Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 7 of 25
A Daughter at Home
宁家的女儿
A voice calls behind Ning, and his mother must decide what to do with a lovely guest who is not alive. Where will she sleep tonight?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 在书房外边，宁采臣回过头一看：是小倩！白天的她，比晚上还美。
Zài shūfáng wàibian, Níng Cǎichén huí guò tóu yí kàn: shì Xiǎoqiàn! Báitiān de tā, bǐ wǎnshang hái měi.
Outside the study, Ning Caichen turned around: it was Xiaoqian! By day she was even lovelier than by night.
- Ning Caichen 小倩！你……你跟着我回家了？
Xiǎoqiàn! Nǐ… nǐ gēnzhe wǒ huí jiā le?
Xiaoqian! You... you followed me home?
- Nie Xiaoqian 你说过带我回家，真的做到了。我怎么谢你都不够。
Nǐ shuōguo dài wǒ huí jiā, zhēn de zuò dào le. Wǒ zěnme xiè nǐ dōu bú gòu.
You said you'd take me home, and you really did. I can never thank you enough.
Chapter 7 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Nie Xiaoqian 让我去见见老夫人吧。
Ràng wǒ qù jiànjian lǎo fūrén ba.
Please let me go and meet your mother.
- Ning Caichen 娘，您别怕。她叫小倩，是一个鬼，可是她是一个好鬼！
Niáng, nín bié pà. Tā jiào Xiǎoqiàn, shì yí gè guǐ, kěshì tā shì yí gè hǎo guǐ!
Mother, don't be afraid. Her name is Xiaoqian. She's a ghost, but she's a good ghost!
- Ning's Mother 鬼？采臣，你带回来一个鬼？
Guǐ? Cǎichén, nǐ dài huílai yí gè guǐ?
A ghost? Caichen, you've brought home a ghost?
- Nie Xiaoqian 老夫人，我一个人，离家很远。是他救了我。我想留下来，给您做饭。
Lǎo fūrén, wǒ yí gè rén, lí jiā hěn yuǎn. Shì tā jiù le wǒ. Wǒ xiǎng liú xiàlai, gěi nín zuò fàn.
Madam, I'm all alone, far from home. He saved me. I'd like to stay and cook for you.
- Ning's Mother 姑娘，你很美。可是我只有采臣一个儿子，不能让一个鬼做他的妻子。
Gūniang, nǐ hěn měi. Kěshì wǒ zhǐyǒu Cǎichén yí gè érzi, bù néng ràng yí gè guǐ zuò tā de qīzi.
Young lady, you're very lovely. But Caichen is my only son. I can't let a ghost be his wife.
- Nie Xiaoqian 我没有别的意思。就让我做他的妹妹吧，早上晚上，我都来看您。
Wǒ méiyǒu bié de yìsi. Jiù ràng wǒ zuò tā de mèimei ba, zǎoshang wǎnshang, wǒ dōu lái kàn nín.
I mean nothing more. Just let me be his sister. Morning and evening, I'll come to see you.
- Ning's Mother 好吧，孩子。那你就做采臣的妹妹吧。
Hǎo ba, háizi. Nà nǐ jiù zuò Cǎichén de mèimei ba.
All right, child. Then you'll be Caichen's sister.
- Nie Xiaoqian 谢谢老夫人！我能见见他的妻子吗？
Xièxie lǎo fūrén! Wǒ néng jiànjian tā de qīzi ma?
Thank you, madam! May I meet his wife?
- Ning's Mother 她病了很久，不能见人。
Tā bìng le hěn jiǔ, bù néng jiàn rén.
She's been ill a long time. She can't see anyone.
- Nie Xiaoqian 那我去给您做饭！
Nà wǒ qù gěi nín zuò fàn!
Then I'll go and cook for you!
- Narrator 天黑以后，老夫人有一点儿怕她，没有给她准备床。
Tiān hēi yǐhòu, lǎo fūrén yǒu yìdiǎnr pà tā, méiyǒu gěi tā zhǔnbèi chuáng.
After dark, Ning's mother was a little afraid of her, and didn't make up a bed for her.
- Ning Caichen 小倩，你怎么在书房外边走来走去？进来吧。
Xiǎoqiàn, nǐ zěnme zài shūfáng wàibian zǒu lái zǒu qù? Jìnlai ba.
Xiaoqian, why are you pacing outside the study? Come in.
- Nie Xiaoqian 哥哥，你的书房里有剑气，我怕……
Gēge, nǐ de shūfáng li yǒu jiànqì, wǒ pà…
Brother, there's sword air in your study. I'm afraid...
- Ning Caichen 我知道了，是燕大哥的皮袋！我把它挂到别的房间去。
Wǒ zhīdào le, shì Yàn dàgē de pídài! Wǒ bǎ tā guà dào bié de fángjiān qù.
I see, it's Brother Yan's leather bag! I'll hang it in another room.
- Narrator 小倩进来了，坐在灯旁边，很久都不说话。
Xiǎoqiàn jìnlai le, zuò zài dēng pángbiān, hěn jiǔ dōu bù shuōhuà.
Xiaoqian came in and sat by the lamp, and for a long time she said nothing.
- Nie Xiaoqian 哥哥，我活着的时候，读过一本经，现在忘了一半。你能借给我吗？
Gēge, wǒ huózhe de shíhou, dúguo yì běn jīng, xiànzài wàng le yíbàn. Nǐ néng jiè gěi wǒ ma?
Brother, when I was alive I read a sutra, and now I've forgotten half of it. Could you lend me one?
- Ning Caichen 好，我借给你。
Hǎo, wǒ jiè gěi nǐ.
All right, I'll lend you one.
- Ning Caichen 小倩，很晚了。我们是哥哥和妹妹，你回去吧。
Xiǎoqiàn, hěn wǎn le. Wǒmen shì gēge hé mèimei, nǐ huíqu ba.
Xiaoqian, it's late. We're brother and sister. You should go back now.
- Nie Xiaoqian 好……哥哥，我走了。
Hǎo… gēge, wǒ zǒu le.
All right... Brother, I'll go.
- Narrator 她慢慢地走到门外边，就看不见了。
Tā mànmàn de zǒu dào mén wàibian, jiù kàn bu jiàn le.
She walked slowly out the door, and just outside it, she was gone.
- Ning Caichen 她能去哪儿呢？……可是，娘会不高兴的。
Tā néng qù nǎr ne?… Kěshì, niáng huì bù gāoxìng de.
Where can she go?... But Mother would be upset.
- Ning's Mother 采臣，小倩天天给我打水、做饭。有这样一个女儿，真好！
Cǎichén, Xiǎoqiàn tiāntiān gěi wǒ dǎ shuǐ, zuò fàn. Yǒu zhèyàng yí gè nǚ'ér, zhēn hǎo!
Caichen, Xiaoqian fetches my water and cooks for me every day. It's so good to have a daughter like her!
- Ning Caichen 娘，您忘了？她是一个鬼啊。
Niáng, nín wàng le? Tā shì yí gè guǐ a.
Mother, have you forgotten? She's a ghost.
- Ning's Mother 什么鬼不鬼的！她是我的女儿。孩子，你来这儿半年了，喝一点儿粥吧。
Shénme guǐ bù guǐ de! Tā shì wǒ de nǚ'ér. Háizi, nǐ lái zhèr bàn nián le, hē yìdiǎnr zhōu ba.
Ghost or no ghost! She's my daughter. Child, you've been here half a year. Have a little porridge.
- Nie Xiaoqian 谢谢老夫人……粥是热的，真好喝。
Xièxie lǎo fūrén… zhōu shì rè de, zhēn hǎohē.
Thank you, madam... The porridge is warm. It's so good.
- Narrator 从那天起，没有人看得出来，小倩是一个鬼。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, méiyǒu rén kàn de chūlai, Xiǎoqiàn shì yí gè guǐ.
From that day on, no one could tell that Xiaoqian was a ghost.
- Ning's Mother 采臣……你的妻子病了这么久，今天早上，她走了。
Cǎichén… nǐ de qīzi bìng le zhème jiǔ, jīntiān zǎoshang, tā zǒu le.
Caichen... your wife was ill for so long. This morning, she passed away.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why won't Ning's mother let Xiaoqian be Ning's wife?
“我只有采臣一个儿子，不能让一个鬼做他的妻子”
- What does Ning's mother agree Xiaoqian will be?
“那你就做采臣的妹妹吧”
- Why won't Xiaoqian come into Ning's study at night?
“你的书房里有剑气，我怕”
- What does Xiaoqian ask to borrow from Ning?
“读过一本经……你能借给我吗”
- What does Ning's mother give Xiaoqian after half a year?
“你来这儿半年了，喝一点儿粥吧”