Judge Dee's Cases · chapter 5 of 8

A Death Without a Wound

没有伤的死

A healthy man dies overnight without a wound, and his wife's cousin is far too helpful. A silver needle turns black, and a pickpocket offers a lead.

Read what you hear

Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 老人家，别哭，请坐下。从头告诉我，您的儿子昨晚是怎么倒下的？
Lǎorenjia, bié kū, qǐng zuò xià. Cóng tóu gàosu wǒ, nín de érzi zuówǎn shì zěnme dǎoxià de?
Don't cry, grandmother, please sit. Tell me from the beginning: how did your son fall ill last night?
The Old Mother 吃晚饭的时候，他还笑着说，明天陪我去庙里烧香。
Chī wǎnfàn de shíhou, tā hái xiào zhe shuō, míngtiān péi wǒ qù miàolǐ shāoxiāng.
At supper he was still laughing and saying tomorrow he would take me to the temple.
The Old Mother 半夜，我的媳妇大声哭起来。我跑过去，我的儿子已经不动了。
Bànyè, wǒ de xífu dàshēng kū qǐlai. Wǒ pǎo guòqù, wǒ de érzi yǐjīng bú dòng le.
At midnight my daughter-in-law cried out loud. I ran over, and my son was no longer moving.

Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Judge Dee's Cases 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.

Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 你们家里，还有什么人？
Nǐmen jiālǐ, háiyǒu shénme rén?
Who else lives in your household?
The Old Mother 就我和我的媳妇两个人，还有她的表哥。这几个月，他常常来，帮她管钱。
Jiù wǒ hé wǒ de xífu liǎng gè rén, háiyǒu tā de biǎogē. Zhè jǐ gè yuè, tā chángcháng lái, bāng tā guǎn qián.
Just me and my daughter-in-law, and her cousin. He's been coming often these months to help her manage the money.
Hong Liang 表哥？丈夫刚走，表哥就来管钱了？
Biǎogē? Zhàngfu gāng zǒu, biǎogē jiù lái guǎn qián le?
A cousin? The husband is barely gone and the cousin is handling the money?
The Old Mother 今天早上，他还劝我，不用请大夫了，快点把我儿子埋了。
Jīntiān zǎoshang, tā hái quàn wǒ, búyòng qǐng dàifu le, kuài diǎn bǎ wǒ érzi mái le.
This morning he even told me not to bother with doctors and to bury my son quickly.
Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 老人家，您先回去。今天晚上，谁也不许抬走棺材。明天早上，我亲自去。
Lǎorenjia, nín xiān huíqu. Jīntiān wǎnshang, shuí yě bùxǔ tái zǒu guāncai. Míngtiān zǎoshang, wǒ qīnzì qù.
Grandmother, go home. Tonight nobody carries that coffin away. Tomorrow morning I will come myself.
The Old Mother 谢谢大人……我儿子在天上，一定会记住您。
Xièxie dàren… wǒ érzi zài tiānshàng, yídìng huì jìzhù nín.
Thank you, my lord... my son will remember you from heaven.
Narrator 第二天早上，那个家门口挂着白布，院子里都是香烟。
Dì'èr tiān zǎoshang, nàge jiā ménkǒu guà zhe báibù, yuànzi lǐ dōu shì xiāngyān.
The next morning white cloth hung at the door, and incense smoke filled the yard.
The Widow 我的丈夫啊……你怎么这么早就走了……
Wǒ de zhàngfu a… nǐ zěnme zhème zǎojiù zǒu le…
Oh my husband... how could you leave so early...
The Cousin 大人来了！请坐请坐！表妹太伤心了，让我来说吧。
Dàren lái le! Qǐng zuò qǐng zuò! Biǎomèi tài shāngxīn le, ràng wǒ lái shuō ba.
The magistrate is here! Please sit! My cousin is too grieved, let me do the talking.
Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 我想听她自己说。夫人，你的丈夫昨天晚上吃了什么？
Wǒ xiǎng tīng tā zìjǐ shuō. Fūrén, nǐ de zhàngfu zuótiān wǎnshang chī le shénme?
I want to hear it from her. Madam, what did your husband eat last night?
The Widow 就是……就是平常的饭菜。他喝了一碗汤，就说肚子疼……
Jiùshì… jiùshì píngcháng de fàncài. Tā hē le yì wǎn tāng, jiù shuō dǔzi téng…
Just... ordinary food. He drank a bowl of soup and then said his stomach hurt...
The Cousin 他一直有胃病！好几个大夫都说过！
Tā yìzhí yǒu wèi bìng! Hǎo jǐ gè dàifu dōu shuō guò!
He always had stomach trouble! Several doctors said so!
Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 我没有问你。夫人，那碗汤是谁做的？
Wǒ méiyǒu wèn nǐ. Fūrén, nà wǎn tāng shì shuí zuò de?
I didn't ask you. Madam, who made that soup?
The Widow 是……是我做的。可是我没有……
Shì… shì wǒ zuò de. Kěshì wǒ méiyǒu…
I... I made it. But I didn't...
Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 我没有说，你做了什么。洪亮，请仵作来。
Wǒ méiyǒu shuō, nǐ zuò le shénme. Hóng Liàng, qǐng wǔzuò lái.
I never said you did anything. Hong Liang, call the coroner.
The Coroner 大人，他身上一点儿伤都没有。我用银针试了试，银针变黑了。
Dàren, tā shēnshàng yìdiǎnr shāng dōu méiyǒu. Wǒ yòng yínzhēn shì le shì, yínzhēn biànhēi le.
My lord, there isn't a wound on him. I tested with a silver needle, and the needle turned black.
Hong Liang 银针变黑了……那是毒！
Yínzhēn biànhēi le… nà shì dú!
The silver needle turned black... that means poison!
Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 他不是病死的，是有人给他下了毒。夫人，你怎么忽然不哭了？
Tā búshì bìngsǐ de, shì yǒurén gěi tā xià le dú. Fūrén, nǐ zěnme hūrán bù kū le?
He didn't die of illness. Someone poisoned him. Madam, why did you suddenly stop crying?
The Cousin 大人，您不能这样说！我表妹是天下最好的妻子！
Dàren, nín bù néng zhèyàng shuō! Wǒ biǎomèi shì tiānxià zuì hǎo de qīzǐ!
My lord, you can't say that! My cousin is the best wife in the world!
Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 我没有说任何人。我只问：这毒药，是从哪里来的？洪亮，我们走。
Wǒ méiyǒu shuō rènhé rén. Wǒ zhǐ wèn: zhè dúyào, shì cóng nǎlǐ lái de? Hóng Liàng, wǒmen zǒu.
I have named no one. I only ask: where did this poison come from? Hong Liang, we're leaving.
Narrator 中午的市场里人很多。洪亮走在人群里，小心地看着四周。
Zhōngwǔ de shìchǎng lǐ rén hěnduō. Hóng Liàng zǒu zài rénqún lǐ, xiǎoxīn de kànzhe sìzhōu.
The noon market was crowded. Hong Liang walked among the people, watching carefully around him.
Hong Liang 我的钱袋！我的钱袋不见了！
Wǒ de qiándài! Wǒ de qiándài bú jiàn le!
My purse! My purse is gone!
Hong Liang 站住！我抓住你了，小偷！你的手还在我的腰带上！
Zhànzhù! Wǒ zhuāzhù nǐ le, xiǎotōu! Nǐ de shǒu hái zài wǒ de yāodài shàng!
Stop! I've got you, thief! Your hand is still on my belt!
Tao Gan 哎哟哎哟！老先生，你的手劲儿真大！我只是帮你看看，你的钱袋牢不牢。
Āiyō āiyō! Lǎo xiānsheng, nǐ de shǒujìnr zhēn dà! Wǒ zhǐshì bāng nǐ kànkan, nǐ de qiándài láo bù láo.
Ow ow ow! Old sir, what a grip! I was only checking whether your purse was sturdy.
Hong Liang 牢不牢？到了你手里，就一点儿也不牢了！
Láo bù láo? Dào le nǐ shǒulǐ, jiù yìdiǎnr yě bù láo le!
Sturdy? In your hands it's not sturdy at all!
Tao Gan 好吧好吧，我叫陶干。我偷东西的本事，全城第一。你看，钱袋还给你，我一个钱也没拿。
Hǎo ba hǎo ba, wǒ jiào Táo Gàn. Wǒ tōu dōngxi de běnshi, quánchéng dìyī. Nǐ kàn, qiándài huán gěi nǐ, wǒ yí gè qián yě méi ná.
All right, I'm Tao Gan. I'm the best thief in town. Look, here's your purse, I didn't take a single coin.
Hong Liang 你的手这么快，脑子一定也不慢。我们大人，正好缺一个你这样的人。
Nǐ de shǒu zhème kuài, nǎozi yídìng yě bú màn. Wǒmen dàren, zhènghǎo quē yí gè nǐ zhèyàng de rén.
With hands that quick, your brain must be quick too. My lord happens to need someone like you.
Tao Gan 替县官做事？有饭吃吗？有酒吗？不用再被狗追吗？
Tì xiànguān zuòshì? Yǒu fàn chī ma? Yǒu jiǔ ma? Búyòng zài bèi gǒu zhuī ma?
Work for the magistrate? Is there food? Wine? And no more being chased by dogs?
Hong Liang 有饭，有酒，也没有狗。不过大人现在在找一种毒药的来路。
Yǒu fàn, yǒu jiǔ, yě méiyǒu gǒu. Búguò dàren xiànzài zài zhǎo yì zhǒng dúyào de láilù.
Food, wine, and no dogs. But right now my lord is tracing where a certain poison came from.
Tao Gan 毒药？那太简单了。全城只有三家药铺卖那种药。
Dúyào? Nà tài jiǎndān le. Quánchéng zhǐyǒu sān jiā yàopù mài nà zhǒng yào.
Poison? That's easy. Only three shops in town sell that kind of medicine.
Tao Gan 老先生，走吧。我知道，哪一家的老板最爱说真话。
Lǎo xiānsheng, zǒu ba. Wǒ zhīdao, nǎ yì jiā de lǎobǎn zuì ài shuō zhēn huà.
Come on, old sir. I know which owner can't help telling the truth.

Hear the chapter

What changed in the story?

What did the old woman's son say at supper?
“明天陪我去庙里烧香。”
Why does Hong Liang find the cousin suspicious?
“丈夫刚走，表哥就来管钱了？”
What does the coroner find?
“银针变黑了。”
What does Tao Gan try to do in the market?
“我只是帮你看看，你的钱袋牢不牢。”
What useful thing does Tao Gan know?
“全城只有三家药铺卖那种药。”

All chapters in Judge Dee's Cases.