Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims · chapter 17 of 25
The Monster Son-in-Law
高老庄
In Gao Village an old man tells a strange tale about his hard-working son-in-law, and Wukong comes up with a very bold plan to catch him.
Read what you hear
- Old Gao 两位师父，请坐！我们高老庄没什么好东西，请喝茶，请喝茶。
Liǎng wèi shīfu, qǐng zuò! Wǒmen Gāolǎo Zhuāng méi shénme hǎo dōngxi, qǐng hē chá, qǐng hē chá.
Masters, please sit down! We have nothing fine to offer you here in Gao Village, but please, have some tea.
- Tang Seng 高太公，您家的女婿，真的是妖怪吗？
Gāo Tàigōng, nín jiā de nǚxu, zhēn de shì yāoguài ma?
Old Gao, is your son-in-law really a monster?
- Old Gao 是啊……可是师父，我家有一个丑女婿，你又带来一个丑和尚？
Shì a… kěshì shīfu, wǒ jiā yǒu yí gè chǒu nǚxu, nǐ yòu dàilái yí gè chǒu héshang?
He is... but Master, I already have one ugly son-in-law, and now you bring me an ugly monk too?
Chapter 17 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Sun Wukong 老孙是丑，可是有本领！你说，那个女婿怎么了？
Lǎo Sūn shì chǒu, kěshì yǒu běnlǐng! Nǐ shuō, nàge nǚxu zěnme le?
Old Sun may be ugly, but he has real power! Now tell me, what's wrong with that son-in-law?
- Old Gao 三年前，一个年轻人来到我家，跟我的小女儿翠兰成了家。
Sān nián qián, yí gè niánqīngrén láidào wǒ jiā, gēn wǒ de xiǎo nǚ'ér Cuìlán chéng le jiā.
Three years ago a young man came to our house and married my youngest daughter, Cuilan.
- Tang Seng 那是好事啊！
Nà shì hǎoshì a!
Why, that's a good thing!
- Old Gao 是，他很会干活，一个人做十个人的事。
Shì, tā hěn huì gànhuó, yí gè rén zuò shí gè rén de shì.
It was. He's a fine worker. He does the work of ten men.
- Sun Wukong 那不是很好吗？妖怪在哪儿？
Nà bú shì hěn hǎo ma? Yāoguài zài nǎr?
Well, isn't that good? So where's the monster?
- Old Gao 后来，他的脸变了：长嘴，大耳朵，还有一个猪鼻子！
Hòulái, tā de liǎn biàn le: cháng zuǐ, dà ěrduo, hái yǒu yí gè zhū bízi!
Later his face changed: a long snout, big ears, and a pig's nose!
- Sun Wukong 一个猪女婿！
Yí gè zhū nǚxu!
A pig for a son-in-law!
- Old Gao 他不吃肉，可是很能吃！一次要吃十碗米饭，一百个饼！
Tā bù chī ròu, kěshì hěn néng chī! Yí cì yào chī shí wǎn mǐfàn, yìbǎi gè bǐng!
He doesn't eat meat, but how he eats! Ten bowls of rice and a hundred cakes at one go!
- Tang Seng 他做得多，所以吃得多。
Tā zuò de duō, suǒyǐ chī de duō.
He works a lot, so he eats a lot.
- Old Gao 还有，他来来去去，都有大风，石头都飞起来了！
Hái yǒu, tā láilái qùqù, dōu yǒu dà fēng, shítou dōu fēi qǐlai le!
And whenever he comes or goes, there's a great wind, and stones go flying!
- Sun Wukong 有风有石头？这个妖怪，有点儿本领！
Yǒu fēng yǒu shítou? Zhège yāoguài, yǒudiǎnr běnlǐng!
Wind and stones? This monster has some real power!
- Tang Seng 翠兰呢？她还好吗？
Cuìlán ne? Tā hái hǎo ma?
And Cuilan? Is she all right?
- Old Gao 半年前，他把翠兰关在后边的房子里了。我们都见不到她！
Bàn nián qián, tā bǎ Cuìlán guān zài hòubian de fángzi lǐ le. Wǒmen dōu jiàn bu dào tā!
Half a year ago he locked Cuilan in the back house. None of us can see her!
- Sun Wukong 走，师父，我们去看看！熊、狼，老孙都打过，还怕一只猪？
Zǒu, shīfu, wǒmen qù kànkan! Xióng, láng, Lǎo Sūn dōu dǎ guo, hái pà yì zhī zhū?
Come on, Master, let's go and take a look! Old Sun has beaten a bear and a wolf. Why would he fear a pig?
- Old Gao 你小心！翠兰就在这个门里边……我们都打不开。
Nǐ xiǎoxīn! Cuìlán jiù zài zhège mén lǐbian… wǒmen dōu dǎ bu kāi.
Be careful! Cuilan is behind this door... and none of us can open it.
- Sun Wukong 打不开？看老孙的金箍棒！
Dǎ bu kāi? Kàn Lǎo Sūn de jīn gū bàng!
Can't open it? Watch Old Sun's Golden-Hoop Staff!
- Narrator 门开了。翠兰坐在里边，脸很白，头发很乱。
Mén kāi le. Cuìlán zuò zài lǐbian, liǎn hěn bái, tóufa hěn luàn.
The door flew open. Cuilan sat inside, pale, her hair a mess.
- Old Gao 翠兰！我的女儿！
Cuìlán! Wǒ de nǚ'ér!
Cuilan! My daughter!
- Narrator 翠兰哭着说：“他天天晚上来，天亮就走。”
Cuìlán kū zhe shuō: “Tā tiāntiān wǎnshang lái, tiānliàng jiù zǒu.”
Cuilan wept and said, “He comes every night and leaves at dawn.”
- Sun Wukong 老人家，你带翠兰走。今天晚上，老孙变成她，在这里等妖怪！
Lǎorénjia, nǐ dài Cuìlán zǒu. Jīntiān wǎnshang, Lǎo Sūn biànchéng tā, zài zhèlǐ děng yāoguài!
Sir, take Cuilan away. Tonight Old Sun will turn into her and wait right here for the monster!
- Tang Seng 悟空，你……你要变成女孩子？
Wùkōng, nǐ… nǐ yào biànchéng nǚháizi?
Wukong, you... you're going to turn into a girl?
- Sun Wukong 师父，老孙会七十二变！变一个翠兰，有什么难的？
Shīfu, Lǎo Sūn huì qīshí'èr biàn! Biàn yí gè Cuìlán, yǒu shénme nán de?
Master, Old Sun knows seventy-two transformations! What's so hard about one Cuilan?
- Narrator 那天晚上，悟空变成翠兰，睡在她的床上。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Wùkōng biànchéng Cuìlán, shuì zài tā de chuáng shàng.
That night Wukong turned into Cuilan and lay down in her bed.
- Sun Wukong 风来了……妖怪来了！
Fēng lái le… yāoguài lái le!
Here comes the wind... here comes the monster!
- Narrator 风停了，一个黑脸、长嘴、大耳朵的妖怪走进来，说：“姐姐，你今天怎么了？”
Fēng tíng le, yí gè hēi liǎn, cháng zuǐ, dà ěrduo de yāoguài zǒu jìnlai, shuō: “Jiějie, nǐ jīntiān zěnme le?”
The wind dropped, and in walked a monster with a black face, a long snout and big ears. “My dear, what's the matter with you today?”
- Sun Wukong 我……我今天有点儿不舒服。
Wǒ… wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎnr bù shūfu.
I... I'm not feeling very well today.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why is Old Gao uneasy when he first sees Wukong?
“我家有一个丑女婿，你又带来一个丑和尚？”
- What does Tang Seng say about the son-in-law's huge meals?
“他做得多，所以吃得多。”
- What has the son-in-law done to Cuilan?
“他把翠兰关在后边的房子里了”
- How does Wukong get the locked door open?
“看老孙的金箍棒！……门开了。”
- What is Wukong's plan for the night?
“老孙变成她，在这里等妖怪！”