Sunday, July 30, 2006

愛情故事

Tomorrow is Chinese Lovers' Day, so it seems appropriate to resurrect a story that I wrote--with lots of help from the former native Chinese speaker--for a Chinese class that I took during the summer of 1996. My teacher asked us to write some sentences using Chinese idiomatic phrases (成語) that we had learned in the course, but I decided to write a story instead. Any mistakes in grammar or usage are mine!
每年一到七夕,人們成雙成對上街,情人濃情密意地赴約會,卿卿我我。而我每年七夕有自己的習慣:身上穿著黑衣服,臉上帶著憔悴的表情,晚上七點睡覺。

今年七夕也不例外:電視新聞的播報員一開始眉開眼笑地報告有關台灣貪官污吏搜刮人民財產的事情,我就生氣的關了電視、關了燈,並上床睡覺。可是,我在床上輾轉反側,無法入眠;千頭萬緒,環繞我心。

想起我的老母常常苦口婆心地對我說:「兒子,我以我這輩子最寶貴的經驗告訴你,你如果覺得煩惱,無法接受世界快速變遷的話,你就去夜市走走,因為,夜市反映了人生百態。千萬記得,可別光說不練!」

母親的啟示讓我怦然心動,所以我就到了夜市。到了夜市之後,我遇到了一位和尚,他手上拿著一個缽。我丟了一個十塊錢的銅板進去。和尚對我說:「祝您多子多孫多福壽,生意昌隆。」我問他這句話有甚麼涵義,他說,就是祝我能有很多的子孫。我告訴他說,世界那麼亂,社會形態瞬息萬變,我不想有孩子。和尚說,我的話是大逆不道的,生孩子就是一件理所當然的事。古人說:「不孝有三,無後為大。」然後,我罵他是個墨守成規的老頭子。之後,我們就吵得天翻地覆不可開交。最後,我把我的十塊錢從他的缽中拿回來。

其實,我是想用那十塊錢去買隔壁攤子的木瓜牛奶。我問賣木瓜牛奶的小姐說:「妳認識那位和尚嗎?」她說:「認識。他常常來夜市跟市民講道。他非常關心世界大問題,尤其是政府勞民傷財的情況。」我跟她說,他好像要以增加人口數量來救世濟民。她說:「他是個言行合一的人,已經有好幾個孩子了!」

我常常回去夜市幫那位賣木瓜牛奶的小姐,我們分工合作:她賣木瓜,我賣牛奶。雖然生意不是很好,但是我們兩個很談得來。不久之後,我們便結婚了。
P.S. The former native Chinese speaker wants everyone to know that she never sold papaya milkshakes at the night market. ;-)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

故事寫得有味道,可說是老少咸宜,雅俗共賞.

Mabel Liao said...

How marvelous your Chinese proficiency is!
It's a great shock to me, honestly speaking. Ha! I have been deceived for ten years since the first class in 1996.
That story is very creative with these idiomatic phrases. (Is there any similarity with your own story?) It just reminded me of the version that I have heard during the comp/oral class.
Is there any sequel after they get married? (Typical ending---Happily ever after.)
Hopefully~To be continued...

Jonathan Benda said...

Tony, 謝謝您!可惜的是,我的中文寫作能力已經退步到一個小學二年級學生的水準. (My wife says I shouldn't insult second-graders.)

Mabel, the short answer to your first question is "No." (A longer answer would be "No no no!" ;-) ) This story is strictly fictional. No relation to any actual persons, living or dead, is intended. (No papayas were harmed in the writing of this story, either.)

As for a sequel... wait until I have time to take some Chinese classes again...