&&&&country, I feel regretful that I don’t know a single Chinese word. I should have started learning Chinese long ago. But fortunately, your English is superbly great, so I don’t think language is a barrier between us. (自打我来到这个国家,我还是第一次后悔我一个汉字也不会。我早就应该开始学汉语了。不过很幸运,你的英语超级棒,所以我认为语言不是我们之间的障碍。)”
不仅是倩云听出了彼得的双关之意,连边上的孝慈和冰冰也听到了,明白了。冰冰对倩云眨眨眼睛,拉着孝慈往远一点的地方走。
倩云脸红了,小声对彼得说:“I’m not talking about barrier, I’m talking about appreciation. (我不是说障碍,我是说体会。)”
彼得抓住这个机会马上说:“Exactly, I’m showing my appreciation to you. (对啊,我正在表示出我对你的欣赏。)”他把‘appreciation’这个英文词的另外一个意思用上了,又一次双关地含蓄地试探着倩云的反应。
倩云见彼得很期待地直盯着自己看,心里一阵慌乱,连忙把话题岔开:“We are left behind, let’s catch up with them. (我们落在后面了,去赶上他们吧。)”
她快步往前赶,彼得只好紧跟着她。赶了一小段路,倩云尴尬地停下了,因为她看见冰冰和孝慈正背对着小路,一起在看远处的山水,他们互相搂着腰,冰冰的头靠在孝慈肩上,两人小声甜蜜地说着什么。
彼得赶过来,看见冰冰和孝慈的背影,戏谑地对倩云说:“We should stay away from them. These two loving birds don’t need us around. (我们应该离他们远点。这两只爱情鸟不需要我们在边上。)”
他拉着倩云的胳膊往回走,倩云没有拒绝。
彼得一边走,一边又找话题:“How do you compare here with Shanghai I hope I have the chance to visit you in Shanghai one day. (你觉得这里跟上海比,怎么样?我希望有一天有机会到上海去看你。)”
倩云很直接地说:“Shanghai is a bustling noisy metropolitan city. I don’t like it that much, especially at the moment it’s under the Japanese reign. Here I enjoy the tranquility, relaxation ,and fresh air of the country life. (上海是个繁忙喧嚣的大都市。我不太喜欢它,特别是现在还是日本人在统治。我很享受这里乡村生活的宁静,放松和新鲜空气。)”
彼得没有听她说欢迎自己去上海,有点失望,但是马上又重振Jing神说:“Then you should come to my hometown, Laguna, in coastal California. The weather is as mild as here, and we have beaches, mountains and valleys all around us, yet collected to the outside world by tourism routes. (那么你应该到我的家乡,加利福利亚州海滨城镇拉古娜来。天气就像这里一样温和,海滩山峰和峡谷环抱,但是又有旅游路径和外面的世界相联通。)”
倩云看他充满希望的眼神,不想杀风景,就附和地说:“That must be wonderful. I’d like to pay a visit one day. (那一定妙极了。我希望有一天去拜访。)”
彼得很高兴,真诚地说:“Sure. Leave it with me. Just let me know when you are ready. (当然,我来安排。你准备好去的时候告诉我。)”
孝慈和彼得把两个姑娘送回到旅馆的时候,天已经黑得差不多了。彼得和倩云走在前面,孝慈故意拉着冰冰落在后面。