Mulan · chapter 4 of 10
A Letter Home
给家里写信
A year later, under a full moon, Mulan writes a letter home. Captain Li wants to hear every word, and then he asks about her sister.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 一年过去了。这天晚上，月亮又大又圆。
Yì nián guòqù le. Zhè tiān wǎnshang, yuèliang yòu dà yòu yuán.
A year went by. One night, the moon was big and round.
- Captain Li 今天的月亮真好看啊……花弟，你还不睡？
Jīntiān de yuèliang zhēn hǎokàn a…… Huā Dì, nǐ hái bú shuì?
The moon's so beautiful tonight… Hua Di, still not asleep?
- Mulan 小声点儿，李大哥，大家都睡了。我在给家里写信。
Xiǎo shēng diǎnr, Lǐ dàgē, dàjiā dōu shuì le. Wǒ zài gěi jiā lǐ xiě xìn.
Keep your voice down, Captain Li, everyone's asleep. I'm writing a letter home.
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1 and 2 of Mulan are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Captain Li 写信？写的什么？读给我听听！我不认识字。
Xiě xìn? Xiě de shénme? Dú gěi wǒ tīngting! Wǒ bú rènshi zì.
A letter? What does it say? Read it to me! I can't read.
- Mulan “爸爸，妈妈：我在这里很好，吃得饱，睡得好……”
“Bàba, māma: Wǒ zài zhèlǐ hěn hǎo, chī de bǎo, shuì de hǎo……”
“Dear Father and Mother: I'm doing well here. I eat well and I sleep well…”
- Captain Li 吃得饱？我们天天吃冷饼，又冷又硬，还吃不饱呢！
Chī de bǎo? Wǒmen tiāntiān chī lěng bǐng, yòu lěng yòu yìng, hái chī bù bǎo ne!
Eat well? We eat cold flatbread every day, cold and hard, and we're still hungry!
- Mulan 我不能让妈妈担心啊。她已经很老了。
Wǒ bù néng ràng māma dānxīn a. Tā yǐjīng hěn lǎo le.
I can't let my mother worry. She's already old.
- Mulan “……这里有一个李大哥，他很照顾我。”
“…… Zhèlǐ yǒu yí gè Lǐ dàgē, tā hěn zhàogù wǒ.”
“…There's a Captain Li here who looks after me.”
- Captain Li 你写了我？快，再写一句：李大哥又高又帅！
Nǐ xiě le wǒ? Kuài, zài xiě yí jù: Lǐ dàgē yòu gāo yòu shuài!
You wrote about me? Quick, add another line: Captain Li is tall and handsome!
- Mulan 好，好，“又高又帅”。我写了。
Hǎo, hǎo, “yòu gāo yòu shuài”. Wǒ xiě le.
Fine, fine: “tall and handsome.” There, I wrote it.
- Captain Li 再写一句：李大哥很会打仗，也很会吃！
Zài xiě yí jù: Lǐ dàgē hěn huì dǎzhàng, yě hěn huì chī!
One more line: Captain Li is great at fighting, and even better at eating!
- Mulan 这一句是真的，我写。
Zhè yí jù shì zhēn de, wǒ xiě.
Now that one is true. I'll write it.
- Captain Li 我也想家了。我家里有一个老妈妈，还有三个妹妹，都很爱说话。
Wǒ yě xiǎng jiā le. Wǒ jiā lǐ yǒu yí gè lǎo māma, hái yǒu sān gè mèimei, dōu hěn ài shuōhuà.
I miss home too. I've got an old mother back home, and three little sisters who never stop talking.
- Captain Li 我妈做的饼，又大又香，是最好吃的饼！
Wǒ mā zuò de bǐng, yòu dà yòu xiāng, shì zuì hǎochī de bǐng!
My mom's flatbread is big and smells wonderful. It's the best flatbread there is!
- Captain Li 花弟，回家以后，你一定要来我家吃饼！
Huā Dì, huí jiā yǐhòu, nǐ yídìng yào lái wǒ jiā chī bǐng!
Hua Di, once we're home, you've got to come to my place for flatbread!
- Mulan 好，我一定去。我要吃三个！
Hǎo, wǒ yídìng qù. Wǒ yào chī sān gè!
All right, I'll be there. I'll eat three!
- Captain Li 你呢？你家里有姐姐妹妹吗？
Nǐ ne? Nǐ jiā lǐ yǒu jiějie mèimei ma?
What about you? Got any sisters at home?
- Mulan 有一个姐姐，还有一个小弟弟。弟弟现在还很小。
Yǒu yí gè jiějie, hái yǒu yí gè xiǎo dìdi. Dìdi xiànzài hái hěn xiǎo.
One older sister, and a little brother. He's still very small.
- Captain Li 你姐姐长得像你吗？
Nǐ jiějie zhǎng de xiàng nǐ ma?
Does your sister look like you?
- Mulan 很像。小时候，我们常常穿一样的裙子……
Hěn xiàng. Xiǎo shíhou, wǒmen chángcháng chuān yíyàng de qúnzi……
Very much. When we were little, we often wore matching dresses…
- Captain Li 裙子？男孩子穿裙子？
Qúnzi? Nánháizi chuān qúnzi?
Dresses? Boys in dresses?
- Mulan 不……不是！我是说，一样的衣服！
Bù…… bú shì! Wǒ shì shuō, yíyàng de yīfu!
No… no! I mean matching clothes!
- Captain Li 哈哈哈！花弟，你想家想得说错话了！
Hāhāhā! Huā Dì, nǐ xiǎng jiā xiǎng de shuō cuò huà le!
Ha ha ha! Hua Di, you're so homesick you're mixing up your words!
- Captain Li 好了，信写完了，快睡吧。明天还要早起呢……
Hǎo le, xìn xiě wán le, kuài shuì ba. Míngtiān hái yào zǎo qǐ ne……
All right, the letter's done. Get some sleep. We're up early tomorrow…
- Narrator 李大哥笑着笑着，就睡着了。
Lǐ dàgē xiàozhe xiàozhe, jiù shuìzháo le.
Still laughing, Captain Li drifted off to sleep.
- Captain Li 花弟……你说话的样子……真像我妹妹……
Huā Dì…… nǐ shuōhuà de yàngzi…… zhēn xiàng wǒ mèimei……
Hua Di… the way you talk… just like my little sister…
- Mulan 李大哥？你……你说什么？
Lǐ dàgē? Nǐ…… nǐ shuō shénme?
Captain Li? What… what did you say?
- Captain Li 饼……我妈的饼……
Bǐng…… wǒ mā de bǐng……
Flatbread… my mom's flatbread…
- Mulan 差一点儿……他差一点儿就知道了。
Chà yìdiǎnr…… tā chà yìdiǎnr jiù zhīdào le.
That was close… He very nearly found out.
- Mulan 以后，我说话一定要小心，一个字也不能错。
Yǐhòu, wǒ shuōhuà yídìng yào xiǎoxīn, yí gè zì yě bù néng cuò.
From now on, I have to be careful when I talk. Not one wrong word.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Li ask Mulan to read the letter aloud?
“读给我听听！我不认识字。”
- Why does Mulan write that she eats well?
“我不能让妈妈担心啊。”
- What does Li ask Mulan to add to the letter?
“李大哥又高又帅！”
- What slip does Mulan make about her sister?
“我们常常穿一样的裙子……”
- What does Li mumble in his sleep?
“你说话的样子……真像我妹妹……”