小小说丨犯点傻

2016-09-08 15:17:52 [来源:新湖南客户端] [责编:吴名慧]
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犯 点 傻

Be a Little Thick-headed

戴希

Dai Xi

 

马新朝和马萧萧父子在小城开了家服装店。

The father and son Ma Xinchao and Ma Xiaoxiao opened a clothes shop in a small city.

起初,生意说不上好,但亦能勉强维持。父子俩守着这家服装店,不慌不忙,倒也潇洒自在。

At the very beginning, their business was not very brisk, being only healthy enough for them to survive. Keeping the shop rolling on, father and son lived an unhurried, handsome and carefree life.

一天,有位满头银发的老人精神矍铄地走进服装店。

One day, an old man who was silvery-haired and hale and hearty entered their shop.

“老板,这件西装是前天我过生日,儿子特意买了送给我的。今天试穿才发现,袖口有点破了,你能帮我换一件吗?”老人从手提袋里掏出一件西装,试图递给正在经营生意的马萧萧。

“Boss, my son bought this suit jacket especially for me for my birthday, which was the day before yesterday. But today when I tried it on, I found out that the sleeve was a little torn. Would you please exchange it for another one?” The old man produced a suit jacket from his handbag and meant to hand it to Ma Xiaoxiao who was absorbed in the middle of his business.

刚要递出,老人忽然想起什么,又把手缩了回来。他再次查看那个袖口,发现只是脱了点线,简单补几针就好,犯不着麻烦店里,便红着脸说:“其实也无大碍,算了,还是不换了。”

The moment when he got ready to hand it over, the old man again retracted his hand as if he had thought of something. He examined the sleeve again and found out that only a few stitches were missing. Simply several swishes of the needle would do the job. There was no need to trouble the boss. Therefore, he said again with a reddened face: “In fact, there is nothing serious. Leave it at that. There is no need to change it.”

马萧萧松了口气。

Ma Xiaoxiao heaved a sigh of relief.

老人转过身子,正要出店。马新朝却若有所思地直奔过来。

The old man turned around and got ready to leave. Ma Xinchao, however, went directly to him as if something was on his mind.

“老人家,您来这里也不容易。让我看看您的西装?”马新朝温和地招呼老人。

“Aged gentleman, it is not easy for you to come here. Let me take a look at your suit jacket?” Ma Xinchao greeted the old man amiably.

“线头脱了,说明还是有问题。这样吧,”看过那件西装,马新朝毅然吩咐马萧萧说,“你立马领老人家去换,一定要选好的,尽量让老人家满意。”说完,便把老人的西装轻轻放进衣柜。

“Several stitches are missing, but it is still a problem. Let’s settle it this way.” After having inspected the suit jacket, Ma Xinchao ordered Ma Xiaoxiao firmly, “You escort the aged gentleman to change. You must single out the best one and try to satisfy him as much as possible.” With these words, he stowed the old man’s suit jacket away in the wardrobe gently.

老人换好西装,笑呵呵地走了。

After changing into another suit jacket, the old man left all smiles.

马萧萧却撅着嘴,愁眉不展。

Ma Xiaoxiao, however, pursed his lips and wrinkled his brow out of worry.

“爸,别人都准备走了,你干嘛还追上去,非得给他换呢?”

“Father, he had already gotten ready to leave. Why did you still catch up and change another one for him?”

马新朝微微一笑:“老人家既然来了,为什么不让他满意而归?虽然那西装只有很小很小的问题,又不是我们的问题!”

Ma Xinchao smiled. “Since the old gentleman has come, why don’t we allow him to go back satisfied? Though the suit jacket only has a small problem and by the way, it is not our problem!”

“不是我们的问题?”马萧萧大惊。

“It’s not our problem?” Ma Xiaoxiao was greatly surprised.

“是啊!”马新朝有意从衣柜里取出那件西装,“你看,我们没卖过这种品牌吧?”他翻出西装的招牌,让马萧萧看个明白。

“Yeah!” Ma Xinchao took out that suit jacket from the wardrobe. “Look, we have never sold clothes with this brand name?” He showed the brand name of the suit jacket for Ma Xiaoxiao to have a clear look.

这不看不打紧,一看,马萧萧更是丈二的和尚,摸不着头脑!

It didn’t matter if he didn’t take a look. After a glance, Ma Xiaoxiao felt in complete dark, as if he was struggling to reach up and touch the head of a twelve-foot-high statue of Vajrapani!

“爸,我明白了,那老头压根儿不是我们的顾客,他的西装根本就不是我们出售的。既然如此,你干嘛还佯装不知,一定要我给他调换?这不是犯傻吗?”

“Father, I get it now. The old man was not our customer from the very start and his suit jacket was not sold by us at all. Since it was like this, why did you still pretend that you knew nothing about it and persisted in changing for him? Wasn’t your head a little thick?”

“不错!”马新朝依然微微一笑,“生意人犯点傻,也许能凝聚人气和财气哩!不信你等着瞧,老人家甚至老人家一家子都可能成为咱服装店的常客呢!”

“Yeah!” Ma Xinchao still smiled. “By being a little thick-headed, a businessman might win popularity and accumulate luck in making big money! If you don’t believe, just wait and see. The old man and even his family might become our regular customers!”

“父亲邪了!”马萧萧心想,头禁不住摇得像风中的树叶。

“Father must have been possessed by evil!” Ma Xiaoxiao thought, his head shaking like tree leaves in the wind.

可出乎意料,第二天,那老人就迫不及待地来了。

However, he had never expected that the next day the old man would come back again in a hurry.

“老板,真不好意思,只怪我看走了眼。我的西装儿子是在新汇服装店买的,你这是新江服装店。而且,你换给我的西装,牌子比我那件好多了。所以,……”老人一进门就忙不迭地道歉。

“Boss, I am really sorry. My dim old eyes are entirely to blame. My suit jacket was bought by my son at New Convergence Clothes Shop but yours is New River Clothes Shop. What’s more, the new suit jacket you swapped for me was of a much better brand. So, …” The old man apologised repeatedly from the moment he stepped in.

马萧萧十分惊喜,准备取出那件西装和老人调换。正要去开衣柜,马新朝又满面春风地走过来。

Pleasantly surprised, Ma Xiaoxiao got ready to take out that suit jacket to change theirs back. When he got ready to open the wardrobe, Ma Xinchao again walked over with a beaming face.

“慢!”马新朝朝马萧萧一摆手,然后转向那老人,“老人家,换了就换了,何必反反复复?只要您满意,我们就高兴。不要再把这事放在心上,回去吧,就当我们交个朋友。怎样?”

“Wait!” He waved his hand at Ma Xiaoxiao and then turned to the old man. “Aged gentleman, the suit jacket has been changed and that’s that. Why change it back again? As long as you feel satisfied, we are happy. Put it out of your mind. Go back with the thought that we are friends already. What do you think?”

老人一愣:“这……”

The old man didn’t know what had hit him. “This …”

“不好吗?”马新朝十二分的诚恳。

“Isn’t that good enough?” Ma Xinchao was one hundred and twenty per cent sincere.

老人感激不尽地走了。

The old man left with profuse gratitude.

马萧萧又是一头雾水。

Ma Xiaoxiao was again in a fog.

“爸,人家发现不是我们的问题,都主动上门道歉了,你干嘛还劝人家不换?我们不是眼睁睁地吃大亏了?你为什么一而再地犯傻呀?”马萧萧几乎发怒了。

“Father, he had found out that it was not our problem and come here to apologise. Why did you still persuade him that there was no need to exchange it? Didn’t we make a loss with our eyes wide open? Why must you be so thick-headed again?” Ma Xiaoxiao almost lost his temper.

马新朝依然心平气和:“我说过,犯点傻能凝聚人气和财气。也许,老人家和老人家一家子还真能成为我们的常客哩!不信,你等着瞧。”

Ma Xinchao was still in a good-humoured and tranquil state of mind. “I have said: a little thick-headedness can win popularity and gather luck in making a fortune. Perhaps the old man and his family will become our regular customers! If you don’t believe, just wait and see.”

马萧萧觉得滑稽,便用一种异样的眼光久久地打量着父亲。

Feeling it funny, Ma Xiaoxiao regarded his father for long with strange eyes.

说来也怪,一周后,那老人又兴冲冲地来了,而且带着自己的三个儿女。

Strangely enough, one week later the old man again arrived in a good mood. Moreover, he also brought his three children with him.

这回,不只那老人,连老人的三个儿女也二话不说,每人买了一套西装,都是名牌的,还不和店里讨价还价。

This time, not only the old man but also his three children each bought one suit apiece without saying anything – all brand names – and they didn’t haggle.

马萧萧服了。

Ma Xiaoxiao was convinced.

自此,新江服装店的生意越做越大、越来越红火。

From then on, the business of New River Clothes Shop had picked up and boomed.

马新朝过世后,马萧萧做起服装店的老板。他也学着当年父亲的口吻,对儿子马先发说:“生意人犯点傻,也许能凝聚人气和财气哩!不信,你等着瞧!”

After Ma Xinchao passed away, Ma Xiaoxiao became the boss of the clothes shop. Mimicking his father’s tone of voice, he lectured his son Ma Xianfa: “By being a little thick-headed, a businessman might win popularity and gain luck in making big money! If you don’t believe, just wait and see!”


(原载《芒种》2013年第9期(上半月), 转载于《小小说选刊》2013年第19期、《微型小说选刊》2013年第22期, 选入《2013年中国小小说精选》、《快捷语文·时文美文阅读训练中考NO.1》

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