刘先生（1）

于是我爷爷原原本本的把事情的缘由说给她听，她听完后也很吃惊。

So my grandfather told her the whole story, and she was also very surprised after listening.

毕竟和醉鬼刘生活的时间长了，对这类的事情多少也了解一些。

After all, she had spent a long time living with the drunkard Liu, so she knew a thing or two about these matters.

我爷爷叹了口气说：“这次真的很邪门儿，大哥还没睡醒。我怕今晚……大嫂你说说，唉，造孽啊。”

My grandfather sighed and said, "This time it's really strange. My brother is still not awake. I’m afraid tonight… Sister-in-law, what do you think? Sigh, it’s a disaster."

说完他把头低下，两手使劲的搓着。

After saying this, he lowered his head and rubbed his hands vigorously.

刘妻知道事情的严重性，她想了想，说了句“有招了！”

Mrs. Liu recognized the seriousness of the situation. After thinking for a moment, she exclaimed, "I have an idea!"

然后她起身对我爷爷说：“别怕，有嫂子呢。那死鬼也不知道要醉到啥时候，你不是赶车来的么？把他拉你们朱家坎去。这不就行了么？”

Then she stood up and said to my grandfather, "Don’t be afraid, I’m here. That deadbeat doesn’t know how drunk he’ll be. Didn’t you come by cart? Just take him back to your Zhujiakan. Isn’t that enough?"

我爷爷一听这话连忙摆手说：“可使不得啊，这外面死冷寒天的，不得把我大哥冻坏啊！？”

Upon hearing this, my grandfather quickly waved his hands and said, "That won't do! It's freezing cold outside; what if my brother gets frostbite?"

刘妻一听，笑了。

When Mrs. Liu heard this, she laughed.

她边翻出刘先生的棉袄边说：“没事儿，听我的，我还不知道他么？哪次在外面喝多了不是睡在外面？冻不死的。”

She began to pull out Mr. Liu's cotton coat and said, "No problem, trust me. Who doesn’t know him? How many times has he slept outside after drinking too much? He won’t freeze to death."

话虽然这么说，但是我爷爷看见她翻出了还几件棉衣后又拿出了床被子，深知这是大嫂心好。

Although she said this, my grandfather saw her pulling out several more cotton clothes and then a quilt. He understood that Sister-in-law had a kind heart.

不忍心看我和我媳妇儿遭到不测。一时间感激之情无尽於言表。

He couldn’t bear to see my wife and me come to harm, and at that moment, he felt an endless gratitude.

立马就给刘妻跪下了。

He immediately knelt down before Mrs. Liu.

刘妻见我爷爷这样连忙把他掺起，说道：“小崔你这是干啥啊，别这样，再整这出儿的话嫂子我可生气了啊。”

Seeing my grandfather like this, Mrs. Liu quickly helped him up and said, "Xiao Cui, what are you doing? Don't do that, if you keep this up, I’ll get angry."

我爷爷起身，擦掉眼泪对刘妻说道：“嫂子，谢谢。我啥也不说了，我……”

My grandfather got up, wiped his tears, and said to Mrs. Liu, "Sister-in-law, thank you. I won't say anything else, I..."

二人来到后屋，见刘先生还在炕上沉睡，鼾声如雷。

The two of them went to the back room and saw Mr. Liu still sleeping soundly on the kang, snoring loudly.

看到此情景，刘妻回身对我爷爷说，你看你大哥。

Seeing this, Mrs. Liu turned to my grandfather and said, "Look at your brother. He can calculate well. This time when his brother is in trouble, he’s still sleeping like a dead pig. He deserves to get cold!"

还会掐算呢，这回自己兄弟有难了还在这儿睡的跟死猪一样，活该受冻！

After saying this, she and my grandfather helped Mr. Liu get dressed.

说完便和我爷爷一起帮刘先生穿好了衣服。

After preparing him, they let my grandfather spread blankets on the donkey cart first. Then they wrapped Mr. Liu in layers and settled him in the cart,

收拾妥当了后让我爷爷先在驴车上扑好棉被，然后把还在睡觉的刘先生里三层外三层的包好后安顿在车上，

While she went into the house to tidy up, she placed a box on the cart; it contained some belongings that Mr. Liu would need.

自己进屋收拾了下东西后把一个箱子又放到车上，那是刘先生要用到的家什。

Then, she advised my grandfather to be careful and watched him leave.

然后嘱咐我爷爷小心后目送着我爷爷离开了。

Later, my grandfather learned that the box not only held tools for Mr. Liu's ghost-catching but also contained a bag of rice and a jar of wine that grandfather had given to her family.

我爷爷事后才知道，那个箱子里除了放刘先生捉鬼用的工具外，还放了今天爷爷给她家的一袋米和一坛酒。

It turned out that Mrs. Liu knew my grandfather's family was not well off and had secretly returned it.

原来是刘先生的媳妇儿知道我爷爷家也不宽裕，又偷偷的放回去的。

Years later, when my grandfather told me about this incident, he still felt grateful and told me that one should always be as kind-hearted as Mr. Liu and his wife.

直到多少年后爷爷给我说起这件事的时候还心存感激，告诉我说做人一定要像刘先生和她媳妇儿那样的心地善良。

Previously, I mentioned that my grandmother was anxiously waiting at home for my grandfather's return. As the sky began to darken, my grandfather was still nowhere in sight.

上回说到，我奶奶在家焦急的等待着我爷爷的归来，眼看着天就要黑了，还是不见我爷爷的踪影。

Thinking about whether that bunch of things would come again at night, my grandmother became extremely frightened.

一想到晚上那帮东西会不会又来，我奶奶就害怕的不行了。

However, she did not dare to go outside.

但是她还不敢出院门。

Old folks used to say that if you encounter unclean things, the best choice is to stay at home because your luck is low at this time, and if you go outside, it's easy to attract something again.

听以前老人说，如果遇到不干净的东西后最好的选择就是在家呆着，因为你这阵子时运低，如果出门的话很容易再次粘上些什么。

After waiting and waiting, she dozed off while sitting on the kang.

等啊等啊，坐在炕上的她就稀里糊涂的睡着了。

In her dream, she saw that old lady in mourning clothes with a white hat sitting at the head of the kang, looking at her with a cold smile. My grandmother wanted to call out but couldn't make a sound.

梦里她又见到了那个穿孝服带白帽的老太太，那个老太太就坐在炕梢上冷笑的望着她，我奶奶想叫却有叫不出来。

That old lady spoke to my grandmother in a strange tone, saying, "Don't think you're looking for someone. I'm not afraid of you. My grandson's revenge must be taken."

那个老太太阴阳怪气的对我奶奶讲，别看你要找人，我也不怕你。我孙子的仇必须得报。

After saying this, she leapt down from the kang and jumped out of the window.

说完她下了炕后就从窗子蹿了出去。

My grandmother was terrified awake, drenched in cold sweat.

我奶奶被吓醒了，发现满身都是冷汗。

Just then, outside, there came the sound of the donkey cart and my grandfather's call: "Wife, come out and help!"

正在她惊魂未定时，门外传来了驴车还有我爷爷的呼喊声：“媳妇儿，快出来帮忙！”

Hearing that my grandfather had returned, my grandmother immediately felt reassured.

听到我爷爷回来了，我奶奶立马有了主心骨。

She quickly put on her cotton coat and went outside to see my grandfather along with the still drunken Mr. Liu.

她立马披上棉袄出屋，看到了我爷爷还有喝醉了还没有醒的刘先生。

My grandmother hurriedly helped my grandfather bring the drunken Mr. Liu inside and settled him on the kang.

我奶奶急忙上前帮着我爷爷把醉鬼刘抬进屋，安顿在炕上。

Then she went out to tidy up the things on the donkey cart, and once everything was in order, she returned the cart to Old Bao.

然后自己又出去收拾驴车上的东西，都弄妥当了以后就把驴车送回了老鲍头那儿。

On the way back, she constantly felt someone following her, but when she turned around, there was no one there.

在往回走的路上她老是觉得身后有人跟着，但是她回头看时却什么人都没有。

Here, I want to mention that maybe everyone has had similar experiences; when going out, you always feel like someone is following you, but when you turn around, you find nothing unusual.

在这里说一句，大家也许都有相同的经历吧，出门在外老觉得身后有人跟着，但是回头看时发现并没有什么异常，

Honestly, this feeling is indeed quite annoying.

说实在的，这种感觉确实让人讨厌。

My grandmother ran back home, and by the time she arrived, she was already panting.

我奶奶一路小跑，回到家里的时候已经气喘吁吁了。

She sat on the kang, watching my grandfather cover Mr. Liu with a quilt, and looking at Mr. Liu, who seemed quite remarkable, sleeping soundly on the donkey cart in the icy weather, his face beaming red.

我奶奶坐到炕上望着我爷爷正在给刘先生盖被子，再看这刘先生也确实挺神的，冰天雪地的还能在驴车上睡的这么安稳，满面红光的。

My grandmother asked my grandfather what was wrong with Mr. Liu, and my grandfather told her that he had drunk too much and was still not awake, adding that Sister-in-law worried we would get into trouble and asked him to bring him back.

我奶奶问我爷爷刘先生这是咋了，我爷爷告诉她，这是喝多了现在还没醒，嫂子怕咱们出事儿就让我把他拉回来了。

My grandmother suddenly remembered something and told my grandfather about the dream she had just now.

我奶奶忽然想到了什么，就把刚才做的梦原原本本的告诉了我爷爷。

Upon finishing, my grandfather said, "Her grandson, could it be that blind drifter? What do we do now?"

我爷爷听完后说道：“她孙子，不会就是那盲流子吧？这可咋整！”

Both of them were at a loss.

两人都没了主见。

Fortunately, they had managed to bring a sensible person back.

好在现在把明白人请回来了。

In their hearts, they were not as frightened anymore.

心里多少不是那么害怕了。

My grandfather asked my grandmother to take out two pounds of flour they prepared for the New Year, to steam some buns for when Mr. Liu woke up to eat,

我爷爷让我奶奶把准备过年时用的二斤白面拿出来，蒸点儿花卷等刘先生起来的时候吃，

After saying this, he also took out some pickled vegetables and frozen meat from the storeroom, and the two of them began to get busy.

说完自己也到仓房里拿出了点酸菜和冻肉来，二人开始忙活起来。

Dinner was ready, but the drunken Mr. Liu still showed no sign of waking up.

饭做得了，但是醉鬼刘还是不见要起来的样子。

My grandfather had not eaten since the morning, so my grandmother had no choice but to heat some sorghum rice, and the two of them haphazardly ate a little before it got dark.

我爷爷从早上后就没吃饭，我奶奶只好又热了些高粱米饭，二人胡乱吃了些后。

天也黑了。