了不起的商人【1】（笑话，译文）

译自法语by me, 英语由Gemini proofread过

Super Merchant

It is well known that antique dealers scour the farms of our countryside to track down good furniture or old utensils, which they then resell at a premium in major cities.

This story takes place on Old Joseph's farm.

An antique dealer enters Joseph's farmyard and sees a small cat eating kibble from a magnificent bowl. The dealer approaches and notices that the bowl is a small marvel dating back to the Ming dynasty. Cunningly, he asks Joseph:

"Would you like to sell me this adorable little kitten?"

"If you like," Joseph answers.

"How much are you asking for it?" the merchant asks.

"For 300 euros, it’s yours".

The merchant gives 300 euros to Joseph without hesitating.

"Could you also sell me his little bowl? Since the cat is used to eating from it, he won't feel out of place".

"Oh no," says Joseph, "I'm not selling the bowl".

"Ah? And why is that?" asks the disappointed dealer.

"Well, you see, with this Ming dynasty bowl, I manage to sell a dozen cats every month.

了不起的商人

众所周知古董商经常钻到乡下满世界搜寻值钱的家具和古董然后在大城市里以高价卖出。

这就是发生在老约瑟夫的农场里的故事。

一个古董商走到约瑟夫的院子里，看到一只小猫在吃一个精致的碗里的炸丸子。 他走近查看发现碗是明朝制造的小宝物。他狡猾地问约瑟夫：

“你能把你可爱的小猫卖给我吗？”

“如果您喜欢的话”, 约瑟夫回答。

“你想要多少钱？”  古董商问。

“要300欧元，猫就归您了。”

古董商毫不犹豫地递给约瑟夫300欧元。

“你能把这个小碗也卖给我吗？既然你的猫已经熟悉这个小碗，它就不会失意了。”

“噢，不能，” 约瑟夫说， “我不卖给你这个碗。”

“啊，为什么？” 古董商伤心地问。

“噢，您知道，用这个明朝的碗，我每个月都卖出过一打猫了。“

【1】.   p. 169-170.  SUPER COMMERÇANT. 1000 Blagues <Les Meilleures>. Rajko Zobec. Z-R Edition.