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西亚贡八岁的时候，父母就开始为他物色一位合适的女孩，做他未来的新娘。最后，他们选中了一位美丽的少女，两家相距有一段距离。他们就派了一名男子去女孩家征询家长的意见，问他们是否同意让西亚贡做他们未来的女婿。 这名男子到了女孩家。屋里所有人都坐在地板上吃玉黍螺。他们一边吸食着螺壳儿里的肉一边不停地点头。这名男子站在门口，见他们频频点头，以为他们是朝自己点头表示同意。 于是，他连自己来这儿的目的都没有告诉人家，掉头就回到男孩父母那儿去道喜，说女孩家里所有人都赞成这门亲事。 听说婚事这么快就被女方家长应承下来，西亚贡的父母非常高兴，马上动手准备，要去女方家里安排婚礼的事儿。 一切准备就绪，他们动身去了女孩家里。他们带来了丰厚的聘礼，有两头水牛,两匹马,两头母牛,四把铁壶，两条毯子和两头小猪。 看到这么多人带着礼物来到家里，女孩家的人惊得目瞪口呆，因为他们压根儿就不知道西亚贡要娶他家女儿的事儿。 The Mistaken Gifts When Siagon was about eight years old his parents began looking for a girl who would make a suitable wife. At last when they had decided on a beautiful maiden, who lived some distance from them, they sent a man to her parents to ask if they would like Siagon for a son-in-law. Now when the man arrived at the girl's house the people were all sitting on the floor eating periwinkle, and as they sucked the meat out of the shell, they nodded their heads. The man, looking in at the door, saw them nod, and he thought they were nod¬ding at him. So he did not tell them his errand, but returned quickly to the boy’s parents and told them that all the people at the girl’s house were favorable to the union. Siagon’s parents were very much pleased that their proposal had been so kindly received, and immediately prepared to go to the girl's house to arrange for the wedding. Finally all was ready and they started for her house, carrying with them as presents for her parents two carabao, two horses, two cows, four iron kettles, two blankets, and two little pigs. The surprise of the girl’s people knew no bounds when they saw all this coming to their house, for they had not even thought of Siagon marrying their daughter. |
