白鹿原113 ‍ 陈忠实‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍The White Deer Plain‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍ 17章1

躍龍

　　白嘉轩重新出现在白鹿村的街巷里，村民们差点认不出他来了，那挺直如椽的腰杆儿佝偻下去，从尾骨那儿折成了一个九十度的弯角，屁股高高地撅了起来；他手里拄着一根截短了的拐杖，和人说话的时候就仰起脸来，活像一只狗的形体；

Bai Jiaxuan reappeared in the streets and alleys of Bailu Village. The villagers almost didn't recognize him. His straight back had hunched over, bending at a ninety-degree angle from his tailbone, and his buttocks were sticking up high. He was leaning on a shortened cane, and when he talked to people, he would tilt his head back, looking just like a dog.

抬头仰脸跟人说话时，那双眼睛就尽力往上翻睁，原来鼓出的眼球愈加显得突出，眼白也更加大得耀眼；两个嘴角相反地朝下扯拉，阔大的嘴巴撇一张弯弓，更显出执著不移近乎倔拗的神气。他在街巷里用简短的语言回答着一个个关切问询着的男女，仅作短暂地驻足，几站不停步地移动拐杖，跟着拉牛扛犁的鹿三走出村巷。

When he looked up to speak, his eyes would roll upwards as wide as he could, making his already bulging eyeballs appear even more prominent, and the whites of his eyes even larger and more dazzling. The corners of his mouth would be pulled downwards in opposite directions, his wide mouth forming a curved shape, which further emphasized his unwavering and almost stubborn demeanor. He answered the concerned inquiries of men and women in the streets and alleys with concise language, pausing only briefly, moving his cane without stopping, and following Lu San, who was leading an ox and carrying a plow, out of the village.

　　已是秋末冬初，白日短促到巧媳妇难做三顿饭的季节。太阳坠入白鹿原西部的原坡，一片羞怯的霞光腾起在西原的上空。

It was late autumn, early winter, a season when the days were so short that even a skilled housewife couldn't cook three meals a day. The sun sank below the western slopes of Bailu Plain, and a shy glow rose in the sky above the western plain.

白嘉轩双手拄着拐杖站在地头，瞅着鹿三一手捉着犁杖一手扬着鞭子悠悠地耕翻留作棉田的地块，黄褐色的泥土在犁铧上翻卷着；

Bai Jiaxuan stood at the edge of the field, leaning on his cane, watching Lu San leisurely plow the plot reserved for cotton, one hand holding the plow stick and the other wielding a whip, the yellowish-brown soil swirling on the plowshare;

鹿三和牛的背影渐渐融入西边的霞光里迎面奔到他眼前来了。白嘉轩手心痒痒喉咙也痒痒了，想攥一攥犁杖光滑的扶把儿，想踩踏踩踏那翻卷着的泥土，想放开喉咙吆喝吆喝牲畜了。

Lu San and cow’s silhouettes gradually blended into the western sunset as they ran towards him. Bai Jiaxuan's palms and throat itched; he wanted to grip the smooth handle of the plow, to tread on the swirling earth, and to shout at the livestock.

　　当鹿三再犁过一遭在地头回犁勒调犍牛的时候，白嘉轩扔了拐杖，一把抓住犁把儿一手夺过鞭子，说：“三哥，你抽袋烟去！”鹿三嘴里大声憨气地嘀嗒着：“天短求得转不了几个来回就黑咧！”

When Lu San finished plowing the field and was turning back to urge the oxen along, Bai Jiaxuan threw down his cane, grabbed the plow handle, and snatched the whip, saying, "Third Brother, go have a smoke!" Lu San muttered loudly and憨气 (a kind of simple, honest way of saying), "The days are short, it'll be dark before I can go back and forth a few times!"

最后还是无奈放了鞭子和犁杖，很不情愿地蹲下来摸烟包。他瞧着嘉轩把犁尖插进垄沟一声吆喝，连忙奔上前抓住犁杖：“嘉轩，你不该犁地，你的腰……”白嘉轩拨开他的手，又一声吆喝：“得儿起！”犍牛拖着犁铧趄前走了。

Finally, he reluctantly put down the whip and plow, and reluctantly squatted down to reach for his tobacco pouch. He saw Jiaxuan insert the plow tip into the furrow and shout, then rushed forward and grabbed the plow handle: "Jiaxuan, you shouldn't be plowing, your back..." Bai Jiaxuan pushed his hand away and shouted again, "Get up!" The oxen dragged the plowshare forward, stumbling away.

白嘉轩转过脸对鹿三大声说：“我想试火一下！”鹿三手里攥着上尚未装进烟末的烟袋跟着嘉轩并排儿走着担心万一有个闪失。

Bai Jiaxuan turned to Lu San and said loudly, "I want to test the light!" Lu San, clutching his empty tobacco pouch, walked alongside Jiaxuan, worried about any mishap.

白嘉轩很不喜悦地说：“你跟在我旁边我不舒服，你走开你去抽你的烟！”鹿三无奈停住脚步，眼睛紧紧瞅着渐渐融进霞光里的白嘉轩，还是攥着空烟袋记不起来装烟。

Bai Jiaxuan said unhappily, "I'm uncomfortable with you next to me. Go away and smoke your cigarette!" Lu San stopped helplessly, staring intently at Bai Jiaxuan who was gradually merging into the sunset, still clutching his empty pipe and forgetting to fill it with cigarettes.

　　白嘉轩只顾瞅着犁头前进的地皮，黄褐色的泥土在脚下翻卷，新鲜的湿土气息从犁铧底下泛漫潮溢起来。

Bai Jiaxuan stared intently at the plow's path, the yellowish-brown soil churning beneath his feet, the fresh, damp scent of earth rising from beneath the plowshare.

滋润着空乏焦灼的胸膛，他听见自己胳膊腿上的骨节咯吧咯吧扭响的声音。他悠然吆喝着简洁的调遣犍牛的词令倒像是一种舒心的悦意的抒情。

It soothed his weary, parched chest, and he heard the cracking and popping of his knuckles. His simple commands to the oxen sounded like a soothing, joyful .

他一直到棉田的尽头掉过犁头，背着霞光朝东头翻耕过来的时候，吼起了秦腔：“汉苏武在北海……”三个来回犁下来，白嘉轩已经大汗淋漓气喘吁吁，身体毕竟是虚了，可那卧睡炕上三个月的枯燥郁闷的生活也终于结束了。

He continued plowing until he reached the edge of the cotton field, turning the plow around and turning eastward against the setting sun, at which point he roared out a Qinqiang opera tune: "Su Wu of Han in the North Sea..." After three rounds of plowing, Bai Jiaxuan was drenched in sweat and panting heavily; his body was weak, but the three months of monotonous, depressing life spent confined to the kang (heated brick bed) were finally over.

这天后晌收工回去，白嘉轩一扬手把那根拐杖扔进储备柴禾的草棚子里去，站在院庭里接过仙草端来的洗脸铜盆说：“我后晌试火了一下，我还行！”

That afternoon, after finishing work, Bai Jiaxuan tossed his cane into the firewood shed, stood in the courtyard, and accepted the copper basin for washing his face from Xiancao, saying, "I tested the fire this afternoon, and I'm alright!"

　　晚饭后在万房东屋老娘的住室里，白嘉轩临时决定召集一次家庭成员的聚会，孝文和三儿子孝义是他叫来的，老二的媳妇由仙草告知，作为这个家庭非正式的却是不可或缺的成员鹿三，是他亲自到马号里去请来的，而且被礼让到桌子那边的一张简易太师椅上，两个媳妇规规矩矩坐在婆的已经开始煨火的炕边上。

After dinner, in the old woman's room in the east wing of the Wan family compound, Bai Jiaxuan decided to hold a family gathering on the spur of the moment. He invited Xiaowen and his third son, Xiaoyi, and his second son's wife, as informed by Xiancao. Lu San, an informal but indispensable member of the family, was personally invited from the stables and politely offered a simple armchair by the table. The two daughters-in-law sat respectfully on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) where their mother-in-law had already started to burn firewood.

白嘉轩说：“我的腰好了。”他侧转头瞅着两个媳妇说：“我在炕上窝蜷了整整一百零七天，你俩——大姐二姐都受了苦尽了孝心都好。”两个儿媳得到了家庭长者的夸奖却感到惶恐，争相表白这完全是做晚辈的应尽的孝道等等。

Bai Jiaxuan said, "My back is better." He turned to look at his two daughters-in-law and said, "I was curled up on the kang for a full 107 days. You two—eldest sister and second sister—have both suffered and fulfilled your filial duties." The two daughters-in-law felt overwhelmed by the praise from their elder, vying to explain that it was entirely their duty as juniors to be filial.

白嘉轩摆摆头就打断她俩的话：“你们还不知道我一辈子最怯着啥？我不怯歪人恶人也不怯土匪贼娃子，我不怯吃苦不怯出力也不怯迟睡早起，我最怯最怕的事……就是死僵僵躺在炕上，让人侍候熬汤煎药端吃端喝倒屎倒尿。”

Bai Jiaxuan shook his head and interrupted them: "You don't know what I'm most afraid of in my life? I'm not afraid of crooked people or evil people, nor am I afraid of bandits or thieves. I'm not afraid of hardship, nor am I afraid of physical labor, nor am I afraid of going to bed late or getting up early. The thing I'm most afraid of is... lying stiffly on the kang (a heated brick bed) and having someone serve me soup, medicine, food, drink, and empty my bladder."

　　一家人默然，只有老母亲白赵氏在炕头动了感情：“你是罪人！”白嘉轩接口说：“我是个罪人我也没法儿，我爱受罪我由不得出力下苦是生就的，我干着活儿浑身都痛快；

The family fell silent, except for the elderly mother, Bai Zhaoshi, who spoke emotionally from the bedside: "You're a sinner!" Bai Jiaxuan interjected, "I am a sinner, but I can't help it. I'm born wanting to suffer; I can't help but work hard. I feel good when I'm working.

我要是两天手不捉把儿不干活儿，胳膊软了腿也软了心好瞀知烦焦了……”白嘉轩说到这里停顿一下，然后郑重地说出想告诉每一个家庭成员的话：“我说前头这些话的意思，就是说，从明天开始，你们再也不用围着我转了。

If I don't do any work for two days, my arms and legs go weak, and my heart becomes restless and anxious..." Bai Jiaxuan paused here, then solemnly said what he wanted to tell each family member: "What I mean by all this is that starting tomorrow, you no longer need to revolve around me."

你们各人该做啥就去做啥，屋里人该纺线的纺线，该织布的织布，该缝棉衣的缝棉衣，外边人该做的地里活就尽着去做。

"You all should do what you're supposed to do. Those inside should spin thread, weave cloth, or sew cotton-padded clothes. Those outside should do

孝文你跟你三叔犁完花（棉）田接着翻稻地。牛犊你喂槽上留下的牲口，叼空儿推土晒土，把冬天的垫圈土攒够，小心捂一场雪。

Xiaowen, after you and your third uncle finish plowing the cotton fields, turn over the rice paddies. Feed the calves the animals left in the troughs, and when you have a spare moment, push the soil to dry, and collect enough soil for the winter bedding to cover with snow.

地一下冻就赶紧套车送粪，把这些活儿开销利索，轧花机就要响动了。一句话，原先的日子咋过从明昌开始还咋过。我嘛——好咧！”

As soon as the ground freezes, quickly harness the carts and deliver manure. Once all these tasks are done efficiently, the cotton gin will be ready to run. In short, life will continue as before, starting in Mingchang. As for me—I'm all set!"

　　白嘉轩被土匪咂断腰杆以后笼罩在庭院里的悲凄慌乱的气氛已经廓清，劫难发生以前的严谨勤奋的生活和生产秩序完全恢复。

The somber and chaotic atmosphere that had enveloped Bai Jiaxuan's courtyard after the bandits broke his back had dissipated, and the disciplined and diligent life and production order that had existed before the calamity had been fully restored.

不单单恢复，家里所有成年人惊异地发现，自信“我还行”的家长发生了重大变化，他比驼背以前起得更早了，天争薄明时庭院里就响起威严的咳嗽声，常常使晚他一步开门端着尿盆倒尿的儿媳尴尬失措；

Not only had he recovered, but all the adults in the family were astonished to find a significant change in their once confident "I'm still capable" patriarch. He was waking up earlier than before his hunchback, his authoritative cough echoing in the courtyard at the crack of dawn, often leaving his daughter-in-law, who was a step behind him emptying the chamber pot, embarrassed and flustered.

他的脚步不显艰难反倒更显得敏捷，驼着背甩摆着手迈着腿脚，前院后院马号牛棚猪圈以及后院的茅厕，他都有事无事的转悠查看，除过推车挑担必需用双肩或单肩的活路以外，凡是用双手和腿脚操作的农活他都不忌讳，耕棉田翻稻地铡谷草旋子筛掌簸箕送粪吆牛车踩踏轧花机等秋冬季农活，他和儿子孝文和攻工鹿三一起搭手干着；

His steps no longer seemed labored but rather agile. With his hunched back, he swung his arms and legs, casually strolling around the front and back yards, the stables, the cowshed, the pigsty, and even the outhouse. Except for tasks requiring both shoulders—pushing carts and carrying loads—he took on any farm work that required hands and feet. He worked alongside his son, Xiaowen, and the farmhand, Lu San, doing everything from plowing cotton fields and turning rice paddies to chopping straw, sifting, winnowing, carrying manure, operating oxcarts, and operating the cotton gin.

他的话语更少更简练也更准确，无用的废话虚意的应酬彻底干净地从他的口里省略了。

His speech became less frequent, more concise, and more precise; useless chatter and empty pleasantries were completely and cleanly omitted from his mouth.

孝文和鹿三总是担心他累出毛病，迭声劝他干一干也该歇一歇，最好也是一天干一晌歇息两晌，顶多每天早晚干两晌午间歇息；象这样一天三晌跟着他俩撑着干下去，迟早会出乱子的。

Xiaowen and Lu San were always worried that he would overwork himself and repeatedly advised him to take breaks, ideally working one morning and resting two, or at most working two mornings in the morning and evening with a midday break; if he continued to work three mornings a day like this, pushing himself to the limit, he would eventually run into trouble.

白嘉轩充耳不闻只顾干着手里或脚下的活儿，被他们咄咄得烦了也就急躁了：“你俩都悄着，再甭说那号话了。我不爱听。人只有闲坏了的没有忙坏了的。”

Bai Jiaxuan ignored them, focusing only on the work at hand or foot. Annoyed by their persistent nagging, he snapped, "You two, keep quiet, and don't say anything more like that. I don't like hearing it. People only get tired of being idle, not tired of being overworked."

陈忠实（1942年8月3日—2016年4月29日），陕西灞桥人，中国大陆当代作家，曾任陕西省作家协会主席、党组成员、名誉主席、中国作家协会副主席，是西北五省继柯仲平之后第二位担任中国作家协会副主席的作家。

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Chen Zhongshi (August 3, 1942 - April 29, 2016), a native of Baqiao, Shaanxi Province, is a contemporary writer from mainland China. He served as chairman, party group member, honorary chairman, and vice chairman of the Shaanxi Writers Association. He is the second writer from the five northwestern provinces to serve as vice chairman of the China Writers Association after Ke Zhongping.