
- Granny Liu 有什么说什么……好，刘姥姥，今天就看你的了。
Yǒu shénme shuō shénme… Hǎo, Liú lǎolao, jīntiān jiù kàn nǐ de le.
Say whatever's on my mind... all right, Granny Liu, today it's all up to you.
- Grandmother Jia 这位就是刘姥姥吧？快进来坐，外面凉。听说你走了一天的路，一定累坏了。
Zhèwèi jiùshì Liú lǎolao ba? Kuàijìnlái zuò, wàimiàn liáng. Tīngshuō nǐ zǒu le yì tiān de lù, yídìng lèihuài le.
So this is Granny Liu? Come in and sit, it's chilly outside. I hear you walked all day, you must be worn out.
- Granny Liu 老寿星，您好！我七十五岁了，可是一看见您，我就觉得自己还是个小姑娘。
Lǎoshòuxīng, nínhǎo! Wǒ qīshí wǔsuì le, kěshì yí kànjiàn nín, wǒ jiù juéde zìjǐ háishi gè xiǎogūniáng.
Long-life Star, hello! I'm seventy-five, but the moment I saw you I felt like a young girl again.
- Grandmother Jia 哈哈，你这张嘴真甜！你的牙还好，眼睛也亮，比我强多了。
Hāhā, nǐ zhè zhāngzuǐ zhēntián! Nǐ de yá háihǎo, yǎnjing yě liàng, bǐwǒqiáng duō le.
Ha ha, what a sweet mouth you have! Your teeth are still good and your eyes are bright. You're better off than I am.
- Granny Liu 您是天上的福星，我是地上的泥巴，怎么比得了？不过泥巴能种瓜，福星能吃瓜，我们正好配一对。
Nín shì tiānshàng de fúxīng, wǒ shì dìshàng de níbā, zěnme bǐdé le? Búguò níbā néng zhǒngguā, fúxīng néng chī guā, wǒmen zhènghǎo pèi yíduì.
You're a lucky star in the sky and I'm mud on the ground, how could we compare? But mud grows melons and lucky stars eat them, so we make a perfect pair.
- Grandmother Jia 好一张会说话的嘴！平时没有人这样跟我说话。刘姥姥，你们乡下平时吃些什么好东西？
Hǎo yì zhāng huì shuōhuà de zuǐ! Píngshí méiyǒu rén zhèyàng gēn wǒ shuōhuà. Liú lǎolao, nǐmen xiāngxià píngshí chīxiē shénme hǎo dōngxi?
What a talker! Nobody speaks to me like that. Granny Liu, what good things do you eat in the country?
- Granny Liu 白菜、萝卜、红薯，一年到头就是它们。不过我们的白菜很有个性，煮的时候还会唱歌呢。
Báicài, luóbo, hóngshǔ, yìnián dàotóu jiùshì tāmen. Búguò wǒmen de báicài hěn yǒu gèxìng, zhǔ de shíhou háihuì chànggē ne.
Cabbage, radishes and sweet potatoes, all year round. But our cabbage has character, and it even sings while it cooks.
- Baoyu 奶奶，这位就是刘姥姥吗？我听说她会讲很多乡下的新鲜事，我也想听！
Nǎinǎi, zhèwèi jiùshì Liú lǎolao ma? Wǒ tīngshuō tā huì jiǎng hěnduō xiāngxià de xīnxiānshì, wǒ yě xiǎng tīng!
Grandmother, is this Granny Liu? I heard she knows lots of fresh tales from the country. I want to hear them too!
- Granny Liu 好，我就讲一个！去年冬天，我们村里下了一场大雪，雪深得能埋住小孩子。
Hǎo, wǒ jiù jiǎng yí gè! Qùnián dōngtiān, wǒmen cūnlǐ xià le yìcháng dàxuě, xuěshēn dénéng máizhù xiǎoháizi.
All right, I'll tell one! Last winter a huge snow fell on our village, deep enough to bury a child.
- Granny Liu 半夜里，我家后面的柴房，忽然有了声音。我拿着灯，一步一步走过去。
Bànyèlǐ, wǒjiā hòumiàn de cháifáng, hūrán yǒu le shēngyīn. Wǒ ná zhe dēng, yíbù yíbù zǒu guòqù.
In the middle of the night, there was a sound in the woodshed behind my house. I took my lamp and crept over, step by step.
- Baoyu 是谁？是小偷吗？
Shì shuí? Shì xiǎotōu ma?
Who was it? A thief?
- Granny Liu 你们猜我看见了什么？一个小姑娘，穿着红袄，怀里抱着一大捆柴！
Nǐmen cāi wǒ kànjiàn le shénme? Yí gè xiǎogūniáng, chuānzhe hóng'ǎo, huáilǐ bào zhe yídà kǔn chái!
Guess what I saw! A little girl in a red jacket, hugging a huge bundle of firewood!
- Grandmother Jia 半夜里，雪下得那么大，哪儿来的小姑娘呢？
Bànyèlǐ, xuěxià dé nàme dà, nǎr lái de xiǎogūniáng ne?
In the middle of the night, with snow falling that hard, where did a little girl come from?
- Granny Liu 我大声问她，你是谁家的孩子？她不回答，只回头对我笑了笑，然后……
Wǒ dàshēng wèn tā, nǐ shì shuíjiā de háizi? Tā bù huídá, zhǐ huítóu duì wǒ xiàolexiào, ránhòu…
I asked loudly whose child she was. She didn't answer. She only turned and smiled at me, and then...
- Baoyu 然后呢？然后怎么了？快说呀！
Ránhòu ne? Ránhòu zěnme le? Kuài shuō ya!
And then? What happened then? Tell us quickly!
- Grandmother Jia 宝玉，你的眼睛比灯笼还大。刘姥姥，你可别只说一半。
Bǎoyù, nǐ de yǎnjing bǐ dēnglóng hái dà. Liú lǎolao, nǐ kěbié zhǐ shuō yíbàn.
Baoyu, your eyes are bigger than lanterns. Granny Liu, don't you dare tell only half.
- Granny Liu 老太太，好故事要慢慢讲。今天讲一半，明天讲一半，这样你们才会天天来找我。
Lǎotàitai, hǎo gùshi yào mànmàn jiǎng. Jīntiān jiǎng yíbàn, míngtiān jiǎng yíbàn, zhèyàng nǐmen cái huì tiāntiān lái zhǎo wǒ.
Old lady, a good story must be told slowly. Half today, half tomorrow, that way you'll come looking for me every day.
- Baoyu 那您不能回去！奶奶，让刘姥姥多住几天吧，好不好？
Nà nín bù néng huíqù! Nǎinǎi, ràng Liú lǎolao duōzhù jǐtiān ba, hǎobùhǎo?
Then you can't go home! Grandmother, please let Granny Liu stay a few more days, all right?
- Grandmother Jia 对，刘姥姥别走，就住在我这儿。我的园子里空房子多着呢。
Duì, Liú lǎolao bié zǒu, jiù zhù zài wǒ zhèr. Wǒ de yuánzi lǐ kòngfángzi duōzhene.
Yes, Granny Liu, don't leave. Stay with me. My garden has plenty of empty rooms.
- Granny Liu 住在贵府？我一身泥巴味，会弄脏您的床的。
Zhù zài guìfǔ? Wǒ yìshēn níbā wèi, huì nòngzāng nín de chuáng de.
Stay in your mansion? I smell of mud, I'll dirty your bed.
- Grandmother Jia 你身上有太阳的味道，也有泥土的味道，比香粉好闻多了，我喜欢。
Nǐ shēnshàng yǒu tàiyáng de wèidao, yě yǒu nítǔ de wèidao, bǐ xiāngfěn hǎowén duō le, wǒ xǐhuan.
You smell of sunshine and earth, which is far better than perfume. I like it.
- Grandmother Jia 明天，我带你去大观园玩！那里有池塘，有花园，还有你一辈子没见过的漂亮房子。
Míngtiān, wǒ dàinǐqù Dàguānyuán wán! Nàlǐ yǒu chítáng, yǒu huāyuán, háiyǒu nǐ yí bèizi méijiàn guò de piàoliang fángzi.
Tomorrow I'll take you to the Grand View Garden! It has ponds, gardens, and beautiful houses like you've never seen in your life.
- Granny Liu 大观园？我听人说过！那里是不是比我们县里的庙会还热闹？
Dàguānyuán? Wǒ tīng rén shuō guò! Nàlǐ shìbúshì bǐ wǒmen xiànlǐ de miàohuì hái rènào?
The Grand View Garden? I've heard of it! Is it livelier than the temple fair in our county?
- Xifeng 刘姥姥，明天的午饭，您可要多吃一点儿，我给您准备了一个大礼物！
Liú lǎolao, míngtiān de wǔfàn, nín kěyào duō chī yìdiǎnr, wǒ gěi nín zhǔnbèi le yí gè dà lǐwù!
Granny Liu, eat plenty at lunch tomorrow, because I've prepared a big present for you!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Granny Liu bring to the Jia family?
“背着一大篮子瓜和青菜”
- How does Granny Liu make Grandmother Jia laugh when they meet?
“您是天上的福星，我是地上的泥巴”
- What does Granny Liu see in the woodshed in her story?
“一个小姑娘，穿着红袄，怀里抱着一大捆柴”
- Why does Granny Liu stop her story halfway?
“今天讲一半，明天讲一半”
- What does Xifeng whisper at the end?
“我给您准备了一个大礼物”