The Gift of the Magi · chapter 1 of 3
One Yuan Eighty-Seven
一块八毛七
On Christmas Eve in a Shanghai lane, Xiao Mei has one yuan eighty-seven to buy her husband a present, and one treasure she could sell.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 差不多一百年前，上海有很多小弄堂。一条弄堂里，住着一对年轻人：小美和阿明。
Chàbuduō yì bǎi nián qián, Shànghǎi yǒu hěn duō xiǎo lòngtáng. Yì tiáo lòngtáng lǐ, zhùzhe yí duì niánqīngrén: Xiǎo Měi hé Ā Míng.
Almost a hundred years ago, Shanghai was full of narrow little lanes. In one of them lived a young couple, Xiao Mei and A Ming.
- Narrator 他们没有什么钱，可是很爱对方。这天是十二月二十四号，阿明还在外面工作。
Tāmen méiyǒu shénme qián, kěshì hěn ài duìfāng. Zhè tiān shì shí'èr yuè èrshísì hào, Ā Míng hái zài wàimiàn gōngzuò.
They had very little money, but they loved each other dearly. It was the twenty-fourth of December, and A Ming was still out at work.
- Xiao Mei 一块，一块五，一块八……一块八毛七。
Yí kuài, yí kuài wǔ, yí kuài bā… yí kuài bā máo qī.
One yuan, one-fifty, one-eighty… one yuan eighty-seven.
- Xiao Mei 不对吧？再数一次……还是一块八毛七。
Bú duì ba? Zài shǔ yí cì… háishi yí kuài bā máo qī.
That can't be right. Count it again… Still one eighty-seven.
- Xiao Mei 第三次了。一块八毛七，就是一块八毛七。
Dì sān cì le. Yí kuài bā máo qī, jiù shì yí kuài bā máo qī.
That's three times now. One eighty-seven is one eighty-seven.
- Xiao Mei 这些钱，我省了好几个月。买菜的时候，我总要说：“再便宜一点儿吧！”
Zhèxiē qián, wǒ shěng le hǎo jǐ gè yuè. Mǎi cài de shíhou, wǒ zǒng yào shuō: “Zài piányi yìdiǎnr ba!”
I've been saving this for months. Every time I bought groceries, I'd say, “Just a little cheaper, please!”
- Xiao Mei 明天就是圣诞节了。一块八毛七，能买什么礼物呢？
Míngtiān jiù shì Shèngdànjié le. Yí kuài bā máo qī, néng mǎi shénme lǐwù ne?
Tomorrow is Christmas. What kind of present can one eighty-seven buy?
- Xiao Mei 不哭，小美，不哭。哭有什么用呢？
Bù kū, Xiǎo Měi, bù kū. Kū yǒu shénme yòng ne?
Don't cry, Xiao Mei. Don't cry. What good would crying do?
- Xiao Mei 阿明每天工作那么累。可是一回到家，他总是对我笑。
Ā Míng měi tiān gōngzuò nàme lèi. Kěshì yì huí dào jiā, tā zǒngshì duì wǒ xiào.
A Ming works so hard every day. But the moment he gets home, he always has a smile for me.
- Xiao Mei 我想送他一个礼物。一个真正的、配得上他的礼物。
Wǒ xiǎng sòng tā yí gè lǐwù. Yí gè zhēnzhèng de, pèi de shàng tā de lǐwù.
I want to give him a present. A real one, one that's worthy of him.
- Xiao Mei 我们没有钱。可是我们有两样东西，谁看了都说好。
Wǒmen méiyǒu qián. Kěshì wǒmen yǒu liǎng yàng dōngxi, shéi kàn le dōu shuō hǎo.
We have no money. But we do have two things that everyone admires.
- Xiao Mei 一样是阿明的金表。那是他爷爷留给他的，他最爱它了。
Yí yàng shì Ā Míng de jīnbiǎo. Nà shì tā yéye liú gěi tā de, tā zuì ài tā le.
One is A Ming's gold watch. His grandfather left it to him, and he loves it more than anything.
- Xiao Mei 可是表上没有表链，只有一条旧皮带子。在外面，他都不好意思拿出来看。
Kěshì biǎo shang méiyǒu biǎoliàn, zhǐ yǒu yì tiáo jiù pí dàizi. Zài wàimiàn, tā dōu bù hǎoyìsi ná chūlái kàn.
But it has no chain, only a worn-out leather strap. Out in public, he's too embarrassed even to take it out and look at it.
- Xiao Mei 还有一样，就是我的头发。
Hái yǒu yí yàng, jiù shì wǒ de tóufa.
The other one is my hair.
- Narrator 小美走到镜子前面，放下了长长的头发。又黑又亮的头发，一直到她的膝盖。
Xiǎo Měi zǒu dào jìngzi qiánmiàn, fàng xià le chángcháng de tóufa. Yòu hēi yòu liàng de tóufa, yìzhí dào tā de xīgài.
Xiao Mei went to the mirror and let her hair down. Black and shining, it fell all the way to her knees.
- Xiao Mei 南京路有一家店，店里有一套梳子。我每次走过，都要看好久。
Nánjīng Lù yǒu yì jiā diàn, diàn lǐ yǒu yí tào shūzi. Wǒ měi cì zǒu guò, dōu yào kàn hǎo jiǔ.
There's a set of combs in a shop on Nanjing Road. Every time I walk by, I stop and gaze at them for ages.
- Xiao Mei 那套梳子戴在我的头发上，一定很好看。可是太贵了，我只能看看。
Nà tào shūzi dài zài wǒ de tóufa shang, yídìng hěn hǎokàn. Kěshì tài guì le, wǒ zhǐ néng kànkan.
Those combs would look so lovely in my hair. But they cost far too much. All I can do is look.
- Xiao Mei 头发……我的头发，能卖钱吗？
Tóufa… wǒ de tóufa, néng mài qián ma?
Hair… Could I sell my hair?
- Xiao Mei 可是阿明那么喜欢我的长头发……
Kěshì Ā Míng nàme xǐhuan wǒ de cháng tóufa…
But A Ming loves my long hair so much…
- Xiao Mei 不想了！明天是圣诞节，阿明一定要有礼物。就这样决定了！
Bù xiǎng le! Míngtiān shì Shèngdànjié, Ā Míng yídìng yào yǒu lǐwù. Jiù zhèyàng juédìng le!
No more thinking! Tomorrow is Christmas, and A Ming is going to have a present. It's decided!
- Narrator 小美又看了看镜子里的自己。然后，她很快地穿上旧大衣，跑出了门。
Xiǎo Měi yòu kàn le kàn jìngzi lǐ de zìjǐ. Ránhòu, tā hěn kuài de chuān shàng jiù dàyī, pǎo chū le mén.
Xiao Mei took one more look at herself in the mirror. Then she threw on her old coat and hurried out the door.
What changed in the story?
- How much money does Xiao Mei have?
“一块八毛七，就是一块八毛七。”
- How did Xiao Mei save the money?
“这些钱，我省了好几个月。买菜的时候，我总要说……再便宜一点儿吧”
- Why won't A Ming take out his watch in public?
“没有表链，只有一条旧皮带子……他都不好意思拿出来看”
- What has Xiao Mei often stopped to admire on Nanjing Road?
“南京路有一家店，店里有一套梳子。我每次走过，都要看好久。”
- What does Xiao Mei decide as she looks in the mirror?
“我的头发，能卖钱吗？”……“就这样决定了！”