The Birthday Gift Heist · chapter 5 of 6
The Ladle
一瓢酒
Yang Zhi wants proof the second bucket is safe, and the date sellers give it to him in the boldest way. One ladle of wine, one loud argument, and the ridge goes very quiet.
Read what you hear
- Yang Zhi 卖酒的，你把最后那桶酒打开，让我看看。
Màijiǔ de, nǐ bǎ zuìhòu nàtǒng jiǔ dǎkāi, ràng wǒ kànkan.
Wine seller, open that last bucket and let me have a look.
- Bai Sheng 客官请看！干干净净，清清凉凉！不过这是我最后一桶，我不想卖了！
Kèguān qǐng kàn! Gāngānjìngjìng, qīng qīngliángliáng! Búguò zhè shì wǒ zuìhòu yìtǒng, wǒ bùxiǎng mài le!
Look, sir! Clean and cool! But it's my last bucket, and I'd rather not sell it!
- Liu Tang 卖酒的，你别这么小气！我再喝一瓢，给你三十文！
Màijiǔ de, nǐbié zhème xiǎoqì! Wǒ zài hē yìpiáo, gěi nǐ sānshíwén!
Wine seller, don't be so stingy! I'll have one more ladle and pay you thirty coins!
Chapter 5 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.
- Bai Sheng 不卖！不卖！刚才你们已经喝了一桶，还想抢我的酒吗？
Búmài! Búmài! Gāngcái nǐmen yǐjīng hē le yìtǒng, hái xiǎng qiǎng wǒ de jiǔ ma?
Not for sale! You already drank a bucket, and now you want to steal my wine?
- Liu Tang 我抢？我是给钱的！你看，我喝一大口。哈——好酒！
Wǒ qiǎng? Wǒ shì gěiqián de! Nǐ kàn, wǒ hē yídàkǒu. Hā — — hǎojiǔ!
Steal? I pay! Look, I'll take a big gulp. Ha, good wine!
- Bai Sheng 还给我！你们这些人，真没有规矩！我的酒，不是你们的水！
Huángěi wǒ! Nǐmen zhèxiē rén, zhēn méiyǒuguījǔ! Wǒ de jiǔ, búshì nǐmen de shuǐ!
Give that back! You people have no manners at all! My wine is not your water!
- Wu Yong 别吵别吵！让我也喝一口，喝完了，我们马上就走。
Biéchǎo biéchǎo! Ràng wǒ yě hē yìkǒu, hēwán le, wǒmen mǎshàng jiù zǒu.
Stop, stop arguing! Let me have a sip too, and then we'll leave right away.
- Wu Yong 你们吵吧，吵得越大声越好。趁现在，药，就放进去了。
Nǐmen chǎo ba, chǎodé yuè dàshēng yuè hǎo. Chènxiànzài, yào, jiù fàngjìnqù le.
Keep on fighting, the louder the better. And while you do, the medicine goes in.
- Liu Tang 小气的卖酒的！我们七个人喝，你怕什么？酒还不是酒吗？
Xiǎoqì de mài jiǔ de! Wǒmen qīgè rén hē, nǐ pà shénme? Jiǔ hái búshì jiǔ ma?
Stingy wine seller! Seven of us are drinking, what are you afraid of? Wine is just wine, is it not?
- Bai Sheng 你们又喝！这下我一滴也不剩了，我不卖了，不卖了！
Nǐmen yòu hē! Zhèxià wǒ yìdī yě bú shèng le, wǒ bú mài le, búmài le!
You drank again! Now I have hardly a drop left, and I'm done selling, done!
- Old Steward 杨志，你看！他们两桶都喝了，人还好好的！这酒一定是干净的。
Yáng Zhì, nǐ kàn! Tāmen liǎngtǒng dōu hē le, rén hái hǎohǎo de! Zhèjiǔ yídìng shì gānjìng de.
Yang Zhi, look! They drank two buckets and they're still fine! The wine must be clean.
- Yang Zhi 他们一共七个人，两桶酒都喝了，可是什么事也没有。
Tāmen yígòng qīgè rén, liǎngtǒng jiǔdōu hē le, kěshì shénme shì yě méiyǒu.
There are seven of them, and they drank both buckets, yet nothing has happened.
- Yang Zhi 他们喝的时候，我一直在看。没有人往桶里放东西……
Tāmen hē de shíhou, wǒ yìzhí zài kàn. Méiyǒu rénwǎng tǒng lǐ fàng dōngxi…
I watched the whole time they drank. Nobody put anything into the bucket...
- Porter 大人！求求您了！我们的喉咙都要冒烟了！
Dàrén! Qiúqiú nín le! Wǒmen de hóulóng dōu yào màoyān le!
Master! Please! Our throats are about to smoke!
- Yang Zhi 好吧。我们买这桶，一人一碗。喝完了马上就走！
Hǎo ba. Wǒmen mǎi zhètǒng, yìrén yìwǎn. Hēwán le mǎshàng jiù zǒu!
All right. We'll buy this bucket, one bowl each. Once we've drunk, we leave at once!
- Bai Sheng 唉，你们这样求我，我也没办法。五贯就五贯，卖给你们。
Āi, nǐmen zhèyàng qiú wǒ, wǒ yě méi bànfǎ. Wǔguàn jiù wǔguàn, mài gěi nǐmen.
Sigh, since you beg me like that, I have no choice. Five strings it is, I'll sell it to you.
- Porter 谢谢大人！大人是天下最好的大人！
Xièxie dàrén! Dàrén shì tiānxià zuìhǎo de dàrén!
Thank you, Master! You're the best master in the whole world!
- Bai Sheng 慢点慢点！一人一碗，谁也不许抢，酒有的是！
Màndiǎn màndiǎn! Yìrén yìwǎn, shuí yě bùxǔ qiǎng, jiǔ yǒudeshì!
Slow down, slow down! A bowl each, and nobody grab, there is plenty of wine!
- Old Steward 好酒！好酒！我这把老骨头又活过来了！再给我来一碗！
Hǎojiǔ! Hǎojiǔ! Wǒ zhè bǎ lǎogútou yòu huóguòlái le! Zài gěi wǒ lái yìwǎn!
Good wine! Good wine! My old bones are alive again! Give me another bowl!
- Yang Zhi 我只喝半碗，只喝半碗。凉的，甜的，没有问题。
Wǒ zhǐ hē bànwǎn, zhǐ hē bànwǎn. Liáng de, tián de, méiyǒu wèntí.
I'll drink half a bowl, only half. It's cool and sweet. There's nothing wrong with it.
- Porter 哇，真凉快！我又有力气了，我还能再挑一百里！
Wa, zhēn liángkuài! Wǒ yòu yǒu lìqi le, wǒ hái néng zài tiāo yìbǎilǐ!
Wow, so refreshing! I have my strength back, and I could carry another hundred miles!
- Porter 咦……大人，我的腿……怎么这么软？我站不起来了……
Yí… Dàrén, wǒ de tuǐ… Zěnme zhème ruǎn? Wǒ zhànbùqǐlái le…
Huh... Master, my legs... why are they so weak? I can't stand up...
- Old Steward 我……我眼前的树……天也在转……都在转……
Wǒ… Wǒ yǎnqián de shù… Tiān yě zài zhuǎn… Dōu zài zhuǎn…
I... the trees in front of me... and the sky too... it's all spinning...
- Yang Zhi 酒……酒里有……你们……
Jiǔ… Jiǔlǐ yǒu… Nǐmen…
The wine... there's something in the wine... you...
- Yang Zhi 卖枣子的……你们……到底是谁？
Mài zǎozi de… Nǐmen… Dàodǐ shì shuí?
Date sellers... who... are you really?
- Chao Gai 杨提辖，我们是谁不重要。你的担子，我们替你挑了。睡吧，睡醒了，就没事了。
Yáng tíxiá, wǒmen shì shuí bú zhòngyào. Nǐ de dànzi, wǒmen tì nǐ tiāo le. Shuì ba, shuìxǐng le, jiù méishì le.
Officer Yang, who we are doesn't matter. We'll carry your loads for you. Sleep now, and when you wake, all will be well.
- Yang Zhi 不……不能……十万贯……我的命……
Bù… Bùnéng… Shíwànguàn… Wǒ de mìng…
No... you can't... a hundred thousand strings... my life...
- Chao Gai 兄弟们！快，把枣子都倒出来，把宝贝装上车！
Xiōngdìmen! Kuài, bǎ zǎozi dōu dào chūlái, bǎ bǎobèi zhuāng shàngchē!
Brothers! Quick, pour out the dates and load the treasure onto the carts!
- Wu Yong 把枣子倒在路边，让杨志醒来的时候，只看到一地红红的枣子。
Bǎ zǎozi dào zài lùbiān, ràng Yáng Zhì xǐnglái de shíhou, zhǐ kàndào yídì hónghóngde zǎozi.
Pour the dates by the roadside, so when Yang Zhi wakes up he sees only red dates all over the ground.
- Liu Tang 晁大哥，成了！我们真的成了！十万贯，全是我们的了！
Cháo dàgē, chéng le! Wǒmen zhēnde chéng le! Shíwànguàn, quánshì wǒmen de le!
Brother Chao, we did it! We really did it! A hundred thousand strings, all ours!
- Wu Yong 先别高兴。杨志醒来以前，我们要走得很远很远。
Xiān bié gāoxìng. Yáng Zhì xǐnglái yǐqián, wǒmen yào zǒu dé hěn yuǎn hěn yuǎn.
Don't celebrate yet. Before Yang Zhi wakes up, we must be very, very far away.
- Bai Sheng 那我的酒钱呢？我还想再挑两桶酒回来呢！
Nà wǒ de jiǔqián ne? Wǒ hái xiǎng zài tiāo liǎngtǒng jiǔ huílái ne!
And what about my wine money? I'm ready to carry two more buckets back!
- Chao Gai 哈哈，白胜，你的酒钱，我们会算得清清楚楚！
Hāhā, Bái Shèng, nǐ de jiǔqián, wǒmen huìsuàndé qīngqīngchǔchǔ!
Ha ha, Bai Sheng, we'll count out your wine money to the last coin!
- Chao Gai 吴先生，杨志醒来以后，他会怎么样呢？
Wúxiānsheng, Yáng Zhì xǐnglái yǐhòu, tāhuì zěnmeyàng ne?
Teacher Wu, what will Yang Zhi do when he wakes up?
- Wu Yong 他会发现，他丢了十万贯，也丢了回家的路。
Tāhuì fāxiàn, tā diū le shíwànguàn, yě diū le huíjiā de lù.
He'll find that he lost a hundred thousand strings, and lost his way home too.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Liu Tang do to prove the wine is safe?
“我喝一大口。哈——好酒！”
- What does Wu Yong secretly do?
“趁现在，药，就放进去了。”
- Why does the steward say the wine is clean?
“他们两桶都喝了，人还好好的！”
- What does Yang Zhi finally agree to?
“我们买这桶，一人一碗。”
- How does Chao Gai answer Yang Zhi's last question?
“我们是谁不重要。”