The White Snake · chapter 2 of 3
The Dragon Boat Wine
端午节的酒
A festival cup that Bai Suzhen should never drink, a terrible discovery, and a long flight to Mount Kunlun to set things right.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 端午节到了。许家的小药店里，桌上放着粽子，门上挂着草药。
Duānwǔjié dào le. Xǔ jiā de xiǎo yàodiàn lǐ, zhuō shang fàngzhe zòngzi, mén shang guàzhe cǎoyào.
The Dragon Boat Festival arrived. In the Xu family's little pharmacy, there were rice dumplings on the table and bundles of herbs hung by the door.
- Xu Xian 娘子，今天过节！大家都喝雄黄酒，说能赶走蛇和虫子。我们也喝一杯吧！
Niángzǐ, jīntiān guò jié! Dàjiā dōu hē xiónghuángjiǔ, shuō néng gǎnzǒu shé hé chóngzi. Wǒmen yě hē yì bēi ba!
My dear, it's a festival today! Everyone drinks realgar wine. They say it keeps snakes and insects away. Let's have a cup too!
- Bai Suzhen 雄黄酒？我是白蛇，最怕雄黄酒了……喝了，我就会变回白蛇！
Xiónghuángjiǔ? Wǒ shì bái shé, zuì pà xiónghuángjiǔ le… hē le, wǒ jiù huì biàn huí bái shé!
Realgar wine? I'm a white snake. Nothing scares me more than realgar wine… If I drink it, I'll turn back into a snake!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The White Snake 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Bai Suzhen 相公，我……我今天有点儿不舒服，不想喝酒。
Xiànggong, wǒ… wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎnr bù shūfu, bù xiǎng hē jiǔ.
My husband, I… I'm not feeling well today. I'd rather not drink.
- Xu Xian 就喝一杯嘛！法海说你是妖怪，我才不信呢。你喝了，他就没话说了！
Jiù hē yì bēi ma! Fǎhǎi shuō nǐ shì yāoguài, wǒ cái bú xìn ne. Nǐ hē le, tā jiù méi huà shuō le!
Just one cup! Fahai says you're a demon, and I don't believe a word of it. Once you drink it, he'll have nothing left to say!
- Bai Suzhen 我不喝，相公就会觉得法海说对了……只喝一杯，应该没关系吧。
Wǒ bù hē, xiànggong jiù huì juéde Fǎhǎi shuō duì le… zhǐ hē yì bēi, yīnggāi méi guānxi ba.
If I refuse, he'll think Fahai was right… Just one cup should be all right.
- Xu Xian 你看，一点儿事也没有！来，再喝一杯！
Nǐ kàn, yìdiǎnr shì yě méiyǒu! Lái, zài hē yì bēi!
See? Nothing happened at all! Come on, have another!
- Bai Suzhen 相公，我的头好难受……我先去床上躺一会儿。
Xiànggong, wǒ de tóu hǎo nánshòu… wǒ xiān qù chuáng shang tǎng yíhuìr.
My husband, my head feels awful… I'm going to lie down for a while.
- Xu Xian 娘子，我给你做了一碗热汤。喝了汤，你就会舒服一点儿……
Niángzǐ, wǒ gěi nǐ zuò le yì wǎn rè tāng. Hē le tāng, nǐ jiù huì shūfu yìdiǎnr…
My dear, I made you a bowl of hot soup. Drink it and you'll feel a little better…
- Xu Xian 啊！床上……床上怎么有一条大白蛇？
Ā! Chuáng shang… chuáng shang zěnme yǒu yì tiáo dà bái shé?
Aah! On the bed… Why is there a huge white snake on the bed?
- Bai Suzhen 我怎么睡着了？……相公！你怎么倒在地上了？
Wǒ zěnme shuìzháo le?… Xiànggong! Nǐ zěnme dǎo zài dì shang le?
How did I fall asleep?… My husband! Why are you lying on the floor?
- Bai Suzhen 相公，你醒醒啊！……他没有气了。都是我不好！
Xiànggong, nǐ xǐngxing a!… Tā méiyǒu qì le. Dōu shì wǒ bù hǎo!
Wake up, my husband, please!… He isn't breathing. It's all my fault!
- Bai Suzhen 只有昆仑山上的仙草，才能救他。那里有仙鹤守着，可是我一定要去！
Zhǐyǒu Kūnlún Shān shang de xiāncǎo, cái néng jiù tā. Nàlǐ yǒu xiānhè shǒuzhe, kěshì wǒ yídìng yào qù!
Only the magic herb on Mount Kunlun can save him. Sacred cranes guard it, but I have to go!
- Bai Suzhen 相公，你等着我。我一定会回来！
Xiànggong, nǐ děngzhe wǒ. Wǒ yídìng huì huílái!
Wait for me, my husband. I promise I'll come back!
- Narrator 她飞了三天三夜，才飞到了昆仑山。
Tā fēi le sān tiān sān yè, cái fēi dào le Kūnlún Shān.
She flew for three days and three nights before she reached Mount Kunlun.
- Bai Suzhen 仙草就在前面！仙鹤，对不起了，我要救我的相公！
Xiāncǎo jiù zài qiánmiàn! Xiānhè, duìbuqǐ le, wǒ yào jiù wǒ de xiànggong!
There's the herb, just ahead! Forgive me, cranes. I have to save my husband!
- Bai Suzhen 我回来了！仙鹤打伤了我……可是仙草，我拿到了！相公，快喝药吧。
Wǒ huílái le! Xiānhè dǎshāng le wǒ… kěshì xiāncǎo, wǒ ná dào le! Xiànggong, kuài hē yào ba.
I'm back! The cranes hurt me… but I got the herb! Here, my husband, drink this medicine.
- Xu Xian 娘子……我这是在哪儿？你的手上，怎么有血？
Niángzǐ… wǒ zhè shì zài nǎr? Nǐ de shǒu shang, zěnme yǒu xiě?
My dear… where am I? Why is there blood on your hands?
- Bai Suzhen 没什么。你醒了，就好。
Méi shénme. Nǐ xǐng le, jiù hǎo.
It's nothing. You're awake, and that's all that matters.
- Xu Xian 床上的白蛇……就是娘子吧？她为了救我，受了这么重的伤。
Chuáng shang de bái shé… jiù shì niángzǐ ba? Tā wèile jiù wǒ, shòu le zhème zhòng de shāng.
The white snake on the bed… that was my wife, wasn't it? She got hurt this badly to save me.
- Xu Xian 娘子，不管你是什么，你都是我的娘子。
Niángzǐ, bùguǎn nǐ shì shénme, nǐ dōu shì wǒ de niángzǐ.
My dear, whatever you are, you are still my wife.
- Narrator 可是第二天早上，法海来了。他要把许仙带到金山寺去。
Kěshì dì èr tiān zǎoshang, Fǎhǎi lái le. Tā yào bǎ Xǔ Xiān dài dào Jīnshān Sì qù.
But the next morning, Fahai came. He meant to take Xu Xian away to Jinshan Temple.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why do people drink realgar wine at the festival, according to Xu Xian?
“大家都喝雄黄酒，说能赶走蛇和虫子。”
- Why does Bai Suzhen agree to drink the wine?
“我不喝，相公就会觉得法海说对了”
- What does Xu Xian find when he brings the soup?
“床上怎么有一条大白蛇？”
- Where does Bai Suzhen go to save Xu Xian?
“只有昆仑山上的仙草，才能救他。”
- How does Xu Xian feel once he understands what his wife is?
“不管你是什么，你都是我的娘子。”