This book is an English-Chinese version of Wang Zengqi's selected works, including The Love Story of a Young Monk and Special Gift. The Love Story of a Young Monk narrates the lively and unconscious affection between the young monk Minghai and the girl yingzi, and portrays the idyllic scenery of Lixiahe area in north Jiangsu Province in the 1930s in a poetic way. The story is filled with an inherent joy, singing the praises of the simplicity and beauty of human nature. Special Gift is a terse sketch of the local customs and practices of a small town in north Jiangsu Province, vividly depicting the life of common people such as Wang Er, who is thrifty and humble. Seemingly full of tender feeling and harmony, the works embody the writer's introspection and examination of the living state of his characters.
本书是中英文对照版汪曾祺作品选集，其中包括《受戒》和《异秉》两篇作品。《受戒》一篇写了小和尚明海和小英子姑娘之间清爽、蒙眬的爱情，并极富诗情地展现了20世纪30年代苏北里下河的田园风光。全文充斥着一种内在的欢乐，赞颂了纯朴健康的人性之美。《异秉》一篇以简洁恬静的笔调描绘了苏北小镇的风土人情,刻画出王二等勤俭谦恭的凡俗人物的生存状态。作品虽然有着仿佛和谐温存的情致，也饱含作家对人物生命形式的审视。
