平凡的世界142 ‍The Ordinary World‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍1部39章1

躍龍

十一月初，田福军到省上去听传达粉碎“四人帮”的中央文件，完了还要参加省党校理论班的学习，据说要到明年初才能回来。

In early November, Tian Fujun went to the province to listen to the central document on smashing the "Gang of Four". After that, he had to attend the theoretical class of the provincial party school. It was said that he would not be back until the beginning of next year.

白天大部分时间里，田福军家里除过徐国强老汉照门外，就再没什么人了。院子里经常静悄悄的；偶尔传来徐老的一声咳嗽和他对那只老黑猫的几句溺爱的训斥话。只是在中午和晚饭时分，他女儿徐爱云才从医院回来，给他和晓霞做点饭。福军的侄女润叶最近不知为什么，也常不回家来。

During most of the day, there was no one in Tian Fujun's house except the old man Xu Guoqiang who was guarding the door. The yard was often quiet; occasionally there was a cough from old Xu and a few doting words of scolding to the old black cat. Only at noon and dinner time did his daughter Xu Aiyun come back from the hospital to cook some food for him and Xiaoxia. Fujun's niece Runye didn't come home for some reason recently.

徐国强虽说年龄早已过了花甲，但身板还硬朗。我们已经知道，日常没事的时候，这老汉就在院子花坛的那一小块土地上，营务各种庄稼。对他来说，这已经不是劳动，恰恰是一种休息。他觉得，要是一整天闲呆着，身子骨反而疼痛。只要劳动一会，立刻就感到筋脉舒展多了。

Although Xu Guoqiang is already over 60, he is still strong. We already know that when he has nothing to do, the old man works on the small piece of land in the flower bed in the yard to cultivate various crops. For him, this is no longer labor, but a kind of rest. He feels that if he stays idle all day, his body will ache. As long as he works for a while, he will immediately feel that his muscles and veins are stretched.

可是现在，气候已经寒冷，再没什么活可干了。那个花坛早已经没有了任何植物，变得一片荒凉。

But now, the weather is cold and there is no work to do. The flower bed has long been desolate without any plants.

这时候，徐国强老汉也象那花坛一样，荒凉而寂寞。太无聊了！一整天象土拨鼠一样，悄悄地钻在这院子里，真不是个滋味！他又不敢远离家门——要是乘他不在钻进来个小偷怎么办？

At this time, old man Xu Guoqiang was just like the flower bed, desolate and lonely. It was so boring! It was really unpleasant to sneak into the yard like a groundhog all day long! He didn't dare to leave the house - what if a thief sneaked in while he was away?

他于是就一个人在窑里呆一会，又到院子里晒一会太阳。唯一的伙伴就是那只老黑猫。这猫也象他一样老，连自己行走都不敏捷了，更谈不上让它去捉老鼠。话说回来，这娇东西一天好吃好喝，也懒得再去费那神。记得这黑猫在他老伴活着的时候，就是他们家的成员……唉，要是爱云她妈还活着，那他现在的日子就不会过得如此寂寞。少年夫妻老来伴！孤身一个生活，真凄凉啊……现在正是下午，太阳还有点热力，徐国强老汉就从窑里出来，蹲在有阳光的墙角下，不停抽着田福堂给他带来的旱烟。黑猫卧在他身边，合住眼睛在睡觉。他一只手拿着烟斗，一只手在猫身上抚摸着，眼睛无意识地瞧着对面山。

So he stayed in the kiln alone for a while, and then went to the yard to bask in the sun for a while. His only companion was the old black cat. The cat was as old as him, and it couldn't even walk quickly, let alone catch mice. After all, this delicate thing was well fed and well drunk all day, so he was too lazy to bother with it. I remember that this black cat was a member of their family when his wife was alive... Alas, if Aiyun's mother was still alive, his life would not be so lonely now. Young couples grow old together! Living alone is so desolate... It was afternoon now, and the sun was still a little hot. Old man Xu Guoqiang came out of the kiln, squatted in the sunny corner, and kept smoking the dry tobacco that Tian Futang brought him. The black cat lay beside him, sleeping with its eyes closed. He held his pipe in one hand and stroked the cat with the other, his eyes unconsciously looking at the opposite mountain.

山里现在光秃秃的。死了的柴草一片枯黑，没有叶子的树木在寒风中抖颤着枝杈；庄稼地里有些黑乌鸦，象黄纸上滴下些黑水点子。一大群灰鸽在城市上空的烟雾中掠过，都能听得见翅膀扇动的声音。南关那里，不时传来电锯刺耳的声音。要是夏天，这里还能听见原西河水的喧哗声。可是现在原西河已经结冰了。

The mountains are now bare. The dead firewood is black and dry, and the leafless trees are shaking their branches in the cold wind; there are some black crows in the fields, like some black water drops on yellow paper. A large group of gray pigeons flew through the smoke above the city, and you can hear the sound of their wings flapping. From Nanguan, the harsh sound of electric saws can be heard from time to time. If it is summer, you can still hear the noise of Yuanxi River here. But now Yuanxi River has frozen.

徐国强老汉无聊地坐在墙根下晒太阳，一锅接一锅地抽着旱烟。福堂这旱烟就是好！不硬也不软，又香又顺气，晚上睡觉还没痰。徐国强不无遗撼地想：这人营务旱烟的确是一把好手，可他自己有气管炎，竟然不能抽烟了。

Old man Xu Guoqiang sat bored under the wall to bask in the sun, smoking one pot after another. Futang's dry tobacco is good! Not hard or soft, fragrant and smooth, and there is no phlegm when sleeping at night. Xu Guoqiang thought with some regret: This man is really good at smoking dry tobacco, but he has tracheitis and can't smoke.

想起田福堂，徐老马上又想到了福堂的女儿润叶。这娃娃在爱云家门上住了多年，在徐国强看来，也就是自己家里的人。既然是自家人，他就很关心这女娃娃，就象关心他的女儿女婿和两个外孙子一样。

Thinking of Tian Futang, Old Xu immediately thought of Futang's daughter Runye. This girl has lived in Aiyun's house for many years. In Xu Guoqiang's eyes, she is also a member of his family. Since she is a family member, he cares about this girl very much, just like caring about his daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons.

他去年年底才知道，李登云家的向前看上了这女娃娃。他听说是这样，马上觉得是门好亲事。登云是他过去的老下级，志英他也了解，至于他们家的向前，更是他从小看着长大的。现在这小伙还开了汽车。在这山区，开汽车是个好职业，挣钱多，到外地买个东西也方便。

He only knew at the end of last year that Xiangqian from Li Dengyun's family fell in love with this girl. When he heard about this, he immediately thought it was a good match. Dengyun was his former subordinate, and he also knew Zhiying. As for Xiangqian from their family, he watched him grow up since he was a child. Now this guy also drives a car. In this mountainous area, driving a car is a good job. It makes a lot of money and is convenient to buy things in other places.

可是他又听爱云说，润叶还没利利索索答应这门亲事。他感到很奇怪。按说，润叶是个农民家的娃娃，能攀这门亲事就很不容易了。不要说人家登云一家人主动提这事，就是人家不主动，自家也应该主动一些嘛！听说眼下是向前在追，而这女娃娃还躲人家呢！唉，这倒是为什么呢？

But he also heard from Aiyun that Runye had not yet agreed to the marriage. He felt very strange. Normally, Runye was a peasant girl, and it was not easy for her to get married. Not to mention that Dengyun's family took the initiative to bring it up, even if they didn't take the initiative, his family should have taken the initiative! I heard that Xiangqian was pursuing her, but the girl was still hiding from him! Oh, why is that?

他了解是这么个情况，心想：要不，让我给这女娃娃说一下！反正我一天闲呆着，也没什么事干。

He understood the situation and thought: Why don't I tell this girl about it? Anyway, I have nothing to do all day.

他就在一天瞅了个机会，等家里人都不在光润叶在的时候，他就和她提了这件事。不料，这娃娃果真不说一句利索话。

He found an opportunity one day, when no one in the family was around but Guang Runye was, and he mentioned this to her. Unexpectedly, this girl really didn't say a word.

他问：“那倒究是因为什么？”

He asked: "What's the reason?"

这女娃娃给他回答说，她还小，先不想考虑这事……嗨，二十大几的人了，还小？记得他和爱云她妈结婚时，两个人都才十六岁半！现在提倡晚婚，这是政策，他不反对；但不能晚得没边没沿嘛！女人年纪一大，生个娃娃都困难哩！

The girl replied that she was still young and didn't want to think about it for now... Hey, she's in her twenties, but still young? I remember when he and Aiyun's mother got married, they were both only sixteen and a half years old! Now it's a policy to advocate late marriage, and he doesn't object; but it can't be too late! It's difficult for a woman to have a baby when she's old!

他于是就七七八八给润叶说了老半天。除过关于将来生育方面的困难外，他主要阐述了这门亲事的好处。他从李向前说到他妈刘志英，又从刘志英说到志英的丈夫李登云，最后又从李登云说到他自己和这家人交情的历史渊源。

So he talked to Runye about all sorts of things for a long time. In addition to the difficulties in giving birth in the future, he mainly explained the benefits of this marriage. He talked about Li Xiangqian's mother Liu Zhiying, and then from Liu Zhiying to Zhiying's husband Li Dengyun, and finally from Li Dengyun to the historical origins of his friendship with this family.

但这次谈话最终没有什么结果。这女娃娃只是礼貌和尊重地听他说话，自己一句话也不说。最后只给他留下个“话把子”，说让她考虑一段时间再说……徐国强现在坐在这墙根下，抽烟，抚摸猫，又专心想润叶和向前的这门亲事。接着他又从这门亲事深入进去，考虑起了登云和福军的关系。

But this conversation ended up with nothing. The girl just listened to him politely and respectfully, without saying a word. In the end, she only left him a "talking point", saying that she would think about it for a while... Xu Guoqiang now sat by the wall, smoking, stroking the cat, and concentrating on thinking about the marriage between Runye and Xiangqian. Then he went deeper into this marriage and considered the relationship between Dengyun and Fujun.