The Birthday Gift Heist · chapter 2 of 6
The Date Sellers' Plan
卖枣子的计划
Liu Tang rushes to Chao Gai with news of a hundred-thousand-string treasure. Clever Wu Yong has a plan that needs seven date sellers and two buckets of wine.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 同一天晚上，东溪村的晁盖家里，来了一位红脸的客人。
Tóngyìtiān wǎnshang, Dōngxī Cūn de Cháo Gài jiālǐ, lái le yíwèi hóngliǎn de kèrén.
That same evening, a red-faced guest arrived at Chao Gai's home in Dongxi Village.
- Liu Tang 晁大哥！我听说了一件大事，一件天大的事！
Cháo dàgē! Wǒ tīngshuō le yíjiàn dàshì, yíjiàn tiāndà de shì!
Brother Chao! I've heard some big news, huge news!
- Chao Gai 刘唐兄弟，别急，先坐下喝口茶。到底是什么大事？
Liú Táng xiōngdì, biéjí, xiān zuòxià hēkǒu chá. Dàodǐ shì shénme dàshì?
Brother Liu Tang, no hurry. Sit down and have some tea first. What is this big news?
Chapter 2 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.
- Liu Tang 大名府的梁中书，要给蔡太师送生辰纲，一共十万贯！
Dàmíngfǔ de Liáng Zhōngshū, yào gěi Cài tàishī sòng shēngchéngāng, yígòng shíwànguàn!
Liang Zhongshu of Daming is sending a birthday gift to Grand Tutor Cai. A hundred thousand strings of coins!
- Chao Gai 十万贯？普通人一辈子也赚不到这么多钱！
Shíwànguàn? Pǔtōngrén yíbèizi yě zhuàn búdào zhème duōqián!
A hundred thousand? An ordinary person couldn't earn that much in a lifetime!
- Liu Tang 而且那是不义之财，都是从老百姓身上拿来的！我们把它拿走，不是很好吗？
Érqiě nà shì búyìzhīcái, dōu shìcóng lǎobǎixìng shēnshàng nálái de! Wǒmen bǎ tā názǒu, búshì hěn hǎo ma?
And it's dirty money, taken from ordinary people! Wouldn't it be good if we took it?
- Chao Gai 有道理。可是，这么多钱，一定有人保护它。
Yǒu dàolǐ. Kěshì, zhème duōqián, yídìng yǒurén bǎohù tā.
Fair enough. But with so much money, somebody must be guarding it.
- Liu Tang 有。送礼的人叫杨志，人们都叫他青面兽。
Yǒu. Sònglǐ de rén jiào Yáng Zhì, rénmen dōu jiào tā Qīngmiànshòu.
Yes. The man delivering it is Yang Zhi. Everyone calls him the Blue-Faced Beast.
- Chao Gai 青面兽？听说他又聪明，又很硬。那我们怎么办？
Qīngmiànshòu? Tīngshuō tā yòu cōngming, yòu hěn yìng. Nà wǒmen zěnmebàn?
The Blue-Faced Beast? I hear he's both clever and tough. So what do we do?
- Liu Tang 我们直接去抢！我一个人就能打十个！
Wǒmen zhíjiē qù qiǎng! Wǒ yí gè rén jiù néng dǎ shígè!
We just go and take it! I can beat ten men by myself!
- Wu Yong 刘唐，你一个人打十个，杨志会让你打吗？
Liú Táng, nǐ yí gè rén dǎ shígè, Yáng Zhì huì ràng nǐ dǎ ma?
Liu Tang, you beat ten men alone? Do you think Yang Zhi will let you?
- Liu Tang 吴先生！你也在这儿？
Wúxiānsheng! Nǐ yě zài zhèr?
Teacher Wu! You're here too?
- Wu Yong 我一直在。我在想一个不用打架的办法，聪明人不打架。
Wǒ yìzhí zài. Wǒ zài xiǎng yí gè búyòng dǎjià de bànfǎ, cōngmingrén bù dǎjià.
I've been here the whole time. I'm thinking of a way with no fighting. Clever people don't fight.
- Chao Gai 吴用先生，你的头脑最好用。快说说看！
Wú Yòng xiānsheng, nǐ de tóunǎo zuìhǎo yòng. Kuài shuōshuokàn!
Teacher Wu Yong, you have the sharpest mind. Tell us, quickly!
- Wu Yong 杨志最怕的是强盗，最不怕的是卖东西的人。所以，我们就做卖东西的人。
Yáng Zhì zuìpà de shì qiángdào, zuì búpà de shì màidōngxi de rén. Suǒyǐ, wǒmen jiù zuò màidōngxi de rén.
What Yang Zhi fears most is robbers. What he fears least is sellers. So we become sellers.
- Liu Tang 卖东西？我们卖什么？
Màidōngxi? Wǒmen mài shénme?
Sellers? What do we sell?
- Wu Yong 枣子。七个人，七辆车，装成从远方来的商人，在黄泥冈上等他。
Zǎozi. Qīgè rén, qīliàngchē, zhuāngchéng cóng yuǎnfānglái de shāngrén, zài Huángní Gāng shàng děng tā.
Dates. Seven men, seven carts, disguised as merchants from far away, waiting for him on Yellow Mud Ridge.
- Chao Gai 可是杨志那么小心，他会吃我们的枣子吗？
Kěshì Yáng Zhì nàme xiǎoxīn, tāhuì chī wǒmen de zǎozi ma?
But Yang Zhi is so careful. Would he eat our dates?
- Wu Yong 不用他吃枣子。热天里，人最想要的是水，是酒。
Búyòng tā chī zǎozi. Rètiān lǐ, rén zuì xiǎngyào de shì shuǐ, shì jiǔ.
He doesn't need to eat dates. In hot weather, what people want most is water, or wine.
- Chao Gai 酒！我明白了！那谁来卖酒呢？
Jiǔ! Wǒ míngbai le! Nà shuí lái mài jiǔ ne?
Wine! I see! Then who will sell the wine?
- Wu Yong 白胜。他人小，嘴巧，最会卖酒。今天晚上，我们就去找他。
Bái Shèng. Tārén xiǎo, zuǐqiǎo, zuìhuì mài jiǔ. Jīntiān wǎnshang, wǒmen jiù qù zhǎo tā.
Bai Sheng. He's small, has a smooth tongue, and is the best wine seller around. Tonight we'll go and find him.
- Chao Gai 好，就这么办。我去准备七辆车和枣子，你们去找白胜。
Hǎo, jiù zhème bàn. Wǒ qù zhǔnbèi qīliàngchē hé zǎozi, nǐmen qù zhǎo Bái Shèng.
Good, let us do it. I will get seven carts and the dates ready, and you go find Bai Sheng.
- Liu Tang 我也去！我不想再站在这儿听了！
Wǒ yě qù! Wǒ bùxiǎng zài zhàn zài zhèr tīng le!
I'm coming too! I can't just stand here listening!
- Wu Yong 白胜！开门！是我，吴用。
Bái Shèng! Kāimén! Shì wǒ, Wú Yòng.
Bai Sheng! Open up! It's me, Wu Yong.
- Bai Sheng 谁啊？这么晚了，我都睡着了……吴先生？出什么事了吗？
Shuí a? Zhèmewǎn le, wǒ dōu shuìzháo le… Wúxiānsheng? Chū shénme shì le ma?
Who is it? So late... Teacher Wu? Has something happened?
- Wu Yong 你想赚钱吗？很多很多的钱。
Nǐ xiǎng zhuànqián ma? Hěnduōhěnduō de qián.
Do you want to make money? Lots and lots of money.
- Bai Sheng 很多是多少？
Hěnduō shì duōshao?
How much is lots?
- Wu Yong 过几天，你挑两桶酒，到黄泥冈上去卖。我们有一个大买卖。
Guò jǐtiān, nǐ tiāo liǎngtǒng jiǔ, dào Huángní Gāng shàngqù mài. Wǒmen yǒu yí gè dà mǎimài.
In a few days, carry two buckets of wine to Yellow Mud Ridge and sell it. We have a big business deal.
- Bai Sheng 卖酒我天天卖。可是为什么要去黄泥冈？那儿又热又没有人……
Màijiǔ wǒ tiāntiān mài. Kěshì wèishénme yào qù Huángní Gāng? Nàr yòu rè yòu méiyǒu rén…
I sell wine every day. But why Yellow Mud Ridge? It's hot and empty up there...
- Wu Yong 就因为又热又没人。到了那儿，你什么都别问，只要听我的话。
Jiù yīnwèi yòu rè yòu méirén. Dào le nàr, nǐ shénme dōu bié wèn, zhǐyào tīng wǒ dehuà.
Exactly because it's hot and empty. When you get there, ask nothing and just follow my lead.
- Bai Sheng 好好好！只要能赚钱，我什么都听你的。
Hǎohǎo hǎo! Zhǐyào néng zhuànqián, wǒ shénme dōu tīng nǐ de.
Fine, fine! As long as I make money, I'll do whatever you say.
- Wu Yong 那就好。记住，你的酒要又凉又香，越好越好，人人都爱喝。
Nàjiùhǎo. Jìzhù, nǐ de jiǔ yào yòu liáng yòu xiāng, yuèhǎo yuè hǎo, rénrén dōu àihē.
Good. Remember, your wine must be cool and fragrant, the better the better, so everyone will love it.
- Wu Yong 明天我给你一样东西。你收好，谁也不能让他看见。
Míngtiān wǒ gěi nǐ yíyàng dōngxi. Nǐ shōuhǎo, shuí yě bùnéng ràng tā kànjiàn.
Tomorrow I'll give you something. Keep it safe, and let nobody see it.
- Bai Sheng 是……是什么东西？
Shì… Shì shénme dōngxi?
W-what is it?
- Wu Yong 一包药，能让人好好睡一觉。可是整件事，只有一个地方不能错：杨志一定要喝到这桶酒。而他，是天下最不相信别人的人。
Yìbāo yào, néng ràng rén hǎohǎo shuìyíjiào. Kěshì zhěngjiànshì, zhǐyǒu yí gè dìfang bùnéng cuò: Yáng Zhì yídìng yào hē dào zhètǒng jiǔ. Ér tā, shì tiānxià zuì bù xiāngxìn biérén de rén.
A packet of medicine that helps a person sleep soundly. But only one thing in this whole plan can't go wrong: Yang Zhi must drink this wine. And he is the man who trusts nobody in the world.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What news does Liu Tang bring?
“大名府的梁中书，要给蔡太师送生辰纲，一共十万贯！”
- Why does Liu Tang think taking the treasure is fair?
“那是不义之财，都是从老百姓身上拿来的！”
- What is Wu Yong's disguise plan?
“枣子。七个人，七辆车，装成从远方来的商人。”
- Why does Wu Yong want wine on the ridge?
“热天里，人最想要的是水，是酒。”
- What is the plan's biggest danger?
“杨志一定要喝到这桶酒。而他，是天下最不相信别人的人。”