The White Snake · chapter 22 of 25
Five Coins
五个铜钱
Seven-year-old Mengjiao spends his five coins and walks to Leifeng Pagoda, hoping someone under it will answer.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 天亮的时候，梦蛟一个人走在去西湖的路上。
Tiān liàng de shíhou, Mèngjiāo yí gè rén zǒu zài qù Xī Hú de lù shàng.
At daybreak, Mengjiao was walking alone on the road to West Lake.
- Mengjiao 小箱子里的五个钱，我都带来了。三个买香，两个买点心。
Xiǎo xiāngzi lǐ de wǔ gè qián, wǒ dōu dàilái le. Sān gè mǎi xiāng, liǎng gè mǎi diǎnxin.
I brought all five coins from my little box. Three for incense, two for sweet cakes.
- Mengjiao 请问，雷峰塔在哪儿？往前走就到了？谢谢您！
Qǐngwèn, Léifēng Tǎ zài nǎr? Wǎng qián zǒu jiù dào le? Xièxie nín!
Excuse me, where's Leifeng Pagoda? Straight ahead and I'm there? Thank you!
Chapter 22 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.
- Mengjiao 路好远啊，我好饿。妈妈的点心，我先吃一个，就一个！
Lù hǎo yuǎn a, wǒ hǎo è. Māma de diǎnxin, wǒ xiān chī yí gè, jiù yí gè!
It's so far, and I'm so hungry. I'll eat one of Mother's cakes first. Just one!
- Narrator 中午，梦蛟到了雷峰塔下。他点上香，跪在塔前。
Zhōngwǔ, Mèngjiāo dào le Léifēng Tǎ xià. Tā diǎnshàng xiāng, guì zài tǎ qián.
At noon, Mengjiao reached the foot of Leifeng Pagoda. He lit the incense and knelt before it.
- Mengjiao 妈妈，我是梦蛟，你在塔下吗？
Māma, wǒ shì Mèngjiāo, nǐ zài tǎ xià ma?
Mother, it's me, Mengjiao. Are you under the pagoda?
- Mengjiao 妈妈，你说话啊！你听见了吗？
Māma, nǐ shuōhuà a! Nǐ tīngjiàn le ma?
Mother, say something! Can you hear me?
- Bai Suzhen 是你吗，是我的梦蛟吗？
Shì nǐ ma, shì wǒ de Mèngjiāo ma?
Is it you? Is it my Mengjiao?
- Mengjiao 妈妈，真的是你！我看不见你，可是我听见了！
Māma, zhēn de shì nǐ! Wǒ kàn bu jiàn nǐ, kěshì wǒ tīngjiàn le!
Mother, it's really you! I can't see you, but I can hear you!
- Bai Suzhen 让妈妈听听你的声音。你上学了吗？
Ràng māma tīngting nǐ de shēngyīn. Nǐ shàngxué le ma?
Let me hear your voice. Do you go to school now?
- Mengjiao 上学了！我七岁了，先生说我的字写得最好！
Shàngxué le! Wǒ qī suì le, xiānsheng shuō wǒ de zì xiě de zuì hǎo!
Yes! I'm seven, and the teacher says my writing is the best!
- Bai Suzhen 好孩子。妈妈在塔下很好，很安静，每天都在修行。
Hǎo háizi. Māma zài tǎ xià hěn hǎo, hěn ānjìng, měi tiān dōu zài xiūxíng.
Good boy. I'm well down here, and it's quiet. I practice every day.
- Mengjiao 我给你买了香，还有两个点心，可是现在就一个了。
Wǒ gěi nǐ mǎi le xiāng, hái yǒu liǎng gè diǎnxin, kěshì xiànzài jiù yí gè le.
I bought you incense, and two sweet cakes too. But now there's only one.
- Bai Suzhen 你吃吧，妈妈不饿。
Nǐ chī ba, māma bú è.
You eat it. I'm not hungry.
- Bai Suzhen 梦蛟，别哭了，妈妈也想你。回家去好好读书，有一天，我们会见面的。
Mèngjiāo, bié kū le, māma yě xiǎng nǐ. Huí jiā qù hǎohǎo dúshū, yǒu yì tiān, wǒmen huì jiànmiàn de.
Mengjiao, don't cry. I miss you too. Go home and study hard, and one day we'll see each other.
- Mengjiao 有一天是哪一天？我现在就要见你！
Yǒu yì tiān shì nǎ yì tiān? Wǒ xiànzài jiù yào jiàn nǐ!
One day? Which day? I want to see you now!
- Mengjiao 雷峰塔，我恨你！雷峰塔倒了，妈妈就能出来了！
Léifēng Tǎ, wǒ hèn nǐ! Léifēng Tǎ dǎo le, māma jiù néng chūlái le!
Leifeng Pagoda, I hate you! If Leifeng Pagoda fell down, Mother could come out!
- Bai Suzhen 梦蛟，别打了，听妈妈的话，快回家吧。
Mèngjiāo, bié dǎ le, tīng māma de huà, kuài huí jiā ba.
Mengjiao, stop hitting it. Listen to me and go home.
- Mengjiao 我不走，我要跟妈妈在一起！
Wǒ bù zǒu, wǒ yào gēn māma zài yìqǐ!
I'm not leaving! I want to stay with you, Mother!
- Li Gongfu 梦蛟，天都快黑了！你姑姑找了你一天！
Mèngjiāo, tiān dōu kuài hēi le! Nǐ gūgu zhǎo le nǐ yì tiān!
Mengjiao, it's nearly dark! Your aunt has been looking for you all day!
- Mengjiao 我找到妈妈了！她在塔下，她跟我说话了！
Wǒ zhǎodào māma le! Tā zài tǎ xià, tā gēn wǒ shuōhuà le!
I found Mother! She's under the pagoda, and she talked to me!
- Li Gongfu 我知道。走吧，我抱你回家。
Wǒ zhīdào. Zǒu ba, wǒ bào nǐ huí jiā.
I know. Come on, I'll carry you home.
- Li Gongfu 你的五个钱呢，都花了？
Nǐ de wǔ gè qián ne, dōu huā le?
And your five coins? All gone?
- Mengjiao 三个买了香，两个买了点心。有一个点心，我吃了。
Sān gè mǎi le xiāng, liǎng gè mǎi le diǎnxin. Yǒu yí gè diǎnxin, wǒ chī le.
Three on incense, two on sweet cakes. And one of the cakes, I ate.
- Li Gongfu 还好，是你自己的钱，不是官府的银子。
Hái hǎo, shì nǐ zìjǐ de qián, bú shì guānfǔ de yínzi.
Well, at least it was your own money, not the county's silver.
- Mengjiao 我要好好读书，你教我，好吗？
Wǒ yào hǎohǎo dúshū, nǐ jiāo wǒ, hǎo ma?
I'm going to study hard. Will you teach me?
- Li Gongfu 好，我教你，我跟你妈妈说过的。
Hǎo, wǒ jiāo nǐ, wǒ gēn nǐ māma shuō guo de.
All right, I'll teach you. I promised your mother.
- Narrator 这一年，一片青光飞过长江，飞到了金山寺。
Zhè yì nián, yí piàn qīng guāng fēiguò Cháng Jiāng, fēi dào le Jīnshān Sì.
That same year, a green light flew across the Yangtze to Jinshan Temple.
- Bai Suzhen 这是小青的光！小青回来了！
Zhè shì Xiǎoqīng de guāng! Xiǎoqīng huílái le!
That's Xiaoqing's light! Xiaoqing has come back!
- Bai Suzhen 小青，别去找法海！你打不过他！
Xiǎoqīng, bié qù zhǎo Fǎhǎi! Nǐ dǎ bu guò tā!
Xiaoqing, don't go after Fahai! You can't beat him!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Mengjiao plan to spend his five coins?
“三个买香，两个买点心”
- What happens to one of the sweet cakes?
“我好饿……妈妈的点心，我先吃一个”
- What does his mother tell him to do?
“回家去好好读书”
- Why does Mengjiao want Leifeng Pagoda to fall down?
“雷峰塔倒了，妈妈就能出来了！”
- What is Bai afraid of at the end of the chapter?
“小青，别去找法海！你打不过他！”