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血太阳
吴克敬
The Scarlet Sun
Wu
Kejing
Translated by Liu Xiaofeng
& Robin Gilbank
刘晓峰 罗宾·吉尔班克 译
大说了，大要领我上街里去。
街里是啥样子我没有见过，但我想那没说的，街里肯定是个顶呱呱好的美地方。以前，我要去，大说街里路径远，碎娃娃家走不到。大不让我去，我哭鼻子流泪......今日，大要领我上街里去了。
Pa promised me that he would take me to the
streets.
Never have I been to the streets, but I took it
for granted that it must a perfect place full of attractions. Once
I clamored to go there, Pa objected with a pretext that the streets
are too far away to be reached by a brat like me. When I was turned
down by Pa, I wept. Today, Pa was about to take me to the
streets.
大常上街里去。
大上街里的时候，肩上总挑着剃头担子。担子的一头是脸盆火炉，一头是镜子板凳。人都说剃头担子一头热，起初我不晓得咋回事儿。看了大的担子才知道，热的一头是火炉，有火炉的那一头担子重，一轻一重压在肩膀上，前边少后边多。大挑着担子往前走，颤颤悠悠像在水上漂。
Pa frequented the streets.
Every time Pa set out for the streets, he always
shouldered his head-shaving load. There was a basin and a furnace
on the one end of his carrying pole and a mirror and a stool on the
other. A popular saying goes that only one end of the head-shaving
load is hot, initially I was muddleheaded of its meaning. Only when
I caught sight of Pa’s carrying pole did it dawn upon me that the
hot end refers to the furnace with much more weight than that of
the other end and with heavy and light items on each end of the
pole respectively, the pole carrier has to adjust the leveling
point along the pole accordingly. As Pa lurched forward with his
carrying pole swinging back and forth, he appeared to be floating
on the surface of water.
大早起出门，天黑回家，担子比去时要多几样东西，吃的、看的、穿的、用的。听见大的脚步声，妈就冲我喊：“枣核儿，你大从街里回来咧，快去门上接。”
可惜我个头小，我接不起大的剃头担子。
大歇不了肩，我就在担子上翻开了。我找大给我带回了啥好看的好吃的。那时候我还不会想大挑着几十斤重的剃头担子，大走了几十里的行程，大累不累。
Day in and day out, Pa left home at dawn and came
back at dusk with more items on his carrying pole, something to
eat, appreciate, dress or use. Upon overhearing Pa’s footsteps, Ma
would turn to me, yelling: “Jujube Pit, your Pa is coming back from
the streets, go and greet him at the door.”
It is indeed a pity that I, with an underdeveloped
build, can’t take Pa’s carrying pole and the loads on
it.
Right before Pa rested his load on the ground, I
started to search around his pole. I was searching eagerly for
anything delicious or lovely Pa brought back home. On such
occasions, it never occurred to me whether Pa feels fatigued with a
carrying pole weighing over dozens of pounds after covering a trip
of dozens of leagues.
大给我买了铅笔、橡皮、本子。妈给我缝了个花书包。妈找来一堆红红绿绿的碎布头，剪成一模一样的小三角，红配绿，绿配红，妈密针细线地往起拼，拼成了一个一个的四方块，接弥着缝起来，就是个很艺术的花书包。我太喜欢妈给我的花书包了，总感觉那色彩斑斓的四方块，就是一个一个的小窗口。我把花书包翻在头上往外看，却怎么也看不透。
Pa bought me pencils, erasers and notebooks. Ma
sewed a fancy schoolbag for me to put all these treasures into it.
With a pile of rags of red and green colors, Ma had them cut into
identical triangles with scissors and then put them in perfect
match. After that, Ma sewed them together into separate squares one
by one with fine threads and needle. When the crevices were sewed
together, a fancy schoolbag of artistic flavors took shape. I was
so fond of the fancy schoolbag created by Ma that I embraced an
illusion that those bright-colored square blocks were actually tiny
windows. But when I veiled the fancy schoolbag on my head, I failed
to see through it.
我太想上学了。我没有上成学。你说这怪不怪？
我知道，我就要跟大上街里去了。
大在院子里磨剃头刀。
大以前经常在院子磨剃头刀。大以前磨刀的动作又轻又快，沙沙的磨砺声好清脆好悦耳，像一首美好、绝伦的小夜曲。大磨好剃头刀就上街里去。挑上剃头担子，悠悠忽忽地晃着，鐾刀布还在我眼前黑黑油油、亮闪闪地摇......
Despite that the idea of going to school preyed on
me, never have I been bestowed the precious opportunity of
attending school. Isn’t that weird?
I merely knew that I was about to follow Pa to the
streets.
At this moment, Pa was grinding his razor in the
yard.
Pa used to grind his razor in the courtyard with a
gentle and agile movement, producing the melodious and rhythmical
rustling just like a marvelous and matchless serenade. With the
well-ground razor, Pa would go to the streets for his trade, with
his carrying pole swaying and a shiny black cloth fluttering in
front of my eyes.
一伙人卸下大剃头担子上的大镜子给大戴在脖子上游街。那一天和大一起被押着游街的还有豆腐王、轧面张、凉粉白、功夫丁一溜子人。宜人的凉粉白游街时老低着头，乌油油的黑头发长长地散开来，被风撕得很凌乱，听说一回家就入了井。女人家嘛，心窄、化不开。
A bunch of people unloaded the huge mirror from
Pa’s carrying pole, placed it against Pa’s neck and brought him a
parade along the street. Others involved in the street parade
together with Pa included tofu vendor Wang, noodle peddler Zhang,
bean jelly seller Bai and Kongfu performer Ding. Charming-looking
bean jelly Bai hanged her head during the parade all along, with
her shining black hair, long and loose, scattering in the wind.
Rumor had it that she committed suicide by drowning herself in a
well once she came back home. After all, women are narrow-minded,
unbearable to any humiliations and disgraces.
大从游斗的场合回来，把脖子上的大镜子摘了，挂在冲门的影壁上，照呀照，照呀照，贪得没个够。大盯着镜子里的他，眼巴巴地，好像他脸上哪块儿没洗净。没洗净就没洗净，还不叫人上街里了？
Back home from the parade, Pa took down the huge
glass from his neck and hung it on the screen wall right opposite
the door, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. He fixed his
eyesight on his image in the mirror as if he wanted to check some
patches unclean in his face, totally unaware that one can still go
to the streets with a foul countenance.
大不说话.
大老照镜子。大照着照着就笑开了，笑的嗬嗬地，眼泪就流出来了。大笑的就像哭。突然，不晓得大咋咧，头挺着，硬硬地碰在镜子上，镜子碎了，弄的大一头一脸都是血！
我恐惧地喊：“大呀！大......”
妈来了。妈把大拉进屋子。天黑了，大和妈一个晚上都在说话。
Pa fell into utter silence.
Motionless, Pa still looked into the mirror. And
then he burst into laughter and chuckled with tears overflowing
from the corners of his eyes. His laughter sounded like weeping.
All of a sudden, Pa straightened up his head and crashed it against
the mirror in a firm and stiff manner. As the mirror fell into
pieces, Pa had blood all over his face.
In terror, I shrieked: “Pa! What’s
the……”
Ma rushed out and dragged Pa into the house. As
dusk fell, Pa and Ma talked on all night long.
大说：“咋办呢？”
妈说：“天塌不了。”
妈说：“睡。阎王爷催命不催睡，咱睡。”
大说：“我睡不着，你睡。”
大说：“没办法，我领娃上街里去。”
大说：“只有上街里去的路了。”
妈说：“不能走那条路。”
妈说：“那条路走不成。”
Pa sighed: “What should we do?”
Ma soothed him: “The sky won’t crumble. There is
always a way out.”
Ma urged him: “Sleep. The King of Hell will
deprive your life but not your slumber. Let’s go to
bed.”
Pa answered impatiently: “I can’t. Just leave me
alone.”
Pa finally resolved: “I have no choice but take
our child to the streets.”
And then he heaved a long sigh: “It seems that I
get no other options.”
Ma objected: “No, that cannot work.”
She confirmed: “Believe me, it won’t
do.”
大和妈的话我闹不懂，街里的路大以前不是经常走么，轮到我去了，咋就不能走？街里的路上有井吗？......大不听吗的话，大执意要领我上街里去。大说了，不能硬硬地把人往死里饿。大还说了，要妈给我添个妹子哩!当哥哥，当哥该有多美气啊！
The conversation between Pa and Ma was far beyond
my comprehension: since Pa had often gone to the streets, why it
won’t work for me? Were there any wells in the streets? ...... Pa
disobeyed Ma’s words, insisting on taking me to the streets. He
accounted for it that one cannot be starved to death without doing
anything. He added that Ma would give birth to a sister for me so
that I would be an elder brother. How gorgeous for me to be the
elder brother.
清汤寡水的大食堂，我吃不饱，肚子一上劲便咕咕地叫。大在大街里游的时辰，妈牵着我在大田里挖野菜，剥树皮......我一天天见瘦。妈天天发福，脸又黄又胖，脚胀得穿不上鞋了。妈爬在炕上，肚子圆溜溜滚起来，像成熟的蚕儿一样透明发亮，里面的花花肠子缠过来绕过去，像地里的五花蛇。我不跟妈睡了，黑夜就躺在大的热怀里，听大长一声短一身地叹气、说话。
The collective dining hall merely provided coarse
food and thin soap, which could never fill my appetite.
Consequently, I always got a rumbling stomach. When Pa staggered in
the streets, Ma, together with me, was digging potherbs and peeling
barks off the trees in the wild field. Each passing day found me
thinner while Ma plumper with a swollen and yellow countenance. Her
bulging feet failed to fit in her shoes. Ma struggled to lie
herself back onto the brick bed, with her waxing belly as bright
and transparent as a mature silkworm and her winding guts
resembling a colorful snake twisting and turning in the field.
Reluctant to get myself attached to Ma, I lied in Pa’s warm breasts
at night and overheard his sigh and talk in my
drowsiness.
好困呀，我困死了。
......大磨着剃头刀。
大磨的这把剃头刀我头一回见，比以前常用的剃头刀大很多。大额上的青筋暴出来，下牙咬着上唇，狠声狠气地磨着这把生着红锈的大剃头刀。粗粒磨石一层一层地削下来，流着鲜红如血的锈水……
So weary, I am dying for sleep.
…… Pa proceeded to grind his razor.
For the first time I have seen that razor in Pa’s
hand, which is quiet larger than the one of his daily use before.
Pa was grinding this red rusty razor with tremendous and malicious
efforts, with blue veins protruding from his forehead and his upper
lips gnawed within the teeth. The coarse grains of sands on the
grinding stone were peeled off layer after layer along with the
blood-red rusty water......
大喊我：“枣核儿，过来.”
我有些心怯，磨磨蹭蹭往大跟前靠。我说：“大咋哩？”
大逮住我。大说：“大有话给你说”。
大说：“娃，大吃不了你.”
大坐在老桑树下的石墩上，树冠上蓬勃的桑叶呢？没有了。妈捋下来，全部填了她和大的胃，秃秃的桑树上，葛然飞来几只小雀儿，喳喳喳喳叫得闹闹嚷嚷欢畅淋漓，妩媚的太阳光，照着老桑树，照着小院，好慈祥，好温暖。大把我夹在他的腿裆里，粗拉拉的大手摸着我的头。
Pa yelled at me: “Jujube Pit, come over
here.”
Intimidated, I approached him with hesitation,
inquiring: “What’s up, Pa?”
Pa seized me and said: “I have a word with
you.”
And then he comforted me: “Son, don’t be afraid, I
won’t eat you.”
Pa seated himself on the stone stool under the old
mulberry tree, whose lush green foliage on the booming canopy had
already vanished. Ma had already gathered all the leaves and fed
them completely into Pa’s and her stomachs. A couple of sparrows
perched on the bare twigs of the tree, chirping and dancing in
animation. The enchanting sunshine shed its tender brilliance over
the old mulberry tree and the tiny yard, so gentle and so warm.
Placing me between his laps, Pa patted my head with his huge
weather-beaten coarse hands.
大说：“娃，你妈问大弄啥哩，你咋说？”
我说：”磨刀哩。”
大说：“你胡说。”
我说：“大就是磨刀哩。”
大说：“乖娃呢，等一下你就知道咋说咧。”
Pa asked: “Son, if your mum asks what I am doing,
how will you reply her?”
I answered directly: “Busy in grinding the
razor.”
He shook his head: “Nonsense.”
I retorted: “But you are sharpening the
razor.”
Pa egged me: “Be nice, and you will soon know the
right answer.”
大的眼珠子渗出了血，握剃头刀的手颤着，刀光白森森的，摇出一片迷乱的寒光。
我说：“大，你说咋说我咋说。”
大说：“狗日的，这才是娃娃喀。”
大的嘴角抽了一天，像笑，更想哭。大说：“听着，枣核儿，你妈要问，就说大给你练顶哩！”
Beads of blood oozed from Pa’s eyeballs. As his
hand holding the razor quivered, a ghastly white beam fluttered
dazzlingly in the air.
I replied sheepishly: “Pa, I will fellow your
order.”
Pa barked: “Damn it, this is my boy.”
With a twitch of the corners of his mouth, Pa
appeared to be laughing but more than crying. He bellowed: “Listen,
Jujube Pit, when you Ma ask you, just tell her that I am training
you!”
大说：“练好顶，就不怕饥饿咧。”
大说：“大的剃头担子就冷不了。”
我说：“知道了。”
我知道啥了？啥都不知道。我躲着大手里的剃头刀，怕大一刀下去割了我的耳朵。
He continued: “As long as you are well trained,
you will never suffer from thirst and hunger.”
“And then my haircut trade won’t get
deserted.”
Muddled, I echoed: “I got it.”
Actually, I had no idea what Pa was talking about.
I instinctively dodged away from the razor in his hand for fear
that he would cut my ears with a single stroke.
大的手老发颤，剃头刀在我头上走，黑发卷帘一般往下滚，我不觉得庝。忽然，我感到不对劲了。大几天没剃头，手生了吗？还是剃刀没磨快？
我喊：“大，庝哩！”
我脑瓜子上像鞭梢儿抽了一下，要分成两半了！
大说：“叫唤啥叫唤！”
大说：“撑硬!”
大摆弄着我的脑瓜，好像摆弄着个嫩葫芦。
Along with Pa’s trembling hands, I felt the
movement of the razor upon my top and found my black hair rolling
down like falling curtains. Initially I felt no pain at all. All of
a sudden, I sensed something was wrong. Having dropped the razor
for several days, did Pa feel unacquainted or the razor had not
been perfectly sharpened?
I screamed: “Pa, it hurts!”
My head, as if been lashed by a whip, was about to
get split into two halves.
Pa bellowed impatiently: “What are you screaming
for?”
“Stay firm!” he urged me.
Pa handled my head just like dealing with a fresh
gourd.
我咬着牙，挺着脖子，感到头皮发紧发热，发麻发辣，似乎一下子变得很厚了，有一种沉沉的压迫感。
剃刀上沾着血，吧嗒吧嗒往地上掉。
大抓起一把黄土，两只手搓得细细的往头上撒，末了还用劲按了按。有一股血流冲破黄土，汨汨地往下淌，走过脖子的时候，我感到一阵奇痒，痒得我差点笑出声。
Gritting my teeth and straightening my neck, I
could feel my scalp is getting tense, hot and numb, as if it had
turned thick at once, with an overwhelming sense of
oppression.
And then the blood stained on the razor fell down
on the ground.
With a handful of loess, Pa shed it on my head as
he rubbed it into fine dust and finally gave my head a forceful
press. As a result, a stream of blood gushed out of the yellow dust
and trickled down my head. As the blood coursed down my neck, a
sensation of unbearable itch nearly made me burst into
laughter.
大把剃头刀放在我的手上，我抛起来，逮住，觉得曾惧怕过它而可笑。不就是一把剃头刀，普普通通的剃头刀！
大说：“晓得给你妈咋说了？”
我说：“我练顶。”
大扔给我一个活口布袋子。
大牵着我的手往街上去。布袋子一前一后搭在我肩上，和我一般高。
When Pa placed the razor in my hand, I tossed it
up and seized it, feeling ridiculous for my previous terror of it.
Now, it was nothing but a razor, an ordinary one!
Pa asked, “Do you know how to account to your Ma
for this?”
I simply uttered: “For training.”
And then he flung me a cloth sack with an open
mouth.
Pa dragged me unto the streets by my hand. The
cloth sack, hanging upon my shoulder, bore the same height with
me.
跟着大往前走，我小脚儿撒着欢，心里喜悦得想喊想唱。街里在我的想象中，一定很大很阔气，有好多好多的房子，填满了吃货用货耍货看货，这就是我向往的……我的心像长了翅膀，忽悠忽悠已经飞到街里去了。
Following Pa’s stride, I rushed with brisk
footsteps and was eager to shout and sing as merriment overflowed
my heart. The streets in my imagination was surely vast and
spacious, with numerous mansions and a wide variety of delicacies,
tools, toys and spectacles, all of which filled my heart with
longings……. My heart resembled a full-winged bird that had already
flapped unto the streets.
前头有一面土坎，高陡高陡，稀不拉拉长着几棵树，有两棵大约是榆树了，少枝没叶，皮被人剥光了，白蜡蜡像一根奇诡的骨头。大和我往上爬，大喘气很急，呼哧呼哧像拉风匣，汗从毛眼里逼出来，凉飕飕的，衣服粘在了皮肤上。
Right ahead there was a high and steep ridge, upon
which only several trees sparsely erected. Two of them were
leafless elms, as its bark had already been peeled off, revealing a
peculiar skeleton as white as wax. Pa, together with me, climbed
along the ridge and wheezed heavily just like pulling an air
bellow. The oozing sweat made clothes stick to the skin with such a
chill sense.
越往上爬，土坎越立，我怀疑大领导我登的是天梯。
我说：“大，我要尿尿。”
大说：“那歇歇吧，歇歇咱再走。”
大的脸焦黄，喘气更粗。大说：“以前去街里，挑着剃头担子也不歇。”
尿液汹涌地往出射，亮晶晶像一条银链，追着一只地牛，嗵嗵嗵嗵……嘹亮地钻入地一下。遥远的东半天，海水里泡了一个晚上的太阳升起来，火辣辣烧红了天烧红了地。我还在淋漓地尿着，水银似的尿液突然发生了很大的变化，殷红殷红的，忽然我就想起大在我头上狠声狠气的练顶。
The further we climbed, the steeper the ridge
became. I got an illusion that Pa and I were ascending the
staircase to the heaven.
I pleaded: “Pa, I want to pee.”
Pa replied: “In that case, let’s take a break
before moving further.”
With a sallow countenance and a rough gasp, Pa
sighed: “I did not take a rest for refreshment even I went to the
streets with the carrying pole and its load on my shoulders
before.”
The surging urine, like a sparkling silver chain,
chased after an earthworm and disappeared itself into the ground.
On the distant horizon, the sun rose after soaking itself in the
ocean for a whole night and burned the sky and earth with its zeal.
As I was still peeing freely, the silvery urine suddenly went
through such a dramatic change that its blood red color in an
instant reminded me the harsh training maliciously conducted by Pa
on my top.
我两腿不由自主地颤了几下，更加深了我对练顶得印象。
大喘气均了点。
我尿毕歇到大身边。我脱了鞋，看见五个脚趾上滴溜溜起了五个泡，我手摸着没吭声。
As my legs could not help trembling, I got a
deeper impression of the training.
Pa’s breath got a little bit relaxing.
After peeing, I squatted beside Pa. As I took off
my sandals, I found a succession of blisters on each of my toes. I
massaged them without uttering a single complaint.
大也看着，大为我没吭声脸上泛起一阵欣慰的红晕。
坎子沿边，排队似的鼓着许多土丘。有的土丘上长满了青草野花，有的土丘赤裸着土的本色，像是昨天才堆起来的，上边压着纸插着柳棍。柳棍干枯了……大眯着眼睛，痴迷地盯着土丘看。
Fixed his eyesight on me, Pa flushed with consent
for my firm endurance.
On the edge of the ridge, numerous mounds arose in
lines, some of which were clothed with green grass and wild flowers
while others were naked with the original color of the soil as if
had been newly piled up yesterday with paper money and willow
sticks erected on the top. Obviously, the willow wigs had already
withered. With narrowed eyes, Pa stared obsessively at those
mounds.
大说：“枣核儿，晓得那是啥？”
我说：“不晓得。”
大说：“你啥啥都不晓得。”
大说:“你就要晓得了。”
Pa asked: “ Jujube Pit, do you know what’s
that?”
I replied: “I have no idea.”
Pa grumbled: “You know nothing.”
And he resumed: “You will know it
soon.”
大悠然把我举起来，让我摸他的头顶。
大的头顶没头发，一条一条的疤痕，蚯蚓似的凸出来。像绵延不绝的山峰。大好长时间不洗头了，峰脊上红楚楚亮光光极有神采，锋谷里藏污纳垢，脏兮兮似垃圾厂......我手伸着，却不敢摸。我晓得一道疤就是一个故事，一条峰谷就是一段往事，而且一定是血淋淋的故事，血淋淋的往事！
With ease Pa lift me up and let me touch his
skull.
Pa’s top was hairless, with
streaks of scars swelling like earthworms or an expanse of ranges.
Having not washed his head for long, the peaks and ridges on his
head glowed with splendor and the valleys and vales between the
ranges were filled with filth and foul dirt, resembling a waste
plant..... With my hands outstretched, I dared not to give it a
touch. I knew that each scar represented a story and every valley a
passage of memory; moreover, all of them must be bloody stories and
bloody memories.
大说：“看仔细了？”
我说：“看仔细了。”
大说：“晓得为了啥?”
我说：“不晓得。”
大说：“以后，你的头和大的头就一样咧。”
大说：“这就是练顶。”
大说：“大有说起爷爷了。”
Pa asked: “Do you check them all?”
I replied: “Yes, definitely.”
Pa further asked: “Do you figure out the
reason?”
I answered: “Not yet.”
He then answered: “Later your head will be right
the same with mine.”
He added: “This is so-called training.”
He proceeded: “I have to mention about your
Grandpa.”
爷爷有一长串恶称，“泄顶的”“开山的”“不要命的”......爷爷那会儿有一大帮无衣无食的穷哥儿。爷爷下得了手，敢挺着脑瓜自己拿刀开口子......爷爷是乞丐王。
Grandpa got a long list of notorious nicknames,
including “Scalp-breaking”, “Mountain-breaker” and “the reckless”,
and so and so forth. He had a huge band of foodless
poverty-stricken fellows in rags around him. He was so reckless
that he had the guts to try a sharp knife upon his own skull and
thus he was hailed as the Champ of Beggars.
大在我头上练顶的功夫，是从爷爷手里继承过来的。爷爷像大给我练顶一样刚走上这条路，爷爷就死了。
爷爷在街里的铁货铺前，伸着手；爷爷的手指弯曲着，黑脏黑脏还瑟瑟地颤着。掌柜戴着花镜，噼噼叭叭拨着算盘珠，掌柜像没有看见爷爷。爷爷是固执的，手就一直那么伸着，爷爷晓得掌柜会看见他的。街里的店铺掌柜哪一个都对他客客气气。
The training Pa carried out on my head had been
inherited from the hands of my Grandpa, who kicked the bucket right
after he conducted the training on my Pa.
Grandpa stretched out his hand in front of the
blacksmith store in the street, with his dirty fingers crooked and
trembling. The shopkeeper, with a pair of Presbyopic glasses,
dialed the abacus beads, totally oblivious to Grandpa’s presence.
Grandpa just stretched his hand stubbornly, assuring that the
shopkeeper will notice him. Each and every shopkeeper of the stores
in the street always treated him with courtesy.
掌柜的抬起了头，眼睛从镜框上看出来，很阴森的样子。掌柜逼爷爷：“泄顶的，我可没见过你头上流出血。”
爷爷就笑了，笑的烂漫天真。爷爷说：“你看看，我泄了你看着。”
爷爷从怀里摸出一把剃头刀，就是大在家里磨了几天，磨得明铮铮亮光四放的剃头刀。这把剃头刀这会儿就揣在大的怀里。爷爷笑结了，身子往掌柜的跟前靠了靠。掌柜的吓着了，失慌地往后躲着，阴鸷的眼睛闪出一股恐惧的绿光。爷爷把剃头刀高高地抛到空中，这是规矩，泄顶前都要这么做一次，很有些表演的味道。剃头刀落下来，爷爷逮住了。爷爷听见掌柜的“啊呀”大声一呼的瞬间，雪亮的剃头刀便在头顶抹了一下。刀口先是白的，张得像鱼嘴，血渗着，在鱼嘴里流成一股。爷爷甩了一下头，血扑出去，染红了掌柜桌子上的一本账。
The shopkeeper wore a ghastly solemn look as he
raised his head and shot his vicious eyesight from his spectacles.
He questioned Grandpa: “Skull Breaker, never have I seen any blood
shedding from your skull.”
Grandpa grinned with brilliant naivety and
replied: “In that case, I will show you right now. Just look
close.”
Grandpa fumbled from his bosom a razor, the
glistening one that had been ground by Pa for several days and at
this moment was lying within Pa’s bosom. With the smile frozen in
his face, Grandpa leaned forward towards the shopkeeper.
Panic-stricken, the latter dodged backward, with a green light of
terror flickering in his shrewd eyes. Grandpa tossed the razor up
in the air, which, as a rule, was a must gesture performed by the
rascal with somehow a taste of show. Grandpa caught the falling
razor. At the momentary scream of the shopkeeper, Grandpa wiped the
shining razor upon his scalp. The cut, initially white, opened wide
like fish’s mouth, from which blood oozed and flew into a stream.
As Grandpa gave his head a shake, blood sprinkled and stained an
account book on the shopkeeper’s
table.
掌柜的手在账桌里一阵胡摸，抓了一把钱给爷爷扔去，花花绿绿的“官金”在爷爷眼前雀儿一样飘飞的时候，有两枚“袁大头”迅速地滚动着，丁丁当当响的悦耳动听......
掌柜的喃喃地说：“你看你，和你耍耍么，你就来真的了。”
爷爷还是笑，笑着转身去撵那两枚滚得很远的“袁大头”。爷爷把“袁大头”捏在手里，吹了一口气，想试试“袁大头”的成色时，脚下站不稳了，“轰”地倒了下去，倒在了一个人的身上。
The shopkeeper fumbled under the drawer in a haste
and tossed a handful of coins towards Grandpa. As the official
coins of various colors fluttered like sparrows in front of
Grandpa, two valuable coins rolled forward rapidly, giving off a
clangorous, ear-pleasing melody……
The shopkeeper muttered: “I am just kidding you,
and you take it too seriously.”
With a chuckle, Grandpa turned round to chase the
two coins at the far corner. As he nipped the coins between his
fingers and tried to test their quality by blowing a breath toward
them, he collapsed with unsteady steps unto a guy
present.
接住爷爷身体的人姓段，在铁货铺当学徒。
段在他们的丐帮里混过一个时期，和爷爷跪过神换过贴。段那阵子一直看着掌柜的和爷爷，把打铁忘了，砧子上一块红铁渐渐地褪成了黑色。
爷爷在段的怀里安详地闭上了眼睛。
掌柜的还在呢喃：“为几个钱么，值得那样？”
掌柜的没防顾段的眼睛很残酷地看了他一下。晚上，段拿着爷爷泄顶的剃头刀钻进掌柜的卧房，把掌柜的咽喉割断了。
The one who caught hold of Grandpa’s body was an
apprentice in the blacksmith store with a surname of
Duan.
Duan once hung around with the beggars band for a
while and was a sworn-brother of Grandpa. He kept an eye on the
shopkeeper and Grandpa all along, oblivious of his ongoing
business, as a result, a bar of burning iron on the anvil gradually
faded into a black one.
Subsequently, Grandpa closed his eyes in peace in
the arms of Duan.
The shopkeeper still murmured: “For the mere sake
of a few coins, do you consider it worthy?”
He was totally unaware of the cruel glance Duan
cast upon him. At the very night, Duan sneaked into the
shopkeeper’s bedchamber and cut his throat with the very razor used
by Grandpa.
(未完待续)
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