Rise Up Chapter 11

Chapter 11 : Twilight Years晚年

"If you dare hit my daughter again, I'll fight you to the death!" I threatened him with a knife at my daughter's house.

“你要是再敢打我女儿，我就跟你拼命！”我拿着刀跑到到女儿家指着女婿道。

There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. How could a village girl like my daughter marry a man of such higher status?

这个世上从来就没有天上掉馅饼的事，一个山野村姑，即使容貌好点，又怎么能嫁到高出自己水平好几个层次的男人？

My naive daughter thought she had married well and changed her fate, but she was too innocent. She never asked herself what qualities she possessed to deserve such a marriage.

事出反常必有妖，我那苦命的傻女儿以为抓住了婚姻，高嫁了，从此就改变了自己穷苦的命运，可是她终究是太天真了，也不自己想想，自己何德何能呢?

Why would someone marry beneath them? Was it for love? Or for talent? Or wealth? None of these. If someone marries down, it must be because they have irreparable flaws!

他人为什么甘愿低娶？是为了情？真的爱你如命？还是为了才？或者财？什么都不是，那他人低娶肯定是自己也有无法弥补的缺陷呀！

As I grow older, I often think about how wonderful it would be if I could live my life again.

人老了，就时常回想，如果我的人生能够重来一次那该多好呀！

I look around and see people who, like me, have been poor, suffered, and struggled all their lives and who eventually died in misery. On the other hand, those who had better conditions in all aspects not only avoided the hardships we endured but also raised successful children. At the very least, their children didn't burden their parents and could stand on their own two feet.

我环顾四周，发现那些个和我一样的贫穷，和我一样的受尽磨难，和我一样苦的人一辈子也基本是一苦苦到死，而那些条件比我们好的，各方面都好的人。不仅不需要吃我们吃过的这些苦，儿女基本也都是成才的，至少虽不至于说能力大到光宗耀祖，至少不会拖累自己的老父亲老母亲，能自力更生，自立门户。

What is the reason for all of this?

这究竟是为了什么呢？

Why is fate so unfair, making my life so full of misery?

为什么老天如此地不公，竟让我有一个这样凄苦的一生？

Oh, heavens! You have been too unjust and cruel to me!

老天爷呀！你对我也太不公平了，太狠了点吧！

In my lifetime, I, Lotus, have contended with countless hardships, with resilience forged in blood, sweat, and tears. Yet, I grapple with an unnerving question - why, even on the precipice of death, does my fate persist in its relentless melancholy?

我段莲奋斗了一辈子，一辈子的拼搏，一辈子的血泪，一辈子的不服输，怎么到死了还是这样一个万年不变的悲苦命运？怎么还是这样个一层不变的结局。

Without parents to turn to, I stand self-sufficient; without a husband's support, I dedicate my life's vitality and hopes to my children. I have drained my spirit and energy, longing for my son to ascend like a phoenix and my daughter to rise likewise.

父母无依，我可以自强自立；夫君无靠，我把一生心血，一世的希望都寄托在他们的身上。我耗费了心神，熬透了心血，盼儿成凤，盼女成凰。

From their tender age, I have impressed upon them the necessity of self-reliance, urging them not to depend on others for their destiny. Education and success in examinations represent the most promising path for children of poverty - the solitary exit from poverty.

从小我就教导他们人要自强自立，自力更生，不得心存侥幸，妄图靠他人改变命运。对于穷人的孩子来说，好好读书，参加科举，金榜题名是最好的路，也是穷人唯一的出路。

Yet, my two sons do not love learning.  Does this indicate a universal truth - that the father's vigor determines that of the son?

可是我这两个儿子就是不爱读书，难道是虎父无犬子，若上一代强，下一代也不弱。犬父无虎子，若上一代弱，下一代注定也是弱的吗？