Yeh-Shen (Chinese Cinderella)

Scene 1 Setting:

A village in China, long, long ago

Narrator 1:

Once upon a time, there was a girl...

Narrator 2:

With skin smooth as silk...

Narrator 3:

And eyes dark as night...

Narrator 1:

With stars that sparkled in them

Narrator 2:

Everywhere she looked.

Narrator 3:

Her name was Yeh-Shen.

Stepmother (screaming):

Yeh-Shen!

Narrator 1:

And she had a stepmother.

Narrator 2:

A mean stepmother.

Narrator 3:

A​ very​ mean stepmother.

Stepmother:

Yeh-Shen! Where is our dinner?

Yeh-Shen:

Coming, Stepmother!

Stepmother:

Well, hurry up, Yeh-Shen! You are so slow!

Joon:

Dinner better be good. Or else!

Narrator 1:

Joon was Yeh-Shen’s stepsister...

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Narrator 2:

Her mean stepsister...

Narrator 3:

Her ​very​ mean stepsister.

Joon:

Hurry up with that food, Yeh-Shen. We’re growing old here!

Yeh-Shen:

Here it is! Here is some rice and tofu for you, Stepmother. And some rice and tofu for you, Joon.

Stepmother:

What’s that extra food left over in the bowl?

Yeh-Shen:

It’s for me.

Joon:

For you?

Stepmother:

Who do you think you are, Yeh-Shen?

Joon:

Yeah, who do you think you are, Yeh-Shen?

Yeh-Shen:

But it’s just a few mouthfuls. I’ve given almost everything to you two.

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Joon:

Just a few mouthfuls? Just a few mouthfuls that should go into ​my​ mouth!

Stepmother:

And ​my​ mouth, too. Give it here.

Joon:

I can’t believe Yeh-Shen thinks she should eat ​our​ food.

Stepmother:

There is no end to Yeh-Shen’s greed.

Joon:

Do we have to remind you that you are not our ​real relative?

Yeh-Shen:

No. You remind me of that each and every day.

Stepmother:

Don’t be cheeky, Yeh-Shen!

Joon:

Yeah, don’t be cheeky, Yeh-Shen!

Stepmother:

We could throw you out onto the street if we wanted to.

Joon:

Maybe we should.

Stepmother:

One day, we will. For now, she has her uses. She cleans for us,

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Joon:

cooks for us,

Stepmother:

farms for us,

Joon:

sews for us,

Stepmother:

serves us,

Joon:

dresses us,

Stepmother:

brushes our hair and does whatever else we need.

For now, she can stay here. But be careful, Yeh-Shen. I have my eye on you.

Yeh-Shen:

Stepmother, may I eat something? Even something very small? I’m so hungry.

Stepmother:

Here. We’ve left you two mouthfuls of food.

Joon:

That’s more than enough for a growing girl like you. (laughs cruelly)

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Scene 2:

Yeh-Shen’s Only Friend

Setting:

A pond near Yeh-Shen’s home

Narrator 1:

As you can see, Yeh-Shen had it tough. But hard as she had it, she always managed to be kind.

Narrator 2:

Especially to her best friend...

Narrator 3:

her ​only​ friend.

Barclay:

her dearest friend.

Narrator 1:

You see, at the end of the stepmother’s garden, there was a pond.

Narrator 2:

And in this pond, there was a fish...

Narrator 3:

A ​big​ fish,

Narrator 1:

that Yeh-Shen called

Barclay:

Barclay.

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Narrator 1:

And each evening, Yeh-Shen would put on her old, shabby black jacket

Narrator 2:

and walked in the evening light to the edge of the pond

Narrator 3:

and shared what little food she had with Barclay.

Barclay:

I love you, Yeh-Shen.

Yeh-Shen:

I love you, Barclay.

Narrator 1:

And because of Yeh-Shen’s food,

Narrator 2:

And because of her love,

Narrator 3:

Barclay, the fish, grew

Narrator 1:

and grew

Narrator 2:

and grew until he was enormous in size.

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Scene 3:

A Devious Plan

Setting:

Inside the little house

Narrator 3:

Meanwhile, the Stepmother focused all her anger and hatred on poor Yeh-Shen.

Stepmother:

I notice something about this girl.

Joon:

What’s that, Ma?

Stepmother:

I treat her terribly, right?

Joon:

Yes. You’re really mean to her all the time.

Stepmother:

And you treat her terribly, too.

Joon:

I know. I treat her badly---just like you taught me to!

Stepmother:

Every minute of the day, I am thinEmperor what I can do to make Yeh-Shen miserable.

Joon:

And you’re really good at it!

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Stepmother:

Thank you. So why is it that each evening after she comes in from eating her dinner by the pond, she looks so happy?

Joon:

It can’t be because of the food. She barely gets two mouthfuls!

Stepmother:

Right! She must be starving! She should be crying from hunger.

Joon:

So why is she smiling?

Stepmother:

I am going to investigate.

Joon:

You mean you’re going to spy on Yeh-Shen.

Stepmother:

You get me. You really get me.

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Scene 4:

The Stepmother Snoops

Setting:

By the pond at night

Narrator 1:

The very next evening, while Yeh-Shen was busy preparing dinner, the cruel stepmother went down to the pond.

Narrator 2:

She snooped around.

Fish:

But I wisely hid deep underwater. I recognized that cruel woman even in the moonlight.

Narrator 3:

The cruel stepmother returned home, none the wiser.

Joon:

Face it, Ma. You failed.

Stepmother:

Drats!

Joon:

I guess Yeh-Shen will continue to be happy every evening.

Stepmother:

Not if I can help it. I will never give up until Yeh-Shen is miserable every minute of the day.

Joon:

Yo go, girl!

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Scene 5:

A Moonless Night

Setting:

By the pond at night

Narrator 3:

So the next evening, while Yeh-Shen was cooEmperor dinner, the stepmother took Yeh-Shen’s shabby black jacket and put it on.

Stepmother:

Now I will trick whoever Yeh-Shen is meeting. They will see me in this black jacket and think that I am Yeh-Shen.

Joon:

Good plan, Ma. You’re a mastermind!

Narrator 1:

The cruel stepmother walked out into the evening air.

Narrator 2:

It was a moonless night.

Narrator 3:

Dense clouds made it difficult for the stars to shine on Earth.

Narrator 1:

And all that Barclay, the fish, could see

Narrator 2:

was the outline of Yeh-Shen’s shabby old jacket .

Narrator 3:

Barclay swam to the surface to greet his best friend.

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Barclay:

Yeh-Shen! It’s so good to see you!

Stepmother:

And it’s so good to see ​you,​ giant fish! For now, I can kill you!

Narrator 1:

And that’s just what the cruel stepmother did. She speared poor Barclay several times.

Barclay:

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

Stepmother:

They don’t call me cruel for nothing!

Narrator 2:

And then she dragged the giant fish home.

Stepmother:

Yeh-Shen! Yeh-Shen! Stop whatever you are maEmperor for dinner. I have something much better for you to cook!

Yeh-Shen:

What is it, stepmother? What shall I cook?

Narrator 3:

Then, with a giant push, the stepmother threw Barclay on the kitchen table.

Stepmother:

This! You’ll cook this for our dinner!

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Yeh-Shen:

Barclay! Barclay!

Stepmother:

He’s dead, of course.

Narrator 1:

Yeh-Shen was overcome with grief.

Narrator 2:

She ran out of the house

Narrator 3:

sobbing uncontrollably.

Stepmother:

Where are you going? Do I have to cook this giant fish myself?

Scene 6:

A Lost Friend

Setting:

By the pond, the same night

Narrator 1:

Yeh-Shen ran to the edge of the pond.

Yeh-Shen:

Barclay! Barclay!

Narrator 2:

But Yeh-Shen knew it was of no use. Barclay was gone.

Narrator 3:

Yeh-Shen sank to her knees and wept.

Narrator 1:

Suddenly an old man appeared.

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Old Man:

Don’t cry, my poor dear.

Yeh-Shen ​(shocked)​: Who are you?

Old Man:

That does not matter, my dear. I am here to tell you that all is not lost.

Yeh-Shen:

Of course, everything is lost. My darling friend, Barclay, is dead.

Old Man:

I am here to tell you that Barclay’s bones have special powers. Keep them safe. And whenever you are in great need, tell the bones what you need. But take care! Only ask for what you truly need. Do not abuse this special power.

Yeh-Shen:

I have so many questions, sir.

Old Man:

But I must leave. Do what I have said. Preserve the bones of your dear Barclay.

Narrator 2:

And that’s just what Yeh-Shen did.

Stepmother:

That giant fish was delicious!

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Joon:

We ate him all up!

Stepmother:

I prepared him in a delicious lemon sauce.

Joon:

It’s a shame you didn’t get a bite of it.

Stepmother:

Well, what are you staring at? Do the washing up.

Yeh-Shen:

Yes, stepmother.

Narrator 3:

Yeh-Shen cleaned up and preserved the bones of Barclay. She loved Barclay so much that she could not throw them away. Instead, Yeh-Shen kept them under her bed.

Scene 7

Another Plan

Setting:

In the small house

Narrator 1:

As the days went on, the cruel stepmother continued trying to make Yeh-Shen miserable.

Stepmother:

It’s incredible, Joon.

Joon:

What’s incredible, Ma? 14

Stepmother:

Well, I killed her best friend...

Joon:

her ​only​ friend,

Stepmother:

yes, her ​only​ friend in the whole wide world. She should be miserable.

Joon:

She ​is m ​ iserable.

Stepmother:

But she is not ​as m ​ iserable as I would like. She seems to have a spark of hope. I can’t stand it!

Joon:

What are you going to do?

Stepmother:

I’m going to starve her.

Joon:

I thought you were​ already d ​ oing that. She only gets two mouthfuls of food a day.

Stepmother:

Now, I’m going to take it down to zero.

Joon:

Wow, that’s really mean!

Stepmother:

Right? It’s sure to make her miserable. I can’t wait!

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Scene 8:

Help from a Friend

Setting:

Inside the little house

Narrator 2:

So the stepmother deprived Yeh-Shen of all food altogether.

Narrator 3:

And when Yeh-Shen was hungry, she asked the bones for help.

Yeh-Shen:

Dear Barclay, please help me. Please bring me food.

Narrator 1:

And the bones of Barclay said:

Barclay:

Just as you fed me, so will I feed you.

Narrator 2:

And a healthy meal would appear.

Yeh-Shen:

Thank you, dear Barclay! Thank you!

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Scene 9:

Spring Comes

Setting:

Outside, near a market in the village

Narrator 3:

Weeks passed and the spring arrived after a long winter. One day, the cruel stepmother was sitting around gossiping with her best friend.

Stepmother:

You know how I do everything for Yeh-Shen?

Villager 1:

You are too good to that girl!

Stepmother:

I know! I should really punish her more often, but I don’t have the time! It’s spring and the festival is coming.

Villager 1:

We have to do all the spring cleaning.

Stepmother:

I have Yeh-Shen do that.

Villager 1:

And all the cooEmperor for the festival.

Stepmother:

I have Yeh-Shen do that, too.

Villager 1:

And all the sewing of the festival dresses.

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Stepmother:

Yeh-Shen does all that.

Villager 1:

You must be hoping that Joon will find a husband at the festival.

Stepmother:

Of course, I am! I took her last year, but no dice!

Joon:

Nobody fell in love with me. Isn’t that hard to believe?

Villager 1:

You’ll be luckier this year, Joon! Maybe...try to cover your face, this time.

Joon:

Yeh-Shen better make me a beautiful gown this year so that I shine like a star!

Villager 1:

A word of advice: whatever you do, don’t bring Yeh-Shen to the festival.

Joon:

Why not?

Villager 1:

No offense, but Yeh-Shen is beautiful.

Stepmother and Joon: Yeh-Shen????

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Villager 1:

Anyone with eyes can see it.

Stepmother:

My Joon is beautiful.

Villager 1:

Uh...not so much. Let’s be real.

Joon:

I can’t believe this!

Villager 1:

If you have Yeh-Shen stand next to Joon, all eyes will go to Yeh-Shen. It’s like putting a beautiful flower next to an old weed. No offense.

Joon:

Offense taken!

Villager 1:

Well, I’ll be on my way.

Stepmother:

That settles it. Yeh-Shen will not go to the festival.

Joon:

But if she doesn’t go, who will do my hair and make-up?

Stepmother:

I will. That villager is rude, but she is correct. If someone falls in love with Yeh-Shen at the festival, then he will want to marry her and she will go live somewhere else.

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Joon:

And then you can’t make her miserable.

Stepmother:

Right! She stays put.

Scene 10:

The Festival

Setting:

Inside the little house

Narrator 1:

The day of the festival arrived. Yeh-Shen helped Joon and her stepmother into their beautiful gowns and stayed behind as they set off for the festival.

Narrator 2:

Yeh-Shen was truly miserable.

Stepmother:

Finally!

Narrator 3:

She sat by the bones of Barclay and said,

Yeh-Shen:

Dear Barclay, please help me. Allow me to go to the festival.

Narrator 1:

And the bones said:

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Barclay:

You may go, dear Yeh-Shen. I will instantly transport you there.

Yeh-Shen:

But I cannot go to the festival in these rags. I will be a laughing stock. May I have a dress to wear? A beautiful dress?

Barclay:

Of course, my dearest friend.

Narrator 2:

And Yeh-Shen found herself wearing a gown of deepest blue. On her feet were beautiful slippers made of golden threads, in a pattern similar to the scales of a fish.

Yeh-Shen:

The soles of my shoes are solid gold!

Barclay:

Do not lose your golden shoes.

Yeh-Shen:

I won’t!

Barclay:

Promise?

Yeh-Shen:

Of course, I promise.

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Barclay:

Cause I’m just saying, if you lose the shoes, bad things will happen.

Yeh-Shen:

I won’t lose these golden slippers! I promise, Barclay!

Narrator 3:

And so Yeh-Shen was transported to the festival.

Villager 2:

Who is that girl?

Villager 3:

She is the most beautiful creature on Earth.

Joon:

Wait a second, I know who she is.

Villagers:

Who is she?

Joon:

She’s Yeh-shen!

Stepmother:

And she doesn’t look miserable AT ALL.

Yeh-Shen:

Yikes! Time to make like a tree and split.

Narrator 1:

And Yeh-Shen ran as fast as she could.

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Narrator 2:

She ran so fast that one of her golden slippers fell off.

Yeh-Shen:

Oh no!

Narrator 3:

As soon as her golden slipper fell off, her pretty blue dress turned back into rags.

Narrator 1:

Yeh-Shen ran all the way home and told the bones what happened.

Yeh-Shen:

All I have left is one beautiful golden slipper.

Narrator 2:

But Barclay’s bones said nothing.

Yeh-Shen:

Barclay! Say something!

Narrator 3:

But no voice came from Barclay.

Yeh-Shen:

Oh Barclay! Please don’t say that I have lost you again!

Narrator 1:

Yeh-Shen hid the golden shoe under her bed and cried herself until she fell into a deep sleep.

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Scene 11:

The Golden Slipper Is Found!

Setting:

The Palace of the Emperor

Narrator 2:

Meanwhile, a villager had found the golden slipper that Yeh-Shen had lost.

Villager 1:

This must be worth a fortune!

Narrator 2:

So she took it to the palace and sold it to the Emperor.

Emperor:

This is the most beautiful shoe I have ever seen.

Where is the other shoe?

Villager 1:

I do not know, sire.

Emperor:

This shoe must belong to a very beautiful woman.

Look how tiny and dainty the shoe is. Just by looEmperor at the shoe I have fallen in love with her.

I must marry her.

Villager 1:

Really? You get all that from a shoe!?

Emperor:

Detective!

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Detective:

Yes, boss?

Emperor:

Find the woman with the other shoe in this pair. She is very beautiful and she is in great danger.

Villager 2:

How do you figure?

Emperor:

Use your context clues! If you had a pair of two golden shoes would you carelessly lose one?

Villager 1:

No, I would guard it with my life.

Emperor:

Of course you would. Because these slippers are priceless! So if my dear angel lost her shoe, it was because she was running. And what was she running from? She was running from danger. That’s what!

Detective:

Maybe ​you s​ hould be the detective. You’re a natural.

Emperor:

Find the girl with the matching shoe. And bring her to me so that I can love her, marry her and make her happy.

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Villager 2:

Awwww!

Detective:

I’ve devised a plan. We’re going to put the golden slipper in the middle of the village, near the well. I’ll have a soldier keep it safe. We will announce that the owner of the slipper can arrive and claim her slipper. As long as it fits her foot, she gets it back, no questions asked.

Emperor:

That’s your plan?

Detective:

That’s what we​ say​ we’ll do. But in fact when the woman turns up and can fit her foot perfectly in the slipper, we’ll bring her to you as her bride.

Emperor:

That sounds better.

Narrator 3:

And that’s just what they did.

Narrator 1:

Of course, every woman in the village turned up,

Narrator 2:

Including Joon and her mother

Joon:

Step aside, everyone. That’s my slipper! Look! My foot fits in it perfectly.

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Guard:

Except it doesn’t. It’s way too wide. Nice try, but no dice!

Stepmother:

That’s because it’s ​my​ slipper. Look! ​My​ foot fits in it perfectly.

Guard:

Um..you can’t even fit your big toe into the shoe.

Hashtag: epic fail.

Stepmother:

Drats!

Narrator 3:

The Emperor and the detective hid in the bushes all day from morning until dusk,

Emperor:

waiting and waiting,

Detective:

for the right girl to come along.

Emperor:

But she never came.

Detective:

Let’s go home. It’s nearly midnight.

Emperor:

Hush! I hear footsteps. Who is that slender figure approaching on tiptoe?

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Narrator 1:

It was Yeh-Shen, of course.

Yeh-Shen:

My slipper!

Narrator 2:

When she put it on, it fit like a glove.

Emperor:

It’s my bride! It’s my bride!

Detective:

Quiet, your majesty. She’s not your bride unless she has the other slipper, remember? Let’s follow her home to be sure.

Scene 12:

Reunited!

Setting:

The little house

Narrator 3:

So the Emperor and detective silently followed Yeh-Shen home. They looked through the window as Yeh-Shen took the other golden slipper from beneath her mattress and put it on.

Narrator 1:

Then the Emperor knocked on the window.

Emperor:

My love! My bride!

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Yeh-Shen:

My who?

Detective:

Answer the front door, madam. This is palace business.

Narrator 2:

By this time, Joon and the mean stepmother had awoken too.

Stepmother:

What is the meaning of this?

Joon:

Who’s interrupting my beauty sleep?

Narrator 3:

Angrily, Joon and her mother opened the door.

Joon:

It’s the Emperor!

Stepmother:

Are you here to marry Joon?

Emperor:

Not exactly.

Stepmother:

Are you here to marry me?

Detective:

Dream on, ma’am. We’re here to meet the girl with the golden slippers.

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Joon:

The who with the what?

Stepmother:

It better not be Yeh-Shen!

Narrator 1:

Just then, Yeh-Shen appeared in the doorway wearing her blue dress and golden slippers.

Stepmother and Joon:

Yeh-Shen!

Joon:

She’s just a servant girl.

Stepmother:

She’s nothing, your majesty! Nothing at all.

Emperor:

Don’t say that. She’s my bride.

Yeh-Shen:

Your majesty, this is all so sudden.

Emperor:

Does this mean that you won’t come with me to the palace?

Detective:

And become the Empress of China?

Yeh-Shen:

That has a nice ring to it. Yes, your majesty, I will come.

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Stepmother:

This is an outrage!

Joon:

Yeh-Shen the Empress of China?!

Stepmother:

This cannot be happening.

Joon:

Wake me from this nightmare!

Emperor:

It’s no nightmare at all. It’s a dream, a dream come true.

Yeh-Shen:

Oh, Emperor! I don’t know what to say.

Stepmother:

Yeh-Shen, it’s not proper for you to go all on your own to the palace.

Joon:

You need someone to guide and protect you.

Stepmother:

You need me.

Joon:

Or me!

Stepmother:

I have always taken care of you even though you’ve always been determined to be miserable.

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Yeh-Shen:

Just a minute, please.

Narrator 2:

And Yeh-Shen returned to her bedroom where Barclay was alive and well, if a little thirsty.

Yeh-Shen:

Barclay, is that you? Have you really come back to me?

Barclay:

Get me some water, quick! I’m like a fish out of water here!

Narrator 3:

Yeh-Shen carried him into the living room.

Narrator 1:

She turned to the detective and said:

Yeh-Shen:

Quick, fill a giant bucket with water for my friend!

Detective:

This isn’t exactly in my job description.

Emperor:

Do it! Do anything she asks.

Narrator 2:

At last the Detective brought in a giant pail of water.

Narrator 2:

And Yeh-Shen gently placed Barclay in it.

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Barclay:

This is more like it!

Narrator 1:

said Barclay as he happily swam around.

Narrator 2:

Yeh-Shen turned to the Emperor and said,

Yeh-Shen:

This is Barclay, my dearest friend, but no longer my only friend. He will advise and protect me, as he always has.

Emperor:

Pleased to make your acquaintance, Barclay.

Stepmother:

The Empress of China is going to be advised by a fish?

Joon:

Now I’ve heard everything!

Stepmother:

After all I’ve done for you, Yeh-Shen.

Joon:

Yeah, after all we’ve done for you, Yeh-Shen.

Barclay:

Hey, Yeh-Shen! Friends forever, okay?

Yeh-Shen:

Friends forever, Barclay!

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Narrator 3:

And so it was that a badly-treated peasant girl became the Empress of China.

Barclay:

And a giant fish became her most trusted advisor.

Narrator 1:

Meanwhile Joon and the cruel stepmother were stuck with one another in their tiny shack.

Stepmother:

Who am I going to make miserable now?

Joon:

We’ve got an even bigger problem. Who’s going to make dinner?

Narrators:

THE END

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