Judge Bao and the Black Pot · chapter 4 of 4
Justice at Last
刘先生回家
Under the kiln, Judge Bao finds the truth. Old Zhang asks for a strange reward, and Mr. Liu is warm at last.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 天快黑了。大家来到赵家的院子里。
Tiān kuài hēi le. Dàjiā láidào Zhào jiā de yuànzi lǐ.
It was almost dark. Everyone came to Zhao's yard.
- Court Clerk 大人！我们在窑下面，挖到东西了！
Dàrén! Wǒmen zài yáo xiàmiàn, wā dào dōngxi le!
My lord! We dug under the kiln and found something!
- Judge Bao 挖到了什么？拿上来。让我看看。
Wā dào le shénme? Ná shànglái. Ràng wǒ kànkan.
What did you dig up? Bring it here. Let me see.
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Judge Bao and the Black Pot 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.
- Court Clerk 是一个旧钱袋，还有一顶小黑帽子。
Shì yí gè jiù qiándài, hái yǒu yì dǐng xiǎo hēi màozi.
An old money bag, and a small black cap.
- Old Zhang 大人，刘先生的帽子是圆的，也是黑的。就是这一顶！
Dàrén, Liú xiānsheng de màozi shì yuán de, yě shì hēi de. Jiù shì zhè yì dǐng!
My lord, Mr. Liu's cap was round and black. It's this very one!
- Judge Bao 赵大，你看，这个钱袋上有一个“刘”字。
Zhào Dà, nǐ kàn, zhège qiándài shàng yǒu yí gè “Liú” zì.
Zhao Da, look. This money bag has the character Liu on it.
- Judge Bao 你姓赵。这个钱袋，怎么会在你家？
Nǐ xìng Zhào. Zhège qiándài, zěnme huì zài nǐ jiā?
Your name is Zhao. How did this bag end up in your house?
- Zhao Da 我……我捡到的！
Wǒ… wǒ jiǎn dào de!
I… I found it!
- Zhao's Wife 对！我们捡到的！我们是做盆的人，不是坏人！
Duì! Wǒmen jiǎn dào de! Wǒmen shì zuò pén de rén, bú shì huài rén!
Yes! We found it! We make pots, we aren't bad people!
- Judge Bao 做盆的人，会把客人放进窑里吗？
Zuò pén de rén, huì bǎ kèrén fàng jìn yáo lǐ ma?
Do people who make pots put their guests into the kiln?
- Judge Bao 我再问一次。那个晚上，发生了什么事？
Wǒ zài wèn yí cì. Nàge wǎnshang, fāshēng le shénme shì?
I'll ask once more. What happened that night?
- Zhao's Wife 别问了！赵大，我们别骗了！我怕……
Bié wèn le! Zhào Dà, wǒmen bié piàn le! Wǒ pà…
Stop asking! Zhao Da, let's stop lying! I'm scared…
- Zhao Da 是我们。那个晚上，我们看到他的钱，就做了坏事。
Shì wǒmen. Nàge wǎnshang, wǒmen kàndào tā de qián, jiù zuò le huài shì.
It was us. That night we saw his money, and we did a terrible thing.
- Zhao Da 我们对不起刘先生。
Wǒmen duìbuqǐ Liú xiānsheng.
We are sorry, Mr. Liu.
- Judge Bao 拿了别人的钱，也拿了别人的命。这是大事。
Ná le biéren de qián, yě ná le biéren de mìng. Zhè shì dà shì.
You took another man's money, and you took his life. This is grave.
- Judge Bao 来人，把他们带回衙门！
Lái rén, bǎ tāmen dài huí yámen!
Guards, take them back to the court!
- Court Clerk 是，大人！
Shì, dàrén!
Yes, my lord!
- Narrator 晚上，衙门的院子很安静。黑盆放在石头上。
Wǎnshang, yámen de yuànzi hěn ānjìng. Hēi pén fàng zài shítou shàng.
In the evening, the courtyard was quiet. The black pot sat on a stone.
- Liu Shichang 大人，爷爷，谢谢你们。我看见一条很亮的路。
Dàrén, yéye, xièxie nǐmen. Wǒ kànjiàn yì tiáo hěn liàng de lù.
My lord, Grandpa, thank you both. I can see a bright road.
- Judge Bao 刘先生，我会把你的钱送到你家。你的家人会知道。
Liú xiānsheng, wǒ huì bǎ nǐ de qián sòng dào nǐ jiā. Nǐ de jiārén huì zhīdào.
Mr. Liu, I will send your money to your home. Your family will know.
- Liu Shichang 谢谢大人。我的母亲，一直在等我回家。我想告诉她，我没有忘记她。
Xièxie dàrén. Wǒ de mǔqīn, yìzhí zài děng wǒ huíjiā. Wǒ xiǎng gàosu tā, wǒ méiyǒu wàngjì tā.
Thank you, my lord. My mother has been waiting for me to come home. I want to tell her I never forgot her.
- Judge Bao 老人家，你也帮了大忙。你要什么？说吧。
Lǎorenjia, nǐ yě bāng le dà máng. Nǐ yào shénme? Shuō ba.
Old sir, you helped a great deal too. What would you like? Say it.
- Old Zhang 我不要很多钱。赵大还没给我三个月的炭钱，这个我要拿回来。
Wǒ bú yào hěn duō qián. Zhào Dà hái méi gěi wǒ sān gè yuè de tàn qián, zhège wǒ yào ná huílái.
I don't want a lot of money. Zhao Da still hasn't paid my three months of coal money, and I want that back.
- Judge Bao 好。他们的钱，会先还给你。还有吗？
Hǎo. Tāmen de qián, huì xiān huán gěi nǐ. Hái yǒu ma?
Good. Their money will be paid to you first. Anything else?
- Old Zhang 还有……我只想要一个新盆。
Hái yǒu… wǒ zhǐ xiǎng yào yí gè xīn pén.
And… I would just like a new pot.
- Judge Bao 新盆？
Xīn pén?
A new pot?
- Old Zhang 对，一个不会说话的新盆！
Duì, yí gè bú huì shuōhuà de xīn pén!
Yes, a new pot that doesn't talk!
- Judge Bao 哈哈哈！好，一个不会说话的新盆。
Hāhāhā! Hǎo, yí gè bú huì shuōhuà de xīn pén.
Ha ha ha! Very well, one new pot that doesn't talk.
- Liu Shichang 爷爷……对不起，我要走了。
Yéye… duìbuqǐ, wǒ yào zǒu le.
Grandpa… I'm sorry, I have to go now.
- Old Zhang 又说对不起！去吧，路上别冷。
Yòu shuō duìbuqǐ! Qù ba, lùshang bié lěng.
Sorry again! Go on, and don't be cold on the road.
- Liu Shichang 爷爷，我不冷了。一点也不冷了。
Yéye, wǒ bù lěng le. Yìdiǎn yě bù lěng le.
Grandpa, I'm not cold anymore. Not cold at all.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What do the men find under the kiln?
“是一个旧钱袋，还有一顶小黑帽子。”
- How does Judge Bao show the bag is not Zhao's?
“这个钱袋上有一个“刘”字。”……“你姓赵。”
- What do Zhao Da and his wife finally do?
“我们别骗了！”……“是我们。”
- What does Judge Bao promise Liu?
“我会把你的钱送到你家。”
- What does Zhang finally ask for as a reward?
“一个不会说话的新盆！”