The Seventh Fairy · chapter 2 of 4
The Tree Is the Matchmaker
老槐树做媒人
A fairy steps out of the light, an old tree plays matchmaker, and greedy Master Fu sets an impossible test: ten bolts of silk in one night.
Read what you hear
- The Seventh Fairy 你好。你是董永吗？
Nǐ hǎo. Nǐ shì Dǒng Yǒng ma?
Hello. Are you Dong Yong?
- Dong Yong 是……是我。你是谁？
Shì… shì wǒ. Nǐ shì shéi?
Y-yes, it's me. Who are you?
- The Seventh Fairy 我叫七姐。我从很远的地方来，没有家，也没有朋友。
Wǒ jiào Qījiě. Wǒ cóng hěn yuǎn de dìfang lái, méiyǒu jiā, yě méiyǒu péngyou.
My name is Qijie. I come from a very faraway place, and I have no home and no friends.
Chapter 2 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.
- The Old Locust Tree 七姐，你说得不对。你是从天上来的。
Qījiě, nǐ shuō de bú duì. Nǐ shì cóng tiānshàng lái de.
Qijie, that's not quite right. You come from heaven.
- The Seventh Fairy 老槐树！您别说呀！
Lǎo huáishù! Nín bié shuō ya!
Old Locust Tree! Please don't tell him!
- Dong Yong 天上来的？你是……仙女？我不是在做梦吧？
Tiānshàng lái de? Nǐ shì… xiānnǚ? Wǒ bú shì zài zuòmèng ba?
From heaven? You're... a fairy? I'm not dreaming, am I?
- The Seventh Fairy 对。我是玉皇大帝的第七个女儿。
Duì. Wǒ shì Yùhuáng Dàdì de dì-qī gè nǚ'ér.
Yes. I am the seventh daughter of the Jade Emperor.
- The Seventh Fairy 我在天上看见了你。你为爸爸做的事，我都看见了。你对爸爸那么好，我想帮你。
Wǒ zài tiānshàng kànjiàn le nǐ. Nǐ wèi bàba zuò de shì, wǒ dōu kànjiàn le. Nǐ duì bàba nàme hǎo, wǒ xiǎng bāng nǐ.
I saw you from heaven. I saw everything you did for your father. You were so good to him, and I wanted to help you.
- Dong Yong 可是我很穷，什么都没有。没有房子，也没有钱。
Kěshì wǒ hěn qióng, shénme dōu méiyǒu. Méiyǒu fángzi, yě méiyǒu qián.
But I'm very poor. I have nothing. No house, and no money.
- The Seventh Fairy 我不要钱，我只要一个好人。我们一起做工，好吗？
Wǒ bú yào qián, wǒ zhǐ yào yí gè hǎorén. Wǒmen yìqǐ zuògōng, hǎo ma?
I don't want money. I only want a good person. Shall we work together?
- Dong Yong 一起做工？那……那你是想……
Yìqǐ zuògōng? Nà… nà nǐ shì xiǎng…
Work together? Then... then do you mean...
- The Old Locust Tree 哎呀，还是我来说吧！我做你们的媒人！
Āiyā, háishi wǒ lái shuō ba! Wǒ zuò nǐmen de méirén!
Oh dear, I'd better say it! I'll be your matchmaker!
- The Old Locust Tree 七姐，媒人问你：你愿意做董永的妻子吗？
Qījiě, méirén wèn nǐ: nǐ yuànyì zuò Dǒng Yǒng de qīzi ma?
Qijie, the matchmaker asks you: will you be Dong Yong's wife?
- The Seventh Fairy 我愿意。
Wǒ yuànyì.
I will.
- The Old Locust Tree 董永，你呢？
Dǒng Yǒng, nǐ ne?
And you, Dong Yong?
- Dong Yong 我愿意！我太愿意了！
Wǒ yuànyì! Wǒ tài yuànyì le!
I will! I will, I will!
- The Old Locust Tree 好！媒人很高兴！天看着，地看着，我也看着！
Hǎo! Méirén hěn gāoxìng! Tiān kàn zhe, dì kàn zhe, wǒ yě kàn zhe!
Good! The matchmaker is delighted! Heaven is watching, earth is watching, and I am watching too!
- Master Fu 董永！这个女人是谁？谁让你带人来的？
Dǒng Yǒng! Zhège nǚrén shì shéi? Shéi ràng nǐ dài rén lái de?
Dong Yong! Who is this woman? Who said you could bring someone here?
- Dong Yong 员外，她是我的妻子，叫七姐。她很会做事，也想在这儿做工。
Yuánwài, tā shì wǒ de qīzi, jiào Qījiě. Tā hěn huì zuòshì, yě xiǎng zài zhèr zuògōng.
Sir, she is my wife, Qijie. She is very capable, and she wants to work here too.
- Master Fu 妻子？你昨天还是一个人！
Qīzi? Nǐ zuótiān hái shi yí gè rén!
Wife? Yesterday you were alone!
- Dong Yong 是……事情有一点快。
Shì… shìqing yǒu yìdiǎn kuài.
Yes... things moved a little fast.
- Master Fu 算了。多一个人做工，也不错。她会做什么活儿？
Suànle. Duō yí gè rén zuògōng, yě búcuò. Tā huì zuò shénme huór?
Never mind. One more worker isn't bad. What kind of work can she do?
- The Seventh Fairy 我会织布。
Wǒ huì zhībù.
I can weave cloth.
- Master Fu 织布？好！你们一个晚上织十匹布。
Zhībù? Hǎo! Nǐmen yí gè wǎnshang zhī shí pǐ bù.
Weaving? Fine! Weave ten bolts of cloth in one night.
- Master Fu 织完了，董永只做一百天！织不完，就做五年！你们想好了吗？
Zhī wán le, Dǒng Yǒng zhǐ zuò yì bǎi tiān! Zhī bù wán, jiù zuò wǔ nián! Nǐmen xiǎng hǎo le ma?
If you finish, Dong Yong works only a hundred days! If you don't, he works five years! Have you thought it over?
- Dong Yong 十匹？一个晚上？七姐，太多了，不可能的！
Shí pǐ? Yí gè wǎnshang? Qījiě, tài duō le, bù kěnéng de!
Ten bolts? In one night? Qijie, that's too many. It's impossible!
- The Seventh Fairy 员外，一言为定吗？
Yuánwài, yì yán wéi dìng ma?
Sir, is it a deal?
- Master Fu 一言为定！明天早上，我要在这个院子里看到十匹布！
Yì yán wéi dìng! Míngtiān zǎoshang, wǒ yào zài zhège yuànzi lǐ kàndào shí pǐ bù!
It's a deal! Tomorrow morning I want to see ten bolts of cloth right here in this yard!
- Dong Yong 七姐，你真的可以吗？
Qījiě, nǐ zhēn de kěyǐ ma?
Qijie, can you really do it?
- The Seventh Fairy 你相信我吗？
Nǐ xiāngxìn wǒ ma?
Do you trust me?
- Dong Yong 我相信。
Wǒ xiāngxìn.
I do.
- The Seventh Fairy 好。今天晚上，不管听到什么，你都不要进来。也不要看，好吗？
Hǎo. Jīntiān wǎnshang, bùguǎn tīngdào shénme, nǐ dōu bú yào jìnlái. Yě bú yào kàn, hǎo ma?
Good. Tonight, no matter what you hear, do not come in. And do not look, all right?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why did the Seventh Fairy come down from heaven?
“你对爸爸那么好，我想帮你。”
- Who acts as the matchmaker?
“我做你们的媒人！”
- What does Master Fu say if the silk is finished?
“织完了，董永只做一百天！”
- How long must Dong Yong work if the silk is not finished?
“织不完，就做五年！”
- What does the fairy tell Dong Yong to do tonight?
“不管听到什么，你都不要进来。”