| | 王秀才议... : |
过了几日，整治一席酒，请二位舅爷来致谢。两个秀才，拿班做势，在馆里又不肯来。严致和吩咐小厮去说；“奶奶这些时心里有些不好。今日一者请吃酒，二者奶奶要同舅爷们谈谈。”二位听见这话，方才来。严致和即迎进厅上。吃过茶，叫小厮进去说了。丫鬟出来请二位舅爷。进到房内，抬头看见他妹子王氏，面黄肌瘦，怯生生的，路也走不全，还在那里自己装瓜子，剥粟子，办围碟。见他哥哥进来，丢了过来拜见。奶妈抱著妾出的小儿子，年方三岁，带著银项圈，穿著红衣服，来叫舅舅。二位吃了茶，一个丫鬟来说：“赵新娘进来拜舅爷。”二位连忙道：“不劳罢。”坐下说了些家常话，又问妹子的病，“总是虚弱，该多用补药”，说罢，前厅摆下酒席，让了出去上席。 |
| The Wang brothers deliberate...: |
A few days later, Yan Da-yu invited the two Wang brothers to a feast to express his gratitude. When they made excuses and would not come, he ordered his servant to tell them that their sister was unwell and wanted to see them too. On hearing this, the two scholars came. Yan Da-yu invited them into the front hall and offered them tea, then told a servant to inform his wife that they had arrived. Presently a maid invited them to Mrs. Yan's room, and they went in. Their sister had grown very pale and thin. She looked too frail to walk, yet she was preparing melon seeds, chestnuts and other sweetmeats for them. When she saw her brothers, she left her work and stepped forward to welcome them; and the nurse brought in the concubine's three-year-old son, in a silver necklet and red suit, to see his uncles.
While they were sipping tea, another maid announced, “The new wife asks permission to pay her respects.”
“We won't disturb her,” the Wang brothers responded politely. Then they sat down for a chat and asked after their sister's illness, urging her, since she was so weak, to take more cordials. While they were talking, a feast was laid in the front hall and they were invited to the table. |
| | 王秀才议... : |
自此以后，王氏的病，渐渐的重将起来。每日四五个医生用药，都是人参、附子，并不见效。看看卧床不起，生儿子的妾在旁侍奉汤药，极其殷勤；看他病势不好，夜晚时，抱了孩子在床脚头坐著哭泣，哭了几回。那一夜道：“我而今只求菩萨把我带了去，保佑大娘好了罢。”王氏道：“你又痴了，各人的寿数，那个是替得的？”赵氏道：“不是这样说。我死了值得甚么；大娘若有些长短，他爷少不得又娶个大娘。他爷四十多岁，只得这点骨血，再娶个大娘来，各养的各疼。自古说：‘晚娘的拳头，云里的日头。’这孩子料想不能长大，我也是个死数，不如早些替了大娘去，还保得这孩子一命！”王氏听了，也不答应。 |
| The Wang brothers deliberate...: |
Mrs. Yan's illness went from bad to worse. Every day four or five doctors came to prescribe expensive cordials for her, but in vain. Soon she was completely bed-ridden, and Concubine Zhao, the mother of the little boy, stayed by her bedside, giving her draughts of medicine and waiting on her hand and foot. After it became clear that the mistress was not going to recover, the concubine brought her child to the foot of the bed every evening and sat there weeping. And one night she said:
“All I pray for now is that Buddha will take me away in your place and let you get well.”
“That's a silly way to talk,” said Mrs. Yan. “Everyone's span of life is fixed. How can you change with someone else?”
“Don't say that,” begged the concubine. “What does my death matter? But if anything happened to you, ma'am, the master would certainly marry again. He is over forty but has only one son; and if he marries again, the new wife will care only for her own children. A stepmother is always cruel. Then my son wouldn't live to grow up, and that would be the death of me. I'd rather die now, instead of you, to save this child's life.”
Mrs. Yan said nothing. |
| | 王秀才议... : |
那一日，早上吃过药，听著萧萧落叶打的窗子响，自觉得心里虚怯，长叹了一口气，把脸朝床里面睡下。赵氏从房外同两位舅爷进来问病，就辞别了到省城里乡试去。严监生叫丫鬟扶起来勉强坐著。王德、王仁道：“好几日不曾看妹丈，原来又瘦了些──喜得精神还好。”严监生请他坐下，说了些恭喜的话，留在房里吃点心，就讲到除夕晚里这一番话，叫赵氏拿出几封银子来；指著赵氏说道：“这到是他的意思，说姐姐留下来的一点东西，送与二位老舅添著做恭喜的盘费。我这病势沉重，将来二位回府，不知可会得著了？我死之后，二位老舅照顾你外甥长大，教他读读书，挣著进个学，免得像我一生，终日受大房里的气！”二位接了银子，每位怀里带著两封，谢了又谢，又说了许多的安慰的话，作别去了。 |
| The Wang brothers deliberate...: |
One morning he had just taken his medicine when he heard the rustle of falling leaves against the window, and felt a fearful premonition. He heaved a long sigh, and turned his face to the wall.
The new wife brought the Wang brothers in to see how he was before they left for the provincial examination. Ordering a maid to help him, Mr. Yan struggled to a sitting position.
“We have not seen you for many days, and now you are thinner than ever,” said the brothers. “It's good, though, that you still look so cheerful.”
Mr. Yan asked them to be seated, wished them success in their coming examination, and offered them refreshments. He told them what had happened on New Year's Eve, and asked his wife to bring in some silver. “This was her idea,” he told them. “She suggested that this small sum of money that my wife left should be given to you for your trip. I am very ill, and don't know if I shall see you again. After my death, I beg you to watch over your nephew as he grows up. Help him to study and pass the prefectural examination, so that he need not be bullied as I have been all my life by my brother.”
Wang De and Wang Ren accepted the silver, each taking two packets. They thanked Mr. Yan profusely, said all they could to comfort him, then took their leave. |
