Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 10 of 25
The Village in the Valley
山里的小村
Thirty li of empty hills, with nothing to guide Wang Zifu but a dried plum blossom and his cousin's lie. What will he find at the end of the road?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 春天的一个早上，王子服一个人，往西南边的山里走去。
Chūntiān de yí gè zǎoshang, Wáng Zǐfú yí gè rén, wǎng xīnánbian de shān li zǒu qù.
One spring morning, Wang Zifu set off alone into the hills to the southwest.
- Wang Zifu 已经走了三十多里，路上一个人也没有……表哥是不是骗了我？
Yǐjīng zǒu le sānshí duō lǐ, lù shang yí gè rén yě méiyǒu… biǎogē shì bu shì piàn le wǒ?
I've walked more than thirty li, and there's no one on the road... Did my cousin lie to me?
- Wang Zifu 看，山下有一个小村子，到处都是花！
Kàn, shān xià yǒu yí gè xiǎo cūnzi, dàochù dōu shì huā!
Look, there's a little village down below, with flowers everywhere!
Chapter 10 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.
- Narrator 村子里有一家，大门向着北边，门对面有一块大石头。
Cūnzi li yǒu yì jiā, dàmén xiàngzhe běibian, mén duìmiàn yǒu yí kuài dà shítou.
In the village stood a house whose gate faced north, and across from the gate was a big rock.
- Wang Zifu 我不敢进去……就坐在这块石头上，慢慢等吧。
Wǒ bù gǎn jìnqu… jiù zuò zài zhè kuài shítou shang, mànmàn děng ba.
I don't dare go in... I'll just sit on this rock and wait.
- Yingning 小荣！小荣！
Xiǎoróng! Xiǎoróng!
Xiaorong! Xiaorong!
- Xiaorong 来了，来了！你又要去哪儿玩？
Lái le, lái le! Nǐ yòu yào qù nǎr wán?
Coming, coming! Where are you off to play now?
- Wang Zifu 是她！元宵节的那个“仙女”！表哥没有骗我！
Shì tā! Yuánxiāo jié de nàge “xiānnǚ”! Biǎogē méiyǒu piàn wǒ!
It's her! The “fairy” from the Lantern Festival! My cousin didn't lie to me!
- Wang Zifu 她又拿着一枝花……她对我笑了，又进去了。我的心跳得好快，魂都没了！
Tā yòu názhe yì zhī huā… tā duì wǒ xiào le, yòu jìnqu le. Wǒ de xīn tiào de hǎo kuài, hún dōu méi le!
She's holding a sprig of blossom again... She smiled at me and went back in. My heart is racing, my soul is gone!
- Narrator 王子服从早上一直等到下午，饭也没吃，水也没喝。
Wáng Zǐfú cóng zǎoshang yìzhí děng dào xiàwǔ, fàn yě méi chī, shuǐ yě méi hē.
Wang Zifu waited from morning until late afternoon, without a bite to eat or a sip of water.
- Wang Zifu 我想进去叫一声“姨妈”……可是她家姓什么？我都不知道！
Wǒ xiǎng jìnqu jiào yì shēng “yímā”… kěshì tā jiā xìng shénme? Wǒ dōu bù zhīdào!
I'd like to go in and call out “Aunt”... but what's their family name? I don't even know!
- Xiaorong 你看，那个书生还在那儿！从早上坐到现在了！
Nǐ kàn, nàge shūshēng hái zài nàr! Cóng zǎoshang zuò dào xiànzài le!
Look, that scholar is still out there! He's been sitting there since morning!
- Yingning 他怎么还没走？这个人真好笑！
Tā zěnme hái méi zǒu? Zhège rén zhēn hǎoxiào!
Why hasn't he left yet? What a funny man!
- The Old Woman 年轻人，听说你早上就到村子里来了，天都快黑了！你不饿吗？
Niánqīngrén, tīngshuō nǐ zǎoshang jiù dào cūnzi li lái le, tiān dōu kuài hēi le! Nǐ bú è ma?
Young man, I hear you came into the village this morning, and it's nearly dark! Aren't you hungry?
- Wang Zifu 老人家，您好。我来找人。
Lǎorénjia, nín hǎo. Wǒ lái zhǎo rén.
Good day, ma'am. I've come looking for someone.
- The Old Woman 什么？找门？门在这儿啊！
Shénme? Zhǎo mén? Mén zài zhèr a!
What? Looking for the gate? The gate's right here!
- Wang Zifu 不是门，是人！我来找我的表妹！
Bú shì mén, shì rén! Wǒ lái zhǎo wǒ de biǎomèi!
Not the gate, a person! I've come looking for my cousin!
- The Old Woman 表妹？她家姓什么？
Biǎomèi? Tā jiā xìng shénme?
Your cousin? What's her family name?
- Wang Zifu 我……我不知道她姓什么。
Wǒ… wǒ bù zhīdào tā xìng shénme.
I... I don't know her family name.
- The Old Woman 来找表妹，不知道她姓什么！你这个书生，书读得太多了吧？
Lái zhǎo biǎomèi, bù zhīdào tā xìng shénme! Nǐ zhège shūshēng, shū dú de tài duō le ba?
You come looking for your cousin and don't know her family name! You scholar, have you read too many books?
- The Old Woman 进来喝一点儿粥吧。家里有一张小床，有枕头，明天回去问清楚了再来。
Jìnlai hē yìdiǎnr zhōu ba. Jiā li yǒu yì zhāng xiǎo chuáng, yǒu zhěntou, míngtiān huíqu wèn qīngchu le zài lái.
Come in and have a little porridge. There's a little bed and a pillow. Tomorrow, go home, find out the name, and come back.
- Wang Zifu 能进她家了！还能离她近一点儿！
Néng jìn tā jiā le! Hái néng lí tā jìn yìdiǎnr!
I get to go into her house! And be a little closer to her!
- The Old Woman 来，吃吧！你姓什么？
Lái, chī ba! Nǐ xìng shénme?
Here, eat! What's your family name?
- Wang Zifu 我叫王子服，是罗店人。
Wǒ jiào Wáng Zǐfú, shì Luódiàn rén.
I'm Wang Zifu, from Luodian.
- The Old Woman 什么？你说话大声一点儿！
Shénme? Nǐ shuōhuà dàshēng yìdiǎnr!
What? Speak louder!
- Wang Zifu 我是王子服，罗店王家的！
Wǒ shì Wáng Zǐfú, Luódiàn Wáng jiā de!
I'm Wang Zifu, of the Wangs of Luodian!
- The Old Woman 罗店的王家？……你娘，是不是姓吴？
Luódiàn de Wáng jiā?… Nǐ niáng, shì bu shì xìng Wú?
The Wangs of Luodian?... Your mother, is her family name Wu?
- Wang Zifu 是啊，我娘姓吴！您怎么知道的？
Shì a, wǒ niáng xìng Wú! Nín zěnme zhīdào de?
Yes, my mother's family name is Wu! How did you know?
- The Old Woman 那你是我的外甥啊！你娘是我的妹妹！
Nà nǐ shì wǒ de wàisheng a! Nǐ niáng shì wǒ de mèimei!
Then you're my nephew! Your mother is my sister!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Wang Zifu find after thirty-odd li of empty road?
“山下有一个小村子，到处都是花”
- What is the girl holding when Wang Zifu sees her again?
“她又拿着一枝花”
- Why doesn't Wang Zifu go in and call out “Aunt”?
“可是她家姓什么？我都不知道”
- What does the deaf old woman think Wang Zifu is looking for?
“找门？门在这儿啊”
- Why does the old woman call Wang Zifu her nephew?
“你娘是我的妹妹”