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Han Suyin was born in Beijing in . Her father was a Chinese railway engineer and her mother a Dutch lady. She is a physician and the author of many works, including A Mortal Flower, which tells of the experiences of the author and her family, both in and out of China. This excerpt describes the author's experience of looking for her first job in the early s.
韓素音年生于北京。她父親是中國鐵路工程師，母親是位荷蘭女子。她是醫生，也是作家，著述頗豐，其中包括《塵世的花》。此書講述了作者及其家庭在國內外的經歷。下述節錄描寫了作者在上世紀年代初第一次找工作的經歷。
A Mortal Flower
塵世的花
Han Suyin
韓素音
The day after meeting Hilda I wrote a letter to the Rockefeller Foundation, applying for a job.
遇見希爾達的第二天，我就給洛克菲勒基金會寫信申請工作。
Neither Father nor Mother thought I would get in. "You have to have pull. It's an American thing, Rockefeller Foundation. You must have pull."
父母親都覺得我不會被錄用。“你要有后臺才行。那可是一家美國機構，洛克菲勒基金會。你一定要有后臺。”
Mother said: "That's where they do all those experiments on dogs and people. All the Big Shots of the Nanking government also came here to have medical treatment, and sometimes took away a nurse to become a new wife."
母親說：“那里，他們在狗和人身上做各種試驗。南京政府所有的頭面人物也都來這里看病，有時還帶走個護士做姨太太。”
It made sense to me, typing in a hospital; I would learn about medicine, since I wanted to study medicine. And as there was no money at home for me to study, I would earn money, and prepare myself to enter medical school. I had already discovered that a convent-school education was not at all adequate, and that it would take me at least three more years of hard study before being able to enter any college at all. Science, mathematics, Chinese literature and the classics . . .with the poor schooling given to me, it would take me years to get ready for a university.
在醫院里當打字員，對我挺合適。那樣我就能了解一些醫學知識，這很重要，因為我想學醫。家里沒錢供我上學，所以我得掙錢，自己想辦法上醫學院。我已經發現在女隱修會學校的教育遠遠不夠，要想上大學，自己至少得再努力三年才行。科學、物理、數學、中國文學、古典文學……就憑我學的那么點兒功課，要上大學還得準備好多年。
"I will do it," But clenched teeth, decision tearing my bowels, were not enough; there was no money, no money, my mother said it, said it until I felt as if every scrap of food I ate was wrenched off my father's body.
“我要上大學，”可是，咬牙切齒痛下決心是無濟于事的；家里沒錢，根本沒錢，母親說的，整天這么說，讓我覺得自己吃的每一小口東西仿佛都是從父親身上撕下來的。
"No one is going to feed you doing nothing at home." Of course, one who does not work must not eat unless one can get married, which is called: "being settled at last." But with my looks I would never get married; I was too thin, too sharp, too ugly. Mother said it, Elder Brother had said it. Everyone agreed that I should work, because marriage would be difficult for me.
“你在家里閑著不做事，誰來供養你。”當然，不工作就沒飯吃，除非嫁人，那叫做“終于有了歸宿。”可論我的長相一輩子也嫁不出去；我太瘦小，嘴快人丑。母親這么說。大哥這么說過。人人都覺得我該找事干，因為嫁人我是沒指望了。
Within a week a reply came. The morning postman brought it, and I choked over my milk and coffee. "I'm to go for an interview. At the Peking Union Medical College. To the Comptroller's office."
不到一個星期，回信就來了。早上送信的郵差送來的，我正喝著加奶咖啡，一下子給嗆著了。“我要去面試。在北京協和醫學院。審計主任的辦公室。”
Father and Mother were pleased. Mother put the coffee pot down and took the letter. "What good paper, so thick." But how could we disguise the fact that I was not [even] fifteen years old? I had claimed to be sixteen in the letter. In fact, said Papa, it was not a lie since Chinese are a year old when born, and if one added the New Year as an extra year, as do the Cantonese and the Hakkas, who became two years old when they reach their first New Year (so that a baby born on December st would be reckoned two years old on the following January nd), I could claim to being sixteen.
父母親都挺高興。母親放下咖啡壺，取過信。“多好的紙，這么厚實。”可我們怎么才能掩飾我還不到15足歲的事實呢？我在信里說自己16歲。其實，爸爸說，這也不是撒謊，因為中國人生下來就是1歲，要是到了新年再加歲，就像廣東人和客家人那樣，他們第一次過新年就2歲了（所以說12月31日生的孩子到了1月2日就已經2歲了），那么我可以說自己16歲了。
"You look sixteen," said Mama; "all you have to do is to stop hopping and picking your pimples. And lengthen your skirt."
“你看上去有16歲，”媽媽說。“你只要別再蹦蹦跳跳的、別再掐臉上的粉刺就行了。還有就是把裙子放放長。”
What dress should I wear? I had two school uniforms, a green dress, a brown dress, and one dress with three rows of frills for Sunday, too dressy for an interview. I had no shoes except flat-heeled school shoes, and tennis shoes. There was no time to make a dress and in those years no ready-made clothes existed, so Mother lengthened the green dress. I squeezed two pimples on my forehead, then went to the East market and bought some face powder, Butterfly brand, pink, made in Shanghai by a Japanese firm.
我該穿哪件衣服呢？我有兩套校服，一套綠的和一套褐色的女服，還有一條綴著三排花邊的女服，是過節穿的，穿著去面試太花哨了。我也沒什么鞋，只有學校發的平跟鞋，還有球鞋。現做是來不及了，那時又沒成衣出售，所以母親就把那套綠顏色的服裝放放長。我掐了額頭上的兩粒粉刺，接著去東單買了些蝴蝶牌香粉，粉紅色的，是一家日本公司在上海生產的。
The next morning, straw-hatted, with powder on my nose, I went with my father to the gates of the hospital.
第二天上午，我帶著帽子，鼻子上搽了粉，跟父親來到醫院門口。
"It's not this gate, this is for the sick. It's the other gate, round the corner," said the porter.
“不是這個門，這是病人走的。走另外一扇門，拐彎就是，”看門的說。
The Yu Wang Fu Palace occupied a whole city block. We walked along its high grey outer wall, hearing the dogs scream in the kennels, and came to its other gate, which was the Administration building gate. It had two large stone lions, one male, one female. We crossed the marble courtyard, walked up the steps with their carved dragons coiling in the middle, into an entrance hall, with painted beams and intricate painted ceiling, red lacquered pillars, huge lamps. There was cork matting on the stone floor.
御王府占了整整一個街區。我們繞青灰高墻走，一路聽見狗在窩里尖叫，走著走著到了另一扇大門，是行政樓的門。門前是一公一母兩個大石獅子。我們穿過大理石庭院，走上正中雕有蟠龍的臺階，來到前廳，看見精致的雕梁畫棟，丹漆柱子，還有高高大大的燈臺。青石地面上鋪著軟木墊。
"I'll leave you," said Papa. "Try to make a good impression. " And he was gone.
“我走了，”爸爸說。“注意給人留個好印象。”說著他就走了。
I found the Comptroller's office easily; there was a messenger in the hall directing visitors. An open door, a room, two typewriters clattering and two women making them clatter.
我沒費周折就找到了審計主任的辦公室；廳里有個當差的給來訪者作指點。一扇開著的門，一間屋子，屋里兩臺咔嗒作響的打字機，兩位女士咔嗒咔嗒在打字。
I stood at the door and one of the women came to me. She had the new style of hair, all upstanding curls, which I admired, a dress with a print round the hem; she was very pregnant, so that her belly seemed to be coming at me first. She smiled. "Hello, what can I do for you?"
我站在門口，其中一位女士走上前來。她留著新式的發型，是我所喜歡的那種滿頭卷發豎立著的式樣，穿著沿褶邊印有花紋的裙子。由于她懷孕已快足月，所以她向我走過來時似乎是她的肚子最先到達我面前。她微微一笑。“你好，有事兒嗎？”
"I have an interview."
“我是來面試的。”
She took the letter from my hand. "Glad you could come. Now, just sit you down. No, sit down there. I'll tell Mr. Harned you've come."
她從我手里接過信。“真高興你來了。這樣吧，你先坐下。不，坐那兒。我去跟哈內德先生說你來了。”
The office had two other doors besides the one to the corridor, on one was "Comptroller." That was the one she went through and returned from.
除了通走廊的門，辦公室另外還有兩扇門，一扇門上寫著“審計主任”。她從這扇門走了進去，一會兒又走出來。
"Mr. Harned will see you now."
“哈內德先生這就見你。”
Mr. Harned was very tall, thin, with a small bald head, a long chin, enormous glasses. I immediately began to quiver with fright. His head was like a temple on top of a mountain, like the white pagoda on the hill in the North Sea Park. I could not hear a word of what he said. A paper and a pencil were in my hand, however, and Harned was dictating to me, giving me a speed test in shorthand.
哈內德先生高高瘦瘦，小小的禿腦袋，尖尖的下巴，那副眼鏡奇大無比。我一下子害怕得哆嗦起來。他的腦袋就像是山頂上的廟宇，就像北海公園山上的白塔。他說了些什么我一句也沒聽進。可我手里拿著紙和筆，我怎么辦呢。哈內德在給我口授著什么，讓我做速記的速度測試。
I went out of his office and the pregnant secretary sat me in front of her own typewriter. I turned a stricken face to her, "I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear what he said..."
我走出他的辦公室，那個懷孕的秘書讓我在她的打字機前坐下。我愁眉苦臉地對她說：“我沒聽清。他說的我沒聽清……”
"Wait, I'll tell him." She bustled off. At the other desk was a blonde, thin girl, who had thrown one look at me and then gone back to clattering. The pregnant one reappeared, a pink sheet in hand: "Now just copy this on the typewriter, best you can."
“別急，我去跟他說。”她匆匆走開去。另一張桌子前坐著的是一個苗條的金發姑娘，她看了我一眼，接著又咔嗒咔嗒打字了。懷孕的那位回來了，手里拿著一張粉紅色的紙：“你就把這個打一份，盡你最大努力吧。”
I hit the keys, swiftly; the typewriter was the same make as mine, a Royal.
我快速擊打著字鍵；打字機的牌子跟我自己的那臺一樣，是皇家牌的。
"My, you are fast. I'll tell Mr. Harned."
“喲，你打得真夠快的。我要去跟哈內德先生說。”
And Mr. Harned came out, benign behind those enormous goggle glasses. "Well, Miss Chou, we've decided to take you on as a typist, at thirty-five dollars a month. To start Monday. Is that all right?"
哈內德先生走了出來，他戴著那副奇大的有色眼鏡，看上去和顏悅色。“行，周小姐，我們決定聘用你當打字員，一個月35美元。星期一開始上班。行嗎？”
I nodded, unable to speak. Had he said ten dollars I would have accepted.
我點了點頭，話都說不出來。他即使說10美元我也會答應。
The kind secretary said: "Now take your time, and wipe your face. How old are you, by the way?"
那位好心的秘書說：“好了，別著急，擦擦臉。對了，你多大了？”
"Sixteen, nearly."
“16，快了。”
"Is that all? Why my eldest is bigger than you, and she isn't through school yet. I told Mr. Harned you were shy and upset, and that's why you couldn't take dictation. He's all right, just takes getting used to, that's all."
“才16？瞧，我的大閨女都比你大，她還沒畢業哪。我跟哈內德先生說了，你剛才是因害羞不安而沒法做記錄的。他挺不錯的，只要慢慢習慣起來就行了。”
"I couldn't understand his English."
“我聽不懂他說的英語。”
"Oh, you'll get used to it. Now, I won't be around on Monday, I'm going to have a baby. It's your letter that got them interested in you, you wrote such good English, better than all the other letters we've had. Mr. Harned will give you a try." She whispered, "I put in a good word for you."
“嗯，你會習慣的。好了，星期一我不來了，我要生孩子了。是你的信引起了他們對你的興趣，你的英文寫得真好，寫得比我們收到的其他的信都好。哈內德先生要試試你。”她壓低了聲音說：“我幫你說了好話。”
"Thanks, thanks a lot, ... I need the money, I ..."
“謝謝，多謝了，…… 我需要錢，我……”
"Yes, dear, we know." Obviously she wanted her typewriter back, and her chair. I was still sitting on it. "Well, bye-bye for now; hope you enjoy yourself in this job. I've been here six months and I've enjoyed every minute. Don't let Mr. Harned worry you; he's really great, once you get used to him."
“是啊，孩子，我們明白。”顯然她想坐回到自己的椅子里，回到打字機前。可我還坐在那張椅子上呢。“好了，再見了；但愿你喜歡這活兒。我在這兒干了六個月了，一直干得挺開心。別因為怕哈內德先生而發愁；他人真的挺好，只要你習慣了就行了。”
I had a job, had a job, had a job.
我有工作了，有工作了，有工作了。
