Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 14 of 25
Xiaocui
小翠
Pu Songling starts a new tale: Lord Wang remembers a stormy day from his boyhood, and a stranger brings his family a bride and asks for nothing in return.
Read what you hear
- Pu Songling 这又是一个爱笑的姑娘的故事。
Zhè yòu shì yí gè ài xiào de gūniang de gùshi.
Here is another story of a girl who loved to laugh.
- Narrator 很多年以前，在浙江，王家的一个小男孩，白天在床上睡觉。
Hěn duō nián yǐqián, zài Zhèjiāng, Wáng jiā de yí gè xiǎo nánhái, báitiān zài chuáng shang shuìjiào.
Many years ago in Zhejiang, a little boy of the Wang family was asleep on his bed in the daytime.
- Lord Wang 那天的雷好大！一个比猫还大的东西跑进来，躲在我身子下。
Nà tiān de léi hǎo dà! Yí gè bǐ māo hái dà de dōngxi pǎo jìnlai, duǒ zài wǒ shēnzi xià.
The thunder was so loud that day! Something bigger than a cat ran in and hid under me.
Chapter 14 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.
- Lord Wang 它一直不走。雨停了下来，它才跑出去。那不是猫！
Tā yìzhí bù zǒu. Yǔ tíng le xiàlai, tā cái pǎo chūqu. Nà bú shì māo!
It wouldn't leave. Only when the rain stopped did it run out. It wasn't a cat!
- Lord Wang 我哥哥说，那是一只狐狸，来躲雷的。他还说，我以后会做很大的官。
Wǒ gēge shuō, nà shì yì zhī húli, lái duǒ léi de. Tā hái shuō, wǒ yǐhòu huì zuò hěn dà de guān.
My elder brother said it was a fox, hiding from the thunder. He also said I would be a great official one day.
- Narrator 后来，他真的做了官，大家都叫他王御史。
Hòulái, tā zhēn de zuò le guān, dàjiā dōu jiào tā Wáng yùshǐ.
Later he really did become an official, a censor, and everyone called him Lord Wang.
- Lady Wang 老爷，我们的元丰十六岁了，可是他的心还像一个小孩子。
Lǎoye, wǒmen de Yuánfēng shíliù suì le, kěshì tā de xīn hái xiàng yí gè xiǎo háizi.
My lord, our Yuanfeng is sixteen, but his mind is still like a little child's.
- Lord Wang 哪家的姑娘，都不愿意嫁到我们家来！
Nǎ jiā de gūniang, dōu bú yuànyì jià dào wǒmen jiā lái!
No family's daughter is willing to marry into our house!
- Yuanfeng 爹！娘！快看，那棵树上，小鸟在唱歌！
Diē! Niáng! Kuài kàn, nà kē shù shang, xiǎo niǎo zài chànggē!
Father! Mother! Look, up in that tree, a little bird is singing!
- Madam Yu 大人，夫人，我姓虞。这是我的女儿小翠，十六岁了。
Dàrén, fūrén, wǒ xìng Yú. Zhè shì wǒ de nǚ'ér Xiǎocuì, shíliù suì le.
My lord, my lady, my family name is Yu. This is my daughter Xiaocui. She's sixteen.
- Lady Wang 天哪，这么美的姑娘！老爷，这是不是梦啊？
Tiān na, zhème měi de gūniang! Lǎoye, zhè shì bu shì mèng a?
Heavens, what a lovely girl! My lord, is this a dream?
- Lord Wang 虞大娘，你要多少钱？
Yú dàniáng, nǐ yào duōshao qián?
Madam Yu, how much money do you want?
- Madam Yu 我不要钱。她跟着我，吃不饱。在您家里，她吃得好，我就放心了。
Wǒ bú yào qián. Tā gēnzhe wǒ, chī bu bǎo. Zài nín jiā li, tā chī de hǎo, wǒ jiù fàngxīn le.
I want no money. With me, she never gets enough to eat. In your house she'll eat well, and my mind will be at ease.
- Madam Yu 小翠，这是你的爹和娘。我很忙，过几天再来看你。
Xiǎocuì, zhè shì nǐ de diē hé niáng. Wǒ hěn máng, guò jǐ tiān zài lái kàn nǐ.
Xiaocui, these are your father and mother now. I'm very busy. I'll come and see you in a few days.
- Yuanfeng 我叫元丰！你是小翠吗？你真好看！
Wǒ jiào Yuánfēng! Nǐ shì Xiǎocuì ma? Nǐ zhēn hǎokàn!
I'm Yuanfeng! Are you Xiaocui? You're so pretty!
- Xiaocui 元丰，以后我天天跟你玩！
Yuánfēng, yǐhòu wǒ tiāntiān gēn nǐ wán!
Yuanfeng, from now on I'll play with you every day!
- Lady Wang 小翠，过了这么多天，你娘还没有来。你家住在哪儿？
Xiǎocuì, guò le zhème duō tiān, nǐ niáng hái méiyǒu lái. Nǐ jiā zhù zài nǎr?
Xiaocui, all these days have gone by, and your mother still hasn't come. Where does your family live?
- Xiaocui 娘，我也不知道路怎么走。您别急，我在这儿很好！
Niáng, wǒ yě bù zhīdào lù zěnme zǒu. Nín bié jí, wǒ zài zhèr hěn hǎo!
Mother, I don't know the way either. Don't fret. I'm very happy here!
- Narrator 不久，小翠和元丰做了夫妻。小翠又美又聪明，大家都喜欢她。
Bùjiǔ, Xiǎocuì hé Yuánfēng zuò le fūqī. Xiǎocuì yòu měi yòu cōngming, dàjiā dōu xǐhuan tā.
Before long, Xiaocui and Yuanfeng were married. She was lovely and clever, and everyone liked her.
- Lady Wang 老爷，元丰这样……小翠会不会不喜欢他？
Lǎoye, Yuánfēng zhèyàng… Xiǎocuì huì bu huì bù xǐhuan tā?
My lord, with Yuanfeng the way he is... will Xiaocui come to dislike him?
- Xiaocui 元丰，看球！我一踢，它就飞得比那棵树还高！
Yuánfēng, kàn qiú! Wǒ yì tī, tā jiù fēi de bǐ nà kē shù hái gāo!
Yuanfeng, watch the ball! One kick from me and it flies higher than that tree!
- Yuanfeng 小翠，再踢！我跑得快，我去拿！
Xiǎocuì, zài tī! Wǒ pǎo de kuài, wǒ qù ná!
Xiaocui, kick it again! I'm fast. I'll go get it!
- Lady Wang 你看他们两个，玩得多高兴！
Nǐ kàn tāmen liǎng gè, wán de duō gāoxìng!
Look at the two of them, having such fun!
- Narrator 有一天，王大人正好从他们旁边走过。
Yǒu yì tiān, Wáng dàrén zhènghǎo cóng tāmen pángbiān zǒu guò.
One day, Lord Wang happened to walk right past them.
- Xiaocui 元丰，这一次，我要踢得最远！
Yuánfēng, zhè yí cì, wǒ yào tī de zuì yuǎn!
Yuanfeng, this time I'm going to kick it farthest of all!
- Lord Wang 啊！我的脸！是谁踢的球？
A! Wǒ de liǎn! Shì shéi tī de qiú?
Ah! My face! Who kicked that ball?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What hid under Lord Wang when he was a little boy?
“那是一只狐狸，来躲雷的”
- What did Lord Wang's brother say the boy would become one day?
“我以后会做很大的官”
- What does Madam Yu ask for her daughter?
“我不要钱”
- What does Lady Wang worry about after the wedding?
“小翠会不会不喜欢他？”
- What game does Xiaocui play with Yuanfeng?
“我一踢，它就飞得比那棵树还高！”……“我去拿！”