玉镯的秘密

我外婆去世那年，留给我的唯一遗物是一只翠绿色的玉镯。

The year my grandmother passed away, the only relic she left for me was a jade bracelet in a vibrant green color.

这只玉镯看起来并不名贵，边缘还有一道细小的裂纹，但外婆生前从不离身，走路时还会故意让它发出清脆的声响。

This jade bracelet didn’t look particularly valuable; it even had a small crack on the edge. Yet, my grandmother never left it behind during her lifetime and would deliberately make it emit a crisp sound while walking.

"这只镯子有故事，等你长大了告诉你。"外婆生前常这样对我说。

"This bracelet has a story; I will tell you when you grow up," she often said to me when she was alive.

可惜，她带着这个秘密永远离开了。

Unfortunately, she took that secret with her forever.

二十五岁那年，我决定辞去国内的工作，前往澳大利亚攻读博士学位。

At the age of twenty-five, I decided to resign from my job in China and go to Australia to pursue a PhD.

临行前，母亲把玉镯郑重地交到我手中："带上它吧，就当外婆在陪着你。"

Before leaving, my mother solemnly handed me the jade bracelet: "Take it with you; it will be like your grandmother is accompanying you."

到达悉尼后，我很快适应了留学生活。

After arriving in Sydney, I quickly adapted to life as an international student.

虽然研究工作繁忙，但我仍抽空在当地一家中餐厅做兼职，缓解经济压力。

Although research work was busy, I still found time to take part-time work at a local Chinese restaurant to alleviate financial pressure.

一次偶然的机会，我注意到一位常来用餐的华裔老人。

On one occasion, I noticed an elderly Chinese man who frequently dined there.

他每次都独自一人，点同样的菜，吃完后总要坐很久，望着窗外发呆。

He always ate alone, ordered the same dish, and afterward, he would sit for a long time, staring out the window in a daze.

更奇怪的是，每当我走近，他就会盯着我手腕上的玉镯出神。

Strangely, every time I approached, he would fixate on the jade bracelet on my wrist.

那天，餐厅客人稀少，老人照例长时间地坐在那里。

That day, the restaurant had few customers, and the old man sat there as usual for a long time.

鼓起勇气，我走上前询问："先生，您是对我的玉镯感兴趣吗？"

Summoning my courage, I walked over and asked, "Sir, are you interested in my jade bracelet?"

老人微微一怔，随后苦笑道："抱歉，我不是有意冒犯。只是这只镯子，让我想起了一些往事。"

The old man was slightly taken aback and then smiled wryly: "I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that this bracelet reminds me of some memories."

在我的追问下，老人道出了一段尘封已久的故事。

Upon my inquiry, the old man recounted a long-buried story.

原来，他年轻时在上海的一家玉器店工作，认识了一位经常来店里的年轻女子，也就是我的外婆。

It turned out he had worked in a jade shop in Shanghai during his youth and had known a young woman who frequently visited the store, my grandmother.

那时正值战乱年代，外婆出身书香门第，却因家道中落而沦落至典当家中首饰度日。

At that time, the country was in turmoil, and my grandmother, born into a scholarly family, had fallen into hardship and had to pawn her family’s jewelry to get by.

"你外婆当时看中了店里一对玉镯，价格不菲，她无法一次买下。

"Your grandmother had her eyes on a pair of jade bracelets in the shop that were quite expensive, and she couldn't afford to buy them outright.

于是每个月省吃俭用，存一点钱来付款。"老人回忆道，"一年后，她终于付清了一只镯子的钱，正准备继续攒钱买第二只，却发生了意外。"

So she saved a little money each month to make the payments," the old man recalled. "After a year, she finally paid off one of the bracelets and was preparing to save for the second when disaster struck."

1949年，局势动荡，外婆所在的学校突然决定举行疏散，她必须在两天内离开上海。

In 1949, amid the unrest, the school my grandmother attended suddenly decided to evacuate, and she had to leave Shanghai within two days.

万般无奈下，她来到玉器店，想取回已经付清的那只玉镯。

In utter desperation, she returned to the jade shop to retrieve the bracelet she had already paid for.

然而店主却狮子大开口，声称因为她没有按约定购买一对，单买一只价格要上涨。

However, the shopkeeper demanded more money, claiming the price had gone up since she hadn't purchased the entire pair as agreed.

"当时我只是个小学徒，没有发言权。

"I was just a young apprentice at that time and had no say.

眼看着你外婆伤心离去，我偷偷跟了出去，把自己攒了很久的积蓄加上那只玉镯一起给了她。"老人的眼中闪烁着回忆的光芒，"我们约定，等局势稳定后在外滩的百乐门见面。可是那一别，就是七十年。"

Watching your grandmother leave in distress, I secretly followed her and gave her all my savings along with that jade bracelet," the old man said, his eyes shimmering with nostalgic light. "We agreed to meet at the Palais de Danse on the Bund after the situation stabilized, but that parting lasted seventy years."

我听得目瞪口呆，想起外婆生前常常对着玉镯发呆，也曾不止一次提到"百乐门"这三个字。

I listened, dumbfounded, recalling how my grandmother often stared at the jade bracelet and had mentioned the words "Palais de Danse" more than once.

原来，她一直在怀念那段未完成的故事。

It turned out she had been reminiscing about that unfinished story.

"后来呢？"我急切地问道，"您为什么没有去赴约？"

"What happened next?" I asked eagerly. "Why didn't you go to the meeting?"

老人叹了口气："我去了，连续去了三个月。

The old man sighed, "I went, for three consecutive months.

但那时交通不便，信息闭塞，我们再也没能见面。

But the transportation was inconvenient back then, and information was scarce; we never managed to meet again.

后来我辗转到了台湾，又移民到了澳大利亚。

Later, I made my way to Taiwan and then immigrated to Australia.

成家立业后，我曾试图打听她的消息，却始终没有结果。"

After settling down and starting a family, I tried to find information about her but never succeeded."

我告诉老人，外婆后来在一个小城市做了一名中学教师，嫁给了我外公，生活虽然简朴但很幸福。

I told the old man that my grandmother eventually became a middle school teacher in a small city, married my grandfather, and lived a simple yet happy life.

唯一的遗憾，大概就是始终没能再见那位年轻的玉器店学徒一面。

The only regret was that she never got to see that young jade shop apprentice again.

分别时，老人请求看一看玉镯。

As we parted, the old man requested to see the bracelet.

当他轻轻抚摸那道裂纹时，眼泪不受控制地流了下来："这道裂纹是我当年不小心弄的，怕被师傅发现，就用特殊的技术暂时修补了。

As he gently touched the crack, tears began to flow uncontrollably: "This crack was something I accidentally caused long ago; I had to use a special technique to temporarily fix it without my master knowing.

没想到这么多年过去，裂纹还在。"

Who would have thought that after so many years, the crack would still be there?"

两个月后，在我的安排下，老人回到了中国，去了外婆长眠的墓地。

Two months later, with my help, the old man returned to China and visited my grandmother's grave.

他带来了当年那对玉镯中的另一只，终于完成了七十年前的约定。

He brought with him the other bracelet from that pair, finally fulfilling the promise made seventy years ago.

而我，则将这只有着裂纹的玉镯一直戴在手上，不仅是为了纪念外婆，也是为了铭记这段跨越时空的感人故事。

I continue to wear this jade bracelet with the crack on my wrist, not only as a tribute to my grandmother but also to remember this touching story that transcends time and space.

有时候，命运的安排就是如此奇妙，它让一只普通的玉镯承载了一段不平凡的历史，连接起素不相识的两代人。

Sometimes, fate’s arrangements are so wondrous; they allow an ordinary jade bracelet to carry an extraordinary history, connecting two generations of people who had never met.