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The Old Man Under the Moon · chapter 2 of 4

The Red Thread

红线

The old man opens his cloth bag and shows Wei Gu what ties every couple together. Then Wei Gu asks the question he came for: who is his wife?

The Red Thread illustration

Read what you hear

  1. Wei Gu 不会来？老人家，您怎么知道？

    Bú huì lái? Lǎorénjia, nín zěnme zhīdào?

    He isn't coming? Sir, how could you know that?

  2. The Old Man Under the Moon 因为你的妻子，早就定好了。别人给你介绍谁，都没有用。你来看看这个。

    Yīnwèi nǐ de qīzi, zǎo jiù dìng hǎo le. Biérén gěi nǐ jièshào shéi, dōu méiyǒu yòng. Nǐ lái kànkan zhège.

    Because your wife was chosen long ago. It doesn't matter who people try to introduce you to. Come, take a look at this.

  3. Narrator 老人打开了身边的布袋。袋子里全是红线，在月光下发着红红的光。

    Lǎorén dǎkāi le shēnbiān de bùdài. Dàizi lǐ quán shì hóngxiàn, zài yuèguāng xià fāzhe hónghóng de guāng.

    The old man opened the cloth bag beside him. It was full of red threads, glowing red in the moonlight.

Chapter 2 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.

  1. Wei Gu 好多红线！它们怎么会发光？这些线，是做什么用的？

    Hǎo duō hóngxiàn! Tāmen zěnme huì fā guāng? Zhèxiē xiàn, shì zuò shénme yòng de?

    So many red threads! How can they glow? What are they for?

  2. The Old Man Under the Moon 以后要结婚的两个人，一出生，我就会去找他们。

    Yǐhòu yào jiéhūn de liǎng gè rén, yì chūshēng, wǒ jiù huì qù zhǎo tāmen.

    When two people who are meant to marry are born, I go and find them right away.

  3. The Old Man Under the Moon 我用一根红线，把他们的脚系在一起。

    Wǒ yòng yì gēn hóngxiàn, bǎ tāmen de jiǎo jì zài yìqǐ.

    With one red thread, I tie their feet together.

  4. Wei Gu 系在一起？那以后，还能解开吗？

    Jì zài yìqǐ? Nà yǐhòu, hái néng jiěkāi ma?

    Tied together? And after that, can it ever come undone?

  5. The Old Man Under the Moon 解不开的。两家人关系不好，也解不开。一个有钱，一个没钱，也解不开。

    Jiě bu kāi de. Liǎng jiā rén guānxi bù hǎo, yě jiě bu kāi. Yí gè yǒu qián, yí gè méi qián, yě jiě bu kāi.

    It never comes undone. Not if the two families don't get along. Not if one is rich and the other is poor.

  6. The Old Man Under the Moon 一个在南，一个在北，也没关系，红线会把他们拉到一起。

    Yí gè zài nán, yí gè zài běi, yě méi guānxi, hóngxiàn huì bǎ tāmen lā dào yìqǐ.

    Not even if one lives in the far south and the other in the far north. The red thread will pull them together.

  7. Wei Gu 那我的脚上……也有一根吗？我怎么看不见？

    Nà wǒ de jiǎo shang… yě yǒu yì gēn ma? Wǒ zěnme kàn bu jiàn?

    Then my foot… has one too? Why can't I see it?

  8. The Old Man Under the Moon 你当然看不见，可是它早就系好了。这是你的命，你去别的地方找，也找不到。

    Nǐ dāngrán kàn bu jiàn, kěshì tā zǎo jiù jì hǎo le. Zhè shì nǐ de mìng, nǐ qù bié de dìfang zhǎo, yě zhǎo bu dào.

    Of course you can't. But it was tied long ago. This is your fate. You can look for a wife anywhere else, but you won't find one.

  9. Wei Gu 那您快告诉我，她是谁，她家在哪儿？

    Nà nín kuài gàosu wǒ, tā shì shéi, tā jiā zài nǎr?

    Then tell me, quick! Who is she? Where does her family live?

  10. The Old Man Under the Moon 别急，你先看看，天已经亮了。

    Bié jí, nǐ xiān kànkan, tiān yǐjīng liàng le.

    Patience. First, look around you. It's already dawn.

  11. Narrator 天慢慢亮了。可是那个要给韦固介绍亲事的人，真的没有来。

    Tiān mànmàn liàng le. Kěshì nàge yào gěi Wéi Gù jièshào qīnshì de rén, zhēn de méiyǒu lái.

    Slowly the sky grew light. But the man who was supposed to arrange Wei Gu's match never came.

  12. Wei Gu 他真的没来……难道这个老人说的，都是真的？

    Tā zhēn de méi lái… Nándào zhège lǎorén shuō de, dōu shì zhēn de?

    He really didn't come… Could everything this old man says be true?

  13. Wei Gu 老人家，求求您，告诉我吧！我的妻子，到底是谁？

    Lǎorénjia, qiúqiu nín, gàosu wǒ ba! Wǒ de qīzi, dàodǐ shì shéi?

    Sir, I beg you, tell me! Who is my wife?

  14. The Old Man Under the Moon 你的妻子啊……今年才三岁。

    Nǐ de qīzi a… jīnnián cái sān suì.

    Your wife? Well… this year she's only three.

  15. Wei Gu 什么？三岁？！

    Shénme? Sān suì?!

    What? Three?!

  16. The Old Man Under the Moon 是啊，等她十七岁那年，她才会走进你的家门。

    Shì a, děng tā shíqī suì nà nián, tā cái huì zǒu jìn nǐ de jiāmén.

    That's right. When she turns seventeen, she will come through your door as your bride.

  17. Wei Gu 十七岁？那我还要等十四年！她是谁家的孩子，现在在哪儿？

    Shíqī suì? Nà wǒ hái yào děng shísì nián! Tā shì shéi jiā de háizi, xiànzài zài nǎr?

    Seventeen? Then I'd have to wait fourteen more years! Whose child is she, and where is she now?

  18. The Old Man Under the Moon 她就在北边的菜市场。你想见她吗？跟我来吧。

    Tā jiù zài běibian de càishìchǎng. Nǐ xiǎng jiàn tā ma? Gēn wǒ lái ba.

    She's at the vegetable market, just to the north. Do you want to see her? Come with me.

  19. Wei Gu 三岁的孩子……她家是什么样的人家？是有钱人，还是做官的？

    Sān suì de háizi… tā jiā shì shénmeyàng de rénjiā? Shì yǒu qián rén, háishi zuò guān de?

    A three-year-old… What sort of family could she be from? Rich people, or an official's family?

Hear the chapter

What changed in the story?

  1. What is inside the old man's cloth bag?

    “袋子里全是红线，在月光下发着红红的光。”

  2. What does the old man do with the red threads?

    “我用一根红线，把他们的脚系在一起。”

  3. According to the old man, what can undo a red thread?

    “解不开的……一个在南，一个在北，也没关系。”

  4. What happens when the sun comes up?

    “可是那个要给韦固介绍亲事的人，真的没有来。”

  5. Why is Wei Gu shocked when he learns about his wife?

    “今年才三岁。”

All chapters in The Old Man Under the Moon.