Lady Meng Jiang · chapter 2 of 5
The Man in the Garden
花园里的人
At dusk, Meng Jiangnu finds a stranger hiding behind the rocks in the garden. He is young, frightened, and running from the emperor's men.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 天快黑了。孟姜女拿着灯笼，来到后花园。
Tiān kuài hēi le. Mèng Jiāngnǚ názhe dēnglong, lái dào hòu huāyuán.
It was nearly dark. Meng Jiangnu came out into the back garden with a lantern.
- Meng Jiangnu 水边的石头后边，好像有人……
Shuǐ biān de shítou hòubian, hǎoxiàng yǒu rén…
I think there's someone behind the rocks by the water…
- Meng Jiangnu 谁在那里？快出来！
Shéi zài nàlǐ? Kuài chūlái!
Who's there? Come out!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Lady Meng Jiang 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Fan Xiliang 别叫，求求你！我不是坏人。
Bié jiào, qiúqiu nǐ! Wǒ bú shì huàirén.
Please, don't shout! I'm not a bad man.
- Meng Jiangnu 你是谁？为什么在我家的花园里？
Nǐ shì shéi? Wèishénme zài wǒ jiā de huāyuán lǐ?
Who are you? What are you doing in our garden?
- Fan Xiliang 我叫范喜良，是个读书人。官兵要抓我去修长城，我是跑出来的。
Wǒ jiào Fàn Xǐliáng, shì gè dúshūrén. Guānbīng yào zhuā wǒ qù xiū Chángchéng, wǒ shì pǎo chūlái de.
My name is Fan Xiliang. I'm a scholar. The officers want to drag me off to build the Great Wall, so I ran away.
- Meng Jiangnu 他的衣服破了，脸上都是土。他一定走了很远的路……
Tā de yīfu pò le, liǎn shang dōu shì tǔ. Tā yídìng zǒu le hěn yuǎn de lù…
His clothes are torn, and his face is covered in dust. He must have come a long way…
- Fan Xiliang 姑娘，我两天没吃东西了。能给我一点儿水吗？
Gūniang, wǒ liǎng tiān méi chī dōngxi le. Néng gěi wǒ yìdiǎnr shuǐ ma?
Miss, I haven't eaten in two days. Could you spare a little water?
- Meng Jiangnu 别怕。我去给你拿水，也叫我爸爸来。
Bié pà. Wǒ qù gěi nǐ ná shuǐ, yě jiào wǒ bàba lái.
Don't be afraid. I'll bring you some water, and I'll get my father.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 姜女，出什么事了？这个年轻人是谁？
Jiāngnǚ, chū shénme shì le? Zhège niánqīngrén shì shéi?
Jiangnu, what's going on? Who is this young man?
- Fan Xiliang 老人家，对不起。我不想给你们找麻烦，我这就走。
Lǎorénjia, duìbuqǐ. Wǒ bù xiǎng gěi nǐmen zhǎo máfan, wǒ zhè jiù zǒu.
Sir, I'm sorry. I don't want to bring trouble on your family. I'll leave right now.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 走？外边都是官兵，你能去哪儿？就住在我们家吧。
Zǒu? Wàibian dōu shì guānbīng, nǐ néng qù nǎr? Jiù zhù zài wǒmen jiā ba.
Leave? There are officers everywhere out there. Where would you go? Stay here with us.
- Narrator 就这样，范喜良在孟家住了下来。一个月很快过去了。
Jiù zhèyàng, Fàn Xǐliáng zài Mèng jiā zhù le xiàlái. Yí gè yuè hěn kuài guòqù le.
And so Fan Xiliang came to live with the Mengs. A month flew by.
- Meng Jiangnu 喜良，你天天看书。书里有什么？
Xǐliáng, nǐ tiāntiān kàn shū. Shū lǐ yǒu shénme?
Xiliang, you read every day. What's in your books?
- Fan Xiliang 有很多好听的故事。你想听吗？我讲给你听。
Yǒu hěn duō hǎotīng de gùshi. Nǐ xiǎng tīng ma? Wǒ jiǎng gěi nǐ tīng.
Lots of wonderful stories. Would you like to hear one? I'll tell you.
- Meng Jiangnu 他说话的声音真好听……我好像喜欢上他了。
Tā shuōhuà de shēngyīn zhēn hǎotīng… wǒ hǎoxiàng xǐhuan shàng tā le.
He has such a lovely voice… I think I'm falling for him.
- Fan Xiliang 姜女又好看，心又好。我想和她永远在一起。
Jiāngnǚ yòu hǎokàn, xīn yòu hǎo. Wǒ xiǎng hé tā yǒngyuǎn zài yìqǐ.
Jiangnu is lovely, and her heart is so kind. I want to be with her forever.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 喜良，你是不是喜欢我们姜女？
Xǐliáng, nǐ shì bu shì xǐhuan wǒmen Jiāngnǚ?
Xiliang, you're sweet on our Jiangnu, aren't you?
- Fan Xiliang 老人家，我……我很喜欢她。可是我什么都没有。
Lǎorénjia, wǒ… wǒ hěn xǐhuan tā. Kěshì wǒ shénme dōu méiyǒu.
Sir, I… I care for her very much. But I have nothing to my name.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 你是个好人，这就够了。女儿，你不是说不要丈夫吗？
Nǐ shì gè hǎorén, zhè jiù gòu le. Nǚ'ér, nǐ bú shì shuō bú yào zhàngfu ma?
You're a good man, and that's enough for me. Daughter, didn't you tell me you didn't want a husband?
- Meng Jiangnu 爸爸！我……我听你的。
Bàba! Wǒ… wǒ tīng nǐ de.
Dad! I… I'll do as you say.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 好！三天以后，你们就结婚！
Hǎo! Sān tiān yǐhòu, nǐmen jiù jiéhūn!
Wonderful! In three days, you two will be married!
- Fan Xiliang 三天……官兵，千万别找到这里啊。
Sān tiān… guānbīng, qiānwàn bié zhǎo dào zhèlǐ a.
Three days… Please, don't let the officers find me here.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Where does Meng Jiangnu find the stranger?
“水边的石头后边，好像有人……”
- Why is Fan Xiliang running?
“官兵要抓我去修长城，我是跑出来的。”
- Why does her father tell Fan to stay?
“外边都是官兵，你能去哪儿？就住在我们家吧。”
- What does Fan share with Meng Jiangnu during that month?
“有很多好听的故事。你想听吗？我讲给你听。”
- What does her father decide at the end?
“三天以后，你们就结婚！”