English Original
Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl.
One day at the grocery store, she saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. She desperately wanted it. Her mother agreed to buy it, but on the condition that Jenny would do chores to pay for it. Jenny agreed.
Jenny worked hard on her chores every day and soon earned enough money to pay off the necklace. She loved her pearls dearly and wore them everywhere—except in the shower, as her mother warned they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a loving father who read her a bedtime story every night. One night after the story, he asked, "Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," she replied.
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny exclaimed. "But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll, and her tea party outfit."
"That's okay," her father said, kissing her cheek goodnight.
A week later, he asked the same question after her story. Again, Jenny offered her favorite toy horse, Ribbons, instead of the pearls. Her father declined with a kiss and a blessing.
Several days later, when her father came to read, Jenny was sitting on her bed, her lip trembling. She held out her hand, opened it, and let her beloved plastic necklace slip into her father's hand.
With one hand, her father held the plastic pearls. With the other, he pulled from his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside were real, beautiful pearls. He had been waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap imitation so he could give her the genuine treasure.
中文翻译
珍妮是一个眼睛明亮、漂亮的五岁女孩。
一天在杂货店，她看到一条标价2.5美元的塑料珍珠项链。她非常想要。母亲同意买下它，但条件是珍妮需要通过做家务来支付项链的钱。珍妮同意了。
珍妮每天努力做家务，很快就攒够了钱付清了项链款。她非常珍爱她的珍珠项链，除了洗澡时（因为妈妈警告说可能会把脖子染绿），她去哪里都戴着它。
珍妮有一位慈爱的父亲，每晚都给她读睡前故事。一天晚上读完故事后，他问：“珍妮，你爱我吗？”
“哦，是的，爸爸，你知道我爱你，”她回答。
“那么，把你的珍珠项链给我。”
“哦！爸爸，不要我的珍珠项链！”珍妮喊道。“但你可以拿走罗西，我最喜欢的娃娃，还有她的茶会套装。”
“没关系，”父亲说着，亲吻她的脸颊道了晚安。
一周后，读完故事他又问了同样的问题。珍妮再次提出用她最喜欢的玩具马“缎带”来代替珍珠项链。父亲用一个吻和祝福婉拒了。
几天后，当父亲来读故事时，珍妮坐在床上，嘴唇颤抖着。她伸出手，摊开手掌，让她心爱的塑料项链滑落到父亲手中。
父亲一只手握着塑料珍珠，另一只手从口袋里掏出一个蓝色天鹅绒盒子。里面是真正的、美丽的珍珠。他一直等待着珍妮放弃廉价的仿制品，以便他能将真正的珍宝赐予她。