割肝岂能救母

1915年，11岁的邓小平考进了县城唯一的高等小学堂，开始了自己的少年求学生涯。

In 1915, the 11 year old Deng Xiaoping passed the exam to enter the only advanced primary school in the county seat, and begun his career as a boy seeking knowledge.

小学堂离家大约有20多里路，先坐小渡船过一条河，再步行一段路才能到达，他只好在学堂住宿，一周回家一趟。

The primary school was located about ten kilometers from his home, first he had to take a small ferry to pass a river, and then walk again for some distance until he arrived. His only choice was to board at the school, and return home once a week.

有一次，细心的邓小平发现班上李再标同学的座位一直空着，一连好几天没来上课。

Once, the attentive Deng Xiaoping discovered that his classmate Li Zaibiao's seat had been empty for some time, for several days in a row he had not appeared for class.

他知道，李再标的妈妈身体一直不好，常年卧病在床，家中生活十分清苦。平时，邓小平总是积极主动地帮助他补习功课，有时甚至把自己从家里带来的饭分给他一份。把家里给自己购买学习用品的钱省下来给他，好让他从镇子上的小药铺里给母亲多抓一副中药。

He knew that Li Zaibiao's mother condition was very poor, for a whole year she had been in bed sick, and the family was very poor. Normally, Deng Xiaoping would always help him energetically to catch up with the classwork, sometimes he would even share the food he got from home with him. He saved up money he got from home to buy school materials, and gave it to him, to allow him to get some more Chinese medicine from a small shop in the town.

看看空空的座位，邓小平心中一沉，该不会出什么事吧！他一边听老师讲课，一边从练习本里悄悄地撕下一页纸。在上面写了几个字：“李再标同学怎么了？”让周围的同学传给坐在前排的班长。

Looking at the empty seat, Deng Xiaoping's mood sank, maybe something bad has happened! He was listening to the teacher's lecturing, and at the same time quietly ripped a page from his exercise book. On it he wrote a few characters: "How is Li Zaibiao?" He let the surrounding classmates pass it on to the class monitor in the front.

条子很快传了回来，谜底揭开了。

The note quickly returned, and the riddle was solved.

“他出事了，已经向老师请过假了！”

Something bad happened, and has already requested absence from the teacher.

看看“出事”两个字，邓小平急得出了一身汗。

Looking at the two words "something bad", Deng Xiaoping quickly became sweaty all over his body.

下课后，同学们都拥向了班长，询问具体情况。

After class, the classmates gathered around the class monitor, and asked about the details of the situation.

邓小平个子不高，挤不进去，可当他听到“割肝”两个字时，就已经明白了一个大概。

Deng Xiaoping was not very tall, so he could not squeeze in, but when he heard the two words "cutting liver", he understood roughly what it was about.

在私塾，听先生讲老道时，就曾经听过“割肝救母”的故事。

At the school, when the teacher was talking about the old ethics, he already heard the story of "cutting liver to save mother."

当时，他也因为当堂反对这种做法而受到了先生的责难。他一点也没有想到，同样的蠢事会发生在正上新式学堂的李再标同学身上。

At that time, because he opposed this kind of method during the class, he was criticized by the teacher. He never thought the same kind of folly would occur with his classmate Li Zaibiao at the modern-style school.

他决定去开导开导这位多难的同学。

He made up his mind to go over and enlighten his troubled classmate.

放学后，他向老师撒了个谎，说家里有事要回去一趟，就匆匆忙忙地赶往李再标同学家。

After school, he lied to his teacher and said that something happened at home and he had to return, then he hurried over to Li Zaibiao's home.

磕磕绊绊，摸了20多里山路，到李家时夜幕已经降临了。

Stumbling and falling, feeling his way for over ten kilometers, when he arrived to the Li family night had already fallen.

黑乎乎的小屋，靠墙搁着两张小床，一张床上是那位长年有病的母亲，另一张床上便是割肝自伤的李再标。

In the dark little room, two small beds were placed along the wall, on one was the old and sick mother, on the other was Li Zaibiao who had hurt himself by cutting his liver.

一听到有同学来，李再标因羞于自己的行为把脸转向了床里边，老母亲试图坐起来，邓小平连忙奔到床前扶住了她。

As soon as he heard that a classmate had come, Li Zaibiao turned his face towards the bed because he was ashamed of what he had did. His mother tried to sit up, and Deng Xiaoping hurried to her bed to support her.

“大妈，快歇着，快歇着！”

Auntie, please rest!

他一边扶着大妈重新躺下，一边向另一张床上喊：

He was helping auntie to lie down again, and at the same time said towards the other bed:

“再标，怎么样，好点了吧！”

"Zaibiao, how are things, are you feeling better?"

一听是邓小平的声音，李再标从床上坐了起来，邓小平心里更着急，连忙走过去。

As soon as he heard Deng Xiaoping's voice, Li Zaibiao sat up, and Deng Xiaoping became even more worried and quickly walked to him.

“别，别，慢点，慢点！”

"Don't, don't be so quick!"

其实，李再标的轻伤已经好得差不多了，只是对自己的行为感到羞愧，又没有人帮助他，这才卧在床上窝气儿。

Actually, Li Zaibiao's light wound had almost healed already, it was only because of the shame of his actions and because nobody helped him, that he was lying at the bed sulking.

他很快从床上溜下来，看着邓小平，嘴皮动了动，却一句话也没有说。

He quickly got out of bed, looked at Deng Xiaoping, and his mouth started moving but he could not utter a word.

邓小平知道他难为情，就爽朗地笑了笑。

Deng Xiaoping knew he was feeling uncomfortable, and was smiling cheerfully.

“哟，再标，能下床走路了，怎么样？能去学校吗？同学们全都在等着你呢？”边说边把他拉到了屋子外边。

"Oh, Zaibiao, you can come out of bed and walk, how about it? Can you go to school? The classmates are all waiting for you." While he was talking he dragged him out of the house.

月光下，邓小平和李再标并肩坐在小石板上。

In the moonlight, Deng Xiaoping and Li Zaibiao sat shoulder to shoulder on the slab.

“再标，再也别干傻事儿了。我们都上新式学堂了，应该讲科学，割肝怎么能救母呢？”

"Zaibiao, don't do anything foolish like this again. We are all going to a modern school, we should discuss science, how could cutting your liver save your mother?"

“再标，不要担心，太妈的病会好的，只要我们好好读书，她心里高兴，病就很容易好了。”

"Zaibiao, don't worry, your mother's condition will improve, as long as we study well she will feel happy and the disease can be cured easily."

“其实，这也没什么好羞愧的，同学们都会原谅你，都会帮助你的！”

"It's really no use to be ashamed, the classmates will all forgive you, and they will all help you.

“...”

一番话讲得李再标泪如雨下。邓小平用自己的手帕给他擦干了泪，把他带回屋子，就着昏暗的油灯把这几天老师讲的课仔细地又讲了一遍，悄悄地留下自己仅有的一点钱，一个人摸着夜路很晚很晚才回到学校。

What Deng Xiaoping said made Li Zaibiao's tears flow like rain. Deng Xiaoping used his handkerchief to wipe his tears, and led him back into the house. Under the dim oil lamp he carefully went over what the teacher lectured about during the last few days. He secretly left him the little money he got, and went alone to feel his way along the dark road back to school, where he returned very late.

Vocabulary

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