Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 13 of 25
Yingning's Tears
婴宁的眼泪
Married life in Luodian fills up with flowers and laughter until a trick at the foot of the west wall goes wrong, and one night Yingning stops hiding her tears.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 婴宁在罗店住了下来。子服的娘心里，还是有一点儿怕。
Yīngníng zài Luódiàn zhù le xiàlai. Zǐfú de niáng xīn li, háishi yǒu yìdiǎnr pà.
Yingning stayed on in Luodian. But deep down, Zifu's mother was still a little afraid.
- Wang's Mother 太阳下，她也有影子……好，她不是鬼！
Tàiyáng xià, tā yě yǒu yǐngzi… Hǎo, tā bú shì guǐ!
In the sunlight she has a shadow too... Good. She isn't a ghost!
- Wang's Mother 孩子，结婚的时候，不能这么笑啊！
Háizi, jiéhūn de shíhou, bù néng zhème xiào a!
Child, you can't laugh like that at your own wedding!
Chapter 13 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.
- Yingning 娘，我就是想笑！
Niáng, wǒ jiù shì xiǎng xiào!
Mother, I just want to laugh!
- Wang Zifu 你又买花了？门口、墙边，到处都是你的花！
Nǐ yòu mǎi huā le? Ménkǒu, qiáng biān, dàochù dōu shì nǐ de huā!
You bought more flowers? By the gate, along the walls, your flowers are everywhere!
- Narrator 西边那家的儿子看见，婴宁对他笑了笑，又看了看墙下。
Xībian nà jiā de érzi kànjiàn, Yīngníng duì tā xiào le xiào, yòu kàn le kàn qiáng xià.
The son of the family to the west saw Yingning smile at him, then glance at the foot of the wall.
- Narrator 天黑以后，他到墙下拉住了“她”。那是一棵死树，树里有一只大蝎子！
Tiān hēi yǐhòu, tā dào qiáng xià lāzhù le “tā”. Nà shì yì kē sǐ shù, shù li yǒu yì zhī dà xiēzi!
After dark he went to the foot of the wall and grabbed 'her'. It was a dead tree, and inside it was a big scorpion!
- Wang's Mother 天哪，蝎子！那天夜里，他就死了。他爹去找官，说婴宁是妖怪！
Tiān na, xiēzi! Nà tiān yè li, tā jiù sǐ le. Tā diē qù zhǎo guān, shuō Yīngníng shì yāoguài!
Heavens, a scorpion! He died that very night. And his father went to the magistrate and said Yingning was a demon!
- Wang Zifu 娘，别怕。官说那是蝎子，不是妖怪，让他回家了。
Niáng, bié pà. Guān shuō nà shì xiēzi, bú shì yāoguài, ràng tā huí jiā le.
Don't be afraid, Mother. The magistrate said it was a scorpion, not a demon, and sent him home.
- Wang's Mother 孩子，都是因为你太爱笑！要是那个官不好，我们家就完了！
Háizi, dōu shì yīnwèi nǐ tài ài xiào! Yàoshi nàge guān bù hǎo, wǒmen jiā jiù wán le!
Child, this is all because you laugh too much! If that magistrate had been a bad one, our family would have been finished!
- Yingning 娘，我知道了。从今天起，我不笑了。
Niáng, wǒ zhīdào le. Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒ bú xiào le.
I understand, Mother. From today on, I won't laugh anymore.
- Wang Zifu 妹妹，你很久没有笑了。今天晚上，你怎么哭了？
Mèimei, nǐ hěn jiǔ méiyǒu xiào le. Jīntiān wǎnshang, nǐ zěnme kū le?
My dear, you haven't laughed in a long time. And tonight, why are you crying?
- Yingning 大哥，有一个秘密，我一直不敢说。我……是狐狸生的。
Dàgē, yǒu yí gè mìmì, wǒ yìzhí bù gǎn shuō. Wǒ… shì húli shēng de.
Cousin, there's a secret I've never dared to tell. I... was born to a fox.
- Yingning 那张赶狐狸的纸挂起来以后，狐狸娘就把我留给了鬼娘。
Nà zhāng gǎn húli de zhǐ guà qǐlai yǐhòu, húli niáng jiù bǎ wǒ liú gěi le guǐ niáng.
After that paper to drive foxes away went up, my fox mother left me with my ghost mother.
- Wang Zifu 鬼娘……就是山里的姨妈？那小荣呢？
Guǐ niáng… jiù shì shān li de yímā? Nà Xiǎoróng ne?
Your ghost mother... is Aunt in the hills? And Xiaorong?
- Yingning 小荣也是狐狸。我的鬼娘，现在一个人在山里。
Xiǎoróng yě shì húli. Wǒ de guǐ niáng, xiànzài yí gè rén zài shān li.
Xiaorong is a fox too. And my ghost mother is all alone in the hills now.
- Yingning 大哥，你能把她和我爹埋在一起吗？
Dàgē, nǐ néng bǎ tā hé wǒ diē mái zài yìqǐ ma?
Cousin, could you bury her together with my father?
- Wang Zifu 别哭了。你的眼泪，我看了心里难过。我们明天就去找姨妈。
Bié kū le. Nǐ de yǎnlèi, wǒ kàn le xīn li nánguò. Wǒmen míngtiān jiù qù zhǎo yímā.
Don't cry. It hurts my heart to see your tears. We'll go and find Aunt tomorrow.
- Narrator 他们在山里找到了老太太的坟。现在，她和丈夫埋在一起了。
Tāmen zài shān li zhǎodào le lǎotàitai de fén. Xiànzài, tā hé zhàngfu mái zài yìqǐ le.
In the hills they found the old woman's grave. Now she and her husband lie buried together.
- Yingning 娘，你跟爹在一起了。你不是一个人了。
Niáng, nǐ gēn diē zài yìqǐ le. Nǐ bú shì yí gè rén le.
Mother, you're with Father now. You're not alone anymore.
- Wang Zifu 妹妹，昨天夜里，我做了一个梦。姨妈来谢我们了！
Mèimei, zuótiān yè li, wǒ zuò le yí gè mèng. Yímā lái xiè wǒmen le!
My dear, I had a dream last night. Aunt came to thank us!
- Yingning 我也看见她了。她怕你害怕，就没有叫你。
Wǒ yě kànjiàn tā le. Tā pà nǐ hàipà, jiù méiyǒu jiào nǐ.
I saw her too. She was afraid you'd be frightened, so she didn't wake you.
- Narrator 又过了一年，婴宁生了一个儿子。
Yòu guò le yì nián, Yīngníng shēng le yí gè érzi.
A year later, Yingning had a son.
- Wang's Mother 这孩子，看见谁都笑，一点儿也不怕生人。真像他娘！
Zhè háizi, kànjiàn shéi dōu xiào, yìdiǎnr yě bú pà shēngrén. Zhēn xiàng tā niáng!
This child laughs at everyone he sees, and he isn't a bit afraid of strangers. Just like his mother!
- Pu Songling 看婴宁那么爱笑，好像心里什么都没有。可是墙下那件事，谁有她聪明？
Kàn Yīngníng nàme ài xiào, hǎoxiàng xīn li shénme dōu méiyǒu. Kěshì qiáng xià nà jiàn shì, shéi yǒu tā cōngming?
Seeing how Yingning loved to laugh, you'd think there was nothing in her heart. But that business at the foot of the wall: who was ever cleverer?
- Pu Songling 想起她的鬼娘，她的笑就变成了眼泪。我们的婴宁，是躲在笑里的人啊。
Xiǎngqǐ tā de guǐ niáng, tā de xiào jiù biànchéng le yǎnlèi. Wǒmen de Yīngníng, shì duǒ zài xiào li de rén a.
When she thought of her ghost mother, her laughter turned to tears. Our Yingning was a girl who hid inside her laughter.
- Pu Songling 下一个故事，要从一个大雷说起。
Xià yí gè gùshi, yào cóng yí gè dà léi shuōqǐ.
The next story begins with a great clap of thunder.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Wang's mother see that tells her Yingning isn't a ghost?
“太阳下，她也有影子……好，她不是鬼！”
- What does the neighbor's son find at the foot of the wall?
“那是一棵死树，树里有一只大蝎子！”
- What does Yingning promise Wang's mother after the trouble?
“从今天起，我不笑了”
- What secret does Yingning tell Wang one night?
“我……是狐狸生的”
- What happens to Wang after they bury the old woman?
“昨天夜里，我做了一个梦。姨妈来谢我们了！”