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

  å¥¹æ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªæœ€æ™®é€šçš„中国女人，她é»�黑的肤色ã€�简å�•çš„å�‘å¼�和粗糙的å�Œæ‰‹ï¼Œè¯´æ˜Žå¥¹æ�¥è‡ªå†œæ�‘，而她身边的那个三ã€�å››å²�çš„ã€�ç©¿ç�€ä¸€ä»¶æ—§è£™å­�å°�姑娘，和那几å�ªåˆšåˆšå‡ºç”Ÿçš„å°�猫，则显示出她是一个并ä¸�富有ã€�然而善良温柔的æ¯�亲。

     æˆ‘ä¸�知é�“她从哪里æ�¥ï¼Œæˆ‘也ä¸�知é�“她的å��字。甚至，我ä¸�知é�“她是从什么时候开始ç»�è�¥è¿™ä¸ªå°�店。我已ç»�习惯于有那个å°�店在那里，让我å�¯ä»¥åœ¨å�šé¥­å�šåˆ°ä¸€å�Šæ—¶ï¼Œçª�然想起æ�¥è·‘出去买一包ç›�或一瓶酱油；å�³ä½¿æ˜¯åœ¨å�ˆå¤œï¼Œåœ¨åŠžå…¬å®¤é‡Œå·¥ä½œäº†é•¿é•¿çš„一天之å�Žï¼Œæˆ‘å�¯ä»¥ä¹°ä¸€ç›’冰淇淋，一å�—巧克力或者其它什么我需è¦�的东西。

自从我开始学习艺术�音�和英语，�天中�我都开车回家，利用�休时间画画�弹�或者�点其它的什么事。所以，我总会在她的�店��一下，买些简�的食�回家。

上个星期五，当我�一次冲出我的车，请她给我二包快��时。她第一次�我“大��，并对我说“你�能总是�这�东西，这�利于你的�康，你应当�一些这样的食��，说�，她拿出一包挂�，“放两个鸡蛋，一个西红柿，很简�的，用�了多少时间。�

我接�了她的建议，接过了挂�。这天中�。当我在厨房里煮�挂�时，当我�识到这包挂��比两包快��便宜很多的时候，当我想到她的那个穿�旧裙�的女儿和她���她的�生��过活的时候，我�然觉得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�然有了一�冲动，想为这个普通的中国女人写一点什么，�使她看�懂我的英文，�使用她�能永远�知�她曾带给我的温暖……

是的，这是一个充满了金钱气�的世界，但是，在这个世界里，还有一些东西是用金钱买��的，那就是�谊�真诚和爱...

对�？

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