Lady Meng Jiang · chapter 4 of 5
Winter Clothes
千里送冬衣
Months pass with no word from Xiliang. As the snow falls, Meng Jiangnu sews him winter clothes and sets out to walk a thousand li north.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 喜良走了三个月，一点儿消息也没有。冬天到了。
Xǐliáng zǒu le sān gè yuè, yìdiǎnr xiāoxi yě méiyǒu. Dōngtiān dào le.
Three months passed without a single word from Xiliang. Then winter came.
- Meng Jiangnu 下雪了。北边一定更冷吧……喜良走的那天晚上，只穿着结婚的衣服。
Xià xuě le. Běibian yídìng gèng lěng ba… Xǐliáng zǒu de nà tiān wǎnshang, zhǐ chuānzhe jiéhūn de yīfu.
It's snowing. It must be even colder up north… The night Xiliang left, he had nothing on but his wedding clothes.
- Meng Jiangnu 我要给他做冬衣。有了冬衣，他就不冷了。
Wǒ yào gěi tā zuò dōngyī. Yǒu le dōngyī, tā jiù bù lěng le.
I'll make him winter clothes. With warm clothes, he won't be cold anymore.
Chapter 4 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.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 姜女，这么晚了，你还在做衣服？
Jiāngnǚ, zhème wǎn le, nǐ hái zài zuò yīfu?
Jiangnu, it's so late. Are you still sewing?
- Meng Jiangnu 爸爸，衣服做好了，我就给喜良送去。
Bàba, yīfu zuò hǎo le, wǒ jiù gěi Xǐliáng sòng qù.
Dad, as soon as these are finished, I'm taking them to Xiliang.
- Meng Jiangnu's father 长城离这里有一千多里路！你一个女孩子，怎么去？
Chángchéng lí zhèlǐ yǒu yìqiān duō lǐ lù! Nǐ yí gè nǚháizi, zěnme qù?
The Great Wall is more than a thousand li from here! How can a girl like you get there alone?
- Meng Jiangnu 走着去。十天走不到，就走二十天。二十天走不到，就走一个月！
Zǒuzhe qù. Shí tiān zǒu bu dào, jiù zǒu èrshí tiān. Èrshí tiān zǒu bu dào, jiù zǒu yí gè yuè!
I'll walk. If ten days aren't enough, I'll walk for twenty. If twenty aren't enough, I'll walk for a month!
- Meng Jiangnu's father 你这个孩子……好吧。路上小心，爸爸在家等你们两个回来。
Nǐ zhège háizi… hǎo ba. Lùshang xiǎoxīn, bàba zài jiā děng nǐmen liǎng gè huílái.
Oh, you stubborn girl… All right. Be careful on the road. I'll be here at home, waiting for you both to come back.
- Narrator 第二天早上，孟姜女背上冬衣，一个人往北走去。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, Mèng Jiāngnǚ bēi shàng dōngyī, yí gè rén wǎng běi zǒu qù.
The next morning, Meng Jiangnu tied the winter clothes onto her back and set off north, alone.
- Meng Jiangnu 走了十天了……山这么高，路这么远。
Zǒu le shí tiān le… shān zhème gāo, lù zhème yuǎn.
Ten days of walking already… The mountains are so high, and the road goes on forever.
- Meng Jiangnu 风好大，雪也越下越大。我的脚好疼……
Fēng hǎo dà, xuě yě yuè xià yuè dà. Wǒ de jiǎo hǎo téng…
The wind is so strong, and the snow keeps getting heavier. My feet hurt so much…
- Meng Jiangnu 喜良，你冷不冷？饿不饿？你还好吗？
Xǐliáng, nǐ lěng bu lěng? È bu è? Nǐ hái hǎo ma?
Xiliang, are you cold? Are you hungry? Are you all right?
- Meng Jiangnu 不，我不能停。喜良在等我。
Bù, wǒ bù néng tíng. Xǐliáng zài děng wǒ.
No, I can't stop. Xiliang is waiting for me.
- Meng Jiangnu 天黑了……看，那边有一个小房子，还亮着灯！
Tiān hēi le… kàn, nàbian yǒu yí gè xiǎo fángzi, hái liàngzhe dēng!
It's getting dark… Look, there's a little house over there, and a light is still on!
- Auntie 姑娘，外边这么冷，快进来坐！
Gūniang, wàibian zhème lěng, kuài jìnlái zuò!
Young lady, it's freezing out there. Come in and sit down, quick!
- Meng Jiangnu 谢谢您，大娘！
Xièxie nín, dàniáng!
Thank you, Auntie!
- Auntie 下这么大的雪，你一个人要去哪儿？
Xià zhème dà de xuě, nǐ yí gè rén yào qù nǎr?
In snow like this? Where are you going all by yourself?
- Meng Jiangnu 去长城。我丈夫在那里修长城，我给他送冬衣。
Qù Chángchéng. Wǒ zhàngfu zài nàlǐ xiū Chángchéng, wǒ gěi tā sòng dōngyī.
To the Great Wall. My husband is working on the wall, and I'm bringing him winter clothes.
- Auntie 唉，我的儿子也去修长城了。三年了，一次也没回来。
Āi, wǒ de érzi yě qù xiū Chángchéng le. Sān nián le, yí cì yě méi huílái.
Ah… my son went to build the wall too. Three years now, and he hasn't come home once.
- Meng Jiangnu 大娘，别难过。您的儿子一定会回来的。
Dàniáng, bié nánguò. Nín de érzi yídìng huì huílái de.
Don't be sad, Auntie. Your son will come home, I'm sure of it.
- Auntie 好孩子。往北再走五天，就到了。路上……小心啊。
Hǎo háizi. Wǎng běi zài zǒu wǔ tiān, jiù dào le. Lùshang… xiǎoxīn a.
Bless you, child. Five more days to the north and you'll be there. Take care on the road.
- Narrator 五天以后，她看见了大山上的长城。
Wǔ tiān yǐhòu, tā kànjiàn le dà shān shang de Chángchéng.
Five days later, she saw the Great Wall stretching across the mountains.
- Meng Jiangnu 那就是长城？那么长……那么多人……喜良，你在哪儿？
Nà jiù shì Chángchéng? Nàme cháng… nàme duō rén… Xǐliáng, nǐ zài nǎr?
So that's the Great Wall? It's so long… and there are so many people… Xiliang, where are you?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What worries Meng Jiangnu when the snow comes?
“北边一定更冷吧……只穿着结婚的衣服。”
- How far is the Great Wall from her home?
“长城离这里有一千多里路！”
- How does she answer her father's worry?
“走着去。十天走不到，就走二十天。”
- Why is the woman in the little house sad?
“我的儿子也去修长城了。三年了，一次也没回来。”
- How much farther is the wall, according to the woman?
“往北再走五天，就到了。”