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The Lantern That Knew the Way · chapter 3 of 3

A Light to Pass On

传下去的光

Bai Lu must decide what to do with what remains of her mother’s craft—and who might carry it forward.

A Light to Pass On illustration

Read what you hear

  1. Bai Lu 阿晴没有催我。我把旧灯放在桌上，她轻轻放好木盒。

    Ā Qíng méiyǒu cuī wǒ. Wǒ bǎ jiù dēng fàng zài zhuō shang, tā qīngqīng fàng hǎo mùhé.

    A Qing does not rush me. I set the old lantern on the table, and she gently sets down the wooden box.

  2. Bai Lu 我又看了一眼妈妈写的“先折，再剪”。

    Wǒ yòu kàn le yì yǎn māma xiě de “xiān zhé, zài jiǎn”.

    I look again at my mother’s words: “Fold first, then cut.”

  3. Bai Lu 我可以试着教你。

    Wǒ kěyǐ shì zhe jiāo nǐ.

    I can try to teach you.

Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Lantern That Knew the Way 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.

  1. Chen Qing 我会认真学。

    Wǒ huì rènzhēn xué.

    I’ll learn carefully.

  2. Bai Lu 我们把纸放平，照着图样画线。

    Wǒmen bǎ zhǐ fàng píng, zhào zhe túyàng huà xiàn.

    We lay the paper flat and draw the lines from the pattern.

  3. Bai Lu 阿晴先拿起剪刀。

    Ā Qíng xiān ná qǐ jiǎndāo.

    A Qing picks up the scissors first.

  4. Bai Lu 等一下，先折，再剪。

    Děng yíxià, xiān zhé, zài jiǎn.

    Wait. Fold first, then cut.

  5. Bai Lu 她笑了，放下剪刀，慢慢把纸折好。

    Tā xiào le, fàng xià jiǎndāo, mànmàn bǎ zhǐ zhé hǎo.

    She smiles, puts down the scissors, and slowly folds the paper.

  6. Bai Lu 第一条边就剪歪了。

    Dì yī tiáo biān jiù jiǎn wāi le.

    The very first edge comes out crooked.

  7. Chen Qing 我做错了。

    Wǒ zuò cuò le.

    I got it wrong.

  8. Bai Lu 没关系。妈妈也让我重来过。

    Méi guānxi. Māma yě ràng wǒ chóng lái guo.

    It’s okay. My mother made me start over too.

  9. Bai Lu 我拿起另一张纸，和她一起做。

    Wǒ ná qǐ lìng yì zhāng zhǐ, hé tā yìqǐ zuò.

    I take another sheet of paper and work alongside her.

  10. Bai Lu 这一次，纸的两边正好合在一起。

    Zhè yí cì, zhǐ de liǎng biān zhènghǎo hé zài yìqǐ.

    This time, the two sides of the paper meet exactly.

  11. Bai Lu 陈伯递来几根细竹条。

    Chén Bó dì lái jǐ gēn xì zhútiáo.

    Chen Bo hands us a few thin bamboo strips.

  12. Chen Bo 竹条我来放，你们贴纸。

    Zhútiáo wǒ lái fàng, nǐmen tiē zhǐ.

    I’ll set the bamboo strips. You two attach the paper.

  13. Bai Lu 我们把纸贴上去，灯笼慢慢有了样子。

    Wǒmen bǎ zhǐ tiē shàngqu, dēnglong mànmàn yǒu le yàngzi.

    We attach the paper, and the lantern slowly takes shape.

  14. Chen Qing 下一盏，我想自己做。

    Xià yì zhǎn, wǒ xiǎng zìjǐ zuò.

    I want to make the next one myself.

  15. Bai Lu 好。我把图样留给你。

    Hǎo. Wǒ bǎ túyàng liú gěi nǐ.

    Good. I’ll leave the pattern with you.

  16. Bai Lu 阿晴提起新灯，开心地笑了。

    Ā Qíng tí qǐ xīn dēng, kāixīn de xiào le.

    A Qing lifts the new lantern and smiles happily.

  17. Bai Lu 就在这时，桌上的旧灯又亮了。

    Jiù zài zhè shí, zhuō shang de jiù dēng yòu liàng le.

    At that moment, the old lantern on the table lights up again.

  18. Bai Lu 这次，光照在阿晴的手上。

    Zhè cì, guāng zhào zài Ā Qíng de shǒu shang.

    This time, its light falls on A Qing’s hands.

  19. Bai Lu 原来，灯要我找的，不是那间旧屋，是一双新的手。

    Yuánlái, dēng yào wǒ zhǎo de, bú shì nà jiān jiù wū, shì yì shuāng xīn de shǒu.

    So that was it. What the lantern wanted me to find wasn't the old workshop. It was a new pair of hands.

  20. Bai Lu 妈妈回不来了，那间屋子也没有了。可是，她的手艺还在。

    Māma huí bù lái le, nà jiān wūzi yě méiyǒu le. Kěshì, tā de shǒuyì hái zài.

    My mother can't come back, and the workshop is gone. But her craft is still here.

  21. Bai Lu 现在，每次拿起剪刀以前，阿晴都会小声说：先折，再剪。

    Xiànzài, měi cì ná qǐ jiǎndāo yǐqián, Ā Qíng dōu huì xiǎoshēng shuō: xiān zhé, zài jiǎn.

    Now, every time before she picks up the scissors, A Qing whispers: fold first, then cut.

Hear the chapter

What changed in the story?

  1. What does Bai Lu teach A Qing to do before cutting?

    Bai Lu repeats her mother’s instruction: fold first, then cut.

  2. What does Chen Bo bring to help them build the new lantern?

    Chen Bo hands them thin bamboo strips for the lantern frame.

  3. What happens after the first edge is cut crooked?

    Bai Lu reassures A Qing; they try again, then assemble the lantern.

  4. Why does the old lantern light again?

    Its light returns after A Qing learns and chooses to make another lantern herself.

  5. How has Bai Lu’s feeling changed by the end?

    Bai Lu accepts that her mother cannot return and the old workshop is gone, then makes lanterns with Chen Bo and A Qing.

All chapters in The Lantern That Knew the Way.