Judge Dee's Cases · chapter 3 of 8
Two Rough Men
两个好汉
Two robbers stop Judge Di on a mountain road, and end up on his side. That night they dig up a heavy box at the inn, but the innkeeper is gone.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 中午，狄公和洪亮走在回县城的山路上。路两边是高高的松树。
Zhōngwǔ, Dí Gōng hé Hóng Liàng zǒu zài huí xiànchéng de shānlù shàng. Lù liǎngbiān shì gāogāo de sōngshù.
At noon Judge Di and Hong Liang walked the mountain road back toward town, tall pines on both sides.
- Hong Liang 大人，县衙里的差人都太老了。今天晚上，谁跟我们去挖土呢？
Dàren, xiànyá lǐ de chàrén dōu tài lǎo le. Jīntiān wǎnshang, shuí gēn wǒmen qù wā tǔ ne?
My lord, the constables at the court are all too old. Who will come dig with us tonight?
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 我也在想这件事。要挖坑，要守夜，还要有人有力气，有胆子。
Wǒ yě zài xiǎng zhèjiàn shì. Yào wā kēng, yào shǒuyè, háiyào yǒurén yǒu lìqi, yǒu dǎnzi.
I've been thinking about it too. We need strong arms and brave hearts to dig and keep watch.
Chapter 3 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.
- Ma Rong 站住！这条山路是我们兄弟的！要从这儿过，留下钱来！
Zhànzhù! Zhè tiáo shānlù shì wǒmen xiōngdì de! Yào cóng zhèr guò, liú xià qián lái!
Halt! This mountain road belongs to us brothers! Leave your money if you want to pass!
- Hong Liang 大人小心！这两个人是强盗！快往我后面站！
Dàren xiǎoxīn! Zhè liǎng gè rén shì qiángdào! Kuài wǎng wǒ hòumiàn zhàn!
Careful, my lord! These two are robbers! Stand behind me!
- Qiao Tai 老先生别怕。我们只要钱，不要命。
Lǎo xiānsheng biépà. Wǒmen zhǐyào qián, bú yào mìng.
Don't be afraid, old sir. We want money, not lives.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 两位好汉，我是新来的县官，身上没有多少钱。
Liǎng wèi hǎohàn, wǒ shì xīnlái de xiànguān, shēnshàng méiyǒu duōshao qián.
Good fellows, I'm the new magistrate. I don't carry much money.
- Ma Rong 县官？！那更好了！县官一定有很多钱！
Xiànguān?! Nà gèng hǎo le! Xiànguān yídìng yǒu hěnduō qián!
A magistrate?! Even better! Magistrates must have loads of money!
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 可是我看，你们两位是有本事的人。这么大的力气，为什么要做强盗？
Kěshì wǒ kàn, nǐmen liǎng wèi shì yǒu běnshi de rén. Zhème dà de lìqi, wèishénme yào zuò qiángdào?
But I can see you two are men of skill. With such strength, why be robbers?
- Qiao Tai 以前的县官不讲理，我们没有饭吃，只好上了山。
Yǐqián de xiànguān bù jiǎng lǐ, wǒmen méiyǒu fàn chī, zhǐhǎo shàng le shān.
The magistrates before were unjust. We had nothing to eat, so we went up the mountain.
- Ma Rong 对！我已经三天没吃肉了！三天！
Duì! Wǒ yǐjīng sān tiān méi chī ròu le! Sān tiān!
Right! I haven't eaten meat in three days! Three days!
- Qiao Tai 他真的三天没吃肉。这三天，他天天晚上说梦话，说的全是红烧肉。
Tā zhēn de sān tiān méi chī ròu. Zhè sān tiān, tā tiāntiān wǎnshang shuō mèng huà, shuō de quánshì hóngshāoròu.
He really hasn't. For three nights he's talked in his sleep, and all he says is braised pork.
- Ma Rong 别说了，我一听到红烧肉，肚子就叫。
Bié shuō le, wǒ yì tīngdào hóngshāoròu, dǔzi jiù jiào.
Stop it, the moment I hear braised pork my stomach growls.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 如果你们替我做事，每天都有饭吃，也有肉。
Rúguǒ nǐmen tì wǒ zuòshì, měitiān dōu yǒu fàn chī, yě yǒu ròu.
If you work for me, you'll eat every day, and there will be meat.
- Ma Rong 每天都有肉？大哥，我们干不干？
Měitiān dōu yǒu ròu? Dàgē, wǒmen gàn bú gàn?
Meat every day? Brother, are we in?
- Qiao Tai 大人不怕我们又变回强盗吗？
Dàren bú pà wǒmen yòu biànhuí qiángdào ma?
Aren't you afraid we'll turn back into robbers, my lord?
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 我怕的，是坏人抓不到。你们愿意帮我抓坏人吗？
Wǒ pà de, shì huàirén zhuā bu dào. Nǐmen yuànyì bāng wǒ zhuā huàirén ma?
What I fear is that the wrongdoers go uncaught. Will you help me catch them?
- Qiao Tai 好。我叫乔泰，他叫马荣。从今天起，我们两个人的命，就是大人的命。
Hǎo. Wǒ jiào Qiáo Tài, tā jiào Mǎ Róng. Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒmen liǎng gè rén de mìng, jiù shì dàren de mìng.
Good. I am Qiao Tai, he is Ma Rong. From today, our lives are yours, my lord.
- Narrator 夜里，四个人来到客店的后院。月亮很亮，虫子叫个不停。
Yè lǐ, sì gè rén láidào kèdiàn de hòuyuàn. Yuèliàng hěn liàng, chóngzi jiào ge bù tíng.
That night the four of them came to the inn's back yard. The moon was bright and the insects would not stop.
- Hong Liang 大人，就是这儿。这一块地，土的颜色不一样。
Dàren, jiùshì zhèr. Zhè yí kuài dì, tǔ de yánsè bù yíyàng.
Here, my lord. The earth on this patch is a different color.
- Ma Rong 让我来！我在山洞里挖了三年，挖土我最拿手！
Ràng wǒ lái! Wǒ zài shāndòng lǐ wā le sān nián, wā tǔ wǒ zuì ná shǒu!
Let me! I dug in mountain caves for three years, digging is my specialty!
- Qiao Tai 小声点儿。整个院子都听见你了。
Xiǎoshēng diǎnr. Zhěnggè yuànzi dōu tīngjiàn nǐ le.
Quieter. The whole yard can hear you.
- Ma Rong 我已经很小声了！我连呼吸都很小声！
Wǒ yǐjīng hěn xiǎoshēng le! Wǒ lián hūxī dōu hěn xiǎoshēng!
I AM being quiet! Even my breathing is quiet!
- Qiao Tai 你的小声，比别人的大声还大声，连树上的鸟都醒了。
Nǐ de xiǎoshēng, bǐ biérén de dàshēng hái dàshēng, lián shùshàng de niǎo dōu xǐng le.
Your quiet is louder than other people's shouting. Even the birds in the trees woke up.
- Ma Rong 碰到东西了！好像是一个木箱子！
Pèngdào dōngxi le! Hǎoxiàng shì yí gè mù xiāngzi!
I hit something! It feels like a wooden box!
- Qiao Tai 我来帮你。你别乱拍，用力抬。一、二、三，起！
Wǒ lái bāng nǐ. Nǐ biéluàn pāi, yòng lì tái. Yī, èr, sān, qǐ!
I'll help. Stop slapping it and lift. One, two, three, up!
- Ma Rong 哇！好重啊！这里面是什么？
Wā! Hǎo zhòng a! Zhè lǐmiàn shì shénme?
Whoa, it's heavy! What's in here?
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 洪亮，把灯拿近一点儿。打开它。
Hóng Liàng, bǎ dēng ná jìn yìdiǎnr. Dǎkāi tā.
Hong Liang, bring the lantern closer. Open it.
- Hong Liang 天哪！打开一看，全是白花花的银子，一块一块的！
Tiān nǎ! Dǎkāi yí kàn, quánshì báihuāhuā de yínzi, yí kuài yí kuài de!
Heavens! Open it and it's all gleaming silver, block after block!
- Ma Rong 我们发财了！这么多银子，够买一千个肉包子！
Wǒmen fācái le! Zhème duō yínzi, gòu mǎi yì qiān gè ròubāozi!
We're rich! Enough to buy a thousand meat buns!
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 马荣，你刚才说什么？
Mǎ Róng, nǐ gāngcái shuō shénme?
Ma Rong, what did you just say?
- Ma Rong 我说……我们发现了很大的证据！对，证据！
Wǒ shuō… wǒmen fāxiàn le hěn dà de zhèngjù! Duì, zhèngjù!
I said... we found very big evidence! Yes, evidence!
- Qiao Tai 这不是我们的钱，也不是你的钱。这是证据，要交给大人。
Zhè búshì wǒmen de qián, yě búshì nǐ de qián. Zhè shì zhèngjù, yào jiāogěi dàren.
It isn't our money, and it isn't yours. It's evidence, and it goes to the magistrate.
- Ma Rong 我知道，我知道……我就是想看一看，摸一摸嘛。
Wǒ zhīdao, wǒ zhīdao… wǒ jiùshì xiǎng kàn yi kàn, mō yi mō ma.
I know, I know... I only wanted to look and touch.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 箱子上写着客人的名字。埋银子的人，就是杀人的人。洪亮，去看看掌柜睡了没有。
Xiāngzi shàng xiě zhe kèren de míngzi. Mái yínzi de rén, jiùshì shā rén de rén. Hóng Liàng, qù kànkan zhǎngguì shuì le méiyǒu.
The box has the guest's name on it. The one who buried the silver is the killer. Hong Liang, go see if the innkeeper is asleep.
- Hong Liang 大人！掌柜的房间是空的！床是冷的，后门还开着！
Dàren! Zhǎngguì de fángjiān shì kōng de! Chuáng shì lěng de, hòumén hái kāi zhe!
My lord! The innkeeper's room is empty! His bed is cold and the back door is open!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why do Ma Rong and Qiao Tai stop Judge Di on the road?
“要从这儿过，留下钱来！”
- What does Judge Di promise if they work for him?
“每天都有饭吃，也有肉。”
- What does Judge Di say he fears?
“我怕的，是坏人抓不到。”
- What do they find buried in the back yard?
“全是白花花的银子！”
- What bad news ends the chapter?
“掌柜的房间是空的！”