这个夏天还太热/林金灿(赵金基译）

程思良

这个夏天还太热/林金灿
　　
　　王老汉一狠心买了台落地扇。接上电源，扇叶就飞快地转了起来，站在一旁的老伴乐得像个小孩，拍着手说：“老头子，风还挺凉，这回热不着了！”
　　王老汉一脸的自豪，指了指电扇说：“和咱狗子家的一模一样，那还错得了！”
　　老伴笑骂道：“瞧把你给能耐的，还不快给咱狗子打个电话去。”
　　王老汉一拍脑门说了句：“哎呀！差点把正事给忘了。”转身就往屋外走，奔村口食杂店去打公共电话。
　　打完电话回来，王老汉的脸上却罩上了一层霜。看见丈夫那表情，老伴小心地问：“怎么，又来不了吗？”
　　王老汉不吭声，老伴急了，追问道：“又不上咱这来了？你没告诉他们咱也买电扇了吗？”
　　“说了，可儿媳妇说，现在他们用的是空调，电扇不管事了，咱孙子来这还是适应不了的，太热！”
　　“改空调了？你也买去啊！”
　　“咋买？贵着呢！卖了你这把老骨头都不够。”
　　老伴愣住了，泪水爬上了眼眶，喃喃道：“俺可有大半年没见上咱孙子了。”
　　王老汉不再言语，只是猛吸着手里的烟。忽然，他将烟屁股狠狠地往地上一扔，抓起电扇就往外走。
　　“老头子，你干啥去啊？”
　　“卖了它，咱攒钱！搭上棺材，俺就不信换不回个破空调！”
　　
　　Hot Summer
　　
　　By Lin Jincan
　　
　　It was out of a firm determination that Lao Wang had bought a standing fan. Once power-on, the blades started revolving very fast. “Old man, what a cool breeze! We won’t feel hot this summer.”  His old wife, standing by the fan, clapped her hands, as happily as a little girl.
　　“It is the same type as our son’s; sure it is cool.” said Lao Wang, pointing to the fan, his face full of pride.
　　“How terrific! But have you called our son?” She reminded.
　　Lao Wang threw himself a pat on the forehead. “Oh, my! I almost forget it.” With this he turned around, stepped out and hurried to the grocery store at the village entrance, where there was a public phone.
　　When Lao Wang made the phone call and got back home, there appeared a layer of frost on his face. “What? Again they won’t come?” Noticing his facial expression, she asked tentatively.
　　Lao Wang didn’t reply. Anxiously, she urged, “Again they won’t come? Why not tell them we have bought an electric fan?”
　　“I told them. But our daughter-in-law said, they are now using an air-conditioner instead of an electric fan, and our grandson wouldn’t fit in the hot weather here.”
　　“An air-conditioner? We can also have one!”
　　“How can we afford it? So expensive that it’s beyond all our means!”
　　She was stunned, tears welling out. “It’s well over half a year since we last saw our grandson.” She mumbled.
　　Lao Wang turned mute, smoking a cigarette heavily. With a sudden violent toss, he dropped the cigarette butt to the ground, then held the fan and stepped out of the door.
　　“Old man, what are you doing?”
　　“Sell it, save money, count every penny, and we’ll afford an air-conditioner!”
　　

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