T he man was quite far behind me but when he saw my pen drop he rushed to pick it up and then ran to return it. It was a cheap pen I had taken from a hotel room in China but I thanked him profusely (a lot, excessively, abundantly). He was so considerate that it made me feel happy the whole day. But something else happened to me recently that made me feel Hong Kong people are getting ruder. There are several cobblers (shoe repairers) outside one entrance of the Central MTR. Some time ago I had bought a special type of shoe polish from a very polite cobbler there.
When I ran out of it (used it all up) I went to buy another one from him. But he had none left. He suggested I ask the cobbler next to him. But the cobbler next to him was a grouchy (bad-tempered, grumpy) man. He rudely told me that if the cobbler I had bought it from didn’t have any, I should wait till he had. He was so uncouth (impolite, uncivilized) that I almost swore (used bad language) at him. But I kept my cool (avoided losing my temper) and politely asked if he had a similar type of shoe polish to the one I had bought. I wanted to see if politeness could turn a grouchy person into a nice person. I politely called him elder brother in Cantonese. It worked. He finally suggested a shoe polish and even told me how much to use. I bought it but I think he overcharged me.
*****
早幾個月，我寫過有關一位漂亮的菲籍女子（Filipina）的事，她在剛開始下雨時很友善地跟我分享傘子，即使我本身不認識她。專欄刊出後，許多讀者電郵跟我說，香港人也很友善和為他人設想（considerate）。這些電郵令我回想起，最近在中環港鐵站，有個男人拾到我的筆，追過來還給我。我很驚訝（taken aback），定神才發現那是我的筆，在不為意的時候跌了出來。
那男人在我後面頗遠的位置，但當他見到我跌了筆，他衝去執起再跑過來還給我。那不過是我在內地一間酒店拿到的一枝廉價筆，但我大大的（profusely）感謝他。他實在很體貼（considerate），令我一整天都很愉悅。但近來又有另一件事發生在我身上，令我覺得香港人也變得愈來愈粗魯無禮。中環港鐵站外有幾個補鞋匠（cobblers），前些日子我曾經從一位很有禮的補鞋匠（cobbler）那兒買得一隻特別款式的鞋油。
當我快要用光（ran out of it）那盒鞋油時，我去跟他多買一盒，但他已經賣光了。他建議我去問身旁的補鞋佬（cobbler），但他旁邊的補鞋佬（cobbler）是個很臭脾氣（grouchy）的男人。他粗魯地回應我說，要是賣鞋油給我的補鞋佬（cobbler）沒有，那我就該等到他有為止。他毫無教養（uncouth），令我差點脫口而出以粗口（swore）回敬。不過我沉住氣不發火（kept my cool），有禮地問他有沒有另一款鞋油，類近我本身買的那款。我想看看，以禮相待會否令一個火爆（grouchy）的人變成一個好人。我有禮地喚他作「大哥」，果然奏效。他最終建議我用另一款鞋油，甚至指教我該怎樣用。我買了，但總是覺得他收貴了。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=258771§ion_name=wtt&kw=126