The Mouse's Wedding · chapter 4 of 4
The Wedding Night
花轿来了
On New Year's night the mice carry Mimi's bridal chair to the Big Tabby Cat, and only Ah Hui's secret plan stands between the bride and the cat's big mouth.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 过年了。这天晚上，人们都睡得很早。
Guònián le. Zhè tiān wǎnshang, rénmen dōu shuì de hěn zǎo.
New Year had come. That night, the people of the house all went to bed very early.
- Narrator 大家都说：今天晚上，老鼠要嫁女儿。
Dàjiā dōu shuō: jīntiān wǎnshang, lǎoshǔ yào jià nǚ'ér.
Everyone said that tonight was the night the mice would marry off a daughter.
- Father Mouse 快快快！红灯拿好！花轿拿来！新娘在哪儿？
Kuài kuài kuài! Hóng dēng náhǎo! Huājiào nálái! Xīnniáng zài nǎr?
Quick, quick, quick! Lanterns ready! Bring the bridal chair! Where's the bride?
Chapter 4 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.
- Mimi 我今天要嫁给大花猫了……阿灰，你在哪儿？
Wǒ jīntiān yào jià gěi Dà Huā Māo le… Ā Huī, nǐ zài nǎr?
Tonight I have to marry the Big Tabby Cat... Ah Hui, where are you?
- Ah Hui 米米，我在这儿！你听我说。
Mǐmǐ, wǒ zài zhèr! Nǐ tīng wǒ shuō.
Mimi, I'm right here! Listen to me.
- Ah Hui 我打了一个很长很长的洞，从这儿到大花猫家。
Wǒ dǎ le yí gè hěn cháng hěn cháng de dòng, cóng zhèr dào Dà Huā Māo jiā.
I've dug a long, long tunnel, from here all the way to the Big Tabby Cat's place.
- Ah Hui 到了那儿，你听见我叫三声“米米”，就快进洞！
Dào le nàr, nǐ tīngjiàn wǒ jiào sān shēng “Mǐmǐ”, jiù kuài jìn dòng!
When you get there and hear me call “Mimi” three times, jump into the hole, quick!
- Mimi 三声“米米”，快进洞。我记住了！
Sān shēng “Mǐmǐ”, kuài jìn dòng. Wǒ jìzhù le!
Three calls of “Mimi,” then into the hole, quick. Got it!
- Narrator 老鼠们拿着红灯，抬着花轿，来到了大花猫家。
Lǎoshǔmen názhe hóng dēng, táizhe huājiào, láidào le Dà Huā Māo jiā.
Carrying red lanterns and the little bridal chair, the mice came to the Big Tabby Cat's home.
- Big Tabby Cat 新娘来了？好，好！快让我看看！
Xīnniáng lái le? Hǎo, hǎo! Kuài ràng wǒ kànkan!
The bride is here? Good, good! Let me have a look at her!
- Father Mouse 大花猫先生，新娘在花轿里。您……您慢慢看。
Dà Huā Māo xiānsheng, xīnniáng zài huājiào lǐ. Nín… nín mànmàn kàn.
Mr. Tabby Cat, the bride is in the chair. Take... take your time.
- Big Tabby Cat 好吃……不，好看！真好看！
Hǎochī… bù, hǎokàn! Zhēn hǎokàn!
Delicious... I mean, lovely! So very lovely!
- Ah Hui 米米！米米！米米！
Mǐmǐ! Mǐmǐ! Mǐmǐ!
Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!
- Narrator 大花猫打开花轿，张开了大嘴——
Dà Huā Māo dǎkāi huājiào, zhāngkāi le dà zuǐ —
The Big Tabby Cat lifted the curtain of the bridal chair and opened his great big mouth...
- Big Tabby Cat 啊？新娘呢？花轿里什么也没有！
Á? Xīnniáng ne? Huājiào lǐ shénme yě méiyǒu!
Huh? Where's the bride? There's nothing in the chair!
- Father Mouse 米米！我的米米呢？
Mǐmǐ! Wǒ de Mǐmǐ ne?
Mimi! Where's my Mimi?
- Mimi 爸爸，我在这儿！大家快进洞！
Bàba, wǒ zài zhèr! Dàjiā kuài jìn dòng!
Dad, I'm down here! Everybody, into the hole, quick!
- Ah Hui 快！大花猫进不来！
Kuài! Dà Huā Māo jìn bù lái!
Hurry! The cat can't get in!
- Narrator 老鼠们都跑进了洞里。大花猫的头太大了，进不去。
Lǎoshǔmen dōu pǎojìn le dòng lǐ. Dà Huā Māo de tóu tài dà le, jìn bú qù.
All the mice ran into the hole. The Big Tabby Cat's head was too big, and he couldn't get in.
- Big Tabby Cat 洞太小了！我的新娘……我的晚饭……
Dòng tài xiǎo le! Wǒ de xīnniáng… wǒ de wǎnfàn…
This hole is too small! My bride... my dinner...
- Father Mouse 阿灰，你……你帮了我们大家！
Ā Huī, nǐ… nǐ bāng le wǒmen dàjiā!
Ah Hui, you... you saved us all!
- Ah Hui 我没做什么。我只会打洞。
Wǒ méi zuò shénme. Wǒ zhǐ huì dǎ dòng.
I didn't do much. All I can do is dig holes.
- Father Mouse 太阳怕云，云怕风，风怕墙，墙怕老鼠打洞……
Tàiyáng pà yún, yún pà fēng, fēng pà qiáng, qiáng pà lǎoshǔ dǎ dòng…
The Sun fears the Cloud, the Cloud fears the Wind, the Wind fears the Wall, and the Wall fears a mouse who digs...
- Father Mouse 大花猫呢？大花猫进不了阿灰的洞！
Dà Huā Māo ne? Dà Huā Māo jìn bù liǎo Ā Huī de dòng!
And the cat? The cat can't even get into Ah Hui's hole!
- Father Mouse 谁最厉害？阿灰最厉害！
Shéi zuì lìhai? Ā Huī zuì lìhai!
Who is the strongest? Ah Hui is the strongest!
- Mimi 爸爸，那我可以嫁给阿灰了吗？
Bàba, nà wǒ kěyǐ jià gěi Ā Huī le ma?
Dad, so can I marry Ah Hui now?
- Father Mouse 可以！谁最厉害，米米就嫁给谁！
Kěyǐ! Shéi zuì lìhai, Mǐmǐ jiù jià gěi shéi!
You may! Whoever is the strongest, that's who Mimi will marry!
- Narrator 那天晚上，米米和阿灰在洞里结婚了。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Mǐmǐ hé Ā Huī zài dòng lǐ jiéhūn le.
That very night, Mimi and Ah Hui were married, down in the hole.
- Big Tabby Cat 洞里有歌，有笑……可是，我进不去！
Dòng lǐ yǒu gē, yǒu xiào… kěshì, wǒ jìn bú qù!
Singing and laughing in there... and I can't get in!
- Mimi 阿灰，你最厉害！以后，我们一起打洞！
Ā Huī, nǐ zuì lìhai! Yǐhòu, wǒmen yìqǐ dǎ dòng!
Ah Hui, you're the strongest of all! From now on, we'll dig holes together!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why do the people of the house go to bed early?
“人们都睡得很早……今天晚上，老鼠要嫁女儿。”
- What is the signal in Ah Hui's plan?
“你听见我叫三声‘米米’，就快进洞！”
- What does the cat find when he opens the bridal chair?
“新娘呢？花轿里什么也没有！”
- Why can't the cat follow the mice?
“大花猫的头太大了，进不去。”
- Who does Father Mouse finally say is the strongest?
“谁最厉害？阿灰最厉害！”