散文佳作108篇 第17期:“孺子馬” An "Obedient Horse"

An "Obedient Horse"

宋連昌

Song Lianchang

我的鄰居老紀，是位消息靈通人士。每天下班，總要帶回幾條新聞：大至國內(nèi)外大事，小到誰家夫妻吵架、婆媳不和……他發(fā)布新聞，是大家都在做飯的時候，地點自然以廚房居多。

My neighbor Lao Ji was well informed. Every day when he got off work, he would bring severalpieces of news from big events at home and abroad down to Small strifes between husbandand wife, or between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The tune far his news broadcast wasusually dinner time, so the best place for it was naturally the shared kitchen.

這天，老紀進了廚房就說：“老王，你聽說了嗎?”“什么事?”“ XXX的兒子被逮了。”“噢!因為什么?”我停住手里的菜刀，驚愕地問。“還用說，犯法了唄!……”

One day, Lao Ji carte into the kitchen and said, "Lao Wang, haven't you heard the news?" "What?" "So-and-so's son has been arrested." "Oh? Why?" I asked in surprise, putting downthe knife. "No doubt for an offense against the law.

“其實，那孩子小時候也蠻好，都是家長的過失。”老紀一邊淘米一邊說，“你沒看，從小就質(zhì)。孩子說要星星，大人不敢摘月亮。你想孩子小時不教育，長大能好得了果不其然，以后罵人、打架、抽煙、喝酒全來了。”

The boy was quite a darling as a child. It was all his parents' fault." Lao Ji went on whilewashing rice. "He has been spoilt from childhood, you know. If the boy wanted a star, hisparents would not dare to give him the moon. You see, if a child is not brought up properlyfrom infancy, you cannot expect him to grow up in the right way, can you? Bad habits such asswearing, fighting, smoking and drinking are the consequences."

老紀的話簡直夠得上至理名言，我不住地點頭，并暗暗地為xxx惋惜，若是他早能聽到老紀的“教誨”，也許不至于鑄成今天的大錯了。

What he said was indeed right and proper and I kept nodding in agreement while secretlysympathizing with spend-so. If he had heard Lao Ji's lecture, he wouldn't have committed sucha grave mistake.

老紀講著，已打點好飯鍋，準備切菜。不知怎么“喲”了一聲不說了。我回頭一看，原來他的案板背上用粉筆胡亂地畫著些什么。但老紀一眼就認出那是他六歲的兒子小光的手筆，他默然一笑：“這小子，準是從昨晚的內(nèi)部電影上看來的。”說著他又細細地端詳一陣，才不慌不忙地擦去。

Lao Ji had finished washing the rice and was preparing to cut the vegetables when he suddenlystopped short with an exclamation of “Oh!” I turned to am something scrawled in chalk on thehack of his cutting hoard. Lao Ji recognized his six-year-old son's drawing at one glance. Hethen smiled, "'that kid must have learnt this from a film he saw. It was a restricted film, notopen to the public. “He stared at the picture for a while before slowly cleaning it off. Just thenhis son, Xiao Guang, rushed in with a long spear in hand. Seeing that his "masterpiece" wascleaned off, he flared up. "Why did you clean off my picture? What a beastly dad you are!" hetired, pointing his spear at Lao Ji.

剛巧小光手持長矛從外面沖了進來，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的“作品”被擦了，立刻大鬧起來：“你干嗎擦我的畫?臭爸爸!”哭喊著用長矛向老紀刺過來。老紀急中生智，抓起鍋蓋來自衛(wèi)，口里不住地求饒：“別別，好孩子，聽爸爸說，爸爸不是給乖乖做飯嗎?不擦掉怎么切菜呀?等我用完，你再畫……”

In desperation, Lao Ji took up the pot lid for self defense. He was begging his son, "Please,don't! There is a dear! Listen to your dad. Dad is preparing dinner far you. How can I cutvegetables without cleaning the drawing off? You can draw on it after I have done the cutting,can't you?"

!你賠我“不行!不行!”“那……爸爸明天給你買個畫冊。”“不，我不干，你賠我，你賠我!”“那么，過一會爸爸趴在床上當馬，讓你騎上玩打仗，好不好?”

"No! That won't do! You must make it up to me!" "Well, I'll buy you a drawing book tomorrow." "No. it won't do, either. I must get it right now!" "Well then, what if I serve as a horse on a bedwhile you ride an me and play being a knight?"

大概小孩子都愛玩打仗，小光這才住了手?？墒沁@場“以子之矛攻父之盾”的戰(zhàn)斗雖然結(jié)束了，緊接著又轉(zhuǎn)人了“停戰(zhàn)談判”。小光提出馬上就騎，老紀說：“爸爸現(xiàn)在正做飯，哪有工夫陪你玩?等吃完飯一定讓你騎個夠，撤謊是小狗。”小光仍然堅持己見，絲毫沒有讓步的意思。老紀搓著兩手，忽然想起：“唉!對了，剛才爸爸又給你買來巧克力，你快去，要不都叫媽媽吃了。”“我不要吃，我要騎。”

This suggestion made Xiao Guang put his spear away, for he liked the idea as most boys did.Hardly had the battle between the sons spear and father's shield ended when an "armisticktale" began. When Xiao Guang demanded to ride the horse right then, Lao Ji replied. "I'm nowpreparing dinner. I'll let you ride on me to your heart's content after dinner. Is that okay? If Idon't keep my word, I'll be damned!" But Xiao Guang wouldn't budge an inch. Lao Ji wrung hishands in the air out of desperation and started to think of a new idea. "Oh, yes! I've justbought a bar of chocolate. Run and get it right now, or Mum will eat it all!" "I don't wantchocolate! I want to ride a horse..!"

談判處于僵局，老紀正束手無策，老紀愛人出面調(diào)停了：“哎呀!你那么大人還跟孩子一般見識，飯晚點做怕什么，先讓他騎一會不就完了?”

The quarrel came to a stalemate, and Lao Ji was at his wit's end when his wife came to makepeace. "Look at you, dear! So childish! What does it matter if we have dinner a bit later thanusual?

像在球場上雙方發(fā)生爭執(zhí)時，裁判員一聲哨令那樣有效，老紀立刻回屋履行“孺子馬”的義務(wù)去了……

Her words were like a whistle of a referee that settled the dispute immediately. Lao Jiinstantly went back to his room to carry out his duty as an "obedient horse.”