赠品

刘美含

    ①他去面馆吃面的时间，总是比别的同学晚二十分钟。

    ②面馆开在学校附近，夫妻店，很小的店面，很简单的清水煮面。面有两种，一种卧一个荷包蛋，五毛钱；一种仅仅是清水煮面，三毛钱。

    ③他只要三毛钱的。

    ④父母都是农民。三毛钱的清水煮面对他来说，已够奢侈。

    ⑤晚去二十分钟，面馆里就不会再有他的同学。他坐下，要一碗三毛钱的清水煮面，慢慢吃。如此几次，再去，他便发现面里面卧着一个蛋。他对男人说，我只要清水煮面。男人说，蛋是赠品。他说谢谢，坐下来，静静地把蛋吃掉。他很清楚三毛钱与五毛钱的清水煮面的区别，很清楚所谓的赠品不过是老板的谎言，可是他从来不说。正是长身体的时候，他需要一个荷包蛋，更需要男人的怜悯。

    ⑥他在镇上读了三年初中。几乎每天中午，他都会得到男人送他的一个荷包蛋。

    ⑦后来他去县城，去省城，读高中，读大学，开公司，去更大的城市发展，事业做得越来越大。他常常想起那个荷包蛋，想起那个面馆，想起男人和女人，想起三年的初中时光。也曾动了回去看看的念头，可是最终，他还是没有回去。生活里有太多比感恩更重要的事情，何况他认为时间过去那么久，面馆肯定早已不在。

    ⑧终于，春天的时候，他万念俱灰，回到小镇。他没有别的奢求，只想找回那碗清水煮面的味道。

    ⑨很意外，面馆还在，男人和女人还在。他走进去，他们却不再认识他。他们已经很老，面的味道却没有变。那天他一个人要了两碗面，加蛋，花掉十块钱。这世上总有些廉价的快乐，两碗加蛋的清水煮面就是。

    ⑩男人将面端给他，又送他一碟咸菜。这是赠品，很下饭。男人笑着对他说。

    ⑪他静静地吃着面，听男人与女人聊天。房东决定收回房子，然后将面馆变成一栋楼房，所以，一个月以后，小饭馆将不得不关闭──楼房租金太高，仅凭他们这点微薄的收入，已经不能留在这里继续将面馆经营下去。

    ⑫吃完面，付钱，他静静离开。他没有说起多年以前的那个荷包蛋，他觉得有些事，应该永远封存。不管是愧疚、感恩，还是帮助。

    ⑬他在小镇上住了半个多月，每一天，都会去面馆吃一碗加蛋的清水煮面。小镇已无亲人，然而每次走在街头，他都能寻到一种踏实的感觉。他知道，这是因为多年以前的那个荷包蛋，以及一碗最简单却是最纯真的清水煮面。

    ⑭离开小镇那天，照例，他去面馆，点一碗加蛋的清水煮面，男人也照例送他一碟咸菜。他吃完面，将钱压在碗底，静静离开。小镇从此与他永别，或许，人生也从此与他永别。他将回到他的城市，住进医院，打败病魔，或者被病魔打败。一个月以前他被检查出绝症，那一刻，他毫无缘由地想起了那碗清水煮面。

    ⑮空碗下面，压着十块钱，一封信，还有一个房产证。房产证上写着他的名字，他却将房子送给了男人。他在信里说，不管男人相不相信，过去的这么多年，那碗加蛋的清水煮面给了他太多。现在，他买下这栋开着面馆的房子，面馆将永远不会关闭。

    ⑯这是那碗水煮面的赠品。信末，他这样说。

    The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fashion. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” --- and many other brands are following suit. The BBC's iPlayer --- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet ---used the title in 2015. A lovely bear --- popular in the US and UK --- that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London's Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.

    In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms like e-mail first came into use.

    Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of independent's “i”, it's no surprise that they've selected this fashionable name.

    But it's hard to see what's so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King's College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn't have one clear definition,” he says.

    “However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.

    ※Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

    Along with “Google” and “Microblog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last ten years.

    But as history shows, people grow tired of fashions. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.