0474翻译：到期归还（王江丽）
Translation: Return When Due (Wang Jiangli)
(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)

毛泽东主席闲暇时，喜欢欣赏、临摹名家碑帖，
In Chairman Mao Zedong’s leisure time, he enjoyed viewing and imitating masters’ calligraphy.
书法造诣很高。
He reached a high level of penmanship attainment.
他的行草道劲奔放，自由洒脱，自成一家。
His powerful, free-spirited, unbridled, and smooth writing style was truly a class of his own.
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有一次，毛主席听说黄炎培先生收藏了一本东晋大书法家王羲之的真迹，
One time Chairman Mao heard Mr. Huang Yanpei had, in his collection, an authentic work of masterful calligrapher Wang Xizhi from Eastern Jin Dynasty.
兴奋极了，迫不及待地要借来看看。
Chairman was really excited and couldn’t wait to borrow it from Huang to check it out.
黄炎培当然合不得将真迹轻易出借，
Of course Huang was reluctant to loan out the original artifact.
可是毛主席要借，他不好意思拒绝，
But since Chairman wanted to borrow it, it would be awkward to say no.
于是就和主席讲好：只借一个月，到期归还。
So Huang arranged with Chairman verbally that he could borrow the calligraphy for a month and he would return it at the end of the period.
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字帖借出去后，黄炎培心里老惦记着这件事。
After the calligraphy was loaned out, Huang Yanpei could not wipe this matter off his mind.
要知道，王羲之的真迹可是世间罕有呀！
His worry was understandable because a genuine calligraphy of Wang Xizhi was truly a rare gem in this world.
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好不容易过了一个星期，
Time inched forward and a week had passed.
黄炎培就给毛主席的警卫室打电话，询问主席是否看完了字帖。
Huang Yanpei called the guardhouse of Chairman Mao and asked if Chairman had finished looking at the calligraphy.
值班警卫员很有礼貌地告诉他还没有。
The on-duty guard very politely told Hung that Chairman had not.
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过了两天，黄炎培又打电话询问，
Two days later, Huang Yanpei called up again to ask.
警卫员告诉他，主席还在看，看完了会立刻把字帖给他送去。
The guard told him Chairman was still looking at the calligraphy, and he would return it to Huang when he finished.
可黄炎培总是感到心里不踏实。
But Huang still felt perturbed nonetheless.
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又过了几天，黄炎培实在忍不住了，就直接把电话打到了主席那儿。
A few days later Huang could not bear to sit tight any longer and called up Chairman directly.
电话里，他先讲了一些其他事情，
During the phone conversation, he first talked about something else.
转了半天圈子，才说：“主席，我……那本王羲之的字帖……您看好了吗？”
After going in circles for half a day, he then said: “Chairman, about the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, have you finished looking at it?”
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毛主席接完电话，不禁笑起来，对身边的人说：“他可是个急脾气。
After Chairman had hung up the phone, he said to the people beside him: “He’s really impatient.
难道还不相信我吗？
How can he not trust me?
讲好了一个月归还，
We have verbally agreed that I’ll give it back in a month.
如果到期不还，那是我失信；
If I do not return it when it is due, then it is I who eat my words.
可是现在期限还没到，他就来催要，那是他不守信用了。”
But since the due date is not up and he is already urging me, then it is he who does not live up to his promise.”
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话虽然这么说，其实毛主席很能理解读书人爱书如命的心情，
Even though Chairman put his take (1) of the situation in those words, actually he perfectly could understand the scenario similar to how a scholar was totally obsessed with his own collection of books.
他自己对书也是百般呵护的。
Chairman himself was very endearing to his own books as well.
战争期间，毛主席转战南北，曾经舍弃了许多物品，他的藏书却舍不得丢掉。
In battling from north to south during the war period, Chairman had abandoned many personal belongings but he never discarded his hoard of books.
所以，他对黄炎培催要字帖并不介意。
Therefore he did not mind at all that Huang Yanpei was pressing him to return the calligraphy.
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一个月的期限到了，毛主席亲手把字帖包好，让警卫员给黄炎培送去，
The one-month time limit was up, and Chairman Mao personally wrapped up the calligraphy and asked his guard to deliver it to Huang Yanpei.
并叮嘱道：“一定要尽快送到黄先生手上。”
Chairman reminded the guard: “You must hand it over to the hands of Mr. Huang as soon as possible.”
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再说黄炎培，他为自己先前的做法有点不安，
Huang Yanpei was ill-at-ease on how he handled the matter previously.
就又打来电话，说：“主席如果还想看，不妨再多看几天。”
So he called up and said: “If Chairman wants to look at it some more, it doesn’t matter if he holds on to it for a few more days.”
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警卫员立刻把黄先生的话转告主席。
The personal guard related Mr. Huang’s message to Chairman.
毛主席却说：“谢谢他的好意还是把字帖送去吧！
Chairman said: “Thank him for his good intention, but it’s best to send the calligraphy back.
讲好了一个月就一个月，
Once we have agreed on a month, then we will stick to a month.
做任何事情都要讲信用。”
We need to keep our words on anything we do.”
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附注：
(1) “take”
“take” = impression;
Example: My take is this movie is too mushy (=sentimental) for my liking.