Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 21 of 25
Ghost or Fox?
是鬼还是狐狸
Sang finally tells Lianxiang about Li, and Lianxiang decides to watch her rival for herself. Then a small noise at the window changes everything.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天晚上，莲香又来到了桑晓的家。
Dì èr tiān wǎnshang, Liánxiāng yòu láidào le Sāng Xiǎo de jiā.
The next evening, Lianxiang came to Sang Xiao's house again.
- Lianxiang 你的手还是这么冷。你的鬼病，一点儿也没好。
Nǐ de shǒu háishi zhème lěng. Nǐ de guǐ bìng, yìdiǎnr yě méi hǎo.
Your hands are still so cold. Your ghost sickness hasn't gotten any better.
- Sang Xiao 什么鬼病？我没觉得啊。可是有人说，你是一只狐狸！
Shénme guǐ bìng? Wǒ méi juéde a. Kěshì yǒu rén shuō, nǐ shì yì zhī húli!
What ghost sickness? I don't feel sick. But someone says you're a fox!
Chapter 21 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.
- Lianxiang 谁说的？
Shéi shuō de?
Who said that?
- Sang Xiao 开玩笑呢！不过，跟狐狸在一起，人会生病的。
Kāi wánxiào ne! Búguò, gēn húli zài yìqǐ, rén huì shēngbìng de.
Just joking! Still, people who spend time with a fox do get sick.
- Lianxiang 生病的人那么多，都是狐狸害的？是谁在说我？
Shēngbìng de rén nàme duō, dōu shì húli hài de? Shì shéi zài shuō wǒ?
So many people get sick. Are foxes to blame for all of them? Who's been talking about me?
- Sang Xiao 好吧……有个姓李的姑娘常来。她说，她跟着你，看见你进了狐狸窝。
Hǎo ba… yǒu gè xìng Lǐ de gūniang cháng lái. Tā shuō, tā gēnzhe nǐ, kànjiàn nǐ jìn le húli wō.
All right... a girl named Li often comes. She says she followed you and saw you go into a fox den.
- Lianxiang 我就说你怎么这么瘦！
Wǒ jiù shuō nǐ zěnme zhème shòu!
No wonder you're so thin!
- Sang Xiao 她说，她是好人家的女儿……
Tā shuō, tā shì hǎo rénjiā de nǚ'ér…
She says she's a daughter of a good family...
- Lianxiang 是吗？明天晚上，我也来看看她，就像她看我一样。
Shì ma? Míngtiān wǎnshang, wǒ yě lái kànkan tā, jiù xiàng tā kàn wǒ yíyàng.
Is that so? Tomorrow night I'll come and take a look at her, just as she took a look at me.
- Li 桑公子，我来了。今天，她没来吧？
Sāng gōngzǐ, wǒ lái le. Jīntiān, tā méi lái ba?
Mr. Sang, I'm here. She didn't come today, did she?
- Sang Xiao 没来，没来。今天晚上，只有我一个人。
Méi lái, méi lái. Jīntiān wǎnshang, zhǐyǒu wǒ yí gè rén.
No, no. Tonight it's just me.
- Li 什么声音？窗户外边有人！我走了！
Shénme shēngyīn? Chuānghu wàibian yǒu rén! Wǒ zǒu le!
What was that? Someone's outside the window! I'm going!
- Lianxiang 她走得比风还快！她是鬼！你再跟她在一起，就离死不远了！
Tā zǒu de bǐ fēng hái kuài! Tā shì guǐ! Nǐ zài gēn tā zài yìqǐ, jiù lí sǐ bù yuǎn le!
She went faster than the wind! She's a ghost! Stay with her any longer, and death won't be far away!
- Sang Xiao 她是不高兴我有别的姑娘吧……
Tā shì bù gāoxìng wǒ yǒu bié de gūniang ba…
She's just upset that I have another girl...
- Lianxiang 我知道你还想着她，可是我不能看着你死。明天，我带药来。
Wǒ zhīdào nǐ hái xiǎngzhe tā, kěshì wǒ bù néng kànzhe nǐ sǐ. Míngtiān, wǒ dài yào lái.
I know you still think about her, but I can't watch you die. Tomorrow I'll bring medicine.
- Sang Xiao 吃了药，我就能好吗？
Chī le yào, wǒ jiù néng hǎo ma?
If I take medicine, I'll get well?
- Lianxiang 你的病还不重，十天就好。这十天，我睡在你身边。
Nǐ de bìng hái bú zhòng, shí tiān jiù hǎo. Zhè shí tiān, wǒ shuì zài nǐ shēnbiān.
Your sickness isn't serious yet. In ten days you'll be well. For those ten days, I'll sleep by your side.
- Narrator 桑晓吃了莲香的药，觉得身体轻多了。
Sāng Xiǎo chī le Liánxiāng de yào, juéde shēntǐ qīng duō le.
Sang Xiao took Lianxiang's medicine and felt much lighter.
- Sang Xiao 莲香……
Liánxiāng…
Lianxiang...
- Lianxiang 睡觉！你的病还没好呢。
Shuìjiào! Nǐ de bìng hái méi hǎo ne.
Go to sleep! You're not well yet.
- Narrator 十天以后，桑晓不瘦了，脸也红了。
Shí tiān yǐhòu, Sāng Xiǎo bú shòu le, liǎn yě hóng le.
Ten days later, Sang Xiao was no longer thin, and there was color in his face again.
- Lianxiang 我要走了。你答应我，别再见那个女鬼了。
Wǒ yào zǒu le. Nǐ dāying wǒ, bié zài jiàn nàge nǚ guǐ le.
I have to go. Promise me you won't see that ghost girl again.
- Sang Xiao 好，好，我答应你！
Hǎo, hǎo, wǒ dāying nǐ!
Yes, yes, I promise!
- Sang Xiao 我答应了莲香……可是我真想她。就看一看绣鞋吧。
Wǒ dāying le Liánxiāng… kěshì wǒ zhēn xiǎng tā. Jiù kàn yi kàn xiùxié ba.
I promised Lianxiang... but I really miss her. I'll just take one look at the embroidered shoe.
- Li 好几天了，你一次也没想我！
Hǎo jǐ tiān le, nǐ yí cì yě méi xiǎng wǒ!
For days now, you haven't thought of me once!
- Sang Xiao 莲香给我看了几天病。你别生气，我心里有你。
Liánxiāng gěi wǒ kàn le jǐ tiān bìng. Nǐ bié shēngqì, wǒ xīn li yǒu nǐ.
Lianxiang has been treating me for a few days. Don't be angry. You're in my heart.
- Li 真的？
Zhēn de?
Really?
- Sang Xiao 我很爱你……可是，有人说你是鬼。
Wǒ hěn ài nǐ… kěshì, yǒu rén shuō nǐ shì guǐ.
I love you so much... but someone says you're a ghost.
- Li 是那只坏狐狸！一定是她说了我的坏话！
Shì nà zhī huài húli! Yídìng shì tā shuō le wǒ de huàihuà!
It's that bad fox! She must have said bad things about me!
- Li 你不离开那只狐狸，我就再也不来了！
Nǐ bù líkāi nà zhī húli, wǒ jiù zàiyě bù lái le!
If you don't leave that fox, I'm never coming again!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who does Sang Xiao say has been calling Lianxiang a fox?
“有个姓李的姑娘常来”
- What does Lianxiang plan to do the next night?
“明天晚上，我也来看看她，就像她看我一样”
- What makes Li run away?
“什么声音？窗户外边有人！我走了！”
- How does Sang Xiao feel after taking Lianxiang's medicine?
“觉得身体轻多了”
- What does Li say she will do if Sang Xiao doesn't leave the fox?
“你不离开那只狐狸，我就再也不来了”