Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 2 of 25
The Gold
一块金子
A girl as lovely as a painting joins the two women in the moonlit courtyard. Later that night, she is standing in Ning Caichen's room, smiling.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 宁采臣还在窗户那儿看着。院子里，两个女人正在说话。
Níng Cǎichén hái zài chuānghu nàr kànzhe. Yuànzi li, liǎng gè nǚrén zhèngzài shuōhuà.
Ning Caichen was still watching at the window. In the courtyard, the two women were talking.
- Granny 别急，她快来了。
Bié jí, tā kuài lái le.
Don't fret. She'll be here soon.
- The Woman of Forty 她是不是又跟您说什么了？
Tā shì bu shì yòu gēn nín shuō shénme le?
Has she been saying things to you again?
- Granny 没说。可是这几天，她一直不高兴。
Méi shuō. Kěshì zhè jǐ tiān, tā yìzhí bù gāoxìng.
Not a word. But these past few days, she's been unhappy.
- The Woman of Forty 这样的姑娘，您不能对她太好！
Zhèyàng de gūniang, nín bù néng duì tā tài hǎo!
A girl like that, you mustn't be too good to her!
- Narrator 话还没说完，一个十七八岁的姑娘，已经站在院子里了。
Huà hái méi shuō wán, yí gè shíqī bā suì de gūniang, yǐjīng zhàn zài yuànzi li le.
Before she had finished, a girl of seventeen or eighteen was already standing in the courtyard.
- Granny 说你，你就来了！走路一点儿声音都没有。还好，我们没说你坏话。
Shuō nǐ, nǐ jiù lái le! Zǒulù yìdiǎnr shēngyīn dōu méiyǒu. Háihǎo, wǒmen méi shuō nǐ huàihuà.
Speak of you, and here you are! You walk without a sound. Lucky we weren't saying anything bad about you.
- Granny 小倩，你美得像画里的人。我要是男人，魂都要跟你走了。
Xiǎoqiàn, nǐ měi de xiàng huà li de rén. Wǒ yàoshi nánrén, hún dōu yào gēn nǐ zǒu le.
Xiaoqian, you're as lovely as a girl in a painting. If I were a man, my soul would go off with you too.
- Nie Xiaoqian 姥姥不说我好，还有谁会说我好呢？
Lǎolao bù shuō wǒ hǎo, hái yǒu shéi huì shuō wǒ hǎo ne?
If you don't say nice things about me, Granny, who else will?
- Granny 好了。今天晚上，你知道该做什么。
Hǎo le. Jīntiān wǎnshang, nǐ zhīdào gāi zuò shénme.
That's enough. Tonight, you know what you have to do.
- Nie Xiaoqian 知道了，姥姥。
Zhīdào le, Lǎolao.
Yes, Granny.
- Ning Caichen 原来是住在旁边的一家人。我还是睡吧。
Yuánlái shì zhù zài pángbiān de yì jiā rén. Wǒ háishi shuì ba.
So it's just a family living next door. I'd better get some sleep.
- Ning Caichen 谁？谁在我的房间里？是你？北边院子里的姑娘？
Shéi? Shéi zài wǒ de fángjiān li? Shì nǐ? Běibian yuànzi li de gūniang?
Who's there? Who's in my room? You? The girl from the north courtyard?
- Nie Xiaoqian 是我。公子，月亮这么亮，我睡不着。
Shì wǒ. Gōngzǐ, yuèliang zhème liàng, wǒ shuì bu zháo.
It's me. Sir, the moon is so bright, I can't sleep.
- Ning Caichen 姑娘，你走错房间了吧？
Gūniang, nǐ zǒu cuò fángjiān le ba?
Miss, I think you've come to the wrong room.
- Nie Xiaoqian 没走错。今天晚上，让我跟你在一起，好吗？
Méi zǒu cuò. Jīntiān wǎnshang, ràng wǒ gēn nǐ zài yìqǐ, hǎo ma?
I haven't. Tonight, let me be with you, won't you?
- Ning Caichen 不行！你不怕别人说，我怕。
Bù xíng! Nǐ bú pà biérén shuō, wǒ pà.
No! You may not fear what people say, but I do.
- Nie Xiaoqian 这么晚了，没有人会知道的。
Zhème wǎn le, méiyǒu rén huì zhīdào de.
It's so late. No one will ever know.
- Ning Caichen 我自己知道！快走！不走，我就叫南边房间的书生！
Wǒ zìjǐ zhīdào! Kuài zǒu! Bù zǒu, wǒ jiù jiào nánbian fángjiān de shūshēng!
I will know! Go, now! If you don't, I'll call the scholar in the south room!
- Narrator 姑娘怕了，走了出去。可是没过多久，她又回来了。
Gūniang pà le, zǒu le chūqu. Kěshì méi guò duō jiǔ, tā yòu huílai le.
The girl took fright and went out. But before long, she came back.
- Nie Xiaoqian 公子，别生气。这个，是给你的。
Gōngzǐ, bié shēngqì. Zhège, shì gěi nǐ de.
Don't be angry, sir. This is for you.
- Ning Caichen 一块金子？你放在我的被子上做什么？
Yí kuài jīnzi? Nǐ fàng zài wǒ de bèizi shang zuò shénme?
A piece of gold? Why are you putting it on my quilt?
- Nie Xiaoqian 金子，谁都喜欢。你收下吧。
Jīnzi, shéi dōu xǐhuan. Nǐ shōuxià ba.
Everyone likes gold. Take it.
- Ning Caichen 不该拿的金子，我一块也不要！这样的东西，进不了我的包！
Bù gāi ná de jīnzi, wǒ yí kuài yě bú yào! Zhèyàng de dōngxi, jìn bu liǎo wǒ de bāo!
I won't take a single piece of gold I have no right to! Things like that will never go in my bag!
- Narrator 宁采臣把金子扔到了院子里。姑娘走出去，拿起了金子。
Níng Cǎichén bǎ jīnzi rēng dào le yuànzi li. Gūniang zǒu chūqu, náqǐ le jīnzi.
Ning Caichen threw the gold out into the courtyard. The girl went out and picked it up.
- Nie Xiaoqian 这个人……是铁做的，还是石头做的？
Zhège rén… shì tiě zuò de, háishi shítou zuò de?
This man... is he made of iron, or of stone?
- Ning Caichen 人呢？她走路，怎么一点儿声音都没有？
Rén ne? Tā zǒulù, zěnme yìdiǎnr shēngyīn dōu méiyǒu?
Where did she go? How can she walk without making a sound?
What changed in the story?
- What does Granny say about Xiaoqian's looks?
“你美得像画里的人”
- What does Ning Caichen think the women in the courtyard are?
“原来是住在旁边的一家人”
- Why does Ning Caichen tell the girl to leave his room?
“你不怕别人说，我怕”
- What does the girl put on Ning Caichen's quilt?
“一块金子？你放在我的被子上做什么”
- What does the girl wonder about Ning Caichen at the end?
“是铁做的，还是石头做的”