劉墉原創散文：〈三把麵條〉

By SYZ站長 | 2020/04/17 |

〈三把麵條〉

今天說個真實故事：
一個由美國華人組織的慈善團體，派員到中國的偏遠地區考察。
十幾位平日養尊處優的中年女士，在愛心的鼓舞下，居然爬山涉水到與世隔絕的山村。當他們知道那裡的孩子每天都得走幾個小時的山路去上學，立刻提議：「我們出錢為你們蓋個學校吧！」
村人興奮極了！有人志願敲石頭奠基，有人要去挖泥土燒磚，有揹著孩子的婦人說要幫忙墾地，還有一位獨居的的老太太說她想捐錢，可是沒錢；想出力，又沒力氣，只能捐點吃的給遠道來的好心人，於是拿出了她僅有的三把乾麵條。
「問題是，鋼筋水泥怎麼運進來？」正興高采烈的時候，有人提出：「咱們村子對外只有一條羊腸小道，平常走路都難，車子根本進不來啊！」
大家都怔住了，慈善團體的人也沒辦法，只好失望地離開，轉往附近另一個村子。
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「我們也沒路啊！」另一個村子的人也直嘆氣：「我們是被城市遺忘的可憐的小村子。」
慈善團體的人又失望地走了，但是他們不死心，既然千辛萬苦地來到深山，非要找個貧窮村落，為孩子蓋學校不可。
他們找到第三個山村。
「我們比那兩個村子還窮、還偏僻，他們被遺忘，我們更被遺忘了。」村長召集村民開了半天會，也一籌莫展。
正搖頭嘆氣的時候，突然有個年輕人舉手：「人家遺忘我們，我們不能遺忘自己。」
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一年之後，鋼筋水泥居然順利地運進三個村子。
是一包包揹、一綑綑抬嗎？
不！是用貨車載進去的。因為三個村子的村民齊心協力，開了一條通往外面的道路。
三個鄉村小學同時落成了！三個山村的經濟也大大改善了，以前運不出去，只能爛在路邊的蔬果，一車車賣到城市，外面的物資也源源不絕地運進村子。
好多早先為孩子搬出去的人都回來了：「自己家邊就有學校，我們當然回家。」
以前山裡請不到老師，現在也不成問題了。因為好多大學剛畢業的年輕人，志願去教書：「那裡真美，真是被遺忘的世外桃源！」
其中一所學校的校名很特殊，用的是那捐麵條老太太的名字。

 

Three Bundles of Noodles

A nonprofit organization founded by Chinese Americans sent its members on an expedition to a remote region of China.

More than 10 middle-aged women, who normally enjoyed wealthy and comfortable lifestyles, were inspired by the love in their hearts to trek through mountains and waters to a mountain village that was isolated from the world. When they realized that the children there had to hike for hours each day to attend school, they immediately proposed: “We’ll donate the money for you to build a school!”

The villagers were extremely excited! There were people who volunteered to hammer stones and lay the foundation. There were people who wanted to dig up dirt and make bricks. There were women, carrying children on their backs, who said they wanted to help reclaim land. There was also a lonely old lady who said she wanted to give money but had no money and wanted to help with labor but had no energy. She could only contribute some food for the kind visitors, so she offered all that she had: three bundles of dry noodles.

“The problem is… how do we transport the cement in?” someone said, just as everyone was elated. “Our village only has one small windy path to the outside. It’s difficult to even walk on. There’s no way for cars to come in!”

Everyone was flabbergasted. The nonprofit members had no solution either, so they disappointedly departed and walked toward another village nearby.

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“We don’t have a road either!” The people of the other village sighed repeatedly. “We are a pitiful little village that has been forgotten by the city.”

The nonprofit members disappointedly departed again. However, they were unwilling to give up. Since they had gone through all this trouble to come this far into the mountains, they needed to find an impoverished village where they could build a school for children.

They came upon a third village.

“We’re even poorer and even more out of the way than those other two villages. If they have been forgotten, then we have been even more forgotten.” The village chief gathered the villagers for a long meeting, but to no avail.

Just as everyone was shaking their heads and sighing, a young villager suddenly raised his hand and said: “Other people may have forgotten us, but we cannot forget ourselves.”

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One year later, the cement was successfully transported into the three villages.

Was it carried in bag by bag, bundle by bundle?

No! It came in on trucks. The people of the three villages had worked together and constructed a road to the outside world.

The schools in all three villages were completed at the same time! The economies of the three mountain villages also greatly improved. In the past, excess fruits and vegetables could not be transported outward, so they rotted along the wayside. Now, they were sold in truckloads to the city, and supplies from the city were constantly brought to the villages.

Many people, who had moved away for their children’s sake, now came back: “There’s a school right next door now. Of course we’re coming home.”

The mountain villages had trouble hiring teachers in the past, but that was no longer an issue because many recent college graduates volunteered to teach there: “That place is beautiful. It is truly a utopia that had been forgotten!”
One of the schools had a very special name. It was named after the old lady who had donated noodles.

 

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