【英音朗读】中国故事绘选段

About one thousand years ago, in a village in Fujian Province in Southeast China, it often happened that children who went to collect firewood in the mountain never came back. Although the people didn't know it at the time, it was a big snake that caused the harm.

A witch in the village saw an opportunity and spread a rumor that the big snake was actually a demon that threatened to eat up all the children in the village and could only be pacified if he was given a twelve-or thirteen-year old girl every year as his wife.

The village head believed in the witch and ordered the villagers to send a young girl to the snake demon every August.

Rich families still had the option to bribe the village head and buy young girls from poor families in exchange for their own, while the poor had no choice but to watch their own die.

The witch and the village head had a secret deal. On the "wedding day" of the demon, the witch would be the master of ceremonies. She would make all kinds of scary gestures and defraud the villagers of their money. When the ceremony was over, she would split the money with the village head and leave the girl at the snake pit to be eaten.

Over the years nine girls had already lost their lives because of this. The villagers were so scared that they couldn't put their heart into their farm work. Some of them couldn't bear it and moved out of the village. Only the witch and the village head made their fortune.

BGM:清平乐（纯筝）-刘梅