暖冬cool夏

这里一年四季温暖如春,没有酷暑没有严寒......
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暖冬cool夏 (热门博主)
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Patching a flat tire

(2025-05-29 10:54:21) 下一个

五月迎来了一位朋友的女儿来家附近的公司做intern。5/15晚,做了一桌子菜,在家招待四位大学生(她带了三个朋友开着租来的车)。因为是周四要上班,得提前准备了一些菜,最后再用烤箱一起加工/加热。做了一盘三文鱼,一盘卤牛肉,一盘羊排(Costco的一包羊排,8块,一人两块),一大碗梅干菜扣肉,一盘粉丝蒸虾(10个虾),凉拌了一点黄瓜和莴笋,炒了点青菜和broccoli, 买了现成做好的卤凤爪和里脊肉,还有长条蒜蓉面包,外加绿豆汤和饮料。在随后的几天里又帮她安顿下来。忙乎了一阵。

因为她没有驾照,我们把车库里的一辆自行车借给她用,不料发现轮胎漏气。随后去买来修补的工具和粘贴。记得是个周日,我端来一盆水,两人蹲下来盯着查看漏气的地方。轮胎转了好几圈,最后是我发现了漏气孔-- 等了很久,才见一个不易察觉的小泡慢悠悠地钻出来。

某人感慨啊 -- 三十年前,一个人每天骑车上班,蹬上高高的立交桥,穿越灰蒙蒙的城市,单程一小时,风里来雨里去。经过某座高架桥后,常常发现轮胎瘪了,而桥下就坐着修车的。。。后来他学会了自己补胎。

故此写了一篇英文,好久不写,笔硬得不行。花了一个周末写了改,改了写。刚刚想post前,想起Chatgpt, 就上去让它帮着edit。结果人家几秒钟之内就改好了,改得又快又好,不服不行:)心却是哇凉哇凉的:))

人类有它,幸哉,至少我有个免费的老师,免费的专家级帮手(还不需要求女儿看:))!悲哉,我还学什么英语,写什么文章啊:)

见下,保存在此:

My original one:

Back in the mid-1990s, when China’s economy took off in the south and leapfrogged under Deng’s open policy, Em followed her future husband, then boyfriend and landed a job there.  Moving from the southeast part of China to further south, about one thousand kilometers away, however felt like entering a new world. People there spoke a different dialect which was Greek to Em. The weather there was humid and sultry. In spring, a sweater handwashed could go sour in days and never dry up. Above all, local residents were much driven by money. From the peddler on the street to the professor on campus, everyone was as busy as bees, vying for beelines, if any, to become rich. Though Em worked on campus walled from the outside world, she felt not insulated but swept by the surging tide, willy-nilly, in a front city called Canton.

Like most newcomers, Em was poor at the time.  She shared a room with a married colleague, who never showed up but still occupied her other half room with unattended dusted furniture.  The room was on the first floor, dilapidated and dark, with her own half bare and unfurnished.  She remembered her first night on a hurriedly bought twin-sized bed, an iron-framed placed with a piece of plank on the top.

Em’s boyfriend worked for an institute located on the other end of the city, an hour’s bike ride away beyond the city’s public transportation.  As they got married later, the transportation problem loomed larger. Without a car or a motorcycle, their only affordable transportation facility was a second-hand bike. Not that they could not afford a new one, but that anything new would be easily targeted by thieves and got stolen.

Daily two hours’ commute was daunting. He had to pedaled up and down steep bridges, meandering through bustling streets that were thronged with buses, motorcycles, taxis and bikes.  Most city roads were paved, but the way leading to his institute was bumpy gravel. At first, he complained about hazy air, dusty wind or rain. Then adding to the list was the bike tire.  For a time, tires got flat almost every day. The fact that it always occurred right after he got off the long bridge made him wonder if there were maliciously scattered nails by the bike repairers who waited under the bridge.  He was so enraged that he refused to let them make money out of him but learnt to mend the tire himself at home.

A year later, he got a chance to work in the states. He bid farewell to the family, the city and his old creaking bike. In the decades that followed, he owned one car after another, old and new. Riding a bike is a bygone memory, though they also own two bikes, for the daughter, idled in the garage collecting dust.

Come this May.  A girl without a driver’s license came to their city for an internship. They offered her a bike but later found it to be gas leaking.  The old days of his mending it sprang to his mind. He went to a store, bought a tool kit with sticker patches and rolled up his sleeves in the garage. The bike was placed upside down, the soft inner tire being pulled out of the hard one into a basin of water. Bit by bit, they tested it to see if there was a bubble, until a minuscule one finally formed and bulged out.

The afternoon sun slanted into the open garage, basking a quarter of the place in the sun, next to which sat Em and her husband bending over a flat bike tire. The muscle memory awakened, as well as the deep memory as he rotated the tire. A moment like this only reminded them of the good old days in their twenties in a faraway city in China.

 

Edited by ChatGPT:

Back in the mid-1990s, when China’s economy began to soar in the south under Deng Xiaoping’s open-door policy, Em followed her then-boyfriend (later husband) and landed a job in the region. Although she only moved about a thousand kilometers south from her hometown, it felt like stepping into a new world.

The local dialect was utterly foreign to Em—completely unintelligible. The subtropical climate was humid and stifling. A hand-washed sweater could turn sour in just a few days, never drying completely. Most striking, however, was the unrelenting drive of the people. From street vendors to university professors, everyone seemed consumed by the pursuit of wealth, moving with the urgency of bees chasing the shortest route to honey.

Although Em worked on a university campus somewhat insulated from the bustling world outside, she still felt swept up in the tide—drawn into the currents of this fast-paced city called Canton.

Like many newcomers, Em was poor at the time. She shared a small, dilapidated room on the ground floor with a married colleague who rarely showed up but left behind dust-covered furniture in her half of the room. Em’s side was bare, almost completely unfurnished. She vividly remembered her first night, sleeping on a hastily bought, twin-sized iron bed frame topped with a simple plank of wood.

Her boyfriend worked across the city at an institute unreachable by public transportation—an hour’s bike ride each way. When they eventually got married, the transportation issue became even more burdensome. They couldn’t afford a car or motorcycle, and even a new bicycle was too risky—new bikes were prime targets for thieves. So they made do with a second-hand bike.

His daily two-hour commute was grueling. He pedaled over steep bridges and through congested streets filled with buses, motorcycles, taxis, and bicycles. Most roads in the city were paved, but the final stretch to his institute was rough gravel. At first, he complained about the smog, dust, and rain. Later, it was the bike tires. For a time, they went flat almost daily. Oddly, the punctures always happened after crossing a long bridge. He suspected the bike repairers stationed underneath had scattered nails to drum up business. Enraged, he decided not to let them profit off him and learned to patch tires himself.

A year later, he got an opportunity to work in the United States. He said goodbye to his family, the city—and the creaking old bicycle. In the decades that followed, he owned car after car, both new and used. Biking became a distant memory, though they still kept two bikes in the garage for their daughter, now collecting dust.

Then came this May.

A young woman without a driver’s license came to their city for an internship. They offered her one of the bikes, only to find it had a leaky tire. Memories of those long-ago days came flooding back. He went to a store, bought a repair kit with sticker patches, and rolled up his sleeves in the garage.

They flipped the bike upside down and pulled out the soft inner tube, dipping it into a basin of water. Bit by bit, they searched for the leak. Finally, a tiny bubble formed and swelled—a pinhole breach.

The afternoon sun slanted into the open garage, lighting up one corner beside where Em and her husband knelt over the bike, eyes fixed on the tire. As he rotated it, muscle memory stirred—and with it, the memories of a simpler, tougher time. A moment like this brought back the warmth and grit of their twenties, in a distant city in southern China.

 

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评论
麦姐 回复 悄悄话 暖冬夫妻非常有爱心,补车胎的场景把我们一下子带回到过去。佩服暖冬坚持用英语写作,chatgpt是个好帮手,但确实如博友们所说,文字的感觉,小AI改得不如你原文有温度,不过将来假以时日,等AI练成精了,咱们是不是也不用写了。:)
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '康赛欧' 的评论 : Your comment is right to the point.
ChatGPT's version reads smoother and more polished.--I love in particular the ending part. Thanks,康康,for your reading!
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '康赛欧' 的评论 : 康康好!确实那天补胎蹲着看气泡,看了好几圈都没有发现,最后是我耐心地等,才看到的。因为气孔小,冒得很慢:)
为准备那桌菜还是蛮累的,花时间,还说厌倦做饭吃食堂的,还真是怕来人:)谢谢康康的临帖留言,你一下给我留三个。周末快乐!
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '方回回方' 的评论 : 谢谢方回!我还准备读Jack London的小说,谢谢你的介绍和临帖!周末快乐!
康赛欧 回复 悄悄话 Your original translation feels warm and authentic, full of personal texture.
ChatGPT's version reads smoother and more polished, better suited for a wider audience.
康赛欧 回复 悄悄话 这饭菜水平很高了,大学生估计心里在想:原来传说中的“别人家阿姨”是真的存在,实习顺便还能把胃养胖了。

康赛欧 回复 悄悄话 补个胎搞得像捉迷藏,俩人蹲地上瞅气泡那画面太真实了。某人一开回忆杀,我好像都能闻见当年轮胎胶水的味儿了。
方回回方 回复 悄悄话 看到有学习精神的人,我就喜欢。
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '追忆21' 的评论 : 谢谢追忆的建议!语言是最难提高的,我会听取你的意见。多谢临帖,周末快乐!
追忆21 回复 悄悄话 点赞博主的学习热情!冒昧说两句啊,不喜勿恼。

写英文长句时,尽量多用插入语,会更生动。
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '亮亮妈妈' 的评论 : 亮妈好!谢谢你的阅读!这个写英语是practice:)
是的,帮孩子把胎补好,后来又漏,最后索性买个新内胎。一个新内胎也就$6刀多,补胎的sticker要$4多,还不好用,早知道直接买新的:)很多事不做不知道的:)
谢谢亮妈临帖,新周愉快!
亮亮妈妈 回复 悄悄话 哈哈,暖冬太可爱了!ChatGpt是英文编辑的好助手,但前提是你文章底子要打得好。而且人写的比AI写得要生动很多。你们都是热心人,帮着孩子安顿下来,还动手修好自行车,非常赞!祝新周快乐!
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '菲儿天地' 的评论 : 谢谢菲儿仔细周到!我昨天在家又招待客人,忙了不止整整一天,从准备到最后,至少半个星期,确实累。最近读博也减少很多。
没关系的,我这个流水账似的,可读可不读,谢菲儿认真仔细!
节日快乐!
菲儿天地 回复 悄悄话 来过好几次,竟然没有意识到暖冬更新了,也许题目让我以为是旧文。

”做了一盘三文鱼,一盘卤牛肉,一盘羊排(Costco的一包羊排,8块,一人两块),一大碗梅干菜扣肉,一盘粉丝蒸虾(10个虾),凉拌了一点黄瓜和莴笋,炒了点青菜和broccoli, 买了现成做好的卤凤爪和里脊肉,还有长条蒜蓉面包,外加绿豆汤和饮料。在随后的几天里又帮她安顿下来。忙乎了一阵。”,大赞暖冬的爱心,我女儿回来都没有这么大做。家里来个人就有不少压力,做好多样美食我现在都是心有余而力不足。

英文篇也拜读了,也觉得人写的更有温度,更让人感受到作者写文的心情与投入,机器人的调调会高一些,呵呵。

祝你家某人父亲节快乐!
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '混迹花草中的灰蘑菇' 的评论 : 辉蘑菇好!谢谢你这么有心,还对照着看!这篇自己再读却也不满意,有时候人的进步跟努力无关的:)有时候想想自己英文写作好像没什么进步啊,虽然好像蛮努力在阅读啊,怎么不见提高呢,沮丧的,所以有时索性不写:)
最近家里客人不断,上周五刚有朋友从佛罗里达来,下周六又有朋友从国内来,忙着招待。做饭也是习惯性的,这几道菜改一改,加减一些,就可以如法炮制了:)
AI确实是好帮手,好老师,我现在中文英文的问题,连种菜养花都来问AI, 人类到底以后会退步还是会进步:)谢谢辉蘑菇的input和鼓励,祝你六月安康!
混迹花草中的灰蘑菇 回复 悄悄话 我记性不好,要对应暖冬的原文和AI的修改版,就得一段一段的对应读。对比读完还是更喜欢原文,因为暖冬的文字中有那份悠悠岁月的感觉,而AI版没有。我常用AI check邮件,特别是那种给很多人群发的,能去掉一些语法错误或笔误,也常常能改得更精炼一些,感觉有用。但要是非正式或私人的,我只会接受对明显错误的修改、一般不用它的选词或表达方式。人写的即使不完美,却是有温度的。
看暖冬开篇列的菜单,啧啧啧,你上班还做那么多好吃的啊,真是实诚待客,敬佩!
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '淡然' 的评论 : 淡然好!好在就一顿饭,还好还好。
谢谢淡然鼓励,人跟机器比,比不过:)淡然周末快乐!
淡然 回复 悄悄话 暖冬真是热心人,招待帮助小留还是很花精力的。

暖冬太谦虚,我觉得你的原文更让人感受到作者写文的心情与投入。
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '水沫' 的评论 : 水沫好!今天又带孩子出去,晚上又在家吃饭,忙了一整天。honestly讲,我也烦心的,喜欢安静的生活。写作阅读都需要童子功,不像水沫的基础都是年轻时打下的,我的基础不好,现在努力也是收获甚微。谢谢水沫临贴,六月快乐!
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '野性de思维' 的评论 : 维兄好!不好意思,忙了一天,刚刚歇下来。那日没有特意拍菜的照片,有拍孩子坐在饭桌前的合影,所以就没有放上来。
是啊,机器人不要太先进喔,未来到底如何真不知道。问候维兄六月快乐!
水沫 回复 悄悄话 暖冬真是善良热诚的人,做了这么多的好菜,怎么不上片片呢?

暖冬的英文写作很棒了,太谦虚了~~~
野性de思维 回复 悄悄话 为什么没把你做的菜拿来晾晒一下?说到AI,很赞同你的感受,真不知道若干年之后,我们还能有什么用?问候友人,周末快乐!
野性de思维 回复 悄悄话 说到修自行车,以前有它时,经常有被扎漏气的问题,经常自己修,没办法,自己都快被逼成专家里手了。
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 'Once-always' 的评论 : Oncemm端午好!知道你不爱吃粽子,我们在这边也不过这个节的:)
谢谢你这么宽慰我,我啃吃啃吃写完,发现人家几秒钟就速成了,还写得比我好,真是沮丧:)不过,这么一改对自己的写作是有帮助的,了解了哪些用法是不地道的,更好的表达或句子结构应该是什么。所以你说的是,未来如果机器人和人类携手,那一定所向披靡的。
招待客人也是没办法,确实忙,偶尔为之的:)
不过任何时候欢迎你来加州做我邻居,说不定几十年后等你退休有可能呢,那时,我做几个菜给你吃吃没问题的:)我其实现在也越来越懒,不愿意把时间花在做饭上。人的一生太短,时间最宝贵!
这就六月了,五月六月对你来说是特别的日子,好season. 祝Oncemm六月快乐吉祥!
Once-always 回复 悄悄话 五月的最后一天读到暖mm的双语博文,这个五月堪称完美!只不过读你做的菜,飞流直下三千尺,你可不可以不要这么馋人啊,等我哪天被裁了就去你家附近的公司找活干,当门卫也行,可以去你那儿蹭饭吃 :) 你们对朋友的孩子太好了。仔细读了你的英文原作和AI版,原版写得非常细腻,很多用词也特别适合对那段往事的情感。AI版跳过了一些对这种情感的铺垫,简洁顺畅一些,但少了一点我能读懂的暖味 :) 我想世界还是需要人和AI共存的,没有暖mm的原版,AI都不知从何说起。祝暖mm周末快乐,就此告别花五月,走向莲六月。。。
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 '歲月沈香' 的评论 : 沈香好!说的是,现在AI太牛了,会唱会画会翻译,样样能,超过人类的,以后该不是都是一个调调了:)谢谢沈香的阅读,不过改得真不错,不得不服:)沈香六月快乐!
歲月沈香 回复 悄悄话 现在的AI的确不得了,什么都可以做,又快又好。如果你写了一本中文小说,AI能帮你翻译成英文,简直省事多了。暖冬的原文(英文)已经写得很不错了,AI的改编虽然很完美,但缺少个性化,我个人觉得哈。暖冬端午节安康。
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 回复 'joycewu12' 的评论 : Joyce好!担心的有道理,同忧呢:)我常说,我们这代人算lucky,等AI风暴袭来,我们已经老了。而下一代人要担心的事情比我们多。谢谢Joyce临帖,问候Joyce!
joycewu12 回复 悄悄话 现在科技发达,不知道过几年会发生什么~~
人类会不会被机器取代~~
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