The Mouse's Wedding · chapter 3 of 4
Grandpa Wall
墙爷爷
The old wall of the mice's own house has a surprising answer to “who is the strongest?”, but stubborn Father Mouse has a dangerous idea of his own.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 老鼠爸爸和米米，从房子上下来，来到了老墙下边。
Lǎoshǔ bàba hé Mǐmǐ, cóng fángzi shang xiàlái, láidào le lǎo qiáng xiàbian.
Father Mouse and Mimi climbed down from the roof and came to the foot of the old wall.
- Father Mouse 墙爷爷，您好！是我们，住在您里边的小老鼠。
Qiáng yéye, nín hǎo! Shì wǒmen, zhù zài nín lǐbian de xiǎo lǎoshǔ.
Good day, Grandpa Wall! It's us, the little mice who live inside you.
- Grandpa Wall 哦……是你们啊。我一百岁了，老了。有什么事？
Ò… shì nǐmen a. Wǒ yìbǎi suì le, lǎo le. Yǒu shénme shì?
Oh... it's you. I'm a hundred years old now, an old, old wall. What is it?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Mouse's Wedding 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Father Mouse 墙爷爷，风先生说，他吹不动您！
Qiáng yéye, Fēng xiānsheng shuō, tā chuī bú dòng nín!
Grandpa Wall, Mr. Wind says he can't blow you over!
- Grandpa Wall 对。风吹不动我，雨也打不动我。
Duì. Fēng chuī bú dòng wǒ, yǔ yě dǎ bú dòng wǒ.
That's right. The wind can't move me, and the rain can't knock me down.
- Father Mouse 太好了！您一定是最厉害的！米米嫁给您，好不好？
Tài hǎo le! Nín yídìng shì zuì lìhai de! Mǐmǐ jià gěi nín, hǎo bù hǎo?
Wonderful! You must be the strongest of all! Would you like to marry Mimi?
- Mimi 嫁给墙？爸爸，墙不会走路啊！
Jià gěi qiáng? Bàba, qiáng bú huì zǒulù a!
Marry a wall? Dad, walls can't even walk!
- Grandpa Wall 不行，不行。我老了，我不是最厉害的。
Bù xíng, bù xíng. Wǒ lǎo le, wǒ bú shì zuì lìhai de.
No, no. I'm old, and I'm not the strongest.
- Father Mouse 又不是？！那谁最厉害？
Yòu bú shì?! Nà shéi zuì lìhai?
Not you either?! Then who is the strongest?
- Grandpa Wall 有一只小老鼠，天天在我身上打洞。
Yǒu yì zhī xiǎo lǎoshǔ, tiāntiān zài wǒ shēnshang dǎ dòng.
There's a little mouse who digs holes in me every single day.
- Grandpa Wall 一个洞，两个洞，三个洞……我一点儿办法也没有！
Yí gè dòng, liǎng gè dòng, sān gè dòng… wǒ yìdiǎnr bànfǎ yě méiyǒu!
One hole, two holes, three holes... and there's nothing I can do about it!
- Ah Hui 墙爷爷，对不起！那些洞，都是我打的！
Qiáng yéye, duìbuqǐ! Nàxiē dòng, dōu shì wǒ dǎ de!
Sorry, Grandpa Wall! Those holes are all mine!
- Father Mouse 阿灰？！又是你！
Ā Huī?! Yòu shì nǐ!
Ah Hui?! You again!
- Grandpa Wall 是他！是他！这只小老鼠，比我厉害！
Shì tā! Shì tā! Zhè zhī xiǎo lǎoshǔ, bǐ wǒ lìhai!
It's him! It's him! This little mouse is stronger than me!
- Mimi 爸爸，你听见了吗？阿灰比墙还厉害！
Bàba, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Ā Huī bǐ qiáng hái lìhai!
Dad, did you hear that? Ah Hui is even stronger than a wall!
- Ah Hui 米米爸爸，那我……我可以……
Mǐmǐ bàba, nà wǒ… wǒ kěyǐ…
Sir, then may I... may I...
- Father Mouse 不行！老鼠怎么会最厉害？老鼠最怕猫！
Bù xíng! Lǎoshǔ zěnme huì zuì lìhai? Lǎoshǔ zuì pà māo!
No! How could a mouse be the strongest? Mice are afraid of cats more than anything!
- Father Mouse 猫比老鼠厉害。米米，你嫁给大花猫！
Māo bǐ lǎoshǔ lìhai. Mǐmǐ, nǐ jià gěi Dà Huā Māo!
Cats are stronger than mice. Mimi, you'll marry the Big Tabby Cat!
- Mimi 嫁给猫？爸爸，猫吃老鼠啊！
Jià gěi māo? Bàba, māo chī lǎoshǔ a!
Marry a cat? Dad, cats eat mice!
- Narrator 那天晚上，老鼠爸爸带着米米，去找大花猫。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Lǎoshǔ bàba dàizhe Mǐmǐ, qù zhǎo Dà Huā Māo.
That evening, Father Mouse took Mimi to see the Big Tabby Cat.
- Father Mouse 大花猫先生，您好！我的女儿米米，嫁给您，好不好？
Dà Huā Māo xiānsheng, nín hǎo! Wǒ de nǚ'ér Mǐmǐ, jià gěi nín, hǎo bù hǎo?
Good evening, Mr. Tabby Cat! Would you like to marry my daughter Mimi?
- Big Tabby Cat 什么？老鼠要嫁给我？好啊，好啊！
Shénme? Lǎoshǔ yào jià gěi wǒ? Hǎo a, hǎo a!
What's this? A mouse wants to marry me? Oh yes, yes, yes!
- Big Tabby Cat 我最喜欢老鼠了！
Wǒ zuì xǐhuan lǎoshǔ le!
I love mice more than anything!
- Father Mouse 您喜欢老鼠？太好了！
Nín xǐhuan lǎoshǔ? Tài hǎo le!
You love mice? Wonderful!
- Mimi 爸爸，你听见了吗？他喜欢……吃老鼠！
Bàba, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Tā xǐhuan… chī lǎoshǔ!
Dad, did you hear that? He loves... eating mice!
- Father Mouse 大花猫先生，您……不吃新娘吧？
Dà Huā Māo xiānsheng, nín… bù chī xīnniáng ba?
Mr. Tabby Cat, you... you won't eat the bride, will you?
- Big Tabby Cat 不吃，不吃！明天晚上，你们用花轿把新娘送来吧。
Bù chī, bù chī! Míngtiān wǎnshang, nǐmen yòng huājiào bǎ xīnniáng sònglái ba.
Of course not! Bring the bride to me in a bridal chair tomorrow night.
- Big Tabby Cat 老鼠新娘，一定很好吃……不，很好看！
Lǎoshǔ xīnniáng, yídìng hěn hǎochī… bù, hěn hǎokàn!
A mouse bride... she'll be so delicious... I mean, so lovely!
- Ah Hui 米米，别怕。我有办法！
Mǐmǐ, bié pà. Wǒ yǒu bànfǎ!
Mimi, don't be afraid. I have a plan!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What can't the wind and the rain do to Grandpa Wall?
“风吹不动我，雨也打不动我。”
- Why does Mimi say she can't marry a wall?
“墙不会走路啊！”
- Who has been digging holes in Grandpa Wall?
“那些洞，都是我打的！”
- Why won't Father Mouse accept that a mouse is the strongest?
“老鼠怎么会最厉害？老鼠最怕猫！”
- What does the cat whisper to himself at the end?
“老鼠新娘，一定很好吃”