“孺子马”

An "Obedient Horse"

宋连昌

Song Lianchang

我的邻居老纪，是位消息灵通人士。每天下班，总要带回几条新闻：大至国内外大事，小到谁家夫妻吵架、婆媳不和……他发布新闻，是大家都在做饭的时候，地点自然以厨房居多。

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

这天，老纪进了厨房就说：“老王，你听说了吗?”“什么事?”“ XXX的儿子被逮了。”“噢！因为什么？”我停住手里的菜刀，惊愕地问。“还用说，犯法了呗！……”

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 down the knife. "No doubt for an offense against the law.

“其实，那孩子小时候也蛮好，都是家长的过失。”老纪一边淘米一边说，“你没看，从小就质。孩子说要星星，大人不敢摘月亮。你想孩子小时不教育，长大能好得了果不其然，以后骂人、打架、抽烟、喝酒全来了。”

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

老纪的话简直够得上至理名言，我不住地点头，并暗暗地为xxx惋惜，若是他早能听到老纪的“教诲”，也许不至于铸成今天的大错了。

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

老纪讲着，已打点好饭锅，准备切菜。不知怎么“哟”了一声不说了。我回头一看，原来他的案板背上用粉笔胡乱地画着些什么。但老纪一眼就认出那是他六岁的儿子小光的手笔，他默然一笑：“这小子，准是从昨晚的内部电影上看来的。”说着他又细细地端详一阵，才不慌不忙地擦去。

Lao Ji had finished washing the rice and was preparing to cut the vegetables when he suddenly stopped short with an exclamation of “Oh!” I turned to am something scrawled in chalk on the hack of his cutting hoard. Lao Ji recognized his six-year-old son's drawing at one glance. He then smiled, "'that kid must have learnt this from a film he saw. It was a restricted film, not open to the public. “He stared at the picture for a while before slowly cleaning it off. Just then his son, Xiao Guang, rushed in with a long spear in hand. Seeing that his "masterpiece" was cleaned off, he flared up. "Why did you clean off my picture? What a beastly dad you are!" he tired, pointing his spear at Lao Ji.

刚巧小光手持长矛从外面冲了进来，发现自己的“作品”被擦了，立刻大闹起来：“你干吗擦我的画？臭爸爸！”哭喊着用长矛向老纪刺过来。老纪急中生智，抓起锅盖来自卫，口里不住地求饶：“别别，好孩子，听爸爸说，爸爸不是给乖乖做饭吗？不擦掉怎么切菜呀？等我用完，你再画……”

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 cut vegetables without cleaning the drawing off? You can draw on it after I have done the cutting, can't you?"

！你赔我“不行！不行！”“那……爸爸明天给你买个画册。”“不，我不干，你赔我，你赔我！”“那么，过一会爸爸趴在床上当马，让你骑上玩打仗，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 bed while you ride an me and play being a knight?"

大概小孩子都爱玩打仗，小光这才住了手。可是这场“以子之矛攻父之盾”的战斗虽然结束了，紧接着又转人了“停战谈判”。小光提出马上就骑，老纪说：“爸爸现在正做饭，哪有工夫陪你玩?等吃完饭一定让你骑个够，撤谎是小狗。”小光仍然坚持己见，丝毫没有让步的意思。老纪搓着两手，忽然想起：“唉！对了，刚才爸爸又给你买来巧克力，你快去，要不都叫妈妈吃了。”“我不要吃，我要骑。”

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 "armistick tale" began. When Xiao Guang demanded to ride the horse right then, Lao Ji replied. "I'm now preparing dinner. I'll let you ride on me to your heart's content after dinner. Is that okay? If I don't keep my word, I'll be damned!" But Xiao Guang wouldn't budge an inch. Lao Ji wrung his hands in the air out of desperation and started to think of a new idea. "Oh, yes! I've just bought a bar of chocolate. Run and get it right now, or Mum will eat it all!" "I don't want chocolate! I want to ride a horse..!"

谈判处于僵局，老纪正束手无策，老纪爱人出面调停了：“哎呀！你那么大人还跟孩子一般见识，饭晚点做怕什么，先让他骑一会不就完了？”

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

像在球场上双方发生争执时，裁判员一声哨令那样有效，老纪立刻回屋履行“孺子马”的义务去了……

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

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