坐班车到桥头去（2）

我第一次到桥头去时（原先去那里走的是野道，从阿尔泰群山间顺着牧道辗转横穿过去的），之前由于加班，已经连续五十多个小时没睡觉了。

The first time I went to the bridgehead (originally I took a wild path, winding through pastures between the Altai mountains), I hadn't slept for over fifty hours straight due to working overtime.

本来打算上了车再好好睡一觉的，结果却在候车室里就睡得不省人事。

I had planned to take a good nap once I got on the bus, but ended up sleeping soundly in the waiting room.

幸好事先请一个候车厅的保洁老大娘提醒我，后来检票时，她果然跑来叫我，费尽千辛万苦才推醒我并说服我上车。

Fortunately, I had asked an elderly cleaning lady in the waiting hall to wake me up. When it was time for boarding, she did come and call my name, and after much effort, managed to rouse me and persuade me to get on the bus.

我迷迷糊糊检了票，迷迷糊糊跟着一些人上了一辆车，一屁股坐下，倒头又睡。

In a daze, I checked my ticket and followed some people onto a bus, sat down heavily, and fell asleep again.

旁边有人大声提醒我坐错地方了，那是他的位置。

Someone next to me loudly reminded me that I was in the wrong seat; that was his spot.

但我连搭理他的力气都没有了，不顾一切地沉入到睡眠最深处，他只好另外找座位去。

But I didn't even have the strength to acknowledge him, sinking deeper into the depths of sleep, leaving him no choice but to find another seat.

那是我唯一没有晕车的一次，一路上的磕磕碰碰对如此深沉的睡眠竟然造成不了任何影响。

That was the only time I didn’t get carsick; the bumps along the way had no effect on my deep slumber.

梦中的情景春去秋来、沧海桑田，根本脱身不得。

In my dreams, scenes changed from spring to autumn, and time moved like tides, completely beyond my control.

但哪怕在梦里，似乎也能明白自己是在坐车，因为头靠在窗玻璃上，不时地撞得“咚！咚！咚”地响。

But even in my dreams, it seemed I could understand that I was on a bus because my head was resting against the window, occasionally hitting it with a loud “bang! bang! bang.”

每撞一下，全车的人集体惊呼一次。这“咚咚”声和惊呼声历历入耳，但就是醒不过来。

Every time my head bumped, all the passengers would collectively gasp. The sound of "bang" and the gasps remained vivid in my ears, yet I could not wake up.

等好容易挣扎着醒过来，发现脑袋和玻璃之间给塞了个厚厚的座椅垫子，不知哪个好心人干的——当然，倒不是怕我撞坏了头，而是怕我撞坏了玻璃。

When I finally struggled to wake up, I found that a thick seat cushion had been placed between my head and the glass, I didn't know who had such kindness—of course, it was not to protect my head but to avoid breaking the window.

那时车上只有我一个人了，脑袋抵着个垫子发呆，还以为这就到地方了。

At that time, there was only me left on the bus; my head leaned against the cushion in a daze, and I thought we had arrived at our destination.

晕头晕脑下了车，发现中巴车停在荒野中一排土房子前的空地上。房子像是饭馆，门很小，紧闭着，没有招牌也没有窗户，但炸鱼的腥香四处弥漫。

Dazed, I got off the bus, only to find it had stopped in a clearing in the wilderness in front of a row of earthen houses. The houses seemed like restaurants; the door was very small, tightly shut, with no sign or windows, but the smell of fried fish wafted around.

我腾云驾雾地走过去，拉开门，房间里面满满一屋子人，喝茶的喝茶、吃馍的吃馍。

I floated over, opened the door, and found the room was packed with people, some drinking tea, some eating steamed buns.

一看到我，就全笑了起来。还有人跑来看我的脑袋有没有事。

As soon as they saw me, everyone broke into smiles. Some even came over to check if I was okay.

厨房里果然有人在炸鱼，这味道远处闻着特别香，靠近了只觉得腥气浓郁、油烟呛人。

Sure enough, someone was frying fish in the kitchen. The smell was especially appetizing from a distance, but up close, it was pungent and greasy.

大鱼五毛钱一条，小鱼三毛一条。也不知道老板娘是以什么标准判定大小的。

A large fish was fifty cents, and a small fish was thirty cents. I didn’t know what standard the proprietress used to determine the size.

总之她说五毛就是五毛，她说三毛就三毛。结果我五块钱买了一大堆。

In any case, she said fifty cents was fifty cents, and thirty cents was thirty cents. As a result, I spent five yuan and bought a whole bunch.

我买了鱼就想赶紧躲出去。

After buying the fish, I wanted to hurry outside.

看到厨房有个后门，便去推它，边推边问：“这是哪里来的鱼啊？”

I saw a back door in the kitchen, pushed it open, and asked while pushing, “Where do these fish come from?”

等推开门，就一下子知道答案了。门后便是那个美丽的湖泊——可可苏。

As soon as I opened the door, the answer became clear. Right behind the door was the beautiful lake—Kekesu.

可可苏只是一汪小海子，并不大，但在一棵树也没有的荒野中，有着这么一片纯粹美好的水域，真是让人突然间感动得不得了……

Kekesu was just a small lake, not large, but in a wilderness with no trees, having such a pure and beautiful body of water was incredibly moving……

有水的地方便有植物，但这湖泊四周一棵树也没有，全是沙滩，草也难得扎几根。

Wherever there is water, plants will grow, but there were no trees around this lake, only sandy beaches, and it was rare to find a few tufts of grass.

所有的植物全生长在湖中央……那是一团一团的芦苇，整齐俊美，随风荡漾。

All the plants grew in the center of the lake…… There were clumps of reeds, tidy and beautiful, swaying with the wind.

音乐一般分布在湖心，底端连着音乐一般的倒影。

Like music, they were distributed across the heart of the lake, with their reflections connected like melodies below.

没有风的时候，芦苇同它们的倒影都是清扬的少女小合唱；而有风的时候，芦苇们是主旋律，倒影成了和弦。

When there was no wind, the reeds and their reflections were a clear, graceful juvenile chorus; when the wind blew, the reeds took the lead melody, and the reflections formed harmonics.

天空与湖面的色泽多么惊人地一致！……眼下这真是一个圆满的倒影世界。

The colors of the sky and the lake were remarkably consistent! ...At that moment, it truly was a complete mirrored world.

在这个世界之外，哪怕是离这个世界两三步之外的地方，都是截然不同的。

Outside this world, even just two or three steps away, everything was dramatically different.

远处的雪峰单调乏味，戈壁滩、丘陵、荒山更是毫无浪漫可言。

The distant snow peaks were monotonous, and the Gobi, hills, and desolate mountains were utterly devoid of romance.

而这湖泊如同被明净的玻璃封住了一般，如同被时间封住了一般，宁静、脆弱、诗情画意。

Yet this lake seemed to be sealed by clear glass, like it was trapped in time, tranquil, fragile, and poetic.

站在湖边，久了，觉得湖心在视野中是高出水平面的。

Standing by the lake for a long time, I felt that the heart of the lake appeared to be higher than the surrounding level.

也就是说，整个湖面呈球面的弧状。沿着这弧线，水鸟被奇妙的引力牵引着，低低地掠过水面；野鸭寂静的鸣叫声也沿抛物线的完美曲线光滑地传来……

This meant the whole lake surface was arched like a sphere. Along this arc, the waterbirds were drawn by a strange gravity, gliding low over the surface; the quiet calls of wild ducks arrived smoothly along perfect parabolic arcs...

这一切不仅是凸出视野，更是凸出了现实一般……使得呈现出来的情景虽然极为简单却极为强烈。

All of this not only protruded from the view but also from reality itself... making the presented scene, although quite simple, extremely intense.

此处恰好位于全程的中点，走到这里，一半的旅程结束了。因此每次车到可可苏，都会停留半个多小时，让大家下车吃点东西，休息休息再启程。

This place happened to be the midpoint of the entire journey, and reaching here meant half the journey was completed. Therefore, every time the bus arrived at Kekesu, it would stop for more than half an hour, allowing everyone to get off, eat something, and take a rest before continuing.

可可苏野鱼店的鱼特别香，生意也非常好。到了可可苏，休息一会儿，买点炸鱼带回家，成了每一个途经此地的旅人一定会做的事情。

The fish from the Kekesu fish shop was particularly fragrant, and the business was very good. Arriving at Kekesu, taking a break, and buying some fried fish to take home became something every traveler passing through here would do.

而我也不例外，晕车时最大的渴望就是快点到可可苏。离开可可苏后，最大的渴望是快点到家。

And I was no exception; the greatest desire during carsickness was to quickly reach Kekesu. After leaving Kekesu, my greatest desire was to quickly arrive home.

过了可可苏，车沿着湖畔又行进了平缓的几公里，便来到了东北面的山脚下，开始继续翻山。

After Kekesu, the bus traveled along the lakeshore for a few gentle kilometers, then reached the foot of the northeastern mountain and continued to climb.

这一次的盘山道不多，翻过两个达坂，半个小时就穿越了。

This time, the winding mountain roads were not many, and after crossing two mountain passes, we had traversed in half an hour.

从半山腰往下看，眼前又是一处平坦开阔的山间腹地，金色的向日葵铺满了左边的视野，而右边是苜蓿的海洋。

Looking down from halfway up the mountain, another flat and open valley appeared before us, the golden sunflowers covered the left side of the view, while the right side was a sea of alfalfa.

中间的道路平直、漆黑，被两排高大整齐的树木夹簇着。更远的地方是青白色的伊雷木湖一角。

The road in the middle was straight and dark, flanked by tall, neat trees. In the farther distance was a corner of the light blue Iremlake.

伊雷木湖呈电话的话筒形，绕着一座山围了大半圈。它不是天然湖，是早年人工筑坝拦住了一条河，淹没了大片的莽林碧野后，才为我们呈现出眼前这幕开阔静止的美景。

Iremlake shaped like a telephone receiver, surrounded a mountain for most of a circle. It was not a natural lake but a result of an artificial dam built years ago to block a river, submerging vast tracts of forests and waters, presenting us with this open, tranquil beauty.

如今我们看到，湖面水平如镜，湖边不生草木。

Now, we saw the lake surface was as flat as a mirror, and there was no grass or trees growing by the lake.

一路上，树木渐渐多了起来。行人也能看到一些了，大都骑着自行车优哉游哉地来去。

As we traveled, the trees gradually became more abundant. We could also see some pedestrians, most leisurely biking back and forth.

自行车这样的交通工具真是太适合田园风光了。

Bicycles were such an appropriate mode of transport for pastoral scenery.

骑马的人也有一些，怕汽车惊了马，都在路基下面慢慢地走着。

There were also some people on horseback, walking slowly along the roadside to avoid startling their horses.

骑马的人都有着深色的面孔和寂静美丽的眼睛。

The horse riders had dark faces and quiet, beautiful eyes.

在这条笔直平坦的路上大约驶过半个钟头（多么舒适的路况啊，可惜只有半个小时的车距……），又一次开始爬山。

About half an hour into the straight, smooth road (such comfortable road conditions, too bad it was only half an hour’s distance… ), we began to climb again.

翻上一座达坂后，汽车驶到了最高处，眼前突然白茫茫的一片。对面整座山头像盖满了白雪，又像是玉石的大山一般，晶莹耀眼！那是堆积成山的矿渣。

After crossing a mountain pass, the vehicle reached its highest point, suddenly revealing a vast expanse of white. The whole mountain opposite looked as if covered in snow, shining like a giant jade stone! It was a mountain of accumulated tailings.

可可托海到了。

Kekotu arrived.

高大整齐的白杨树夹道而生。树冠在高处密密地交织着，阴凉安逸。

Tall, elegant poplar trees lined the road. The treetops intertwined densely high above, providing shade and comfort.

这条美丽的林荫道大约有七八公里，穿过两边林带看去，农田碧绿宽广，偶尔经过的房屋破旧而高大。

This beautiful tree-lined avenue stretched about seven or eight kilometers. Looking through the forest on both sides, the farmland was green and wide, occasionally passing dilapidated yet tall houses.

这一路上看到的建筑大都是过去的俄式风格，有着拱形屋顶和门廊。墙上刷的标语怎么看都像是二十年前的内容。

Most of the buildings seen along this way were in the past Russian style, with arched roofs and porches. The slogans painted on the walls seemed to echo contents from twenty years ago.

路过的一个三岔路口非常热闹，有好几家商店和饭馆子凑在那里。

A bustling intersection we passed had several shops and restaurants clustered together.

其中一家看起来最阔气的店面是卖摩托车的，店外贴了一张盖住了整面墙的摩托车广告的喷绘招贴，刘德华板着脸站在那里，旁边一头牛正在津津有味地舔他的脸。

The most upscale-looking store appeared to sell motorcycles, with a large motorcycle ad poster covering the entire wall outside. Andy Lau stood there with a serious face, beside him a cow was happily licking his face.

一路上标识着村庄的路牌不时闪过。每一个村子都有一个音节动听的哈语名称，比如“喀拉莫依拉”。

Along the way, signs marking villages flashed by. Each village had a melodious name in Kazakh, like "Kalamoyal".

另外还有一些汉语称呼，乍一看就是“文革”遗风，如：“红旗公社”。

There were also some Chinese names, which at first glance seemed like remnants of the Cultural Revolution, such as “Hongqi Commune.”

当然，这些名称现在只出现在人们的口语里，或是乡间围墙上的广告语里、店面招牌上。如：“红旗公社五队某某家有柴油机转让”或“高潮公社食堂”之类。

Of course, these names now appeared only in people’s speech or on advertisements on rural walls and shop signs, such as “Household in Hongqi Commune, Fifth Team has a diesel engine for sale” or “Gaochao Commune Canteen”.

我们这里的人，都把“村庄”叫做“公社”，把饭馆子称为“食堂”。

People here call a “village” a “commune”, and restaurants are referred to as “canteens”.

以可可托海为中心，分布着许多村子，远远近近，遥相呼应。

Centered around Kekotu, there were many villages, near and far, echoing each other.

继续往北走，村子与村子之间明显拉开了距离。才开始，之间还有农田相连，再后来，彼此之间就只有莽莽戈壁滩和荒山。

Continuing to head north, the distance between villages noticeably widened. At first, there were farmlands connecting them, but later, only vast Gobi deserts and desolate mountains lay in between.

经过木材检查站后，便渐渐远离了最后一个村庄，又开始了绵绵无边的荒野跋涉。

After passing a lumber inspection station, we gradually distanced ourselves from the last village and began a long, endless trek through the wilderness.

不过比起乌恰沟，这一段路面平缓多了，至少没有那么多的弯儿。但路况同样糟糕，尘土飞扬。

However, compared to Wuqiaogou, this stretch of road was much smoother, at least there were fewer curves. But the road conditions were still poor, with dust flying everywhere.

好在视野远处好歹有些绿色。虽然近处仍是一棵树也没有。

Fortunately, the view in the distance had some green. Although there were still no trees in sight.

最不可思议的是，在前不着村、后不着店，走半天也看不到一点人烟的荒郊野岭里，会突然冒出一块很大的广告牌，上书：“计划生育，人人有责。”

The most unbelievable thing was that in a remote wilderness, devoid of villages or shops, after walking for a long time without seeing any sign of humanity, a large advertisement suddenly appeared, saying: “Family Planning, Everyone’s Responsibility.”

继续向北深入，山体越来越庞大，空气迅速凉了下来。

Continuing north, the mountains grew larger, and the air quickly cooled down.

不久后，视野尽头的高山上出现了斑驳的黑影，那是森林边缘的林子。

Soon enough, blackened shadows appeared at the end of the view on the high mountains; that was the edge of the forest.

右侧大山的山顶上也有了一线黑痕，那是山坡背阴面森林的林梢。

The peak of the mountain on the right also bore a thin black line, indicating the treetops in the shaded part of the slope.

进入山区，越来越强烈地感觉到区域性小气候的奇妙——明明是盛夏，阳光灿烂，但四周寒气嗖嗖，浑身发冷。

As we entered the mountainous region, we increasingly realized the wonder of regional microclimates—though it was mid-summer with bright sunshine, the surrounding cold air made us shiver with chill.

此时太阳已经渐渐西沉，距群山越来越近了。

By then, the sun had gradually set lower, getting closer to the mountains.

左侧开阔地带的山脚下，开始稀稀拉拉地有了些树。越往前走，树越多，大都是杉木。

At the base of the wide area on the left, sparsely, some trees appeared. As we moved forward, the trees became more numerous, mostly firs.

树林里流过的大河是额尔齐斯河的第一条支流——喀依尔特河。但因为距离太远，除了河边盎然的绿意，我们一点儿也看不到河水。

The river flowing through the woods was the first tributary of the Irtysh River—the Kaiert River. However, because it was too far away, aside from the lush greenery along the riverside, we couldn’t see any water.

渐渐地又有了村庄和麦田。较之可可托海那边的民居，这边的房子盖得很是随意，东一座西一座，全是掏了洞的泥巴盒子，歪歪斜斜，缩手缩脚。

Gradually, there were again villages and wheat fields. Compared to the houses in Kekotu, the buildings here were constructed rather haphazardly, with one house here and another there, all mud huts with holes dug in, uneven and cramped.

有时某只泥盒子里会走出穿着桃红色衣裙的妇人，边走边整理自己宝石蓝的头巾。

Sometimes a woman dressed in a pink dress would walk out of a mud hut, adjusting her sapphire blue headscarf as she walked.

离她不远的一棵树静止在斜阳横扫过来的余晖中，每一片枝叶都那么清晰动人。

Not far from her, a tree stood still in the twilight illuminated by the remaining light, every leaf and branch so clear and vibrant.

整棵树上的金色和绿色水乳交融。车离目的地越来越近，开始边走边停。

The gold and green of the tree intertwined beautifully. As the vehicle approached its destination, it began to move slowly, stopping intermittently.

不时有人大包小包地下车，一个一个向着路边斜出去的一条条小径孤独地去了。

Occasionally, someone would get off the bus with big bags, each heading lonely down the small paths that slanted off to the roadside.

如果车停在村口较为热闹的某处，车门下会立刻聚上一群人，探头往车里看，大声询问司机某某某回来没有。

If the bus stopped at a relatively lively place at the village entrance, a crowd would immediately gather at the bus door, peering inside and loudly asking the driver if someone was back.

或者只是闲着没事凑过来看个热闹而已。更多的是孩子们，泥头泥脑的，一看到车停下就奔跑过来，涌在车门口推搡着，巴巴地往里看，盼望下车的人（那可是从城里回来的人！大包小包的人，丰收了的人……）顺手喂自己一粒糖豆。

Or they might just be bored and curious to peek at the commotion. More often than not, it was children, dirty-faced and muddy, who would rush over as soon as the bus stopped, swarming at the door, eagerly waiting for those getting off (they were people coming back from town! Those carrying big bags, people who had reaped their harvest...). They hoped for a piece of candy.

太阳完全下山了，暮色渐渐暗去。小河流过木桥，平缓舒畅。

The sun had completely set, and darkness gradually fell. A small river flowed over a wooden bridge, smooth and gentle.

河心排列的卵石清洁而美丽。天空的云霞向西流逝，拖出长长的、激动的流苏。

The pebbles in the river were clean and beautiful. The clouds in the sky drifted westward, trailing long, emotive ribbons.

此刻的天空是飞翔的天空，整面天空都向西倾斜着。

At this moment, the sky seemed to soar with life, tilting entirely toward the west.

东面的大山金碧辉煌。中巴车又行驶了半个多小时，经过路边一个写着“进入林区，小心防火”的木牌后，绕过一截峭壁，一拐弯，一眼就看到前方树林中突兀地出现的两幢庞然大物——它与前面一路上所看到的所有的荒村野地成震撼的对比——那是两幢钢筋水泥的五层楼楼房。

The golden mountains to the east sparkled brilliantly. The minibus drove for over half an hour, passing a wooden sign saying “Entering the Forest Area, Beware of Fire,” rounding a steep cliff, making a turn, and suddenly seeing two massive structures appearing abruptly in the woods ahead—this contrasted shockingly with all the desolate villages we had seen along the way—that was two five-story buildings made of steel and concrete.

那是当年云母矿全盛时期的产物，是桥头的“标志性建筑”。可如今再也没人住在里面了。

These were products from the heyday of the mica mine, a “landmark building” at the bridgehead. But now, no one lived there anymore.

两幢楼空空如也，窗户只剩窗洞，门只剩门洞，如同一万年后出土的事物一般。

The two buildings were empty, with only window holes remaining and doorways that looked like remnants of things unearthed a thousand years later.

只有附近的牛羊会在傍晚去那里过夜，它们顺着楼梯爬到二楼三楼，沉默地卧在某间空旷的客厅中央。

Only the nearby sheep and cows would go there to spend the night in the evenings, climbing the stairs to the second and third floors, silently lying in the empty living room.

车向着那两幢楼慢慢驶近，路过了一个篮球场（四周还有完好的阶梯看台）。

As the bus slowly approached the two buildings, it passed a basketball court (still with intact tiered seating around it).

野草在水泥地面的裂隙处旺盛地生长着，龟纹似的绿痕遍布这片整齐的方形空地。篮球场的另一面是浓密的白桦林。

Wild grass thrived in the cracks of the concrete floor, green patterns like tortoise shells spread across this neatly arranged square space. On the other side of the basketball court was a dense white birch forest.

车从两幢楼房中间通过，再拐一个弯，眼前豁然出现了一大片开阔的建筑物废墟，满目断壁残垣。

The bus went between the two buildings, made another turn, and suddenly revealed a vast expanse of ruins, the remains of broken walls and shattered foundations.

更远处是大片麦田。桥头唯一较为完好的两排土坯墙房子夹着一条崎岖不平的土路。

In the distance were large wheat fields. The only two relatively intact earthen walls were flanked by a bumpy dirt road.

汽车缓缓走到土路尽头，疲惫地停下。马路边等待已久的人们向车门聚拢了过来，冲车里大声呼喊着亲人的名字。

The car slowly reached the end of the dirt road and came to a tired stop. People who had been waiting by the roadside gathered at the car doors, loudly calling out the names of their relatives.

终于到了。我都写累了。

Finally, we arrived. I’ve written myself weary.