莲香

近来，人们纷纷涌向莲香楼或中环附近的陆羽茶室（lukyuteahouse），以体验往昔的岁月。

These days people flock to Lin Heung for a glimpse of the past , or the smarter Luk Yu teahouse nearby in central .

最后莲香应允暂且留下。

Finally , Lian-xiang agreed to stay for a while .

从此莲香开始每隔四或五天就来拜访桑晓一次。

Since then , Lian-xiang visited Sang-xiao every four or five days .

不到一年光景，莲香就苍老得像个老妇人了。

In less than a year , Lian-xiang appeared like an old woman .

同时，莲香开始呈现虚弱。

Meanwhile , Lian-xiang began to waste away .

听了李婉的故事后，莲香不由得长长地叹了一口气。

Having heard Li Wan 's story , Lian-xiang sighed a long heavy sigh .

桑晓漫应著，心想莲香不过是嫉妒他有另外的女人吧了。

Sang-xiao answered heedlessly , figuring that Lian-xiang was just jealous of his other woman .

可是她不再想去逃跑，相反地，她竟跪倒在莲香的面前请求惩罚。

Instead of trying to escape again , she knelt down before Lian-xiang begging for punishment .

她对莲香说只要能使桑晓的健康恢复，不管什麽牺牲她都愿意。

She told Lian-xiang that she would sacrifice whatever she could to restore Sang-xiao 's health .

在这两个女子的细心照顾下，及服用莲香的药丸，桑晓恢复得很快。

Under the two women 's constant care and taking Lian-xiang 's pills , Sang-xiao improved rapidly .

这时候他想起了莲香的警告，但一切都已太晚了。

By the time he remembered what Lian-xiang had warned him about , it was too late .

莲香每隔四或五天就来一次，而在其馀的晚间李婉便夜夜都来了。

Lian-xiang visited every four or five days and Li Wan came on all the other nights in between .

他不用莲香的帮忙在床上自己坐了起来，同时告诉她他开始有点味口想吃点东西。

He sat up on the bed without Lian-xiang 's help and told her that he had regained some appetite .

莲香使她站起身来，要她每天晚间来帮助她一同照顾桑晓。

Lian-xiang stood her up and asked her to come every evening to help her take good care of Sang-xiao .

他睁开眼睛一看，惊喜地发现莲香坐在他身边的床上用手轻摸著他的面孔。

Opening his eyes , he was overjoyed to find Lian-xiang sitting beside him on the bed , caressing him .

桑晓和李婉立刻怀疑这位神秘女子可能是莲香，可是她早已在多年前死了。

Sang-xiao and Li Wan immediately suspected that the mysterious lady might be Lian-xiang , but she had died years ago .

现在，桑晓和李婉已经是一对正式的夫妻了，于是莲香要求离开他们。

Now that Sang-xiao and Li Wan had formally become husband and wife , Lian-xiang asked to leave them for good .

莲香楼是个简陋的茶馆，地上是很旧的地砖，摆着铁制的痰盂，屋顶上是呼呼吹着的吊扇。

Lin Heung is a rough-and-ready sort of place , with a worn tiled floor , metal spittoons and ceiling fans whirring away .

可是不管他们如何服侍，莲香还是时常生病，而且每病一次，人就显得苍老多了。

Despite their efforts , Lian-xiang still often became sick and every time she seemed to recuperate , she would also appear greatly aged .

莲香说他和她并不是夫妻，她没有权力去干涉他的性生活。

Lian-xiang said that since he and she were not husband and wife , she had no right to intervene in his personal love affairs .

可是，奇怪的事情是每次当桑晓睡在莲香的房间时，而他第二天早上醒来则总会发现还是在李婉的房间与李婉睡在一起。

But the strange thing was that every time Sang-xiao slept with Lian-xiang , he always woke up in Li Wan 's room with Li Wan by him on the bed .