三十二年前我曾在一条叫集贤街的地方当过八个月的学徒。整日木雕泥塑地呆坐在一个玻璃罩里(防尘罩),守着师傅的店铺。1982年,修理钟表还是一门体面的职业,而且还很神秘。师傅家是天主教世家,照壁上挂着红十字架。那地方有一条石拱桥,桥不长,弓得很高,傍河有很多的铁铺,远近的人都知道,叫它峒河。除了两边的街沿,峒河一带的街都只有三四米宽,铺着石板。逢集市,两边的坛门齐刷刷地打开,就全是店面。钟表店对门,是家打铁铺,有个与我年纪相仿的小学徒,体格比我结实得多。人挺老实,听说是海岛上来的一个孤儿,人们的印象里他 Thirty-two years ago I was an apprentice who spent eight months in a place called Jixian Street. All day long wooden sculpture sitting in a glass cover (dust cover), guarding the master’s shop. In 1982, repair watches is a decent job, but also very mysterious. Master’s home is a Catholic family, according to the wall hung with a red cross. That place has a stone arch bridge, the bridge is not long, bow is very high, near the river there are a lot of iron shop, people from far and near know, call it 峒 river. In addition to the street on both sides of the street along the river are only three or four meters wide, covered with slate. Every market, both sides of the altar door open to the full, all the stores. Watch shop on the door, the home is a blacksmith shop, there is a junior apprentice with my age, much more solid than me. Very honest people, I heard an orphan from the island, people’s minds in him