The White Snake · chapter 25 of 25
The Offering at the Pagoda
祭塔
Fahai comes down to Leifeng Pagoda with his staff, and sixteen years of waiting come to an end.
Read what you hear
- Mengjiao 你就是法海？你还我妈妈！
Nǐ jiù shì Fǎhǎi? Nǐ huán wǒ māma!
So you're Fahai? Give me back my mother!
- Fahai 孩子，我今天来，就是来还你妈妈的。
Háizi, wǒ jīntiān lái, jiù shì lái huán nǐ māma de.
Child, I have come today to give your mother back.
- Fahai 你对妈妈的心，天上的神仙都看见了。白蛇在塔下十六年，够了。
Nǐ duì māma de xīn, tiānshàng de shénxiān dōu kànjiàn le. Báishé zài tǎ xià shíliù nián, gòu le.
All the gods in heaven have seen your love for your mother. Sixteen years under the pagoda is enough for the white snake.
Chapter 25 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 师父，您说过，我们还会再见的……
Shīfu, nín shuō guo, wǒmen hái huì zài jiàn de…
Master, you said we would meet again...
- Fahai 许仙，我法海不说假话。
Xǔ Xiān, wǒ Fǎhǎi bù shuō jiǎhuà.
Xu Xian, I, Fahai, do not lie.
- Narrator 法海用禅杖打了一下塔。塔动了起来，往旁边去了。
Fǎhǎi yòng chánzhàng dǎ le yíxià tǎ. Tǎ dòng le qǐlái, wǎng pángbiān qù le.
Fahai struck the pagoda once with his staff. The pagoda began to shake, and moved off to one side.
- Li Gongfu 塔自己走开了！皇上不让拆，它就自己走了！
Tǎ zìjǐ zǒukāi le! Huángshang bú ràng chāi, tā jiù zìjǐ zǒu le!
The pagoda moved off by itself! His Majesty wouldn't pull it down, so it just walked away on its own!
- Jiaorong 你别说了！快看，塔下有光，白光里有一个人！
Nǐ bié shuō le! Kuài kàn, tǎ xià yǒu guāng, bái guāng lǐ yǒu yí gè rén!
Hush! Look, there's light under the pagoda, and someone in the white light!
- Mengjiao 是妈妈，是我的妈妈！
Shì māma, shì wǒ de māma!
It's Mother! It's my mother!
- Bai Suzhen 我的梦蛟，让妈妈抱抱你！你都这么高了！
Wǒ de Mèngjiāo, ràng māma bàobao nǐ! Nǐ dōu zhème gāo le!
My Mengjiao, let me hold you! Look how tall you are!
- Mengjiao 妈妈，我当了状元！
Māma, wǒ dāng le zhuàngyuan!
Mother, I'm top scholar!
- Bai Suzhen 妈妈知道。好孩子，你做得很好。
Māma zhīdào. Hǎo háizi, nǐ zuò de hěn hǎo.
I know. Good boy, you did very well.
- Xu Xian 不是说，西湖的水干了，雷峰塔倒了，你才会出来吗？娘子，这不是梦吧？
Bú shì shuō, Xī Hú de shuǐ gān le, Léifēng Tǎ dǎo le, nǐ cái huì chūlái ma? Niángzǐ, zhè bú shì mèng ba?
Didn't they say you'd only come out when West Lake ran dry and Leifeng Pagoda fell? My dear, this isn't a dream, is it?
- Bai Suzhen 官人，这不是梦。你瘦了，瘦了很多。
Guānrén, zhè bú shì mèng. Nǐ shòu le, shòu le hěn duō.
No, dear, it's not a dream. You've grown thin, so very thin.
- Xu Xian 十六年，我每天都想你。下雨想，不下雨也想。
Shíliù nián, wǒ měi tiān dōu xiǎng nǐ. Xià yǔ xiǎng, bú xià yǔ yě xiǎng.
For sixteen years I thought of you every day. When it rained, and when it didn't.
- Bai Suzhen 官人，你还是哭得比梦蛟大声。
Guānrén, nǐ háishi kū de bǐ Mèngjiāo dàshēng.
Dear, you still cry louder than Mengjiao.
- Bai Suzhen 姐姐，姐夫，谢谢你们！十六年，你们把梦蛟带得这么好。
Jiějie, jiěfu, xièxie nǐmen! Shíliù nián, nǐmen bǎ Mèngjiāo dài de zhème hǎo.
Sister, brother-in-law, thank you! For sixteen years you raised Mengjiao so well.
- Jiaorong 妹妹，别说谢。他也是我的儿子啊。
Mèimei, bié shuō xiè. Tā yě shì wǒ de érzi a.
Don't thank us, sister. He's my son too.
- Li Gongfu 我教他读书。现在，他读得比我好多了。
Wǒ jiāo tā dúshū. Xiànzài, tā dú de bǐ wǒ hǎo duō le.
I taught him to read. Now he reads far better than I do.
- Bai Suzhen 师父，小青呢，她还好吗？
Shīfu, Xiǎoqīng ne, tā hái hǎo ma?
Master, what about Xiaoqing? Is she all right?
- Fahai 她拿着飞刀来找过我。现在，她在观音菩萨那儿修行。十年以后，她会来找你。
Tā názhe fēidāo lái zhǎo guo wǒ. Xiànzài, tā zài Guānyīn Púsà nàr xiūxíng. Shí nián yǐhòu, tā huì lái zhǎo nǐ.
She came after me with flying knives. Now she is practicing with Guanyin. In ten years, she will come to you.
- Narrator 塔又回到了原来的地方。法海在地上放了一块白布，一块青布。
Tǎ yòu huídào le yuánlái de dìfang. Fǎhǎi zài dìshang fàng le yí kuài bái bù, yí kuài qīng bù.
The pagoda went back to its place. Fahai laid a white cloth and a green cloth on the ground.
- Narrator 两块布变成了白云和青云。
Liǎng kuài bù biànchéng le báiyún hé qīngyún.
The two cloths turned into a white cloud and a green cloud.
- Fahai 白蛇，你已经报恩了。许仙，你也走吧。你们的家，在天上。
Báishé, nǐ yǐjīng bào'ēn le. Xǔ Xiān, nǐ yě zǒu ba. Nǐmen de jiā, zài tiānshàng.
White snake, you have repaid your debt of kindness. Xu Xian, you go too. Your home is in the sky.
- Xu Xian 又要飞吗？娘子，我还是有点怕。
Yòu yào fēi ma? Niángzǐ, wǒ háishi yǒudiǎn pà.
Flying again? My dear, I'm still a little scared.
- Bai Suzhen 官人，拉着我的手。
Guānrén, lāzhe wǒ de shǒu.
Dear, hold my hand.
- Bai Suzhen 梦蛟，以后好好做人，和碧莲好好过日子！
Mèngjiāo, yǐhòu hǎohǎo zuòrén, hé Bìlián hǎohǎo guò rìzi!
Mengjiao, always be a good man, and make a happy life with Bilian!
- Jiaorong 妹妹放心！中秋节说的话，我们都记着呢！
Mèimei fàngxīn! Zhōngqiūjié shuō de huà, wǒmen dōu jìzhe ne!
Don't worry, sister! We remember every word we said at the Mid-Autumn Festival!
- Narrator 两个人走上云，一起飞上了天。大家跪在地上，向天上拜了又拜。
Liǎng gè rén zǒu shàng yún, yìqǐ fēi shàng le tiān. Dàjiā guì zài dìshang, xiàng tiānshàng bài le yòu bài.
The two of them stepped onto the clouds and rose into the sky together. Everyone knelt on the ground and bowed to the sky, again and again.
- Mengjiao 妈妈，爸爸！
Māma, bàba!
Mother! Father!
- Narrator 后来，梦蛟和碧莲结婚了。
Hòulái, Mèngjiāo hé Bìlián jiéhūn le.
In time, Mengjiao and Bilian were married.
- Mengjiao 爸爸，妈妈，你们在天上，要好好的。我们在西湖边，也会好好的。
Bàba, māma, nǐmen zài tiānshàng, yào hǎohǎo de. Wǒmen zài Xī Hú biān, yě huì hǎohǎo de.
Father, Mother, be happy up there in the sky. And we'll be happy down here by West Lake.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Fahai say he has come to the pagoda?
“我今天来，就是来还你妈妈的”
- What happens when Fahai strikes the pagoda with his staff?
“塔动了起来，往旁边去了”
- What does Fahai say about Xiaoqing?
“她在观音菩萨那儿修行。十年以后，她会来找你”
- What does Fahai lay on the ground?
“一块白布，一块青布”
- What does Bai ask Mengjiao to do before she leaves?
“以后好好做人，和碧莲好好过日子！”