The White Snake · chapter 16 of 25
Two Babies
两个孩子
Back in Hangzhou, Xu's sister welcomes his new wife, a promise is made under the Mid-Autumn moon, and two babies arrive on the same day.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 许仙带着白素贞和小青，从断桥往家走。
Xǔ Xiān dàizhe Bái Sùzhēn hé Xiǎoqīng, cóng Duàn Qiáo wǎng jiā zǒu.
From the Broken Bridge, Xu Xian set off for home with Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing.
- Bai Suzhen 法海放了我，是因为孩子。孩子出生以后，他会来吗？
Fǎhǎi fàng le wǒ, shì yīnwèi háizi. Háizi chūshēng yǐhòu, tā huì lái ma?
Fahai let me go because of the baby. Once the baby is born, will he come for me?
- Xu Xian 娘子，到了，这就是我姐姐家。姐姐，开门啊！
Niángzǐ, dào le, zhè jiù shì wǒ jiějie jiā. Jiějie, kāi mén a!
Here we are, my dear. This is my sister's house. Sister, open the door!
Chapter 16 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.
- Jiaorong 弟弟？真的是你，你从苏州回来了！
Dìdi? Zhēn de shì nǐ, nǐ cóng Sūzhōu huílái le!
Brother? It's really you! You're back from Suzhou!
- Xu Xian 姐姐，我在苏州结婚了，这是我的娘子。
Jiějie, wǒ zài Sūzhōu jiéhūn le, zhè shì wǒ de niángzǐ.
Sister, I got married in Suzhou. This is my wife.
- Bai Suzhen 姐姐好。官人常说，他是姐姐带大的。
Jiějie hǎo. Guānrén cháng shuō, tā shì jiějie dài dà de.
Hello, sister. He often says it was you who brought him up.
- Jiaorong 好漂亮的妹妹！弟弟，你找了一个好妻子！
Hǎo piàoliang de mèimei! Dìdi, nǐ zhǎo le yí gè hǎo qīzi!
What a lovely new sister! Brother, you've found yourself a good wife!
- Li Gongfu 许仙，回来就好。这次没带银子吧？
Xǔ Xiān, huílái jiù hǎo. Zhè cì méi dài yínzi ba?
Good to have you back, Xu Xian. No silver this time, I hope?
- Jiaorong 你看你，又是银子！快帮弟弟拿东西！
Nǐ kàn nǐ, yòu shì yínzi! Kuài bāng dìdi ná dōngxi!
Listen to you, silver again! Go and help my brother with his things!
- Xu Xian 没有，没有！姐夫，这次只带了娘子回来。
Méiyǒu, méiyǒu! Jiěfu, zhè cì zhǐ dài le niángzǐ huílái.
No, no! This time all I brought back is a wife.
- Jiaorong 我家旁边的房子没人住。你们就住在那儿吧！
Wǒ jiā pángbiān de fángzi méi rén zhù. Nǐmen jiù zhù zài nàr ba!
Nobody lives in the house next to ours. You two can live there!
- Narrator 中秋节的晚上，月亮又大又亮，两家人坐在一起。
Zhōngqiūjié de wǎnshang, yuèliang yòu dà yòu liàng, liǎng jiā rén zuò zài yìqǐ.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon was big and bright, and the two families sat together.
- Jiaorong 妹妹，你看我们两个，肚子一样大了！
Mèimei, nǐ kàn wǒmen liǎng gè, dùzi yíyàng dà le!
Look at the two of us, sister. Our bellies are the same size!
- Bai Suzhen 是啊，姐姐，我们的孩子可以一起长大。
Shì a, jiějie, wǒmen de háizi kěyǐ yìqǐ zhǎngdà.
Yes, sister. Our children can grow up together.
- Jiaorong 如果一个是儿子，一个是女儿，长大了就让他们结婚！
Rúguǒ yí gè shì érzi, yí gè shì nǚ'ér, zhǎngdà le jiù ràng tāmen jiéhūn!
If one's a boy and the other's a girl, let's have them marry when they grow up!
- Bai Suzhen 好啊，姐姐，我们说好了！
Hǎo a, jiějie, wǒmen shuō hǎo le!
Yes, sister! It's a deal!
- Li Gongfu 那如果两个都是儿子呢？
Nà rúguǒ liǎng gè dōu shì érzi ne?
And what if they're both boys?
- Xu Xian 姐夫，我的是儿子！他以后还要当状元呢！
Jiěfu, wǒ de shì érzi! Tā yǐhòu hái yào dāng zhuàngyuan ne!
Mine's a boy! And one day he'll be top scholar!
- Li Gongfu 孩子还没出生，你怎么知道？
Háizi hái méi chūshēng, nǐ zěnme zhīdào?
The baby isn't even born yet. How would you know?
- Xu Xian 我，我就是知道！
Wǒ, wǒ jiùshì zhīdào!
I... I just know!
- Narrator 几个月以后，两个孩子在同一天出生了。
Jǐ gè yuè yǐhòu, liǎng gè háizi zài tóng yì tiān chūshēng le.
A few months later, the two babies were born on the same day.
- Jiaorong 是个女儿！我的女儿，就叫碧莲。
Shì gè nǚ'ér! Wǒ de nǚ'ér, jiù jiào Bìlián.
It's a girl! My daughter will be called Bilian.
- Xu Xian 是个儿子！娘子，快让我抱一抱他！
Shì gè érzi! Niángzǐ, kuài ràng wǒ bào yi bào tā!
It's a boy! My dear, quick, let me hold him!
- Bai Suzhen 官人，不是这样抱的。手放这儿，轻一点儿。
Guānrén, bú shì zhèyàng bào de. Shǒu fàng zhèr, qīng yìdiǎnr.
Not like that, dear. Put your hand here. Gently.
- Bai Suzhen 昨天晚上，我做了一个好梦。我们的儿子，就叫梦蛟吧。
Zuótiān wǎnshang, wǒ zuò le yí gè hǎo mèng. Wǒmen de érzi, jiù jiào Mèngjiāo ba.
Last night I had a good dream. Let's call our son Mengjiao.
- Xu Xian 许梦蛟，真是个好名字！
Xǔ Mèngjiāo, zhēn shì gè hǎo míngzi!
Xu Mengjiao! What a good name!
- Narrator 梦蛟满月那天，天还没亮，白素贞就醒了。
Mèngjiāo mǎnyuè nà tiān, tiān hái méi liàng, Bái Sùzhēn jiù xǐng le.
On the day Mengjiao turned one month old, Bai Suzhen woke before dawn.
- Bai Suzhen 我怎么睡不着了？我来算一算……
Wǒ zěnme shuì bu zháo le? Wǒ lái suàn yi suàn…
Why can't I sleep? Let me count it out...
- Bai Suzhen 不好，今天有危险……就在官人的手上！
Bù hǎo, jīntiān yǒu wēixiǎn… jiù zài guānrén de shǒu shàng!
Oh no, danger comes today... and it will be in his hands!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What worries Bai on the way to Jiaorong's house?
“法海放了我，是因为孩子。孩子出生以后，他会来吗”
- Where do Xu and Bai go to live?
“我家旁边的房子没人住。你们就住在那儿吧”
- What do the two women promise at the Mid-Autumn Festival?
“如果一个是儿子，一个是女儿，长大了就让他们结婚”
- Why does Bai name the baby Mengjiao?
“我做了一个好梦……就叫梦蛟吧”
- What does Bai learn when she counts it out before dawn?
“今天有危险……就在官人的手上”