Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 15 of 25
The Prime Minister Calls
宰相来了
Xiaocui's games keep landing Yuanfeng in trouble while Lord Wang's enemy waits just down the street, and then one night Xiaocui dresses up to pay a call.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 球飞过来，正好打在王大人的脸上。小翠马上躲了起来，元丰还跟着球跑。
Qiú fēi guòlai, zhènghǎo dǎ zài Wáng dàrén de liǎn shang. Xiǎocuì mǎshàng duǒ le qǐlai, Yuánfēng hái gēnzhe qiú pǎo.
The ball came flying and hit Lord Wang right in the face. Xiaocui hid at once, but Yuanfeng kept running after the ball.
- Yuanfeng 爹，让一让，我的球！
Diē, ràng yi ràng, wǒ de qiú!
Father, out of the way, my ball!
- Lord Wang 谁让你们在这儿踢球的？元丰，看我打你！
Shéi ràng nǐmen zài zhèr tī qiú de? Yuánfēng, kàn wǒ dǎ nǐ!
Who said you could kick a ball around here? Yuanfeng, I'm going to hit you!
Chapter 15 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.
- Yuanfeng 娘，娘，爹扔石头打我！
Niáng, niáng, diē rēng shítou dǎ wǒ!
Mother! Mother! Father threw a stone at me!
- Lady Wang 小翠，看你做的事！我骂你，你还笑？
Xiǎocuì, kàn nǐ zuò de shì! Wǒ mà nǐ, nǐ hái xiào?
Xiaocui! Look what you've done! I'm scolding you, and you're smiling?
- Xiaocui 娘，您骂吧，我听着呢。
Niáng, nín mà ba, wǒ tīngzhe ne.
Go ahead and scold me, Mother. I'm listening.
- Narrator 过了几天，小翠又给元丰画了一张花脸，像鬼一样。
Guò le jǐ tiān, Xiǎocuì yòu gěi Yuánfēng huà le yì zhāng huāliǎn, xiàng guǐ yíyàng.
A few days later, Xiaocui painted Yuanfeng's face all over, like a ghost's.
- Yuanfeng 娘，你看，我是鬼，我有红舌头！
Niáng, nǐ kàn, wǒ shì guǐ, wǒ yǒu hóng shétou!
Mother, look! I'm a ghost, and I've got a red tongue!
- Lady Wang 小翠，你把他画成这样？……元丰，过来，今天我要打你！
Xiǎocuì, nǐ bǎ tā huà chéng zhèyàng?… Yuánfēng, guòlai, jīntiān wǒ yào dǎ nǐ!
Xiaocui! You painted him like this?... Yuanfeng, come here! You're getting a beating today!
- Yuanfeng 疼，疼！小翠，救我！
Téng, téng! Xiǎocuì, jiù wǒ!
Ow! Ow! Xiaocui, help me!
- Xiaocui 娘，别打他！都是我的错，您打我吧！
Niáng, bié dǎ tā! Dōu shì wǒ de cuò, nín dǎ wǒ ba!
Mother! Don't hit him! It's all my fault. Hit me instead!
- Lady Wang 好了，好了……我不打了。
Hǎo le, hǎo le… wǒ bù dǎ le.
All right, all right... I'll stop.
- Xiaocui 不哭了，看，眼泪都没有了！来，吃好吃的。
Bù kū le, kàn, yǎnlèi dōu méiyǒu le! Lái, chī hǎochī de.
No more crying. Look, your tears are all gone! Here, have something nice to eat.
- Xiaocui 元丰，今天我们把你打扮成大王，好不好？
Yuánfēng, jīntiān wǒmen bǎ nǐ dǎban chéng dàwáng, hǎo bu hǎo?
Yuanfeng, today let's dress you up as a great king. How about it?
- Yuanfeng 好！我是大王！小翠，你也打扮！
Hǎo! Wǒ shì dàwáng! Xiǎocuì, nǐ yě dǎban!
Yes! I'm the king! Xiaocui, you dress up too!
- Lord Wang 夫人，我们这条街上的王谏官，一直不喜欢我。
Fūrén, wǒmen zhè tiáo jiē shang de Wáng jiànguān, yìzhí bù xǐhuan wǒ.
My lady, Inspector Wang, down our street, has never liked me.
- Lord Wang 我听说，他在找我的错。要是找到了，我的官就没了！
Wǒ tīngshuō, tā zài zhǎo wǒ de cuò. Yàoshi zhǎodào le, wǒ de guān jiù méi le!
I hear he's looking for some mistake of mine. If he finds one, I'll lose my post!
- Xiaocui 王谏官？……好，我知道怎么做了。
Wáng jiànguān?… Hǎo, wǒ zhīdào zěnme zuò le.
Inspector Wang?... All right. I know just what to do.
- Narrator 那天晚上，小翠打扮成宰相，脸上的胡子又长又白。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Xiǎocuì dǎban chéng zǎixiàng, liǎn shang de húzi yòu cháng yòu bái.
That night, Xiaocui dressed up as the Prime Minister, with long white whiskers on her face.
- Xiaocui 王谏官的门口到了。看我的！
Wáng jiànguān de ménkǒu dào le. Kàn wǒ de!
Here's Inspector Wang's gate. Watch this!
- Xiaocui 我是来看王御史的，不是来看王谏官的！
Wǒ shì lái kàn Wáng yùshǐ de, bú shì lái kàn Wáng jiànguān de!
I've come to see Lord Wang, not Inspector Wang!
- Narrator 小翠骑着马回了家。看门的人以为是真的宰相，跑去叫王大人。
Xiǎocuì qízhe mǎ huí le jiā. Kān mén de rén yǐwéi shì zhēn de zǎixiàng, pǎo qù jiào Wáng dàrén.
Xiaocui rode home. The gatekeeper thought she was the real Prime Minister and ran to fetch Lord Wang.
- Lord Wang 什么？宰相来了？这是梦吗？快，快开门！
Shénme? Zǎixiàng lái le? Zhè shì mèng ma? Kuài, kuài kāi mén!
What? The Prime Minister is here? Is this a dream? Quick, open the gate!
- Lord Wang 小翠？……这胡子，是你？
Xiǎocuì?… Zhè húzi, shì nǐ?
Xiaocui?... These whiskers... it's you?
- Xiaocui 爹，您看，我的胡子像不像宰相的？
Diē, nín kàn, wǒ de húzi xiàng bu xiàng zǎixiàng de?
Look, Father. Aren't my whiskers just like the Prime Minister's?
- Lord Wang 王谏官正在找我的错，你还打扮成宰相，去他家门口！
Wáng jiànguān zhèng zài zhǎo wǒ de cuò, nǐ hái dǎban chéng zǎixiàng, qù tā jiā ménkǒu!
Inspector Wang is hunting for my mistakes, and you dress up as the Prime Minister and go to his gate!
- Lord Wang 夫人，坏事就要来了！我们家完了！
Fūrén, huàishì jiù yào lái le! Wǒmen jiā wán le!
My lady, disaster is coming! Our family is finished!
- Lady Wang 小翠，你这么聪明，怎么什么都敢做？
Xiǎocuì, nǐ zhème cōngming, zěnme shénme dōu gǎn zuò?
Xiaocui, you're so clever. Why is there nothing you won't dare to do?
- Lord Wang 你骂她，她只会笑。打她，我们不想。赶她走，她又没有家……
Nǐ mà tā, tā zhǐ huì xiào. Dǎ tā, wǒmen bù xiǎng. Gǎn tā zǒu, tā yòu méiyǒu jiā…
You scold her, and she only laughs. We don't want to beat her. And if we send her away, she has no home to go to...
- Lady Wang 老爷，你也睡不着？
Lǎoye, nǐ yě shuì bu zháo?
My lord, you can't sleep either?
- Lord Wang 睡不着啊。天亮以后，王谏官会做什么？
Shuì bu zháo a. Tiān liàng yǐhòu, Wáng jiànguān huì zuò shénme?
No, I can't. When morning comes, what will Inspector Wang do?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Lord Wang throw at Yuanfeng?
“爹扔石头打我！”
- What does Xiaocui say when Lady Wang scolds her about the ball?
“娘，您骂吧，我听着呢。”
- Why does Lady Wang stop beating Yuanfeng?
“娘，别打他！都是我的错，您打我吧！”
- Who does Xiaocui dress up as for her night visit?
“小翠打扮成宰相”
- Why can't Lord Wang sleep that night?
“睡不着啊。天亮以后，王谏官会做什么？”