凤鸽儿 曹文轩著 一夏望与秋虎同住一座小城，又同在一个学校一个班上读书，两人又都喜欢养鸽子。但两个人家的情形很不一样，夏望家很富，秋虎家很穷。夏望家不是一般的富，几乎算得上是这座小城的首富。而秋虎家的穷，不是一般的穷，几乎算得上是这座小城最穷的人家，穷得让人都不好意思看一眼。两人对鸽子的喜欢程度却是一样的。这些能在天空下展翅翱翔的小生灵，让他们无比着迷，心中，眼里，日日夜夜，总有这些小生灵在飞翔它们的飞翔，是那么的优美，那么的变化多端，那么的让人浮想联翩。但懂鸽子的人，自然会对夏望家的鸽子高看一眼，甚至会在目光里流露出惊叹与仰慕。当那些鸽子傲然仰望天空时，它们在这些人眼里，几乎成了神鸽。而秋虎家的鸽子呢？他们都懒得看它们一眼这种老土的鸽子，不值得一看。秋虎无奈，他养不起值钱的鸽子。他的十几只鸽子，不是偶尔捡到的，就是用很少很少的钱，从别人那里买来的。最值钱的那只瓦灰公鸽，也不过就值三斤米钱秋虎从家中偷了三斤米，从一个老头那儿换来的。秋虎家的鸽子全部加在一起，也换不来夏望家最不值钱的一只鸽子。夏望曾在秋虎也在场时，对那些玩鸽子的孩子们说：他那些鸽子，换我们家鸽子一根羽毛，我都不换。夏望家的鸽子，据说，最贵的值三四千块钱，最便宜的也都在四五百块钱左右。怕有人偷这些贵重的鸽子，夏望家还特地养了两只凶猛的高头大狗，昼夜守着深深大院。秋虎家的鸽子，住的地方只能叫鸽笼。是秋虎用捡来的烂木板凑合做成的，手艺又很差，挂在墙上，都歪斜着。而夏望家的鸽子，住的是鸽舍，有两间屋那么大，是专门请木匠做的。三个木匠做了半个月，用了一大堆好木材。那些木匠都有一流的手艺。但他们从未做过鸽舍，觉得新鲜，又想到这是开天辟地第一回做这玩艺儿，就越发地要把好手艺拿出来，把一个鸽舍做得让所有的路人见了，都啧啧称赞。夏望家的鸽舍，居然成了这座小城的一道风景。算一算，秋虎家所有家产加在一起，也抵不上夏望家这一座鸽舍。秋虎的个儿明明要比夏望高半头，但当夏望站在他面前时，莫名其妙地，他反而觉得比夏望矮一头。当夏望眉飞色舞地向同学们说他们家的鸽子时，秋虎总是在一旁一声不吭地听着。有时，夏望说着说着，会把眼珠儿转到眼角上看一眼秋虎，这时，秋虎像被凉风忽地吹着了似地，微微收缩了一下身体，把脸转向了另一边。秋虎对夏望这副傲气十足的样子并不恼怒：这有什么好恼怒的呢？人家养的鸽子，本来就不是一般的鸽子。他甚至连嫉妒都没有，有的，只是羡慕，只是自愧不如。夏望对同学说：有的人家养的鸽子，也只能在自家屋顶上空飞一飞，要是拿笼子拎到三里地以外放了，就再也找不着家了。秋虎当然知道夏望所说的有的人家就是指的是他家。夏望没有说错，他家的鸽子就是这样一些鸽子，是不能拿出去放飞的，而夏望家的那些鸽子，都是可以拿到远处去放飞的。夏望说他们家有一只鸽子即使拿到五千公里以外放飞，也照样能飞回来。秋虎相信。秋虎虽然养不起这样的鸽子，但秋虎已经养了好几年鸽子了，他懂鸽子，很懂。有时，秋虎会禁不住去看夏望家的鸽子。他在往夏望家走时，总会在心里给自己找个理由：我要到那边一个宠物商店看看狗。他走在路上时，好象心里并没有想到去看夏望家的鸽子，溜溜达达的，一副很悠闲的样子。他还唱着那些不知从哪里学来的奇奇怪怪的童谣
A Very Special Pigeon
Translated by Helen Wang1
Xiawang and Qiuhu lived in the same small town. They went to the same school, and were in the same class, and both of them kept pigeons. But their family circumstances were very different. Xiawangs family was rich, and Qiuhus family was poor. Xiawangs family was not rich in the ordinary sense; they were the richest family in this small town. Qiuhus family was not poor in the ordinary sense; they were the poorest family in this small town, so poor that people were embarrassed and looked the other way.The two boys shared a love of pigeons.These little creatures that spread their wings and soared in the sky captured their imagination like nothing else. There were always a few of them flying up high, and it was so beautiful, so enchanting, to see them. The boys would watch to their hearts content.People who know about pigeons naturally rated Xiawangs pigeons higher than Qiuhus. They looked at Xiawangs pigeons with awe and admiration, and, when these birds raised their heads to the sky, could imagine them having magical qualities. But these same people had no time for Qiuhus pigeons： they couldnt be bothered with such dowdy things.There was nothing Qiuhu could do about it. He couldnt afford expensive pigeons. So he had simply picked some of his pigeons off the ground; others had all been paid for, albeit for very small sums. The most valuable was the grey male, the colour of roof-tiles, which hed bought from an old man in town. It had cost him only three jin of rice which hed nicked from home.All Qiuhus pigeons added together were worth less than Xiawangs least valuable pigeon. Xiawang had said as much, when he told the other children, in front of Qiuhu, I wouldnt swap a single feather from my flock for the lot of them.Xiawangs most valuable pigeons were said to be worth three to four thousand yuan, and even the cheapest ones were about four to five hundred yuan each. Xiawangs family was afraid that someone might try to steal these precious birds, and kept two fierce dogs specially to watch the yard, day and night.Qiuhus pigeons lived in what could only be called a pigeon cage. It was built from scrap wood that Qiuhu had gathered together, and was a rickety thing that hung at an angle on the wall. Xiawangs pigeons, on the other hand, lived in a specially commissioned two-chamber pigeon cote. It had taken three carpenters two weeks to build it from a stack of the finest wood. They were all master carpenters, but they had never built a pigeon cote before, and were excited to be working on something new. As it was the first of its kind, a groundbreaking project, they wanted to show off their craftsmanship, and create an eye-catching pigeon cote that would have passers-by purring with admiration.Sure enough Xiawangs pigeon cote became a landmark in this small town.It was worth more than everything Qiuhus family had put together.Qiuhu was a good half a head taller than Xiawang, but when Xiawang was standing in front of him, he somehow felt a whole head smaller than him. And when Xiawang regaled the other children with stories about his pigeons, his eyebrows wiggling about all over the place, Qiuhu would stand quietly to the side and listen. Sometimes, while he was talking, Xiawang would roll his eyes and shoot a sideways glance at him, and Qiuhu would flinch as though a chill wind had blown over him. He would pull in his shoulders and turn his head away.Qiuhu didnt get angry at Xiawangs cockiness. What was there to get angry about? Qiuhus pigeons were special, and he had reason to be proud of them. Qiuhu wasnt jealous. If anything he admired them, and felt humbled.Xiawang told the other children, Some peoples pigeons can only fly in the sky immediately above the roof. You take their cages three li away only three li and theyd never find their way home.When Xiawang talked about some people, Qiuhu knew he meant his family. And Xiawang was right： thats exactly how it was with Qiuhus pigeons. You couldnt take them far and let them fly home like Xiawangs pigeons. Xiawang said they had one pigeon that could find its way home from over 5000 kilometres away, and Qiuhu believed him. Qiuhu might not be able to have pigeons like that, but he had been looking after pigeons for many years now, and he knew a lot about them.Sometimes, Qiuhu found himself wandering over to Xiawangs to look at the pigeons, and as he was walking, hed think up some reason for heading that way： Im going to see a dog in a petshop in that part of town or something similar. Thered be no suggestion in the way he walked that hed planned to go and see the pigeons; it simply looked as though he was strolling along, passing by. And he would sing those nonsense rhymes that he knew, though he couldnt remember where from：
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