赌心/笑龙阳 (赵金基 译)

程思良

赌心
文/笑龙阳

　　祥生身居寒舍，却娶得如花似玉知书达理的娇妻温如。
　　乡里富翁郝礼，家财万贯，良田万顷，垂涎于温如多时，发出毒誓，非温如不娶。
　　一日，郝礼将棋盘摆于街心，扬言要与祥生赌妻。
　　郝礼说：如祥生赢棋，将奉上家财万贯，如赌输，将娇妻双手奉送于我。
　　祥生说：赌与不赌无异，你若赌输，家财万贯非我劳动所得，我岂能接受？如赌赢，你赢得了人赢不了心！
　　郝礼怏怏而去。
　　温如得知此事，赞道：棋未下夫君先赢了！
　　光绪十三年这里大旱，颗粒无收，饿殍横野。郝礼愿倾尽家财救助饥民，村中支起十口大锅，日日施粥，前来讨粥者绵延十里。
　　无人不赞颂郝礼的功德，有人将他的善心刻于碑碣。
　　这日，郝礼前来想与温如搭讪，但见温如身着丧服，问知，祥生刚去世！
　　郝礼捶胸顿足，心想：早知今日，何必当初！他对温如说：我倾尽家财解万人饥腹，只为一个赌字！
　　温如愕然……
　　郝礼说：知你乐善好施，只为赌赢你的心！
　　温如说：前些时我还为你祈福，咱这方水土能养育出你这等贤德之人。今日听你之言，惊叹世上还有如此心胸狭隘之人！
　　郝礼大惑不解……
　　温如说：我家徒四壁，夫君将每日只能吃的一碗粥都不忍心吃，偷偷地去救助老弱病残，自己饿死于途中，他胸怀博大宽广，永远赢得了我的心！


　　Top Three Stories of Chinese Flash Fiction Competition in 2014


　　The Best Bet
　　by Xiao Long Yang

　　Xiang Sheng was poor, but his wife, Wen Ru, was a beautiful and educated woman.
　　Hao Li was rich, with tons of gold and millions of acres. He was madly in love with Wen Ru and swore that he would marry no other woman but her.
　　One day, Hao Li announced in public, he would play a game of chess with Xiang Sheng, and the bet was on Wen Ru.
　　“If Xiang Sheng should win the game, tons of gold would be his.” Hao Li said, “If I should win, Wen Ru would be mine.”
　　“Nonsense!” was Xiang Sheng’s reply. “If I should win, I wouldn’t take those tons of gold, which is not my earning; if you should win, you’d never win her heart.”
　　So the game was aborted.
　　Yet Wen Ru clapped. “My husband has won.”
　　Then, in the 13th year of Guangxu’s Reign, a great drought struck. All crops failed and there were deaths of hunger everywhere. It was Hao Li who generously offered to feed those famine refugees. He had ten large cauldrons racked in the village and there was gruel cooked every day for the hungry people coming in a queue of more than ten miles.
　　Everyone sang of Hao Li’s good deed and his name was carved in the monument in honor of his kindness.
　　Then Hao Li came to meet Wen Ru, who was dressed in mourning apparrel in memory of her dead husband, Xiang Sheng.
　　“Poor woman!”Hao Li thought to himself as he extended his condolences.
　　“At any rate, I will win.”he said to Wen Ru.
　　She was stunned.
　　“I know you’re a good woman. Whatever I do, I just do it to win your heart.”said Hao Li.
　　“I have prayed for you and been grateful for your virtues. But now I shall say, you’re such an asshole!”said Wen Ru.
　　Hao Li was confused.
　　“My husband was poor, indeed.”Wen Ru continued. “Yet he offered his only food to others. Though he’s dead, my heart will go on for ever with him.”
　　(赵金基 译)

流泪的残阳

赞赏

尚舟

欣赏