作者：Natasa Vujicic
翻譯：潘澤彬
校對：Luz、Joanne、James
I was born in Serbia and brought up in Montenegro. That is where I met my husband, who moved from Germany to start working in the same company as me. After a few years living in Belgrade, we decided to move to Hangzhou. We spent four and a half years living in this magnificent city before moving again, this time to Mumbai.
我生在塞爾維亞，長在黑山，在那里遇到了我的丈夫。他從德國搬來，和我在同一家公司工作。在貝爾格萊德生活了幾年后，我們決定搬到杭州。我們在這座大城市生活了四年半，然后再次搬家，來到孟買。
However, two months before we left China, on my 40th?birthday, I realized I had something to say, and I needed to say it quickly. So at that very moment, I pulled out my laptop and started writing a book. As my family was putting on their shoes and getting ready to head out for my birthday celebration, I was still finishing the first chapter. It took me less than four weeks to finish the first draft. I named it “23 Reasons to Fall in Love with Hangzhou,” because the first time we arrived in Hangzhou all those years ago, on the way from Putong Airport, the driver took highway exit 23 to enter Hangzhou. That turn marked the beginning of the best chapter of our lives.?
然而，我們離開中國的兩個月前，準確地說是我 40?歲生日那天，我感覺有一肚子話需要吐露。所以那一刻，我掏出筆記本電腦，開始寫書。家人們穿好鞋子，準備出門為我慶生時，我仍在寫第一章。我花了不到四個星期就完成了第一稿，書名為“愛上杭州的 23 個理由”，因為多年前我們第一次到達杭州時，司機從普陀機場出發(fā)，由 23 號高速出口進入杭州。那個轉(zhuǎn)彎標志著我們生命中最美好的篇章由此開始。
So here is one of the reasons why we love Hangzhou so much.
這就是我們?nèi)绱讼矏酆贾莸脑蛑弧?/p>
Jar of Memories
一罐回憶
That first year when we moved to China, we spent seven days in Hainan for Golden Week. Right after coming back, even though it was still warm outside, we could feel autumn at the doorstep. There was something in the air that reminded me of furnaces burning wood, some sort of smoky smell that seemed to announce that soon we would all be wearing sweaters and gloves. The pollution level started rising, and on days without rain we could smell it. It smelled faintly like burnt rubber and acid. But all around Hangzhou, all the time, wherever we went, we could smell something else as well. It smelled familiar and exotic at the same time.
我們搬到中國的第一年，在海南度過了七天的黃金周?；貋砗?，盡管外面仍然很暖和，但我們在門口就能感覺到蕭瑟秋風?？諝庵械臍馕逗孟袢紵哪静?，煙熏的味道似乎宣告我們很快就會穿上毛衣，戴上手套。污染指數(shù)開始上升，天氣晴朗的時候，我們可以聞到一股氣味，隱約像燒焦的橡膠，略帶一股酸味。在杭州，無論何時，無論何地，我們都能聞到另一種味道，熟悉又帶有異域風情。
For days I was trying to discover the source of that delicate, yet intense smell, until I ran into a neighbor who had lived in China for years. Through laughter she said it was Osmanthus flower, and it was now in full bloom. I had never been that interested in flowers, but the fact that I hadn’t even heard of this one shocked me. What kind of flower can make the whole city smell like a perfume shop? Not to mention this was a city, with concrete, traffic, construction sites and all.?
幾天來，我一直試圖尋找這種微妙而強烈的氣味來源。我遇到了一位在中國生活了多年的鄰居，她笑著告訴我說那是桂花，現(xiàn)在正是桂花盛開的季節(jié)。我對花并不感興趣，但令我意外的是，我竟然從來沒聽說過這種花。讓這座充滿混凝土、汽車、工地的城市，聞起來像個香水店，什么樣的花才有這樣的威力？
The smell stayed for weeks, and it made autumn my favorite part of the year. All around the city you could find Osmanthus-flavored coffee, snacks, and sweets. My favorite until this day (even though I tried many) was a very traditional lotus root with sticky rice covered in Osmanthus flowers.??
這種香味持續(xù)了幾個星期，讓秋天成為我一年中最喜歡的季節(jié)。城市的各個角落，你可以找到桂花味的咖啡、小吃和糖果。我嘗過許多桂花做的美食，最愛的還是一種非常傳統(tǒng)的糯米蓮藕，上面灑滿桂花。
Starting with the New Year, we were already counting the days until October and planning routes we would walk. So, following that very plan made in the beginning of the year, we decided to spend one October weekend in a small guesthouse in Manjuelong Village (滿覺隴村). At checkout, we were handed two jars of dried Osmanthus as a gift. I planned to search Xiaohongshu (小紅書) for recipes and bake something with Osmanthus flower, but after unpacking my bags, “assisted” by my three-year-old and one-year-old daughters, only one jar survived. I opened it and felt my throat tightening. I was quite literally on the verge of tears. It smelled sweet like apricot jam, announcing the cold weather and evenings spent at home. It brought back countless memories of our autumns in China, pierced with memories of home.
新年伊始，我們已經(jīng)開始制定 10?月之前的旅行路線了。按照計劃，我們決定在滿覺隴村的一個小旅店里度過十月的一個周末。退房時，老板送我們兩罐干桂花作為禮物。我打算用桂花烤些甜點，于是在“小紅書”上尋找制作方法。我三歲和一歲的女兒“幫助”我拉開背包，拜她們所賜，只有一罐幸存。打開它時，我感到喉嚨發(fā)緊。我真的快哭了。桂花聞起來像杏子醬一樣甜，思緒涌上心頭，讓我想起了寒冷的天氣和在家里度過的每個夜晚，勾起了我們對中國秋天的無數(shù)回憶，戳中了我們內(nèi)心深處對家的記憶。
By then we already knew we may not be staying for another year. We were missing our families and home country, but at the same time it seemed unreal, even impossible to leave China. I honestly wondered how we were going to survive this goodbye. I felt homesick, for both of my home countries and for China at the same time, even before we left.
那時我們已經(jīng)知道，我們在中國的時光剩下不到一年了。我們想念家人和故鄉(xiāng)，但是離開中國似乎是不切實際的，甚至是不可能的。老實說，我想知道我們能不能經(jīng)受得起這次離別。離開之前，我就想家了，既想念我的故鄉(xiāng)，又想念中國。
In the end I never made any of the dishes with Osmanthus flower, and I decided not to use it. Of course I could always buy another jar, but it would be a different jar, bought, not gifted. It may not contain the essence of that weekend in the mountains, the long-into-the-night conversations with our friends and giggles of our kids while planning another trek to the ice cream shop.
最后我沒有嘗試用桂花做菜，決定留著這罐桂花。當然，我可以再買一罐，但意義就不同了，是買來的，不是贈予的。這罐桂花包含著那個在山上度過的周末，包含著與朋友的促膝長談，包含著孩子在冰淇淋店前的笑聲。
If you visit Hangzhou in October you will understand. During the Osmanthus season, all around the Manjuelong Road (滿覺隴路), Zhongshan North Road (中山北路), or really anywhere around the Shangcheng (上城), Xiacheng (下城), and West Lake (西湖) districts, the smell is so unique and overwhelming that it will paint your every moment. Whenever you smell Osmanthus in the future you will remember Hangzhou. That is why I keep my little jar safely locked away from everyone.
如果你 10?月來杭州游玩，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)，滿覺隴路、中山北路一帶，或者上城一帶的任何地方，都有桂花盛開。在上城、下城和西湖一帶，桂花的香味是如此獨特，令人難以抗拒，讓每一刻都變得香甜。今后每當你聞到桂花香，你就會想起杭州，所以我把這罐桂花鎖起來，不讓別人知道。
It was as quick as snapping your fingers, and despite the unfinished contract, our time in China has actually come to an end. What was left was longing for this magnificent city that gently embraced us at every corner. When we tried to explain the situations we got into to friends and family back home, it was impossible. The words were scarce and inadequate to express all our feelings, and truly describe images and sounds.?
彈指一揮間，雖然有合同還未完成，但我們的中國之旅實際上已經(jīng)結(jié)束了。我們留下的是對這座大城市的渴望，杭州的每個角落都給予我們溫柔的懷抱。我們想向朋友和家人講述在中國的一切，但這是不可能的。千言萬語都不足以表達我們的感受，也無法真正描述我們的所見所聞。
It was only when we met someone, quite often a complete stranger, who too lived in China, that we could be understood. This understanding felt complete and intimate because we had both once felt the same deep, unexpected love towards this country. We will forever be grateful.
如果我們哪天遇到了一個陌生人，也在中國生活過，才能理解我們的感受。這種感受全面而親切，因為我們都曾經(jīng)對這個國家產(chǎn)生過同樣深刻、意外的愛。我們將永遠心存感激。
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