梦千寻
When I first met him he was little more than ten—that was thirty years ago， and at that time my father was still alive and the family well off， so I was really a spoilt child. That year it was our family’s turn to take charge of a big ancestral sacrifice， which came round only once in thirty years， and hence was an important one. In the first month the ancestral images were presented and offerings made， and since the sacrificial vessels were very fine and there was such a crowd of worshippers， it was necessary to guard against theft. Our family had only one part-time servant.（In our district we divide servants into three classes： those who work all the year for one family are called full-timers； those who are hired by the day are called dailies； and those who farm their own land and only work for one family at New Year， during festivals or when rents are being collected are called part-timers.） And since there was so much to be done， he told my father that he would send for his son Runtu to look after the sacrificial vessels.
我认识他时，也不过十多岁，离现在将有三十年了；那时我的父亲还在世，家景也好，我正是一个少爷。那一年，我家是一件大祭祀的值年。这祭祀，说是三十多年才能轮到一回，所以很郑重；正月里供祖像，供品很多，祭器很讲究，拜的人也很多，祭器也很要防偷去。我家只有一个忙月（我们这里给人做工的分三种：整年给一定人家做工的叫长年；按日给人做工的叫短工；自己也种地，只在过年过节以及收租时候来给一定的人家做工的称忙月），忙不过来，他便对父亲说，可以叫他的儿子闰土来管祭器的。
When my father gave his consent I was overjoyed， because I had long since heard of Runtu and knew that he was about my own age， born in the intercalary month， and when his horoscope was told it was found that of the five elements that of earth was lacking， so his father called him Runtu （Intercalary Earth）. He could set traps and catch small birds.
我的父亲允许了；我也很高兴，因为我早听到闰土这名字，而且知道他和我仿佛年纪，闰月生的，五行缺土，所以他的父亲叫他闰土。他是能装弶捉小鸟雀的。
