Little Women · chapter 12 of 31
Twenty-Five Dollars
二十五块钱
With Father very ill in Washington, the whole house rushes to get Marmee ready, and Jo slips out alone and comes home after dark with a surprise.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天下午，妈妈拿着电报，脸都白了。
Nà tiān xiàwǔ, māma názhe diànbào, liǎn dōu bái le.
That afternoon, as Marmee held the telegram, her face went white.
- Meg 爸爸在打仗的地方病了……妈妈，我们怎么办？
Bàba zài dǎzhàng de dìfang bìng le… māma, wǒmen zěnme bàn?
Father's ill, out where the war is... Marmee, what do we do?
- Marmee 我得马上去华盛顿。女儿们，别哭，来帮我。
Wǒ děi mǎshàng qù Huáshèngdùn. Nǚ'érmen, bié kū, lái bāng wǒ.
I must go to Washington at once. Girls, don't cry. Come and help me.
Chapter 12 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.
- Laurie 马奇太太，出什么事了？
Mǎqí tàitai, chū shénme shì le?
Mrs. March, what's happened?
- Jo 劳里，爸爸病得很重！妈妈要去华盛顿！
Láolǐ, bàba bìng de hěn zhòng! Māma yào qù Huáshèngdùn!
Laurie, Father's very ill! Marmee has to go to Washington!
- Marmee 劳里，请你帮我发一封电报：我马上就来。
Láolǐ, qǐng nǐ bāng wǒ fā yì fēng diànbào: wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.
Laurie, please send a telegram for me: I'm coming at once.
- Laurie 好！我跑着去！
Hǎo! Wǒ pǎozhe qù!
Right! I'll run!
- John Brooke 马奇小姐，劳伦斯先生要我去华盛顿。我和你妈妈一起去吧。
Mǎqí xiǎojiě, Láolúnsī xiānsheng yào wǒ qù Huáshèngdùn. Wǒ hé nǐ māma yìqǐ qù ba.
Miss March, Mr. Laurence wants me in Washington. Let me go with your mother.
- Meg 布鲁克先生，谢谢您！妈妈不用一个人去了。
Bùlǔkè xiānsheng, xièxie nín! Māma búyòng yí gè rén qù le.
Mr. Brooke, thank you! Then Marmee won't have to go alone.
- Laurie 马奇太太，电报发好了！爷爷说，您要什么，就告诉他。
Mǎqí tàitai, diànbào fā hǎo le! Yéye shuō, nín yào shénme, jiù gàosu tā.
Mrs. March, the telegram's sent! Grandpa says whatever you need, just tell him.
- Amy 马奇姑妈送钱来了，信上说：“我早就说了，马奇不该去！”
Mǎqí gūmā sòng qián lái le, xìn shang shuō: “Wǒ zǎo jiù shuō le, Mǎqí bù gāi qù!”
Aunt March sent money, and her note says: “I always said March should never have gone!”
- Jo 天哪！爸爸病了，她还说这个！
Tiān na! Bàba bìng le, tā hái shuō zhège!
Good heavens! Father's ill, and she says that!
- Beth 乔回来了！乔，天都黑了，你去哪儿了？
Qiáo huílai le! Qiáo, tiān dōu hēi le, nǐ qù nǎr le?
Jo's back! Jo, it's already dark. Where have you been?
- Jo 妈妈，给你！二十五块钱，给爸爸用！
Māma, gěi nǐ! Èrshíwǔ kuài qián, gěi bàba yòng!
Marmee, here! Twenty-five dollars, for Father!
- Marmee 乔！这些钱是哪儿来的？
Qiáo! Zhèxiē qián shì nǎr lái de?
Jo! Where did this money come from?
- Jo 是我自己的。你们看！
Shì wǒ zìjǐ de. Nǐmen kàn!
It's my own. Look!
- Amy 乔！你的头发！你那么漂亮的头发！
Qiáo! Nǐ de tóufa! Nǐ nàme piàoliang de tóufa!
Jo! Your hair! Your beautiful hair!
- Jo 卖了！头发还会再长出来的。
Mài le! Tóufa hái huì zài zhǎng chūlai de.
Sold it! Hair grows back.
- Marmee 乔，我的孩子……你不用这样做的。
Qiáo, wǒ de háizi… nǐ búyòng zhèyàng zuò de.
Jo, my dear child... you didn't need to do this.
- Jo 别这样看我！我的头现在又轻又凉快！
Bié zhèyàng kàn wǒ! Wǒ de tóu xiànzài yòu qīng yòu liángkuai!
Don't look at me like that! My head feels so light and cool now!
- Amy 可是乔，你现在像一个男孩子！
Kěshì Qiáo, nǐ xiànzài xiàng yí gè nánháizi!
But Jo, now you look like a boy!
- Jo 那太好了！我一直想做男孩子！
Nà tài hǎo le! Wǒ yìzhí xiǎng zuò nánháizi!
Wonderful! I've always wanted to be a boy!
- Narrator 那天晚上，梅格听见乔在哭。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Méigé tīngjiàn Qiáo zài kū.
That night, Meg heard Jo crying.
- Meg 乔，你在哭吗？在想爸爸吗？
Qiáo, nǐ zài kū ma? Zài xiǎng bàba ma?
Jo, are you crying? Are you thinking of Father?
- Jo 不是……是我的头发！
Bú shì… shì wǒ de tóufa!
No... it's my hair!
- Narrator 第二天，天刚亮，妈妈和布鲁克先生就走了。
Dì èr tiān, tiān gāng liàng, māma hé Bùlǔkè xiānsheng jiù zǒu le.
The next day, as soon as it was light, Marmee and Mr. Brooke set off.
- Jo 现在家里就我们了。我们要做爸爸的好女儿！
Xiànzài jiā li jiù wǒmen le. Wǒmen yào zuò bàba de hǎo nǚ'ér!
Now it's just us. Let's be good daughters, for Father!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Marmee ask Laurie to do?
“请你帮我发一封电报”
- Who will go to Washington with Marmee?
“我和你妈妈一起去吧”
- What does Aunt March's note say?
“我早就说了，马奇不该去”
- Where did Jo get the twenty-five dollars?
“你的头发！……卖了！”
- That night, what does Jo say she is crying about?
“不是……是我的头发”