红糖果子/陈朝和(赵金基译）

程思良

红糖果子/陈朝和
　　
　　1968年的腊月，大哥举办了极其简单的婚礼，终于把大嫂娶进了家门。
　　婚礼的晚上，一位堂兄对我说：“今晚你得给新郎新娘送尿盆。这尿盆绝对不是白送的，新娘子至少给你一包红糖果子！”
　　一听说新娘子能给红糖果子，我心里不知道有多高兴！
　　等到闹新房的人都走了，我红着脸把尿盆送进新房，新娘子却只给了一把硬糖块。没有诱惑我的红糖果子，我就赖在新房不走，嫂子似乎很为难，吞吞吐吐地说：“明天给你买好吃的行不？”我说:“不行，就今天晚上！”因为我明明看见新娘陪嫁的匾子沉甸甸的，应该是装着红糖果子吧，我不就是才要一包嘛！任凭嫂子怎么解释，我就是不走，一直僵持到深夜。
　　父亲来了，将我拎出新房，举起巴掌就是几下。我愤怒挣开，跑到村头地瓜窖睡了一夜。
　　第二天，大哥将我叫进新房，端出嫂子陪嫁的匾子，打开一看，根本没有红糖果子，红纸包裹着几块红砖，我流下了心酸的泪水。大哥安慰我说：“等到将来日子好过了，就天天给你买红糖果子！”
　　
　　Cookies
　　
　　By Chen Chaohe
　　
　　In December of 1968, a rather plain wedding ceremony confirmed my oldest brother’s marriage.
　　In the evening, one of my cousins reminded me, “You are to deliver the urine basin to the bride and the groom. This delivery must not be for free. The bride is to reward you with a packet of cookies at least.”
　　How delighted I was to hear that the bride should give me cookies or something!
　　When the noisy guests had gone out of New Room, that is, the new couple’s room, I stepped in with the urine basin, flush on my face. Yet all I got was merely a handful of hard candy. No tempting cookies? Then I’d hang on here! Seemingly embarrassed, my sister-in-law stuttered, “Shall I buy you something tomorrow?” “No. I want it tonight!” I said firmly. I had seen clearly a heavy package of dowry with her—locally called Bianzi—in which cookies should be contained. I just wanted a packet of cookies! Hard as my sister-in-law try to convince me, I clung in New Room till late into the night. Then came my father, who dragged me out of the room and gave me a good beating. I struggled free, in such a rage that I ran out of the village and slept in a sweet potato cellar for the night.
　　The following day, my oldest brother called me back into New Room, took out the Bianzi and unpacked it. There were no cookies at all except for several red bricks wrapped in red paper. I burst into bitter tears. “I’ll buy you cookies every day when our life has improved?” My oldest brother assured me.
　　

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