Stone Soup · chapter 3 of 3
The Best Soup
最好的汤
The truth about the stone comes out, and the villagers learn what really made the soup so good.
Read what you hear
- Jack 彼得，你说对了。这是路上的石头。
Bǐdé, nǐ shuō duì le. Zhè shì lù shàng de shítou.
You're right, Peter. It's a stone from the road.
- Mary 什么？路上的石头？
Shénme? Lù shàng de shítou?
What? A stone from the road?
- Peter 哈！我就说吧！
Hā! Wǒ jiù shuō ba!
Ha! I told you so!
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Stone Soup 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, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Jack 可是，汤真的很香。请你们喝一口，好吗？
Kěshì, tāng zhēn de hěn xiāng. Qǐng nǐmen hē yì kǒu, hǎo ma?
But the soup really smells good. Please have a taste, all right?
- Mary 好吧。我先喝。
Hǎo ba. Wǒ xiān hē.
Fine. I'll go first.
- Mary 哇！真好喝！比我做的汤还好喝！
Wa! Zhēn hǎohē! Bǐ wǒ zuò de tāng hái hǎohē!
Wow! It's delicious! Better than my own soup!
- Peter 让我喝一口。……哎呀。这是我喝过最好的汤。
Ràng wǒ hē yì kǒu. … Āiyā. Zhè shì wǒ hēguo zuì hǎo de tāng.
Let me try. ...Oh my. This is the best soup I've ever had.
- Jack 石头没有味道。汤好喝，是因为大家都放了东西。
Shítou méiyǒu wèidao. Tāng hǎohē, shì yīnwèi dàjiā dōu fàng le dōngxi.
The stone has no taste. The soup is good because everyone put something in.
- Mary 大家都放了一点儿……可是我们说什么都没有。
Dàjiā dōu fàng le yìdiǎnr… Kěshì wǒmen shuō shénme dōu méiyǒu.
Everyone put in a little... and yet we said we had nothing.
- Peter 对不起，杰克。我今年不想给别人东西。
Duìbuqǐ, Jiékè. Wǒ jīnnián bù xiǎng gěi biérén dōngxi.
Sorry, Jack. This year I didn't want to give anything to anyone.
- Mary 我也是。没有雨，我们很怕。
Wǒ yě shì. Méiyǒu yǔ, wǒmen hěn pà.
Me too. With no rain, we were scared.
- Jack 我知道。可是你们看，一个人给一点儿，大家就都有饭吃。
Wǒ zhīdào. Kěshì nǐmen kàn, yí gè rén gěi yìdiǎnr, dàjiā jiù dōu yǒu fàn chī.
I know. But look: when each person gives a little, everyone has food to eat.
- Peter 你说得对，杰克。你是个聪明人！
Nǐ shuō de duì, Jiékè. Nǐ shì gè cōngming rén!
You're right, Jack. You're a clever man!
- Mary 我们不要只喝汤。我们一起吃饭吧！
Wǒmen bú yào zhǐ hē tāng. Wǒmen yìqǐ chī fàn ba!
Let's not just drink soup. Let's have dinner together!
- Anna 妈妈！我去叫大家来！
Māma! Wǒ qù jiào dàjiā lái!
Mama! I'll go call everyone!
- Mary 好主意！彼得，请你拿桌子来。
Hǎo zhǔyi! Bǐdé, qǐng nǐ ná zhuōzi lái.
Good idea! Peter, please bring a table.
- Peter 好！我还有面包和土豆。我也去拿！
Hǎo! Wǒ hái yǒu miànbāo hé tǔdòu. Wǒ yě qù ná!
Right! And I have bread and potatoes. I'll fetch that too!
- Ben 面包！汤！我今天真高兴！
Miànbāo! Tāng! Wǒ jīntiān zhēn gāoxìng!
Bread! Soup! I'm so happy today!
- Anna 好多人啊！大家都拿了碗来。
Hǎo duō rén a! Dàjiā dōu ná le wǎn lái.
So many people! Everyone brought a bowl.
- Mary 我家有水果。给大家吃！
Wǒ jiā yǒu shuǐguǒ. Gěi dàjiā chī!
I have fruit at home. It's for everyone!
- Jack 太好了！今天晚上，我们一起吃饭！
Tài hǎo le! Jīntiān wǎnshang, wǒmen yìqǐ chī fàn!
Wonderful! Tonight we all eat together!
- Ben 我没有吃过这么多东西！
Wǒ méiyǒu chīguo zhème duō dōngxi!
I've never eaten so much!
- Anna 叔叔，石头汤真好喝！
Shūshu, shítou tāng zhēn hǎohē!
Uncle, the stone soup is so good!
- Jack 是的，安娜。汤好喝，因为大家都来了。
Shì de, Ānnà. Tāng hǎohē, yīnwèi dàjiā dōu lái le.
Yes, Anna. The soup is good because everyone came.
- Peter 你们明天要走吗？
Nǐmen míngtiān yào zǒu ma?
Are you leaving tomorrow?
- Jack 是的。我们还要去别的地方。
Shì de. Wǒmen hái yào qù bié de dìfang.
Yes. We have other places to go.
- Mary 那今天晚上住我家吧。我家有床。
Nà jīntiān wǎnshang zhù wǒ jiā ba. Wǒ jiā yǒu chuáng.
Then stay at my house tonight. I have beds.
- Anna 杰克叔叔，这块石头，可以给我吗？
Jiékè shūshu, zhè kuài shítou, kěyǐ gěi wǒ ma?
Uncle Jack, can you give me this stone?
- Jack 当然可以！它是你的了。它是我们的好朋友！
Dāngrán kěyǐ! Tā shì nǐ de le. Tā shì wǒmen de hǎo péngyou!
Of course! It's yours now. It's our good friend!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Jack admit about the stone?
“这是路上的石头。”
- What does Peter say after he tastes the soup?
“这是我喝过最好的汤。”
- According to Jack, why is the soup so good?
“汤好喝，是因为大家都放了东西。”
- Why did the villagers say they had nothing?
“没有雨，我们很怕。”
- What does Anna ask Jack for at the end?
“这块石头，可以给我吗？”