10.14 小龙女报复牛郎 Little Dragoness Revenges on Cowboy

 

一天娥黄告诉牛郎：“老板让你去仓库选最好的木材，然后做一件家具。”

牛郎问：“什么家具？”

娥皇回答：“老板没告诉我，你就做一张桌子，或者一把椅子什么的。”

One day, Beauty Yellow told Cowboy, “The boss wants you to go to the warehouse, pick out the finest wood, and make a piece of furniture.”

Cowboy asked, “What kind of furniture?”

Beauty Yellow replied, “The boss didn't tell me. Just make a table or a chair or something.”

2

两天后，娥黄在小龙女面前问牛郎：“我让你做的那件家具，怎么样了？”

牛郎回答：“做完了，在我的房间里呢！”

娥黄对小龙女叨咕：“我没看见他做呀！”她俩跟着牛郎来到了他的房间。牛郎打开了一张折叠桌。娥黄惊奇地问：“这桌子是你做的！？”她扳倒桌子看桌面底下的滑道。小龙女也凑了过来仔细地看，然后说：“劈了，然后用来烧火！”

Two days later, Beauty Yellow asked Cowboy in front of Little Dragoness, “How's that piece of furniture I asked you to make?”

Cowboy replied, “It's done. It's in my room!”

Beauty Yellow muttered to Beauty Yellow, “I never saw him make it!” The two followed Cowboy to his room. Cowboy unfolded a folding table. Beauty Yellow asked in surprise, “You made this table!?” She tipped the table over to inspect the slide mechanism beneath the tabletop. Little Dragoness leaned in to examine it closely, then declared, “Split it—and use it for firewood!”

牛郎着急地回答：“别劈，这木材很贵呀！你不要，给我！”

小龙女听后，转身回去了。

娥黄就开始动手，拆桌子！

牛郎慌忙地对娥黄说：“姐！你别拆，看卡了手，我来拆！”

娥黄站了起来，说：“拆了，然后把桌子的面板用斧子劈了，晚上用这木材烧火做饭！”

Cowboy urgently replied, “Don't chop it! This wood is expensive! If you don't want it, give it to me!”

Upon hearing this, Little Dragoness turned and walked away.

Beauty Yellow began dismantling the table!

Cowboy frantically pleaded, “Sis! Don't take it apart—you'll hurt your hands! Let me do it!”

Beauty Yellow stood up and declared, “Take it apart. Then chop the tabletop with the axe. We'll use this wood for cooking tonight!”

牛郎拿着分解后的桌子来到了厨房。娥皇正在烧水，拿起一根桌腿就放到了火里，然后说：“老板让你把桌子劈了，你怎么还不劈！？” 牛郎听后，找到了斧子，重新拿起了桌面，去院子里批桌面。

Cowboy carried the disassembled table into the kitchen. Beauty Yellow was boiling water; she grabbed a table leg and tossed it into the fire, then snapped, “The boss told you to chop up the table—why haven't you done it yet!?” Hearing this, Cowboy found the axe, picked up the tabletop again, and went out to the courtyard to chop it up.

这时牛郎的朋友来了，问牛郎：“好好的桌面，怎么劈啦？”

娥黄出来解释说：“老板让他用仓库里最好的木材做一件家具。他就做了这张桌子。老板看了，不满意，就让他把桌子劈了。”

牛郎把劈好的木材送到了厨房，出来后对朋友说：“回家！”

Just then, Cowboy's friend arrived and asked him, “Why did you chop up such a fine tabletop?”

Beauty Yellow stepped forward to explain: “The boss told him to make a piece of furniture using the finest wood from the warehouse. So, he made this table. When the boss saw it, she wasn't satisfied and ordered him to chop it up.”

Cowboy delivered the chopped wood to the kitchen. Upon exiting, he said to his friend, “Let's go home!”

3

朋友一边跟着牛郎向宿舍走，一边叨咕：“回哪里的家！？我都对你说了三遍了，如果这份工作干砸了，你的下一份工作是在土匪窝里。你去土匪窝，用不了三个月，就被打死了。”朋友转身对跟过来的娥黄说：“我也就要没家了。我尊重您，随着牛郎称呼您姐姐。姐！我可被他害惨了！我不怕您笑话我。他在这工地干的活，是我花钱从别的建筑工司买来的。我让他干七天，可他三天就干完。我让他干三天，他一天就把工作做没了。他干的越多，我们公司就赔得越多。”

As Friend followed Cowboy toward the dormitory, he muttered, “Which home are you going back to!? I've told you three times already—if you screw up this job, your next one will be in a bandit's lair. Go there, and you won't last three months before they beat you to death.” Turning to Beauty Yellow who had followed them, he said, "I'm about to lose my home too. I respect you enough to call you Sister, following Cowboy's lead. Sister! He's ruined me! I won't hide this from you. The work he does on this site. I paid another construction company to get it. I tell him to work seven days, but he finishes in three. I tell him to work three days, and he's done in one. The more he does, the more our company loses."

牛郎闷在一边不说话。朋友问：“你想死，还是想活！？如果想活就听我的。”
牛郎回答：“那我听你的！”

朋友对娥黄说：“这事交给我吧！我告诉他怎么做。”娥皇回去向小龙女报告了。

Cowboy sat silently to one side. Friend asked, “Do you want to die, or to live!? If you want to live, listen to me.”

Cowboy replied, “Then I'll listen to you!”

Friend said to Beauty Yellow, “Sister! Leave this to me! I'll tell him what to do.”  Beauty Yellow went back to report to Little Dragoness.

4

朋友跟随牛郎到仓库重新选木材。朋友指着三块山核桃木板说：“那你就用这三块木板做一张咱俩以前贩售的那种折叠式方便桌。”朋友放平了一张山核桃木板，指着木板的一角说：“这儿的木材好，把这块切下来。”然后他摊开了另一张山核桃硬木板，指着一角说：“这张木板的这个地方好，把它切下来。你从第三张山核桃木板切下一窄条和四条腿儿。

Friend followed Cowboy to storage house to select new wood. Pointing to three hickory planks, he said, “Use these three boards to make one of those folding convenience tables we used to sell.” He laid one piece flat and indicated a corner, saying, “This section is fine cut it off.” Then he unfolded another piece of hickory hardwood, pointing to a corner and adding, “This part of this board is good cut it off too. From the third hickory board, cut one narrow strip and four legs."

牛郎气愤地大叫：“你怎么这么败家呢！我在木材市场看见了；这山核桃木板标价130两银子一张。”

朋友大叫：“我在给你指出一条活路！很明显，这三张硬木板是这仓库里最好的木材。你老板让你用这里最好的木材做一件家具。她就是想看看你的手艺。你做就行了！”

牛郎气愤地说：“那也不能把三块木板都浪费了！”

Cowboy shouted angrily, “How wasteful can you be! I saw these hickory boards at the lumber market priced at 130 taels of silver each!”

Friend shouted back, “I'm showing you a way to survive! Clearly, these three hardwood planks are the finest timber in this warehouse. Your boss wants you to craft a piece of furniture using the best wood here. She just wants to see your skill. Just do it!”

Cowboy retorted angrily, “But that doesn't mean I should waste all three planks!”

朋友无可奈何地回答：“人家雇佣你，你要听从雇主的指挥。她让你用最好的木材，你就要用最好的木材来做。”

牛郎说：“你这是让我搞破坏！”

朋友仰面大叫：“我的天呐！如果我说错了，我赔钱还不行吗！？”

牛郎说：“你用什么赔？连房子带地，你家的全部财产也不值25两银子；这一张木板就得赔100两银子。”

Friend replied helplessly, “When someone hires you, you must follow their instructions. If she tells you to use the finest wood, you must use the finest wood to build it.”

Cowboy retorted, “You're telling me to sabotage the job!”

Friend threw his hands up in exasperation. “Good heavens! If I'm wrong, I'll pay for it—isn't that enough!?”

Cowboy sneered, “What will you pay with? Your entire estate—house and land—isn't worth twenty-five taels of silver. This single plank alone will cost you a hundred taels.”

5 朋友怎么给牛郎出了这个主义？How did Friend come up with this scheme for Cowboy?

前文说了，牛郎的奴隶公司雇佣了法师，而且那位法师的弟子就是此工地的交通引导员。法师已经和工程师们研究好了，知道这工程的进度和小龙女的办事目的。小龙女在寻找做硬木龙骨锁模型的技工，在测试牛郎的硬木加工技能。

As mentioned earlier, the slave company of Cowboy hired a Juristic Teacher (wizard, mage) and that Juristic Teacher's apprentice is the traffic guide at this construction site. The Juristic Teacher has already coordinated with the engineers, understanding both the project's progress and the purpose of Little Dragoness. Little Dragoness is seeking craftsmen skilled in hardwood joinery to create Dragon Spine Lock models, testing the cowboy's hardwood processing abilities.

6

朋友抱着从工房里拿来的锯和刨子，说：“我知道我在干什么，你不知道！想活，你就按照我告诉你的做。明天早上，人们发现他们的工具坏了，你就没机会做硬木桌子了。时间不多了！”

Friend clutched the saw and plane he'd fetched from the workshop, declaring, “I know what I'm doing, and you don't! If you want to live, do exactly as I say. By tomorrow morning, people will find their tools broken, and you'll have no chance to make that hardwood table. Time is running out!”

牛郎迷惑地对朋友叨咕：“我可是真不明白！你可得想清楚喽！我就做那么一个方便桌，几百两银子就没了。如果失败了，你的工作和家产就全没了，还得去坐牢！”

朋友回答：“你的老板不在乎几百两银子！如果你能把桌子做出来，咱俩就不用去坐牢！”

Cowboy muttered to his friend in bewilderment, “I just don't get it! You'd better think this through! I'm just making a simple folding table, and it'll cost hundreds of taels of silver. If it fails, you'll lose your job and your property, and you'll end up in jail!”

Friend replied, “Your boss doesn't care about a few hundred taels! If you can make that table, neither of us will have to go to jail!”

7

第二天早上做饭的时候，牛郎告诉娥黄：“我昨天夜里做桌子，把工房里的工具全用坏了。”

娥黄和小龙女惊讶地到工房查看。一个案板上放着一排据和一排刨子。小龙女拿起一把尺查看，然后迷惑地看娥黄。牛郎过去指着那排据和那排刨子说：“这些都变成铁的了，钢被用没了。”他拿起一把锯，指着锯的齿子说“就这把锯根部的几个齿子还有些钢。”说着，他用那几个有钢的齿子去划其它的锯齿和刨子刃；那些铁的锯齿和刨刀被划出了划痕。

The next morning while cooking, Cowboy told Beauty Yellow, “I was making a table last night and wore out all the tools in the workshop.”

Beauty Yellow and Little Dragoness rushed over in surprise to inspect the workshop. A row of saws and a row of planes lay scattered on a cutting board. Little Dragoness picked up a ruler to examine it, then looked at Beauty Yellow in confusion. Cowboy walked over, pointing at the rows of saws and planes, and said, “All these have turned to iron—the steel's worn away.” He picked up a saw and pointed to its teeth, adding, “Only these few teeth near the base still have some steel left.” As he spoke, he scraped the steel-edged teeth against the other saw teeth and plane blades; the iron teeth and plane blades were scratched by the steel.

娥黄问：“你说你在做桌子；那没完工的桌子在哪儿呢？”

牛郎回答：“在我的房间里！”

牛郎把折叠桌侧翻，指着桌板说：“这桌板太厚，需要用凿刀把桌板刨薄。刨硬木，需要前些日子买的那两只金刚凿。刨这么多的木头，那两只金刚凿也得变成铁的了。但是，老板让我干什么，我就干什么，尽管那是在犯罪！”

Beauty Yellow asked, “You said you were making a table; where is that unfinished table?”

Cowboy replied, “In my room!”

Cowboy turned the folding table sideways and pointed at the tabletop. “This wood is too thick. I need chisels to plane it down. For hardwood like this, I'd need those two Philosopher-Stone Chisels I bought a while back. But planning this much wood would wear even Philosopher-Stone Chisels down to iron. Still, whatever the boss tells me to do, I do—even if it means committing a crime!”

小龙女问娥黄：“我对你说，买最好的。另外，我记得你让他买三支金刚凿，怎么变成两支了？”

娥黄回答：“我告诉牛郎去买三支能加工硬木的凿子，没说买最好的。他询问之后，回来问我；我说由他决定。他就买了两支。

小龙女问：“那两只凿子现在在哪里？”

Little Dragoness asked Beauty Yellow, “I told you to buy the best ones. Also, I remember you asked him to buy three Philosopher-Stone Chisels—how did it become two?”

Beauty Yellow replied, “I told Cowboy to buy three chisels capable of working hardwood, but I didn't specify the best ones. After inquiring, he came back to ask me; I said it was up to him. So, he bought two.”

Little Dragoness asked, “Where are those two chisels now?”

娥黄回答：“那凿子很贵，110两银子一支；我就保存在实验室里了。”

小龙女对娥黄叨咕：“咱可不能让人家犯罪，拆了吧！”然后，她离开了。

娥黄对牛郎说：“你听见了！把这桌子拆了！”

牛郎抱着折叠桌分解后的木材来到了厨房。娥黄说：“这次老板让你拆了，可没让你烧了。这木头还能做龙骨锁呢！哎呀，这木材不能放在仓库里了，以免被别人当成废料拿走了，还是送到实验室去吧！”

Beauty Yellow answered, “Those chisels are very expensive—110 taels of silver each. So, I kept them in the lab.”

Little Dragoness whispered to Beauty Yellow: “We can't let other commit a crime; dismantle it down!” Then she left.

Beauty Yellow said to Cowboy, “Did you hear that? Take this table apart!”

Cowboy carried the dismantled folding table wood into the kitchen. Beauty Yellow said, “The boss told you to take it apart, not burn it. This wood can still be used for dragon spine locks! Oh dear, we can't leave it in the warehouse—someone might mistake it for scrap and take it. Better send it to the lab!”

8

在厨房里做饭的时候，牛郎的手被扎了一下，疼的牛郎僵住了。娥黄过去看，牛郎的两只手布满了血泡，有的血泡已经破裂了。

While cooking in the kitchen, Cowboy pricked his hand, the pain making him freeze. When Beauty Yellow went over to check, she saw that both of his hands were covered in blisters, some of which had already burst.

娥黄一边给牛郎上药一边说：“以后你病了，不方便工作就告诉我。你不说，我怎么可能知道呢！给你放两天假，你现在就回去睡觉吧。等你的手伤好了，就去实验室制作龙骨锁模型。”

牛郎高兴了，说：“那我明天回学校去，去向老师借一些龙骨锁的学习材料。”

As Beauty Yellow applied medicine to Cowboy's hand, she said, "If you're sick and it's inconvenient for you to work in the future, just tell me. How would I know if you don't tell me? I'll give you two days off. Go home and sleep now. Once your hand is healed, go to the lab to make a model of the dragon spine lock."

Cowboy was delighted and said, "Then I'll go back to school tomorrow and borrow some learning materials about the dragon spine lock from my teacher."

娥黄愣住了。龙骨锁是当时（六千三百年前）的建筑业尚未攻克的难题，属于高科技。其技术属于企业的私有财产。娥黄问：“你怎么知道龙骨锁？”

Beauty Yellow was stunned. The Dragon Spine Lock was a subject that the construction industry had not yet solved at that time (6,300 years ago), belonging to high technology. Its technology was the private property of the enterprise. Beauty Yellow asked, "How do you know about the Dragon Spine Lock?"

牛郎回答：“我上学的时候学过。”

娥黄说：“我们几乎没有龙骨锁的资料。你回学校去进行学术交流，我可以给你差旅费。我们不知道你以前的那座学校，不认识他们，不能给你的老师送礼物；但我可以多给你一些差旅费。”

Cowboy replied, "I learned about it when I was in school."

Beauty Yellow said, "We have almost no information about the Dragon Spine Lock. If you go back to your school for academic exchange, I can give you travel expenses. We don't know your school, we don't know the people there, and we can't give your teachers gifts, but I can give you more travel expenses."

牛郎拿了钱就要走。娥黄喊他回来，说：“这几天，你的手不能沾水，不方便做饭。上次你买的锦州小菜，有一篓刚开封，没人吃了，你拿去吧。说着娥黄去屋里去取咸菜，还给牛郎包了一大包干的食品。

娥黄进屋后看见小龙女正在偷听。她捂着嘴，禁不住地乐。

Cowboy took the money and was about to leave. Beauty Yellow called him back, saying, “These days, your hands can't touch water, so it's inconvenient for you to cook. That basket of Jinzhou pickles you bought last time is still opened. No one's eating them—take them with you.” With that, Beauty Yellow went inside to fetch the pickles and packed Cowboy a large bundle of dried food.

After entering the house, Beauty Yellow spotted Little Dragoness eavesdropping. Covering her mouth, she couldn't help but chuckle.

9

这时瞽叟叫嚷着来报案：“也不知道是什么样的盗墓贼？他把我前几天买的三张山核桃木板，每一张都锯去了一部分。”

小龙女回答：“是我让牛郎干的！”

瞽叟回答：“啊！那我们没失窃！”

Blind-Drummer came shouting to report the theft: “I don't know what kind of wood thief this is! He sawed off a piece from each of the three hickory planks I bought just a few days ago.”

Little Dragoness replied, “I had Cowboy done it!”

Blind-Drummer answered, “Ah! Then we haven't been robbed!”

小龙女又说：“工房的案板上放着被牛郎用坏了的锯和刨子，我们要赔给人家！”

瞽叟回答：“啊！那我去登记一下；他们可以以旧换新。”

Little Dragoness added, “The workshop's workbench holds the saws and planes that Cowboy ruined. We must compensate them!”

Blind-Drummer replied, “Ah! I'll go register it; they can exchange it for new ones.”

10

娥黄问小龙女：“看来牛郎胜任制造龙骨锁模型的工作，但也省不了多少钱，你怎么那么高兴？”

小龙女回答：“咱们可不占牛郎的便宜，省下来的钱还给他，可以用来为他赎身。我乐是因为我发现他们公司又派来一位法师，那俩法师干得很好啊！这整个工地都围着牛郎转，我可长见识了！”

Beauty Yellow asked Little Dragoness, “It seems Cowboy can make the dragon spine lock model, but it won't save much money. Why are you so happy?”

Little Dragoness replied, “We're not taking advantage of Cowboy. We'll return the saved money to him so he can use it to buy his freedom. I'm delighted because I discovered his company sent another Juristic Teacher (sorcerer, magician, mage)—those two Juristic Teachers are doing a splendid job! The entire construction site revolves around Cowboy. I've learned so much!”

11

传说，牛郎回到了他以前的学校，站在了鲁班办公室的门前。鲁班（如图10.13）正和同事们唠嗑呢，看见牛郎就问：“你回来干什么？”

牛郎回答：“我现在的工地有龙骨锁的施工，我想借一些龙骨锁的学习资料，再看看你的龙骨锁模型。”

鲁班没在意，也没想，拉开了抽屉就取出了设计图纸和模型，说：“这是我画的龙骨锁草图，和我自己制作的龙骨锁模型，你拿去吧！”

Legend has it that Cowboy returned to his former school and stood before Luban's office door. Luban (see fig. 10.13) was chatting with colleagues when he spotted Cowboy and asked, “What brings you back?”

Cowboy replied, “My current construction site involves Dragon Spine Lock installation. I'd like to borrow some Dragon Spine Lock reference materials and take another look at your Dragon Spine Lock model.”

Luban didn't think much of it. Without hesitation, he pulled open a drawer, took out the design drawings and model, and said, “Here are the rough sketches I drew for the Dragon Spine Lock and the model I made myself. Take them!”

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