Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf · chapter 3 of 4
The Old Ox
老牛
The second judge is a tired old ox with his own sad story. Two judges have now sided with the wolf, until Mr. Dongguo spots someone on the path.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 田里有一头老牛。它很累，慢慢地吃草。
Tián lǐ yǒu yì tóu lǎo niú. Tā hěn lèi, mànmàn de chī cǎo.
An old ox stood in the field. He was tired and ate grass slowly.
- Mr. Dongguo 老牛，您好！请问，您能帮我们吗？
Lǎo niú, nín hǎo! Qǐngwèn, nín néng bāng wǒmen ma?
Old ox, hello! Excuse me, could you help us?
- The Old Ox 谁呀？我在吃草……有什么事？
Shéi ya? Wǒ zài chī cǎo… Yǒu shénme shì?
Who is it? I'm eating my grass... What is it?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf 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, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Mr. Dongguo 我救了狼。可是狼要吃我。这对吗？
Wǒ jiù le láng. Kěshì láng yào chī wǒ. Zhè duì ma?
I saved the wolf. Now the wolf wants to eat me. Is that right?
- The Old Ox 唉……你问我？我有很多话要说。
Āi… nǐ wèn wǒ? Wǒ yǒu hěn duō huà yào shuō.
Sigh... you're asking me? I have plenty to say.
- The Old Ox 我在田里工作了十年。走，走，走，每天都走。
Wǒ zài tián lǐ gōngzuò le shí nián. Zǒu, zǒu, zǒu, měi tiān dōu zǒu.
I've worked in these fields for ten years. Walk, walk, walk, every single day.
- The Old Ox 我帮主人做了很多事。主人给我什么？只有草。
Wǒ bāng zhǔrén zuò le hěn duō shì. Zhǔrén gěi wǒ shénme? Zhǐ yǒu cǎo.
I did so much work for my master. And what does my master give me? Only grass.
- The Old Ox 现在我老了，走不动了。主人说：“卖了它！”
Xiànzài wǒ lǎo le, zǒu bú dòng le. Zhǔrén shuō: “Mài le tā!”
Now I'm old and can't walk far. My master says, "Sell him!"
- Mr. Dongguo 啊……那真不好。
Ā… nà zhēn bù hǎo.
Oh... that's terrible.
- The Old Ox 人就是这样。你对他好，他不说谢谢。
Rén jiùshì zhèyàng. Nǐ duì tā hǎo, tā bù shuō xièxie.
People are like that. Be good to them and they don't even say thank you.
- The Wolf 听到了吗？两个都说我对！老牛说得真好！
Tīngdào le ma? Liǎng gè dōu shuō wǒ duì! Lǎo niú shuō de zhēn hǎo!
Did you hear? Two of them say I'm right! The old ox speaks so well!
- Mr. Dongguo 不，不，不！还有一个！你说好了，三个！
Bù, bù, bù! Hái yǒu yí gè! Nǐ shuōhǎo le, sān gè!
No, no, no! There's still one more! You agreed to three!
- The Wolf 东郭先生，三个太多了。两个就够了！
Dōngguō xiānsheng, sān gè tài duō le. Liǎng gè jiù gòu le!
Mr. Dongguo, three is too many. Two is plenty!
- The Wolf 好吧。可是我不想等了。
Hǎo ba. Kěshì wǒ bù xiǎng děng le.
Fine. But I don't want to wait anymore.
- The Wolf 我的肚子饿得叫了！先生，站好！
Wǒ de dùzi è de jiào le! Xiānsheng, zhàn hǎo!
My tummy is roaring! Stand still, sir!
- Mr. Dongguo 狼先生！坐下来，我们再想想……
Láng xiānsheng! Zuò xiàlái, wǒmen zài xiǎngxiang…
Mr. Wolf! Sit down, let's think about it again...
- The Old Ox 对不起，小先生。我只说真的。
Duìbuqǐ, xiǎo xiānsheng. Wǒ zhǐ shuō zhēn de.
Sorry, little sir. I only tell the truth.
- Mr. Dongguo 我的书……我的朋友……我不想这样。
Wǒ de shū… wǒ de péngyou… wǒ bù xiǎng zhèyàng.
My books... my friends... I don't want it to end like this.
- Mr. Dongguo 咦？那边有人！一个老人！
Yí? Nàbiān yǒu rén! Yí gè lǎorén!
Huh? Someone's over there! An old man!
- The Wolf 什么老人？先生，别看了！
Shénme lǎorén? Xiānsheng, bié kàn le!
What old man? Sir, stop looking!
- Mr. Dongguo 老人家！老人家！请您来这儿！
Lǎorenjia! Lǎorenjia! Qǐng nín lái zhèr!
Elder! Elder! Please come over here!
- The Old Farmer 怎么了？你们在这儿做什么？
Zěnme le? Nǐmen zài zhèr zuò shénme?
What's the matter? What are you doing here?
- Mr. Dongguo 老人家，请您说一说，我对，还是狼对？
Lǎorenjia, qǐng nín shuō yi shuō, wǒ duì, háishi láng duì?
Elder, please tell us. Am I right, or is the wolf?
- The Old Farmer 别急，别急。慢慢说，我听着。
Bié jí, bié jí. Mànmàn shuō, wǒ tīngzhe.
Easy, easy. Speak slowly, I'm listening.
- Mr. Dongguo 老人家，只有您能救我了！
Lǎorenjia, zhǐyǒu nín néng jiù wǒ le!
Elder, only you can save me now!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How long has the ox worked in the fields?
“我在田里工作了十年。”
- What does the ox's master give him?
“主人给我什么？只有草。”
- What does the master want to do now that the ox is old?
“主人说：“卖了它！””
- What does the ox think of people?
“你对他好，他不说谢谢。”
- What does Mr. Dongguo see at the end?
“那边有人！一个老人！”