Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 20 of 25
The Embroidered Shoe
一只绣鞋
Li gives Sang a little embroidered shoe that calls her to him, but Lianxiang sees him growing thinner and fears something is badly wrong.
Read what you hear
- Li 桑公子，我从小身子就冷。夜里走过来，手怎么会不冷呢？
Sāng gōngzǐ, wǒ cóngxiǎo shēnzi jiù lěng. Yè li zǒu guòlai, shǒu zěnme huì bù lěng ne?
Mr. Sang, I've always been cold, ever since I was little. And after walking here at night, how could my hands not be cold?
- Li 你这儿，还有别的姑娘来吗？
Nǐ zhèr, hái yǒu bié de gūniang lái ma?
Do any other girls come here?
- Sang Xiao 只有西边的一个邻居，是唱歌的姑娘，叫莲香。她不常来。
Zhǐyǒu xībian de yí gè línjū, shì chànggē de gūniang, jiào Liánxiāng. Tā bù cháng lái.
Only a neighbor to the west, a singing girl named Lianxiang. She doesn't come often.
Chapter 20 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.
- Li 那我要小心。她来，我就走。她走了，我再来。
Nà wǒ yào xiǎoxīn. Tā lái, wǒ jiù zǒu. Tā zǒu le, wǒ zài lái.
Then I'll be careful. When she comes, I'll leave. When she's gone, I'll come.
- Narrator 鸡叫的时候，李姑娘要走了。
Jī jiào de shíhou, Lǐ gūniang yào zǒu le.
When the rooster crowed, Li was ready to leave.
- Li 这只绣鞋，送给你。你想我了，就拿出来看看。
Zhè zhī xiùxié, sòng gěi nǐ. Nǐ xiǎng wǒ le, jiù ná chūlai kànkan.
This embroidered shoe is for you. When you miss me, take it out and look at it.
- Li 可是有人在的时候，千万别拿出来！
Kěshì yǒu rén zài de shíhou, qiānwàn bié ná chūlai!
But when anyone else is here, never take it out!
- Sang Xiao 又是一个人的晚上……李姑娘的绣鞋，真小啊。
Yòu shì yí gè rén de wǎnshang… Lǐ gūniang de xiùxié, zhēn xiǎo a.
Another evening alone... Miss Li's embroidered shoe is so small.
- Li 桑公子，你想我了？
Sāng gōngzǐ, nǐ xiǎng wǒ le?
Mr. Sang, did you miss me?
- Sang Xiao 真奇怪！我一拿出绣鞋，你就来了！
Zhēn qíguài! Wǒ yì ná chū xiùxié, nǐ jiù lái le!
How strange! The moment I take out the embroidered shoe, here you are!
- Li 因为我正好也在想你啊。
Yīnwèi wǒ zhènghǎo yě zài xiǎng nǐ a.
Because I just happened to be thinking of you too.
- Lianxiang 我才几天没来，你怎么瘦了这么多？脸这么白！
Wǒ cái jǐ tiān méi lái, nǐ zěnme shòu le zhème duō? Liǎn zhème bái!
I've only been away a few days. How did you get so thin? And your face is so pale!
- Sang Xiao 是吗？莲香，我没觉得啊。
Shì ma? Liánxiāng, wǒ méi juéde a.
Really? Lianxiang, I don't feel any different.
- Lianxiang 这样吧，我十天以后再来。你要多睡觉，多吃饭！
Zhèyàng ba, wǒ shí tiān yǐhòu zài lái. Nǐ yào duō shuìjiào, duō chīfàn!
Tell you what: I'll come back in ten days. You need to sleep more and eat more!
- Narrator 莲香走了。李姑娘天天晚上都来。
Liánxiāng zǒu le. Lǐ gūniang tiāntiān wǎnshang dōu lái.
Lianxiang left. Li came every single night.
- Li 莲香怎么好久没来了？
Liánxiāng zěnme hǎo jiǔ méi lái le?
Why hasn't Lianxiang come for so long?
- Sang Xiao 她说，十天以后再来。
Tā shuō, shí tiān yǐhòu zài lái.
She said she'd come back in ten days.
- Li 桑公子，我跟莲香，谁更好看？
Sāng gōngzǐ, wǒ gēn Liánxiāng, shéi gèng hǎokàn?
Mr. Sang, Lianxiang and me: which of us is prettier?
- Sang Xiao 你们两个都好看。可是……莲香的手，热热的。
Nǐmen liǎng gè dōu hǎokàn. Kěshì… Liánxiāng de shǒu, rèrè de.
You're both pretty. But... Lianxiang's hands are warm.
- Li 我知道，我的手像冰一样。你是说，我不如她……
Wǒ zhīdào, wǒ de shǒu xiàng bīng yíyàng. Nǐ shì shuō, wǒ bùrú tā…
I know. My hands are like ice. You mean I'm not as good as she is...
- Li 十天快到了，明天她会来。你别告诉她，我要躲在门外看看她！
Shí tiān kuài dào le, míngtiān tā huì lái. Nǐ bié gàosu tā, wǒ yào duǒ zài mén wài kànkan tā!
The ten days are nearly up. She'll come tomorrow. Don't tell her, but I'm going to hide outside the door and get a look at her!
- Lianxiang 才十天，你怎么更瘦了？你是不是……还见了别人？
Cái shí tiān, nǐ zěnme gèng shòu le? Nǐ shì bu shì… hái jiàn le biérén?
Only ten days, and you're even thinner? Have you... been seeing someone else?
- Sang Xiao 为什么这么问？
Wèishénme zhème wèn?
Why do you ask?
- Lianxiang 你的手像冰一样，你的心一会儿跳得快，一会儿跳得慢。这是鬼病啊！
Nǐ de shǒu xiàng bīng yíyàng, nǐ de xīn yíhuìr tiào de kuài, yíhuìr tiào de màn. Zhè shì guǐ bìng a!
Your hands are like ice, and your heart beats fast one moment and slow the next. This is a ghost sickness!
- Sang Xiao 鬼病？我没见过鬼啊！
Guǐ bìng? Wǒ méi jiànguo guǐ a!
A ghost sickness? But I've never seen a ghost!
- Narrator 第二天夜里，李姑娘来了。
Dì èr tiān yè li, Lǐ gūniang lái le.
The next night, Li came.
- Sang Xiao 你看见莲香了？她什么样子？
Nǐ kànjiàn Liánxiāng le? Tā shénme yàngzi?
Did you see Lianxiang? What does she look like?
- Li 她真美啊，美得不像人。她一定是狐狸！
Tā zhēn měi a, měi de bú xiàng rén. Tā yídìng shì húli!
She's so beautiful, too beautiful to be human. She must be a fox!
- Li 她走的时候，我跟着她。她进了南边山里的一个狐狸窝！
Tā zǒu de shíhou, wǒ gēnzhe tā. Tā jìn le nánbian shān li de yí gè húli wō!
When she left, I followed her. She went into a fox den in the hills to the south!
- Sang Xiao 莲香说这是鬼病，李姑娘说莲香是狐狸……她们两个，谁不是人？
Liánxiāng shuō zhè shì guǐ bìng, Lǐ gūniang shuō Liánxiāng shì húli… tāmen liǎng gè, shéi bú shì rén?
Lianxiang says it's a ghost sickness, Miss Li says Lianxiang is a fox... which of the two isn't human?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Li give Sang Xiao when the rooster crows?
“这只绣鞋，送给你”
- What happens when Sang Xiao takes out Li's shoe?
“我一拿出绣鞋，你就来了”
- Why does Lianxiang stay away for ten days?
“你怎么瘦了这么多？脸这么白……我十天以后再来”
- What upsets Li when she asks Sang who is prettier?
“可是……莲香的手，热热的”
- What does Lianxiang say is wrong with Sang?
“这是鬼病啊”