MAy I TreAT you To dInner?

By Mu Er

MAy I TreAT you To dInner?

By Mu Er

I met my husband in autumn, October.

He came to Beijing for short-term study and travel. At that time, I worked in a training center operated by Dutch people. I taught them Chinese and worked as a part-time tour guide during the day. Together,we would go to the Art District, the Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall. We had endless topics to talk about.

Approaching the end of the two weeks, one man came to me and said: “Teacher, do you have a USB? I’ll give you a copy of the photos we took on the tour.”

Browsing the photos, I saw all the photos were of me,apart from a few shots of the landscapes and the group photos.

The Friday before he went back, he came to me asking:“Teacher, may I treat you to dinner individually?”

I said: “Okay, but you can’t let the center know that it is me you will have dinner with.” He thought for a while and came up with an excuse.

I stood at the entry of the metro station, seeing him running toward me with his empurpled face. He said:“This is my first lie. ” Later, I came to know that it was true.

The next day, I went to see him off. He held my hand and asked: “Can I call you and write you emails in the future?”

与先生相识在金秋十月。

他来北京做短期游学，彼时，我在一家荷兰人开的培训中心工作，上午，教他们汉语，兼职做他们的导游。我带他们去过798艺术区、天坛、长城，我跟他总有说不完的话题。

两周快结束的时候，他说：“老师，你有U盘吗？我把这几天的照片拷给你。”

拷来照片，我才发现，里面除了风景和寥寥几张大家的合影外，镜头里都是我。

他在回国前的周五，偷偷问我：“老师，我可以单独请你吃顿饭吗？”

我说：“可以，但不能告诉培训中心，是我跟你一起吃饭。”他想了好久，找了个借口。

我站在地铁口等他，看到他满脸通红地跑过来。他说：“这是我第一次撒谎。”后来，我才知道，那是真的。

第二天，我赶去送他。他握了握我的手，问我：“回去以后，可不可以给你打电话、写邮件？” 我微微一笑：“当然可以啊。”心里想的是：“就这么一说。你们这些老外，我还不知道吗？”

他伸手从我的线衫上小心翼翼地拣起几根我散落的头发，用手指绕起来，打开钱夹，装进侧边的一个小袋里。 我戏谑地笑：“可不可以别这样假啊？谁不知道你们西方人热情开放，尤其是荷兰人。能记得我，做个朋友就好啦。”

I smiled and said: “Sure.” But I didn’t take it seriously, thinking that foreigners all say these words out of courtesy.

He carefully picked up the pieces of hair sticking on my sweater, rolling them up with fingers, opening his wallet and putting the little fluffy ring into a small pocket on the left side.

I said banteringly: “Don’t be so hokey please.I know western people are very sociable,especially Dutch people. I would be very grateful if you remember me as a friend.”

He said with a severe look on his face: “This is prejudice. Have you ever read Pride and Prejudice? You are Elizabeth and I am Darcy. I am stereotyped.” He flushed.

I felt annoyed but amused at the same time.

On my way back, I bought a giant pomelo.That night, when I was watching an American TV series and eating my pomelo, the phone rang.

“Hi, I’m at the Amsterdam airport. The plane landed safely,” he said with a high tone.

“Hi.” I was surprised, not expecting him to call me in such a short time. Hanging up the phone, I started to reminisce about the things happened in the two weeks. “If he is serious,then I’ll just let it be.” I told myself.

The next day when I woke up, in my mailbox was a letter from him, telling me everything was fine and how he missed me. Attached to the letter were two photos he took of me at the airport.

He kept sending me e-mails and text messages. He told me everything he did on a daily basis and text me if he was out. He showed me his sincerity in the most primitive manner.He gave me all his leisure time. He showed me his house in video calls, asking for my advice on the color of the walls. When he bought his new car, he showed me photos of potential cars, asking for my opinion before making the decision.

Later, in my four years in Beijing, he came and visited me 17 times. He saved all his vacation time and came to China. He didn’t bring me much, but he captured my heart in his own way. He kept his phone on 24 hours a day and tried to reply my messages as quickly as possible. Although there were thousands of miles between us, I knew he was always there,waiting for me.

Four years later, I decided to follow him to the other side of the world.

He came and picked me up in China. “You still think foreigners are very frivolous? Do you still view your Mr. Darcy with bias?”

“Yes, I do. You need to prove me wrong with your whole life.” I said stubbornly.

He pinched my nose and answered indulgently: “Fine.”

On the wedding day, I told him when the guests left: “The Dutch vow is too long. Let’s use Chinese and finish it in 16 words: ‘死生契阔，与子成说。执子之手，与子偕老。’ (‘In death or life (we are) separated and far apart;With you I made an agreement: I grasped your hand, Together with you I was to grow old.’)

“It is so beautiful.” I explained to him and he begged me to teach him.

Sleepily, hearing him read “死生契阔，与子成说。执子之手，与子偕老” with his foreign accent, my eyes blurred.

In the past, I’ve gone through many setbacks.My husband has helped me forgive all the obstructions that life imposed on me. He broke all my bias and melted the ice between me and my life. Because of him, I fell in love with the world. ◆

(From Mr.Darcy,Qingdao Publishing House.Translation: Yu Lan.)

他正色道：“这是偏见。你看过《傲慢与偏见》吗？你就是那个伊丽莎白，我好比是达西先生。你对我存在偏见。”他涨红了脸。

真是好气又好笑。

回去的路上，我买了一个大柚子。到了晚上，一部美剧还没看完，柚子刚刚吃了一半，手机响了起来。

“嗨。我在阿姆斯特丹机场。飞机安全降落了。”他语调高昂。“嗨。”我很意外，没料到他会给我打国际长途，而且这么快就有联系。挂掉电话，我开始认真回忆起两周来的点点滴滴。“他若认真，一切就顺其自然吧。”我对自己说。

第二天起床的时候，我的邮箱里，静静躺着他的一封邮件，报平安、表达思念之情，还有两张照片，是在机场的时候，镜头里的我。

从这天开始，他的邮件和短信，再也没有中断过。每天固定汇报行踪，出门在外就短信联系。他用最原始的方法，让我知道他的真心：他把所有的空闲时间留给我。视频电话的时候，他给我看他的房子，问我想要把墙壁刷成什么颜色；他换车的时候，先拍车子的照片，让我给建议。

后来，我在北京的4年里，他看了我17次。他把所有的假期攒起来，来了中国。他并没有给我买多贵重的礼物，但他用他的方式俘获了我的心。24小时开机，尽量秒回我的信息。虽然远隔千山万水，但我知道，他始终在那里等着我。

4年以后，我终于决定追随他，远赴天涯。

他来中国接我：“你现在还觉得老外都很随便吗？还对你的达西先生有偏见吗？”

“还有，你要用一生证明给我看。”我固执地说。

他捏了捏我的鼻子，嗔怪地说：“好。”

婚礼那天，宾客散尽，我说：“荷兰语的结婚誓言那么长，用我们中文，16个字搞定：‘死生契阔，与子成说。执子之手，与子偕老。’”

“太美了。”我解释给他听，他缠着要我教他读。

睡眼蒙眬中，听着他洋腔怪调地读着“死生契阔，与子成说。执子之手，与子偕老”。我鼻子一酸，眼睛湿润了。

过去的岁月里，我经历许多挫折，先生的出现让我原谅了生活对我所有的刁难。他用实际行动瓦解了我的偏见，冰释我对生活的前嫌。因为他，我爱上这个世界。◆

（摘自《世间唯有我的达西先生》 青岛出版社）

我可以请你吃顿饭吗

文/沐儿