Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 8 of 25
The Leather Bag
旧皮袋
Ning's mother has one worry about a ghost bride, and Xiaoqian's heart won't stop racing. Something from Jinhua is coming, and an old leather bag hangs over the door.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 宁采臣的妻子走了。老夫人想让小倩做儿子的妻子，可是又怕。
Níng Cǎichén de qīzi zǒu le. Lǎo fūrén xiǎng ràng Xiǎoqiàn zuò érzi de qīzi, kěshì yòu pà.
Ning Caichen's wife had passed away. His mother wanted Xiaoqian to be her son's wife, but she was afraid.
- Nie Xiaoqian 娘，我知道您在想什么。我不要别的，只想跟哥哥在一起几年。
Niáng, wǒ zhīdào nín zài xiǎng shénme. Wǒ bú yào bié de, zhǐ xiǎng gēn gēge zài yìqǐ jǐ nián.
Mother, I know what you're thinking. I don't want anything else. I only want a few years with Brother.
- Ning's Mother 孩子，我知道你心好。可是你是鬼，鬼能有孩子吗？
Háizi, wǒ zhīdào nǐ xīn hǎo. Kěshì nǐ shì guǐ, guǐ néng yǒu háizi ma?
Child, I know you have a good heart. But you're a ghost. Can a ghost have children?
Chapter 8 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.
- Nie Xiaoqian 孩子是老天给的。老天早就写好了：哥哥会有三个好儿子。
Háizi shì lǎotiān gěi de. Lǎotiān zǎo jiù xiě hǎo le: gēge huì yǒu sān gè hǎo érzi.
Children are a gift from Heaven. Heaven wrote it long ago: Brother will have three fine sons.
- Ning's Mother 好，好！采臣，你们结婚吧！
Hǎo, hǎo! Cǎichén, nǐmen jiéhūn ba!
Good, good! Caichen, the two of you should marry!
- Ning Caichen 真的吗？娘，谢谢您！
Zhēn de ma? Niáng, xièxie nín!
Really? Mother, thank you!
- Narrator 结婚那天，来了很多客人。小倩穿着漂亮的衣服出来了。
Jiéhūn nà tiān, lái le hěn duō kèrén. Xiǎoqiàn chuānzhe piàoliang de yīfu chūlai le.
On the wedding day, many guests came. Xiaoqian came out in beautiful clothes.
- Ning Caichen 娘，您听，客人们都说：小倩不是人，是仙女！
Niáng, nín tīng, kèrénmen dōu shuō: Xiǎoqiàn bú shì rén, shì xiānnǚ!
Mother, listen: the guests all say Xiaoqian isn't a person, she's a fairy!
- Ning's Mother 不是人？他们说对了一半！
Bú shì rén? Tāmen shuō duì le yíbàn!
Not a person? They're half right!
- Nie Xiaoqian 娘，客人们都要我画梅花，我画了一张又一张！
Niáng, kèrénmen dōu yào wǒ huà méihuā, wǒ huà le yì zhāng yòu yì zhāng!
Mother, all the guests want me to paint plum blossoms. I've painted one after another!
- Ning Caichen 小倩，这几个月，你怎么常常坐在窗户旁边，不说话？
Xiǎoqiàn, zhè jǐ gè yuè, nǐ zěnme chángcháng zuò zài chuānghu pángbiān, bù shuōhuà?
Xiaoqian, these past few months, why do you so often sit by the window without a word?
- Nie Xiaoqian 哥哥，那个旧皮袋在哪儿？
Gēge, nàge jiù pídài zài nǎr?
Brother, where is that old leather bag?
- Ning Caichen 你怕它，我挂在别的房间了。你要它做什么？
Nǐ pà tā, wǒ guà zài bié de fángjiān le. Nǐ yào tā zuò shénme?
You were afraid of it, so I hung it in another room. What do you want it for?
- Nie Xiaoqian 我跟活人住久了，不怕剑气了。可是这几天，我的心跳得很快……
Wǒ gēn huórén zhù jiǔ le, bú pà jiànqì le. Kěshì zhè jǐ tiān, wǒ de xīn tiào de hěn kuài…
I've lived with the living so long that sword air doesn't scare me now. But these past few days, my heart has been racing...
- Ning Caichen 小倩，你怎么了？
Xiǎoqiàn, nǐ zěnme le?
Xiaoqian, what's wrong?
- Nie Xiaoqian 金华的妖怪，要来找我了！我要把旧皮袋挂在门上。今天晚上别睡！
Jīnhuá de yāoguài, yào lái zhǎo wǒ le! Wǒ yào bǎ jiù pídài guà zài mén shang. Jīntiān wǎnshang bié shuì!
The demon of Jinhua is coming for me! I'll hang the old leather bag over the door. Don't sleep tonight!
- Narrator 那天晚上，有一个东西像大鸟一样，从天上掉进了院子里。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, yǒu yí gè dōngxi xiàng dà niǎo yíyàng, cóng tiān shang diào jìn le yuànzi li.
That night, something like a great bird dropped out of the sky into the yard.
- Nie Xiaoqian 是夜叉！哥哥，别动，别说话！
Shì yèchā! Gēge, bié dòng, bié shuōhuà!
It's the yaksha! Brother, don't move, don't speak!
- Ning Caichen 它的眼睛像电一样亮，舌头红得像血……它走到门口了！
Tā de yǎnjing xiàng diàn yíyàng liàng, shétou hóng de xiàng xiě… tā zǒu dào ménkǒu le!
Its eyes flash like lightning, its tongue is as red as blood... it's at the door!
- Ning Caichen 它不敢进来……它在用爪子拉那个皮袋！
Tā bù gǎn jìnlai… tā zài yòng zhuǎzi lā nàge pídài!
It doesn't dare come in... it's pulling at the leather bag with its claws!
- Narrator 皮袋忽然变得很大。里边好像有一个鬼一样的东西，拉住了夜叉的爪子！
Pídài hūrán biàn de hěn dà. Lǐbian hǎoxiàng yǒu yí gè guǐ yíyàng de dōngxi, lā zhù le yèchā de zhuǎzi!
Suddenly the bag grew huge. Inside, something like a ghost seemed to seize the yaksha by its claws!
- Ning Caichen 它把夜叉拉进去了！……没有声音了，皮袋又变小了。
Tā bǎ yèchā lā jìnqu le!… Méiyǒu shēngyīn le, pídài yòu biàn xiǎo le.
It's dragged the yaksha inside!... No sound now. The bag has gone small again.
- Nie Xiaoqian 哥哥，没事了！以后，我们都没事了！
Gēge, méi shì le! Yǐhòu, wǒmen dōu méi shì le!
Brother, it's over! From now on, we'll be safe!
- Ning Caichen 那个红舌头，那些爪子，都到哪儿去了？皮袋里只有清水！
Nàge hóng shétou, nàxiē zhuǎzi, dōu dào nǎr qù le? Pídài li zhǐyǒu qīngshuǐ!
That red tongue, those claws, where did they all go? There's nothing in the bag but clear water!
- Narrator 很多年以后，宁采臣参加了最高一级的考试，考上了。他还有了三个儿子。
Hěn duō nián yǐhòu, Níng Cǎichén cānjiā le zuì gāo yì jí de kǎoshì, kǎo shàng le. Tā hái yǒu le sān gè érzi.
Many years later, Ning Caichen sat the highest exam and passed. He had three sons as well.
- Pu Songling 这就是宁采臣和小倩的故事。我听到一个，就写下一个。
Zhè jiù shì Níng Cǎichén hé Xiǎoqiàn de gùshi. Wǒ tīngdào yí gè, jiù xiěxià yí gè.
That is the tale of Ning Caichen and Xiaoqian. Every tale I hear, I write down.
- Pu Songling 下一个故事，要从元宵节的一枝梅花说起。
Xià yí gè gùshi, yào cóng Yuánxiāo jié de yì zhī méihuā shuōqǐ.
The next tale starts at the Lantern Festival, with a sprig of plum blossom.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What worries Ning's mother about Xiaoqian as a bride?
“鬼能有孩子吗”
- What do the wedding guests say about Xiaoqian?
“小倩不是人，是仙女”
- Why does Xiaoqian want the old leather bag?
“金华的妖怪，要来找我了”
- What happens when the yaksha pulls at the bag?
“皮袋忽然变得很大……它把夜叉拉进去了”
- What do Ning and Xiaoqian find in the bag afterwards?
“皮袋里只有清水”