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“Good,” said rich dad. “Now get back to work. This time, I will pay you nothing.”
“好，”他说，“现在回去干活，这次我一分钱也不会给你。”
“What?” I asked in amazement.
“什么？”我大吃一惊。
“You heard me. Nothing. You will work the same three hours every Saturday, but this time you will not be paid 10 cents per hour. You said you wanted to learn to not work for money, so I’m not going to pay you anything.”
“听着。一分钱也不给。每星期六你照样干3个小时，但不会再有每小时10美分的报酬了。你说你想学习不为钱工作，所以我什么都不给你。”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
我几乎不相信自己的耳朵。
I stood there, still not believing what a raw deal I was handed. Here I came to ask for a raise, and now I was being told to workfor nothing.
我站在那儿，依旧不相信自己已经答应了这个不公平的交易。我是来要求加薪的，现在却被告知以后要白干。
Rich dad tapped me on the head and said, “Use this and get outta here”I didn’t tell my poor dad I wasn’t being paid. He wouldn’t have understood, and I didn’t want to try to explain something I didn’t understand myself.
我没对我爸爸说我没工钱了，他是不会理解的，而且我也不想向他解释连我自己也没完全明白的事。
For three more weeks, Mike and I worked three hours every Saturday for nothing. The work didn’t bother me, and the routine got easier, but it was the missed baseball games and not being able to afford to buy a few comic books that got to me.
在接下来的3个星期里，我和迈克每个星期六白干3小时。这工作不再让我心烦，过程也容易些了。只是无法参加棒球赛以及不能再买连环画让我耿耿于怀。
Rich dad stopped by at noon on the third week. We heard his truck pull up in the parking lot and sputter when the engine was turned off. He entered the store and greeted Mrs. Martin with a hug. After finding out how things were going in the store, he reached into the ice-cream freezer, pulled out two bars, paid for them, and signaled to Mike and me.
富爸爸在第三个周末的中午来了。我们听见他的卡车进了停车场，然后发动机熄火了。他走进店里与马丁太太拥抱致意。他看了店面的销售情况后，走向冰激凌柜，取出两个冰激凌，付了钱，然后向我和迈克打了个手势。
“Let’s go for a walk, boys.”
“孩子们，我们出去走走。”
We crossed the street, dodging a few cars, and walked across a large grassy field where a few adults were playing softball. Sitting down at a lone picnic table, he handed Mike and me the treats.
闪开来来往往的汽车，我们穿过街道，又走过一大片草地，草地上有许多大人正在打垒球。最后我们坐到草地深处的一张野餐桌前，富爸爸把冰激凌递给我和迈克。
“How’s it going, boys?”
“还好吗？”他问。
“Okay,” Mike said.
“挺好的。”迈克说。
I nodded in agreement.
我也点了点头。
“Learn anything yet?” rich dad asked.
“那学到了什么没有？”
Mike and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and shook our heads in unison.
迈克和我面面相觑，一起耸了耸肩。
“Well, you boys had better start thinking. You’re staring at one of life’s biggest lessons. If you learn the lesson, you’ll enjoy a life of great freedom and security. If you don’t learn the lesson, you’ll wind up like Mrs. Martin and most of the people playing softball in this park. They work very hard for little money, clinging to the illusion of job security and looking forward to a three-week vacation each year and maybe a skimpy pension after forty-five years of service. If that excites you, I’ll give you a raise to 25 cents an hour.”
“好吧，孩子们，你们最好开始开动脑筋。你们正在学习一生中最重要的一课。如果学好了这一课，你们将永享自由和安宁；如果没有学好，你们就会像马丁太太和在草地上打垒球的大多数人一样度过一生。他们为了一点点钱而勤奋工作，深信有工作就有了保障，盼着一年3个星期的假期和工作45年后才能获得的一小笔养老金。如果你们喜欢这样，我就把工资提到每小时25美分。”
“But these are good hardworking people. Are you making fun of them?” I demanded.
“但他们都是努力工作的好人啊，你在嘲笑他们吗？”我问道。
A smile came over rich dad’s face.
一丝笑容浮上了富爸爸的脸庞。
