Ye Xian, the Chinese Cinderella · chapter 3 of 5
The Fish Bones
鱼骨头
Crying by the empty pond at dusk, Ye Xian meets a white-haired old man who says her fish was no ordinary fish, and that she must keep its bones.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 天快黑了。池塘边的草地上，叶限一个人坐着哭。
Tiān kuài hēi le. Chítáng biān de cǎodì shang, Yè Xiàn yí gè rén zuòzhe kū.
Night was falling. In the grass beside the pond, Ye Xian sat alone, crying.
- Ye Xian 我明白了。后妈给我新衣服，是想穿我的旧衣服，让小鱼以为那是我。
Wǒ míngbai le. Hòumā gěi wǒ xīn yīfu, shì xiǎng chuān wǒ de jiù yīfu, ràng xiǎo yú yǐwéi nà shì wǒ.
Now I understand. She gave me a new coat so she could wear my old one and make my little fish think she was me.
- Ye Xian 小鱼，对不起。以后，我还能跟谁说话呢？
Xiǎo yú, duìbuqǐ. Yǐhòu, wǒ hái néng gēn shéi shuōhuà ne?
I'm so sorry, little fish. Who will I ever talk to now?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Ye Xian, the Chinese Cinderella 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.
- The old man 孩子，别哭了。
Háizi, bié kū le.
Don't cry, child.
- Ye Xian 谁在那儿说话？您是谁？
Shéi zài nàr shuōhuà? Nín shì shéi?
Who's there? Who are you?
- Narrator 一个白头发的老人，从山上慢慢地走了下来。
Yí gè bái tóufa de lǎorén, cóng shān shang mànmàn de zǒu le xiàlái.
A white-haired old man came slowly down the hillside.
- The old man 我在这山里住了很多年了。孩子，你为什么哭得这么难过？
Wǒ zài zhè shān lǐ zhù le hěn duō nián le. Háizi, nǐ wèishénme kū de zhème nánguò?
I've lived in these hills for many years. Child, why are you crying so hard?
- Ye Xian 我的鱼没有了。后妈把它吃了，只有这些骨头了。
Wǒ de yú méiyǒu le. Hòumā bǎ tā chī le, zhǐ yǒu zhèxiē gǔtou le.
My fish is gone. My stepmother ate it, and these bones are all that's left.
- The old man 你看，草地上的骨头在发光呢。
Nǐ kàn, cǎodì shang de gǔtou zài fāguāng ne.
Look. The bones in the grass are glowing.
- Ye Xian 真的，好亮啊！还暖暖的……小鱼，是你吗？
Zhēn de, hǎo liàng a! Hái nuǎnnuǎn de… Xiǎo yú, shì nǐ ma?
They really are, they're so bright! And warm, too… Little fish, is that you?
- The old man 你的鱼不是一般的鱼。它的骨头，你要好好留着。
Nǐ de yú bú shì yìbān de yú. Tā de gǔtou, nǐ yào hǎohǎo liúzhe.
Your fish was no ordinary fish. You must take good care of its bones.
- The old man 把它们带回家，放在你的房间里。你想要什么，就跟它们说。
Bǎ tāmen dài huí jiā, fàng zài nǐ de fángjiān lǐ. Nǐ xiǎng yào shénme, jiù gēn tāmen shuō.
Take them home and keep them in your room. Whatever you need, just ask them.
- Ye Xian 跟骨头说话？它们能听见我说的话吗？
Gēn gǔtou shuōhuà? Tāmen néng tīngjiàn wǒ shuō de huà ma?
Talk to bones? Can they hear what I say?
- The old man 你以前每天跟它说话。现在，它还在听。
Nǐ yǐqián měi tiān gēn tā shuōhuà. Xiànzài, tā hái zài tīng.
You used to talk to it every day. It's still listening.
- Narrator 叶限看了看手里的骨头。再看那边，一个人也没有了。
Yè Xiàn kàn le kàn shǒu lǐ de gǔtou. Zài kàn nàbian, yí gè rén yě méiyǒu le.
Ye Xian looked down at the bones in her hands. When she looked up again, there was no one there.
- Ye Xian 老爷爷，老爷爷！您去哪儿了？
Lǎo yéye, lǎo yéye! Nín qù nǎr le?
Sir? Sir! Where did you go?
- Ye Xian 小鱼，我好饿。我今天一口饭也没吃。
Xiǎo yú, wǒ hǎo è. Wǒ jīntiān yì kǒu fàn yě méi chī.
Little fish, I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten a bite all day.
- Ye Xian 啊，是热热的米饭！还有肉，还有菜！
Ā, shì rèrè de mǐfàn! Hái yǒu ròu, hái yǒu cài!
Oh! Hot rice! And meat, and vegetables!
- Ye Xian 小鱼，你真的什么都能给我吗？
Xiǎo yú, nǐ zhēn de shénme dōu néng gěi wǒ ma?
Little fish, can you really give me anything?
- Narrator 骨头又亮了。草地上出现了很多金子，还有漂亮的新衣服。
Gǔtou yòu liàng le. Cǎodì shang chūxiàn le hěn duō jīnzi, hái yǒu piàoliang de xīn yīfu.
The bones glowed again. Gold appeared in the grass, heaps of it, and beautiful new clothes.
- Ye Xian 这么多东西……可是我最想要的，是你回来。
Zhème duō dōngxi… kěshì wǒ zuì xiǎng yào de, shì nǐ huílái.
So many things… but what I want most is for you to come back.
- Ye Xian 洞节快到了。后妈说我不能去。可是现在，我有你了。
Dòngjié kuài dào le. Hòumā shuō wǒ bù néng qù. Kěshì xiànzài, wǒ yǒu nǐ le.
The Cave Festival is almost here. My stepmother says I can't go. But now… I have you.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Ye Xian work out about the new coat?
“后妈给我新衣服，是想穿我的旧衣服，让小鱼以为那是我。”
- What does the old man point out?
“草地上的骨头在发光呢。”
- What does the old man tell Ye Xian to do with the bones?
“放在你的房间里。你想要什么，就跟它们说。”
- What does Ye Xian tell the bones first?
“小鱼，我好饿。”
- What does Ye Xian want most of all?
“可是我最想要的，是你回来。”