301病室/ XIEBG(赵金基译）

程思良

301病室/ XIEBG
　　
　　“哼！我们每天都当恶人！”瘦医生把听诊器往桌子上一摔。
　　“我们也是人，要买房，小孩读书......”胖护士说着说着，忽然闻到一股纸燃烧的气味。不好！是哪儿失火了！两人奔出值班室，只见走廊尽头的301病室门口火光忽闪忽闪。瘦医生闯进去，厉声问道：“这是干什么？”
　　“孩他爹不行了！药停了几天，疼得要命。求菩萨保佑他！”一号病床的老太婆枯瘦的双手颤巍巍地捧着纸钱在烧，口中喃喃念道：“南无阿弥陀佛，救救孩他爹吧！”
　　“你这是迷信！在医院烧纸钱，这不是笑话么？”瘦医生吼道。胖护士急了，围着纸堆乱转，边转边用高跟鞋踩，弄得纸灰到处飞舞，人们不时被呛得咳嗽几声。老太婆慌了，边推搡胖护士边骂：“你搞么鬼？你把纸钱弄破了！弄破了就没有用了！你赔我！”粘有黑灰的双手在胖护士白色工作服上弄得一道道黑印。胖护士更急了，用力推搡了老太婆，老太婆一屁股坐在地上痛哭起来。叫骂声、训斥声、病人的呻吟声响成一片。
　　住院部主任闻讯赶来，和蔼地扶起老太婆，询问住院多长时间，开导老人家烧纸污染了病房空气，求菩萨是没有用的，要拿钱才能救人！
　　胖护士听罢，拿起花名册高声喊道：“二号床位！费用完了，不交费就停药！三号......”
　　
　　Ward 301
　　
　　By XIEBG
　　
　　“Tut! We are doing evils day after day!” A thin doctor banged his stethophone on the desk.
　　“We are equally human beings; we are to buy a large apartment and afford our kids’ education…” A fat nurse was complaining when she suddenly smelled paper burning. Gosh! Fire somewhere!
　　Out of the duty room, at the end of the corridor there were flames flickering at the door of Ward 301. The thin doctor rushed in. “What are you doing?” He said sternly.
　　“Old Man’s hurting a lot. He’s got no treatment for several days. His condition is worsening. I’m praying to Buddha for a blessing.” An old lady at Bed No.1 was putting “paper money” into the fire with her trembling dry skinny hands as she mumbled, “Amitabha, save Old Man, please!”
　　“Superstitious! How ridiculous to be burning ‘paper money’ in hospital!” roared the thin doctor as the fat nurse was irritatedly moving around and treading the fire under her high-heeled shoes, causing ashes to flutter here and there and people to cough from time to time. “Damned you! You are damaging my ‘paper money’! It won’t work if damaged! You are to make up for it!” The worried old lady was cursing as she pushed the fat nurse with both ash-stained hands, thus engraving lines of black stamps on the white uniform. More irritated, the fat nurse in turn pushed the old lady so violently that the latter collapsed to the floor with loud sobs. So it sounded like a symphony of curses, scolds and groans.
　　Then came Director of In-patient Department, who graciously raised the old lady to her feet, enquired how long the patient had been in hospital, and then convinced her that it was no use praying to Buddha, that burning “paper money” couldn’t be of any help but to pollute the air of the ward, and that only real money contributed to saving a life!
　　Hearing this, the fat nurse opened her register. “Bed No. 2 out of money! No money, no treatment! Bed No. 3…”

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