Beekeeper’s life sweet as honey despite hardship

Income from tending 170 hives, 3 million bees helped Anhui man buy a home and raise a family.

从照料170个蜂房，300万只蜜蜂里所得到的收入，使得这个安徽男人能够买房养家。

For 53-year-old Ma Chao, beekeeping has been a way of life for 35 years. His 170 beehives house and more than 3 million bees are an everlasting family treasure.

对于53岁的马超来说，养蜂已经成为他35年来的一种生活方式。他的170个蜂巢以及300多万只蜜蜂是笔永恒的家庭财富。

The honey produced by the bees has provided Ma and his wife, Fu Xiuling, 46, with an income that enabled them to buy an apartment in Huaibei, Anhui province, where they conduct their business, and bring up two daughters who have attended top universities.

来自于这些蜜蜂所产蜂蜜的收入，使得马超和他46岁的妻子付秀玲能够在安徽省淮北市买下一套房子。他们正是在这里做生意，并将两个女儿抚养成人的，而他们的两个女儿也都进了一流大学。

The beehives are located in cool, airy places near a highway in Lieshan district, and the honey collected provides an annual income of at least 100,000 yuan ($16,100). Fu travels citywide to deliver the honey to customers. In a good year, such as 2013, the couple earns 400,000 yuan.

蜂房位于烈山区靠近高速公路且阴凉通风的地方，收集来的蜂蜜所创造的年收入至少有10万元（1.61万美元）。付秀玲穿梭于全市之间为客户送蜂蜜。年景好的时候，比如2013年，这对夫妇就挣了40万元。

"As a beekeeper, I have to follow the flowers. In spring, I travel to places in southern China and move to northern areas in the summer," Ma said.

“作为一个养蜂人，我必须追着花儿跑。春天的时候就去南方，夏天则去北方，”马超说。

Since his daughters have grown up, the elder one "persuaded us to stay in our hometown, travel less and take good care of ourselves", Ma said.

两个女儿都已长大成人，大女儿“劝我们待在家乡，少往外跑一点，照顾好自己，”马超说。

"In the past 35 years, I’ve experienced various types of hardship," he said. "I am not rich, but I’ve helped people in an important way - their health."

“在过去的35年里，我经历过各种艰辛，”他说。“我并不富裕，但我通过一种重要的方式帮助了别人——保护他们的健康。”

Growing up in Hancun township in Huaibei’s Suixi county, Ma began his beekeeping business at 18 after graduating from high school.

马超在淮北市濉溪县的韩村镇长大，18岁高中毕业之后便开始了他的养蜂生涯。

"I bought 20 beehives and followed my uncle to learn the business. I stayed in Sichuan province for more than 10 years, and traveled to the provinces of Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hubei and Anhui. I also toured Chongqing municipality and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region," he said.

“我当时买了20个蜂房，跟着我叔叔学习养蜂。我在四川省待了十多年，还去过江西省、广东、湖北和安徽。我也去过重庆市和内蒙古自治区，”他说。

"I had to endure stings and heat, and at busy times, it was like a war - too busy," he said.

“我必须忍受蜂蜇和酷热，最忙的时候，简直就像是一场战争——太忙了，”他说。

As a family man, Ma is proud of his two daughters. "They are quite successful," he said.

作为一个好爸爸，马超很为他的两个女儿感到骄傲。“她们实在太优秀了，”他说。

His elder daughter, 27-year-old Lina, attended Anhui University as an English major and later attended Shanghai International Studies University as a postgraduate. She now works in Hebei as an interpreter for the president of Great Wall Motor Co - China’s largest manufacturer of SUVs and pickup trucks.

他的大女儿莉娜今年27岁，本科就读于安徽大学英语专业，之后去了上海外国语大学读研。她现在在河北工作，为长城汽车股份有限公司的董事长做口译译员——长城汽车股份有限公司是中国最大的越野车和皮卡车的生产商。

His other daughter, Yalan, 25, attended Wuhan University as an undergraduate and postgraduate. She will complete her studies in land resource management this summer.

他另外一个女儿雅兰，25岁，本科及研究生都就读于武汉大学，学习土地资源管理学，将于今年夏天毕业。

"People really envy us for raising two successful daughters," Ma said.

“大家都十分羡慕我们培养了两个这么优秀的女儿。”马超说。

He added that he feels quite happy living in Huaibei but does have some concerns.

他补充说，虽然现在在淮北生活得十分幸福，但他还是有一些担忧。

"I have my worries," he said. "My young brother, like me, works as a beekeeper. When we grow older, will people be willing to follow us in this painstaking industry?"

“我也有我所担心的事情，”他说。“我的弟弟和我一样，是个养蜂人。但等我们老了，还会有人追随我们的脚步，继续做这么辛苦的行业吗？”

完成阅读

来源:纽约时报中文网爱语吧作者:刘佳