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Ma Liang's Magic Paintbrush · chapter 3 of 5

Hot Cakes in the Snow

热热的饼

Locked in a freezing stable on a snowy night, Ma Liang has only his magic brush to keep him warm, and to get him past the rich man's high wall.

Hot Cakes in the Snow illustration

Read what you hear

  1. Narrator 财主的家很大，家里有很多很多钱。

    Cáizhu de jiā hěn dà, jiā lǐ yǒu hěn duō hěn duō qián.

    The rich man's house was huge, and it was full of money.

  2. The Rich Man 一百，两百，三百……还不够，还不够！

    Yìbǎi, liǎngbǎi, sānbǎi… hái bú gòu, hái bú gòu!

    One hundred, two hundred, three hundred… Not enough, not enough!

  3. The Rich Man 马良，你给我画金子。你画一百个，我给你一个，好不好？

    Mǎ Liáng, nǐ gěi wǒ huà jīnzi. Nǐ huà yìbǎi gè, wǒ gěi nǐ yí gè, hǎo bu hǎo?

    Ma Liang, paint me some gold. For every hundred pieces you paint, I'll give you one. How's that?

Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Ma Liang's Magic Paintbrush is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.

  1. Ma Liang 一百个，给我一个？你真好啊。

    Yìbǎi gè, gěi wǒ yí gè? Nǐ zhēn hǎo a.

    A hundred for you and one for me? How very kind.

  2. Ma Liang 可是，我不要金子，也不画金子。我只给穷人画。

    Kěshì, wǒ bú yào jīnzi, yě bú huà jīnzi. Wǒ zhǐ gěi qióngrén huà.

    But I don't want gold, and I won't paint gold. I only paint for the poor.

  3. The Rich Man 你！好，好！今天晚上，你去马房里住！没有饭，也没有火！

    Nǐ! Hǎo, hǎo! Jīntiān wǎnshang, nǐ qù mǎfáng lǐ zhù! Méiyǒu fàn, yě méiyǒu huǒ!

    Why, you…! Fine, fine! Tonight you'll sleep in the stable! No food and no fire!

  4. The Rich Man 外边下着大雪呢……明天，看他画不画！

    Wàibian xiàzhe dà xuě ne… míngtiān, kàn tā huà bu huà!

    It's snowing hard out there… Tomorrow we'll see if he still won't paint!

  5. Narrator 那天晚上，雪下得很大。马房里又冷又黑。

    Nà tiān wǎnshang, xuě xià de hěn dà. Mǎfáng lǐ yòu lěng yòu hēi.

    That night, the snow fell thick and heavy. The stable was cold and dark.

  6. Ma Liang 好冷啊……我也饿了。神笔，神笔，你能帮帮我吗？

    Hǎo lěng a… wǒ yě è le. Shén bǐ, shén bǐ, nǐ néng bāngbang wǒ ma?

    So cold… and I'm hungry, too. Magic brush, magic brush, can you help me?

  7. Ma Liang 有了！我画火！再画几个饼，热热的饼！

    Yǒu le! Wǒ huà huǒ! Zài huà jǐ gè bǐng, rèrè de bǐng!

    I've got it! I'll paint a fire! And some cakes, nice hot cakes!

  8. Narrator 马房里有了火，也有了饼。饼热热的，香香的。

    Mǎfáng lǐ yǒu le huǒ, yě yǒu le bǐng. Bǐng rèrè de, xiāngxiāng de.

    Now there was a fire in the stable, and cakes too, hot and smelling wonderful.

  9. Ma Liang 真好吃！谢谢你，神笔！

    Zhēn hǎochī! Xièxie nǐ, shén bǐ!

    Delicious! Thank you, magic brush!

  10. Narrator 第二天早上，财主来到了马房。

    Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, cáizhu lái dào le mǎfáng.

    The next morning, the rich man came to the stable.

  11. The Rich Man 马良，冷不冷？饿不饿？现在，你画不画？

    Mǎ Liáng, lěng bu lěng? È bu è? Xiànzài, nǐ huà bu huà?

    Well, Ma Liang? Cold? Hungry? Now will you paint?

  12. The Rich Man 啊？你……你在吃饼？这个火，是哪儿来的？

    Á? Nǐ… nǐ zài chī bǐng? Zhège huǒ, shì nǎr lái de?

    What? You… you're eating cakes? Where did this fire come from?

  13. Ma Liang 早上好！火是我画的，饼也是我画的。你要一个吗？

    Zǎoshang hǎo! Huǒ shì wǒ huà de, bǐng yě shì wǒ huà de. Nǐ yào yí gè ma?

    Good morning! I painted the fire, and the cakes too. Would you like one?

  14. The Rich Man 给我！……好吃，真好吃……不对！快把神笔给我！

    Gěi wǒ!… Hǎochī, zhēn hǎochī… bú duì! Kuài bǎ shén bǐ gěi wǒ!

    Give me that! …Mmm, delicious… No, wait! Hand over that brush, now!

  15. Ma Liang 不好！我要快跑！

    Bù hǎo! Wǒ yào kuài pǎo!

    Uh-oh! I've got to run!

  16. Narrator 马良在墙上画了一个梯子，很快上了墙。

    Mǎ Liáng zài qiáng shang huà le yí gè tīzi, hěn kuài shàng le qiáng.

    Ma Liang painted a ladder on the wall and scrambled to the top.

  17. Ma Liang 再见，财主！谢谢你的马房！

    Zàijiàn, cáizhu! Xièxie nǐ de mǎfáng!

    Goodbye, rich man! Thanks for the stable!

  18. The Rich Man 别跑！我也上梯子！

    Bié pǎo! Wǒ yě shàng tīzi!

    Stop right there! I'm coming up the ladder too!

  19. The Rich Man 啊！……哎哟！梯子呢？我的梯子呢？

    À!… Āiyō! Tīzi ne? Wǒ de tīzi ne?

    Aaah!… Ouch! Where's the ladder? Where did my ladder go?

  20. Ma Liang 那不是你的梯子，是我画的梯子！它只听我的话！

    Nà bú shì nǐ de tīzi, shì wǒ huà de tīzi! Tā zhǐ tīng wǒ de huà!

    That wasn't your ladder, it was the ladder I painted! It only listens to me!

  21. Narrator 马良又画了一匹大马。他骑上马，很快跑远了。

    Mǎ Liáng yòu huà le yì pǐ dà mǎ. Tā qí shàng mǎ, hěn kuài pǎo yuǎn le.

    Then Ma Liang painted a big horse, jumped on its back and galloped away.

  22. The Rich Man 马良！你回来！我的金子！我的金子呢？

    Mǎ Liáng! Nǐ huílái! Wǒ de jīnzi! Wǒ de jīnzi ne?

    Ma Liang! Come back! My gold! What about my gold?

  23. Ma Liang 我不能回家了……财主会去找我的。

    Wǒ bù néng huí jiā le… cáizhu huì qù zhǎo wǒ de.

    I can't go home now… the rich man will come looking for me.

  24. Ma Liang 奶奶，对不起。我要去很远很远的地方，一个没有人认识我的地方！

    Nǎinai, duìbuqǐ. Wǒ yào qù hěn yuǎn hěn yuǎn de dìfang, yí gè méiyǒu rén rènshi wǒ de dìfang!

    I'm sorry, Granny. I have to go far, far away, somewhere nobody knows me!

Hear the chapter

What changed in the story?

  1. What deal does the rich man offer Ma Liang?

    “你画一百个，我给你一个，好不好？”

  2. Where does the rich man make Ma Liang spend the night?

    “今天晚上，你去马房里住！没有饭，也没有火！”

  3. How does Ma Liang stay warm and fed?

    “我画火！再画几个饼，热热的饼！”

  4. Why does the rich man fall into the snow?

    “梯子呢？我的梯子呢？……是我画的梯子！它只听我的话！”

  5. Why can't Ma Liang go home?

    “我不能回家了……财主会去找我的。”

All chapters in Ma Liang's Magic Paintbrush.