The Nine-Tailed Fox · chapter 4 of 4
Four Days
四天
Yu has four days with Nüjiao, and he tries very hard not to look at the river. Then dawn comes, and the fox has one gift left to give.
Read what you hear
- Nüjiao 早上好，大禹！我们有四天。今天你想做什么？
Zǎoshang hǎo, Dà Yǔ! Wǒmen yǒu sì tiān. Jīntiān nǐ xiǎng zuò shénme?
Good morning, Yu! We have four days. What do you want to do today?
- Yu 我想去看看河。水从哪儿来？往哪儿去？
Wǒ xiǎng qù kànkan hé. Shuǐ cóng nǎr lái? Wǎng nǎr qù?
I'd like to go look at the river. Where does the water come from? Where does it go?
- Nüjiao 大禹！这四天，不看水！
Dà Yǔ! Zhè sì tiān, bú kàn shuǐ!
Yu! For these four days, no looking at water!
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Nine-Tailed Fox 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.
- Yu 对不起。那……我们去看花。花里有水吗？
Duìbuqǐ. Nà… wǒmen qù kàn huā. Huā lǐ yǒu shuǐ ma?
Sorry. Then… let's go look at flowers. Is there water in a flower?
- Nüjiao 有！花也喝水。可是今天，你只看花！
Yǒu! Huā yě hē shuǐ. Kěshì jīntiān, nǐ zhǐ kàn huā!
There is! Flowers drink water too. But today, you only look at flowers!
- Boyi 我知道一个好地方！有花，有树，还有很多鱼！
Wǒ zhīdào yí gè hǎo dìfang! Yǒu huā, yǒu shù, hái yǒu hěn duō yú!
I know a good place! Flowers, trees, and lots of fish!
- Nüjiao 伯益，你自己去吧！
Bó Yì, nǐ zìjǐ qù ba!
Boyi, you go by yourself!
- Boyi 好吧，好吧。我去找我的鱼朋友！
Hǎo ba, hǎo ba. Wǒ qù zhǎo wǒ de yú péngyou!
Fine, fine. I'll go find my fish friends!
- Narrator 第一天，看花。第二天，做饭。第三天，他们坐在山上，说了很多话。
Dì-yī tiān, kàn huā. Dì-èr tiān, zuò fàn. Dì-sān tiān, tāmen zuò zài shānshang, shuō le hěn duō huà.
The first day, they looked at flowers. The second day, they cooked. The third day, they sat on the hill and talked and talked.
- Nüjiao 大禹，你明天要走了，对不对？
Dà Yǔ, nǐ míngtiān yào zǒu le, duì bu duì?
Yu, you're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?
- Yu 你怎么知道？我没有说。
Nǐ zěnme zhīdào? Wǒ méiyǒu shuō.
How do you know? I didn't say anything.
- Nüjiao 你每天晚上看东边。我也在看。
Nǐ měi tiān wǎnshang kàn dōngbian. Wǒ yě zài kàn.
Every night you look to the east. I look too.
- Yu 水不走，我不能回家。可能一年，可能很多年。
Shuǐ bù zǒu, wǒ bù néng huí jiā. Kěnéng yì nián, kěnéng hěn duō nián.
Until the water is gone, I can't come home. It could be a year. It could be many years.
- Nüjiao 没关系。我是山里的人，最会等。
Méi guānxi. Wǒ shì shān lǐ de rén, zuì huì děng.
It's all right. I'm a mountain girl, and I'm the best at waiting.
- Yu 你不怕吗？
Nǐ bú pà ma?
Aren't you afraid?
- Nüjiao 怕。可是山下有很多人在等你。
Pà. Kěshì shānxià yǒu hěn duō rén zài děng nǐ.
I am. But many people below the hills are waiting for you.
- Yu 谢谢你，女娇。这四天，我不会忘记。
Xièxie nǐ, Nǚjiāo. Zhè sì tiān, wǒ bú huì wàngjì.
Thank you, Nüjiao. I will never forget these four days.
- Boyi 大禹，天亮了！我们该走了。
Dà Yǔ, tiān liàng le! Wǒmen gāi zǒu le.
Yu, it's dawn! It's time for us to go.
- Xiaobai 等一等！我是九尾狐，我还有一个好运。
Děng yi děng! Wǒ shì jiǔ wěi hú, wǒ hái yǒu yí gè hǎoyùn.
Wait! I'm the nine-tailed fox, and I have one more good luck.
- Yu 最后一个？你说，你先留着。
Zuìhòu yí gè? Nǐ shuō, nǐ xiān liúzhe.
The last one? You said you were keeping it.
- Xiaobai 我留着，等今天。路很长，可是你会找到回家的路。
Wǒ liúzhe, děng jīntiān. Lù hěn cháng, kěshì nǐ huì zhǎodào huí jiā de lù.
I kept it for today. The road is long, but you will always find your way home.
- Nüjiao 小白……谢谢你。
Xiǎo Bái… xièxie nǐ.
Xiaobai… thank you.
- Xiaobai 别谢。我会和女娇坐在山上，一起看着这条路。
Bié xiè. Wǒ huì hé Nǚjiāo zuò zài shānshang, yìqǐ kànzhe zhè tiáo lù.
Don't thank me. I'll sit on the hill with Nüjiao and watch this road together.
- Boyi 我的天啊……我要哭了。我没哭！是风！
Wǒ de tiān a… wǒ yào kū le. Wǒ méi kū! Shì fēng!
Oh my heavens… I'm going to cry. I'm not crying! It's the wind!
- Yu 女娇，我走了。
Nǚjiāo, wǒ zǒu le.
Nüjiao, I'm going now.
- Nüjiao 去吧。让山下的人都回家。
Qù ba. Ràng shānxià de rén dōu huí jiā.
Go. Let the people below all go home.
- Yu 我一定回来！你等我！
Wǒ yídìng huílái! Nǐ děng wǒ!
I will come back! Wait for me!
- Boyi 大禹，走吧！洪水还在等我们！
Dàyǔ, zǒu ba! Hóngshuǐ hái zài děng wǒmen!
Yu, let's go! The flood is still waiting for us!
- Nüjiao 大禹！我在山上看着你！
Dà Yǔ! Wǒ zài shānshang kànzhe nǐ!
Yu! I'll be on the hill, watching you!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How many days do Yu and Nüjiao have together?
“我们有四天”
- How does Nüjiao know that Yu must leave?
“你每天晚上看东边。我也在看”
- Why can Nüjiao wait for Yu so long?
“我是山里的人，最会等”
- What is Xiaobai's last good luck?
“你会找到回家的路”
- What does Nüjiao promise as Yu leaves?
“我在山上看着你”