好朋友（中英雙語版）: Best Friends (English-Chinese Bilingual Edition)

By Gwen Li and 余國英

本書集結旅美華裔女作家余國英女士發表的十一篇散文，中英雙語對照；其中《好朋友》也榮獲"天津老年文學一等獎"。閱讀，是最好的學習，余國英的文采充滿幽默風趣，她的作品字裡行間無不閃現著幽默才華；將中西方文化與生活上的點滴，用中文、英文雙語精確表達，讓人會心一笑。十一篇文章，篇篇含蓄雋永，妙筆生花，引人入勝，令人不禁莞爾。

◎作者自敘◎

自序

在美國居住已經超過半世紀，一直用中文的繁體字及簡体字來書寫中國同胞在美國異鄉的故事, 因為中文是我這在中國出生的人的第一文字啊!

據兒子和媳婦說，有幾次，他們在餐館吃飯，餐館的經理或服務員居然跑過來對他們說：「昨天的某某報紙或某某雜誌看見你們家奶奶的文章，裡

• Language: 中文
• Publisher: EHGBooks
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647843342

Book preview

Thank You

To reach more potential English readers, I have translated some of my published Chinese articles into English. I certainly have to admit that English is not my first language! It does need a lot of editing to make the reader enjoy the articles!

Whom should I ask to do this unprofitable job? Since I don't have any money to pay for their hard work?

For fear of too many pieces may take too much of their time, to reduce the burden of each person's work, I have asked more than one of my dearest friends or relatives to share the editing work.

Again, I am incredibly grateful to my dearest friends or relatives;

1,Adela Karliner, In-law, college English professor, Retired lawyer.

2, Sandy Chin, Friend, Specialist in Special Education.

3,Descartes Li, son, Vice Chair for Education and Professor of UCSF.

4, Wendy Chou, niece, Environmental Worker.

5, Ruth Yen, niece, Librarian.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all five of them for the time, effort, and knowledge they have taken to polish my work!     

I have received many phone calls and e-mails to congratulate me upon the publishing of  my first English and Chinese book of , <家有六仟金>, and wish that I could proudly pronounce that my dearest readers Well received my first book.  However, I especially appreciated so much that some of my best readers pointed out all the incorrectly written or mispronounced characters. 

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, at the government's behest, coupled with the actual needs, we practice staying at home policy for the whole of 2020 year. However, cooking more food to eat would make us fat. Watching TV all day long was such strenuous to our eyesight. Turning too many times in our Aerial garden, we certainly would make those seagulls dizzy, and they almost fell from the balcony!

What should one do? Ah, compile the second book! In the second bilingual book of , <好朋友>, I guarantee that I have been conscientious about making the same mistakes again!  I feel so blessed and grateful!

I have always thought that all the readers in the world are my friends and those who are willing to read my novels written with sweat and tears in Chinese, or are ready to read my dear editors worked over my English articles, are also my favorite best friends!

I sincerely ask my best friends to go online to snap up all my works:

www.amazon.com/author/gwen.li

感謝

為了不讀中文的讀者們，我把自己在中文報章雜誌上的短文翻譯成英文，因為英文是我的第二語言，就央求那些英文修養比較好的親戚朋友們，替我把英文文章编輯一下之後，不定期的轉寄給大家請求指點和纠正，沒有想到數年下來，竟然累積了不少成品，真是太高興太感謝了！

唯恐太打擾工作繁忙的親戚朋友們，為了要把每人工作擔子減輕一些，所以請求了不止一位來改正編輯，以期減輕各人的工作量，這些人按次序排列，包括：

1，柯艾達，親家，律師及英文教授。

2，秦珊蒂，好友，特殊教育者。

3，李德康，兒子，心理系副主任醫師及教授。

4，周文婷，姨姪女，環境工作者。

5，顏如詩，外甥女，圖書館理員。

6，柯麗雅，媳婦，內科醫師教授。

7，李維珍，孫女，大學畢業。

2021年三月，第一本中英文版的 ，<家有六仟金> 終於由漢世纪出版社出版了！

在此，我誠懇地向上述各位致以深深的謝意，因為佔用了他們寶貴的時間，心力以及他們的知識，而且沒有薪酬，才能有這麼多的成績。

嘻，本望能用好評如潮做評價，以期達到以魚目來混珍珠的目的，雖有讀者及朋友們紛紛打電話來祝賀捧場，但也收到一些讀者好朋友們指出書中一些瑕疵，例如說錯別字等等，真正感謝這些讀者好友們願意為花時間、浪費電話費來指正。

因為新冠肺炎的關係，奉政府之命，加上實際需要，整個2020年幾乎整年都在居家防疫，多煮些美食來吃罷，吃多了發胖，整天看電視罷，看久了眼晴發酸，下樓到空中花園内散步罷，轉得那些海鷗們昏頭轉向，幾乎由陽台上跌下來了！還是做點自己喜歡的事罷！

嘻嘻，現在，第二本中英文版的 ，<好朋友>也聚積成書了！本人在此特地慎重宣佈，上本書犯過的毛病，在本書中保証已經盡了全力纠正過了，真正要惜福感恩啊！

嘻嘻嘻，我一直認為世人皆吾友，而願意讀我用汗和淚寫出來的小說的中文讀者，或者願意讀這些高手編缉過我的英文文章，更是我最最親愛的「好朋友」喲！

誠懇請我的好朋友們上網搶購敝作：

www.amazon.com/author/gwen.li

Acknowledgments

描述: Adela Karliner.jpg

Adela Karliner: In-Law, College English Professor, Retired Lawyer.

描述: 0001021--Dr. Descartes Li.JPG

Dr. Descartes Li is Vice Chair for Education, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, San Francisco.  He gives numerous talks and presentations in both academic and community settings, and has a wide range of interests that include bipolar disorder, medical education, electroconvulsive therapy, cultural psychiatry, and suicide prevention. He was born in New York, and grew up on Long Island. A graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University, he now lives and works in San Francisco, California. He is the son of the well-known Chinese American author, Gwen Li.

描述: 0001031--Dr.Wendy Chou.jpg

Dr. Wendy Chou is a science communicator with a strong background in climate change. She is currently Communications and Outreach Manager for the Bay Area environmental nonprofit Acterra. She has experience writing and consulting for varied audiences including higher education, scientific journals, public agencies, community-based organizations, and the private sector. Wendy received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California – Berkeley and holds a B.A. from Harvard. 

描述: MS Ruth Yen Wong.png

Ruth Yen Wong is a middle school library media specialist who is an avid reader, loves tennis, and gardening. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, but now lives in southeast Michigan. She has a wonderful husband and two sons. A graduate of Ohio State University with a BS in computer information science, she was a computer programmer out of school and later held positions as Cub Scout den mother, ESL tutor, and K-8 substitute teacher before finding her way to the library. Ruth is also the niece of the talented author, Gwen Li.

Table of Contents目錄

Thank You

感謝

Acknowledgments

Foreword

自序

My Young and Handsome Sweetheart

我的情人小帥哥

I Love My Old Friends

我愛我的老朋友

I Am Waiting For You In The Rain.

等你，在雨中

Root Planting

種瓜得瓜，種牙得牙

A Staircase With New Carpet

一條鋪了新地氈的樓梯

The Fortune Tellers

張天師與廖乩童

The Garden In A Large Building

大廈中的花園

Guaranteed Fast Pass

包速通

The Girls of 87 Park Street

紐約法拉盛派克街八十七號一樓的女郎們

Best Friends

好朋友

THE BOAT

船

Brief Introduction of Gwen Li

我一直認為，世人皆吾友，而願意閱讀我用汗和淚寫出來的作品的讀者們，若能更進一步地踴躍發表寳貴的意見，能使我更上層樓，更是我最最親愛的好朋友喲！

誠請我的好朋友們到我的部落格來交換意見：

wxs.hi2net.com/home/blog.asp?id=184

blog.udn.com/gwenli2013

www.overseaswindow.com/user/1129

希望各位讀者喜歡，並且敬請上網搶購！

余國英

聯絡作者

粉絲專頁https://zh-tw.facebook.com/public/余國英

購書專頁 http://www.amazon.com/author/gwen.li

Foreword

Edited by Wendy Chou(2019.10.30)

Because I was born and lived my formative years in China, so Chinese is my first language. And my readers were all Chinese traditional and simplified character readers.

To reach all these potential readers, I decided to translate my works into English. And I figured that it would also be an excellent chance for me to practise my English.  Since English is my second language, they need a lot of editing from my friends and relatives to help the reader enjoy the articles!       

The original articles of this book were published in Chinese, later translated into English by the author, -and the English texts were further edited and polished by Adela, Sandra, Descartes, Wendy, and Ruth.  -Therefore, the original Chinese versions included at the end of each article were for reference, should not be thought of as word-for-word English-Chinese parallel texts. it should be more interesting to read the way it is.

I didn't imagine that the work could compile into books by accumulation in a few years, but it certainly has made me very happy!

I have received many phone calls and e-mails to congratulate me upon the publishing of my the first English and Chinese book of , <家有六仟金>, in March 2021, and wish that I could proudly claim that my dearest readers well received my first book.  However, I especially appreciated so much that some of my best readers pointed out all the incorrectly written or mispronounced characters. 

In the second bilingual book of , <好朋友>, I guarantee that I have been conscientious that I will not make the same mistake again!

I have always thought that all the world's people are my friends, those who are willing to read in Chinese, the work which I created through sweat and tears, or are eager to read in  English those words which my expert friends and relatives have edited, are all my favorite best friends!

I sincerely invite all my best friends to my blogs to exchange views:

http://www.amazon.com/author/gwen.li

http://blog.udn.com/gwenli2013/article

www.overseaswindow.com › home › writer>1129

http://wxs.hi2net.com 余國英

自序

在美國居住已經超過半世紀，一直用中文的繁體字及簡体字來書寫中國同胞在美國異鄉的故事，因為中文是我這在中國出生的人的第一文字啊！

作者的文章在報紙雜誌上發表的是用中文寫的，又經作者翻譯成英文，再加上英文文字經過高手的潤色，一定更加精彩，因為高手們不諳中文，所以本書不是逐字逐句的中英文對照，而是把中文的原文放在英文的後面當作参考，想來也是別開生面很有意思的。

2021年三月，第一本中英文版的 ，<家有六仟金> 終於由漢世纪出版社出版了！

現在，第二本中英文版的 ，<好朋友> 也聚積成書，而且保証已經盡了全力把上本書中所犯的各種瑕疵盡全力纠正過了！真正要惜福感恩啊！

嘻嘻，我一直認為世人皆吾友，而願意讀我用汗和淚寫出來的小說的中文讀者，或者願意讀這些高手編缉過我的英文文章，更是我最最親愛的「好朋友」喲！

誠懇請我的好朋友們上網搶購敝作：

www.amazon.com/author/gwen.li

也懇請我的好朋友們到我的部落格來交換意見；

http://blog.udn.com/英姐的部落格

海外文軒/余國英

中華日報/余國英

My Young and Handsome Sweetheart

Edited by Descartes Li (04/02/2021)

Our little grandson was a chubby baby with white and tender skin unique to mixed races, with brownish-yellow hair and shiny eyes. He looked so adorable. Every time his grandfather and I came from Florida to visit, this cute boy wasn't at all shy. Whenever he had the opportunity, he would hold a book, sit on our laps, and turn page by page. As soon as the two-year-old saw a bird, the cutie would immediately point to the picture in the book and say bird! although we didn't know whether he likes birds? Did he recognize only the animal birds? Or did he only know how to say the word birds? However, with his loveliness, people couldn't help but unreservedly love him.

When did I start to admire him from the bottom of my heart? That was at the end of December 2015.  I was a newly widowed grandma and moved from Florida to California to live with my son and his family. I was tentatively using the room next to his. When I took out my Chinese laptop from my bag, my fifteen-year-old grandson came over immediately, holding a small piece of paper in his hand with the name of their WIFI and the password. He wanted to help me connecting their Internet.

My computer uses Chinese, is Chinese okay? I asked him.

Grandma, let's try! He said confidently.

Sure enough, as soon as the canonist shot, you knew right away who was the right one, and it worked!

Isaac, can you read Chinese on the computer? I asked. To myself, I wondered: Since you take a two-hour Chinese course only every other week, how can you be proficient?

Chinese is a pictorial language, so it’s simple!  What's more, regardless of Chinese or English, the icons and their positions on the screen are the same!  he replied with a smile. Then he asked me, I'm practicing making a Youtube documentary. Grandma, would you like to be my actress?

Actress? You should find a younger and more beautiful one. Why use an elderly granny? I replied.

Beautiful young actress is expensive, Grandma, only you might be willing to be a free one! The boy answered honestly.

When I watched the My Nai Nai grandmother Yu Gwoying video, I stared at the computer screen. I saw, accompanied by music, an old lady wearing a bright hat, matching scarf, and tottering about in the park. I couldn't help but laugh out loud and admire my talented grandson. This talented youth certainly is my most favorite grandson.

And he officially became my handsome sweetheart on this year's Valentine's Day. His parents dressed up and went out to have their Valentine's Day meal together.  I Concerned he might be lonely or bored, I knocked and pushed open the door to his room, and the young man was sitting in front of his computer.

Isaac, how  about we go out to your favorite restaurant for lunch? I asked him.

We have a new soup noodle restaurant nearby, Nai Nai, Do you like soup noodles? He answered cheerfully.

At noon, the grandmother and grandson were both dressed up and ready at the restaurant.

While eating noodles, he thoughtfully poured me a cup of hot water that is my preferred drink. And then afterward, he took my hand on the way home to avoid the heavy traffic.

Grandma, we all miss Grandpa YeiYei, but from now on, I'll take care of you! He bowed his head and said to me very kindly.

I looked up at this taller, sweet, young man, almost as tall as his passed away grandfather.  Tears filled my eyes, and his thoughtfulness melted my heart.

What a super warm and handsome young sweetheart!

https://youtu.be/E5vFLhnuEVo

2022010101--My Young and Handsome Sweetheart1 我的情人小帥哥.jpg

我的情人小帥哥

余國英

我們的小孫子長得胖胖的，有著混血兒特有的雪白粉嫩的皮膚，配上棕黄色發亮的頭髮和眼睛，長得實在討人喜歡。他爺爺和我每次由佛州來的時候，這傻小子一點也不認生，一有機會就捧一本書，坐在我們的膝上，一頁一頁地翻著，只要看見鳥，立刻指著書上的照片說「鳥！」 ，我們雖然搞不懂他是喜歡鳥呢?是只認得鳥這種動物呢?還是只會說鳥這個字呢?不過，他那儍乎乎的憨態，真是讓人不得不爱他。

喜歡歸喜歡，而我由心中佩服他的是去年十二月底，我單身一人由佛州搬到加州他家依親生活時，我正由包中取出我的中文手提電腦，住在隔壁房間已經十五歲的的他，立刻走了過來，手中拿了一小片紙，上面寫了他家wifi的名稱及密碼過來，要幫我上網。

「這是中文的，你的中文行嗎？」我問他。

「奶奶，我們試試罷！」他很自信地說。

果然，行家一出手，便知有沒有，成功了！

「維嘯，你會看電腦上的中文字嗎？」我問，因為他的中文，只靠每隔兩週末二小時的惡補得來，怎麼能夠勝任的呢？

「道理很簡單，中文不是象形嗎？何况無論中英文電腦，螢幕上的ICON圖畫及位置都是一個樣子啊！」李維嘯笑嘻嘻地回答。然後，他又追問我，「我正在練習製作一個youtube的記錄片，奶奶，您願意做我的模特兒嗎？」

「模特兒？妳得找一個年輕漂亮一點的，為什麼找我這位老奶奶呢？」我推辭道。

「漂亮的模特兒是要收錢的，奶奶，只有妳才肯做免費的模特兒啊！」這小子很誠實地回答。

當他叫我覌看youtube 上我的奶奶余國英 的錄影時，我瞪著電腦螢幕上一位老太太戴了鮮艷的帽子，掛了同色的圍巾，隨著配音摇摇晃晃地在公園中走著時，忍俊不住哈哈大笑，你看，我這做奶奶的，能夠不由衷地佩服，心中不停地大嘆後生可畏嗎？

而他真正正式變成我的小帥哥情人，則是今年情人節。那天，他的父母吃過午餐，兩人就梳洗打扮，穿上新衣服，双双出門去過他們的情人節了，我有點不放心，敲門後推開他的關著的房門，只見這小子不聲不响地端坐在書桌前面，心無旁鶩地在用他的電腦。

「嘯兒，今天晚上我們兩人一同出去到你喜欢的餐館去吃晚餐好嗎？」我這樣問他。

「好啊，我們這裡新開了一家湯麵館，奶奶，妳喜歡吃湯麵嗎？」他興高采烈地回答。

那天晚上，我們祖母孫兒兩人梳洗完畢，高高興興地換上新衣出門。

吃麵的時候，他體貼地倒了一杯热水給我喝。

吃完了麵回家，在街上有紅綠交通燈的地方，他還特地牽了我的手，以便避開來往穿梭的汽車。

「奶奶，我們都很想念爺爺，所以，從現在起，由我來照顧你罷！」他低下頭，非常親切地對我知心地說。

我抬頭看著這比我高出一頭，幾乎快和他爺爺一樣高的小子，眼淚不由得不在眼眶中打轉，一顆心簡直要溶化了。

我之所以找他出來吃麵，是怕他情人節父母不在家一人無聊，沒有想到他竟然是怕我情人節觸景生情，想念他過世的老爺爺！一個多麼超貼心的情人小帥哥啊！

https://youtu.be/E5vFLhnuEVo

I Love My Old Friends

Edited by Adela Karliner (12/15/2020)

In 2016, I  moved from Florida into an apartment in Chinatown, Oakland, California.

The day after, around noon, surrounded by silence, I did not feel like cooking and was sorting out my very few pieces of luggage with a hungry stomach. Suddenly I heard some voices in the corridor. Then,  my doorbell rang.  I immediately flew to open the apartment door. Outside, there stood three Chinese ladies, clean, beautiful, and friendly-looking.

Who are you looking for, please? I asked in  Mandarin.

We are looking for our friend Pauline to play mahjong, one of them answered in Mandarin with a Cantonese accent. She was a tall, healthy fortyish-looking woman with light hair. Later I came to know that her name was Meichu, and we affectionately called her Amei. She might have looked like a middle-aged lady, but she was eighty-four years old.

Ms. Pauline moved away. I  bought her apartment,  I answered and remembered the old lady who signed the sale contract. Her name was Pauline. 

Oh, can you play mahjong? another lady with all-white hair asked me with a smile, my name is Maria. I am 94 years old.   

I'm sorry, but I don't play mahjong. I  answered.

Oh! the brown-haired young woman sighed with disappointment. She turned and prepared to leave. At the time, she was 76, the youngest one among us. 

Seto,  Seto, don't be disappointed. Your mahjong skills are not very good anyway, try to comfort her, the others said.

Wait a minute. Please wait, although I don't play mahjong, how about the four of us going out for lunch together? I ran after them, invited with a smile. 

Well, let's pay for ourselves.  It is called the AA system! it turned out that none of them had lunch either.

Since that day, the four of us have become good friends. When the restaurant is less crowded every Wednesday at noon, we are in the garden downstairs next to the famous Chinatown fountain waiting for each other. When everybody arrives, we discuss what kind