The White Snake · chapter 15 of 25
The Broken Bridge
断桥
On the Broken Bridge, Xiaoqing's sword is out and Bai's eyes are full of tears. Can Xu win his wife back, and what news is she keeping from him?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 西湖的断桥边，小青的剑，已经到了许仙的面前。
Xī Hú de Duàn Qiáo biān, Xiǎoqīng de jiàn, yǐjīng dào le Xǔ Xiān de miànqián.
By the Broken Bridge at West Lake, Xiaoqing's sword was already at Xu Xian's face.
- Xu Xian 小青，别！娘子，娘子，救我！
Xiǎoqīng, bié! Niángzǐ, niángzǐ, jiù wǒ!
Xiaoqing, don't! My dear, my dear, save me!
- Xiaoqing 你还叫小姐救你？小姐去金山找你，差一点就回不来了。我们是逃回来的！
Nǐ hái jiào xiǎojiě jiù nǐ? Xiǎojiě qù Jīnshān zhǎo nǐ, chà yìdiǎn jiù huí bu lái le. Wǒmen shì táo huílái de!
You want Miss to save you? Miss went to Jinshan for you and nearly didn't come back. We had to run for our lives!
Chapter 15 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.
- Bai Suzhen 小青，先把剑放下。我有话要问他。
Xiǎoqīng, xiān bǎ jiàn fàngxià. Wǒ yǒu huà yào wèn tā.
Xiaoqing, put the sword down. I have something to ask him.
- Xiaoqing 好吧，小青听小姐的。
Hǎo ba, Xiǎoqīng tīng xiǎojiě de.
Fine. Xiaoqing does what Miss says.
- Bai Suzhen 官人，你答应过我，不跟和尚说话，早点回家。你都忘了吗？
Guānrén, nǐ dāying guo wǒ, bù gēn héshang shuōhuà, zǎo diǎn huí jiā. Nǐ dōu wàng le ma?
Dear, you promised me you wouldn't talk with the monks, and you'd come home early. Did you forget all that?
- Bai Suzhen 你不回来，我就去金山找你，跟和尚打，跟神仙打……
Nǐ bù huílái, wǒ jiù qù Jīnshān zhǎo nǐ, gēn héshang dǎ, gēn shénxiān dǎ…
You didn't come back, so I went to Jinshan to find you, and I fought monks, I fought gods...
- Xu Xian 娘子，不是我不想回家，是法海师父不让我走啊！
Niángzǐ, bú shì wǒ bù xiǎng huí jiā, shì Fǎhǎi shīfu bú ràng wǒ zǒu a!
My dear, it's not that I didn't want to come home. Master Fahai wouldn't let me leave!
- Xu Xian 我在金山寺，天天都想回家，天天都想你。我好后悔跟那个和尚说话！
Wǒ zài Jīnshān Sì, tiāntiān dōu xiǎng huí jiā, tiāntiān dōu xiǎng nǐ. Wǒ hǎo hòuhuǐ gēn nàge héshang shuōhuà!
At Jinshan Temple I wanted to come home every day, and every day I thought of you. I wish I'd never talked to that monk!
- Xiaoqing 小姐……小青不想帮他说话。可是，他说的是真的。
Xiǎojiě… Xiǎoqīng bù xiǎng bāng tā shuōhuà. Kěshì, tā shuō de shì zhēn de.
Miss... Xiaoqing doesn't want to stick up for him. But what he says is true.
- Xiaoqing 那天的水涨得那么高，他又不会游泳。他不在山上的话，早就死在水里了。
Nà tiān de shuǐ zhǎng de nàme gāo, tā yòu bú huì yóuyǒng. Tā bú zài shān shàng dehuà, zǎo jiù sǐ zài shuǐ lǐ le.
The water rose so high that day, and he can't even swim. If he hadn't been up on the hill, he'd have drowned.
- Bai Suzhen 是啊……还好你在山上。
Shì a… hái hǎo nǐ zài shān shàng.
Yes... thank heaven you were up on the hill.
- Bai Suzhen 官人，是我不好。我不应该生你的气。
Guānrén, shì wǒ bù hǎo. Wǒ bù yīnggāi shēng nǐ de qì.
Dear, it was my fault. I shouldn't have been angry with you.
- Xu Xian 娘子，那你……你原谅我了？你不恨我？
Niángzǐ, nà nǐ… nǐ yuánliàng wǒ le? Nǐ bú hèn wǒ?
My dear, then you... you forgive me? You don't hate me?
- Bai Suzhen 我怎么会恨你呢？我原谅你了。
Wǒ zěnme huì hèn nǐ ne? Wǒ yuánliàng nǐ le.
How could I ever hate you? I forgive you.
- Bai Suzhen 我们就是在西湖认识的。那天下雨，你借给我一把伞。
Wǒmen jiù shì zài Xī Hú rènshi de. Nà tiān xià yǔ, nǐ jiè gěi wǒ yì bǎ sǎn.
It was here at West Lake that we met. It was raining that day, and you lent me an umbrella.
- Xu Xian 我记得。以后，我哪儿也不去了。
Wǒ jìde. Yǐhòu, wǒ nǎr yě bú qù le.
I remember. From now on, I'm not going anywhere.
- Bai Suzhen 官人，还有一件事。我的肚子里，有你的孩子了。
Guānrén, hái yǒu yí jiàn shì. Wǒ de dùzi lǐ, yǒu nǐ de háizi le.
Dear, there's one more thing. I'm carrying your child.
- Xu Xian 孩子？我的孩子？我……我要当爸爸了！
Háizi? Wǒ de háizi? Wǒ… wǒ yào dāng bàba le!
A child? My child? I... I'm going to be a father!
- Xiaoqing 以后还要当状元呢！这是法海自己说的。
Yǐhòu hái yào dāng zhuàngyuan ne! Zhè shì Fǎhǎi zìjǐ shuō de.
And one day he'll be the top scholar! Fahai said so himself.
- Xu Xian 状元？我的孩子，以后要当状元？
Zhuàngyuan? Wǒ de háizi, yǐhòu yào dāng zhuàngyuan?
The top scholar? My child is going to be the top scholar?
- Xiaoqing 好了好了。那小青呢？小青以后当什么？
Hǎo le hǎo le. Nà Xiǎoqīng ne? Xiǎoqīng yǐhòu dāng shénme?
All right, all right. And what about Xiaoqing? What does Xiaoqing get to be?
- Bai Suzhen 小青，你以后帮我照顾孩子。
Xiǎoqīng, nǐ yǐhòu bāng wǒ zhàogù háizi.
Xiaoqing, you'll help me look after the baby.
- Xiaoqing 照顾孩子？那小青还是去当尼姑吧！
Zhàogù háizi? Nà Xiǎoqīng háishi qù dāng nígū ba!
Look after a baby? Then Xiaoqing would rather go and be a nun!
- Xu Xian 娘子，走，我们一起去我姐姐家！
Niángzǐ, zǒu, wǒmen yìqǐ qù wǒ jiějie jiā!
Come, my dear, let's go to my sister's house together!
- Bai Suzhen 好。官人，我们回家。
Hǎo. Guānrén, wǒmen huí jiā.
Yes. Dear, let's go home.
- Narrator 很远的金山寺里，法海静静地坐着，手上拿着一个金钵。
Hěn yuǎn de Jīnshān Sì lǐ, Fǎhǎi jìngjìng de zuòzhe, shǒu shàng názhe yí gè jīnbō.
Far away in Jinshan Temple, Fahai sat very still, a golden bowl in his hands.
- Fahai 白蛇，你走得再远，我也能看见。
Báishé, nǐ zǒu de zài yuǎn, wǒ yě néng kànjiàn.
White snake, however far you go, I can still see you.
- Fahai 等孩子出生了，我就带着金钵来找你。
Děng háizi chūshēng le, wǒ jiù dàizhe jīnbō lái zhǎo nǐ.
When the child is born, I will come for you with my golden bowl.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Bai accuse Xu of?
“你答应过我，不跟和尚说话，早点回家。你都忘了吗”
- Why does Xu say he didn't come home?
“是法海师父不让我走”
- What does Xiaoqing admit about the flood?
“他不在山上的话，早就死在水里了”
- What news does Bai give Xu?
“我的肚子里，有你的孩子了”
- What does Fahai say he will do?
“等孩子出生了，我就带着金钵来找你”