Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 9 of 25
A Sprig of Plum Blossom
一枝梅花
Pu Songling begins a new tale: at the Lantern Festival a laughing girl drops a sprig of plum blossom, and a young man from Luodian can't stop thinking about her.
Read what you hear
- Pu Songling 我又听到了一个故事。这一次，是罗店的一个书生。
Wǒ yòu tīngdào le yí gè gùshi. Zhè yí cì, shì Luódiàn de yí gè shūshēng.
I heard another tale. This time it is about a scholar from Luodian.
- Narrator 他叫王子服，十七岁，书读得很好。家里只有他和娘。
Tā jiào Wáng Zǐfú, shíqī suì, shū dú de hěn hǎo. Jiā li zhǐyǒu tā hé niáng.
His name was Wang Zifu. He was seventeen and very good at his books. At home there was only him and his mother.
- Wu 子服，家里叫我回去，我得走了。今天元宵节，你自己去玩吧！
Zǐfú, jiā li jiào wǒ huíqu, wǒ děi zǒu le. Jīntiān Yuánxiāo jié, nǐ zìjǐ qù wán ba!
Zifu, my family's calling me home, I have to go. It's the Lantern Festival today, so go and have fun on your own!
Chapter 9 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.
- Wang Zifu 好，表哥，你去吧！
Hǎo, biǎogē, nǐ qù ba!
All right, cousin, off you go!
- Wang Zifu 那个姑娘拿着一枝梅花，美得像仙女一样……我的心跳得好快！
Nàge gūniang názhe yì zhī méihuā, měi de xiàng xiānnǚ yíyàng… wǒ de xīn tiào de hǎo kuài!
That girl holding a sprig of plum blossom is as lovely as a fairy... My heart is racing!
- Yingning 你看那个人，眼睛亮亮的，像贼一样！
Nǐ kàn nàge rén, yǎnjing liàngliàng de, xiàng zéi yíyàng!
Look at that man, his eyes glitter like a thief's!
- Wang Zifu 她把梅花扔在地上，笑着走了……这枝梅花，我要留着。
Tā bǎ méihuā rēng zài dì shang, xiàozhe zǒu le… zhè zhī méihuā, wǒ yào liúzhe.
She tossed the plum blossom on the ground and walked off laughing... I'm keeping this sprig.
- Narrator 回到家，王子服把梅花放在枕头下边，不吃饭，也不说话。
Huí dào jiā, Wáng Zǐfú bǎ méihuā fàng zài zhěntou xiàbian, bù chī fàn, yě bù shuōhuà.
Back home, Wang Zifu put the plum blossom under his pillow. He wouldn't eat, and he wouldn't speak.
- Wang's Mother 子服，你怎么了？吃了药，怎么还不好？
Zǐfú, nǐ zěnme le? Chī le yào, zěnme hái bù hǎo?
Zifu, what's wrong? You've taken medicine, so why aren't you better?
- Wang Zifu 娘……我不想吃。
Niáng… wǒ bù xiǎng chī.
Mother... I don't want to eat.
- Wu 子服！听说你病了？你的魂呢？是不是跟哪个姑娘走了？
Zǐfú! Tīngshuō nǐ bìng le? Nǐ de hún ne? Shì bu shì gēn nǎge gūniang zǒu le?
Zifu! I hear you're sick? Where's your soul? Did it run off with some girl?
- Wang Zifu 你说对了，表哥……
Nǐ shuō duì le, biǎogē…
You're right, cousin...
- Wu 真的？是哪家的姑娘？
Zhēn de? Shì nǎ jiā de gūniang?
Really? Which family is she from?
- Wang Zifu 我不知道。她说我像贼一样，可是她笑了！你帮我找到她吧！
Wǒ bù zhīdào. Tā shuō wǒ xiàng zéi yíyàng, kěshì tā xiào le! Nǐ bāng wǒ zhǎo dào tā ba!
I don't know. She said I looked like a thief, but she laughed! Help me find her!
- Wu 这有什么难的？我去帮你找她。你先吃饭，快一点儿好起来！
Zhè yǒu shénme nán de? Wǒ qù bāng nǐ zhǎo tā. Nǐ xiān chī fàn, kuài yìdiǎnr hǎo qǐlai!
What's so hard about that? I'll go find her for you. You eat something first, and hurry up and get well!
- Wu 子服！我找了好几天，找到她了！
Zǐfú! Wǒ zhǎo le hǎo jǐ tiān, zhǎo dào tā le!
Zifu! I've been looking for days, and I've found her!
- Wang Zifu 真的？她是谁？
Zhēn de? Tā shì shéi?
Really? Who is she?
- Wu 她是你的表妹！她娘是你娘的姐姐。
Tā shì nǐ de biǎomèi! Tā niáng shì nǐ niáng de jiějie.
She's your cousin! Her mother is your mother's elder sister.
- Wang Zifu 我的表妹？太好了！她住在哪儿？
Wǒ de biǎomèi? Tài hǎo le! Tā zhù zài nǎr?
My cousin? Wonderful! Where does she live?
- Wu 西南边的山里，离这儿三十里。别急，别急！过几天我带你去。
Xīnánbian de shān li, lí zhèr sānshí lǐ. Bié jí, bié jí! Guò jǐ tiān wǒ dài nǐ qù.
In the hills to the southwest, thirty li from here. Easy, easy! I'll take you there in a few days.
- Wang's Mother 子服，你笑了！你吃饭了！
Zǐfú, nǐ xiào le! Nǐ chī fàn le!
Zifu, you're smiling! You're eating!
- Narrator 王子服的病，慢慢地好了。可是，吴生一直没有再来。
Wáng Zǐfú de bìng, mànmàn de hǎo le. Kěshì, Wú shēng yìzhí méiyǒu zài lái.
Little by little, Wang Zifu got better. But Wu never came back.
- Wang's Mother 子服，别等他了。娘给你找一个好姑娘，早一点儿结婚吧！
Zǐfú, bié děng tā le. Niáng gěi nǐ zhǎo yí gè hǎo gūniang, zǎo yìdiǎnr jiéhūn ba!
Zifu, stop waiting for him. Let me find you a nice girl, and you can marry soon!
- Wang Zifu 不，娘，我只要她。
Bù, niáng, wǒ zhǐ yào tā.
No, Mother. I only want her.
- Wang Zifu 枕头下边的梅花干了，可是还在。我看着它，就像看见了她。
Zhěntou xiàbian de méihuā gān le, kěshì hái zài. Wǒ kànzhe tā, jiù xiàng kànjiàn le tā.
The plum blossom under my pillow has dried, but it's still here. When I look at it, it's like seeing her.
- Narrator 可是王子服不知道：吴生没有找到她，是在骗他。
Kěshì Wáng Zǐfú bù zhīdào: Wú shēng méiyǒu zhǎo dào tā, shì zài piàn tā.
But Wang Zifu didn't know that Wu had never found her. Wu was lying to him.
- Wang Zifu 三十里，不远！表哥不来，我就带着这枝梅花，自己去找她！
Sānshí lǐ, bù yuǎn! Biǎogē bù lái, wǒ jiù dàizhe zhè zhī méihuā, zìjǐ qù zhǎo tā!
Thirty li isn't far! If my cousin won't come, I'll take this plum blossom and find her myself!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the girl say about Wang Zifu's eyes?
“眼睛亮亮的，像贼一样”
- Where does Wang Zifu put the plum blossom at home?
“把梅花放在枕头下边”
- What does Wu guess is wrong with Wang Zifu?
“你的魂呢？是不是跟哪个姑娘走了”
- Where does Wu say the girl lives?
“西南边的山里，离这儿三十里”
- What doesn't Wang Zifu know when he sets off?
“吴生没有找到她，是在骗他”