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英语日记： お金がない=I ain't got no money
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お金がない
When I was just little kid, there was this Japanese show on ATV Hongkong Channel quite hitting the Asian box office then. It was about a poverty-stricken 25 or so year-old fellow who struggled to change his living conditions.
The show was dramatic as well as inspiring. After a series of obstacles and blows, the hero became rich, quite rich as to taste the sweetness of life right now.
However, I was growing up, just not mature enough to understand this soap opera. With the years passing by, I seem to have forgotten a lot about this show, I did not quite remember what the hero looked like, how the story plot ran, I forgot the inspiration which touched my heart string as a kid then.
When I entered college, some day something like the bug hit me then, I saw this old movie once again, by chance.
He was called Ken Taro.
A little kid was digging hard in the ditch of a slum when he got a coin out. A big smile beaming on his smile, the kid put this coin into his piggy bank, with a great satisfaction. Then the camera moved to a hut upon the river, in which it seemed like a fishermen family was living.
An older kid a little bit fat was getting a meal ready on the Japanese dinner table-quite low-positioned-when he called out," Come and get it(吃饭啦!)
A not-too-handsome guy walked out from behind the tatami room, which turned out to be the restroom. He seemed to be smelling the nice odor of the meal being served, and showed a truly happy smile.
The older kid a bit fat and the little kid who just put a coin inside his piggy bank at the beginning of the show turned out to be his younger brothers. The not-too-handsome guy who just walked out of the restroom was Ken Taro.
The show got dramatic as the fat younger brother yelled to Ken Taro that the latter should wash his hands first right after "Doing his No1", and now to be having a meal!
Ken Taro smiled and mopped his hands in the back of his trousers. Aye!
The three brothers looked at the meals at the table in an not-sparkling manner--actually the meal was not rich, lying on the table were just a bowl of fatty pork or sth like that, and veggies, and their cooked rice.
"Then"Ken Taro said, like that of someone announcing some important news.
"Let us eat!"
Upon hearing the words, the three of them attacked at the meal on the table, each of them trying his best to rob his share of porks. In a second or two, the bowl filled with the porks was empty!
This is called Robbing his share of meal like crazy(抢饭大作战).
To us, this is nothing more than amuzing or funny piece of episode, yet there is the sadness and helplessness hidden inside.Just cos they ain't got enough money to buy nich things to eat, each meal to them is not talking about manners but survivals.
During having the meal, Ken Taro announced to his brothers that he was to receive his salary tomorrow, thus each of them was gonna be treated to carbonado(烧肉)in a restaurant.
"Yay!" Happiness and excitement filled the little hut.
In this episode there was also another detail as to explain the depressing situation of Ken Taro. While eating his cooked rice, Ken complimented on his fat brother's chef talent, and that Ken would like it that if his brother put more salt on the meat next time.
" We don't have much salt left, and there is no extra money to buy that with all the money paying off the rent, buying rice, gas, electricity,etc."
"Sou(Japanese, meaning: Is that it?"Ken said.
Poverty is the key word here, and every scene of black humor plays the trick here.
The next day, Ken Taro went to his friend's with his brothers. His friend was a girl who had loved Ken all the way despite of his poverty, of course, this is the movie, in reality, it seldom exists.
The girl drove Ken and his brothers in her car to Ken's factory, Ken having a beaming smile on his face, for today was the salary day!
On the way to Ken's factory, they passed by a hockshop(当铺), whose window so clearly showed a set of black business suit(西装),which was Ken's birthday present from his father many many years ago. However, the desperate living condition pushed Ken to sell his business suit to this hockshop not once and for all.
Sold, and then redeemed(赎回), and sold, and them redeemed, and so on and so on.
What a nice set of business suit!It just was quite fit for Ken's shape. And Ken would be just looking smart in it.Yet this suit was not Ken's anymore, at least, not here, not now.
Ken stared at his once-belonged-to-him suit, speechless, and the expression, how to read.(该怎么读懂当时健太郎的钱愁万绪呢?)
And then his eyes drifted to the rich persons on the street who were wearing nice suits, driving nice cars, holding a beautiful young lady at their hands.They have nice things to eat, luxurious mansions to live in, and what not...
You are poverty-stricken, lay your head low and accept the hard fact!
The girl poped a question to Ken suddenly," What's with you?"
This brought Ken back to reality,"Nothing"
And then a pushed smile on his face, Ken wanted to look at ease, yet his expression would not do that trick. He was holding back tears--tears of true sadness.
Born to the poverty-stricken class, all happiness was deprived of.
An early Japanese movie showed it so clearly as that of the crystal: Poverty deprives of one of every means of happiness, a tragedy began.
It took quite a lotta emotions as well as seemingly like forever to get back to his factory, then Ken found something was wrong!
The factory was bankrupt(工厂倒闭了)
A lotta workers were robbing the factory--anything they could take, they could not take back their salary,anyway. And the factory executives was putting some finishing work on their accounting books. Ken rushed in their office and asked what now with his salary.
It would not be hard to imagine that Ken only had disappointment, no, helplessness walk him back home.
What to do with the promise to take his brothers to a restaurant to have a rich meal of carbonado.
Ken took his brothers to the restaurant, in which he smiled along with his kept-in-the-dark brothers. Watching his brothers tasting the carbonado joyfully and happily, Ken seemed to have forgotten the reality that he was to have no money to pay for this meal.
When his brothers were almost finished, Ken whispered to them,"Oil in your feet脚底抹油,Jargon=run on your feet"
Before one knew it, Ken and his brothers escaped for theie life out of the restaurant while staff from the restaurant running closely behind.
The scene was set on a bridge. The three brothers seemed to have gotten rid of the staff from the restaurant, and now were all catching their breath.
"Hey, after having a nice meal, is not a good idea to have a jog?"Ken made fun of the black humor situation.
"It's not good at all to run after a meal!" His young brother answsered.
Another black humor
Back home, Ken made an announcement to his brothers again, like that of a great person delievering a great speech.
"Tomorrow,your brother is gonna find another job. Not to worry, pal!"
Day dawned.Ken began his job hunting. In ragged clothes, broken sneakers, but with a confident heart Ken walked in a foreign-funded company...
"Can you speak English?"Ken was interviewed.
Ken saw an American or two and heard him saying sth strange, Ken mimiced.
Ken was kicked out of the company.
In another company Ken failed again cos he did not know any thing about computer technology.
And still another one, still another one...
Finally Ken went into an insurance company, which was the largest stock holding company in Japan then. Ken asked for an interview. After being led into the female manager's office, Ken introduced himself in a confident manner.
" My name is Ken Taro,"
"Do you have any working experience in this field?""What's your strength?""Why would I hire you without even a degree?"
To all these baffling questions, Ken hesitated, but he answered still confidently for he felt he could fit fine if given the chance.
In ragged clothes, broken sneakers and a nest of not too nice hair style, Ken was asked to be kicked out of the company by the female manager!
Ken was kicked out.
Ken felt disappointed.
In his friend's cafe( his friend's parents were running a cafe)Ken was drinking unhappily while murmuring he would pay for the drinking fees next time.
"Anytime you like."
Ken knew that his friend had a large friend circle, thus Ken felt all the embarrassment as to ask his friend to introduce him to a new job.
Back home, Ken was having a hard time getting to sleep. Tossing and turning in his bed, Ken sneaked out of his cover sheet. In the dark, Ken seemed to have felt all the obstacles he would have to face in the future.
Ken finally decided to take out his little brother's piggy bank. He crashed it on the ground, with all the coins splatting on the ground, Ken kneeled on the floor, picking them all up.
Ken redeemed his business suit. The show dramatized the scene when Ken was putting on his smart business suit.All the shines and all the glitters.
令我想起曾经的他对我说，“我是金子，我在哪里都可以发光。”
发什么光啊，在她面前，我就算是金子她也永远看不到了。
Let's get back to Ken Taro then.
There is one more scene in the first show that moved me. One night when Ken Taro went back to his little hut, he found his fat brother holding a knife in his hands.
What's wrong.
"Don't get any closer, don't push me!"The fat brother was holding up his knife, threathening the landowner who was coming closer.
It turned out the money Ken had handed to his fat brother, yet the fat brother did not pay the house rent for three months, that's why the landowner went over to ask for it.
When asked whether he had not paid the rent, his brother admitted.
Ken slapped his fat brother on the face.（健太郎刮了他弟弟一巴）
The fat brother seemed not able to take this slap from his brother, the former rushed out of the hut all of a sudden, Ken was catching up with him.
Ken caught his fat broher on a dam or some river bank. His brother sat on the river bank and wept down tears.Patting on his head, Ken patiently asked about the reason.
This is how his fat brother explained:
" Price has increased a lot lately. Brother, you are not taking care of the trifles of everyday life, that's why you don't know. The Money for these three months has already been used to buy oil, rice, salt, etc, whose prices have all been going up a lot.
The house, the broken hut, we are living in is not a decent house at all, why not let us live in it for free"
（我们现在住那算是什么房子，一个破烂的地方，为什么不可以让我们免费住？)
看到这里，我哭了
It's a movie of depicting the down and under poverty-stricken souls. I did not understand it as a young kid, but I understand it now, quite well.
I am an English interpreter, as well as a translator. I got a big big great expectations to fulfill. There aint no sensing in talking about I had been choosing the right paths in the past, but I am gonna carry all these through. I know, the stars in the night sky, cos some supernatural or destiny has shut off the lights in the room of my world, yet there is still one left on, there will always be still on left on.
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Post comment Comment (3 replies)
- Reply Fionahere
- i was deeply touched by the movie, Ken Taro. your description is so vivid and appropriate that the movie really renders me a heavy heart. deep down, i know this kind of things exist, but when you just witness it, you will still feel grieved. it just reminds me of the movie Crazy Racer. they two share sth in common: hard life of nobodies. i'm glad to see you do not feel gloomy for the future. on the contrary, you become more resolute and determined. that's nice~~~~~ after all, there is also the movie Slumdog Millionnaire huh
