The White Snake · chapter 24 of 25
Father and Son
父子相见
At Jinshan Temple, Mengjiao searches five hundred monks for one man, and then he asks the emperor for one thing.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 梦蛟到了金山寺。他问了一个又一个和尚。
Mèngjiāo dào le Jīnshān Sì. Tā wèn le yí gè yòu yí gè héshang.
Mengjiao came to Jinshan Temple. He asked one monk after another.
- Mengjiao 师父，请问，这儿有一个叫许仙的和尚吗？他是杭州人。
Shīfu, qǐngwèn, zhèr yǒu yí gè jiào Xǔ Xiān de héshang ma? Tā shì Hángzhōu rén.
Master, excuse me, is there a monk here called Xu Xian? He's from Hangzhou.
- Mengjiao 又是“不知道”……我已经问了一百个和尚了！
Yòu shì “bù zhīdào”… wǒ yǐjīng wèn le yìbǎi gè héshang le!
“Don't know” again... I've asked a hundred monks already!
Chapter 24 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The White Snake (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Xu Xian 年轻人，你找许仙做什么？进来，先喝杯茶吧。
Niánqīngrén, nǐ zhǎo Xǔ Xiān zuò shénme? Jìnlái, xiān hē bēi chá ba.
Young man, why are you looking for Xu Xian? Come in and have a cup of tea first.
- Mengjiao 谢谢师父，我有很重要的话，要跟他说。
Xièxie shīfu, wǒ yǒu hěn zhòngyào de huà, yào gēn tā shuō.
Thank you, Master. I have something very important to tell him.
- Xu Xian 我叫道宗。以前，我在杭州也有一个家。
Wǒ jiào Dàozōng. Yǐqián, wǒ zài Hángzhōu yě yǒu yí gè jiā.
My name is Daozong. Once, I had a home in Hangzhou too.
- Xu Xian 我的妻子很好，很漂亮。可是，她是一条白蛇。
Wǒ de qīzi hěn hǎo, hěn piàoliang. Kěshì, tā shì yì tiáo báishé.
My wife was good and beautiful. But she was a white snake.
- Mengjiao 您的妻子，是一条白蛇？
Nín de qīzi, shì yì tiáo báishé?
Your wife was a white snake?
- Xu Xian 后来，法海师父把她压在雷峰塔下。那时候，我的儿子才一个月大。
Hòulái, Fǎhǎi shīfu bǎ tā yā zài Léifēng Tǎ xià. Nà shíhou, wǒ de érzi cái yí gè yuè dà.
Later, Master Fahai pressed her under Leifeng Pagoda. My son was only one month old then.
- Xu Xian 那天晚上，我剪了头发，到这儿当了和尚。我每天都想她。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, wǒ jiǎn le tóufa, dào zhèr dāng le héshang. Wǒ měi tiān dōu xiǎng tā.
That night I cut off my hair and came here to be a monk. I think of her every day.
- Mengjiao 您的儿子叫什么名字？
Nín de érzi jiào shénme míngzi?
What is your son's name?
- Xu Xian 叫梦蛟。他妈妈做了一个好梦，就叫他梦蛟。
Jiào Mèngjiāo. Tā māma zuò le yí gè hǎo mèng, jiù jiào tā Mèngjiāo.
Mengjiao. His mother had a good dream, so she called him Mengjiao.
- Mengjiao 爸爸，我就是梦蛟啊！
Bàba, wǒ jiù shì Mèngjiāo a!
Father, I am Mengjiao!
- Xu Xian 你就是梦蛟，我的儿子？快起来，让我好好看看你！
Nǐ jiù shì Mèngjiāo, wǒ de érzi? Kuài qǐlái, ràng wǒ hǎohǎo kànkan nǐ!
You're Mengjiao, my son? Get up, quickly, let me have a good look at you!
- Narrator 两个人抱在一起，哭了半天。
Liǎng gè rén bào zài yìqǐ, kū le bàntiān.
The two of them held each other and cried for a long time.
- Mengjiao 爸爸，您比那张画上瘦多了。跟我回家吧！
Bàba, nín bǐ nà zhāng huà shàng shòu duō le. Gēn wǒ huí jiā ba!
Father, you're much thinner than in that painting. Come home with me!
- Xu Xian 不行，我是和尚了，不能走。
Bùxíng, wǒ shì héshang le, bù néng zǒu.
I can't. I'm a monk now, and I can't leave.
- Xu Xian 你去京城考试吧，你妈妈在等你当状元呢。
Nǐ qù jīngchéng kǎoshì ba, nǐ māma zài děng nǐ dāng zhuàngyuan ne.
Go to the capital and take the exam. Your mother is waiting for you to become top scholar.
- Narrator 梦蛟到了京城。他考了第一名，当了状元。
Mèngjiāo dào le jīngchéng. Tā kǎo le dì yī míng, dāng le zhuàngyuan.
Mengjiao reached the capital. He came first in the exam and was made top scholar.
- the emperor 许梦蛟，你是今年的状元，你想要什么？
Xǔ Mèngjiāo, nǐ shì jīnnián de zhuàngyuan, nǐ xiǎng yào shénme?
Xu Mengjiao, you are this year's top scholar. What do you wish for?
- Mengjiao 皇上，我什么都不要。我只求您：拆了雷峰塔，救我的妈妈！
Huángshang, wǒ shénme dōu bú yào. Wǒ zhǐ qiú nín: chāi le Léifēng Tǎ, jiù wǒ de māma!
Your Majesty, I want nothing. I beg only this: pull down Leifeng Pagoda and save my mother!
- the emperor 雷峰塔是老塔了，不能拆。
Léifēng Tǎ shì lǎo tǎ le, bù néng chāi.
Leifeng Pagoda is very old. It cannot be pulled down.
- the emperor 可是，你是个好儿子。你回杭州去，到雷峰塔前，拜一拜你的妈妈吧。
Kěshì, nǐ shì gè hǎo érzi. Nǐ huí Hángzhōu qù, dào Léifēng Tǎ qián, bài yi bài nǐ de māma ba.
But you are a good son. Go back to Hangzhou and make an offering to your mother at Leifeng Pagoda.
- Narrator 回家的路上，梦蛟又到了金山寺。
Huí jiā de lù shàng, Mèngjiāo yòu dào le Jīnshān Sì.
On his way home, Mengjiao went to Jinshan Temple again.
- Mengjiao 爸爸，我当了状元！皇上让我去雷峰塔拜妈妈。您跟我去吧！
Bàba, wǒ dāng le zhuàngyuan! Huángshang ràng wǒ qù Léifēng Tǎ bài māma. Nín gēn wǒ qù ba!
Father, I'm top scholar! His Majesty says I may go and honor Mother at Leifeng Pagoda. Come with me!
- Xu Xian 好，我跟你去雷峰塔。我只想再看你妈妈一眼。
Hǎo, wǒ gēn nǐ qù Léifēng Tǎ. Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng zài kàn nǐ māma yì yǎn.
All right, I'll come with you to Leifeng Pagoda. I only want to see your mother one more time.
- Jiaorong 弟弟，真的是你！十六年了，你瘦成这样了！
Dìdi, zhēn de shì nǐ! Shíliù nián le, nǐ shòu chéng zhèyàng le!
Little brother, it's really you! Sixteen years, and look how thin you've gotten!
- Li Gongfu 许仙，你的头发呢？
Xǔ Xiān, nǐ de tóufa ne?
Xu Xian, where's your hair?
- Jiaorong 都什么时候了，你还说头发！
Dōu shénme shíhou le, nǐ hái shuō tóufa!
At a time like this, and you're talking about hair!
- Mengjiao 妈妈，我们都来了，我们给你烧香了。
Māma, wǒmen dōu lái le, wǒmen gěi nǐ shāoxiāng le.
Mother, we're all here. We've lit incense for you.
- Narrator 大家跪在塔前。这时候，天上飞来了一个人。
Dàjiā guì zài tǎ qián. Zhè shíhou, tiānshàng fēilái le yí gè rén.
They all knelt before the pagoda. Just then, someone came flying down from the sky.
- Xu Xian 天哪，是法海师父！
Tiān na, shì Fǎhǎi shīfu!
Heavens, it's Master Fahai!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who is Mengjiao looking for at Jinshan Temple?
“这儿有一个叫许仙的和尚吗？他是杭州人”
- How does Mengjiao learn that Daozong is his father?
“叫梦蛟。他妈妈做了一个好梦，就叫他梦蛟”
- Why won't Daozong go home with his son at first?
“我是和尚了，不能走”
- What does Mengjiao ask the emperor for?
“拆了雷峰塔，救我的妈妈！”
- Why does Daozong finally agree to go to the pagoda?
“我只想再看你妈妈一眼”