The Old Man Under the Moon · chapter 3 of 4
I Don't Believe It
我不信
At the morning market, the old man points out Wei Gu's future wife. Wei Gu can't believe his eyes, and his temper gets the better of him.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 早上的菜市场，人很多，卖什么的都有。老人带着韦固，走到了市场中间。
Zǎoshang de càishìchǎng, rén hěn duō, mài shénme de dōu yǒu. Lǎorén dàizhe Wéi Gù, zǒu dào le shìchǎng zhōngjiān.
The morning market was crowded, with people selling everything you could think of. The old man led Wei Gu into the middle of it.
- The Old Man Under the Moon 你看那边，那位卖菜的老奶奶，背上有一个小女孩。
Nǐ kàn nàbiān, nà wèi mài cài de lǎo nǎinai, bèi shang yǒu yí gè xiǎo nǚhái.
Look over there. That old woman selling vegetables has a little girl on her back.
- Wei Gu 那个头发白白的，衣服又旧又破的老奶奶？
Nàge tóufa báibái de, yīfu yòu jiù yòu pò de lǎo nǎinai?
That one? The old woman with the white hair and the worn-out clothes?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Old Man Under the Moon 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.
- The Old Man Under the Moon 对，那是陈奶奶。她背上的那个小女孩，就是你以后的妻子。
Duì, nà shì Chén nǎinai. Tā bèi shang de nàge xiǎo nǚhái, jiù shì nǐ yǐhòu de qīzi.
Yes. That's Granny Chen. The little girl on her back is your future wife.
- Wei Gu 什么？！一个卖菜人家的孩子？您在开玩笑吧！
Shénme?! Yí gè mài cài rénjiā de háizi? Nín zài kāi wánxiào ba!
What?! A child from a family that sells vegetables? You must be joking!
- Wei Gu 我是读书人，以后是要做官的！我的妻子，怎么能是她？
Wǒ shì dúshūrén, yǐhòu shì yào zuò guān de! Wǒ de qīzi, zěnme néng shì tā?
I'm a scholar! One day I'll be an official! How could she be my wife?
- The Old Man Under the Moon 你别看她现在穷。这个孩子以后很有福气，会过上很好的日子。
Nǐ bié kàn tā xiànzài qióng. Zhège háizi yǐhòu hěn yǒu fúqi, huì guò shang hěn hǎo de rìzi.
Don't judge her by how poor she is now. This child will be blessed with good fortune and live a very good life.
- The Old Man Under the Moon 红线已经系上了，这是命，谁也不能改。
Hóngxiàn yǐjīng jì shang le, zhè shì mìng, shéi yě bù néng gǎi.
The red thread is already tied. This is fate, and no one can change it.
- Wei Gu 我不信！什么红线，什么命，我一个字也不信！
Wǒ bú xìn! Shénme hóngxiàn, shénme mìng, wǒ yí gè zì yě bú xìn!
I don't believe it! Red threads, fate, I don't believe a word of it!
- The Old Man Under the Moon 你可以不信，可是你跑到哪儿，红线就跟到哪儿。
Nǐ kěyǐ bú xìn, kěshì nǐ pǎo dào nǎr, hóngxiàn jiù gēn dào nǎr.
You're free not to believe it. But wherever you run, the red thread will follow.
- Granny Chen 这位公子，您一直看着我们，是想买菜吗？今天的菜很便宜！
Zhè wèi gōngzǐ, nín yìzhí kànzhe wǒmen, shì xiǎng mǎi cài ma? Jīntiān de cài hěn piányi!
Young sir, you keep looking our way. Would you like some vegetables? They're cheap today!
- Wei Gu 走开！我不买！
Zǒukāi! Wǒ bù mǎi!
Go away! I'm not buying anything!
- Granny Chen 公子，您怎么了？您怎么这么生气？我们没做错什么啊……
Gōngzǐ, nín zěnme le? Nín zěnme zhème shēngqì? Wǒmen méi zuò cuò shénme a…
Young sir, what's the matter? Why are you so angry? We haven't done anything wrong…
- Narrator 韦固越想越生气。他一脚踢翻了陈奶奶的菜篮子。
Wéi Gù yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì. Tā yì jiǎo tīfān le Chén nǎinai de càilánzi.
The more Wei Gu thought about it, the angrier he got. With one kick, he knocked over Granny Chen's vegetable basket.
- Narrator 菜掉了一地，陈奶奶没站稳，小女孩从她背上掉了下来。
Cài diào le yí dì, Chén nǎinai méi zhàn wěn, xiǎo nǚhái cóng tā bèi shang diào le xiàlái.
Vegetables spilled everywhere. Granny Chen stumbled, and the little girl fell from her back.
- Granny Chen 孩子！我的孩子！哎呀，头碰到石头上了，眉间都破了！
Háizi! Wǒ de háizi! Āiyā, tóu pèng dào shítou shang le, méijiān dōu pò le!
My child! Oh, my child! She hit her head on a stone. She's cut, right between her eyebrows!
- Granny Chen 你这个人，怎么能这样？她才三岁啊！
Nǐ zhège rén, zěnme néng zhèyàng? Tā cái sān suì a!
How could you do such a thing? She's only three!
- Wei Gu 我……我不是故意的……
Wǒ… wǒ bú shì gùyì de…
I… I didn't mean to…
- Narrator 小女孩大声地哭着。市场上的人都看了过来。韦固的脸红了，转身就跑。
Xiǎo nǚhái dàshēng de kūzhe. Shìchǎng shang de rén dōu kàn le guòlái. Wéi Gù de liǎn hóng le, zhuǎnshēn jiù pǎo.
The little girl wailed. Everyone in the market turned to stare. His face burning with shame, Wei Gu turned and ran.
- Wei Gu 老人家？老人家！您在哪儿？
Lǎorénjia? Lǎorénjia! Nín zài nǎr?
Sir? Sir! Where are you?
- Wei Gu 他刚才还在这里……怎么一下子就不见了？
Tā gāngcái hái zài zhèlǐ… zěnme yíxiàzi jiù bú jiàn le?
He was right here a moment ago… How can he just be gone?
- Wei Gu 那个孩子的哭声，我还听得见……可是我不信！我的妻子，我自己去找！
Nàge háizi de kūshēng, wǒ hái tīng de jiàn… Kěshì wǒ bú xìn! Wǒ de qīzi, wǒ zìjǐ qù zhǎo!
I can still hear that child crying… But I don't believe it! I'll find a wife on my own!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who does the old man point out at the market?
“她背上的那个小女孩，就是你以后的妻子。”
- Why is Wei Gu so upset?
“一个卖菜人家的孩子？……我是读书人，以后是要做官的！”
- What does Wei Gu do in his anger?
“他一脚踢翻了陈奶奶的菜篮子。”
- How is the little girl hurt?
“小女孩从她背上掉了下来……头碰到石头上了，眉间都破了！”
- What has happened to the old man when Wei Gu looks for him?
“他刚才还在这里……怎么一下子就不见了？”