91.GREED

　　His Honor Shen was famous for his generosity. He would rather die than dicker over prices. If his money wasn't spent wisely, well, what matter? Money is made to be spent, and one way is as good as another.

　　But, like so many Chinese, his favorite pastime was eating and feasting. As the old saying has it, he would eat "anything on two legs except Mom and Pop, anything on four legs except beds and chairs."

　　And speaking of beds! Have you ever seen a fancy Chinese bed? They are exquisitely carved, with a canopy on top. Shen's bed was fit for an emperor. He always dressed in the most expensive, most glamorous clothes. He always demanded the best quality for everything he used.

　　 But eating was his main love. You name it, he ate it for breakfast, lunch,and dinner: duck's brains, bear paws, shark fin, camel's hump, ape lips, chicken, flogs, venison, and all sorts of rare, expensive delicacies. Over the years, the carcasses of thousands of dead animals went down Shen's throat.

　　After he retired, Shen bought a palatial mansion. In the gardens, there were ponds and streams, with pavilions to sit in. You couldn't tell for sure if you were on earth or in heaven! And it goes without saying that he hired the best chefs for his kitchen.

　　"How long can one person live?" Shen would ask his guests. "If you don't enjoy now, when will you? What would life be without delicacies from hill and sea on the table?"

"He'll get his some day," some people said. But Shen ignored them.

　　All those expenditures take a lot of money. Shen's fortune gradually dwindled,and Shen himself starting acting weird. He would eat anything he could stick in his mouth. Not just the dishes his chefs prepared, but also leaves and twigs, rocks, old shoes, litter, bird droppings, even teacups and platters went into his mouth. He would chew them up and swallow them. Before long, he had killed himself with his greed.

　　Isn't that a sad way to die?

91.贪欲

　　我们可敬的沈先生是出了名的慷慨。他宁愿死也不愿意讨价还价。如果他的钱花得不明智，那又怎么样呢？钱就是用来花的，这样花或那样花都是一样的。

　　不过，就像很多中国人一样，沈先生最喜欢的消遣方式还是吃吃喝喝。正如那句俗语所说的，“两条腿的除了爹妈啥都吃，四条腿的除了床凳啥都吃。”

　　说到床，你见过那种奇怪的中式大床吗？这种床有着精致的雕花，床顶还有一顶花帐。沈先生的床给皇上用都足够了。而且他还总是 穿着最昂贵最华丽的衣服。总之，无论他用什么，都要用品质最好的。

　　不过，要说他的最爱，那还得是美食。一日三餐，只要你说的上名的，什么鸭脑、熊掌、鱼翅、驼峰、猿唇、山鸡、田鸡、鹿肉等等，各种奇珍美味他都吃过。这许多年来，有数千只动物的尸体落进了他肚。

　　离职以后，沈先生买了一座宫殿式的别墅。花园里有池塘和小溪，还有供小憩的亭子。身处这样的豪宅，你都分不清是在人间还是天堂。而厨房更是不用多说，他雇佣了最好的厨子来负责他的饮食。

　　“一个人能活多久？”沈先生问他的客人，“现在不享受，什么时候享受？没有山珍海味，那生活还有什么滋味？”

“总有一天他会受到报应的，”有的人说。但是沈先生毫不在意。

　　奢靡的生活花掉了沈先生大把的钞票，他的财产逐渐 地减少，而他的饮食习惯也越来越怪异。只要能塞进嘴里的东西，他都会吃下去。不光是厨子做的饭菜，还有树叶树枝，石头，旧鞋，垃 圾，鸟粪，甚至是茶杯盘子都进了他的嘴。他咀嚼着这些东西然后再咽下去。没过多久，他被自己的贪欲杀死了。

　　这样的死是不是很可悲呢？