Little Women · chapter 23 of 31
The Weekly Volcano
火山周报
Jo takes a story to a busy newspaper office in New York, where a bored man with a pen decides what it is worth.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 一月的一天，乔来到火山周报。
Yīyuè de yì tiān, Qiáo láidào Huǒshān Zhōubào.
One day in January, Jo went to the Weekly Volcano.
- Jo 达斯伍德先生，这是我写的故事。
Dásīwǔdé xiānsheng, zhè shì wǒ xiě de gùshi.
Mr. Dashwood, here's a story I wrote.
- Mr. Dashwood 我看看。这儿不要，这儿也不要。
Wǒ kànkan. Zhèr bú yào, zhèr yě bú yào.
Let me see. Not this part, and not this part either.
Chapter 23 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Little Women (chapters 1–6) 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.
- Jo 那是最好的地方啊！
Nà shì zuì hǎo de dìfang a!
But those are the best parts!
- Mr. Dashwood 看报的人不爱看这些。好，二十五块钱。
Kàn bào de rén bú ài kàn zhèxiē. Hǎo, èrshíwǔ kuài qián.
Our readers don't care for that. Fine: twenty-five dollars.
- Jo 二十五块钱？跟我的头发一样！
Èrshíwǔ kuài qián? Gēn wǒ de tóufa yíyàng!
Twenty-five dollars? The same as my hair!
- Mr. Dashwood 写什么名字？
Xiě shénme míngzi?
What name do we print?
- Jo 不要写我的名字！
Bú yào xiě wǒ de míngzi!
Don't put my name on it!
- Narrator 乔写了一个又一个故事，一个比一个怕人。
Qiáo xiě le yí gè yòu yí gè gùshi, yí gè bǐ yí gè pàrén.
Jo wrote one story after another, each more frightening than the last.
- Professor Bhaer 火山周报？这是什么故事！
Huǒshān Zhōubào? Zhè shì shénme gùshi!
The Weekly Volcano? What sort of story is this!
- Jo 天哪，是我的故事！
Tiān na, shì wǒ de gùshi!
Good heavens, it's my story!
- Professor Bhaer 这样的故事，我不给我的孩子们看。
Zhèyàng de gùshi, wǒ bù gěi wǒ de háizimen kàn.
I would never let my boys read stories like this.
- Professor Bhaer 我给他们火药玩，也不给他们看这个！
Wǒ gěi tāmen huǒyào wán, yě bù gěi tāmen kàn zhège!
I'd sooner give them gunpowder to play with than this!
- Jo 可是写故事的人，也要吃饭啊。
Kěshì xiě gùshi de rén, yě yào chīfàn a.
But the people who write stories have to eat too.
- Professor Bhaer 要吃饭，也可以写好故事。
Yào chīfàn, yě kěyǐ xiě hǎo gùshi.
One can eat and still write good stories.
- Narrator 那天夜里，乔坐在火边，又读了一遍她的故事。
Nà tiān yèli, Qiáo zuò zài huǒ biān, yòu dú le yí biàn tā de gùshi.
That night, Jo sat by the fire and read her stories again.
- Jo 教授说得对。这些故事，我自己都不喜欢。
Jiàoshòu shuō de duì. Zhèxiē gùshi, wǒ zìjǐ dōu bù xǐhuan.
The Professor is right. I don't even like these stories myself.
- Jo 烧了吧！这一次，是我自己烧的。
Shāo le ba! Zhè yí cì, shì wǒ zìjǐ shāo de.
Burn them! This time, I'm the one doing the burning.
- Jo 巴尔教授，六月了，我要回家了。您来我家玩吧！
Bā'ěr jiàoshòu, liùyuè le, wǒ yào huí jiā le. Nín lái wǒ jiā wán ba!
Professor Bhaer, it's June, and I'm going home. Come and visit us!
- Jo 我最好的朋友劳里，下个星期就读完大学了。
Wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou Láolǐ, xià gè xīngqī jiù dú wán dàxué le.
My best friend Laurie finishes college next week.
- Narrator 说到劳里，乔的脸红了。
Shuō dào Láolǐ, Qiáo de liǎn hóng le.
As she spoke of Laurie, Jo blushed.
- Professor Bhaer 劳里……我想，我不能去了。
Láolǐ… wǒ xiǎng, wǒ bù néng qù le.
Laurie... I don't think I can come.
- Jo 那您的袜子，以后谁给您补呢？
Nà nín de wàzi, yǐhòu shéi gěi nín bǔ ne?
Then who will mend your socks from now on?
- Professor Bhaer 我自己补，补得很难看！
Wǒ zìjǐ bǔ, bǔ de hěn nánkàn!
I'll mend them myself, very badly!
- Professor Bhaer 马奇小姐！这些花给你，路上看。
Mǎqí xiǎojiě! Zhèxiē huā gěi nǐ, lù shang kàn.
Miss March! These flowers are for you, to look at on the way.
- Jo 教授！这么早，您来车站送我？
Jiàoshòu! Zhème zǎo, nín lái chēzhàn sòng wǒ?
Professor! You've come to see me off, so early?
- Professor Bhaer 再见，我的朋友。
Zàijiàn, wǒ de péngyou.
Goodbye, my friend.
- Jo 一本书也没写出来，钱也不多。可是，我有了一个好朋友。
Yì běn shū yě méi xiě chūlai, qián yě bù duō. Kěshì, wǒ yǒu le yí gè hǎo péngyou.
Not one book written, and not much money. But I've found a good friend.
- Narrator 乔回家了。劳里读完了大学，考得很好。
Qiáo huí jiā le. Láolǐ dú wán le dàxué, kǎo de hěn hǎo.
Jo came home. Laurie finished college with honors.
- Jo 泰迪看我的样子……天哪，我知道他要说什么。
Tàidí kàn wǒ de yàngzi… tiān na, wǒ zhīdào tā yào shuō shénme.
The way Teddy looks at me... oh no, I know what he's going to say.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Mr. Dashwood do with Jo's story?
“这儿不要，这儿也不要”……“好，二十五块钱”
- What does Jo ask Mr. Dashwood not to print?
“不要写我的名字！”
- What would Professor Bhaer sooner give his boys than papers like this?
“我给他们火药玩，也不给他们看这个！”
- What does Jo do with her stories that night?
“烧了吧！这一次，是我自己烧的。”
- What does Professor Bhaer bring Jo at the station?
“这些花给你，路上看”