Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 18 of 21
Half a Year Later
半年以后
Half a year has passed. In the capital the exam list goes up, while at Pujiu Temple Yingying has stopped sewing, until someone coughs at the door.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 半年过去了，又是春天。京城里，考试的名单出来了。
Bàn nián guòqù le, yòu shì chūntiān. Jīngchéng li, kǎoshì de míngdān chūlai le.
Half a year went by, and it was spring again. In the capital, the list of exam results was out.
- Qintong 公子，快看名单！考不上，您就不能回去见小姐了！
Gōngzǐ, kuài kàn míngdān! Kǎo bu shàng, nín jiù bù néng huíqu jiàn xiǎojiě le!
Young master, quick, look at the list! If you didn't pass, you can't go back and see the young lady!
- Zhang Sheng 第一个名字……张君瑞！是我！我第一次考，就考上了状元！
Dì yī gè míngzi… Zhāng Jūnruì! Shì wǒ! Wǒ dì yī cì kǎo, jiù kǎoshàng le zhuàngyuan!
The first name... Zhang Junrui! It's me! My very first try, and I'm the top graduate!
Chapter 18 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Romance of the Western Chamber (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Qintong 状元店的店小二说，他们店没出过状元。现在有了！
Zhuàngyuan Diàn de diàn xiǎo'èr shuō, tāmen diàn méi chūguo zhuàngyuan. Xiànzài yǒu le!
The inn boy at the Top Graduate Inn said they'd never had a top graduate. Now they have!
- Zhang Sheng 我要等皇帝给我官做。琴童，你先回去送信！
Wǒ yào děng huángdì gěi wǒ guān zuò. Qíntóng, nǐ xiān huíqu sòng xìn!
I have to wait for the emperor to give me a post. Qintong, you go back first and take the letter!
- Qintong 公子放心，有我在！可是……我能先吃一碗饭吗？
Gōngzǐ fàngxīn, yǒu wǒ zài! Kěshì… wǒ néng xiān chī yì wǎn fàn ma?
Don't worry, young master, leave it to me! But... can I eat a bowl of rice first?
- Zhang Sheng 吃吧，吃两碗！今天状元请客！
Chī ba, chī liǎng wǎn! Jīntiān zhuàngyuan qǐngkè!
Eat, have two bowls! Today the top graduate is paying!
- Narrator 一个多月以后，在普救寺的西厢，莺莺坐了一天，一句话也没说。
Yí gè duō yuè yǐhòu, zài Pǔjiù Sì de Xīxiāng, Yīngyīng zuò le yì tiān, yí jù huà yě méi shuō.
More than a month later, in the Western Chamber at Pujiu Temple, Yingying sat all day without saying a word.
- Hongniang 小姐，你又不吃饭？你看你，瘦了这么多！
Xiǎojiě, nǐ yòu bù chī fàn? Nǐ kàn nǐ, shòu le zhème duō!
Miss, not eating again? Look at you, you've gotten so thin!
- Cui Yingying 我不饿。红娘，你吃吧。
Wǒ bú è. Hóngniáng, nǐ chī ba.
I'm not hungry. Hongniang, you eat.
- Hongniang 以前你天天做衣服，现在也不做了。红娘没见过你这样！
Yǐqián nǐ tiāntiān zuò yīfu, xiànzài yě bú zuò le. Hóngniáng méi jiànguo nǐ zhèyàng!
You used to sew every day, and now you've stopped. Hongniang has never seen you like this!
- Cui Yingying 他走了半年，一点儿消息也没有。他是不是忘了我？
Tā zǒu le bàn nián, yìdiǎnr xiāoxi yě méiyǒu. Tā shì bu shì wàng le wǒ?
He's been gone half a year without a word of news. Has he forgotten me?
- Hongniang 谁在门外咳嗽？咳嗽可是红娘的办法！
Shéi zài mén wài késou? Késou kěshì Hóngniáng de bànfǎ!
Who's coughing outside the door? Hey, coughing is Hongniang's trick!
- Qintong 红娘姐姐，是我，琴童！公子考上状元了！
Hóngniáng jiějie, shì wǒ, Qíntóng! Gōngzǐ kǎoshàng zhuàngyuan le!
Hongniang, it's me, Qintong! The young master came first in the exams!
- Hongniang 小姐，有消息了！张生有官做了！
Xiǎojiě, yǒu xiāoxi le! Zhāng Shēng yǒu guān zuò le!
Miss, there's news! Zhang Sheng has got a post!
- Cui Yingying 红娘，别跟我开玩笑了。
Hóngniáng, bié gēn wǒ kāi wánxiào le.
Hongniang, stop teasing me.
- Qintong 小姐，是真的！这是公子的信。
Xiǎojiě, shì zhēn de! Zhè shì gōngzǐ de xìn.
Miss, it's true! Here's the young master's letter.
- Hongniang 小姐，红娘不认识字，你快说给我听！
Xiǎojiě, Hóngniáng bú rènshi zì, nǐ kuài shuō gěi wǒ tīng!
Miss, Hongniang can't read. Quick, tell me what it says!
- Cui Yingying 他说：“我考上了状元。我人在京城，心在小姐身边。”
Tā shuō: “Wǒ kǎoshàng le zhuàngyuan. Wǒ rén zài jīngchéng, xīn zài xiǎojiě shēnbiān.”
He says: “I came first in the exams. I'm in the capital, but my heart is beside you, Miss.”
- Qintong 信送到了！小姐，我走了一个多月，饿得走不动了。
Xìn sòng dào le! Xiǎojiě, wǒ zǒu le yí gè duō yuè, è de zǒu bu dòng le.
The letter's delivered! Miss, I've been on the road over a month, and I'm too hungry to take another step.
- Cui Yingying 红娘，快给琴童拿饭来！
Hóngniáng, kuài gěi Qíntóng ná fàn lái!
Hongniang, quick, bring Qintong something to eat!
- Cui Yingying 琴童，这些东西带给你家公子。这件衣服是我做的，他穿上，就像我在他身边。
Qíntóng, zhèxiē dōngxi dài gěi nǐ jiā gōngzǐ. Zhè jiàn yīfu shì wǒ zuò de, tā chuānshàng, jiù xiàng wǒ zài tā shēnbiān.
Qintong, take these things to your young master. I made this shirt myself. When he wears it, it'll be like I'm by his side.
- Hongniang 还有袜子？京城里没有袜子吗？
Hái yǒu wàzi? Jīngchéng li méiyǒu wàzi ma?
Socks too? Don't they have socks in the capital?
- Cui Yingying 穿上我做的袜子，他的脚就不会乱走了。
Chuānshàng wǒ zuò de wàzi, tā de jiǎo jiù bú huì luàn zǒu le.
In socks I made, his feet won't go wandering.
- Hongniang 小姐，你的琴也给他？
Xiǎojiě, nǐ de qín yě gěi tā?
Miss, you're giving him your qin too?
- Cui Yingying 他看见琴，就会想起那天晚上。
Tā kànjiàn qín, jiù huì xiǎngqǐ nà tiān wǎnshang.
When he sees the qin, he'll remember that night.
- Hongniang 这支笔上，怎么一点一点的？
Zhè zhī bǐ shang, zěnme yì diǎn yì diǎn de?
Why is this brush covered in little spots?
- Cui Yingying 那是眼泪。我的眼泪，也在上边。
Nà shì yǎnlèi. Wǒ de yǎnlèi, yě zài shàngbian.
Those are tears. My tears are on it too.
- Qintong 小姐，您还有什么话，要告诉公子吗？
Xiǎojiě, nín hái yǒu shénme huà, yào gàosu gōngzǐ ma?
Miss, is there anything else you want me to tell the young master?
- Cui Yingying 琴童，告诉他：我为他瘦了。我真后悔，让他去做什么官！
Qíntóng, gàosu tā: wǒ wèi tā shòu le. Wǒ zhēn hòuhuǐ, ràng tā qù zuò shénme guān!
Qintong, tell him I've grown thin for him. I'm so sorry now I ever sent him off to be an official!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Zhang Sheng find on the exam list?
“第一个名字……张君瑞！是我！”
- Why can't Zhang Sheng go back to the temple yet?
“我要等皇帝给我官做”
- What does Hongniang say Yingying has stopped doing?
“以前你天天做衣服，现在也不做了”
- Why does Hongniang ask Yingying to read the letter out loud?
“红娘不认识字，你快说给我听”
- Why does Yingying send Zhang Sheng socks?
“穿上我做的袜子，他的脚就不会乱走了”