1
At the edge of the world lies a deep blue sea.
在世界的尽头，有一片蔚蓝色的大海。
Beside the sea is a small island, and on the island grows a cherry tree that blooms in every season.
海的旁边有座小岛，小岛上有一棵一年四季都盛开的樱花树。
Under the tree is a bookstore called Under the Cherry Blossom Tree.
树下有个书店，店名叫樱花树下的书店。
Only it doesn't sell books—it sells seafood stew.
只不过书店里卖的不是书，而是海鲜大杂烩。
At first the bookstore really did sell books—the ones the boss lady loved.
书店一开始也卖书，卖的都是老板娘自己喜欢的书。
Not a single copy ever sold.
所以一本也没卖出去过。
Yet visitors kept coming in an endless stream, drawn by the cherry blossoms that never fade.
但来这的游人依旧络绎不绝，他们都为一年四季都盛开的樱花而来。
Someone once asked her, "Why sell books instead of seafood?"
有人问老板娘，你为什么卖书不卖海鲜？
Live off the mountain when you're by the mountain, off the sea when you're by the sea—that's survival wisdom.
靠山吃山，靠海吃海，这是生存的智慧。
She glared at him: "I'm selling sentiment! Do you even understand sentiment?"
老板娘瞪了那人一眼：老娘卖的是情怀！情怀你懂不懂？
2
Later, when that person returned to the island, he saw a sign out front:
后来，那人再次来到小岛时候，看见书店门口摆上了
Seafood stew, 50 yuan a jin.
海鲜大杂烩50块一斤的字样。
He teased her: "So your sentiment is worth 50 yuan a jin?"
他戏虐道：原来你的情怀就值50块一斤？
She glared again, then added a zero after the 50.
老板娘又瞪了他一眼，随即在50后面填了一个0。
He shut up fast.
那人很快就闭了嘴。
Anyone who's been to the island knows the boss lady doesn't talk much. She just collects the money.
来过小岛的人知道，老板娘话不多，只负责收钱。
When she has nothing to do, she lies in the cherry tree reading a book.
没事的时候就拿着一本书躺在樱花树上。
When customers come, she still lies in the cherry tree.
有客人来的时候她也躺在樱花树上。
The tree is tall. No one knows how she gets up there.
樱花树很高，没人知道她是怎么上去的。
When customers arrive and don't see her, they shout: "Anyone here?"
客人来的时候不见她都会大喊：有人在吗？
A voice booms from a speaker in the tree: "Speak."
树上就会传来喇叭里扩大的声音：讲。
Customer: "Three jin of seafood stew, mala flavor."
客人：3斤海鲜大杂烩，麻辣味的。
Her: "Tools are by the door, cookware in the living room. Catch whatever you want yourself."
她：工具在门口，厨具在客厅，想吃什么自己捞。
Customer: "What the hell—I have to do everything and it's this expensive?"
客人：靠，什么都要我自己干，还卖这么贵？
Her: "Yep."
她：对呀。
Customer: ...
客人：……
In the end, most customers still pay.
最终，很多客人还是买了单。
It's the only place on the island where you can light a fire and cook.
因为这是岛上唯一可以生火做饭的地方，
Don't eat and you'll starve.
不吃就得饿死。
3
The night the boss lady got beaten black and blue, a crescent moon hung in the sky,
老板娘被揍成猪头的那天晚上，天上挂着新月，
shaped like a smiling face, as if saying, "Well deserved."
形如笑脸，似乎在说，“揍得好”。
For days she lay in bed.
那几天她躺在床上。
The one who beat her, face equally swollen, brought water and gently wiped her mouth and face.
打她那位，正鼻青脸肿地端着水来，给女王擦拭嘴脸。
She wouldn't look at him. He wiped by feel. When it hurt she hissed; when she hissed he raised his hand.
她不看他，他凭感觉擦，痛了就啧，啧就抬手。
They never met eyes—that would have sparked another fight and made the moon laugh again.
二人不曾对视，那无疑会擦枪走火，让月亮再笑一遍。
Normally, while the boss lady lay in the cherry tree during the day,
往常白天里，老板娘躺樱花树上的时候，
the boss lurked in the sea.
老板就潜在海里。
Schools of fish swirled like colorful wind underwater.
鱼儿成群，像七彩的风在水中刮。
That day he dove in with his pig head, and the sea floor panicked.
这天他顶着猪头下水，海底一阵骚动。
In a flash, every larger shadow vanished.
嗖一下，大一点的影儿都没一只。
Only tiny plankton remained, paddling their little legs for dear life.
只剩小小的浮游，拼了命地划着小短腿，
From the coral reef, many eyes slowly peeked out.
珊瑚礁里有好多双眼睛，慢慢才探出头来。
They gently kissed his bruises, tickled under his arms.
它们轻吻他的淤青，钻他下腋窝，
In his previous life the boss must have been a fish.
老板上辈子应该是一条鱼，
He needs no diving gear—just flippers to swim freely on the bottom,
不用带潜水工具，一双蛙蹼就可以在水底畅游，
farting more often than breathing through his mouth.
放屁的次数比用嘴呼吸的次数还要多。
Of course—the boss lady cooks well, so no indigestion, and he loves the ocean.
当然啦，老板娘手艺很好，他不会消化不良，而且他也爱海洋。
Sometimes he floats above the sea grass.
有时，他会悬浮于海草之上。
He struggles to find a reason to surface.
他很难找到一个理由浮上去。
Except for that cherry tree, and the boss lady in it.
除了那棵樱花树，和树上的老板娘。
4
The boss has no net, no spear gun.
老板没有渔网、鱼枪，
Every time he goes out, his boat carries only cherry blossoms.
每次出海，他的船儿只满载樱花。
He scatters them on the sea; fish leap to snatch them
樱花撒在海面，鱼群飞跃抢夺
like children grabbing snacks.
像极了一群抢零食的孩子。
Older fish swim slowly to his side.
年老一些的鱼，会缓缓游到他身边来。
He checks them one by one: are the teeth falling out,
他一一检查，鱼齿是否开始脱落，
are there enough spines on the fins—nine?—eggs in the belly?
细数鱼鳍的刺够不够九根，鱼腹是否有卵。
Little troublemakers come to play, waving pink fins.
总有捣蛋鬼来凑热闹，把粉嫩的鱼鳍摆呀又摆，
He doesn't stand on ceremony—he plants them headfirst in the sand.
老板也没客气，把它们一头头扎进沙地里。
The old fish swim to the boat; he loads them in one by one.
老鱼们游上船边，他一条条装进船里。
Of course there are shrimp, crabs, other things for the stew.
当然还有虾，蟹，其他海鲜大杂烩。
The boss lady complains loudly: "Why always the half-dead seafood?"
老板娘意见可大了，“怎么老是一些快要死的海鲜啊。”
The boss says nothing.
老板没说话。
That day she still hadn't sold a single book. Not selling was fine,
老板娘这天还是一本书都没卖出去，卖不出去还好，
but someone said her books were no good at all.
居然有人说她都卖的啥书，一点都不好看。
The speaker ran off just as the boss came back.
说这话的人跑了，正好回来的是老板。
Anyway, when they started fighting, the neighbor's dogs didn't dare breathe.
反正他们扭打起来的时候，隔壁的狗大气没喘一口。
A male and female in the middle of mating both stopped, ears pricked, listening.
一公一母本来做着爱，竟都停住，竖着耳朵听。
Clang, bang, crash.
叮铃哐啷地响。