The Birthday Gift Heist · chapter 3 of 6
The Burning Road
火热的路
Yang Zhi drives his porters through the deadliest heat of the day. The steward complains, the porters grumble, and then someone spots seven men on the ridge ahead.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 他们已经走了十几天。这一天，太阳像火一样，连地上的土都烫脚。
Tāmen yǐjīng zǒu le shíjǐtiān. Zhè yìtiān, tàiyáng xiàng huǒ yíyàng, lián dìshàng de tǔ dōu tàngjiǎo.
They had been walking for more than ten days. That day the sun burned like fire, and even the dust scorched their feet.
- Yang Zhi 快走！别停！太阳越大，我们越要赶路，天黑以前一定要到前面的村子！
Kuài zǒu! Biétíng! Tàiyáng yuèdà, wǒmen yuè yào gǎnlù, tiānhēi yǐqián yídìng yào dào qiánmiàn de cūnzi!
Move! Don't stop! The hotter the sun, the more ground we must cover. We must reach the village ahead before dark!
- Porter 杨大人，我的脚……都烧起来了！我真的走不动了！
Yángdàrén, wǒ de jiǎo… Dōu shāo qǐlái le! Wǒ zhēnde zǒubúdòng le!
Master Yang, my feet... they're on fire! I really can't walk anymore!
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Birthday Gift Heist 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.
- Yang Zhi 脚烧起来，就走得更快一点。你们的命，比你们的脚重要得多，也比我的脸重要得多。
Jiǎoshāo qǐlái, jiù zǒu dé gèng kuài yìdiǎn. Nǐmen de mìng, bǐ nǐmen de jiǎo zhòngyào dé duō, yě bǐ wǒ de liǎn zhòngyào dé duō.
If your feet are on fire, walk a little faster. Your lives are worth much more than your feet.
- Porter 大人，别人一天走二十里，我们为什么要走四十里？
Dàrén, biérén yìtiān zǒu èrshílǐ, wǒmen wèishénme yào zǒu sìshílǐ?
Master, other people walk twenty miles a day. Why must we walk forty?
- Old Steward 他说得也有道理。人是肉做的，不是铁做的，杨志。
Tā shuō dé yě yǒu dàolǐ. Rén shì ròu zuò de, búshì tiě zuò de, Yáng Zhì.
He has a point. People are made of flesh, not iron, Yang Zhi.
- Yang Zhi 我不是铁，我也累，我的脚也疼。可是我不能停下来。
Wǒ búshì tiě, wǒ yě lèi, wǒ de jiǎo yě téng. Kěshì wǒ bùnéng tíngxiàlái.
I am not iron either. I am tired and my feet hurt too. But I cannot stop.
- Yang Zhi 因为我们不是出来玩的！这是十万贯，丢了，你们的命也就丢了！
Yīnwèi wǒmen búshì chūlái wán de! Zhèshì shíwànguàn, diū le, nǐmen de mìng yě jiù diū le!
Because we didn't come out to have fun! This is a hundred thousand strings. If it's lost, so are your lives!
- Porter 命……我的命早就快丢了，被太阳烤没了……
Mìng… Wǒ de mìng zǎojiù kuài diū le, bèi tàiyáng kǎo méi le…
Life... mine is nearly gone already, roasted away by the sun...
- Yang Zhi 你在说什么？大声一点！
Nǐ zài shuō shénme? Dàshēng yìdiǎn!
What are you saying? Say it louder!
- Porter 我说……我说这担子好轻！好轻好轻，我还能再挑一百里！
Wǒ shuō… Wǒ shuō zhè dànzi hǎoqīng! Hǎoqīng hǎo qīng, wǒ hái néng zài tiāo yìbǎilǐ!
I said... I said this load is so light! So very light, I could carry it another hundred miles!
- Old Steward 哈哈哈，杨提辖，你听，他连说谎都不会说。
Hāhāhā, yáng tíxiá, nǐ tīng, tā lián shuōhuǎng dōu búhuì shuō.
Ha ha ha, Officer Yang, listen to that. He can't even lie properly.
- Yang Zhi 老都管，请你别笑。你一笑，他们就走得更慢。
Lǎodōuguǎn, qǐng nǐ bié xiào. Nǐ yíxiào, tāmen jiù zǒu dé gèngmàn.
Old Steward, please don't laugh. When you laugh, they walk slower.
- Old Steward 杨志，我也是人，我也会热！我的扇子都快扇坏了！
Yáng Zhì, wǒ yě shì rén, wǒ yě huì rè! Wǒ de shànzi dōu kuài shàn huài le!
Yang Zhi, I'm human too, and I feel the heat! I've nearly fanned my fan to pieces!
- Yang Zhi 没有人要你扇扇子。您也可以走快一点。
Méiyǒu rényào nǐ shànshànzi. Nín yě kěyǐ zǒukuài yìdiǎn.
Nobody told you to fan yourself. You could walk faster instead.
- Porter 老都管，救救我们吧，我们要热死了！
Lǎodōuguǎn, jiùjiù wǒmen ba, wǒmen yào rè sǐ le!
Old Steward, save us, we're going to die from the heat!
- Old Steward 杨志，让他们歇一会儿吧！你看，前面有一棵大柳树，多凉快啊！
Yáng Zhì, ràng tāmen xiē yíhuìr ba! Nǐ kàn, qiánmiàn yǒu yìkē dàliǔshù, duō liángkuài a!
Yang Zhi, let them rest a while! Look, there's a big willow ahead. How cool it looks!
- Yang Zhi 不行。在哪儿歇，什么时候歇，都由我来决定。
Bùxíng. Zài nǎr xiē, shénme shíhou xiē, dōu yóu wǒ lái juédìng.
No. Where we rest, and when we rest, is for me to decide.
- Old Steward 你这个人，心都是青的，比你的脸还青！
Nǐ zhège rén, xīn dōu shì qīng de, bǐ nǐ de liǎn hái qīng!
You're a man with a heart as blue as your face, even bluer!
- Narrator 走了一里路，路边终于出现了一棵大柳树，树下有一片凉凉的影子。
Zǒu le yìlǐlù, lùbiān zhōngyú chūxiàn le yìkē dàliǔshù, shùxià yǒu yípiàn liángliángde yǐngzi.
After another mile, a big willow tree finally stood by the road, with a cool patch of shade beneath it.
- Porter 树！有影子！杨大人，就歇一下，就一下下！
Shù! Yǒu yǐngzi! Yángdàrén, jiù xiē yíxià, jiù yíxiàxià!
A tree! There's shade! Master Yang, just a short rest, only a tiny one!
- Yang Zhi 好。一炷香的时间，一点也不能多。
Hǎo. Yízhùxiāng de shíjiān, yìdiǎn yě bùnéng duō.
Fine. The time it takes an incense stick to burn, and not a moment more.
- Porter 谢谢大人！大人真是个好人，我回家一定告诉我娘！
Xièxie dàrén! Dàrén zhēnshì gè hǎorén, wǒ huíjiā yídìng gàosu wǒniáng!
Thank you, Master! You're truly a good man, and I'll tell my mother when I get home!
- Old Steward 呼……真舒服。杨志，你也坐下来歇一歇吧。
Hū… Zhēn shūfú. Yáng Zhì, nǐ yě zuòxià lái xiē yìxiē ba.
Whew... this is wonderful. Yang Zhi, sit down and rest too.
- Yang Zhi 我站着就好。只要有一个人睡着了，十万贯就有危险。
Wǒ zhàn zhe jiù hǎo. Zhǐyào yǒu yí gè rén shuìzháo le, shíwànguàn jiù yǒu wēixiǎn.
I'll stand. If even one of us falls asleep, a hundred thousand strings are in danger.
- Porter 他是不是从来不觉得累？
Tā shìbúshì cóngláibù juéde lèi?
Does he never feel tired?
- Old Steward 他累。他只是不说。青面兽嘛，脸青，心也硬，嘴更硬。
Tālèi. Tā zhǐshì bùshuō. Qīngmiànshòu ma, liǎnqīng, xīn yě yìng, zuǐ gèng yìng.
He does. He just won't say so. The Blue-Faced Beast: blue face, hard heart, harder mouth.
- Yang Zhi 一炷香烧完了！都起来，挑起担子！
Yízhùxiāng shāo wán le! Dōu qǐlái, tiāoqǐ dànzi!
The incense is burned out! Everyone up, pick up your loads!
- Porter 这么快？我才刚刚闭上眼睛，还没有睡着呢……
Zhème kuài? Wǒ cái gānggāng bìshàngyǎnjing, hái méiyǒu shuìzháo ne…
Already? I had only just closed my eyes, and I hadn't even fallen asleep yet...
- Yang Zhi 前面就是黄泥冈。过了冈，有村子，有水，有饭吃。
Qiánmiàn jiùshì Huángní Gāng. Guò le gāng, yǒu cūnzi, yǒushuǐ, yǒufàn chī.
Ahead is Yellow Mud Ridge. Past the ridge there's a village, water and food.
- Porter 真的吗，大人？到了冈上，真的可以歇吗？
Zhēnde ma, dàrén? Dào le gāng shàng, zhēnde kěyǐ xiē ma?
Really, Master? Can we truly rest once we are on the ridge?
- Yang Zhi 我杨志说话算话。到了冈上，我请大家好好歇一歇。
Wǒ Yáng Zhì shuōhuàsuànhuà. Dào le gāng shàng, wǒ qǐng dàjiā hǎohǎo xiē yìxiē.
When I, Yang Zhi, say a thing, I keep my word. Up on the ridge, I'll let everyone rest properly.
- Old Steward 太好了！杨提辖终于学会说“歇”这个字了。
Tàihǎole! Yáng tíxiá zhōngyú xuéhuì shuō “ xiē ” zhège zì le.
How wonderful! Officer Yang has finally learned the word 'rest'.
- Porter 大人！你们看！冈上的松树下面，有人！好多人！
Dàrén! Nǐmen kàn! Gāngshàng de sōngshù xiàmiàn, yǒurén! Hǎoduō rén!
Master! Look, everyone! There are people under the pine trees on the ridge! Lots of them!
- Yang Zhi 都停下来。担子放下，手别离开担子。我去看看是谁。
Dōu tíngxiàlái. Dànzi fàngxià, shǒubié líkāi dànzi. Wǒ qù kànkan shì shuí.
Everyone stop. Put down your loads and keep your hands on them. I'll go see who it is.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Yang Zhi drive the porters so hard?
“这是十万贯，丢了，你们的命也就丢了！”
- What does the porter say when Yang Zhi hears him mutter?
“我说这担子好轻！”
- How does Yang Zhi answer the steward's complaint about the heat?
“没有人要你扇扇子。”
- How long does Yang Zhi let the porters rest?
“一炷香的时间，一点也不能多。”
- What does Yang Zhi promise the porters?
“到了冈上，我请大家好好歇一歇。”