The story of fat man and thin man

Chekhov

Two friends, a fat man and a thin man, met at a railway station on the Nikolai Railway. Fat man just had lunch in the train station restaurant. His lips shine like ripe cherries. He smells of gin and orange blossom. The thin man just got out of the carriage and labored to carry boxes, parcels and cartons. He smells of ham and coffee grounds. Behind him, a thin woman with a long chin looks around from time to time-that's his wife, and a middle school student with one eye narrowed, his son.

Porfiri！ The fat man saw the thin man and shouted, "Is that you? My darling! How many winters, how many summers have not met! "

"My God!" The thin man exclaimed, "This is Misha, childhood friends! Where are you from? "

Two friends hugged each other, kissed three times in a row, and then looked at each other's tearful eyes. Both of them were surprised.

"Dear!" After kissing, the thin man spoke, "What a surprise! I am overjoyed! Hey, look at me carefully! What about you? You are as handsome as ever! Still so stylish, I like to dress up! All right, you, my God! Oh, how are you? Are you rich? Are you married? You know, I have a family ... This is my wife Louisa, her maiden name is Wanzenbach ... She is a Protestant ... This is my son, Nafanail, a junior three student. Nafania, this is my childhood friend! Middle school students! "

Fanel hesitated and took off his hat.

"Middle school classmates!" The thin man went on to say, "Do you remember how the students made fun of you at that time? I gave you a nickname, Chlost Rath (4), because you burned a hole in a public book with a cigarette. My nickname is Ephialtes, because I like to snitch. bend

The railway from Moscow to Petersburg was named after Tsar Nicholas I. ..

(2) a strong liquor.

③ Nickname of Nafanail.

(4) The ancient Greeks burned the Temple of themis, one of the seven wonders of the world, in 356 BC in order to be famous all over the world.

The ancient Greeks led the Polish army into this country. Ha ... at that time, they were all children! Don't be afraid, Nafania! Come here ... Oh, this is my wife. Her maiden name is Wanzenbach ... Protestant. "

Fanel hesitated, hiding behind his father.

"Hey, friend, how are you?" The fat man looked at his friend warmly and asked, "Where do you work? How old are you? "

"At work, dear! I worked as a civil servant for two years and won the Saint stanislavski Medal. The salary is not high ... Fuck it. My wife has a music class. After work, I make a cigarette case out of wood. Exquisite cigarette case! I sell one ruble each. If someone wants ten or more, you know, I'll give him a cheaper price. At least you can make a living. You know, I used to work as a clerk in a hall, but now I'm transferred here as a section chief, or in the same department ... and I'll work here in the future. Oh, how are you? I'm afraid you've reached the civil service level five, right? Ah? "

"No, honey, lift it up again," said the fat man. "I am already a third-class citizen ... I have two stars."

For an instant, the thin man turned pale and dumbfounded, but soon his face twisted and a beaming smile appeared. There seem to be stars in his face and eyes. He curled himself up, bent over, bent back, half shorter ... his boxes, parcels and cardboard boxes were also shrinking, frowning ... his wife's long chin stretched out longer, and Nafanail lowered his hands and buttoned all the buttons on the outer cover. ...

"I, my Lord ... am very happy! It can be said that you were my childhood partner, and all of a sudden, you rose to the top and became such a prominent official! Hello, my Lord! "

"Hey, forget it!" Fat man frowned, "why come to this tone! You and I are childhood friends-why do you have to flatter the officialdom! "

"No way ... how can you say that, my Lord ..." The thin man shrank even smaller, hey hey smiled and said, "My Lord is very compassionate ... which makes me like the dew of rebirth ... My Lord, this is my son Na Fanel ... and this is my wife Louisa, a Protestant, in a sense ..."

The fat man wanted to refute him a few words, but when he saw the thin man's timidity, flattery and condescension, the Taoist civilian almost vomited. He turned around and extended a hand to the thin man to say goodbye.

The thin man shook three fingers, fell to his knees and smiled like a China man. His wife beamed. Fanel clicked his heels together, saluted and took off his hat. A family of three is pleasantly surprised.

1883 10 month/day.