Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 19 of 21
Tears on the Letter
信上的眼泪
Ill in a small inn outside the capital, Zhang Sheng waits for news, and Qintong comes back with a letter spotted with tears.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 一个多月以后，京城外的一家小店里，张生病了，睡在床上。
Yí gè duō yuè yǐhòu, jīngchéng wài de yì jiā xiǎo diàn li, Zhāng Shēng bìng le, shuì zài chuáng shang.
More than a month later, in a small inn outside the capital, Zhang Sheng lay ill in bed.
- Zhang Sheng 皇帝让我给他写书。可是我一拿起笔，就想小姐。
Huángdì ràng wǒ gěi tā xiě shū. Kěshì wǒ yì ná qǐ bǐ, jiù xiǎng xiǎojiě.
The emperor has me writing books for him. But the moment I pick up a brush, I think of the young lady.
- Zhang Sheng 夜里醒来的时候，我都在想：小姐现在怎么样了？
Yèli xǐnglái de shíhou, wǒ dōu zài xiǎng: xiǎojiě xiànzài zěnmeyàng le?
When I wake up in the night, I wonder: how is the young lady now?
Chapter 19 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 公子，我回来了！小姐给您写信了！
Gōngzǐ, wǒ huílai le! Xiǎojiě gěi nín xiě xìn le!
Young master, I'm back! The young lady has written you a letter!
- Zhang Sheng 琴童！小姐的信呢？快给我！
Qíntóng! Xiǎojiě de xìn ne? Kuài gěi wǒ!
Qintong! Where's the young lady's letter? Give it to me, quick!
- Qintong 公子，您怎么也瘦了？跟小姐一样！
Gōngzǐ, nín zěnme yě shòu le? Gēn xiǎojiě yíyàng!
Young master, how did you get thin too? Just like the young lady!
- Zhang Sheng 这封信上，一点一点的……是小姐的眼泪吗？
Zhè fēng xìn shang, yì diǎn yì diǎn de… shì xiǎojiě de yǎnlèi ma?
This letter is all spotted... are these the young lady's tears?
- Qintong 是啊。小姐写信的时候，一直在哭。
Shì a. Xiǎojiě xiě xìn de shíhou, yìzhí zài kū.
Yes. The young lady cried the whole time she was writing it.
- Zhang Sheng 她问：“半年了，你为什么一封信也不写？”
Tā wèn: “Bàn nián le, nǐ wèishénme yì fēng xìn yě bù xiě?”
She asks: “It's been half a year. Why haven't you written me a single letter?”
- Zhang Sheng 我想先考上状元，再给她写信……
Wǒ xiǎng xiān kǎoshàng zhuàngyuan, zài gěi tā xiě xìn…
I wanted to come first in the exams before I wrote to her...
- Qintong 公子啊，您考状元会，写信不会！
Gōngzǐ a, nín kǎo zhuàngyuan huì, xiě xìn bú huì!
Oh, young master, you know how to come first in the exams, but not how to write a letter!
- Zhang Sheng 她说：“京城的花很美，可是你别爱上京城的花。”
Tā shuō: “Jīngchéng de huā hěn měi, kěshì nǐ bié àishàng jīngchéng de huā.”
She says: “The flowers of the capital are beautiful, but don't fall in love with the capital's flowers.”
- Qintong 什么花？公子天天睡在床上，哪儿能看见花！
Shénme huā? Gōngzǐ tiāntiān shuì zài chuáng shang, nǎr néng kànjiàn huā!
What flowers? The young master lies in bed every day. How could he see any flowers!
- Zhang Sheng 她说：“听到你的消息，我高兴得又哭又笑。”
Tā shuō: “Tīngdào nǐ de xiāoxi, wǒ gāoxìng de yòu kū yòu xiào.”
She says: “When I heard your news, I was so happy I laughed and cried at once.”
- Zhang Sheng 还有一首诗：“天天在楼上看，看到天黑了。路上那么多人，都不是你。”
Hái yǒu yì shǒu shī: “Tiāntiān zài lóushàng kàn, kàndào tiān hēi le. Lù shang nàme duō rén, dōu bú shì nǐ.”
And a poem: “Every day I watch from upstairs, and look until it's dark. So many people on the road, and none of them is you.”
- Zhang Sheng 小姐，我也天天在想你啊！
Xiǎojiě, wǒ yě tiāntiān zài xiǎng nǐ a!
Miss, I think of you every day too!
- Qintong 公子，小姐给您带了一些东西。
Gōngzǐ, xiǎojiě gěi nín dài le yìxiē dōngxi.
Young master, the young lady sent some things for you.
- Zhang Sheng 一件衣服，是她做的！还有袜子？
Yí jiàn yīfu, shì tā zuò de! Hái yǒu wàzi?
A shirt, and she made it herself! And socks?
- Qintong 小姐说，您穿上她做的袜子，脚就不会乱走了。
Xiǎojiě shuō, nín chuānshàng tā zuò de wàzi, jiǎo jiù bú huì luàn zǒu le.
The young lady says that in socks she made, your feet won't go wandering.
- Zhang Sheng 我病在床上，脚想走也走不了啊！
Wǒ bìng zài chuáng shang, jiǎo xiǎng zǒu yě zǒu bu liǎo a!
I'm sick in bed. My feet couldn't wander if they wanted to!
- Qintong 这是小姐自己的琴，她也给您了。
Zhè shì xiǎojiě zìjǐ de qín, tā yě gěi nín le.
This qin is the young lady's own, and she's given it to you too.
- Zhang Sheng 她的琴！我怎么会忘了那天晚上？
Tā de qín! Wǒ zěnme huì wàng le nà tiān wǎnshang?
Her qin! How could I ever forget that night?
- Qintong 还有这支笔。小姐说，笔上的点点是眼泪，也有她的眼泪。
Hái yǒu zhè zhī bǐ. Xiǎojiě shuō, bǐ shang de diǎndiǎn shì yǎnlèi, yě yǒu tā de yǎnlèi.
And this brush. The young lady says the spots on it are tears, and some of them are hers.
- Zhang Sheng 这支笔，我要天天拿着。
Zhè zhī bǐ, wǒ yào tiāntiān názhe.
I'll keep this brush in my hand every day.
- Qintong 小姐还说：她为您瘦了，真后悔让您去京城。
Xiǎojiě hái shuō: tā wèi nín shòu le, zhēn hòuhuǐ ràng nín qù jīngchéng.
The young lady also said she's grown thin for you, and she's so sorry she ever let you go to the capital.
- Zhang Sheng 是我不好，让她等了这么久。
Shì wǒ bù hǎo, ràng tā děng le zhème jiǔ.
It's my fault, for making her wait so long.
- Qintong 还有一句话。小姐说：“你不要跟别人结婚。”
Hái yǒu yí jù huà. Xiǎojiě shuō: “Nǐ bú yào gēn biérén jiéhūn.”
There's one more thing. The young lady said: “Don't marry anyone else.”
- Zhang Sheng 跟别人结婚？小姐，你还不知道我的心吗！
Gēn biérén jiéhūn? Xiǎojiě, nǐ hái bù zhīdào wǒ de xīn ma!
Marry someone else? Miss, don't you know my heart by now!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What has the emperor asked Zhang Sheng to do?
“皇帝让我给他写书”
- What does Yingying ask Zhang Sheng in her letter?
“半年了，你为什么一封信也不写？”
- Why does Qintong laugh about the flowers of the capital?
“公子天天睡在床上，哪儿能看见花！”
- What does Zhang Sheng joke about the socks?
“我病在床上，脚想走也走不了啊！”
- What is Yingying's last message to Zhang Sheng?
“你不要跟别人结婚”