My Japanese Wife

By Yao Peishuo

My wife is a Japanese woman who is fond of Chinese literature.In fact, she often cries her heart out after finishing a book.Reading the same book myself, it remains a mystery to me how she can ever be so touched by such a ridiculous story.

I asked her: “As you had spent several years in Beijing, do you believe that a young man and a female university student would fall madly in love with each other right after they have a nice 10-minute chat in front of Longfu Building?”

She said that it was quite unlikely for this story to happen at Longfu Building, but the situation would be different if they met each other at Wangfujing.Actually, the last novel she read set the story in Wangfujing.

This is definitely a terminal illness, incurable!

Eventually, it occurred to me that Japanese women think totally different from Chinese men.Love and romance relates to them just as a cat catches sight of fish, where they will lose their senses on the spot.I don't think this is due to her innocence.Rather, it might have something to do with the Japanese national character.The character is demonstrated differently by Japanese men and women.As far as I can observe, Japanese men share nothing in common with their female counterparts inregard to their subtle sensibilities—to the point that they seem to come from another country.They perhaps devote all their meticulous attention to their work.

我的媳妇是日本人，喜欢中国文学，常常在看完小说后泣不成声。我读后纳闷，很荒唐的事，何至感动如此？

我问她：“你在北京住过好几年，会相信一个小伙子在隆福大厦门口见着一女大学生，聊上十分钟两人就爱得天旋地转这种事儿？”她的回答是，隆福大厦应该不会，王府井就没准，上次看一部小说，说的就是有个男的在王府井……

这就是绝症，没治！

久之渐渐明白，原来日本女性的思维和我们不同。她们看风花雪月缠绵故事，就仿佛猫见了鱼，立即失去理智。你说她单纯也不是，可能是某种民族性使然。这种民族性，在日本肯定男女有别。在我看来，日本男性在感情细腻上和日本女性有天壤之别，简直不像同一个民族。也许，他们把细致一面都放在工作上面去了。

不过，老看她这样“感动”，会起鸡皮疙瘩，又不能强行压制，于是，我开始对她进行引导。我对她说：“你看的不过是当代小说，我们最优秀的作品是‘四大名著’，那才是真‘汉学’呢。”

这番说教很管用。而且我发现，她看古文版的《西游记》《水浒传》比白话版的理解更顺畅，这件事让我很困惑。及至看日本历史，看到西乡隆盛的信件，全部是古体汉字文章，方才明白。原来，中国文化对日本影响最强盛的时代，白话文还没诞生呢。

“典雅。”她评价中国古文说。她看四大名著看得津津有味，还能和我说牛魔王的故事。这可比每天听她讲北京某无业青年的爱情故事好多了，但这种学习也会引发某种意外。

那次，她妈妈患了胆结石，医生诊断需要手术。于是，全家一阵忙乱。到了手术那天，恰好我父母也在日本旅游，于是三人一起去看望。不料路上堵车，等到了病房，发现病床已经空了，只剩她在那儿神色紧张地转来转去。

“开始手术了吗？”我赶紧问。“嗯，已经送进去半个小时了。”她看到我父母，恭敬地行个礼，道，“请不要担心，这种手术没什么危险，现在应该已经……已经麻翻了。”

“麻翻？”我一时没反应过来。

“是啊，我妈妈应该已经被医生那厮麻翻，很快可以手术啦。”她一本正经地说。在肃静的医院里，岳母做手术的痛苦时刻，实在不是可笑的时间和场合。可是那天，我们都没忍住，害得她莫名其妙，以为我们一家人都出了毛病。

她从哪儿学来这等古雅词句，是“智劫生辰纲”，还是“打店十字坡”，我可就不知道了。

（摘自《新知讯报》）

Although witnessing her being easily moved induces goose bumps, I cannot ever suppress her feelings.Nevertheless, I tried to get her on to the right track.I explained to her: “What you are reading are just contemporary novels.Our best works are the Four Great Classical Novels, which stand for real Chinese literature.”

These words worked quite well.I also realized that it was much easier for her to readJourney to the WestandOutlaws of the Marshin the classical Chinese versions than their vernacular versions (Baihua), w h i c h confused me immensely.It was not until I started reading letters written by Saigō Takamori, all in classical Chinese, while exploring Japanese history that I got the answer.It turns out that in the era when Chinese culture exerted its full range of influence on Japan, Baihua didn't come into being yet.

“Very elegant!” She commented on the works written in classical Chinese.She had great fun in reading the Four Classical Chinese Novels and she could even tell me stories about Bull Demon King, which was much more interesting than a love story about a jobless young man in Beijing.Yet, this way of learning is not exempt from problems.

O n c e h e r m u m s u f f e r e d from a gallstone attack and the doctor decided that surgery was necessary.As a result, the whole family fell into chaos.On the day of the surgery, my parents went to the hospital to visit my wife's mother together with me, as they were traveling in Japan at the time.Since there was a massive traffic jam on our way, we only found an empty ward when we got there, with my wife pacing back and forth in a nervous manner, alone.

“Has the operation started yet?” I asked eagerly.“Yes, she was sent to the operating room half an hour ago.” She bowed to my parents respectfully upon seeing them and said: “Please don't worry.There is no danger with the surgery.She won't feel a thing as she has been dumbed.”

“Dumbed?” I was at a complete loss.

“Yes.My mum was anaesthetized by the doctor and be ready for the surgery in no time,” she explained in a serious way.In the quiet hospital where my mother-inlaw was undergoing a surgery, there was no way to laugh at such a time and on such an occasion.Nonetheless, we were not able to hold back our laughter on that day, which amazed her in such a way that she was convinced that something must have gone wrong with our entire family.

I don't have the slightest idea where she picked up those elegant words, perhaps either from the Seizure of Birthday Gift Shipments by Trickery or from the Wusong Fights in the Inn.

(FromThe New Information Report.Translation: Zhang Xueqin)