The Cricket · chapter 1 of 4
The Order
县官的命令
The emperor wants a champion cricket, and poor Cheng Ming has three days to find one. When his family catches a marvelous one, his son is curious.
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- Narrator 明朝的时候，皇帝特别爱看蟋蟀打架，所以各地的县官，每年都要送最好的蟋蟀进京。
Míngcháo de shíhou, huángdì tèbié ài kàn xīshuài dǎjià, suǒyǐ gèdì de xiànguān, měi nián dōu yào sòng zuì hǎo de xīshuài jìnjīng.
In the Ming dynasty, the emperor loved watching crickets fight, so every year officials all over the land had to send their best crickets to the capital.
- Constable Zhang 程明，快开门，县官大人有命令要你听！
Chéng Míng, kuài kāimén, xiànguān dàrén yǒu mìnglìng yào nǐ tīng!
Cheng Ming, open up! The magistrate has an order for you!
- Cheng Ming 来了来了，张差爷，天都黑了。您这么晚来，是有什么急事吗？
Lái le lái le, Zhāng chāiyé, tiān dōu hēi le. Nín zhème wǎn lái, shì yǒu shénme jíshì ma?
Coming, coming! Constable Zhang, it's already dark. Is something urgent?
- Constable Zhang 今年县里要交一只最好的蟋蟀。你是村里管事的，这件事就交给你了。
Jīnnián xiànlǐ yào jiāo yì zhī zuì hǎo de xīshuài. Nǐ shì cūn lǐ guǎnshì de, zhè jiàn shì jiù jiāo gěi nǐ le.
This year the county must hand in one champion cricket. You're the village head, so this job is yours.
- Cheng Ming 我？我只是个读书人，连考试都没考上。我怎么会抓蟋蟀呢？
Wǒ? Wǒ zhǐshì gè dúshūrén, lián kǎoshì dōu méi kǎo shàng. Wǒ zěnme huì zhuā xīshuài ne?
Me? I'm only a scholar. I couldn't even pass my exams, so how could I catch a cricket?
- Constable Zhang 那是你自己的事，三天以后我来拿。要是没有，你就自己去跟县官说吧。
Nà shì nǐ zìjǐ de shì, sān tiān yǐhòu wǒ lái ná. Yàoshi méiyǒu, nǐ jiù zìjǐ qù gēn xiànguān shuō ba.
That's your problem. I'll come for it in three days, and if you have none, you can explain it to the magistrate yourself.
- Cheng's Wife 三天？他怎么不干脆说三年呢。那样我们还能多睡几个好觉。
Sān tiān? Tā zěnme bù gāncuì shuō sān nián ne. Nàyàng wǒmen hái néng duō shuì jǐ gè hǎo jiào.
Three days? Why not just say three years? At least we'd get a few good nights of sleep.
- Constable Zhang 我只是来传话的，三天。一天也不能多，你们可别忘了。
Wǒ zhǐshì lái chuánhuà de, sān tiān. Yì tiān yě bù néng duō, nǐmen kě bié wàng le.
I just deliver messages. Three days, not one day more, so don't forget.
- Cheng Ming 娘子，你还记得吗，去年邻居老李为了一只蟋蟀，连家里的牛都卖了。
Niángzǐ, nǐ hái jìde ma, qùnián línjū Lǎo Lǐ wèile yì zhī xīshuài, lián jiā lǐ de niú dōu mài le.
Wife, do you remember? Last year our neighbor Old Li sold even his ox for a single cricket.
- Cheng's Wife 我们家连牛都没有，看来只能一家人一起，自己去把它抓回来了。
Wǒmen jiā lián niú dōu méiyǒu, kànlái zhǐ néng yì jiā rén yìqǐ, zìjǐ qù bǎ tā zhuā huílái le.
We don't even have an ox, so it looks like the whole family will just have to go and catch one ourselves.
- Narrator 接下来的两天，程明一家找遍了整个村子。墙角，草地，石头下面，什么地方都找过了。
Jiē xiàlái de liǎng tiān, Chéng Míng yì jiā zhǎo biàn le zhěnggè cūnzi. Qiángjiǎo, cǎodì, shítou xiàmiàn, shénme dìfang dōu zhǎo guo le.
For the next two days, Cheng Ming's family searched the whole village: corners, meadows, under stones. They looked everywhere.
- Cheng Ming 我已经抓了二十多只。可是每一只都又小又弱，根本不能打。
Wǒ yǐjīng zhuā le èrshí duō zhī. Kěshì měi yì zhī dōu yòu xiǎo yòu ruò, gēnběn bù néng dǎ.
I've already caught more than twenty, but every one is small and weak. None of them can fight.
- Xiaobao 爸爸，它们也会跳，也会叫。为什么县官不喜欢它们呢？
Bàba, tāmen yě huì tiào, yě huì jiào. Wèishénme xiànguān bù xǐhuan tāmen ne?
Dad, they can jump and chirp too. Why doesn't the magistrate like them?
- Cheng Ming 因为县官要的是能打的蟋蟀。只有打赢了，他才能升官发财。
Yīnwèi xiànguān yào de shì néng dǎ de xīshuài. Zhǐyǒu dǎ yíng le, tā cái néng shēngguān fācái.
Because he wants a fighter. Only if it wins can he get promoted and get rich.
- Cheng's Wife 那就让他自己爬到墙角来抓，看他抓不抓得到。
Nà jiù ràng tā zìjǐ pá dào qiángjiǎo lái zhuā, kàn tā zhuā bu zhuā de dào.
Then let him crawl around the corners himself and see if he can catch one.
- Xiaobao 嘘，你们别说话，你们听！那堵老墙后面，好像有一个很大的声音！
Xū, nǐmen bié shuōhuà, nǐmen tīng! Nà dǔ lǎo qiáng hòumiàn, hǎoxiàng yǒu yí gè hěn dà de shēngyīn!
Shh, don't talk, listen! Behind that old wall, there's a really loud sound!
- Cheng Ming 真的，叫得好响！娘子，快把灯拿过来一点，小宝，你可别出声。
Zhēn de, jiào de hǎo xiǎng! Niángzǐ, kuài bǎ dēng ná guòlái yìdiǎn, Xiǎobǎo, nǐ kě bié chūshēng.
It's true, what a loud call! Wife, bring the lamp closer. Xiaobao, don't make a sound.
- Cheng's Wife 你慢一点，小心别踩到它，也别把它吓跑了。
Nǐ màn yìdiǎn, xiǎoxīn bié cǎi dào tā, yě bié bǎ tā xià pǎo le.
Slow down. Be careful not to step on it or scare it away.
- Cheng Ming 别动，别动……好了，我抓到了，我真的抓到了！
Bié dòng, bié dòng… hǎo le, wǒ zhuā dào le, wǒ zhēn de zhuā dào le!
Don't move, don't move... there, I've got it, I really got it!
- Cheng's Wife 快让我看看！哎呀，这只又大又壮，比你抓的那些都好看多了！
Kuài ràng wǒ kànkan! Āiyā, zhè zhī yòu dà yòu zhuàng, bǐ nǐ zhuā de nàxiē dōu hǎokàn duō le!
Let me see! Oh my, this one is big and strong, so much better than all those you caught!
- Xiaobao 它的头是绿色的，翅膀像金子一样亮。我从来没见过这么漂亮的蟋蟀！
Tā de tóu shì lǜsè de, chìbǎng xiàng jīnzi yíyàng liàng. Wǒ cónglái méi jiàn guo zhème piàoliang de xīshuài!
Its head is green and its wings shine like gold. I've never seen such a beautiful cricket!
- Cheng Ming 娘子，小宝，这一次我们真的有救了。这下子县官没话可说了！
Niángzǐ, Xiǎobǎo, zhè yí cì wǒmen zhēn de yǒu jiù le. Zhè xiàzi xiànguān méi huà kě shuō le!
Wife, Xiaobao, this time we're really saved! Now the magistrate will have nothing to complain about!
- Cheng's Wife 那你还等什么，快把它放进盒子里，别让它半夜跑了。
Nà nǐ hái děng shénme, kuài bǎ tā fàng jìn hézi lǐ, bié ràng tā bànyè pǎo le.
Then what are you waiting for? Put it in the box before it runs off in the night.
- Cheng Ming 明天一早，张差爷来的时候，我就把它交上去，今晚我要守着它。
Míngtiān yìzǎo, Zhāng chāiyé lái de shíhou, wǒ jiù bǎ tā jiāo shàngqù, jīnwǎn wǒ yào shǒu zhe tā.
Tomorrow at dawn, when Constable Zhang comes, I'll hand it over. Tonight I'm guarding it.
- Cheng's Wife 你先吃点东西吧，三天了。你都没有好好吃过一顿饭。
Nǐ xiān chī diǎn dōngxi ba, sān tiān le. Nǐ dōu méiyǒu hǎohāo chī guo yí dùn fàn.
Eat something first. It's been three days and you haven't had one proper meal.
- Cheng Ming 我吃不下，我一直在想。它会不会饿，会不会冷，会不会……
Wǒ chī bú xià, wǒ yìzhí zài xiǎng. Tā huì bu huì è, huì bu huì lěng, huì bu huì…
I can't eat. I keep wondering if it's hungry, if it's cold, if it...
- Xiaobao 爸爸，你听它叫得多好听。就像有人在很远的地方唱歌一样。
Bàba, nǐ tīng tā jiào de duō hǎotīng. Jiù xiàng yǒu rén zài hěn yuǎn de dìfang chànggē yíyàng.
Dad, listen how lovely it sounds, like someone singing far away.
- Cheng Ming 小宝，你要听好，它是我们全家的命。你千万不要碰它，明白了吗？
Xiǎobǎo, nǐ yào tīng hǎo, tā shì wǒmen quán jiā de mìng. Nǐ qiānwàn bú yào pèng tā, míngbai le ma?
Xiaobao, listen well. It is our whole family's life, so whatever you do, don't touch it. Understand?
- Xiaobao 明白了，爸爸，我保证只用眼睛看。绝对不用手去碰它。
Míngbai le, bàba, wǒ bǎozhèng zhǐ yòng yǎnjing kàn. Juéduì bú yòng shǒu qù pèng tā.
I understand, Dad. I promise to look with my eyes only and never touch it with my hands.
- Cheng's Wife 好了，你们两个快去睡觉吧，明天一定会是个好日子。
Hǎo le, nǐmen liǎng gè kuài qù shuìjiào ba, míngtiān yídìng huì shì gè hǎo rìzi.
All right, you two go to bed. Tomorrow is sure to be a good day.
- Narrator 半夜里，大人们都睡着了，屋子里很安静。只有那只蟋蟀还在轻轻地叫。
Bànyè lǐ, dàrénmen dōu shuìzháo le, wūzi lǐ hěn ānjìng. Zhǐyǒu nà zhī xīshuài hái zài qīngqīng de jiào.
In the middle of the night, the grown-ups were asleep and the house was quiet. Only the cricket kept chirping softly.
- Xiaobao 爸爸和娘都睡着了，我就悄悄看一眼。就一眼，应该不会有事的。
Bàba hé niáng dōu shuìzháo le, wǒ jiù qiāoqiāo kàn yì yǎn. Jiù yì yǎn, yīnggāi bú huì yǒu shì de.
Dad and Mom are both asleep. I'll just sneak one look, only one, and nothing should happen.
What changed in the story?
- What does the constable order Cheng Ming to do?
“今年县里要交一只最好的蟋蟀……三天以后我来拿。”
- Why does Cheng Ming say he is a poor choice to catch crickets?
“我只是个读书人，连考试都没考上”
- How does the family find the good cricket?
“那堵老墙后面，好像有一个很大的声音！”
- What does Cheng Ming tell Xiaobao about the cricket?
“你千万不要碰它，明白了吗？”
- What is Xiaobao planning at the end?
“我就悄悄看一眼，就一眼，应该不会有事的。”