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Shirley's Essays: Lives - 006: A Little Thing-- Yi Jian Xiao Shi (In English and Chinese)

She is one of the most common Chinese women. Her swarthy skin, simple hair style and rough hands shows that she is from countryside. A three or four years old little girl in an old dress and several baby cats in her little grocer, show that she is a mother who is not rich, but a kind and soft mother.      

I do not know where she is from, I also do not know what is her name, even, I can not remember when she became the little grocer's little boss, but I just be used of there is a little shop there and I can run out to buy a box of salt or a bottle of sauce when I am cooking in a half. And even though in the middle night, after a long long business day in the office, I can buy a box of ice cream, a piece of chocolate or something else that I need.   

Since I started my art, music and English learning, I have been driving home in the noon to work on them in my lunch time. So, I always park my car by her little store and buy some simple food.

Last Friday, I rushed out of my car and asked her to give me 2 box of quick noodle as usual. She first time called me "Big Sister" and she said to me that "you'd better not eat this kind of food so often. It is not good for your health. You'd better to cook some general noodle with two eggs and one tomato. It is very simple, needs not much time, but it is healthy more." Meanwhile, she chose one box of traditional noodle to me.

I accepted her suggestion and this box of needle. This noon, when I was cooking my noodle in my kitchen,   when I realized that this box of noodle is cheaper much more than two boxes of quick noodle, when I thought of that her little daughter who is in a very old dress and thought of that she is living relay on her little business, I suddenly felt there were something touching my heart, made me feel warm and also made me want to write something for the common Chinese woman, even though she do not understand my English and also she will not know the warm that she has brought to me forever...

Yes, this is a world that is full of the breath of money, but, there is still something in this world can not be bought with money. They are just friendship, sincereness and affection... Right ?

--Shirley
Written on Tue Nov 8, 2005

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上个星期五,当我åˆä¸€æ¬¡å†²å‡ºæˆ‘的车,请她给我二包快é¤é¢æ—¶ã€‚她第一次å«æˆ‘“大å§â€ï¼Œå¹¶å¯¹æˆ‘说“你ä¸èƒ½æ€»æ˜¯åƒè¿™ç§ä¸œè¥¿ï¼Œè¿™ä¸åˆ©äºŽä½ çš„å¥åº·ï¼Œä½ åº”当åƒä¸€äº›è¿™æ ·çš„食å“â€ï¼Œè¯´ç€ï¼Œå¥¹æ‹¿å‡ºä¸€åŒ…挂é¢ï¼Œâ€œæ”¾ä¸¤ä¸ªé¸¡è›‹ï¼Œä¸€ä¸ªè¥¿çº¢æŸ¿ï¼Œå¾ˆç®€å•çš„,用ä¸äº†å¤šå°‘时间。â€

我接å—了她的建议,接过了挂é¢ã€‚这天中åˆã€‚当我在厨房里煮ç€æŒ‚é¢æ—¶ï¼Œå½“我æ„识到这包挂é¢è¦æ¯”两包快é¤é¢ä¾¿å®œå¾ˆå¤šçš„时候,当我想到她的那个穿ç€æ—§è£™å­çš„女儿和她è¦ä¾é å¥¹çš„å°ç”Ÿæ„æ¥è¿‡æ´»çš„时候,我çªç„¶è§‰å¾—有什么东西正在触动我的心弦,感到心里热乎乎的。正是从那天开始,我çªç„¶æœ‰äº†ä¸€ç§å†²åŠ¨ï¼Œæƒ³ä¸ºè¿™ä¸ªæ™®é€šçš„中国女人写一点什么,å³ä½¿å¥¹çœ‹ä¸æ‡‚我的英文,å³ä½¿ç”¨å¥¹å¯èƒ½æ°¸è¿œä¸çŸ¥é“她曾带给我的温暖……

是的,这是一个充满了金钱气æ¯çš„世界,但是,在这个世界里,还有一些东西是用金钱买ä¸æ¥çš„,那就是å‹è°Šã€çœŸè¯šå’Œçˆ±...

对å—?

If you have any questions, comments and suggestion, please write to Shirley@ebridge.cn. You are welcomed.

--Shirley
Written and Edited on Tue, Nov 8, 2005