发 现

The Discovery

戴希

Dai Xi

我们家的贵宾犬小宝真的聪明可爱!我只说一点，在家里，它总是自己上卫生间拉屎拉尿。有时，卫生间的门关着，里面有人，它就站得笔溜儿直，扬起两只前爪在门外敲门，或急或缓，或轻或重。如果敲得急而重，那肯定是它憋不住了，让里面的人快点出来;如果敲得缓而轻，则是告诉里面的人，它正在外面等候。

Our poodle Little Darling was really smart and cute! I only wanted to prove this using one example. At our home, he always went to the bathroom to relieve himself. If the bathroom was occupied with the door shut, standing bolt straight, he would raise his two forepaws to knock on the door from outside, sometimes rapidly sometimes slowly, sometimes gently and sometimes hard. If the knocking was rapid and hard, that meant he was almost bursting and the occupant should get out quickly; if the knocking was slow and gentle, he was telling the occupant that he was waiting outside.

不仅如此，我们带它去亲戚朋友家，一进家门，它也首先在屋子里嗅来嗅去。干吗?找卫生间呗!找到卫生间，等要上时，就自己不动声色地前往。上完，一样用前爪在卫生间门外的地板上擦擦，弄出嗞嗞嗞的声响，提醒我们它已在里面方便了，快帮它冲洗冲洗。冲洗过后，它会人一样站立，两只前爪像手一样抱拳，毕恭毕敬地给你“作揖”，那是深表感谢之意。

Moreover, when we brought him to a relative’s or a friend’s home, the moment he entered the door, he sniffed at here and there in the house first. What’s he doing? Looking for the bathroom! After he had found the bathroom, he would go there calmly when he needed to do his business. After he had done his business, he would scratch the floor before the door of the bathroom with his front paws as usual. The scratching sound reminded us that he had relieved himself in there and that we should help him flush the toilet. After the toilet was flushed, he would stand up like a man and clasp his forepaws like human hands to “bow” to you with great respect and to thank you very much.

经常这样，我和妻白天外出上班，只能把小宝关在家中。下班一回来，我们就匆匆去卫生间，看看小宝拉屎拉尿没。如果拉了，便赶紧冲洗干净。

My wife and I needed to go out to work in the daytime and had to lock our Little Darling in at home. After coming back from work, we would hurry to the bathroom to see if he had done a boom-boom or a wee-wee. If he had, we would quickly flush the lavatory clean.

有次下班回家，我们上卫生间一看，里面清清爽爽的。妻便进厨房准备做晚饭。可这时，妻闻到了一股刺鼻的尿臊味。寻味觅去，很快发现小宝在厨房内靠墙边的一角拉过尿。

One day after coming back home after work, we went to the bathroom to check it out. It was clear and clean in there. My wife then entered the kitchen and got ready to cook supper. However, at this time, her nose picked up a stream of pungent urine smell. Tracing the source of the smell, she soon found out that Little Darling had released a pool of urine in one corner of the kitchen.

“小宝，你过来!”妻有点火，但强忍着。小宝应声而至。

“Little Darling, come over here!” My wife was a little angry, but she fought it back. Little Darling came before her words had died.

妻指指墙边的尿渍，故意问：“小宝，这是谁拉的尿啊?你怎么糊涂了，不知道拉在卫生间呢?”

Pointing at the urine stains on the wall, my wife enquired pointedly: “Little Darling, whose handiwork is this? Why have you become muddle-headed and forgotten that you should do it in the bathroom?”

小宝瞥一眼墙边的尿渍，眼一闭，立即耷拉下头，那模样就像坏人在低头认罪似的。

Casting a glance at the urinary stains at the wall, Little Darling shut his eyes and ducked his head like a bad guy, keeping his head so low as if to acknowledge his crime.

妻想，小宝应该已认识到自己的严重错误，会好好改正了，就不再教训它。

Thinking that Little Darling should have already realised his serious mistake and would mend his ways, my wife no longer lectured him.

此后一段时间，小宝真又规矩了。

During the period that followed, Little Darling would surely start to behave well again.

“看来，这鬼东西会听话，知错就改!”妻赞叹。

“Look, the rascal is obedient and makes good his way as long as he knows that he has made a mistake!” My wife sighed and sang his praises.

我说：“是啊!咱小宝通人性，乖巧哩!”

I agreed: “Yeah! Our Little Darling is intelligent and docile!”

那天吃过晚饭，我和妻要去朋友家谈事。小宝看我们在更衣，便机智地盯着，蹦蹦跳跳又寸步不离地跟随我们。它特别喜欢我们带它外出蹓跶或串门。

Another day after supper, my wife and I needed to go to a friend’s home to talk about some business. Seeing that we were changing our clothes, Little Darling stared at us smartly and, scampering along, followed us closely. It was his favourite activity to be brought out by us to take a stroll or to drop by.

走到大门口，妻却转过身子，蹲下去对它说：“小宝，外面正在刮风下雨，带你出去很不方便。你就好好待在家里，我们办完事就回!”

When we reached the door, my wife, however, turned around, crouched down and said to him: “Little Darling, it is windy and rainy outside and very inconvenient to bring you with us. You must stay at home and be a good boy. We will come back as soon as we have finished our business!”

小宝听了就一屁股端坐地上，眼巴巴地目送我们。

Hearing this, Little Darling sat down hard on the floor and saw us off with a longing gaze.

从朋友那儿返回，妻又发现厨房一角有小宝拉过的尿渍。不禁大动肝火：“小宝，你过来!我问你，怎么好不了几天，又把尿拉在厨房里了?你怎么变蠢啦?”想了想，又话锋一转，“哦，不对，你不会变蠢，肯定在存心发泄不满，报复我们没带你外出蹓跶是吧?”

After coming back from our friend’s home, my wife again found urine stains left by Little Darling in one corner of the kitchen. She couldn’t help losing her temper: “Little Darling, come over here! Let me ask you: Why couldn’t you behave well for several days and why did you wee in the kitchen again? Why have you become stupid?” On second thoughts, she changed the thrust of her blame. “Oh, no. You won’t become stupid. You must have done that on purpose to give vent to your dissatisfaction because we haven’t taken you out for a stroll?”

闻到火药味的小宝，像顽皮的孩子闯了大祸，赶紧一溜烟地钻到床底下，躲起来，怎么喊它也不出来。

Picking up the smell of gunpowder, Little Darling hurriedly crawled under the bed to hide like a naughty boy who had started big trouble and wouldn’t come out no matter how much he was urged.

妻拿起竹扫帚要打它。我说算了吧，小宝毕竟是条小狗，看它也像小孩一样，怪可怜的。

My wife picked up the bamboo broom and meant to beat him. I persuaded: “Spare him. Anyhow, Little Darling is only a puppy and looks like a child – so pitiable.”

妻说可怜?它这是存心跟我们过不去呀!下次要再这样，看我不揍扁它!

“Pitiable?” my wife retorted. “He did that on purpose to spite us! Do it again next time and see if I give him a good thrashing or not!”

我知道妻这是在有意警告小宝，便轻轻走到床边，对躲在床底下的小宝说：“小宝听话，下次讲卫生噢!”

Knowing that my wife was warning Little Darling on purpose, I walked over to the bed gently and sweet-talked Little Darling who was hiding under there: “Be a good boy, Little Darling. Pay attention to personal hygiene next time.”

小宝“唔唔唔”了几声，仍趴在床下，躲着不出来。

Little Darling hummed and hawed several times but still crouched down under the bed and refused to get out.

这之后，小宝长了记性，知道拉屎拉尿只能上卫生间了。

From that time onwards, Little Darling, having been taught a lesson, knew that he should only go to the bathroom to relieve himself.

又一个风雨天。我们下班回家，发现它又把尿拉在了厨房一角。

It was another windy and rainy day. After we had come back home after work, we found out that he had pissed in one corner of the kitchen again.

这下妻暴跳如雷，操起一只长竹竿就要追打。小宝惶恐不已，赶紧一溜烟地躲进床底下。

In a towering rage, my wife snatched up a long bamboo pole to chase after him. Terror-stricken, Little Darling hid under the bed like a wisp of smoke.

妻不肯罢手，攥紧长竹竿就在床底下一番横扫，直疼得小宝“汪汪汪”地惨叫，末了又“呜呜呜”地哭泣。

Unwilling to give up, my wife gripped the long bamboo pole tight and swept it horizontally under the bed. Little Darling yapped miserably in his pain and then whimpered.

我看得实在心软，便一把夺过妻手中的长竹竿，说：“算了算了，它怎么也是条小狗，教训了就行了!”

My heart softened, I snatched the long bamboo pole out from my wife’s hands and persuaded: “OK, OK, anyhow he is still a puppy. Teach him a lesson and that will be enough!”

“好吧!”妻气哄哄的，“事不过三，下回再这样，我一定要把它撵出去，不养了!”我没吭声。

“OK!” My wife was still rather angry. “You can’t overstep the mark more than three times. If he does that again, I will surely drive him out and won’t keep him!” I didn’t say anything.

这个星期天，又是风雨大作。我在家写篇动物传奇小说。写着写着写累了，便想走出去透透气。等我刚出房间，就发现小宝正在卫生间门口：先推门，门不开;便敲，没有回音;再用力猛推，门还是未动。情急之下，它一个转身，准备又去厨房方便。

This Sunday, a strong wind with heavy rains whipped up again. I was writing a story about the animals at home. In the middle of my writing, I felt tired and went out for some fresh air. When I stepped out of my room, I spotted that Little Darling was at the door to the bathroom. The first time he pushed the door wouldn’t open. Then he knocked; there was no response. Next he pushed hard; the door still wouldn’t budge. In a moment of desperation, he turned around and got ready to go to the kitchen to pass water again.

目睹此景，我立马叫住小宝：“小宝，你要上厕所吗?”小宝就眼巴巴地望着我，哼哼示意。

Catching sight of that, I immediately called him to a halt: “Little Darling, do you need to use the bathroom?” Little Darling then gazed pitiably at me and signalled me to help by “Humphing!”

事不宜迟!我赶紧直奔过去，帮它推门。起初，我用力小了，门未推动;接着，我使劲一推，门才打开。

There was no time to lose! I dashed over there to help him push the door open. The first time, I did not use enough strength and the door wouldn’t budge. Next, I exerted myself to push and the door opened!

门一开，小宝便如离弦之箭，冲进卫生间，哗哗哗地拉尿。

The moment the door was opened, Little Darling darted in like an arrow that had been released from the bowstring and urinated with a splashing sound.

我侧身站在门口，背抵着门，等小宝拉完。小宝拉完后，摇头摆尾从卫生间出来，我才闪进去冲洗卫生间。我一进去，风又把门给关上了。冲洗了卫生间，要拉开门出来时，我再次感到，从窗口吹来的风力还真大。你用力不狠，根本就打不开。

I stood sideways to prop the door open with my back. After Little Darling had taken care of his bathroom duties and gone out with his head shaking and his tail wagging, I went in to flush it. The moment I stepped in, the wind clamped the door shut again. After I flushed the toilet and got ready to pull the door open to go out, I felt once again that the wind blowing in from the window was really strong. If I didn’t use enough strength, I would never have been able to open the door.

可小宝呢?小宝分明只是条小狗，它有多大的力啊?

Yet, what about Little Darling? By all indications he was only a puppy so how strong could he be expected to be?

“看来，小宝上卫生间拉屎拉尿的习惯并没改。”我忽然想：“虽然偶尔，它也把尿拉在厨房里，但那一定是卫生间里风力过大，把门堵紧了，它实在推不开，内急又迫不得已，才……而那几次，刚好也是风雨天啊!”

“It seems that Little Darling hasn’t changed his habit of going to the toilet to relieve himself.” It clicked suddenly. “Though he had an accident in the kitchen, that must be because the wind in the bathroom was too strong and clamped the door tight shut. He would never have been able to push it open no matter how hard he tried. Feeling fit to burst, he had to … It also happened to be windy and rainy on those few occasions!”

刻不容缓地，我把自己的发现告诉妻子。妻子说：“对啊，那几次正是风雨天，家里又没人帮它!哎，哎，哎，我们错怪小宝，让它受委屈了!我这个人啦，怎么遇事就冲动任性，头脑丁点儿不冷静呢?”

I shared my discovery with my wife straightaway. My wife agreed: “Yeah, it was windy and rainy those times and there was nobody home to help him! Ah, ah, ah, we have blamed Little Darling mistakenly and wronged him! A woman like me, why must I be rash and wilful but never calm-minded whenever I run into something?”

这样说着，妻的眼角不知怎么有了泪。

While she was blaming herself like this, tears unconsciously appeared in the corners of her eyes.

我笑，眼里也有泪光闪烁。

I smiled and tears were also sparkling in my eyes.

(原载《天池小小说》2015年第11期，转载于《小说选刊》2015年第12期，选入《2016中国好小说·微小说卷》)