The Night of the Nian · chapter 1 of 3
The Village Empties
村子空了
On the last night of the year, the whole village runs from a monster, but Xiao Dong won't leave her grandpa, and a stranger comes to their door.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，海边有一个小村子。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, hǎibiān yǒu yí gè xiǎo cūnzi.
Long, long ago, there was a little village by the sea.
- Narrator 每年的最后一个晚上，海里会出来一个怪兽。它的名字叫“年”。
Měi nián de zuìhòu yí gè wǎnshang, hǎi lǐ huì chūlái yí gè guàishòu. Tā de míngzi jiào “Nián”.
On the last night of every year, a monster came up out of the sea. Its name was Nian.
- Xiao Dong 爷爷，快走吧，大家都往山上跑了！
Yéye, kuài zǒu ba, dàjiā dōu wǎng shān shang pǎo le!
Grandpa, come on, we have to go! Everyone's running up the mountain!
- Grandpa 小冬，爷爷老了，腿也不好，走不了山路。
Xiǎo Dōng, yéye lǎo le, tuǐ yě bù hǎo, zǒu bù liǎo shānlù.
Xiao Dong, Grandpa's old, and my legs are bad. I can't manage the mountain path.
- Xiao Dong 那我背您上山！
Nà wǒ bēi nín shàng shān!
Then I'll carry you up on my back!
- Grandpa 傻孩子，你怎么背得动爷爷？年什么都吃，你快走吧，别管我！
Shǎ háizi, nǐ zěnme bēi de dòng yéye? Nián shénme dōu chī, nǐ kuài zǒu ba, bié guǎn wǒ!
Silly girl, how could you carry Grandpa? Nian eats anything. Go now, quickly, and don't worry about me!
- Xiao Dong 天快黑了……我怕黑，也怕年。可是，我更怕爷爷一个人在家。
Tiān kuài hēi le… Wǒ pà hēi, yě pà Nián. Kěshì, wǒ gèng pà yéye yí gè rén zài jiā.
It's getting dark… I'm scared of the dark, and scared of Nian. But I'm even more scared of Grandpa being here all alone.
- Xiao Dong 不，我不走！我在家陪着您！
Bù, wǒ bù zǒu! Wǒ zài jiā péizhe nín!
No, I'm not going! I'm staying right here with you!
- Narrator 太阳快下山了。村子里的人，都往山上走了。
Tàiyáng kuài xià shān le. Cūnzi lǐ de rén, dōu wǎng shān shang zǒu le.
The sun was going down. Everyone else in the village had set off up the mountain.
- Grandpa 村子空了……现在，只有我们两个了。
Cūnzi kōng le… Xiànzài, zhǐyǒu wǒmen liǎng gè le.
The village is empty… Now it's just the two of us.
- Xiao Dong 不，爷爷，您看，那边来了一个白头发的老爷爷！
Bù, yéye, nín kàn, nàbiān lái le yí gè bái tóufa de lǎo yéye!
No, Grandpa, look! There's an old man with white hair coming this way!
- The old man 小姑娘，别怕。我是过路的。天快黑了，能在你们家住一晚吗？
Xiǎo gūniang, bié pà. Wǒ shì guòlù de. Tiān kuài hēi le, néng zài nǐmen jiā zhù yì wǎn ma?
Don't be afraid, young lady. I'm just passing through. It's nearly dark. Could I stay the night at your house?
- Xiao Dong 老爷爷，您不知道吗？今天晚上，年要来了！
Lǎo yéye, nín bù zhīdào ma? Jīntiān wǎnshang, Nián yào lái le!
Sir, don't you know? Nian is coming tonight!
- The old man 我知道。所以，我来了。
Wǒ zhīdào. Suǒyǐ, wǒ lái le.
I know. That's why I came.
- Xiao Dong 所以他来了？这是什么意思啊？
Suǒyǐ tā lái le? Zhè shì shénme yìsi a?
That's why he came? What does he mean?
- Grandpa 小冬，外边冷，快请老人家进来吧。
Xiǎo Dōng, wàibian lěng, kuài qǐng lǎorénjia jìnlái ba.
Xiao Dong, it's cold out here. Quick, ask the old gentleman in.
- The old man 你们家里有红纸吗？有蜡烛吗？
Nǐmen jiā lǐ yǒu hóng zhǐ ma? Yǒu làzhú ma?
Do you have any red paper in the house? Any candles?
- Xiao Dong 蜡烛有，红纸……没有。您要这些做什么？
Làzhú yǒu, hóng zhǐ… méiyǒu. Nín yào zhèxiē zuò shénme?
We have candles. Red paper… no. What do you want them for?
- The old man 红纸，我的布袋里有。一会儿，你就知道了。
Hóng zhǐ, wǒ de bùdài lǐ yǒu. Yíhuìr, nǐ jiù zhīdào le.
I have red paper in my cloth bag. You'll see soon enough.
- Narrator 半夜，海边传来一声很大的叫声。
Bànyè, hǎibiān chuánlái yì shēng hěn dà de jiàoshēng.
At midnight, a huge roar came from the shore.
- Grandpa 小冬，你听！地在动，门也在响！
Xiǎo Dōng, nǐ tīng! Dì zài dòng, mén yě zài xiǎng!
Xiao Dong, listen! The ground is shaking, and the door is rattling!
- Xiao Dong 爷爷……是年。年来了！
Yéye… shì Nián. Nián lái le!
Grandpa… it's Nian. Nian is here!
What changed in the story?
- When does the monster Nian come out of the sea?
“每年的最后一个晚上，海里会出来一个怪兽”
- Why can't Grandpa go up the mountain?
“爷爷老了，腿也不好，走不了山路”
- What scares Xiao Dong even more than the dark?
“我更怕爷爷一个人在家”
- Where does the old man keep his red paper?
“红纸，我的布袋里有”
- What happens at midnight?
“半夜，海边传来一声很大的叫声”