The Kitchen God · chapter 3 of 3
Back Home for New Year
新年回家
The candy melts and the Kitchen God tells the truth, kindly. The Emperor laughs, and the god comes home on New Year's Eve to a family with new promises.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- The Kitchen God 大帝，我的嘴好了！我可以说真话了！
Dàdì, wǒ de zuǐ hǎo le! Wǒ kěyǐ shuō zhēnhuà le!
Your Majesty, my mouth is free! Now I can tell the truth!
- The Jade Emperor 好。小孩吃了几个饺子？
Hǎo. Xiǎohái chī le jǐ gè jiǎozi?
Good. How many dumplings did the child eat?
- The Kitchen God 很多！晚上没有人，他就去吃。
Hěn duō! Wǎnshang méi yǒu rén, tā jiù qù chī.
Lots! At night when nobody's around, he goes and eats them.
- The Jade Emperor 哈哈！那可不对。
Hā hā! Nà kě bú duì.
Ha ha! That's not right.
- The Kitchen God 可是他给我一个饺子。他是个好孩子。
Kěshì tā gěi wǒ yí gè jiǎozi. Tā shì gè hǎo háizi.
But he offered me a dumpling. He's a good child.
- The Jade Emperor 那个爷爷呢？
Nà ge yéye ne?
And the grandfather?
- The Kitchen God 他把酒放在米的后面。
Tā bǎ jiǔ fàng zài mǐ de hòumiàn.
He hides his wine behind the rice.
- The Kitchen God 可是他每天早上都说：“早上好，灶王爷！”
Kěshì tā měitiān zǎoshang dōu shuō: “Zǎoshang hǎo, Zàowáng Yé!”
But every morning he says, "Good morning, Kitchen God!"
- The Jade Emperor 哈哈哈！这样的家，我很喜欢！
Hā hā hā! Zhèyàng de jiā, wǒ hěn xǐhuan!
Ha ha ha! I like a family like that!
- The Jade Emperor 好。今年，这家人会有很多好事。
Hǎo. Jīnnián, zhè jiā rén huì yǒu hěn duō hǎo shì.
Good. This year, that family will have many good things.
- The Jade Emperor 小孩的饺子，也给我留一个！
Xiǎohái de jiǎozi, yě gěi wǒ liú yí gè!
And save me one of the child's dumplings!
- The Kitchen God 谢谢大帝！我可以回家了吗？
Xièxie Dàdì! Wǒ kěyǐ huí jiā le ma?
Thank you, Your Majesty! May I go home now?
- The Jade Emperor 去吧。除夕那天，你回去。
Qù ba. Chúxī nà tiān, nǐ huíqù.
Go. On New Year's Eve, you'll return.
- Xiaobao 爷爷！今天是除夕！灶王爷回来了！
Yéye! Jīntiān shì Chúxī! Zàowáng Yé huílái le!
Grandpa! It's New Year's Eve! The Kitchen God is back!
- Grandpa 好，我们把新画放在厨房里。
Hǎo, wǒmen bǎ xīn huà fàng zài chúfáng lǐ.
All right, let's hang the new painting in the kitchen.
- Xiaobao 灶王爷好！你看，新画多漂亮！
Zàowáng Yé hǎo! Nǐ kàn, xīn huà duō piàoliang!
Hello, Kitchen God! Look, the new painting is so pretty!
- Grandpa 灶王爷，欢迎回到厨房！新年快乐！
Zàowáng Yé, huānyíng huídào chúfáng! Xīnnián kuàilè!
Kitchen God, welcome back to the kitchen! Happy New Year!
- The Kitchen God 我回来了！新年快乐！
Wǒ huílái le! Xīnnián kuàilè!
I'm back! Happy New Year!
- Xiaobao 灶王爷，你在天上说了什么？
Zàowáng Yé, nǐ zài tiān shàng shuō le shénme?
Kitchen God, what did you say up in heaven?
- The Kitchen God 我说了真话。你们是好人家。
Wǒ shuō le zhēnhuà. Nǐmen shì hǎo rén jiā.
I told the truth. You are a good family.
- Xiaobao 爷爷，他在笑！他说了好话！
Yéye, tā zài xiào! Tā shuō le hǎohuà!
Grandpa, he's smiling! He said nice things!
- Grandpa 一定。来，小宝，吃除夕的饺子吧。
Yídìng. Lái, Xiǎobǎo, chī Chúxī de jiǎozi ba.
Of course. Come, Xiaobao, let's eat the New Year's Eve dumplings.
- Xiaobao 太好了！我要吃十个！
Tài hǎo le! Wǒ yào chī shí gè!
Great! I want ten!
- Grandpa 十个？不行！只能吃三个！
Shí gè? Bù xíng! Zhǐ néng chī sān gè!
Ten? No way! Only three!
- The Kitchen God 三个？哈哈，我知道他要吃几个。
Sān gè? Hā hā, wǒ zhīdào tā yào chī jǐ gè.
Three? Ha ha, I know how many he'll eat.
- Xiaobao 灶王爷，明年我只吃三个。真的！
Zàowáng Yé, míngnián wǒ zhǐ chī sān gè. Zhēn de!
Kitchen God, next year I'll only eat three. Really!
- Grandpa 我明年，只喝一杯。
Wǒ míngnián, zhǐ hē yì bēi.
Next year, I'll only have one cup.
- The Kitchen God 好，好。可是明年，我还是什么都看见！
Hǎo, hǎo. Kěshì míngnián, wǒ háishi shénme dōu kànjiàn!
Good, good. But next year, I'll still see everything!
What changed in the story?
- Why can the Kitchen God tell the truth now?
“我的嘴好了！我可以说真话了！”
- What good thing does the Kitchen God say about Xiaobao?
“他给我一个饺子。他是个好孩子。”
- How does the Jade Emperor react?
“这样的家，我很喜欢！”
- When does the Kitchen God return home?
“除夕那天，你回去。”
- What does the Kitchen God say at the end?
“我还是什么都看见！”