<p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:22px;"> 第 5 章 为情所困</b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:22px;"> Chapter 5 Trapped in Love</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我陆续收到了曼谷送来的信息。曼谷是泰国首都，地处平原，位于湄南河流域。该河被称为曼谷的母亲河，全长 372 公里，曼谷市内繁忙的水上交通使曼谷有“东方威尼斯”的美称。曼谷面积为 1,568.7 平方公里，人口近一千万。近年，由于曼谷的快速增长缺乏城市规划，其他地区人口涌入，导致曼谷城市杂乱无章，基础设施不足，市政管理混乱。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I received a steady stream of messages from Bangkok. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, lies on a plain in the Chao Phraya River basin. Known as Bangkok's Mother River, the Chao Phraya River stretches 372 kilometers. The city's bustling water traffic has earned it the nickname "Venice of the East." Bangkok covers an area of 1,568.7 square kilometers and has a population of nearly 10 million. In recent years, due to Bangkok's rapid growth and lack of urban planning, an influx of people from other areas has resulted in a sprawling city with inadequate infrastructure and chaotic municipal administration.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 由于我能提供的信息有限，想在曼谷这样规模的城市找到英台，实属不易。查到名字叫山竹的有十几个人，年龄匹配的有三个人。在曼谷的中医院很多，无法挨家挨户的走访，市区里就超过百家。我想从中医院入手的办法应该放弃，就看看三个人里有没有我的英台。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b><u></u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Given the limited information I could provide, finding Yingtai in a city the size of Bangkok is a challenge. I found over a dozen people named Mangkhut, and three of them matched my age. Bangkok has numerous traditional Chinese medicine clinics, making door-to-door visits impossible. There are over a hundred in the city alone. I decided to abandon the traditional Chinese medicine clinic approach and instead see if my Yingtai was among the three.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 不久又收到了消息，名字是山竹的三个中，有一个交通意外去世。从警察报告上拿到的死者身高只有 1.55 米。可以肯定不是英台，她的身高超过 1.65 米。现在就剩两个了，应该是其中的一个？</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Soon after, I received news that one of the three people named Shanzhu had died in a traffic accident. The deceased, according to the police report, was only 1.55 meters tall. It's definitely not Yingtai; she was over 1.65 meters tall. Now there are only two left, so it must be one of them?</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 现在是我亲自出马的时候了，因为只有我才能识别谁是我要找的山竹。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Now it's time for me to take matters into my own hands, because only I can identify the Shanzhu I'm looking for.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我到了曼谷，在唐人街附近住下。曼谷唐人街，位于泰国首都曼谷的耀华力路，是市区最繁华的商业区之一，同时也是曼谷最老的街区之一。泰语称为耀华力。耀华力唐人街是泰国著名的黄金街和美食街，也是游客云集的旅游景区之一。长约两公里，由三聘街、耀华力路、嵩越路、石龙军路三条大街以及许多街巷连接而成。唐人街还有中餐馆，潮州戏院、电影院、夜总会等。晚上找个地方去吃中餐，问了酒店服务员，他说：“陈记酒家比较好，离酒店也近。走路过去十五分钟左右。”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I arrived in Bangkok and stayed near Chinatown. Bangkok's Chinatown, located on Yaowarat Road in the Thai capital, is one of the city's most bustling commercial districts and one of Bangkok's oldest neighborhoods. Known as Yaowarat in Thai, Yaowarat Chinatown is Thailand's famous golden street and food street, and a popular tourist destination. It stretches approximately two kilometers and consists of three main streets: Sampeng Street, Yaowarat Road, Som Viet Road, and Silom Krung Road, connected by numerous alleyways. Chinatown also boasts Chinese restaurants, Teochew theaters, cinemas, nightclubs, and more. Looking for a place to eat Chinese food that evening, I asked the hotel waiter, who said, "Chen's Restaurant is a good choice and close to the hotel, about a fifteen-minute walk."</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 找到了【陈记酒家】，人很多。到了门口才发现今天是婚宴，被包场了。正准备离开的时候，我突然看到酒家门口有签到的名册，来的嘉宾都在上面签名。灵机一动，也许我可以在上面查一下，会不会有新发现？</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I found Chen's Restaurant, but it was packed. When I arrived, I realized it was booked out for a wedding banquet. As I was about to leave, I suddenly noticed a sign-in roster at the entrance of the restaurant. All the guests had signed it. An idea struck me: perhaps I could check it out and see if I could find anything new.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 第二天，我直接问酒家老板：“来你们酒家办婚礼的都有登记吗？”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The next day, I asked the restaurant owner directly, "Are all weddings held at your restaurant registered?"</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 老板说：“从开业起就一直有婚宴记录的，你问这个干嘛？”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The owner said, "We've been keeping records of weddings since we opened. Why are you asking?"</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我直接告诉他：“我的一个朋友失去联系很多年了，她就在曼谷住，可是曼谷这么大，我无法找到她。如果她结婚的话，可能会在陈记办婚宴。所以问一下老板，看看能不能帮忙。我的朋友叫山竹，可能结婚的时候是十年以前的事情了。”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I told him directly, "I've lost touch with a friend of mine for years. She lives in Bangkok, but Bangkok is so big, I can't find her. If she's getting married, she might have held her wedding at Chen Ji. So I asked you, the owner, if you can help. My friend's name is Shanzhu, and her wedding might have been ten years ago."</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我完全没有抱什么希望，时间太久了！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I had no hope at all. It had been so long!</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 陈记老板想都没有想：“我记得你说的事了。是不是一个中国女孩嫁给了泰皇卫士的那个人？”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Without a second thought, the owner of Chen Ji replied, "I remember what you said. Was it a Chinese girl who married the Thai royal guard?"</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 泰皇卫士？</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Thai royal guard?</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我马上想到了英台说过：她有个表哥，也是一起练习泰拳，是泰国王子的玩伴。非常可能！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I immediately thought of what Yingtai had said: she had a cousin who also practiced Muay Thai with her and was a playmate of the Thai prince. Very possible!</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我连连说：“就是那个中国女孩。你怎么会记得她？”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I kept saying, "It was that Chinese girl. How do you remember her?"</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 陈记老板说：“他们办婚宴那天，正好是我们陈记开张十周年的纪念日。所以记忆深刻，不会错的。而且男才女貌，金童玉女，很登对。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The owner of Chen Ji replied, "Their wedding banquet happened to be our tenth anniversary. So I have a vivid memory of her. It can't be wrong. And they were both talented and beautiful, a perfect match.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 踏破铁鞋无觅处，来得全不费功夫！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> After searching high and low, I finally found her!</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 尽管对我来说这不是个好消息，但是至少我找到了想找到的人。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Although this wasn't good news for me, at least I had found the person I was looking for.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我问老板：“后来你还有没有见过她？”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I asked the boss, "Have you seen her since?"</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 老板说：“今年没有见过她，以前她经常来。好像有两个孩子了，大的看起来十岁了，小的也五六岁了。大的那个女孩子很漂亮，也会说中国话。不会是你的初恋情人吧？”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The boss said, "I haven't seen her this year. She used to come here often. She seems to have two children. The older one looks ten years old, and the younger one is five or six. The older one is very beautiful and can speak Chinese. Could she be your first lover?”</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 还真就是我的初恋情人！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> She was indeed my first lover!</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> “当然不是，是同班同学。你知道她住哪里吗？”我继续追问。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> "Of course not, she's a classmate. Do you know where she lives?" I pressed.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 老板说：“不知道住哪里，应该是皇宫吧？我有看见是开皇家牌子的汽车接他们回去。你可以去皇宫问一下，中国人不多。”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The boss said, "I don't know where, but it should be the Royal Palace. I saw a royal-branded car picking them up. You can go to the palace and ask. There aren't many Chinese people there."</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 泰国皇宫就在不远处，靠河边。但是很大，里面房子也不少，怎么找？我谢过老板后就离开了。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> The Royal Palace of Thailand is not far away, by the river. It's huge, with many rooms. How can I find it? I thanked the boss and left.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 白天，我围着皇宫转了几圈，真的很大。可以看到里面有很多房子，估计住在里面的人也有好几百。守卫森严，靠近都不可能。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> During the day, I walked around the palace several times. It's truly enormous. You can see many rooms, and I imagine there are hundreds of people living there. It's heavily guarded, making it impossible to even get close.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 还是用老办法混进去！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> Let's use the old-fashioned method to sneak in!</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 几天的观察，发现比较容易的办法就是送水产的，每天一早就有船靠码头，有人推车送水产，从旁门进皇宫，然后还是从旁门出来。可是从船上下来到皇宫旁门路程很短，把水产从船上搬上路边的推车，过马路后，没有几步就到了旁门了。毫无遮挡，没有地方可以下手，更别想换人推车进去了。总不能把推车人打昏，放到车上一起推进皇宫吧？</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> After a few days of observation, I discovered that the easiest way was to get in through the seafood delivery service. Every morning, a boat would dock, and someone would push a cart carrying seafood. They would enter the palace through the side gate and exit through the same gate. However, the distance from the boat to the side gate was very short. After loading the seafood from the boat onto a cart on the roadside, crossing the street, it was only a few steps to the side gate. There was no cover, no place to attack, let alone get someone else to push the cart in. I couldn't knock the cart pusher unconscious and put him on the cart to drive into the palace together, could I?</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 在曼谷就我一个人，唯一的朋友就是阿信。可是我要做的事太危险，不能让他卷进来。还有一个人—阿铁将军。他已经是泰国陆军总司令了，泰国的国防部也在皇宫边上。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I was alone in Bangkok, and my only friend was Ah Xin. But what I was doing was too dangerous, and I couldn't let him get involved. There was also another person—General Ah Tie. He was already the Commander-in-Chief of the Thai Army, and the Thai Ministry of Defense was also located near the palace.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我可以先拜访一下他，就说想见一下罗德怀。尽管我不会说泰语，但在根据地学的英语现在可以派上用场了。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I could visit him first and tell him I wanted to meet Luo Dehuai. Although I don't speak Thai, the English I learned at the base will come in handy now.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 没有见到阿铁将军，通过将军的秘书找到了罗德怀。他在泰国陆军的特战中心当教官，军衔是中校。罗德怀来泰国国防部门口见我，我把我要进泰皇宫的想法告诉了他。他认为我太疯狂了，这事可是非同小可。弄不好就是玩命的事！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I didn't meet General A Tie, but I found Luo Dehuai through his secretary. He's an instructor at the Thai Army's Special Warfare Center, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Luo Dehuai came to see me at the Thai Ministry of Defense, and I told him about my plan to enter the Thai Royal Palace. He thought I was crazy, saying it was a serious matter. It could be fatal!</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我不带任何武器，只是确认一下我的女朋友是不是嫁人了。而且我是中国人，和泰国皇家无冤无仇，估计关两天就放了。如果明天有人打电话通知你是哪个警察局，你就到警察局来带我走。理由我已经替你想好了，找个车，来两个人你能做到吧？把你的军上衣跟我换一下。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I'm unarmed; I'm just checking to see if my girlfriend is married. Besides, I'm Chinese and have no grudges against the Thai royal family. I'll probably be released after two days. If someone calls you tomorrow and tells you which police station it is, come and take me away. I've already thought of a reason for you. Find a car and two people, can you do it? Exchange your military uniform with me.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我打了个电话给阿信，让他明天关注皇宫附近的警察局，如果听到在皇宫附近抓了一个可能是泰国军人的可疑人物。就打个电话给罗德怀，告诉他是哪个警察局。其他事，你就不用知道了。阿信的老丈人是泰国首都警察局的高官，随便一个理由就可以拿到信息的。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I called Ah Xin and told him to keep an eye on the police station near the palace tomorrow. If he heard a suspicious individual, possibly a Thai soldier, had been arrested near the palace, he should call Luo Dehuai and tell him which police station it was. You don't need to know anything else. Ah Xin's father-in-law is a high-ranking official in the Thai capital's police force; he could get the information on any pretext.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我提前把昨天租好的汽车停在皇宫旁门，坐等推水产的车子过来。推车靠近我的车子了，我下车和推车的人打招呼，指着靠里面的车胎让他看看。他蹲下看的时候，我一掌击昏了他，抱进我的车里。把他的衣服换上，拿上挂在他脖子上的证件牌，推着水产车进了皇宫的旁门。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I parked the car I'd rented yesterday at the side gate of the palace and waited for the seafood cart to arrive. When the cart approached my car, I got out and greeted the man pushing it, pointing to the inner tire for him to see. When he squatted down to look, I knocked him unconscious with a palm strike and carried him into my car. I changed his clothes, took the ID tag hanging around his neck, and pushed the seafood cart through the side gate of the palace.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我把推车停在转角的暗处，想找个地方爬上房子，从上面观察皇宫内部，好确定哪里有可能躲藏，而且能看到皇宫内部人员活动。我估计等一会就有人出来了，如果这次不行，以后就更难了。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I parked the cart in a dark corner, hoping to find a spot to climb up to the building and observe the palace from above, identifying potential hiding spots and observing the movements of people inside. I figured someone would emerge soon. If this didn't work out, it would be even harder later.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 完全凭运气了！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> It was all down to luck!</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 我听到放推车的地方有人在说话了，糟糕！被人发现了。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I heard voices from where the cart was. Oh no! I'd been discovered.</b></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 赶紧跑，皇宫比我想的要大很多，一个门套一个门。我以为我进的门应该是靠近生活区的，其实还只是在皇宫的院子外面，里面还有门。这时候已经是哨声四起，我只能翻过围墙退回去了。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block"></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"> I had to run. The palace was much larger than I'd imagined, with doors within doors. I'd thought the door I'd entered would be near the living quarters, but it was actually just outside the palace courtyard, with another door inside. By then, whistles were blaring everywhere, and I had no choice but to scale the wall and retreat.</b></p>