Ying Ning’s translation

Translation of "Ying Ning":

Wang Zifu, a native of Luodian, Ju County. My father died young. He was very smart. He was admitted as a scholar at the age of fourteen and entered Pan Palace to study. His mother loves him the most and usually doesn't let him play in the countryside. He engaged Mrs. Xiao as his wife, but she died before she got married, so the prince's courtship failed. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Wu Sheng, the son of his uncle, invited Prince Fu to play with him.

Just after arriving outside the village, a servant from his uncle's house came and called Wu Sheng away. Wang Sheng saw that there were so many wandering girls like clouds in the sky, so he took advantage of his interest and traveled around alone. There was a girl with a maid, holding a plum blossom in her hand. She had a beautiful appearance and a charming smile. Wang Sheng looked at the girl intently, forgetting his scruples.

The girl walked a few steps over, looked at the maid and said with a smile: "This young man's eyes are as bright as a thief!" She threw the flowers on the ground and left laughing. Wang Sheng looked melancholy when he picked up the flowers, as if his soul had been lost, so he went home sadly. When I got home, I hid the flowers under my pillow and fell asleep without talking or eating.

My mother was worried about him and asked monks and Taoist priests to cast spells to ward off disasters and evil spirits, but his condition only worsened. The body quickly lost weight. The doctor came to see him and asked him to take medicine to dispel the evil fire in his body. Wang Sheng was even more confused, as if he had been caught by something. His mother asked Wang Sheng carefully about the reason for his illness, but he silently did not answer. When Wu Sheng arrived, the Queen Mother asked him to question Wang Sheng carefully.

Wu Sheng came to Wang Sheng's bed, and Wang Sheng shed tears when he saw him. Wu Sheng approached the bed to persuade and comfort Wang Sheng, and gradually began to ask more questions. Wang Sheng told the whole truth and asked Wu Sheng to help him plan. Wu Sheng smiled and said: "You are too crazy. What is so difficult about this wish? I will visit her on your behalf. Walking in the countryside must not be from a noble family.

If she has not been betrothed to someone else. , the matter will definitely succeed; otherwise, if you spend a lot of money, you will probably agree to it. As long as you recover, the success will be on my side." Wang Sheng couldn't help but smile. Wu Sheng went out to tell the Queen Mother to look for the place where the woman lived, but the search was exhausted and there was no trace at all. The Queen Mother was very worried and couldn't come up with any ideas.

But since Wu Sheng left, Wang Sheng's sad face suddenly cleared up, and his eating habits also improved slightly. A few days later, Wu Sheng came again. Wang Sheng asked how the plan was going. Wu Sheng deceived Wang Sheng and said, "We have found it. Who I thought it was turned out to be my aunt's daughter, your cousin, and she is still waiting for someone to hire her. Although she is at home. There are some obstacles in the marriage between relatives, but if you tell them the truth, it will definitely succeed." Wang Sheng looked happy and asked Wu Sheng, "Where do you live?" Wu Sheng coaxed: "Live in the southwest mountains, about thirty miles away from here." Wang Sheng asked Wu Sheng again and again, and Wu Sheng volunteered to take the responsibility. ?

Wang Sheng’s diet gradually increased from then on, and his body recovered day by day. Look under the pillow. Although the flowers are dry, they have not withered yet. I hold them carefully in my hand and enjoy them, as if I have seen that person. He was surprised that Wu Sheng could not come, so he wrote a letter asking Wu Sheng to come. Wu Sheng hesitated and refused to go to the call. Wang Sheng was angry with anger, depressed and unhappy.

The Queen Mother was worried that he would fall ill again, and she was anxious to choose a woman for him to be his wife. Even after a little discussion with him, he always shook his head and refused. I just look forward to Wu Sheng every day. Wu Sheng finally had no news, and Wang Sheng resented him even more. Then I thought, thirty miles away is not far away, why do we have to rely on others? So he put the plum blossoms in his sleeve and went to look for them in the southwest mountains in anger, but his family didn't know about them.

Wang Sheng walked alone, with no one to ask for directions, and just walked towards Nanshan. After walking for about thirty miles, the mountains overlap and gather together. They are full of green trees and the air is fresh. It feels very refreshing. It is quiet all around. There is not a single pedestrian, only the steep and narrow mountain roads. You can see the bottom of the valley from a distance, and there are small villages faintly among the flowers and trees.

Walking down the mountain into the woods, I saw not many houses, all of them huts, and the environment was very elegant. The house facing the north has willow trees planted in front of the door. Inside the courtyard wall, peach and apricot blossoms are still blooming luxuriantly, mixed with a few beautiful bamboos, and wild birds are chirping among them. I guessed it was someone else's house, so I didn't dare to go in rashly. Looking back, I saw a smooth and smooth stone facing the door, so I sat on the stone and took a rest.

Soon I heard a girl inside the wall calling "Xiao Rong" in a delicate voice.

While I was listening quietly, there was a woman walking from east to west, holding an apricot flower in her hand. She lowered her head and wanted to tie the flower in her hair. She looked up and saw Wang Sheng, so she stopped tying the flower and walked in with a smile on her face. . Wang Sheng took a closer look and found that this woman was the one he met on the way during the Lantern Festival.

I was very happy, but I thought I couldn't find a relationship to get in. I wanted to call her aunt, but I had never been in contact with her and was afraid of corruption. There was no one inside the door to ask, so I was restless, wandering back and forth from morning until the sun turned west, looking around, almost looking through, forgetting even my hunger and thirst. From time to time he would see a woman peeking at him with half of her face revealed, as if she was surprised that he hadn't left for a long time.

Suddenly an old woman came out holding a cane, looked at Wang Sheng and said: "Where are you young people from? I heard that you have been here since morning, until now, what do you want to do? No Are you hungry?" Wang Sheng hurriedly stood up, bowed and replied, "I will wait for my relatives here." The old woman was deaf and did not hear. Wang Sheng said loudly again.

The old woman then asked: "What are your relatives' surnames?" Wang Sheng could not answer. The old woman smiled and said: "It's strange! How can you visit relatives when you don't know their names? I think you, a young man, are just a bookworm. Why don't you come with me and eat some coarse rice? There is a short couch at home where you can sleep. , It’s not too late to go back tomorrow morning, ask her name, and come visit again.”

Wang Sheng was hungry and wanted to eat, and he was very happy because he was getting closer to the beautiful woman from then on. Follow the old woman in and see the white stone road inside the door. There are red flowers blooming on the trees on both sides of the road, falling one by one on the steps. Follow the road twists and turns to the west, and open another door. Bean sheds and flower trellises fill the courtyard.

The old woman respectfully invited the guests to enter the house. The walls were white and as bright as a mirror; the crabapple tree outside the window stretched its branches with flowers into the house; there were cushions to sit on, coffee tables to sit on, and everything was there. Very clean and bright. As soon as I sat down, someone peeked out of the window. The old woman shouted: "Xiao Rong, hurry up and eat." A maid outside shouted in agreement. When sitting across from each other, introduce the family lineage in detail.

The old woman asked: "Is your grandfather's surname Wu?" Wang Sheng said: "Yes." The old woman said in surprise: "You are my nephew! Your mother is My sister. In recent years, because our family is poor and we have no boys, we have been cut off from each other. My nephew has grown up and I still don’t know her.” Wang Sheng said, “I came here just to find my aunt. I forgot in my hurry. The old woman said: "My surname is Qin. I have no children. I only have a little daughter, who was also born by a concubine. Her mother remarried and stayed with me to raise her. She is not a human being." She is dull; she just has too little education, loves to play, and doesn't know how to be sad. After a while, she will come to see you and get to know you. "Not long after, the maid prepared rice, and the chickens and ducks were fat and big.

The old woman kept urging Wang Sheng to eat more. After finishing the meal, the maid came to clear away the tableware. The old woman said, "Call Ning Gu." The maid agreed and left. Not long after, I heard faint laughter outside the door. The old woman called again: "Ying Ning! Your aunt and cousin are here." There was endless laughter outside the door. The maid pushed Yingning through the door, but Yingning still covered her mouth and couldn't stop laughing.

The old woman stared and said, "There are guests here, laughing and joking, what a scene!" Yingning held back her laughter and stood while Wang Sheng bowed to Yingning. The old woman said: "This is Wang Sheng, your aunt's son. It's really funny that the family doesn't know each other." Wang Sheng asked: "How old is the girl?" The old woman didn't hear clearly, and Wang Sheng said again Read it again.

Yingning laughed again, leaning down with laughter and unable to raise her head. The old woman said to Wang Sheng: "I said there is too little education, and this shows. I am already sixteen years old, and I am as stupid as a baby." Wang Sheng said: "You are one year younger than me." The old woman said "My nephew is already seventeen years old. Could it be that he was born in the year of Geng and belongs to the Horse?" Wang Sheng nodded and said yes.

Ask again: "Who is my nephew Xifu?" Wang Sheng replied: "Not yet." The old woman said: "How come a nephew with such talent and beauty has not found a wife at the age of seventeen? Where is your wife? Ying Ning doesn’t have a husband yet, and you two are a perfect match, but it’s a pity that there is a barrier because of the in-laws.” Wang Sheng remained silent, staring at Ying Ning without moving, having no time to look anywhere else. .

The maid whispered to Yingning: "My eyes are burning, and the thief's appearance has not changed." Yingning laughed again, turned back to the maid and said: "Go and see if the peach blossoms are blooming?" Stand quickly. Get up, cover your mouth with your sleeves, and walk out of the door with quick steps. When he got outside the door, he laughed loudly.

The old woman also got up, asked the maid to lay out the bedding, and arranged a place for Wang Sheng to live. She said, "It's not easy for my nephew to come here. I should stay for three to five days and then send you back slowly. If you don't like it, It's quiet, but there is a small garden behind the house for you to relax, and there are also books for long reading."?

Extended information:

"Ying Ning" is a "Liao Zhai" written by Pu Songling. There are 491 short stories in the whole book (Zhang Youhe's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio") (Zhang Youhe's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio") (Zhu Qikai's "New Notes from a Strange Studio" contains 494 short stories). They either expose the darkness of feudal rule, criticize the corruption of the imperial examination system, or resist the shackles of feudal ethics. They have rich and profound ideological content.

The book "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" exposed the darkness of society at that time. Political corruption, official abuse, tyranny and devastation are all reflected in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", which reveals that the main reason for people's miserable lives comes from corrupt officials.

While "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" exposes the corruption and cruelty of the ruling class, it also writes about the resistance struggles of the oppressed people and expresses deep sympathy for them.

Another important content of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" is the exposure of various drawbacks of the imperial examination. Pu Songling is extremely talented but has lost his reputation. He is very familiar with the darkness of the examination room, the ignorance of the examiners, and the psychology of the scholars, so his writing can hit the point and penetrate the back of the paper.