扶 贫
The Poverty-Alleviation
戴 希
Dai Xi
高低毕业于清水小学。毕业后在沿海打工，经过几年积攒，袋子鼓胀起来。听说清水小学还像先前那样贫困潦倒，高低心里难受，决定对母校开展一次扶贫。
Gao Di graduated from the Fresh Water Primary School. After his graduation he went to a coastal province and found a job there. The accumulated dividends of several years caused his walletto swell. When he heard that the Fresh Water Primary School was still as poor and ill-fated as ever before and felt his heart aching, he decided to go back there to help alleviate the poverty.
那天秋高气爽。一大早，校长和几位校领导就守候在校门口，翘首迎接高低光临。来到校门口，与校长和几位校领导一一握手、拥抱，又在他们满面春风的陪同下，大步走进少先队员清越嘹亮的号鼓声中，大步走过学校操坪上手舞鲜花夹道欢迎的师生队列，高低感觉自己就像千里迢迢来访的外国元首。在操坪上，校长还发表了热情洋溢的欢迎辞，把个高低感动得不知如何是好。欢迎仪式过后，校长又毕恭毕敬地把高低迎进校会客室。会客室内虽然桌椅破烂不堪，但上面仍摆满了各类水果和易拉罐饮料，都是校长专门派人从几十里远的县城买的。校长热情好客，不时将水果和饮料送到高低手中，同时下意识地向高低介绍学校的贫困景况。整整一个上午，高低就像坐在针尖上。好不容易挨到中午，高低想去不远的镇上吃碗米粉，但校长横竖不肯，一定要请他去镇上吃顿快餐，还说已叫好几位校领导和喝酒海量的老师相陪。他拗不过，去了。快餐的丰盛大大超出他的想象：满桌的野鸭、野兔和野山羊等，还配有名烟、名酒和名茶。他实在不忍享用，说这顿饭不知又可资助多少失学儿童，或者使学校更新多少黑板和桌椅。校长却说话可不能这样讲，你来学校扶贫给学校增光添彩，再穷不能穷招待，再穷不能穷感情，饭还得吃好，酒还得喝好，烟还得用好。云云。吃完饭结账，餐费竟高达867元!高低心头一紧，说不清酒下肚了是啥滋味。校长还要约高低玩几场“跑符”，高低不从，婉言相拒。
It was a fine autumn day with clear crisp air. Early in the morning, the headmaster and several other school leaders were waiting at the school gate with craning necks. Upon arriving, Gao Di shook hands with each one and hugged them. Then, escorted by the beaming hosts, Gao Di strode forward to the clear melodious trumpet and drum music from the Communist Youth League, and again crossed the playground flanked by the flower-waving teachers and students – Gao Di felt that he was a visiting foreign monarch from one thousand miles away. On the playground, the headmaster delivered a passionate speech of welcome, which moved Gao Di so much he didn’t know what to do. After the welcoming ceremony, the headmaster escorted him to the guest room with all sincerity. Though the desks and chairs in there were broken and creaky, on top of the desks were all kinds of fruits and canned drinks – all bought from the county city dozens of miles away by the man dispatched there especially by the headmaster. The headmaster was particularly hospitable. While handing the fruits and drinks to Gao Di in succession, he subconsciously introduced the difficulties faced by the school. Throughout the morning, Gao Di felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. At long last noon came. He wanted to go to the not so distant town centre for a bowl of rice noodles, but the headmaster would never agree, persisting in standing him a simple meal in the town centre and saying that several other school leaders as well as some heavy-drinking teachers would keep him company. Unable to decline, Gao Di went together with them. The “simple” meal was sumptuous beyond his imagination: the table was groaning with wild duck, wild hare and wild goat as well as with brand-name cigarettes, liquor and tea. Never able to find the heart to enjoy them, Gao Di yammered on about how many children that dropped out of school because of poverty might be patronized by this meal or how many blackboards and desks and chairs might be bought for the school. The headmaster, nonetheless, retorted, “You can never talk like that because your generosity in the cause of alleviating our poverty has brought us honour. No matter how poor we might be, we should never treat a guest poorly and no matter how poor we might be, we should never treat our affection poorly. Therefore, just eat well, drink well and smoke well,” and blah, blah, blah. After the meal they went to pay the bill. 867.00 yuan! Feeling his heart contract, Gao Di forgot what the liquor in his stomach tasted like. The headmaster again invited him to play several rounds of sliver cards. Gao Di, this time, declined.
走时，高低忐忑不安，面露难色：“感谢母校给我如此盛情的款待，可我准备捐赠的却只是20盒粉笔，价值不足100元啦!”说着十分小心地打开肩上的挎包。
Gao Di felt rather uneasy when he asked for leave. “Thanks for the square meal,” he said with an embarrassed face. “But all I was going to donate was 20 boxes of chalk. They are worth no more than 100 yuan!” While speaking like this, he opened the handbag on his shoulder cautiously.
校长仍坦然受之，十分感激：“千里送鹅毛，礼轻情义重。上次三毛来学校扶贫，捐赠的只有10来盒粉笔呢，还有二蛋、马非、黑虎他们……学校一样给予了盛情款待呀!”说着拍拍高低的肩膀，“只要你心里还有母校，欢迎你再来母校扶贫!”
The headmaster took them over. “A swan feather sent from one thousand miles away – a small gift it is but the affection shall always stay.” Gratitude was written all over his face. “Last time when Third Hair came to alleviate our poverty, he donated only a dozen or so boxes. And moreover therewere Second Egg, Ma Fei and Black Tiger and so on … But we also gave each of them a special treat!” After that was said, he slapped Gao Di’s shoulder. “As long as you still have your mother school in your heart and want to do something for her, you are always welcome!”
“再来母校扶贫?”握着校长温暖肥厚的双手，高低心里很痛、很苦也很酸楚，但他还是笑了，笑得并不难看。
“Come to alleviate the poverty again?” Holding the headmaster’s warm fleshy hands, Gao Di felt his heart painful, bitter as well as sour. But he still smiled – a not that ugly a smile.
