Listen to this article
38韦小宝睁开眼睛，才发觉天色已黑，墙壁上的钢烛台上点了蜡烛。海公公请茅十八坐下，问道:“阁下尊姓大名?哪门哪派的?来京城干什么?”问着问着，海公公的病又发作起来，弯腰一阵猛烈咳嗽。
When Trinket opened his eyes, he realized that the sky was dark and that candles were lit on the steel candlestick on the wall. Grandpa Hai asked Mao Shibah to sit down and asked, “Your name? Which sect? What are you doing in the capital?” He asked. Grandpa Hai’s illness flared up again and bent down for a violent cough.
39小桂子取出酒杯，打开药包给海公公调药，海公公喘息道:“好热，扶我去水缸里浸……”小桂子大惊，慌忙扶了海公公，踉踉跄跄走入内室。
39 Little Guizi took out the wine glass, opened the medicine bag and mixed the medicine for Grandpa Hai. Grandpa Hai gasped: “It’s hot, help me to soak in the water tank…” Little Guizi was shocked, and hurriedly helped Grandpa Hai, and staggered into the inner room.
40听到里屋有溅水的声音，韦小宝悄悄站起，蹑足走到桌边，从药包里挑了五指甲药粉，倾入酒中，再将药包折拢，重新打开，抹去药粉中指甲挑动过的痕迹。
Hearing the sound of splashing water in the back room, Wei Xiaobao stood up quietly, crept to the table, picked five nail powder from the medicine bag, poured it into the wine, folded the medicine bag, reopened it, and wiped out the traces of fingernail stirring in the medicine powder.
41不一会，小桂子扶着全身透湿、不住咳嗽的海公公从内房出来，小桂子拿起酒杯送到海公公嘴边，海公公一口就喝干了。
After a while, Xiao Guizi held Grandpa Hai, who was wet and coughing all over, out of the inner room. Xiao Guizi picked up a glass of wine and brought it to Grandpa Hai’s mouth. Grandpa Hai drank it dry in one gulp.
42突然间喀喇一声响，海公公连人带桌子向前倒去，小桂子急忙弯身去扶，韦小宝轻轻跃起，提起匕首，向小桂子背心猛戳下去，小桂子低哼一声，便即毙命。
42 Suddenly, there was a click, and Grandpa Hai and his men fell forward with the table. Little Guizi quickly bent over to help him. Wei Xiaobao gently jumped up, lifted the dagger, and thrust it at Little Guizi’s vest. Little Guizi snorted and died.
43韦小宝刚想朝倒在地上的海公公再戳一匕首，海公公突然转过脸来大喊:“我瞧不见了，小桂子，快点蜡烛!”屋内明明点着蜡烛，看来海公公的眼睛已瞎，茅十八趁机拖着被封住穴道的两腿爬了出去。
Wei Xiaobao just wanted to poke another dagger at Grandpa Hai, who fell on the ground. Grandpa Hai suddenly turned around and shouted, “I can’t see, little cassia, hurry up the candle!” There was a candle burning in the room. It seemed that Grandpa Hai’s eyes were blind, and Mao Shiba took the opportunity to crawl out with his legs closed.
44屋里只剩下海公公、韦小宝和死去的小桂子，海公公一边呻吟一边叫着小桂子，韦小宝只得将错就错，假装答应。海公公问:“姓茅的逃了?那个小孩呢?”韦小宝心中怦怦乱跳:“我……我杀了他!”
There are only Grandpa Hai, Wei Xiaobao and the dead little Guizi left in the room. Grandpa Hai moans and cries out for little Guizi. Wei Xiaobao has to make a mistake and pretend to agree. Grandpa Hai asked, “Did Mao escape? Where is the child?” Wei Xiaobao’s heart thumped: “I… I killed him!”
45海公公吩咐韦小宝从内屋药箱中取出一个三角形的小瓷瓶，倒出些化尸粉在小桂子的尸体之上。顷刻之间，小桂子的尸体就变成了一滩黄水。韦小宝一不做二不休，换上小桂子的衣服，堂而皇之地做起了小桂子。
45 Grandpa Hai told Wei Xiaobao to take out a triangular small porcelain bottle from the medicine box in the inner room and pour some body powder onto the body of Xiao Guizi. In an instant, Xiao Guizi’s body turned into a pool of yellow water. Wei Xiaobao changed into little Guizi’s clothes and became a little Guizi in a dignified manner.
46第二天，韦小宝正在思谋着怎样逃走，海公公摸出六粒灌了水银的骰子和五十两银子，要他去赌钱。韦小宝正发愁不知该往何处去，忽听得门外有人叫道:“小桂子!小桂子!”
46 The next day, Wei Xiaobao was thinking about how to escape. Grandpa Hai took out six dice filled with mercury and fifty taels of silver and asked him to gamble. Wei Xiaobao was worried about where to go when he heard someone outside the door shouting, “Little Guizi! Little Guizi!”
47韦小宝用白布缠了头脸，只露出眼睛和嘴巴，跟门外的汉子并肩而行。一路上都是庭院，飞檐绘彩，栋梁雕花，心想这家财主真是有钱，比扬州丽春院不知强出多少倍。他做梦也想不到自己已身在皇宫禁院。
Wei Xiaobao wrapped his head and face with white cloth, only showing his eyes and mouth, and walked side by side with the man outside the door. There are courtyards all the way, with cornices painted and beams carved. I think this rich man is really rich, which is many times better than Yangzhou Lichun Courtyard. He never dreamed that he was in the imperial palace.
