女儿是父母贴身的小棉袄
Daughter is a little cotton coat close to parents
原创：斧子 中译英：斧子的二当家
老娘多次对我说：“还是女儿好啊！俗话说：养崽的名气，养女的福气。”
我妹妹出生时，父亲正在福建当兵。为了纪念部队那些激情燃烧的岁月，为了记住福建那块特殊的土地，父亲为妹妹取名时，就用了福建省的简称“闽”，还加了一个“香喷喷” 而且像“麝香，灵猫香，龙涎香，檀香，沉香”中蕴涵着的“香醇、芳香、清香”的“香”字，所以，妹妹的姓名就是一个有着丰富故事，有着特别祝福，有着特殊意义的三个字 ：何闽香。
My father was a soldier in Fujian when my sister was born. In memory of the burning years of the army, in order to remember the special land in Fujian, the father named his daughter using the short name "min" of Fujian province, and added a "fragrance" , just like the "incense, aroma, scent" contained in the words "musk, civetta, ambergris, sandalwood and aloes" , the name of the daughter was a rich story with special blessings, three words of special significance: He Minxiang.
我是一个浪荡子，成年后就离开了家庭，长年累月在四处漂泊。所以，回家的时候很少。当父母亲年纪越来越大，身体越来越差的时候，妹妹就独自担负起了照顾护理的工作。特别是陪同着去医院看病或住院的时候，天天没日没夜守护在父母亲身边的，就是我的妹妹。
I was a prodigal son, left my family when I was an adult, wandering around for years and years. So it's rare to go home. As the parents got older and their bodies got worse, my sister took care of them alone. Especially when accompanied to go to the hospital, the one who guarded around them day and night, was always my sister.
有一次过年，我高高兴兴带着孩子们回家看望父母亲，老父亲牢骚满腹地说：“你还回来过什么年啊？早知道你这样，一年到头看不见人影子，我就只生一个女儿就可以了！要你 这个做崽的干什么？想你了看不见人，病了看不见人，就是哪一天我和你娘突然死了，估计也难得看到你吧？”
On one occasion during the spring festival,I happily took my children home to visit my parents. The old father grumbled, "why have you been back? If I knew I could not see the shadow of you all the year round, I would have just had a daughter! What would you do as a cub? I can't see you when i miss you, can't see you when i'm sick, if one day your mother and I die, I guess I would never see you, do I?"
我很惭愧，唯唯诺诺，不敢出声，只能老老实实听着。我也很感激妹妹的付出和辛苦，悄悄看了妹妹一眼，表示感谢。
I was ashamed, and I was too afraid to say anything, so I listened. I also appreciated my sister's effort and hard work, quietly looked at her to express my gratitude.
妹妹倒是帮我说话：“老爸，崽没回来你又想他，崽回来了你又骂他，你何必呢？”
My sister said for me, "dad, you missed him when he didn't come back, and then you scolded him back, why bother? "
老娘是最心疼我的，也帮着我埋怨父亲：“你个老不死的，越老越糊涂，崽回来了就回来了，你不高兴就算了，你骂他做什么？”
Mother was the one who cared for me the most, and also helped me to blame my father: "you old man, the elder you are, the more confused you are, the whelp comes back, let it go if you are not happy, why do you scold him?"
父亲在妹妹和老娘的夹攻下，丢盔弃甲，头转向一边，不再理睬我。
My father, under my sister and mother's attack, threw his helmet and armour, turned his head to one side and ignored me no longer.
妹妹对我，是绝对的信任。任何重大的事情，她都要听一听我的意见。当年她谈恋爱的时候，父亲坚决反对，不惜以断绝父女关系作威胁，闹得满天风雨。妹妹找到我，问我的态度。我要求她带着男朋友和我见一面。她的男朋友，长的英俊健壮，穿衣打扮帅气讲究，给人看一眼，很舒服，很养眼。我马上表态：“可以。”我的表态，让妹妹彻底放心，我的妹夫，就这样确定了下来。
My sister had absolute trust in me. She wanted to hear my opinion on anything that matters. When she fell in love, my father resolutely opposed it, threatening to break up father-daughter relationship. My sister came to me and asked about my attitude. I asked her to take me to meet her boyfriend. The boyfriend, a handsome, athletic man, well dressed, well-groomed, looked very comfortable and attractive. I immediately said: "yes." My attitude let her completely assured, my brother-in-law, thus determined.
事后，我问老爸为什么反对妹妹的婚事，老爸的回答很搞笑：“那么英俊帅气的男人，凭你妹妹普普通通的长像，将来拴的住，管的倒？找老公，就找个普普通通的，让人放心！ ”
Afterwards, I asked my father why he was against my sister's marriage, and his answer was funny: "so handsome a man, can your sister's ordinary image grasps him long? she should find a normal person who can let people rest assured! "
我豪气干云地安慰父亲：“他敢？他要敢对不住我妹妹，敢欺负我妹妹，我打断他的手和脚，丢到湘江河里去喂鱼。”
"Dare he? If he dares to be sorry for my sister and bully her, I break his hands and feet and throw them into the Xiang River to feed the fish. "i said heartily.
父亲认真地看看我，严肃地说：“我相信！”他还长长地出了一口气，轻松地说，“我早就应该想到你，你不会让你妹妹吃亏！”
My father looked at me carefully and said solemnly, "I trust you! " He took a long breath and said with ease, "I should have thought of you a long time ago, and you wouldn't let your sister suffer! "
妹妹第一胎生了个女儿，她的婆婆端着碗鸡汤，送到医院门口，听说是个女儿，马上掉转头就走，根本就没有进医院看我妹妹一眼。更出格的是，事后，她婆婆对我妹妹不理不睬 ，对孙女不闻不问，还总是指桑骂槐，借着各种由头挑我妹妹的刺。最后，竟然指使儿子跟我妹妹闹离婚。妹妹当时都忍了下来，只是打电话给我，征求我的意见，她想离开工作 单位，下海经商做生意。
My sister gave birth to a daughter at the first birth. When her mother-in-law brought a bowl of chicken soup to the door of the hospital, the old woman was told that the child was a daughter and then she immediately turned away without even looking at my sister. What's more, after the event, the mother-in-law not only ignored my sister but also the granddaughter, and was always scolding the locust while pointing at the mulberry, picking on my sister with all her might. In the end, the mother-in-law even asked her son to divorce my sister. My sister couldn't put up with it and just called me and asked for my opinion, she wanted to leave the national unit and do some business.
其实，妹妹的想法很简单：她想生二胎。因为她和我妹夫都是有单位的人，一结婚单位就鼓励他们同意领取独生子女证。假如擅自超生二胎的话，按当时的“国策”，那是夫妻双 方都要开除公职。等于若生一个二胎，就会造成夫妻二人的“铁饭碗”换成“泥饭碗”，双双流浪江湖，靠自己混饭吃。这个风险非常大。
In fact, my sister's idea was simple: she wanted to have a second child. Both she and my brother-in-law belonged to a national unit, the unit encouraged them to agree to a one-child certificate since their marriage. In the case of a second child, according to the state policy at the time, both husband and wife would be expelled from the national office. The birth of a second child, would result in the couple's "iron rice bowl" replaced with "mud rice bowl" , wandering in Jianghu and striving a life on their own. This was very risky.
世事逼人，妹妹就想离开单位，脱离监管，躲到外面生儿子。最坏的结局，就是自己失业，妹夫在单位干的再好，也不会被提拔重用。但是，妹夫是几代单传，要是没有生个儿子 ，接续香火，妹妹的婚姻真的就走到了尽头。这不能责怪她的婆婆，更不能怨恨妹夫。妹妹为了挽救自己来之不易的婚姻，选择丢掉自己的“铁饭碗”。
When things got tough, my sister wanted to leave the national unit and escape from supervision, hide out to have a son. The worst outcome would be that my sister lost her job, and no matter how well my brother-in-law worked in the office, he would not be promoted to be a senior. However, my brother-in-law had been down from several generations of single transmission, if there was not a son to succeed the fire, my sister's marriage might really come to an end. You can't blame the mother-in-law, let alone the brother-in-law. In order to save her hard-won marriage, sister chose to lose her "iron rice bowl"
我二话没说，同意妹妹马上就办手续，离开了单位，成了体制外的无业人员。
Without saying a word, I agreed that my sister would immediately go through the formalities, leave the unit and become an unemployed person outside the system.
老娘多次对我说：“还是女儿好啊！俗话说：养崽的名气，养女的福气。”
My mother have said to me many times, "it's good to have a daughter! " As the saying goes: the fame of a son and the blessing of a daughter."
我很光棍地附和：“就是嘛！生儿子没什么用，还是女儿靠的住！女儿就是父母贴身的小棉袄嘛！”
I said rascally, "that's right! Having a son is not going to help you, it's the daughter you can rely on! A daughter is a little cotton coat close to parents! "
作者简介(Author's introduction)：
斧子，中国人民公安大学研究生，湖南省作家协会会员，红网小说版特约评论员，出版著作有：
Axe, graduate student from Chinese People's Public Security University, member of the Hunan Writers'Association and a special commentator of the Red Net fiction section, published:
散文诗集《等你归来》，湖南文艺出版社；
Prose poetry collection "Waiting for you" , Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House;
散文诗集《欠债校长》，香港商务印书馆；
Prose poetry collection "Principal in debt", The Hong Kong commercial press (HKPC);
中短篇小说集《月下天鹅和祝塘的绝版爱情》，团结出版社；
A short and medium story collection, "The last edition of love between the swan under the month and Zhu Tang", United publishing house;
中短篇小说集《隐身保镖》，团结出版社；
A short and medium story collection, "Invisible bodyguard", United publishing house;
中短篇小说集《财哥的第一次婚姻》，中国文联出版社......
A short and medium story collection, "The first marriage of brother Qian," and published by the China Federation of Literary Unions ...
