章节四

惊蛰过后很长一段日子，尽管节令也已经又越过了春分，但连绵的黄土高原依然是冬天的面貌。

After the Jingzhe, a long period passed. Even though the season had already crossed the Spring Equinox, the endless Loess Plateau still bore the appearance of winter.

山野里草木枯黑，一片荒凉。只是夜晚的时间倒明显地缩短了。

The grass and trees in the mountains were withered and blackened, creating a desolate scene. Only the nights had noticeably shortened.

一直到了四月初，清明节的前一天，突然刮起了一场铺天盖地的大黄风。

It was not until early April, the day before the Qingming Festival, that a sudden and overwhelming yellow wind swept through.

风刮得天昏地暗，甚至大白天都要在房子里点亮灯。根据往常的经验，这场黄风是天气变暖的先兆。

The wind darkened the sky, so much so that lights had to be lit even during the day inside the houses. According to past experience, this yellow wind was an omen of warming weather.

是的，从节令来看，也应该有些春天的迹象了。

Indeed, by the seasonal signs, some spring indications should have emerged.

清明那一天，黄风停了。但天空仍然弥漫着尘埃，灰漠漠一片笼罩着天地。

On the day of Qingming, the yellow wind ceased. Yet the sky remained filled with dust, a gray haze enveloping the earth and heavens.

以后紧接着的几天，气候突然转暖了。

In the following few days, the weather suddenly turned warm.

人们惊异地发现，街头和河岸边的柳树不知不觉地抽出了绿丝；桃杏树的枝头也已经缀满了粉红的花蕾。

People were astonished to discover that the willow trees along the streets and riversides had unknowingly sprouted green threads; the branches of the peach and apricot trees were also laden with pink buds.

如果留心细看，那向阳山坡的枯草间，已经冒出了一些青草的嫩芽。

If one looked closely, among the withered grass on the sunlit hillside, some tender green shoots had begun to push through.

同时，还有些别的树木的枝条也开始泛出鲜亮的活色，鼓起了青春的苞蕾，像刚开始发育的姑娘一样令人悦目。

At the same time, other trees’ branches were starting to show vibrant new colors, swelling with youthful buds, pleasing to the eye like young girls just beginning to bloom.

孙少平的日子过得和往常差不多：吃黑高粱面馍；看借来的课外书；在城里的各个地方转悠。

Sun Shaoping's days went on much the same as before: eating black sorghum steamed buns; reading borrowed extracurricular books; wandering around various places in the city.

他继续把看完的书又借给郝红梅看。他们两个人现在的交往，倒比开始时自然多了，并且对对方的一些情况也有所了解。

He continued to lend the books he had finished reading to Hao Hongmei. Their interactions had become more natural over time, and they had a better understanding of each other's situations.

时间长了一些，班上同学之间也开始变得熟悉起来。他和乡里来的一些较贫困的学生初步建立起了某种友谊关系。

As time passed, the classmates began to become familiar with one another. He and some of the poorer students from the countryside had formed a preliminary friendship.

由于他读书多，许多人很爱听他讲书中的故事。这一点使孙少平非常高兴，觉得自己并不是什么都低人一等。

Due to his extensive reading, many people loved listening to him narrate stories from books. This made Sun Shaoping very happy, as he felt he was not inferior in any way.

加上气候变暖，校园里已经桃红柳绿，他的心情开朗了许多。而且他的单衣薄裳现在穿起来倒也正合适，不冷不热。

With the warming weather, the campus was already a sight of peach blossoms and green willows, and his mood brightened considerably. Moreover, his thin garment was now fitting just right, neither too cold nor too hot.

除过肚子照样填不饱外，其它方面应该说相当令人满意了。

Aside from the fact that his stomach was still not full, everything else was quite satisfactory.

这天下午劳动，全班学生在学校后面的一条拐沟里挖他们班种的地。

That afternoon, the entire class was digging in a ditch behind the school where they had planted their crops.

不到一个小时，孙少平就感到饿得头晕眼花。他有气无力地抡着镢头，尽量使自己不落在别人的后面。

Within less than an hour, Sun Shaoping felt so hungry that he became dizzy. He swung the hoe weakly, trying his best to keep pace with the others.

好不容易熬到快要收工的时候，他们村的润生突然来到他眼前，说：“少平，我姐中午来找我，说让我把你带上，下午到我二爸家去一下。她说有个事要给你说。我姐还说让你下午别在学校灶上吃，到我二爸家去吃饭……”

Just when they were about to finish, his classmate Runsheng suddenly appeared before him and said, "Shaoping, my sister came to find me at noon and asked me to bring you to my second uncle's house this afternoon. She said she had something to tell you. My sister also said not to eat at the school kitchen, but to go to my second uncle's for dinner..."

润生说完这话，就又回到他挖地的地方去了。

After finishing his sentence, Runsheng returned to his digging spot.

孙少平一下子被这意外的邀请弄得不知所措。

Sun Shaoping was momentarily taken aback by this unexpected invitation.

润生的姐姐叫他有什么事呢？而且还叫他到她二爸家去！

Runsheng's sister wanted to tell him something? And asked him to go to her second uncle's house!

这使他感到惶恐不安——润生他二爸是县革委会的副主任，在县上可是一个大人物。

This made him feel uneasy—Runsheng's second uncle was the deputy director of the county revolutionary committee and was quite a big shot in the county.

有时他二爸路过回村子，坐的都是吉普车呢。记得当时他常常想走近去看看停在公路边的小车，都吓得不敢去，何况现在要叫他去他们家吃饭呢！

Sometimes when he passed by the village, he would ride in a jeep. He remembered often wanting to go closer to take a look at the little car parked by the roadside, but being too afraid to do so, let alone now being invited to their home for dinner!

不过，他对润生的姐姐润叶倒怀有一种亲切的感情。尽管润叶她爸是他们村的支部书记，她二爸又是县上的领导，门第当然要高得多，但润叶姐不管对村里的什么人都特别好。

However, he felt a warm affection for Runye, Runsheng’s sister. Although her father was the secretary of their village’s branch and her second uncle was a county leader, placing her in a higher social class, Runye was especially kind to everyone in the village.

而最主要的是，润叶姐小时候和他大哥一块耍大，又一起念书念到小学。

Most importantly, she had played with his older brother when they were kids and had attended elementary school together.

后来润叶姐到县城上了中学，而哥哥因为家穷回村当了农民。但润叶姐对哥哥还像以前一样好。

Later, she attended middle school in the county while his brother had to return to the village to work as a farmer due to their family's poor circumstances. But Runye continued to treat his brother as well as she did before.

后来润叶姐在县上的城关小学教了书，成了公家人，每次回村来，还总要到他们家来串门，和哥哥拉家常话。

Afterward, Runye became a public school teacher at the Town Primary School and, whenever she returned to the village, would always visit their home to chat with his brother.

她每次来他们家都不空手，总要给他祖母带一些城里买的吃食。最叫全村人惊讶的是，她每次回村来，还提着点心来看望她户族里一个傻瓜叔叔田二。

Every time she came, she never brought anything empty-handed, always bringing some city-bought food for his grandmother. What surprised the whole village was that every time she returned, she would also bring snacks to visit an uncle in her family, Tian Er, who was simple-minded.

田二自己傻不说，还有个傻儿子，父子俩经常在窑里屙尿，臭气熏天，村里人一般谁也不去他家踏个脚踪；而润叶姐却常提着点心去看他们，这不得不叫全村人夸赞她的德行了。

Tian Er himself was simple-minded, and he had a foolish son as well; the two often urinated in their yard, creating a terrible stench. Generally, no one in the village dared to set foot in their home; yet Runye would frequently take snacks to see them, which earned her much praise from the villagers.

相比之下，润叶她爸倒没有她在村里威信高。由于父亲和哥哥性子都很耿直，少不了常和书记顶顶碰碰，因此他们两家的关系并不怎么好。

In contrast, Runye’s father wasn’t as respected in the village as she was. Due to her father and brother’s straightforward personalities, they would often clash with the secretary, which strained their families' relationship.

但润叶姐却始终和他们家保持着一种亲密关系。也许因为这一点，平时书记才没有过分地和他们一家人过不去。

But Runye had always maintained a close bond with them. Perhaps because of this, the secretary never overly oppressed their family.

少平在内心一直对润叶姐充满了尊敬和感激。

Shaoping had always held deep respect and gratitude toward Runye.

按说，润叶姐要求他的事，他都应该按她说的做。但现在叫他到她二爸家去吃饭，他倒的确有点惶恐和为难了。

By rights, he should follow whatever Runye requested of him. However, the thought of going to her second uncle’s house for dinner indeed made him a bit anxious and awkward.

他想到他穿这么一身破烂衣服，要跑到尊贵的县领导家里去做客，由不得一阵阵心跳耳热。

He thought about his ragged clothes and the idea of going to the home of such esteemed county leaders made his heart race and his cheeks flush.

一直到收工回了宿舍，学校马上要开饭的时候，孙少平还是拿不定主意。

Even until he returned to the dormitory after work, just before the school meal was served, Sun Shaoping still couldn’t make up his mind.

他想他如果不去，就太对不起润叶姐了，况且润叶姐还有话要对他说呢；他不去，说不定还会误了润叶姐的什么事。

If he didn’t go, it would be too much of a disservice to Runye. Besides, she had something to tell him; if he didn’t go, he might also disrupt her plans.

如果去，他又感到有点惧怕。他长这么大。还没到这么大的领导家里去过，更不要说还要在人家家里吃饭。

But he was also somewhat afraid. He had never been to such a high-ranking official’s home before, let alone eat there.

另外，他感到他的这身衣服也太丢人了。

Moreover, he felt embarrassed by his clothing.

他突然想到了一个折中的办法：他先不去润叶姐二爸家吃饭。等他在学校吃完饭后，过一段时间，他直接到城关小学去找润叶姐。

Suddenly, he thought of a compromise: he wouldn’t go to Runye’s second uncle’s house for dinner right away. After eating at the school, he would directly head to the Town Primary School to find Runye.

这样既见了润叶姐，又可以不去她二爸家。至于城关小学，他知道就在中学下面不远的地方，他前一段瞎转悠的时候还到这小学的操场上去过。

This way, he could see Runye without having to go to her second uncle's house. He knew that the Town Primary School was not far from the middle school, and he had been to its playground during his previous wandering.

他这样决定以后，又想到润生说不定马上就要叫他来了，因此不能呆在宿舍里，得找个地方去躲一躲。

After deciding this, he worried that Runsheng might come calling for him soon, so he knew he couldn’t linger in the dormitory and needed to find a place to hide.

他很快出了宿舍，来到院子里。

He quickly left the dormitory and entered the yard.

到哪里去呢？现在还没开饭——就是开了饭，他也要等别人吃完以后才去。这期间还有一段时间，反正总得找个去处。

Where to go now? Meals hadn’t been served yet—once they were, he would have to wait until others finished eating before he could go. There was still some time to kill, so he needed a destination.

他于是出了南边总务处旁边的一个小门，来到学校围墙外面。他沿着墙根向西面的一个小沟岔走去。

He exited through a small door next to the general affairs office on the south side, heading outside the school wall. He walked along the wall toward a small ditch to the west.

孙少平在这小山沟里消磨了一阵时间，并且还折了一枝发绿的柳枝，做了一只哨子，噙在嘴里吹着——他身上显然还有些孩子气。

Sun Shaoping spent some time in that little gully and even picked a green willow branch to make a whistle, putting it in his mouth to blow—it was evident he still had some childlike innocence.

他约摸别人已经打完饭后，才从那个小门进了校园，来到饭场上。他走到馍筐前，看见里面只留了两个黑面馍——这说明郝红梅已经把自己的两个拿走了。

After being in the gully for a while, he estimated that others had probably finished eating before he re-entered the school through that small door and headed to the dining area. He walked up to the basket of steamed buns and saw only two black steamed buns left—indicating that Hao Hongmei had already taken her share.

他取了这两个黑馍，向宿舍走去。他想，等他吃完这两个馍，再喝一点开水，就去小学找润叶姐呀；也许那时润叶姐还没从她二爸家返回学校，但这不要紧，他可以在她门外等一等。

He took the two black buns and headed back to the dormitory. He thought that after eating those two buns and drinking some warm water, he would go to the primary school to find Runye; perhaps she hadn’t returned from her second uncle’s yet, but it didn’t matter, as he could wait outside her door.

孙少平这样想着，拿着两个黑馍走到了他宿舍的门口。

With this thought in mind, he reached the door of his dormitory, only to find himself frozen at the entrance: he saw Runye sitting on the edge of his dormitory's kang, looking at him and smiling—clearly waiting for his return.

他在门门一下子愣住了：他看见润叶姐正坐在他宿舍的炕边沿上，望着他发笑——显然在等他回来。

Shaoping was momentarily at a loss for words. It was Runye who walked up to him, still smiling, saying, "I told Runsheng to invite you to my second uncle’s house. Why didn’t you go?"

少平一下子连话也说不出来了。倒是润叶姐走上前来，仍然笑着说：“我让润生叫你到我二爸家去，你怎不去呢？”

"I..." He didn't know what to say in response.

“我……”他不知说什么才对。