2. Che tō sī i ê chū-sìn
Che sī chiàⁿ-chiàⁿ chi̍t-tiuⁿ siá hō͘ Thiⁿ-kong ê phe.
"Thiⁿ-kong," i án-ne siá, "lí nā bô kă pang-chān, góa hām chhù-lāi kin-nî lóng tio̍h iau pak-tó͘. Góa su-iàu 100 peso, thang-hó koh chèng-choh chhân-hn̂g, koh tī siu-sêng chìn-chêng thang-hó seng-oa̍h, lóng sī in-ūi peng-pha̍uh..."
I tī phe-lông téng siá "Kià hō͘ Thiⁿ-kong," kā phe-chóa lok ji̍p-khì, iáu sī sim cho-cho án-ne ji̍p siâⁿ khì. Kàu iû-piān-kio̍k, kā phe tah iû-phiò liáu-āu, i kā long ji̍p phe-tháng.
Kî-tiong chi̍t-ê oân-kang, i sī the̍h-phe-á, taⁿ tī iû-piān-kio̍k tàu kha-chhiú, cháu khì chhōe thâu-ke, chhiò kah sim-hoe khui, hō͘ i khòaⁿ hit-tiuⁿ kià hō͘ Thiⁿ-kong ê phe. Chi̍t-lō͘ the̍h-phe í-lâi, i m̄-bat hit-ê tē-chí. Iû-piān kio̍k-tiúⁿ -- chi̍t-ê tōa-kho͘, hô-siān ê lâng -- mā chhiò kah bē ha̍p-chhùi, m̄-koh i sûi pìⁿ giâm-siok khí-lâi, ná thok hit-hong toh-téng ê phe, ná án-ne phêng-lūn: "chiâⁿ khiân-sêng! Góa hi-bāng góa mā ū siá chit-tiuⁿ phe hit-lâng ê khiân-sêng. Chiàu i só͘ sìn-gióng ê hong-sek lâi sìn-gióng. Chiàu i só͘ chai án-chóaⁿ hi-bāng ê sìn-sim lâi hi-bāng. Án-ne lâi khai-sí hām Thiⁿ-kong thong-phe!"
Chū án-ne, ūi tio̍h mài hō͘ chit-ê kō͘ chi̍t-hong kià bē-kàu ê phe só͘ hián-sī ê sìn-gióng kî-sū hoàn-bia̍t, iû-piān kio̍k-tiúⁿ thê-chhut chi̍t-ê siūⁿ-hoat: kā hôe-phe. M̄-koh, tán i phah-khui lâi khòaⁿ, chin bêng-hián, i só͘ su-iàu ê, m̄-sī kan-ta hó-ì, ba̍k-chúi hām chóa, tō ū-kàu hôe-phe. M̄-koh, i kian-chhî ka-tī ê koat-tēng: i hiòng oân-kang bō͘-khoán, ka-tī mā the̍h-chhut chi̍t pō͘-hūn sin-súi, koh ū kúi-ê pêng-iú mā ūi chit-ê "chû-siān hêng-tōng" put-tek-put kòng-hiàn tām-po̍h.
I bô khó-lêng khêng ū-kàu Lencho só͘ iau-kiû ê 100 peso, i kan-ta ē-tàng kià hō͘ hit-ê chò-sit lâng chi̍t-pòaⁿ khah ke chi̍t-sut-á ê chîⁿ. I kā gîn-phiò té tī kià hō͘ Lencho ê phe-lông nih, lāi-bīn hū chi̍t-tiuⁿ phe-chóa, téng-bīn kan-ta ū chi̍t-ê chhiam-miâ: THIⁿ-KONG.
Koh-lâi hit-ê lé-pài-ji̍t, Lencho pí pêng-siông-sî khah chá lâi mn̄g, kám ū i ê phe. Sī hit-ê the̍h-phe-á chhin-sin kā phe kau hō͘ i, iá keng-giām tio̍h chò hó-sū ê iû-piān kio̍k-tiúⁿ, tō khiā tī i pān-kong-sek mn̂g-kháu khòaⁿ.
Lencho khòaⁿ tio̍h phiò-á, chi̍t-sut-á to bô tio̍h-kiaⁿ -- che tō sī i ê chū-sìn -- m̄-koh, tán i kā chîⁿ sǹg liáu, i hoán siū-khì. Thiⁿ-kong bô khó-lêng hut m̄-tio̍h, i koh-khah bē kī-choa̍t Lencho ê chhéng-kiû!
Chek-sî, i kiâⁿ kàu thang-á kháu, thó chi̍t-tiuⁿ chóa hām ba̍k-chúi. Tī kong-kiōng siá-jī-tâi, i khai-sí piàⁿ-miā siūⁿ khòaⁿ án-chóaⁿ piáu-ta̍t ì-sù, siá kah ba̍k-bâi phah-kat. Tán i siá-liáu, i khì thang-á kháu bé chi̍t-tiuⁿ iû-phiò, chīⁿ-chīⁿ leh, tō kō͘ kûn-thâu-bó tûi chi̍t-ē, kā tah tī phe-lông.
Hit-hong phe chi̍t-ē lak-lo̍h phe-tháng, iû-piān kio̍k-tiúⁿ sûi kā phah khui. Lāi-bīn án-ne siá:
"Thiⁿ-kong: Iú-koan góa chhéng-kiû ê chîⁿ, kan-ta 70 peso lâi kàu góa chhiú tiong. Chhiáⁿ kā chhun-ê chîⁿ kià hō͘ góa, in-ūi he góa hui-siông su-iàu. M̄-koh, m̄-thang iōng iû-piān kià hō͘ góa, in-ūi iû-piān-kio̍k ê oân-kang sī chi̍t-tīn khiang-á. Lencho."
(Soah)
--
2. 這 tō 是伊 ê 自信
這是正正一張寫予天公 ê 批.
"天公," 伊 án-ne 寫, "你若無 kă 幫贊, 我和厝內今年 lóng 著枵腹肚. 我需要 100 peso, 通好 koh 種作田園, koh tī 收成進前通好生活, lóng 是因為冰雹..."
伊 tī 批囊頂寫 "寄予 天公," kā 批紙 lok ji̍p-khì, 猶是心慒慒 án-ne 入城去. 到郵便局, kā 批貼郵票了後, 伊 kā long 入批桶.
其中一个員工, 伊是提批仔, 今 tī 郵便局鬥跤手, 走去揣頭家, 笑 kah 心花開, 予伊看彼張寄予天公 ê 批. 一路提批以來, 伊 m̄-bat 彼个地址. 郵便局長 -- 一个大箍, 和善 ê 人 -- mā 笑 kah 袂合喙, 毋過伊隨 pìⁿ 嚴肅 khí-lâi, ná 托彼封桌頂 ê 批, ná án-ne 評論: "誠虔誠! 我希望我 mā 有寫這張批彼人 ê 虔誠. 照伊所信仰 ê 方式來信仰. 照伊所知按怎希望 ê 信心來希望. Án-ne 來開始和天公通批!"
自 án-ne, 為著莫予這个 kō͘ 一封寄袂到 ê 批所顯示 ê 信仰奇事幻滅, 郵便局長提出一个想法: kā 回批. 毋過, 等伊拍開來看, 真明顯, 伊所需要 ê, 毋是干焦好意, 墨水和紙, tō 有夠回批. 毋過, 伊堅持家己 ê 決定: 伊向員工募款, 家己 mā 提出一部份薪水, koh 有幾个朋友 mā 為這个 "慈善行動" 不得不貢獻淡薄.
伊無可能 khêng 有夠 Lencho 所要求 ê 100 peso, 伊干焦會當寄予彼个做穡人一半較加一屑仔 ê 錢. 伊 kā 銀票貯 tī 寄予 Lencho ê 批囊 nih, 內面附一張批紙, 頂面干焦有一个簽名: THIⁿ-KONG.
閣來彼个禮拜日, Lencho 比平常時較早來問, 敢有伊 ê 批. 是彼个提批仔親身 kā 批交予伊, iá 經驗著做好事 ê 郵便局長, tō 徛 tī 伊辦公室門口看.
Lencho 看著票仔, 一屑仔 to 無著驚 -- 這 tō 是伊 ê 自信 -- 毋過, 等伊 kā 錢算了, 伊反受氣. 天公無可能 hut 毋著, 伊閣較袂拒絕 Lencho ê 請求!
即時, 伊行到窗仔口, 討一張紙和墨水. Tī 公共寫字台, 伊開始拚命想看按怎表達意思, 寫 kah 目眉拍結. 等伊寫了, 伊去窗仔口買一張郵票, 舐舐 leh, tō kō͘ 拳頭母捶一下, kā 貼 tī 批囊.
彼封批一下 lak-lo̍h 批桶, 郵便局長隨 kā 拍開. 內面 án-ne 寫:
"天公: 有關我請求 ê 錢, 干焦 70 peso 來到我手中. 請 kā 賰 ê 錢寄予我, 因為 he 我非常需要. 毋過, 毋通用郵便寄予我, 因為郵便局 ê 員工是一陣勍仔. Lencho."
(煞)
--
2.
It was nothing less than a letter to God.
“God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to resow the field and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm…”
He wrote “To God” on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town. At the post office he placed a stamp on the letter and dropped it into the mailbox.
One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post officer, went to his boss, laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a postman had he known that address. The postmaster – a fat amiable fellow – also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented: “what faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. To believe the way he believes. To hope with the confidence that he knows how to hope with. Starting up a correspondence with God!”
So, in order not to disillusion that prodigy of faith, revealed by a letter that could not be delivered, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he needed something more than good will, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employee, he himself gave part of his salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something “for an act of charity”.
It was impossible for him to gather together the hundred pesos requested by Lencho, so he was able to send the farmer only a little more than half. He put the bills in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with them a letter containing only a signature: GOD
The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him, while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from the doorway of his office.
Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the bills – such was his confidence – but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested!
Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing table, he started to write with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp, which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist.
The moment that the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to open it. It said:
“God: Of the money that I asked for only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the mail, because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”
--
// 2022-7-15
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