The Magic Brocade · chapter 4 of 4
The Village Comes Alive
村子活了
The eldest fairy softens, a young fairy weaves herself into the brocade, and A San rides home. When he unrolls it on the hillside, the dream village springs to life.
Read what you hear
- The Eldest Fairy 人不能来太阳山。你是谁？为什么来这儿？
Rén bù néng lái Tàiyáng Shān. Nǐ shì shéi? Wèishénme lái zhèr?
Humans can't come to Sun Mountain. Who are you? Why are you here?
- A San 大仙女，我叫阿三。我妈妈织了三年的锦，风把它吹到这儿来了。
Dà xiānnǚ, wǒ jiào Ā Sān. Wǒ māma zhī le sān nián de jǐn, fēng bǎ tā chuī dào zhèr lái le.
Great Fairy, my name is A San. My mother wove a brocade for three years, and the wind blew it here.
- The Eldest Fairy 那块锦太美了，我们想织一块一样的。还没有织好。
Nà kuài jǐn tài měi le, wǒmen xiǎng zhī yí kuài yíyàng de. Hái méiyǒu zhī hǎo.
That brocade is so beautiful that we wanted to weave one just like it. It isn't finished yet.
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Magic Brocade 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.
- A San 请把它给我。我妈妈天天在哭。
Qǐng bǎ tā gěi wǒ. Wǒ māma tiāntiān zài kū.
Please give it to me. My mother cries every day.
- Huigu 大姐，让他等一下吧。我们今晚就能织好。
Dàjiě, ràng tā děng yíxià ba. Wǒmen jīnwǎn jiù néng zhī hǎo.
Big Sister, let him wait a little. We can finish tonight.
- The Eldest Fairy 好。可是太阳出来以前，你要走。
Hǎo. Kěshì tàiyáng chūlái yǐqián, nǐ yào zǒu.
All right. But you must leave before the sun comes up.
- A San 谢谢您！我可以帮什么忙吗？
Xièxie nín! Wǒ kěyǐ bāng shénme máng ma?
Thank you! Can I help with anything?
- Huigu 我一边织，你一边说你妈妈的梦，好不好？
Wǒ yìbiān zhī, nǐ yìbiān shuō nǐ māma de mèng, hǎo bù hǎo?
I'll weave while you tell me about your mother's dream, all right?
- A San 有大房子，有小河，有很多花。还有很多鸡！
Yǒu dà fángzi, yǒu xiǎo hé, yǒu hěn duō huā. Hái yǒu hěn duō jī!
Big houses, a little river, lots of flowers. And lots of chickens!
- Huigu 鸡？哈哈！我织了三只鸡！它们很胖。
Jī? Hāhā! Wǒ zhī le sān zhī jī! Tāmen hěn pàng.
Chickens? Ha ha! I wove three chickens! They're very fat.
- The Eldest Fairy 天要亮了！惠姑，快！阿三，太阳一出来，你就要走。
Tiān yào liàng le! Huìgū, kuài! Ā Sān, tàiyáng yì chūlái, nǐ jiù yào zǒu.
Dawn is coming! Huigu, hurry! A San, the moment the sun rises, you must go.
- Huigu 好了！阿三，你看，这个小人是我。我也在你妈妈的锦里！
Hǎo le! Ā Sān, nǐ kàn, zhège xiǎo rén shì wǒ. Wǒ yě zài nǐ māma de jǐn lǐ!
Done! A San, look, this tiny person is me. I'm in your mother's brocade too!
- A San 惠姑，谢谢你！石马，我们回家！
Huìgū, xièxie nǐ! Shímǎ, wǒmen huí jiā!
Huigu, thank you! Stone Horse, let's go home!
- A San 妈妈！妈妈！我回来了！
Māma! Māma! Wǒ huílái le!
Mama! Mama! I'm back!
- Mama 阿三！你手里是……我的锦！
Ā Sān! Nǐ shǒu lǐ shì… wǒ de jǐn!
A San! What you're holding is... my brocade!
- A San 是的，妈妈！这是惠姑，她是太阳山的仙女。
Shì de, māma! Zhè shì Huìgū, tā shì Tàiyáng Shān de xiānnǚ.
Yes, Mama! This is Huigu, a fairy from Sun Mountain.
- Huigu 大娘，您好。您的锦真美。
Dàniáng, nín hǎo. Nín de jǐn zhēn měi.
Hello, Auntie. Your brocade is so beautiful.
- Mama 阿三，你是怎么找到它的？
Ā Sān, nǐ shì zěnme zhǎodào tā de?
A San, how did you ever find it?
- A San 我骑了石马，过了火山，过了冷海。我没有回头！
Wǒ qí le shímǎ, guò le huǒshān, guò le lěng hǎi. Wǒ méiyǒu huí tóu!
I rode the stone horse, past the fire mountain and across the cold sea. I never looked back!
- Mama 我的好孩子……来，我们把锦拿到院子里看看。
Wǒ de hǎo háizi… Lái, wǒmen bǎ jǐn ná dào yuànzi lǐ kànkan.
My dear boy... Come, let's take the brocade out to the yard.
- Huigu 大娘，请站远一点。这块锦，会长大。
Dàniáng, qǐng zhàn yuǎn yìdiǎn. Zhè kuài jǐn, huì zhǎng dà.
Auntie, please stand back a little. This brocade is going to grow.
- A San 那我打开它了！一、二、三！
Nà wǒ dǎkāi tā le! Yī, èr, sān!
Then I'll open it! One, two, three!
- Mama 啊！锦在变大！房子……河……树……
Ā! Jǐn zài biàn dà! Fángzi… hé… shù…
Ah! The brocade is growing! Houses... the river... trees...
- A San 妈妈，你看！你的梦，在我们的山上活了！
Māma, nǐ kàn! Nǐ de mèng, zài wǒmen de shān shàng huó le!
Mama, look! Your dream has come alive on our mountain!
- Big Brother 这……这是我们的山吗？山上怎么有这么多房子？
Zhè… zhè shì wǒmen de shān ma? Shān shàng zěnme yǒu zhème duō fángzi?
Is... is this our mountain? How did so many houses get here?
- Second Brother 大哥！你看！有鸡！有好多鸡！
Dàgē! Nǐ kàn! Yǒu jī! Yǒu hǎo duō jī!
Big Brother! Look! Chickens! So many chickens!
- A San 大哥，二哥，欢迎回家。这是妈妈梦里的村子。
Dàgē, èrgē, huānyíng huíjiā. Zhè shì māma mèng lǐ de cūnzi.
Big Brother, Second Brother, welcome home. This is the village from Mama's dream.
- Big Brother 阿三，对不起。我们拿了金子就走了。你比我们厉害。
Ā Sān, duìbuqǐ. Wǒmen ná le jīnzi jiù zǒu le. Nǐ bǐ wǒmen lìhai.
A San, I'm sorry. We took the gold and left. You're better than us.
- Second Brother 金子买不到这么多鸡。我错了！
Jīnzi mǎi bú dào zhème duō jī. Wǒ cuò le!
Gold can't buy this many chickens. I was wrong!
- A San 别说了。妈妈在等我们，快进去吧！
Bié shuō le. Māma zài děng wǒmen, kuài jìn qù ba!
Enough of that. Mama is waiting for us. Let's go in!
- Second Brother 进去以后……我们今天吃鸡吗？
Jìn qù yǐhòu… wǒmen jīntiān chī jī ma?
Once we're inside... are we having chicken today?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the eldest fairy say about the sun?
“太阳出来以前，你要走。”
- What does Huigu do in the brocade?
“这个小人是我。我也在你妈妈的锦里！”
- What happens when A San opens the brocade at home?
“你的梦，在我们的山上活了！”
- What does Second Brother say about gold?
“金子买不到这么多鸡。我错了！”
- How does A San treat his brothers when they return?
“大哥，二哥，欢迎回家。”