The White Snake · chapter 3 of 25
Two Pieces of Silver
两块银子
Xu comes back for his umbrella and leaves with a promise of marriage and two pieces of silver, until his brother-in-law takes a closer look at them.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天，许仙来到西湖边的老花园，来拿他的伞。
Dì èr tiān, Xǔ Xiān láidào Xī Hú biān de lǎo huāyuán, lái ná tā de sǎn.
The next day, Xu Xian came to the old garden by West Lake to fetch his umbrella.
- Xu Xian 这么大的房子……像神仙住的地方！请问，有人吗？
Zhème dà de fángzi… xiàng shénxiān zhù de dìfang! Qǐngwèn, yǒu rén ma?
Such a big house... it looks like a place where immortals live! Excuse me, is anyone home?
- Xiaoqing 小姐，快来！许官人来拿伞了！
Xiǎojiě, kuài lái! Xǔ guānrén lái ná sǎn le!
Miss, come quick! Mr. Xu is here for his umbrella!
- Bai Suzhen 许官人，昨天在桥那儿，多谢你的伞。快请坐，喝杯茶吧。
Xǔ guānrén, zuótiān zài qiáo nàr, duōxiè nǐ de sǎn. Kuài qǐng zuò, hē bēi chá ba.
Mr. Xu, thank you for your umbrella at the bridge yesterday. Please, sit down and have some tea.
- Xu Xian 不用了，不用了，我拿了伞就走。
Bú yòng le, bú yòng le, wǒ ná le sǎn jiù zǒu.
Oh, no need, no need. I'll just take the umbrella and go.
- Xiaoqing 茶和酒都好了。许官人，坐下吧！
Chá hé jiǔ dōu hǎo le. Xǔ guānrén, zuòxià ba!
The tea and the wine are ready. Mr. Xu, sit down!
- Bai Suzhen 许官人，这杯酒，谢谢你的伞。
Xǔ guānrén, zhè bēi jiǔ, xièxie nǐ de sǎn.
Mr. Xu, this cup is to thank you for your umbrella.
- Xu Xian 就是一把伞，不用谢，不用谢。
Jiù shì yì bǎ sǎn, bú yòng xiè, bú yòng xiè.
It was only an umbrella. Please, don't mention it.
- Xiaoqing 许官人，你的脸怎么红了？是因为酒，还是因为我家小姐？
Xǔ guānrén, nǐ de liǎn zěnme hóng le? Shì yīnwèi jiǔ, háishi yīnwèi wǒ jiā xiǎojiě?
Mr. Xu, why has your face gone red? Is it the wine, or my mistress?
- Xu Xian 是……是酒！
Shì… shì jiǔ!
It's... it's the wine!
- Xiaoqing 对了，你结婚了吗？
Duì le, nǐ jiéhūn le ma?
Oh, and are you married?
- Xu Xian 没……没有，还没有！
Méi… méiyǒu, hái méiyǒu!
N-no! Not yet!
- Xiaoqing 太好了！我家小姐也没有，你们两个结婚吧！
Tài hǎo le! Wǒ jiā xiǎojiě yě méiyǒu, nǐmen liǎng gè jiéhūn ba!
Wonderful! Neither is my mistress. You two should get married!
- Bai Suzhen 小青，你怎么什么都说！
Xiǎoqīng, nǐ zěnme shénme dōu shuō!
Xiaoqing! The things you say!
- Xu Xian 娘子这么好……可是我在药店工作，没有钱，怎么结婚呢？
Niángzǐ zhème hǎo… kěshì wǒ zài yàodiàn gōngzuò, méiyǒu qián, zěnme jiéhūn ne?
You're so lovely... but I only work in a pharmacy. I have no money. How could I marry?
- Bai Suzhen 许官人，钱的事，你不用想。你是好人，我……我愿意。
Xǔ guānrén, qián de shì, nǐ bú yòng xiǎng. Nǐ shì hǎorén, wǒ… wǒ yuànyì.
Mr. Xu, don't think about the money. You're a good man, and I... I'm willing.
- Xiaoqing 给你两块银子，拿回家准备结婚吧！
Gěi nǐ liǎng kuài yínzi, ná huí jiā zhǔnbèi jiéhūn ba!
Here are two pieces of silver. Take them home and get ready for the wedding!
- Xu Xian 两块银子？你们……不是在骗我吧？
Liǎng kuài yínzi? Nǐmen… bú shì zài piàn wǒ ba?
Two pieces of silver? You're... not playing a trick on me, are you?
- Xiaoqing 我们骗你干什么？快拿着吧！
Wǒmen piàn nǐ gàn shénme? Kuài názhe ba!
Why would we trick you? Go on, take them!
- Xu Xian 好，我这就回家告诉姐姐！
Hǎo, wǒ zhè jiù huí jiā gàosu jiějie!
All right! I'll go home and tell my sister right now!
- Xu Xian 姐姐，姐夫，你们看，我要结婚了！
Jiějie, jiěfu, nǐmen kàn, wǒ yào jiéhūn le!
Sister! Brother-in-law! Look, I'm getting married!
- Jiaorong 弟弟，你昨天去上坟，今天就要结婚了？是哪家的小姐？
Dìdi, nǐ zuótiān qù shàngfén, jīntiān jiù yào jiéhūn le? Shì nǎ jiā de xiǎojiě?
Yesterday you went to tend the grave, and today you're getting married? Whose daughter is she?
- Xu Xian 她叫白素贞，她爸爸以前是个官。你们看，这是她们给的银子！
Tā jiào Bái Sùzhēn, tā bàba yǐqián shì gè guān. Nǐmen kàn, zhè shì tāmen gěi de yínzi!
Her name is Bai Suzhen, and her father was an official. Look, they gave me this silver!
- Jiaorong 太好了，我弟弟要结婚了！姐姐给你做新衣服！
Tài hǎo le, wǒ dìdi yào jiéhūn le! Jiějie gěi nǐ zuò xīn yīfu!
Wonderful! My little brother's getting married! I'll make you new clothes!
- Li Gongfu 等一下，两块银子？许仙，给我看看。
Děng yíxià, liǎng kuài yínzi? Xǔ Xiān, gěi wǒ kànkan.
Wait. Two pieces of silver? Xu Xian, let me see.
- Jiaorong 你天天抓坏人，看我弟弟的银子干什么？
Nǐ tiāntiān zhuā huàirén, kàn wǒ dìdi de yínzi gàn shénme?
You catch bad men every day. Why are you looking at my brother's silver?
- Li Gongfu 昨天晚上，官府少了很多银子。知县让我们快抓偷银子的人。
Zuótiān wǎnshang, guānfǔ shǎo le hěn duō yínzi. Zhīxiàn ràng wǒmen kuài zhuā tōu yínzi de rén.
Last night, a lot of silver went missing from the county office. The magistrate wants the thief caught, fast.
- Jiaorong 我弟弟不会偷的！
Wǒ dìdi bú huì tōu de!
My brother would never steal!
- Li Gongfu 银子上……有三个字。
Yínzi shàng… yǒu sān gè zì.
There's something on the silver... three characters.
- Li Gongfu 钱塘县！这是官府的银子！许仙，这是谁给你的？
Qiántáng Xiàn! Zhè shì guānfǔ de yínzi! Xǔ Xiān, zhè shì shéi gěi nǐ de?
Qiantang County! This is the county's own silver! Xu Xian, who gave you this?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Xu Xian go to the old garden?
“来拿他的伞”
- Why does Xu say he can't marry?
“没有钱，怎么结婚呢”
- What does Xiaoqing give Xu?
“给你两块银子”
- Why does Li Gongfu want to look at the silver?
“昨天晚上，官府少了很多银子”
- What is written on the silver?
“钱塘县！这是官府的银子！”