04 The Love in That Summer　爱在那个夏天

She was fond of Strauss, KFC, and Brazil Espresso. Dressed in decent gray skirt suit, she was busy working in a modernized office.That was her life before meeting me.Ever since our dating all those have vanished.

It was in 1997 when I started my so-called"great business”. She followed me wholeheartedly.That summer came early.Flowers dyed the town dazzlingly red.We stayed in the outskirts, in a small room of a condo known as an illegal structure of this city.Wind blew through all the four walls into the room, the temporary home of her and me.

In order to save money, we walked to our store downtown every day. Lunches were always simple like doggie food, worth no more than 1.5 yuan for each of us.We walked back home at the end of the day, so beat that all we wanted was collapse into bed.It seemed that we made it through one whole year this way.

Those days were bitter. Business was my totem;love was her belief.Both supported us from falling apart.

We walked home late one day. She sat at the bed edge, washing her feet in a bucket on the floor. I went to the landlord for boiled water to make instant noodles.When I got back carrying a thermos bottle, she had fallen back into the bed, sound asleep, feet in water.She must had been extremely exhausted.One of her hands was under her body.I heard her light snore.I tiptoed to the bed and tried to flip her over so that she would be in a more comfortable position.I stared at her face, which was a young and pretty one and yet so wearied and exhausted.I saw one mosquito on this pretty face.

That summer my city was like a huge steamer box. We put off one day to another plan to buy a mosquito net, just to save money.I knew mosquitoes were flying all about in our room, but I seemed not to be bothered.So exhausted when I got back each day, I doubted if I would wake up even though someone cut a piece of flesh off my body, let alone mosquito bites.

That mosquito stayed at her forehead, sipping her blood greedily. She was still sound asleep, not feeling anything.Perhaps she was in a sweet dream in which our business was turning better.There came an abrupt throb of my heart.I reached to wave my hand at the mosquito.But it was not at all scared.I wanted to bat it to death.

I raised my hand up high, but it could not descend-I was afraid of waking her up, she was really worn out. There lay a weak mosquito between her and me, doing harm to her right now.I froze there, hand in the air.I did not know what to do.I was worried.Suddenly, I began to get deeply fed up with myself.I hated myself.On the night of that summer, I stood by her side, feeling extremely guilty of her, of our love.The mosquito finally flew away.I forgave it, but I could never forgive myself.

In the daytime I went by a peddler's stall and saw a pink mosquito net priced 16 yuan. That amount could be spent on a lot of other things.I headed back home without buying it.After she fell asleep, I got out of bed, stood by her side, and waved away mosquitoes with a hard paper board as a weapon.I was her temporary mosquito net all that night through.After a while she woke up to find what I was doing.She gazed at me, and ten seconds later tears flooded her face.

The next day saw a pink mosquito net in my room. We were both silent working together to fix it on our bed.In my mind I had presented the net as a gift to her.But I did not tell her that it was a gift.I was feeling that it was like a rose in full bloom.It was my compensation to love.Then I realized that nothing could really make it up. It was her birthday that day.

Years went by. I earned 160,000 yuan, or precisely we earned 160,000 yuan.We did a lot of shopping, but never a mosquito net anymore.We did not need any mosquito net, living in a very well decorated apartment, where no mosquitoes could fly inside.Nevertheless, I always feel that all my money, and all my belongings are far less important than the16-yuan mosquito net, which was invaluable to her, to our love.

她喜欢听施特劳斯的乐曲，喜欢吃肯德基，喜欢喝巴西的浓咖啡，穿着得体的灰色套裙在现代化的写字楼里忙碌。那是她遇见我之前的生活。自从她与我约会之后，这一切便消失了。

那是在1997年，我开始了我所谓的“大事业”。她死心塌地跟着我，义无反顾。那个夏天来得很早，花儿染得城市一片彤红。我们住在市郊，那是一个属于该城非法公寓的小屋，四面透风。那是我俩暂时的家。

为了省钱，每天我们步行至市区的店铺。午饭总是像狗粮一样简单，每人不超过一块五毛钱。晚上再步行回来，疲惫不堪只想倒在床上好好休息一下。整整一年，我们都是这样熬过来的。

那是一段艰苦的日子。那时，事业是我的图腾，爱情是她的信仰。事业和爱情支撑着我们，让我们紧紧相连。

有一次，我们很晚才到家。她坐在床边用水桶泡脚，我去房东那里讨开水泡面。当我提着暖水瓶回来时，发现她已经躺倒在床上睡得很香，双脚仍在水里泡着。她一定是累坏了，一只手还压在身子底下。我听见了她轻微的鼾声。我蹑手蹑脚地走到床边，想给她翻下身，好让她睡得更舒服点。我盯着她年轻美丽却疲惫不堪的脸，在这张精致的脸上，我发现了一只蚊子。

那个夏天，我所在的城市像个巨大的蒸笼。我们把买蚊帐的计划一拖再拖，只是为了省钱。我知道屋里蚊子到处乱飞，可我似乎并未受其干扰。每天回来后拖着那样劳累的身体睡下，别说是蚊子，就算有人从我身上切下一块肉，我都怀疑自己能不能醒来。

蚊子落在她的额头，贪婪地吸食着她的血。她依然睡得很香，毫无察觉。也许她正做着梦，梦见我们的生意有起色了。我的心猛地抽搐了一下。我伸出手驱赶蚊子，但蚊子对我的恐吓毫不理睬。我想用手拍死它，手扬起来，却不忍落下。我怕惊醒了她，她是真累坏了。我与她之间，有一只弱小的蚊子，此时此刻正叮咬着她。我僵在那里，手举在空中，可不知该做些什么，内心焦虑着。突然间，我觉得受够了，受够了这样的自己。我恨自己。那个夏天的夜晚，我站在她身旁，感到内疚，对她的爱极度羞愧。蚊子最后飞走了，我原谅了蚊子，却永远不能原谅我自己。

白天我经过一个小摊，注意到一个粉色的蚊帐，标价16元。16元在当时可以做许多事。我回了家，但却没有买它。那天在她睡着后，我起床站在她身旁，把一个硬纸板当作武器一样挥动着，不让蚊虫靠近她的身体。那整晚，我便是她的临时蚊帐。后来她醒了，看到我的行为，盯着我，10秒钟后，泪流满面。

第二天小屋里挂上了粉色的蚊帐。一起挂蚊帐时，我们都保持着沉默。在我心里，我是把蚊帐当成礼物送给她的，但我没这样说。我觉得那像一朵盛开的玫瑰，就算是我对爱情的补偿。但后来我意识到，其实什么也补偿不了她的爱。而那天恰巧是她的生日。

多年过去了，我赚了16万，或者确切地说是我们赚了16万。我们买了很多东西，却没有再买一床蚊帐。我们已经不再需要蚊帐了，住在精装的公寓里，已经飞不进任何一只蚊虫。可是我总觉得，我所有的钱、所有的这些东西，都远不如那个曾经只值16元的蚊帐重要。那对她、对我们的爱都是无价之宝。

单词解析 Word Analysis

espresso[eˈspresoʊ]n.浓咖啡，蒸馏咖啡

例　She orders a green tea, and I choose espresso.

她点了绿茶，我点了黑咖啡。

modernized[ˈmɒdə（ː）naɪzd]adj.现代化的

例　She Iived in a modernized hoteI.

她住在一家十分现代化风格的酒店。

wholeheartedly[ˌhoʊlˈhɑːtɪdlɪ]adv.竭诚地；全心全意地，全神贯注地；真心诚意地

例　I can endorse their opinions whoIeheartedIy.

我全力支持他们的意见。

outskirts[ˈaʊtskɜːrts]n.郊外；边缘；市郊，郊区；从外围经过

例　We bivouacked on the outskirts of the city.

我们在市郊露营。

condo[ˈkɑːndoʊ]n.<口>各户有独立产权的公寓（大楼）

例　I remember my first condo.

我记得我第一个公寓。

doggie[ˈdɔgiˌˈdɑgi]n.小狗，狗，汪汪

例　That’s the pIace where I Iived with my doggie.

那就是我和我的小狗住的地方。

totem[ˈtoʊtəm]n.图腾；图腾形象；崇拜物

例　This opera is one of the cuIturaI totems of Western civiIization.

这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

landlord[ˈlændlɔːrd]n.房东

例　My IandIord charges me for 500 yuan per month.

我的房东每个月收我500元的房租。

thermos bottle[ˈθəːrməsˈbɑtl]n.暖瓶；暖水瓶

例　I bought a new thermos bottIe yesterday.

我昨天买了一个新的热水壶。

tiptoe[ˈtɪptoʊ]v.踮着脚走，蹑手蹑脚地走；转弯抹角地谈论

例　He tiptoed out of the ward.

他蹑着脚走出病房。

mosquito[məˈskiːtoʊ]n.蚊子

例　Mosquito is one kind of pests.

蚊子是害虫的一种。

steamer[ˈstimɚ]n.蒸锅；汽船，轮船；蒸汽机

例　When does your steamer saiI?

你们的轮船什么时候启航？

put off 延期；敷衍；使分心；脱去（衣、帽等）

例　My pIane was put off.

我的航班延期了。

throb[θrɑːb]n.脉搏；跳动，悸动 vi.抽痛；（心脏、脉搏等）跳动

例　His head throbbed.

他的头阵阵作痛。

fed up with 受够了

例　I fed up with your disguise.

我受够了你对我撒谎。

peddler[ˈpɛdlɚ]n.不法商贩，（尤指）毒贩

例　PeopIe Iaughed at the peddIer’s extravagant praise of his goods.

人们嘲笑这个小贩过度吹嘘他的商品。

compensation[ˌkɑːmpenˈseɪʃn]n.补偿，赔偿；修正；补救办法

例　He received one year’s saIary as compensation for Ioss of office.

他得到一年的工资作为失业补偿金。

precisely[prɪˈsaɪsli]adv.精确地；恰好地；严谨地，严格地；一丝不苟地

例　ChiIdren come to zoos preciseIy to see captive animaIs.

孩子们到动物园就是为了看圈养的动物。

语法知识点 Grammar Points

①Dressed in decent gray skirt suit, she was busy working in a modernized office.

这个句子中有一个结构“be busy doing something”，表示“忙于做某事”。相当于be tied up with sth.。

例　Tony was busy doing his homework.

托尼正忙着做作业。

②In order to save money, we walked to our store downtown every day.

这个句子中有一个结构“in order to”，表示“为了”。相当于to或者是so as to，但是so as to一般不放于句首。

例　In order to win, she practiced for 5 hours a day.

为了能赢，她一天练习五小时。

③She must have been extremely exhausted.

这个句子中有一个结构“must have been/done”，表示“过去一定做了某事”。该句中exhausted表示extremely tired，极度疲劳。

例　He must have Ioved her because he did so much for her.

他曾经肯定是爱她的，为她做了那么多。

④So exhausted when I got back each day, I doubted if I would wake up even though someone cut a piece of flesh off my body, let alone mosquito bites.

这个句子中有一个结构“let alone”，表示“更别提”。

例　I wiII eat aII the things, Iet aIone this piece of bread.

我会吃光所有东西，更别提这片小面包了。

⑤I was afraid of waking her up, she was really worn out.

这个句子中有三个结构“be afraid of”“wake somebody up”和“be worn out”，分别表示“害怕做某事”“叫醒某人”和“疲乏，磨破”。of是介词，后面需要加-ing形式。

经典名句 Famous Classics

1.Where there is great love, there are always miracles.

哪里有真爱存在，哪里就有奇迹。

2.Love is like a butterfly.It goes where it pleases and it pleases where it goes.

爱情就像一只蝴蝶，它喜欢飞到哪里，就把欢乐带到哪里。

3.If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.

假如每次想起你，我都会得到一朵鲜花，那么我将永远在花丛中徜徉。

4.Within you I lose myself, without you I find myself wanting to be lost again.

有了你，我迷失了自我。失去你，我多么希望自己再度迷失。

5.At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.

每一个沐浴在爱河中的人都是诗人。