張祖平

An 85-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow sat on their window. The father asked his son， “What is this？”

The son replied， “It is a crow.”

After a few minutes， the father asked his son the second time， “What is this？”

The son said， “Father， I have just now told you ‘Its a crow.”

After a little while， the old father again asked his son the third time， “What is this？”

At this time the son said to his father a little angrily， “Its a crow， a crow， a crow.”

A little after， the father again asked his son the fourth time， “What is this？”

This time the son shouted at his father， “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again although I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW.？ Are you not able to understand this？”

The father went to his room quietly and came back with an old diary， which he had kept since his son was born.

On opening a page， he asked his son to read that page.

“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa， when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was， and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I did not at all feel angry， instead I love my innocent1 child.”

Reading this， the son came to tears.

一位85歲的老人和他45歲受過高等教育的兒子正坐在家里的沙發(fā)上。突然，一只烏鴉停在他們的窗戶上，父親問兒子：“這是什么？”

兒子回答：“這是一只烏鴉?！?/p>

幾分鐘以后，父親第二次問兒子：“這是什么？”

兒子說：“爸，我剛剛跟你說過，這是一只烏鴉?！?/p>

又過了一會兒，父親第三次問兒子：“這是什么？”

此時，兒子有些憤怒地說道：“這是一只烏鴉，一只烏鴉！一只烏鴉！”

又過了一會兒，父親第四次問兒子：“這是什么？”

這個時候，兒子對著父親大吼：“盡管我已經多次告訴你，這是一只烏鴉，你為何一次又一次地問相同的問題？難道你弄不明白嗎？”

父親默默地走向他的房間，拿著一本舊日記本回來。從兒子出生之日起他就一直保留著這個日記本。

父親打開了一頁，讓兒子看。

“今天，我三歲的小兒子和我坐在沙發(fā)上時，忽然一只烏鴉停在窗戶上，我的兒子問了我23次，那是什么。我回答了他23次，那是一只烏鴉。他每次問相同的問題的時候，我都親切地抱了他一下。我一點也不生氣，相反，我愛這個天真的孩子?！?/p>

看到這里，兒子已經泣不成聲。endprint