The Same Age Next Year
A grocer once had a daughter born to him. One day a friend of his made a match for his baby-girl, and told him the future husband was only one year older than she was.
The grocer discussed this marriage in private with his wife. "Our daughter is just one, the boy's age is the double of hers; when she is twenty and gets married, her husband will be forty," he said " How do we have the heart to marry off our daughter to such an old husband?"
His wife smiled and said, "you're really dumb. Our daughter is now one year old, in one years time she'll be the same age as the boy, now won't she?"
明年同岁
杂货商新添了一女儿,一天朋友来给她的小千金*说媒*，讲明对方只比女孩大一岁。
商人与妻子私下商量这门亲事，他说，“女儿刚满周岁#，而那男已经两岁了，比女儿大了一倍。等到女儿二十岁出嫁时，他该有四十岁了。我们怎能忍心让闺女儿嫁给这么一老头子呢？
他的妻子笑了笑说：“你真够笨的！现在我们的女儿一岁，明年他不就同那个男孩同岁了吗？”
*千金：尊称别人的女儿。Arespectful form of address for another person's daughter.
*说媒：中国古代有幼年定亲的习俗，称“娃娃亲”。In ancient China, there was a custom to settle a marriage when one was still very young, called "a baby marriage。”
*周岁：一岁。One year old.
*闺女：daughter
