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He taught me all these things, and that was how I also learned I could be lazy and get away with mistakes, lots of mistakes. If I hit the wrong notes because I hadn't practiced enough, I never corrected myself, I just kept playing in rhythm. And Old Chong kept conducting his own private reverie.
就這樣，他教給我整套的技巧，我也學(xué)會(huì)了如何偷懶和敷衍錯(cuò)誤，許多錯(cuò)誤。要是我沒有充分練習(xí)而敲錯(cuò)音，我也從不改正，只是繼續(xù)按節(jié)奏往下彈奏。老鐘則自顧往下指揮他自己夢(mèng)中的樂隊(duì)。
So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty quickly, and I might have become a good pianist at that young age. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different that I learned to play only the most ear-splitting preludes, the most discordant hymns.
也許我確實(shí)沒有抓住機(jī)會(huì)。我很快學(xué)會(huì)了基本技能，或許真的會(huì)成為一個(gè)優(yōu)秀少年鋼琴家。可我決心已定，頑間地拒絕出眾，所以只學(xué)會(huì)了彈奏最刺耳的前奏、最不和諧的贊美曲。
Over the next year, I practiced like this, dutifully in my own way. And then one day I heard my mother and her friend Lindo Jong both talking in a loud bragging tone of voice so otherscould hear. It was after church, and I was leaning against a brick wall wearing a dress with stiff white petticoats. Auntie Lindo's daughter, Waverly, who was about my age, was standing farther down the wall about five feet away. We had grown up together and shared all the closeness of two sisters squabbling over crayons and dolls. In other words, for the most part, we hated each other. I thought she was snotty. Waverly Jong had gained a certain amount of fame as "Chinatown's Littlest Chinese Chess Champion."
第二年，我依舊我行我索。一天，我聽見母親和她的朋友仲琳朵兩個(gè)人炫耀各自的女兒，聲音大得誰都聽得到。那是做完禮拜后，我穿著襯有硬硬的白色襯裙的連衣裙，倚著磚墻。琳朵阿姨的女兒威芙麗與我年齡相仿，也站在距我大約五英尺處的墻邊。我倆從小一起玩耍，也像姐妹一樣因爭搶蠟筆和洋娃娃爭吵。也就是說，我們并不太友好。我覺得她傲慢。威芙麗·仲小有名氣，是“唐人街最小的中國象棋冠軍”。
"She brings home too many trophies." lamented Auntie Lindo that Sunday. "All day she plays chess. All day I have no time to do nothing but dust off her winnings." She threw a scolding look at Waverly, who pretended not to see her.
“威芙麗捧回來的獎(jiǎng)品太多了，”那個(gè)禮拜天琳朵阿姨抱怨說，“她整天下棋，我整天就給她的獎(jiǎng)牌擦灰，什么也干不了。”她責(zé)怪地瞥了威芙麗一眼，可她假裝沒看見。
"You lucky you don't have this problem," said Auntie Lindo with a sigh to my mother.
“沒這煩心事，你真福氣，”琳朵阿姨對(duì)母親嘆了口氣。
And my mother squared her shoulders and bragged "our problem worse than yours. If we ask Jing-mei wash dish, she hear nothing but music. It's like you can't stop this natural talent."
可母親也挺了挺身，回敬道：“我們可比你還要煩心呢。要是叫景梅洗碗，她根本聽不見，只知道音樂。想擋都擋不住這天分。”
And right then, I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride.
就在那一刻，我下定決心要制止她那愚蠢的自傲。
