Week 4北京折叠
B20363-April
清晨4:50,老刀穿过熙熙攘攘的步行街,去找彭蠡。
It was 4:50 a.m,Lao Dao went through the bustling street to seek for Peng Li.
从垃圾站下班之后,老刀回家洗了个澡,换了衣服。白色衬衫和褐色裤子,这是他唯一一套体面衣服,衬衫袖口磨了边,他把袖子卷到胳膊肘。老刀四十八岁,没结婚,已经过了注意外表的年龄,又没人照顾起居,这一套衣服留着穿了很多年,每次穿一天,回家就脱了叠上。他在垃圾站上班,没必要穿得体面,偶尔参加谁家小孩的婚礼,才拿出来穿在身上。这一次他不想脏兮兮地见陌生人。他在垃圾站连续工作了五小时,很担心身上会有味道。
After working in the waste transfer station,Lao Dao went home and took a shower.He changed his clothes for white shirt and brown pants,which are his only decent clothes.The cuffs of the shirt are worn out,so he roll up the sleeves to his arms.Lao Dao,a 48-year-old single man who has no longer cared about his appearance with no one looking after,has kept these clothes for many years.Every time after he wears for a day,he will take it off and fold it at home.He don’t need to wear decently,for he worked in the transfer station.Only when he attend somebody’s wedding will he wear them.This time he didn’t want to meet the stranger dirtily.He had continuously worked for 5 hours,concerning that he would be smelly
步行街上挤满了刚刚下班的人。拥挤的男人女人围着小摊子挑土特产,大声讨价还价。食客围着塑料桌子,埋头在酸辣粉的热气腾腾中,饿虎扑食一般,白色蒸汽遮住了脸。油炸的香味弥漫。货摊上的酸枣和核桃堆成山,腊肉在头顶摇摆。这个点是全天最热闹的时间,基本都收工了,忙碌了几个小时的人们都赶过来吃一顿饱饭,人声鼎沸。
The street was crowded with people who were just off work.They were picking out the specialties and bargaining loudly at the stalls.Diners were sitting around the plastic table,busy eating the hot and sour rice noodles like the hungry tigers.The white steam put the veils on their faces.The fragrance of frying pervaded the air.The stalls were stacked with wild jujubes and walnuts and the bacon was hanging over the head. This was the busiest time in the day because most people were off work.Busy working for a couple of hours,they hurried there to fill up their stomach.That was really boisterous.
老刀艰难地穿过人群。端盘子的伙计一边喊着让让一边推开挡道的人,开出一条路来,老刀跟在后面。彭蠡家在小街深处。老刀上楼,彭蠡不在家。问邻居,邻居说他每天快到关门才回来,具体几点不清楚。
Lao Dao struggled though the crowd, following the waiter carrying the plates as he shouted and pulled the people in the way to make way.Peng Li’s house was deep in the street.Lao Dao went upstairs,only found that Peng Li wasn’t home.He asked the neighbors,then got the answer that Peng would not come home until the door closed,but they didn’t know the exact time.
老刀有点担忧,看了看手表,清晨5点。他回到楼门口等着。两旁狼吞虎咽的饥饿少年围绕着他。他认识其中两个,原来在彭蠡家见过一两次。少年每人面前摆着一盘炒面或炒粉,几个人分吃两个菜,盘子里一片狼藉,筷子扔在无望而锲而不舍地拨动,寻找辣椒丛中的肉星。老刀又下意识闻了闻小臂,不知道身上还有没有垃圾的腥味。周围的一切嘈杂而庸常,和每个清晨一样。
Lao Dao looked at the watch worriedly.It was 5 a.m.He went back to the entrance of the building and kept waiting.There were some hungry boys surrounded him.He knew two of them as he had seen them once or twice at Peng Li’s home. Everyone had a plate of fried noodles or fried rice noodles in front of them.Some shared two dishes.Though the dishes were almost eaten up,they continuously stirred them with the chopsticks to seek for the rest of the meet. Lao Dao unconsciously smelt his arms.He didn’t know whether there was the odour of garbage from his body.Just like every morning,everything was noisy and common.
“哎,你们知道那儿一盘回锅肉多少钱吗?”那个叫小李的少年说。
“Hey,do you know how much that twice cooked pork is?”The boy named Xiao Li asked.
“靠,菜里有沙子。”另外一个叫小丁的胖少年突然捂住嘴说,他的指甲里还带着黑泥,“坑人啊。得找老板退钱!”
“Shit,sand in the dish!”Another fat boy named Xiao Ding,whose nails with black mud,suddenly covered his mouth,”What a rip-off!We have to ask the owner to get our money back!
“人家那儿一盘回锅肉,就三百四。”小李说,“三百四!一盘水煮牛肉四百二呢。”
“That twice cooked pork costs 340!”Said Xiao Li,”340!And a plate of boiled beef costs 420!”
“什么玩意?这么贵。”小丁捂着腮帮子咕哝道。
“What?So expensive?”Xiao Ding murmured,clutching his cheek.
另外两个少年对谈话没兴趣,还在埋头吃面,小李低头看着他们,眼睛似乎穿过他们,看到了某个看不见的地方,目光里有热切。
The other two boys had no interest in the topic and kept eating the noodles.Xiao Li stared at them as if his eyes can go through them to see a invisible place.Fervency filled his eyes.