The Seventh Fairy · chapter 3 of 4
Ten Bolts in One Night
一夜十匹布
Behind a closed door, a glowing loom clacks all night. By morning Master Fu is speechless, but the fairy has a secret that will break Dong Yong's heart.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 夜深了。七姐关上门，院子里很安静。天上的月亮很亮。
Yè shēn le. Qījiě guānshàng mén, yuànzi lǐ hěn ānjìng. Tiānshàng de yuèliang hěn liàng.
The night grew deep. Qijie closed the door, and the yard was very quiet. The moon shone bright in the sky.
- Dong Yong 七姐，我在门外。你要喝水吗？
Qījiě, wǒ zài mén wài. Nǐ yào hē shuǐ ma?
Qijie, I'm outside the door. Do you want some water?
- The Seventh Fairy 不用，董永。你去休息吧。
Bú yòng, Dǒng Yǒng. Nǐ qù xiūxi ba.
No need, Dong Yong. Go and rest.
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Seventh Fairy 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.
- Dong Yong 我睡不着。门下面有光，里面为什么这么亮？
Wǒ shuì bù zháo. Mén xiàmiàn yǒu guāng, lǐmiàn wèishénme zhème liàng?
I can't sleep. There's light under the door. Why is it so bright in there?
- The Seventh Fairy 别问，也别看。姐姐们来帮我了。
Bié wèn, yě bié kàn. Jiějiemen lái bāng wǒ le.
Don't ask, and don't look. My sisters have come to help me.
- The Fairy Sisters 七妹！布在这儿！快点，快点！
Qīmèi! Bù zài zhèr! Kuài diǎn, kuài diǎn!
Little Seventh! The cloth is over here! Hurry, hurry!
- The Fairy Sisters 天亮以前，我们要织十匹！
Tiān liàng yǐqián, wǒmen yào zhī shí pǐ!
Before dawn, we must weave ten bolts!
- Dong Yong 里面有好多声音……她们真的是仙女。
Lǐmiàn yǒu hǎo duō shēngyīn… tāmen zhēn de shì xiānnǚ.
So many voices in there... they really are fairies.
- Dong Yong 爸爸，您看见了吗？我有一个好妻子，她是仙女！
Bàba, nín kànjiàn le ma? Wǒ yǒu yí gè hǎo qīzi, tā shì xiānnǚ!
Dad, do you see? I have a wonderful wife, and she's a fairy!
- Narrator 天亮了。傅员外来到院子里。
Tiān liàng le. Fù yuánwài lái dào yuànzi lǐ.
Day broke. Master Fu came into the yard.
- Master Fu 十匹布？哈哈，我要看你们哭。
Shí pǐ bù? Hāhā, wǒ yào kàn nǐmen kū.
Ten bolts of cloth? Ha ha, I want to see you cry.
- Dong Yong 员外，请看。
Yuánwài, qǐng kàn.
Sir, please look.
- Master Fu 这……十匹布，一匹也不少！
Zhè… shí pǐ bù, yì pǐ yě bù shǎo!
This... ten bolts, and not one missing!
- Master Fu 好软，好亮，像天上的云一样！
Hǎo ruǎn, hǎo liàng, xiàng tiānshàng de yún yíyàng!
So soft, so shiny, like clouds from the sky!
- Master Fu 一个晚上……你们是怎么织布的？
Yí gè wǎnshang… nǐmen shì zěnme zhībù de?
In one night... how did you weave it?
- The Seventh Fairy 员外，这是我的秘密。您说过，一言为定。
Yuánwài, zhè shì wǒ de mìmì. Nín shuō guo, yì yán wéi dìng.
Sir, that's my secret. You said it was a deal.
- Master Fu 我没忘。……好，董永只做一百天。
Wǒ méi wàng. … Hǎo, Dǒng Yǒng zhǐ zuò yì bǎi tiān.
I haven't forgotten. ... Fine, Dong Yong will work only a hundred days.
- Dong Yong 一百天！七姐，我只做一百天了！
Yì bǎi tiān! Qījiě, wǒ zhǐ zuò yì bǎi tiān le!
A hundred days! Qijie, I only have a hundred days left!
- Master Fu 这个女人不简单……我要好好看着她。
Zhège nǚrén bù jiǎndān… wǒ yào hǎohāo kàn zhe tā.
This woman is no ordinary woman... I'll keep a close eye on her.
- Narrator 日子一天一天过去。他们白天做工，晚上一起看星星。
Rìzi yì tiān yì tiān guòqù. Tāmen báitiān zuògōng, wǎnshang yìqǐ kàn xīngxing.
The days went by, one after another. In the daytime they worked, and at night they watched the stars together.
- Dong Yong 七姐，今天是第几天了？我算不清了。
Qījiě, jīntiān shì dì-jǐ tiān le? Wǒ suàn bù qīng le.
Qijie, what day is it today? I've lost count.
- The Seventh Fairy 第九十九天。
Dì-jiǔshíjiǔ tiān.
The ninety-ninth day.
- Dong Yong 明天，一百天就到了！我可以带你回家了！
Míngtiān, yì bǎi tiān jiù dào le! Wǒ kěyǐ dài nǐ huí jiā le!
Tomorrow, the hundred days will be done! I can take you home!
- Dong Yong 我家很小，可是我会对你好，每天都对你好。
Wǒ jiā hěn xiǎo, kěshì wǒ huì duì nǐ hǎo, měi tiān dōu duì nǐ hǎo.
My home is small, but I will be good to you, every single day.
- The Seventh Fairy 董永……我有一件事，没有告诉你。
Dǒng Yǒng… wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì, méiyǒu gàosu nǐ.
Dong Yong... there is one thing I haven't told you.
- Dong Yong 什么事？你说，我听。
Shénme shì? Nǐ shuō, wǒ tīng.
What is it? Tell me, I'm listening.
- The Seventh Fairy 我是偷偷下来的。玉皇大帝有规定，我只能在人间一百天。
Wǒ shì tōutōu xiàlái de. Yùhuáng Dàdì yǒu guīdìng, wǒ zhǐ néng zài rénjiān yì bǎi tiān.
I came down in secret. The Jade Emperor has a rule: I can stay in the human world for only a hundred days.
- Dong Yong 什么？一百天以后，你要回去？
Shénme? Yì bǎi tiān yǐhòu, nǐ yào huíqù?
What? After a hundred days, you have to go back?
- The Seventh Fairy 对。明天中午，天上的门就会开。我不想走……
Duì. Míngtiān zhōngwǔ, tiānshàng de mén jiù huì kāi. Wǒ bù xiǎng zǒu…
Yes. Tomorrow at noon, the gate of heaven will open. I don't want to go...
- Dong Yong 不！我不让你走！
Bù! Wǒ bú ràng nǐ zǒu!
No! I won't let you go!
- The Seventh Fairy 我怕，董永。我不想离开你。我该怎么办？
Wǒ pà, Dǒng Yǒng. Wǒ bù xiǎng líkāi nǐ. Wǒ gāi zěnme bàn?
I'm afraid, Dong Yong. I don't want to leave you. What should I do?
- Dong Yong 别怕。我们去问老槐树！它一定有办法！
Bié pà. Wǒmen qù wèn lǎo huáishù! Tā yídìng yǒu bànfǎ!
Don't be afraid. Let's go ask the old locust tree! It must have a way!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who helps the Seventh Fairy weave the silk?
“姐姐们来帮我了。”
- What does Master Fu find in the morning?
“十匹布，一匹也不少！”
- How long does Master Fu now say Dong Yong must work?
“董永只做一百天。”
- What is the fairy's secret?
“我只能在人间一百天。”
- When will heaven call the fairy back?
“明天中午，天上的门就会开。”