四喜忧国（节选）

Lucky Worries about His Country

朱四喜在完成了《告全国军民同胞书））的那天晚上用大牙撬开一瓶红标米酒，忽然间觉得精神抖擞起来。他的老婆仍像平日一样隔着甘蔗板向外间屋抛送鼾声，并且不时将竹床压得咿哑作响；他的小儿子来宝在窗下吹塑料口琴；来宝的三个哥哥来福、来财和来寿则围坐在饭桌的另外三边打瞌睡、念英文，以及赞美小耶稣。这些声音都扰不着朱四喜，他把斟冒了沿儿的酒汁从桌面上吸吮入腹，觉得世界真是饱满来劲儿。一切仿佛正要重新开始。“这就对了!他顺手拂开面前散落的花生壳儿，捧起文告来，环视一圈他的四个儿子，点点头，又强-iN了一遍：“这就对了。”

On the evening he finished his ＂Proclamation to Soldiers, Civilian and Countrymen, ＂ Lucky Zhu opened his bottle of red-label rice wine with his teeth. He suddenly perked up. As usual, his wife was sending out snores from the bedroom behind the cane-fibreboard partition, and from time to time the bamboo bed creaked under her weight. His youngest son, Treasure, was playing his plastic harmonica by the window. Treasure＇ s three brothers, Bliss, Fortune, and Longevity, were sitting around the other three sides of the table, dozing, studying English, and praising Baby Jesus respectively. None of these noises disturbed Lucky Zhu. He slurped up the spilled wine from the table and felt that the world was wonderful indeed, as if everything was about to start anew. ＂Yes, that＇s good!＂ He whisked off the peanut shells scattered on the table, picked up his proclamation and held it in both hands, then took a look at his four sons around him. ＂Yes, that＇s good!＂ he repeated emphatically and nodded in approval.