作品原文

莫小米 《卖花盆的老人》

看到的人都说，这是一个奇迹。
一个小小的古镇，一条小小的河，一座小小的石桥，一株500年古樟。石桥亦是长寿的，建于200年前还是300年前，不清楚了。反正它就造在古樟边，两条树根，犹如两根钢梁，一直架到河对岸。这桥就变成了名副其实的“石木结构”，而究竟是先有桥，树根搭过了岸，还是树根先伸展到对岸，石桥顺势而建，也就不清楚了。
记忆中清楚的是，上世纪60年代，曾经有人要砍了树去劈木材烧火炼钢的，因为它与桥连成了一体，怕树砍了，桥也塌了，就逃过了一劫。
上世纪80年代，有人建古桥博物馆，出高价想把桥移走。动手时才发现，所有石头的缝隙都爬满了粗粗细细的树根，离开大树，这座桥就变成了堆毫无意义的石头，根本无法复原。就又逃过一劫。
小镇位于经济发达的沿海地带，上世纪90年代，这一带的古镇，随着人们钱袋鼓胀，都旧貌换新颜。小镇也想大动干戈的，但心疼这祖宗传下来的桥和树，更怕轻举妄动坏了风水，想来想去定不好方案，期间还拒绝了一些投资者，一拖再拖，便赶上了古民居修复保护的黄金时代。
如今这里成了著名的风景点，500年古樟冠盖青葱，古桥沧桑而又生机勃勃，小镇上民居保存完好，最难得的是，民风淳朴、天然，不贪婪，其乐融融。
而这一切都是相互依存，相依为命的。先是桥保住了树，再是树保住了桥，最后是桥与树保住了古镇。要说究竟是人保住了环境，还是环境保住了人，又说不大清楚了。

作品译文

Relying on Each Other for Survival
Mo Xiaomi

Everyone who has visited the place considers it a miracle.
It is a tiny old town with a strip of river, a little stone bridge and a 500-year-old camphor tree. The bridge is also age-honored, probably built 200 or 300 years ago. But no one can say for sure. It is situated right beside the old camphor tree. Two of its main roots have stretched under the bridge, like two steel girders, to the other side of the river. This makes the bridge a "stone and wood structure" that is true to its name. And no one knows if the bridge was there before the roots crossed the river, or the roots stretched to the opposite bank first, along which the bridge was constructed.
What is clear in the memory of the local residents is that, in the 1960's, some people intended to fell the tree as firewood for smelting steel. Yet, as the tree had grown into an integral part of the bridge, cutting the tree would most likely destroy the bridge. Thus, the old camphor tree escaped a disaster.
Then in the 1980's some people who were setting up a stone-bridge museum offered a high price for the bridge in order to put it on display. Just when they were about to dismantle the bridge, they found that tree roots, thick and thin, had crept into all the cracks and crevices between and in the stones. Without the tree, the bridge would become a pile of meaningless stones, which could by no means be rebuilt into a bridge. This time the bridge had a narrow escape.
The small town is located in a prosperous coastal area. During the 1990's neighboring old towns competed to put on a new look as the local people's wallets bulged. Residents of this small town also wanted to upgrade it in a big way. But then they were reluctant to tamper with the bridge and the tree, legacies passed down from their ancestors. What's more, they were afraid that such reckless action would ruin the feng shui of the town. They gave the matter a great deal of thought, but could not come up with a feasible plan, in the course of which they even refused some investors. As they continuously postponed a reconstruction plan, there came a golden age of restoring and preserving ancient civilian residences.
Now the small town has become a famous scenic spot. The 500-year-old camphor tree stands with a lush green crown. The old stone bridge, having experienced many vicissitudes, still functions perfectly. And the civilian residences have remained intact. Most fortunate of all, the town dwellers still remain a simple, natural and honest lifestyle. They do not desire much, but enjoy a cheerful and harmonious life.
All these things are interdependent for survival. First of all, the bridge protected the tree from being felled. Then the tree saved the bridge from being torn down. Finally, the bridge and the tree together have helped preserve the town. I cannot tell for sure whether the people have saved the environment or vice versa.