The Birthday Gift Heist · chapter 4 of 6
Wine on the Ridge
冈上的酒
On the roasting ridge, seven date sellers lounge in the shade, and a cheerful wine seller climbs the path. Yang Zhi says no to wine, but the porters are dying of thirst.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 黄泥冈上没有一点风。七个人躺在松树下，旁边是七辆车，车上是红红的枣子。
Huángní Gāng shàng méiyǒu yìdiǎn fēng. Qīgè rén tǎng zài sōngshù xià, pángbiān shì qīliàngchē, chēshàng shì hónghóngde zǎozi.
There was not a breath of wind on Yellow Mud Ridge. Seven men lay under the pines, and beside them stood seven carts full of red dates.
- Yang Zhi 站住！你们是什么人？躺在这儿做什么？
Zhànzhù! Nǐmen shì shénme rén? Tǎng zài zhèr zuò shénme?
Halt! Who are you? What are you doing lying here?
- Liu Tang 客官，别怕。我们是卖枣子的，从远方来，要去东京卖。
Kèguān, biépà. Wǒmen shì mài zǎozi de, cóng yuǎnfānglái, yào qù Dōngjīng mài.
Sir, don't be afraid. We sell dates. We're from far away, heading to the capital to sell them.
Chapter 4 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 卖枣子的？那你们为什么不赶路，偏要躺在这里？
Mài zǎozi de? Nà nǐmen wèishénme bù gǎnlù, piānyào tǎng zài zhèlǐ?
Date sellers? Then why aren't you traveling, lying here instead?
- Liu Tang 这么热的天，难道要站着吗？你们不累吗？我们的腿都要断了！
Zhème rè de tiān, nándào yào zhàn zhe ma? Nǐmen búlèi ma? Wǒmen de tuǐ dōu yào duàn le!
In this heat, should we stand? Aren't you tired? Our legs are about to fall off!
- Old Steward 杨提辖，你看，人家只是商人，车上全是枣子。
Yáng tíxiá, nǐ kàn, rénjiā zhǐshì shāngrén, chēshàng quánshì zǎozi.
Officer Yang, look, they're just merchants. The carts are full of dates.
- Liu Tang 客官，你看，我们的枣子又红又大，甜得很！要不要尝一颗？
Kèguān, nǐ kàn, wǒmen de zǎozi yòu hóng yòu dà, tiándé hěn! Yào búyào cháng yìkē?
Sir, look how red and big our dates are, and sweet! Want to try one?
- Yang Zhi 不用。我不吃陌生人给的东西。
Búyòng. Wǒ bùchī mòshēngrén gěi de dōngxi.
No. I do not eat what strangers give me.
- Yang Zhi 让我亲自看看……真的是枣子。这些人，看起来不像坏人。可是，我还是要小心。
Ràng wǒ qīnzì kànkan… Zhēnde shì zǎozi. Zhèxiē rén, kànqǐlái búxiàng huàirén. Kěshì, wǒ háishi yào xiǎoxīn.
Let me look for myself... It really is dates. These men don't look like bad people. But I'll still be careful.
- Porter 枣子……光是看着，我就更渴了。
Zǎozi… Guāngshì kànzhe, wǒ jiù gèng kě le.
Dates... just looking at them makes me even thirstier.
- Yang Zhi 你们，把担子放在那边的树下，坐下，不许乱走。
Nǐmen, bǎ dànzi fàngzài nàbiān de shùxià, zuòxià, bùxǔ luàn zǒu.
You lot, put your loads under that tree, sit down, and don't wander off.
- Old Steward 哎呀，我的老腰。这一坐下，我一百年也不想站起来了。
Āiyā, wǒ de lǎo yāo. Zhèyí zuòxià, wǒ yìbǎinián yě bùxiǎng zhàn qǐlái le.
Oh, my old back. Now that I've sat, I don't want to stand up for a hundred years.
- Porter 大人，我们的嘴唇都裂开了，可以喝点水了吗？
Dàrén, wǒmen de zuǐchún dōu lièkāi le, kěyǐ hēdiǎn shuǐ le ma?
Master, our lips are cracked. May we drink some water now?
- Yang Zhi 水袋在这儿。每个人喝两口，不许多喝。
Shuǐdài zài zhèr. Měigè rén hē liǎngkǒu, bù xǔduō hē.
Here's the water skin. Two sips each, and no more.
- Porter 两口？我一口就喝光了，剩下的还不够润喉咙！
Liǎngkǒu? Wǒ yìkǒu jiù hēguāng le, shèngxià de hái búgòu rùn hóulóng!
Two sips? One gulp finishes it, and the rest wouldn't even wet my throat!
- Bai Sheng 好酒！又香又凉的好酒！一桶只要五贯钱！
Hǎojiǔ! Yòu xiāng yòu liáng de hǎo jiǔ! Yìtǒng zhǐyào wǔguàn qián!
Good wine! Fragrant, cool wine! Only five strings of coins a bucket!
- Porter 酒！有人在卖酒！大人，你听见了吗？
Jiǔ! Yǒurén zài mài jiǔ! Dàrén, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma?
Wine! Somebody's selling wine! Master, did you hear?
- Yang Zhi 谁也不许买！这是我的话，谁也不许买！
Shuí yě bùxǔ mǎi! Zhè shì wǒ dehuà, shuí yě bùxǔ mǎi!
Nobody buys anything! That's my word. Nobody buys!
- Porter 杨大人，我们真的要渴死了！死了还怎么挑担子？
Yángdàrén, wǒmen zhēnde yào kěsǐ le! Sǐ le hái zěnme tiāo dànzi?
Master Yang, we're really going to die of thirst! How can we carry loads if we're dead?
- Yang Zhi 你们都忘了吗？江湖上有人会在酒里放药！
Nǐmen dōu wàng le ma? Jiānghú shàng yǒurén huì zài jiǔlǐ fàngyào!
Have you all forgotten? On the road, some people put drugs in wine!
- Bai Sheng 客官，您别开玩笑。我的酒天天卖，从来没有人喝了躺下。
Kèguān, nín bié kāiwánxiào. Wǒ de jiǔ tiāntiān mài, cónglái méiyǒu rén hē le tǎng xià.
Sir, don't joke. I sell my wine every day, and nobody has ever fallen over after drinking it.
- Bai Sheng 我从山下挑到山上，路那么远，脚都磨破了，你们还要怀疑我？
Wǒ cóng shānxià tiāo dào shānshàng, lù nàme yuǎn, jiǎo dōu mópò le, nǐmen háiyào huáiyí wǒ?
I carried it from the foot of the hill to the top, so far my feet are worn raw, and you still doubt me?
- Liu Tang 卖酒的，过来过来！这么热的天，我们买一桶！
Màijiǔ de, guòlái guòlái! Zhème rè de tiān, wǒmen mǎi yìtǒng!
Wine seller, come over here! In this heat, we'll take a bucket!
- Bai Sheng 好嘞！客官，您真有眼光，这是最好的酒，喝了还想喝！
Hǎolei! Kèguān, nín zhēn yǒu yǎnguāng, zhèshì zuìhǎo de jiǔ, hē le hái xiǎng hē!
Right away! Sir, you have a fine eye. This is the best wine, you'll want more once you drink it!
- Liu Tang 来，兄弟们，一人一碗，先解解渴！啊……好酒！凉到心里去了！
Lái, xiōngdìmen, yìrén yìwǎn, xiān jiějiěkě! A… Hǎojiǔ! Liángdào xīnlǐ qù le!
Come on, brothers, a bowl each to cool off! Ah... good wine! It's cool right down to the heart!
- Porter 我们的杨大人，只让我们喝两口水……
Wǒmen de yángdàrén, zhǐ ràng wǒmen hē liǎngkǒu shuǐ…
And our Master Yang only lets us have two sips of water...
- Old Steward 杨志，你看，他们喝了一桶，一点事也没有。
Yáng Zhì, nǐ kàn, tāmen hē le yìtǒng, yìdiǎn shì yě méiyǒu.
Yang Zhi, look. They drank a whole bucket and nothing happened to them.
- Yang Zhi 他们喝了，他们没事。可是我总觉得，哪里不对……
Tāmen hē le, tāmen méishì. Kěshì wǒ zǒng juéde, nǎlǐ bú duì…
They drank. They're fine. But I feel something is off somewhere...
- Old Steward 弟兄们再热下去，会病倒的。病倒了，谁来挑担子？
Dìxiōngmen zài rè xiàqù, huì bìngdào de. Bìngdào le, shuí lái tiāo dànzi?
If the men get any hotter, they'll fall sick. And if they're sick, who will carry the loads?
- Bai Sheng 客官，我只剩最后一桶了。要是没人买，我就挑下山，回家去了。
Kèguān, wǒ zhǐ shèng zuìhòu yìtǒng le. Yàoshi méirén mǎi, wǒ jiù tiāo xiàshān, huíjiā qù le.
Sirs, I have only one bucket left. If nobody buys it, I'll carry it down the hill and go home.
- Porter 大人！求求您了！就一桶，就买一桶，我给您磕头了！
Dàrén! Qiúqiú nín le! Jiù yìtǒng, jiù mǎi yìtǒng, wǒ gěi nín kētóu le!
Master! Please! Just one bucket, just buy one bucket, I'll kneel and beg you!
- Yang Zhi 让我想想……那个卖酒的，笑得太快了。
Ràng wǒ xiǎngxiǎng… Nàge màijiǔ de, xiào dé tàikuài le.
Let me think... that wine seller smiles too quickly.
- Old Steward 杨志，你到底在怕什么？一桶酒，能把你吃了吗？
Yáng Zhì, nǐ dàodǐ zài pà shénme? Yìtǒng jiǔ, néng bǎ nǐ chī le ma?
Yang Zhi, what exactly are you afraid of? Can a bucket of wine eat you up?
- Yang Zhi 我不是怕酒。我是怕……我们担子里的十万贯。
Wǒ búshì pà jiǔ. Wǒ shì pà… Wǒmen dànzi lǐ de shíwànguàn.
I'm not afraid of wine. I'm afraid for the hundred thousand strings in our loads.
- Old Steward 那你就再好好看一次那桶酒，行不行？
Nà nǐ jiù zài hǎohǎokàn yícì nàtǒng jiǔ, xíngbùxíng?
Then take another good look at that bucket, will you?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who do the date sellers say they are?
“我们是卖枣子的，从远方来，要去东京卖。”
- What is Yang Zhi's first reaction to the wine seller?
“谁也不许买！”
- What do the date sellers do to seem harmless?
“一人一碗，先解解渴！啊……好酒！”
- Why does the steward want to buy wine?
“弟兄们再热下去，会病倒的。”
- What does Yang Zhi think about the wine seller?
“那个卖酒的，笑得太快了。”