Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 5 of 25
Eyes at the Window
窗外的眼睛
Ning Caichen has one day to talk his way into Yan Chixia's room, but Yan Chixia likes to sleep alone. Then night falls.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天一大早，宁采臣就去找燕赤霞。
Dì èr tiān yí dà zǎo, Níng Cǎichén jiù qù zhǎo Yàn Chìxiá.
Early the next morning, Ning Caichen went to find Yan Chixia.
- Ning Caichen 就是今天晚上了。只有燕大哥那儿安全，他不能出门！
Jiù shì jīntiān wǎnshang le. Zhǐyǒu Yàn dàgē nàr ānquán, tā bù néng chūmén!
It's tonight. Only Brother Yan's room is safe. He can't go out!
- Ning Caichen 燕大哥，先别出门！今天我请您喝酒。
Yàn dàgē, xiān bié chūmén! Jīntiān wǒ qǐng nín hē jiǔ.
Brother Yan, don't go out yet! Today the wine is on me.
- Yan Chixia 一大早就喝酒？老弟，你今天怎么了？
Yí dà zǎo jiù hē jiǔ? Lǎodì, nǐ jīntiān zěnme le?
Wine first thing in the morning? What's gotten into you today, little brother?
- Ning Caichen 没什么，我就是想跟您多说说话。
Méi shénme, wǒ jiù shì xiǎng gēn nín duō shuōshuo huà.
Nothing. I just want to talk with you a little more.
- Yan Chixia 好，有酒就好。
Hǎo, yǒu jiǔ jiù hǎo.
Fine. If there's wine, I'm happy.
- Narrator 两个人喝了一天酒。宁采臣的眼睛，一直看着燕赤霞。
Liǎng gè rén hē le yì tiān jiǔ. Níng Cǎichén de yǎnjing, yìzhí kànzhe Yàn Chìxiá.
The two of them drank all day. Ning Caichen's eyes never left Yan Chixia.
- Ning Caichen 燕大哥，再喝一杯！
Yàn dàgē, zài hē yì bēi!
Brother Yan, have another cup!
- Yan Chixia 再喝，我就走不了路了。
Zài hē, wǒ jiù zǒu bu liǎo lù le.
Any more and I won't be able to walk.
- Ning Caichen 走不了才好呢！
Zǒu bu liǎo cái hǎo ne!
All the better if you can't!
- Yan Chixia 老弟，你一天都在看我。我长得很美吗？
Lǎodì, nǐ yì tiān dōu zài kàn wǒ. Wǒ zhǎng de hěn měi ma?
Little brother, you've been staring at me all day. Am I that beautiful?
- Ning Caichen 不是，不是！燕大哥，今天晚上我想在您的房间睡。
Bú shì, bú shì! Yàn dàgē, jīntiān wǎnshang wǒ xiǎng zài nín de fángjiān shuì.
No, no! Brother Yan, tonight I'd like to sleep in your room.
- Yan Chixia 我的房间？不行，我喜欢一个人睡。
Wǒ de fángjiān? Bù xíng, wǒ xǐhuan yí gè rén shuì.
My room? No. I like to sleep alone.
- Ning Caichen 我现在有一点儿害怕。
Wǒ xiànzài yǒu yìdiǎnr hàipà.
I'm a little scared right now.
- Yan Chixia 你不是说，你什么都不怕吗？
Nǐ bú shì shuō, nǐ shénme dōu bú pà ma?
Didn't you say you weren't afraid of anything?
- Ning Caichen 那是以前。您看，我的被子已经拿来了！
Nà shì yǐqián. Nín kàn, wǒ de bèizi yǐjīng nálai le!
That was then. Look, I've already brought my quilt!
- Yan Chixia 被子都拿来了？好吧，好吧。可是老弟，你得答应我一件事。
Bèizi dōu nálai le? Hǎo ba, hǎo ba. Kěshì lǎodì, nǐ děi dāying wǒ yí jiàn shì.
You've even brought your quilt? Fine, fine. But little brother, you have to promise me one thing.
- Ning Caichen 您说，什么事？
Nín shuō, shénme shì?
Tell me, what is it?
- Yan Chixia 我说话直。我有一点儿事，不能告诉你。
Wǒ shuōhuà zhí. Wǒ yǒu yìdiǎnr shì, bù néng gàosu nǐ.
I'll be plain with you. There's something I can't tell you.
- Yan Chixia 我的箱子，我的包，你都别打开。要是打开了，对你不好，对我也不好。
Wǒ de xiāngzi, wǒ de bāo, nǐ dōu bié dǎkāi. Yàoshi dǎkāi le, duì nǐ bù hǎo, duì wǒ yě bù hǎo.
My box, my bags, don't open any of them. If you do, it will go badly for you, and for me too.
- Ning Caichen 我答应您，一定不打开。
Wǒ dāying nín, yídìng bù dǎkāi.
I promise you, I won't open them.
- Ning Caichen 小倩的秘密，我也不能告诉燕大哥。我答应过要救她的。
Xiǎoqiàn de mìmì, wǒ yě bù néng gàosu Yàn dàgē. Wǒ dāyingguo yào jiù tā de.
And I can't tell Brother Yan Xiaoqian's secret either. I promised to save her.
- Narrator 天黑以后，燕赤霞把一个很小的箱子放在窗台上，很快就睡了。
Tiān hēi yǐhòu, Yàn Chìxiá bǎ yí gè hěn xiǎo de xiāngzi fàng zài chuāngtái shang, hěn kuài jiù shuì le.
After dark, Yan Chixia set a very small box on the windowsill and was soon asleep.
- Ning Caichen 燕大哥睡觉的声音像雷一样，我怎么睡得着？
Yàn dàgē shuìjiào de shēngyīn xiàng léi yíyàng, wǒ zěnme shuì de zháo?
Brother Yan snores like thunder. How am I supposed to sleep?
- Ning Caichen 小倩说，我的心像铁和石头。可是现在，我不敢睡。
Xiǎoqiàn shuō, wǒ de xīn xiàng tiě hé shítou. Kěshì xiànzài, wǒ bù gǎn shuì.
Xiaoqian said my heart was like iron and stone. But right now, I don't dare sleep.
- Narrator 过了一会儿，窗户外边很暗，好像有一个影子，看不清楚。
Guò le yíhuìr, chuānghu wàibian hěn àn, hǎoxiàng yǒu yí gè yǐngzi, kàn bu qīngchu.
A little later, it was dark outside the window, and there seemed to be a shadow there, too dim to make out.
- Ning Caichen 那个影子是人吗？是来杀我们的吗？
Nàge yǐngzi shì rén ma? Shì lái shā wǒmen de ma?
Is that shadow a person? Has it come to kill us?
- Ning Caichen 它过来了，到窗台这儿了！它的眼睛在发亮，我不敢动！
Tā guòlai le, dào chuāngtái zhèr le! Tā de yǎnjing zài fāliàng, wǒ bù gǎn dòng!
It's coming closer, it's at the windowsill! Its eyes are shining, I don't dare move!
- Ning Caichen 燕大哥！燕大哥！它在往里边看，就在您的箱子旁边！
Yàn dàgē! Yàn dàgē! Tā zài wǎng lǐbian kàn, jiù zài nín de xiāngzi pángbiān!
Brother Yan! Brother Yan! It's looking in, right beside your box!
What changed in the story?
- Why does Ning Caichen invite Yan Chixia to drink first thing in the morning?
“只有燕大哥那儿安全，他不能出门”
- Why does Yan Chixia ask whether he is beautiful?
“你一天都在看我”
- What reason does Ning Caichen give Yan Chixia for sharing his room?
“我现在有一点儿害怕”
- What does Yan Chixia make Ning Caichen promise?
“我的箱子，我的包，你都别打开”
- What does Ning Caichen see at the window at the end?
“它的眼睛在发亮”