red fairy book

Chapter 39 The Possessed Canary (2)

8.

The princess felt novelty when she saw everything.They passed mountains, villages, towns, and she asked a thousand questions.Yu was happy to answer her questions.What a joy it is to teach someone you love!
Once she asked him what girls looked like in his country.

"Pink white," he replied, "and blue eyes."

"Do you like blue eyes?" asked the princess.

Yu thought it was a good opportunity to discover her heart, so he didn't answer her.

"Undoubtedly," continued the Princess, "is there a girl to whom you have been engaged?"

He still didn't answer, Zhizhi stopped proudly.

"No," he said at last, "the girls there aren't pretty in my eyes. That's why I'm here looking for a bride. Am I wrong? My lovely Squeak?"

This time, Zhizhi stopped talking.

9.

So talking, they were getting closer and closer to the castle.In the woods at the foot of the hill not far from the gate, they dismounted.

"My dear Squeak," said Bucket's son, "we can't just show up to my father like two ordinary people on a journey. We have to go in with dignity.

Wait here, I'll pick you up in about an hour, like a princess. "

"Not too long," Squeaky replied.She watched him leave with hopeful eyes.

She was alone, and she was getting scared.It was the first time in her life that she was alone in the woods.

Suddenly, she heard voices among the trees.Fearing it was a wolf, she hid in a hole in a willow tree by the water.The tree hid her well enough, but she peeped out, her pretty face thrown into the clear water.

no wolves.

An evil, ugly creature.

Let us see what this creature is.

10.

Not far from the spring lived a family of bricklayers.Going back 15 years, the father of the family found a little girl in the forest, who was abandoned by the gypsies.He took the child home and gave it to his wife.The good woman took pity on the child and brought her up with her sons.The girl grew up and became very thick, with a low forehead, flat nose, thick lips, and rough hair. Unlike Zhi Zhi's light yellow skin, she had khaki skin.

Because people kept teasing her about the color of her skin, she became loud and surly, like a chickadee, and they called her crow.The bricklayer often called Titu to fetch water from the spring, because Titu was a proud and lazy man, not like a gypsy at all.

It was this Titti who frightened Zhizhi.She carried the pitcher on her shoulder, and when she stopped to fetch water, she saw that lovely reflection in the water.

"How beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Wow, it must be me! How dare they call me ugly? I must be beautiful, and I shouldn't be doing a job like carrying water!"

Saying so, she smashed the pitcher and went home.

"Where's the pitcher?" asked the bricklayer.

"Well, what else do you want? How many times does it take the jug to get to the well?"

"It's broken. Here, here's the bucket. It won't break."

The gypsy girl went back to the spring, saw Squeaky's face again, and said, "I don't want to be a load animal any more!" She threw the bucket, and it hung on the tree.

"I've met a wolf," she said to the bricklayer, "and I smashed the bucket on its nose."

The bricklayer didn't ask her any more questions, but took a broom and beat her up, which made her a little less proud.

Then he handed her an old milk jug and said, "Your bones will suffer if you don't fill it up."

11.

Titti went away with pain all over her body, but this time she didn't dare to be disobedient, and she stopped by the well angrily.

But the big round pot was not easy to fill, because it couldn't fit into the well at all, and the gypsy tried again and again.

In the end, her arms were sore, and she managed to push the jar in, but she couldn't lift it up again, and the jar fell to the bottom of the well.

Seeing that the jar was gone, she looked very miserable.Zhizhi had been watching from the side, but now he laughed out loud.

Titti turned around and immediately realized that she was wrong just now.Desperate, she decided to take revenge.

"What are you doing here? Lovely girl." she asked Squeaky.

"I'm waiting for my lover," Squeak replied.She frankly told her story to the gypsies.

The gypsies often saw young masters passing behind the cattle with a gun slung over their shoulders.She was ugly and ragged, and he didn't even look at her.But Titti likes him very much, even though she thinks he would be a little fatter.

"My God, my God!" she said to herself, "so he likes women with yellow skin! Wow, I am also yellow, if only I could find a way."

She immediately thought of a way.

"What!" said the cunning Tittle, "They are so ostentatious, they came to pick you up, and you just disheveled your hair in front of so many gentlemen and ladies? Come down, dear child, let me comb your hair for you."

Simple Zhizhi immediately came down and stood beside Titi.The gypsy began to comb her long brown hair, and then, suddenly, he took a needle out of his corset, and just as a tit would put its beak into a lark's head, Tweet stuck the needle into Squeaky's head.

After a while, Zhizhi felt the sting, and she turned into a bird, and immediately spread her wings and flew away.

"It's so clean," said the gypsy, "how clever he is if he can find her bride."

She tidied up her clothes, sat on the grass and waited for her arrival.

12.

Now, running as fast as his horse, and impatient to see his bride, he ran fifty yards ahead of his father.

He was too startled to speak when he saw the ugly gypsy.

"Ah, it's me!" said Teeti, "you don't know your poor Chichi. The witch came while you were away and made me like this. But if you have the courage to marry me, I will become Be as beautiful as ever."

She wept sadly.

A kind-hearted man with a soft heart.He thought: Poor girl.It's not her fault, it's my fault.Why should I leave her behind?And, I can break the spell, I love her so much, I can't let her go on like this.

So he took the gypsy to the maids, and explained that some misfortune had happened to the beautiful bride.

They pretended to believe it, and dressed the fake bride in luxurious clothes.Then, let her ride the pony, and set off for the castle.

It's a pity that the beautiful clothes and luxurious jewelry can only make Titi uglier. When I want to go in with her, I feel uncomfortable.

The bell struck, and people crowded in the street, standing at the door, watching the procession go by, and could hardly believe their eyes when they found such a bride to be chosen.

To add to her honor, Barrel came down the marble steps to meet her in person.Seeing her, he almost fell over.

"What!" he exclaimed, "is this the great beauty?"

"Yes, Father. That's her!" Yu said in shame. "She was cursed by a witch, and her beauty ceased to exist until she married me."

"Did she say that? Well, if you believed it, you could eat water like bacon," replied the unhappy Bucket roughly.

But he doted on his son, and he gave the gypsy his hand and led her into the hall where the wedding feast was to take place.

13.

The banquet was rich, but Yu ate nothing.

The guests ate happily, and as for the barrel, nothing could dampen his appetite.

The roast goose was about to be served, and the bucket took this opportunity to put down the knife, but he couldn't wait, so he sent the meat cutter to see what was going on in the kitchen.

Let's see what's going on too.

While the goose was on the oven, a beautiful little canary landed on the windowsill.

"Good morning, dear cook," she said in a silvery voice to the man looking at the roast goose.

"Good morning, pretty golden bird," replied the cultured kitchen supervisor.

"I pray to heaven to put you to sleep and burn the goose so that Titi can't eat a morsel."

Immediately, the kitchen supervisor fell asleep and the goose was roasted to cinders.

He awoke terrified, and ordered another goose to be plucked, stuffed with chestnuts, and set on the oven.

The barrel had already been primed twice when the colorant was applied to the fire.The supervisor ran to the hall to explain himself, and asked him to wait a little longer, and the barrel showed his patience by scolding his son.

"Isn't that enough?" he said through gritted teeth. "The boy should go to a witch, but the goose has to come up to me at once. For he's brought me back such an edible wife that he's starved me to death!"

14.

When the supervisor went upstairs, the golden bird came again and called the manservant who was watching the stove in a clear voice: "Good morning, dear manservant."

"Good morning, sweet little golden bird," replied the manservant.The supervisor hadn't warned him about it beforehand.

"I pray to heaven to put you to sleep and burn the goose so that Titi can't eat a morsel."

The servant immediately fell asleep, and when the supervisor returned, he found the geese as black as the chimney.

He lost his temper and woke up the manservant, who was so frightened that he hastened to explain the matter to him.

"This hideous bird," said the cook, "is determined to drive me away! Come and hide, and if it comes again, catch it and break its neck."

He roasted a third goose, lit a fire, and sat down by himself.

The bird came again and said, "Good morning, dear cook."

"Good morning, sweet little golden bird," replied the cook, pretending nothing had happened.Canary spoke again: "I pray to God..."

A servant hiding outside rushed up and closed the window.The bird flew into the kitchen, and all the cooks and servants chased after it, whipping it with their aprons.Finally, the moment the bucket came in the door, the bird was caught.

Bucket, waving his wand, ran to see why the goose just wouldn't come up.

The hand of the male servant who wanted to twist the bird's neck stopped immediately.

15.

"Would any of you be kind and tell me what's going on?" Bucket yelled.

"Your Excellency, it is because of this bird." said the male servant holding the bird.

"Nonsense! What a beautiful bird!" Bucket reached out to touch the bird's head, found a needle in its feather, and pulled it out.look!The little bird immediately turned into a beautiful yellow-skinned little girl and fell to the ground.

"Oh, what a pretty girl!" said Bucket.

"Father, this is her! Squeak!" Yu cried out as soon as he entered the door.

He took her in his arms and said, "My dear Squeaky, I am so glad to see you."

"What about the other?" Bucket asked.

Another sneaks up to the door.

"Stop her!" said Bucket. "We'll try the case at once."

Then, seated solemnly on the oven, with two rows of cooks and footmen standing behind him, he pronounced Toutu guilty and sentenced to be burned at the stake.

Yu and Zhizhi are engaged.

16.

The wedding took place a few days later.All the boys in the country stood by the roadside with wooden daggers and gilt paper epaulets.

Titi was forgiven by Zhizhi and sent back to the bricklayer. The boys followed her and laughed at her. That's why the boys in the country always like to stone the tits.

On the night of the wedding, when all households, rich and poor, had their pantry, cellar, pantry, and table full of bread, wine, cakes, pies, roast larks, and roast goose, Barrel could not complain about his son. Married to a starving ghost.

From then on, people here have plenty of food and clothing; from then on, in Flanders, if you see black-eyed and yellow-skinned girls among blonde girls, you will know that they are descendants of Zhizhi.

(End of this chapter)