每日跟讀#500: Mom Sells Tomatoes as Her Son Seeks Tennis Titles

It should have been one of the happiest times of Yu Te Tseng’s life. But Tseng, the father of the world’s best male junior tennis player, lowered his head and put his right hand to his eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears.

這本該是曾育德一生中最幸福的時刻之一。但這位世界最佳青少年男子網球手的父親，卻低下了頭，把右手放到眼睛上，努力想要止住淚流。

He was sitting in a garden at the United States Open in September after his son, Chun Hsin, had won another big match. But while a friend patted him on the back, Tseng needed more than a minute to compose himself and explain his sadness.

那是9月在美網的球場，兒子俊欣又贏了一場大賽之後。當一位朋友拍了拍他的背時，曾育德用了不止一分鐘來收拾情緒，解釋他為何傷心。

For years, Tseng has coached his son, 17, who plans to turn professional at a tournament in Hong Kong at the end of the month. For years, father and son have traveled the globe while Chun Hsin, also known as Jason, soared from a working class background in Taipei, Taiwan, to the top of the junior tennis rankings.

多年來，曾育德一直給兒子當教練，17歲的他計劃在那個月底的香港錦標賽上轉為職業球員。多年來，父子二人輾轉世界各地，兒子俊欣（英文名Jason）從台北的工薪階層背景，躍至青少年網球排名的冠軍。

He tore through the competition in 2018, reaching the final of the Australian Open junior singles tournament in January and winning the French Open junior title in June and Wimbledon’s in July. He was also a semifinalist in the U.S. Open boys event, and finished the year as the No. 1 junior.

2018年的賽事他一路過關斬將，1月份殺進澳洲網球公開賽青少年組男單決賽，6月份贏得法國網球公開賽青少年組男單冠軍，7月份溫布頓奪冠。他還是美國網球公開賽青少年組的半決賽選手，年終成為世界排名第一的青少年選手。

But while he was achieving all that with his father by his side, Tseng’s mother remained in Taipei, running the family’s small food stand and looking after his 15-year-old brother, Yun Di Tseng.

在父親的陪伴下取得所有這些成績的同時，他的母親仍在台北，一邊料理家裡的小吃攤，一邊照顧他15歲的弟弟曾允帝。

For his mother, Chung Han Tsai, the heavy workload has taken a toll.The family owns a stall at the Lehua night market in Taipei, where they sell tanghulu, a treat made of glazed fruit and tomatoes on a stick. They stay on their feet from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m., with hardly a moment to spare for a break.

對母親蔡仲涵來說，工作的重擔讓她付出了代價。一家人在台北樂華夜市有個小攤位，他們在那裡賣糖葫蘆，這是一種用蜜餞和串在棍子上的番茄製成的小吃。他們從下午4點一直站到凌晨1點，幾乎沒有片刻的休息。

Tseng first played tennis at age 5 with his father, who likes to be called Ed. Within a few years, Jason had demonstrated unusual talent, and his father discovered that his night job was suddenly an advantage. It enabled him to train his son during the day.

曾俊欣第一次打網球是5歲時和父親，後者喜歡別人叫他埃德(Ed)。短短几年裡，曾俊欣就展現出了不同尋常的天賦，他的父親發現自己的夜間工作突然成為了優勢。這份工作能讓他白天訓練兒子。

On a typical day, Ed Tseng would work at the night market and get to sleep around 2 a.m. He would wake up three and a half hours later for early-morning practices, after which he and his son would return home, shower and prepare for school. The father would then sleep a bit more before rejoining his son for afternoon practice. Then it was back to work with his wife.

通常，曾育德晚上在夜市上班，然後凌晨兩點左右上床睡覺。三個半小時後，他要起床去進行晨練，之後他和兒子回家，洗澡、準備上學。曾育德會再補一點覺，然後下午再和兒子一起練球。之後就和妻子再回去上班。

On some nights, Jason and his brother would make the five-minute walk from their home to join their parents at the market, doing their homework there or pitching in by peeling tomatoes. But Jason’s focus and dreams were always on tennis.“In that moment, I don’t have a lot of time to go out with friends and do relaxing things,” he said. “I was always working, working. That is how the professional player has to do it.”

在有些晚上，曾俊欣和弟弟會從家裡走路五分鐘，去夜市和父母在一起，他們在那裡做功課，或是幫忙給番茄剝皮。但曾俊欣的關注點和夢想一直都是網球。「在那一刻，我沒有很多時間和朋友出去玩、放鬆，」他說。「我一直都在練球、練球。這就是職業球員必須要做的。」

Jason Tseng said he does not really like the treats his parents sell. He prefers ice cream, although he eliminated it from his training diet. He indulged in his favorite treat twice recently, though: to celebrate winning the French Open and Wimbledon junior titles.

曾俊欣說，他不怎麼喜歡父母賣的那些小吃。他更喜歡冰激淋，儘管他把它從訓練飲食裡去掉了。但近期，他放縱地吃了兩次自己最愛的零食：為了慶祝自己獲得法國公開賽和溫布頓青少年冠軍。

Tsai could not make those trips. She remained in Taipei, selling tanghulu. But when Jason plays, Ed sends her updates. In a recent email, he said his wife told him that Jason’s victories buoyed her spirit, making her stand stronger in the moment.

蔡仲涵不能一起前往巡迴賽。她得留在台北賣糖葫蘆。但每當曾俊欣打球時，埃德會發給她最新情況。在近期的一封郵件裡，他說妻子告訴他，曾俊欣的勝利激勵了她的精神，讓她變得更堅強。

But the arrangement is no longer tenable with her physical condition. Tsai needs rest to recover, and Ed said this week that in the spring, the family plans to shutter the business. Legally, it cannot be sold, just closed. But now that Jason will be earning some money on tour, the investment in his future may pay off and the financial burden eased.

但她的身體狀況無法應付這種安排了。蔡仲涵需要休息才能恢復身體，曾育德本週說，明年春天的時候，他們計劃關掉攤位。從法律層面來說，它不能被賣掉，只能關張。但如今曾俊欣會在巡迴賽上賺到些錢，對他未來的投資可能會有回報，也能減輕家裡的經濟負擔。

Source article: https://cn.nytimes.com/sports/20181227/chun-hsin-tseng-taiwan/zh-hant/dual/

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