The Cricket · chapter 2 of 4
The Broken Cricket
断腿的蟋蟀
Xiaobao's curious peek ruins everything, and he runs into the morning. That night, a tiny cricket calls outside the door.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天半夜，大家都睡熟了。小宝悄悄地从床上爬起来。走到桌子旁边，轻轻地打开了盒子。
Nà tiān bànyè, dàjiā dōu shuìshú le. Xiǎobǎo qiāoqiāo de cóng chuáng shàng pá qǐlái. Zǒu dào zhuōzi pángbiān, qīngqīng de dǎkāi le hézi.
That night, when everyone was fast asleep, Xiaobao quietly climbed out of bed, walked to the table, and gently opened the box.
- Xiaobao 哇，你真漂亮，你先别动，我只摸你一下。就一下，我保证不会弄疼你。
Wā, nǐ zhēn piàoliang, nǐ xiān bié dòng, wǒ zhǐ mō nǐ yíxià. Jiù yíxià, wǒ bǎozhèng bú huì nòng téng nǐ.
Wow, you're so beautiful. Stay still. I'll only touch you once, just once, and I promise not to hurt you.
- Xiaobao 啊，你怎么突然跳起来了。你别跳，你千万别跳出去！
Ā, nǐ zěnme tūrán tiào qǐlái le. Nǐ bié tiào, nǐ qiānwàn bié tiào chūqù!
Ah, why did you suddenly jump? Don't jump, don't you dare jump out!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Cricket 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.
- Xiaobao 别跑，我抓到你了……啊，不好。它的腿掉下来了，它的腿断了！
Bié pǎo, wǒ zhuā dào nǐ le… ā, bù hǎo. Tā de tuǐ diào xiàlái le, tā de tuǐ duàn le!
Don't run, I've got you... oh no, its leg came off, its leg is broken!
- Xiaobao 它不动了，它一点都不动了，娘，娘，你快来呀！
Tā bú dòng le, tā yìdiǎn dōu bú dòng le, niáng, niáng, nǐ kuài lái ya!
It's not moving, it's not moving at all. Mom, Mom, come quick!
- Cheng's Wife 小宝，出什么事了，你的脸怎么白得像纸一样？
Xiǎobǎo, chū shénme shì le, nǐ de liǎn zěnme bái de xiàng zhǐ yíyàng?
Xiaobao, what happened? Why is your face as white as paper?
- Xiaobao 娘，我只是想看一眼，可是它自己跳出来了。我一抓，它的腿就掉了，它死了。
Niáng, wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng kàn yì yǎn, kěshì tā zìjǐ tiào chūlái le. Wǒ yì zhuā, tā de tuǐ jiù diào le, tā sǐ le.
Mom, I only wanted one look, but it jumped out by itself. I grabbed it, its leg came off, and it died.
- Cheng's Wife 什么？你爸爸三天三夜没有好好睡觉，就是为了这只蟋蟀啊，你怎么可以……
Shénme? Nǐ bàba sān tiān sān yè méiyǒu hǎohāo shuìjiào, jiùshì wèile zhè zhī xīshuài a, nǐ zěnme kěyǐ…
What? Your father hasn't slept properly for three days and nights, all for this cricket, and you... how could you...
- Cheng Ming 这么晚了，吵什么呢，娘子，小宝，你们到底怎么了？
Zhème wǎn le, chǎo shénme ne, niángzǐ, Xiǎobǎo, nǐmen dàodǐ zěnme le?
It's so late. What's all the noise? Wife, Xiaobao, what on earth is wrong?
- Cheng's Wife 你自己过来，看看那个盒子吧。
Nǐ zìjǐ guòlái, kànkan nà ge hézi ba.
Come over yourself and look in that box.
- Cheng Ming 盒子里怎么会……这是……这是我辛辛苦苦抓来的蟋蟀？
Hézi lǐ zěnme huì… zhè shì… zhè shì wǒ xīnxīnkǔkǔ zhuā lái de xīshuài?
How can the box... this is... this is the cricket I worked so hard to catch?
- Cheng Ming 小宝，我跟你说过多少次，叫你不要碰它，你为什么就是不听话！
Xiǎobǎo, wǒ gēn nǐ shuō guo duōshao cì, jiào nǐ bú yào pèng tā, nǐ wèishénme jiùshì bù tīnghuà!
Xiaobao, how many times did I tell you not to touch it? Why can't you ever listen?
- Xiaobao 爸爸，对不起，我真的不是故意的。我只是太喜欢它了！
Bàba, duìbuqǐ, wǒ zhēn de bú shì gùyì de. Wǒ zhǐshì tài xǐhuan tā le!
Dad, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. I just liked it so much!
- Cheng Ming 你知道县官会怎么对付我吗？算了，你走开吧，我现在不想看见你。
Nǐ zhīdào xiànguān huì zěnme duìfu wǒ ma? Suànle, nǐ zǒukāi ba, wǒ xiànzài bù xiǎng kànjiàn nǐ.
Do you know what the magistrate will do to me? Forget it. Go away, I don't want to see you right now.
- Xiaobao 我走了，我再也不会给你们添麻烦了。
Wǒ zǒu le, wǒ zài yě bú huì gěi nǐmen tiān máfan le.
I'm going. I won't cause you any more trouble.
- Cheng's Wife 小宝，你要去哪儿，你回来，天还没亮呢！
Xiǎobǎo, nǐ yào qù nǎr, nǐ huílái, tiān hái méi liàng ne!
Xiaobao, where are you going? Come back, it isn't even light yet!
- Cheng Ming 小宝，快回来吧，爸爸不生气了。爸爸真的不生气了！
Xiǎobǎo, kuài huílái ba, bàba bù shēngqì le. Bàba zhēn de bù shēngqì le!
Xiaobao, come back! Daddy isn't angry anymore, really!
- Cheng's Wife 天快亮了，村子这么大。他一个孩子，会跑到哪里去呢？
Tiān kuài liàng le, cūnzi zhème dà. Tā yí gè háizi, huì pǎo dào nǎlǐ qù ne?
It's nearly dawn and the village is so big. Where could a child like him go?
- Cheng's Wife 你别再骂他了，好不好。他才九岁，他什么都不懂啊！
Nǐ bié zài mà tā le, hǎo bù hǎo. Tā cái jiǔ suì, tā shénme dōu bù dǒng a!
Stop scolding him, all right? He's only nine. He doesn't understand anything!
- Cheng Ming 我以后再也不骂他了。你去河边找，我去山上找，快去吧！
Wǒ yǐhòu zài yě bú mà tā le. Nǐ qù hé biān zhǎo, wǒ qù shān shàng zhǎo, kuài qù ba!
I'll never scold him again. You search by the river, I'll search the hill. Hurry!
- Narrator 他们找了一整个早上，到了中午。程明才在村口的老树下，看见了躺在地上的小宝。
Tāmen zhǎo le yì zhěng gè zǎoshang, dào le zhōngwǔ. Chéng Míng cái zài cūnkǒu de lǎo shù xià, kànjiàn le tǎng zài dì shàng de Xiǎobǎo.
They searched the whole morning. Only at noon did Cheng Ming find Xiaobao lying on the ground under the old tree at the edge of the village.
- Cheng Ming 小宝，小宝，你快醒醒，你的头怎么这么烫啊！
Xiǎobǎo, Xiǎobǎo, nǐ kuài xǐngxing, nǐ de tóu zěnme zhème tàng a!
Xiaobao, Xiaobao, wake up! Why is your head so hot!
- Cheng's Wife 他还有呼吸，我们快抱他回家，快去请大夫来！
Tā hái yǒu hūxī, wǒmen kuài bào tā huíjiā, kuài qù qǐng dàifu lái!
He's still breathing! Let's carry him home and fetch the doctor!
- Cheng's Wife 大夫说，孩子是被吓坏了，药也喝了。可是他还是闭着眼睛，一直不醒。
Dàifu shuō, háizi shì bèi xià huài le, yào yě hē le. Kěshì tā háishi bìzhe yǎnjing, yìzhí bù xǐng.
The doctor says the child was badly frightened. He took his medicine, but he still keeps his eyes closed and won't wake.
- Cheng Ming 这都是我的错，那天晚上，我真不该那样对他大声吼叫。
Zhè dōu shì wǒ de cuò, nà tiān wǎnshang, wǒ zhēn bù gāi nàyàng duì tā dàshēng hǒujiào.
It's all my fault. I never should have shouted at him like that.
- Cheng's Wife 现在说这些还有什么用，张差爷明天还要来。我们两手空空，该怎么办呢？
Xiànzài shuō zhèxiē hái yǒu shénme yòng, Zhāng chāiyé míngtiān hái yào lái. Wǒmen liǎngshǒu kōngkōng, gāi zěnme bàn ne?
What good is that now? Constable Zhang comes again tomorrow and we have nothing. What should we do?
- Cheng Ming 蟋蟀断了腿，儿子生了病，县官又要生气。娘子，我们家今年真是热闹啊。
Xīshuài duàn le tuǐ, érzi shēng le bìng, xiànguān yòu yào shēngqì. Niángzǐ, wǒmen jiā jīnnián zhēn shì rènao a.
A broken cricket, a sick son, and an angry magistrate coming. Wife, our house is certainly lively this year.
- Cheng's Wife 你别说笑话了，我现在一点儿也笑不出来。
Nǐ bié shuō xiàohua le, wǒ xiànzài yìdiǎnr yě xiào bù chūlái.
Don't joke. I can't laugh at all right now.
- Cheng Ming 对不起，我只是心里太乱了。真不知道还能怎么办。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ zhǐshì xīn lǐ tài luàn le. Zhēn bù zhīdào hái néng zěnme bàn.
I'm sorry. My mind is just in a mess, and I truly don't know what else to do.
- Cheng Ming 娘子，你先别说话，你听。是不是门口有什么声音？
Niángzǐ, nǐ xiān bié shuōhuà, nǐ tīng. Shì bu shì ménkǒu yǒu shénme shēngyīn?
Wife, stop talking for a moment and listen. Is that a sound at the door?
- Cheng's Wife 是……是蟋蟀在叫吗？它就在我们家门口！
Shì… shì xīshuài zài jiào ma? Tā jiù zài wǒmen jiā ménkǒu!
Is it... a cricket calling? It's right at our door!
- Cheng Ming 你们别出声，我慢慢过去看看，别把它吓跑了。
Nǐmen bié chūshēng, wǒ mànmàn guòqù kànkan, bié bǎ tā xià pǎo le.
Don't make a sound. I'll go over slowly and look, so I don't scare it off.
- Cheng Ming 好小的一只蟋蟀啊，可是你们听。它叫得比昨晚那只还要响！
Hǎo xiǎo de yì zhī xīshuài a, kěshì nǐmen tīng. Tā jiào de bǐ zuówǎn nà zhī hái yào xiǎng!
What a tiny cricket! But listen, it calls even louder than last night's!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What happens to the cricket in the box?
“我一抓，它的腿就掉了，它死了。”
- What does Cheng Ming say to his son in anger?
“你走开吧，我现在不想看见你。”
- Where is Xiaobao found?
“程明才在村口的老树下，看见了躺在地上的小宝。”
- How is Xiaobao when they bring him home?
“可是他还是闭着眼睛，一直不醒。”
- What gives the parents a spark of hope at the end?
“是不是门口有什么声音？”……“是蟋蟀在叫吗？它就在我们家门口！”