打电话

阿克哈拉村实在太偏远了，最早出现在这里的电话是所谓的“卫星电话”。

The Akhalala Village is truly remote, and the earliest phones here were the so-called "satellite phones."

这种电话不但贵得无法无天，而且通话质量极差，一遇到刮大风天气和阴雨天就卡壳了，打不出去也拨不进来。

These phones were not only exorbitantly expensive but also had terrible call quality; they would malfunction during strong winds or rainy weather, making it impossible to make or receive calls.

后来有人开始使用移动公用电话，也就是无线座机电话。

Later on, people began using mobile public phones, which are essentially wireless landline phones.

形状和一般的座机一模一样，有话筒有机座有拨号盘，只是没有电话线牵着。

They looked just like regular landline phones, complete with a microphone, base, and a dial pad, except they weren’t connected by a phone line.

隔两天充一次电。这种电话非常方便，刮风下雨都能用，而且在汽车上也能用，带到两百公里以外的县城也还能用。

They needed to be charged every couple of days. These phones were very convenient; they worked regardless of the weather, and could even be used in cars, remaining functional up to two hundred kilometers away in county towns.

其实呢，就是座机模样的手机吧。

In fact, they’re essentially mobile phones disguised as landlines.

这种电话是电信局免费赠送的，话费又相当便宜。于是我家也办理了一部。

These phones were provided for free by the telecommunications bureau, and the call rates were quite cheap. So, my family also got one.

我妈喜欢极了，把这部硕大的话机揣在一个硕大的挎包里，整天挂在胳膊上，走哪儿带到哪儿。有时候去县城，在大街上走着走着，电话响起来了，她赶紧从包里取出来，摘下话筒若无其事地接听，不管周围行人如何大惊小怪。

My mom loved it, carrying the large device in a giant shoulder bag, hanging it on her arm wherever she went. Sometimes when she visited the county town, walking down the street, the phone would ring, and she would hurriedly pull it out of her bag and casually answer it, regardless of the astonishment from passersby.

他们可能在想：“干嘛不带个手机？”

They might be wondering, "Why not just bring a mobile phone?"

哪怕是偏远的阿克哈拉村，手机也很快就要开通了。

Even in the remote Akhalala Village, mobile phones were soon set to be activated.

新公路正在修建，据说光缆线已经铺好，座机电话也正在普及。我家商店打算再装一部有线的公用电话。

New roads were being constructed, and reports said that fiber optic lines had already been laid; landline phones were also becoming more common. My family’s shop planned to install another wired public phone.

无线的移动公用电话方便是方便，毕竟还得充电。

While the wireless mobile public phone was convenient, it still required charging.

公路修好了就要沿路架起新的电线杆，另外路边还要修排洪渠及其他基础设施。

Once the road was completed, new telephone poles would be erected along the way, and drainage channels and other infrastructure would also need to be built.

于是这几年有好多内地民工来到荒野深处的阿克哈拉村干活。

As a result, many migrant workers from the mainland came to the remote Akhalala Village to work in recent years.

每天一到休息时间，大家就全跑到我家商店排队打长途电话，挤了满当当一屋子。

Every day at break time, everyone would rush to my family’s shop to line up for long-distance phone calls, crowding the room to capacity.

害得我们每天晚上十点以后才能回家吃饭。

This made it so that we could only go home for dinner after ten o’clock every night.

打电话的大多是第一次出远门的小伙子：“是我，妈妈。吃过饭没得？你那边天黑没得？我这里还没有黑，新疆天黑得迟些……我在这里很好，吃得也可以，天天都有肉，有时候一天两顿都有肉……老板对我们好，活路也好做，早早地就下工回宿舍吃饭了……妈妈，我不给你讲了，快三分钟了，我挂了啊？”

Most of the callers were young men making their first long trip: “It’s me, Mom. Have you eaten? Is it dark there? It’s still not dark here; it gets dark later in Xinjiang… I’m doing well here, eating fine, there’s meat every day, sometimes even twice a day… The boss is good to us, the work isn’t too hard, we get off work early and can go back to the dorm to eat… Mom, I’ll stop here, it’s been almost three minutes, I’m hanging up!”

下一个立刻拿起电话，拨通后说道：“妈，吃饭没？天黑了没有？我们这里天还大亮着。新疆天黑得太晚了……这里一点都不好！一点都没有肉吃……噫！老板尽欺负人哩，干活把人累得！天黑得看不到了才让人回家吃饭……妈，我不给你讲了，快三分钟了，我挂啦！”

Immediately the next person would grab the phone, dial, and say: “Mom, have you eaten? Is it dark yet? It’s still bright here. Xinjiang gets dark too late… It’s really not good here! There’s hardly any meat to eat… Ugh! The boss is really hard on us; we don’t get to go home for dinner until it’s dark… Mom, I’ll stop here; it’s almost three minutes, I’m hanging up!”

令人纳闷的是，这两个人明明跟着同一个老板干同样的活啊，为什么说起来竟天差地别……

It’s puzzling that these two people are working for the same boss doing the same job, yet their accounts differ so vastly…

有一个母亲给孩子打电话：“……娃儿啊，我说的话都要记到起，每天都要记到起。奶奶的话要听，幺妈的话要听，老师的话也要听……”

One mother was calling her child: “...Kid, you must remember everything I say. You have to listen to Grandma, listen to Auntie, and listen to your teacher…”

——就数她说得时间最长，都过了十分钟了还没交代完第三个问题：“……娃儿啊，生火的时候，要先在灶里搁小柴，底脚架空呷，搁点刨花儿引火。没得刨花儿拿点谷草也可以。

—Her conversation lasted the longest, going over ten minutes while she was still getting to the third instruction: “...Kid, when starting a fire, first put small sticks in the stove, make sure there’s space underneath for air, and use some shavings to catch fire. If you don't have shavings, some straw can also work.

要好生点引火，等火燃起来呷了再一点一点地往高头搁大柴。将将开始要搁点小柴。要是燃不起来就吹一哈，里头的柴禾莫要堵到烟囱洞洞。将开始的小柴底脚要架空，再搁刨花儿，没得刨花儿拿点谷草也可以。燃不起来就吹一哈，好生点吹，莫吹得满脸都是煤灰灰。

You need to start the fire well; once it’s burning, gradually add bigger sticks. At the beginning, you should put in small sticks. If it doesn’t ignite, just blow at it; don’t let the wood block the chimney hole. The small sticks at the bottom should be spaced out, and you can also use shavings or straw if you don’t have shavings. If it doesn’t start, just blow gently, make sure to blow well and don’t let your face get covered in soot.

将开始要用小柴，莫用大柴。底脚要架空，没得刨花儿拿点谷草也可以……”。

Start with small sticks; don’t use big ones. The bottom has to be spaced out, and if you don’t have shavings, some straw can work too…”

我妈在旁边小声对我说：“这才叫做‘千叮咛万嘱咐’……”

My mom whispered beside me: “This is what we call ‘a thousand reminders and ten thousand instructions’…”

还有一个给老婆汇报情况的，也拉七扯八说了半天，后面排队的等得不耐烦了，就一个一个凑到话筒前乱打岔——

There was also someone reporting to their wife, rambling on for quite some time, causing those in line behind to grow impatient, so they all leaned in to interrupt—

这边正说着：“我下了工哪里也不想去……”

While one side was saying: “Once I got off work, I didn’t want to go anywhere…”

那边：“乱讲！他一天到黑不做活路，老板天天骂他！”

The other side chimed in: “What nonsense! He doesn’t work all day long, the boss scolds him every day!”

这边：“我自己洗衣服……”

On this side: “I do my own laundry…”

那边：“他天天打牌赌钱！”

And that side: “He’s gambling every day!”

这边：“当然洗得干净了……”

This side continued: “Of course, it’s clean…”

那边：“都输呷两百块钱了！”

While the other side shouted: “He lost two hundred bucks already!”

这边：“就是水不好，碱重得很……”

On this side: “It’s just that the water isn’t good; it has too much alkali…”

那边：“快还给我两百块钱，输呷不认账！”

From the other side: “Quick, give me my two hundred back; you lost and won’t admit it!”

这边：“我没有赌钱！”

This side defended: “I didn’t gamble!”

那边：“赌了！”

The other retorted: “You did!”

这边：“我没有赌！”

This side protested: “I did not gamble!”

那边：“快点还钱！”

And that side pressed: “Hurry up and pay!”

这边：“莫听他们乱讲！”

This side insisted: “Don’t listen to their nonsense!”

那边：“嫂子，陈三儿找小姐了！”

Then the other side exclaimed: “Sister-in-law, Chen San has a mistress!”

这下子，话筒另一头立刻警觉起来，女方的嗓门尖厉了八度，我和我妈都听得一清二楚：“哪么哩？你还有钱找小姐嗦？”

At this point, the other end of the line became alert, and the woman’s voice rose in pitch by eight degrees, both my mom and I could hear it distinctly: “What? You’ve got money to find a mistress?”

陈三儿又急又气，说话越发结巴了：“莫莫听他们的，他他们乱讲，乱讲……”

Chen San grew anxious and angry, talking more stutteringly: “D-D-D-Don’t listen to them, they are talking nonsense, nonsense…”

一屋子人都开始起哄：“陈三儿还钱！还钱！陈三儿快点还钱！”

The whole room erupted in cheers: “Chen San, pay up! Pay up! Chen San, hurry up and pay up!”

陈三儿赶紧“再见”，挂了电话就扑过去和那几个坏小子拼命。

Chen San hurriedly shouted “goodbye,” hung up and rushed over to fight with those troublemakers.

总之我们家的电话生意实在太好了。

In summary, our family’s phone business was simply thriving.

虽然这一带的商店都装有公用电话，但就数我家最热闹，连当地哈族老乡都更愿意到我家耐心地排队。

Although public phones were installed in the shops around here, my family’s shop was the busiest, and even the local Kyrgyz folks preferred to patiently wait in line at our place.

后来才知道，来我家打电话的哈族人全都是正在恋爱中的姑娘小伙儿。

It was only later that I discovered the Kyrgyz people coming to our shop to make calls were all young couples in love.

因为这一带就我们一家汉人，当着我们的面谈情说爱也方便点。语速稍微快点、含糊点，就会非常安全。

Because in this area, we were the only Han people, so it was more convenient for them to express their love openly in front of us. If they spoke a little faster or more indistinctly, they felt quite safe.

可是，我们就算听得懂也懒得去听！看着柜台对面那个十五岁的破小孩满脸通红、结结巴巴、喜难自禁、左脚搓右脚、右脚搓左脚的样子——实在愤怒：都说了一两个小时了，都快十二点了，还让不让人回家睡觉啊？

Yet despite knowing, we were too lazy to eavesdrop! Watching that fifteen-year-old kid across the counter, blushing, stammering, bubbling with joy, shuffling his feet— it was truly infuriating: they had been on the phone for one or two hours, almost midnight, and still wouldn’t let people go home to sleep!