48. BIRDS PAY HOMAGE TO THE KING

　　"Doctor, will my husband get better?" Mrs. Xie asked.　

　　The doctor shook his head, and said nothing.　　

　　Xie had a huge boil on his back, and dozens of small boils all around it.They had tried all sorts of medicines and treatments, but nothing worked.

　　Doctor Lin said, "This disease cannot be cured by ordinary means. There's no medicine money can buy that will cure this condition."　

　　One of the consulting doctors said, "This is a very rare disease. It's so rare you've probably never even heard of it. It's called Birds Pay Homage to the King. When Mrs. Xie heard that, she screamed and fainted dead away.　

　　Xie was a very rich man. He had begun life as a poor boy, and made a fortune in the lumber business by hard work and honesty. He really didn't have any bad habits, but he did have one particular weakness, common to many Chinese:he loved to eat. Whenever he had a party or a feast, he spent a lot of money to serve the most extraordinary dishes possible.　　

　　His favorite of all was a huge, complicated dish. A big fat duck was slaughtered and cooked, and its stomach was filled with sparrows. The diners opened up the duck's stomach with their chopsticks, and found the sparrows baked in the duck. This dish was called Birds Pay Homage to the King!　　

　　No wonder Mrs. Xie was terrified when she heard what the doctor said! Her husband's disease was called the same thing as his favorite dish. Over years of feasting, Xie had killed so many birds that he called down this strange ailment on himself.
　
　　Anyone who has had a boil knows how painful they are. Xie's whole back was a big mass of boils. Not only did they hurt, but they also reeked, too. He suffered for months, and finally died. All of his riches couldn't do anything for him because he had caused too many animals to suffer.
　

48. 百鸟朝凤

　　“医生，我的丈夫会好起来吗？”谢太太问。

　　医生摇摇头，什么也没说。

　　谢在背上长了一个很大的疖子，这个疖子周围又有许多小疖子。他试过了很多药和疗法，但是一点效果都没有。

　　林医生说，“用普通的方法是治不好你的病的。用钱能买到的药，恐怕都治不好你的病。”

　　一个医生说，“这种病很少见，你可能闻所未闻。它叫做‘百鸟朝凤’。”谢太太听到后，尖叫起来，晕死过去了。

　　谢是一个富人。他白手起家，靠着勤劳诚恳在木材生意上赚了一大笔钱。他没有什么恶习，但是他也有一个特别的缺点，像许多中国人一样：他爱吃。每当举行宴会或者聚会的时候，他总是花许多钱准备各种奇异的菜。

　　他最爱吃的是大盘、丰盛的菜。一只大肥鸭被杀掉烹煮了，这只鸭肚里塞满了麻雀。当食客们用筷子打开鸭肚时，就会看到在鸭肚里煮熟了的麻雀。这道菜就叫做百鸟朝凤。

　　所以当谢太太听到医生的话时，自然感到恐惧。她丈夫的病名就像他最爱吃的菜名一样。多年来的宴会上，谢不知道杀了多少只鸟，得了这样的怪病，是他自作自受。
　
　　长过疖子的人都知道那有多疼。谢的背上长满了疖子。它们不但疼的厉害，还发出阵阵臭味。他煎熬了几个月，最后死了。他的富有也救不了他，因为他曾经给那么多动物带来痛楚。