一地鸡毛 Read online

  Copyright © Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 2012

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

  本书版权由外语教学与研究出版社独家所有。如未获得该社书面同意，书中任何部分之文字及图片，不得用任何方式抄袭、节录、翻印或存储利用于任何数据库及检索系统等。

  Published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

  No. 19 Xisanhuan Beilu

  Beijing, China

  http://www.fltrp.com

  图书在版编目(CIP)数据

  一地鸡毛：汉英对照/刘震云著.—北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2012.8

  (中国故事)

  ISBN 978-7-5135-2363-9

  I.①一…II.①刘…III.①英语—汉语—对照读物②小说集—中国—当代IV.①H319.4：I

  中国版本图书馆CIP数据核字(2012)第188533号

  出版人：蔡剑峰

  责任编辑：郝 颖

  封面设计：蔡曼

  版式设计：高蕾

  出版发行：外语教学与研究出版社

  社址：北京市西三环北路19号(100089)

  网址：http://www.fltrp.com

  版次：2012年8月第1版　2012年8月第1次印刷

  书号：ISBN 978-7-5135-2363-9

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  制售盗版必究 举报查实奖励

  版权保护办公室举报电话：(010)88817519

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  Multi-language Center for International Promotion of Chinese Language, Beijing Foreign Studies University

  Chinese-English “China Stories”Series

  北京外国语大学汉语国际推广多语种基地

  中英对照“中国故事”丛书

  Publisher’s Note

  “Once upon a time…”, such is the beginning of a story that may have accompanied many people through their childhood no matter what country they live in and what language they speak. When we grow up, we remain keen on one kind of stories or another. This is because stories always keep us at a fascinating distance: things that take place around us may drive home to us a timeless truth, while remote or illusory stories may as well be relevant to reality or reflect the problems of today.

  However, if a story is linked with the name of a country, what can the listener expect from it?

  The China Stories series is dedicated to those who are fond of stories and hope to know about China. The reason why we have chosen this way of storytelling is that while people nowadays may easily get to know a country by turning on the television, surfing the Internet or touching a cellphone screen, we believe stories make China look more vivid, serene and down-to-earth than media or political or economic commentators, historical archives or museums do.

  Our stories or “storytellers” generally fall into two categories. Firstly, small works of big names in contemporary Chinese literature, such as The Love Story of a Young Monk by Wang Zengqi and Ah, Xiangxue by Tie Ning; Secondly, Chinese tales told by writers from other lands from the “other” perspectives, like The Magic of the White Snake by the German freelancer Helmut Matt. The differences in settings, plots and the storytellers’ personalities have added to the charisma of our stories. This China Stories series will maintain its openness by putting forth new stories, so as to present a rich, varied three-dimensional China to our readers. In this sense, this series is catered not only to foreign friends but also to Chinese-speaking natives so that they can observe this country from a fresh point of view.

  Instead of lengthy narratives that may wear our readers down, the China Stories series is a collection of short stories and novellas that are meant for a pleasant reading experience, an experience that is made all the more delightful by our elaborately produced bilingual texts and beautiful illustrations.

  Whether the storyteller or the listener comes from China or elsewhere, we believe that you can derive your own impression of China from these stories, and feel closer to it whether it was familiar or strange to you before you lay your hands on the China Stories series. So let’s read China Stories, and get a taste of China from them.

  Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

  August, 2012

  出版说明

  “很久很久以前……”，许多人的童年或许都伴随着这样开头的故事，无论她或他身处哪个国家，说着何种语言。当我们长大，依然热衷于各种故事。因为故事总是与人们保持一种远近适宜的奇妙距离：身边发生的故事有时能让人悟到恒久长远的道理，而遥远的甚至虚幻的故事又能使人联想到现实的处境，回应当下的问题。

  而当故事与一个国家的名称联系在一起的时候，又会给听者一种怎样的期待？

  《中国故事》系列丛书献给那些喜欢听故事并且希望了解中国的人们。之所以选择这种方式而不是别的——毕竟，现在想了解一个国家，打开电视，浏览互联网，或者触摸一下手机屏幕就可以做到——因为我们相信，比起新闻媒体、政经评论或者历史文献、博物馆陈列中的中国，也许故事所反映的那个中国来得更真切，更沉静，也更实在。

  故事的来源，或者说“讲故事的人”大体有两类。一方面我们收集了现当代一些中国文学大家的小作品，例如汪曾祺的《受戒》，铁凝的《哦，香雪》；另一方面，来自中国以外的作者们基于“他者”的视角重述中国的传奇，例如德国赫尔穆特·马特先生的《白蛇传奇》。故事的背景和事件彼此不同，更因叙述者的个性特征而平添魅力。本系列还将不断推新以保持一种开放性。因此呈现给各位的这一套丛书应该是丰富和立体的，希望借此传达的中国形象也能更加真实、丰满。从这个意义上讲，丛书的目标读者应不仅仅限于海外的朋友，其实也包括以中文为母语的读者们，以便透过新鲜的角度来观察这个国家。

  这里没有宏大的叙事，而是以中短篇小说的篇幅给读者绝不沉重的阅读体验。这种轻松感还将通过我们精心提供的双语文本和优美插图得到进一步的体会。

  无论讲故事的人以及听故事的人是来自中国还是其他国家，我们都相信您能从故事中获得自己对于中国的印象，对这个已经熟悉或者还很陌生的国度，更多一点儿亲近——阅读中国的故事，品味故事中的中国。

  外语教学与研究出版社

  2012年8月

  目 录Contents

  Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  一地鸡毛

  一

  二

  三

  四

  五

  六

  七

  Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers

  1

  Young Lin’s bean curd has spoiled.

  Half a kilo of bean curd contains five cubes, one hundred grammes each, the common kind on sale in state groceries. The bean curd cubes you buy from a privately owned shop or pedlar weigh half a kilo each. They are watery and thin, and disintegrate if stir-fried in a wok.

  He gets up at six each morning to queue for bean curd in front of a state grocery. In spite of this early morning effort, there is no guarantee he will get it. Sometimes there are too many people queuing and the bean curd is already sold out by the time it’s his turn, and at other times, it is already seven o’clock and he has to leave the queue and hurry to c
atch the work unit bus. A certain Old Guan has recently been assigned to the office as the new head who pays close attention to late-comers and early-leavers —a new broom sweeps clean. It’s most disheartening when your turn in the queue is just about to come and it’s already time to go to work. After walking away, Young Lin always curses the long queue for bean curd: “Damn! It’s really too bad there being so many poor people on earth!”

  This morning, however, he succeeded in getting the desired bean curd even though he queued till 7 : 15 thus missing the shuttle bus. It doesn’t really matter today. Old Guan, the head of the office, is supposed to be attending a meeting at the ministry while the deputy head, Old He, has gone on a business trip, so a university graduate newly assigned to the office is temporarily in charge of the job of checking up on attendance. So Young Lin did not worry about queuing late for bean curd. Since he was in a rush to catch the public bus to work, he forgot to put the bean curd in the fridge. When he got home that evening, the bean curd was still wrapped in the plastic bag in the hall. In hot weather like today, there was no way the bean curd wouldn’t turn sour.

  The bean curd has spoiled and Young Lin’s wife has returned home before him, which makes the matter complicated. At first, his wife blames the childminder for not putting the bean curd into the fridge. But the nanny refuses to take any blame. She is unhappy with her pay, which she thinks is low, and with her employer’s poor cooking. She has long threatened to go on strike or go somewhere else. She remains only because Young Lin and his wife have repeatedly persuaded her to stay. She doesn’t feel at all sorry about the spoiled bean curd and unhesitatingly shifts the blame onto Young Lin arguing that he didn’t tell her to put the bean curd away before going to work that morning. So his wife vents her anger on him as soon as he comes back from work, saying that it might have been all right if you hadn’t bought the bean curd in the first place. But once you’ve bought it, how could you allow it to go off in the plastic bag? Why did you do it? Young Lin has had an unpleasant day in the office today. He didn’t expect the newcomer to take things so seriously. Seeing that Young Lin was not there at 8 am, he marked him down as “late.” Although Young Lin tartly changed it into “on time,” the matter has been weighing on him the whole day long, not knowing whether or not the newly assigned university graduate will report on him tomorrow. Now back home, he is once again disheartened knowing that the bean curd has turned bad. On the one hand, he blames the childminder for being too petty. Couldn’t you have just made the effort to put it in the fridge even though I didn’t tell you to? Would it really have tired you out to just carry the few cubes of bean curd to the fridge? On the other hand, he blames his wife for making a fuss over a trifling matter like this. Half a kilo of bean curd, that’s all there is to it. Nobody made it turn bad on purpose. Why nag about it endlessly? Both are very tired after a day’s work and there is the child and the dinner to attend to. Is she deliberately trying to create a tiring atmosphere at home? So he responds: “Let it pass, will you? Say it’s my fault. Just half a kilo of bean curd after all. If the worst comes to the worst, we’ll have our dinner without it tonight. I’ll be careful in future.”

  If he says this much and no more, the matter will be dropped. It’s a pity that he can’t contain his resentment and adds: “Is half a kilo of bean curd worth raising to a higer plane of principle and going on and on? How much does bean curd cost? Last time you accidentally dropped and broke a thermos flask worth seven or eight yuan. Did anyone ever blame you for that?”

  Upon his mentioning the thermos flask, his wife becomes angry again: “At every turn you have to mention that thermos flask. But was I to blame? The thermos wasn’t set down properly. Anyone could have broken it merely by touching it. Let’s talk about the vase instead of the thermos. What happened to the vase last month? It was perfectly all right on top of the wardrobe. You had to break it while doing the cleaning. How come you reprove me?”

  The next moment, she is face to face with him, tears in her eyes, her chest heaving up and down and her face very pale. Judging by experience, her pale face indicates a disagreeable day at work. Her office, like Young Lin’s, seldom makes people happy. But are we ever justified in bringing our unhappy feelings back from work and releasing them at home?

  He wants to continue remonstrating with her about the vase. But if it continues like this, they’ll find themselves in a vicious circle with many plates and dishes and the like involved. In the end, his wife would throw the bag of bad bean curd at his head. The childminder, used to the couple’s quarrel, is calmly trimming her nails as if nothing is happening. Her attitude further arouses the couple’s anger. Young Lin has written the case off as hopeless and is ready to act recklessly. Fortunately, just at this moment someone knocks at the door and they both shut their mouths. The wife hurriedly dries the tears on her face while he manages to suppress his fury. The childminder opens the door and finds it is the old man who is in charge of reading the water meter.

  The elderly inspector is lame. He comes to do his job once a month. Because he walks with a limp, it’s not easy for him to climb the stairs. He arrives at each household his face streaming with sweat and has to gasp for a while to regain his breath before reading the meter. The elderly man is enthusiastic about his work. Sometimes he pays extra visits to see, he explains, whether the meters are working properly. Today is the date for a regular check. Young Lin and his wife suppress their rage for the time being and ask the childminder to go with the elderly man to read the meter. After having done his job, the old man doesn’t take his leave. Without being asked, he sits down on the edge of their bed. This makes Young Lin feel nervous, for whenever the old man sits down, he will invariably brag about his experiences when young. According to him, he once fed horses for a certain high-ranking leader, now dead. Young Lin was quite interested the first time he heard this and asked for more details. Could anybody imagine that this crippled man had any contact with a big leader in his youth? But after having heard the same story time and again, Young Lin becomes impatient. You’re still a meter reader, despite your horse-feeding experience. What’s the use of it all, bragging about the big leader when he’s already dead? But you mustn’t displease him just because he is a meter reader. If offended, he is capable of cutting off the running water for all the households on that stairway. The spanner to turn off the water supply is right in his hand. You have to listen to his horse-feeding experience because of this spanner in his hand. But today, he truly hates a repetition of the story. Why should you sit down without being invited when we are being mad at each other! Can’t you feel the tension? So he keeps a straight face, stays where he is instead of going over to greet him as usual.

  The elderly meter reader, however, doesn’t take the hint. He has taken a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Right away the room is filled with the smell of tobacco. Young Lin is certain the meter reader is going to indulge in his talk about horses. But this time he has guessed wrong. Instead, the elderly man announces, with a serious expression on his face, that he is going to talk business. He proclaims that according to a report, certain residents in apartments on this stairway are stealing water by deliberately not turning the tap off properly at night so as to catch the drops in a bucket. The dripping cannot be metered and water collected this way is dishonest, isn’t it? This practice can’t go on. If everybody does the same, how can the waterworks handle it?

  This makes Young Lin and his wife blush and then turn pale. They feel ashamed that last week they stole water that way. His wife heard about this method from a casual chat in her office and asked the childminder to try it out. Then Young Lin frowned upon it thinking it was too petty. A ton of water costs only several cents. It wasn’t worth it. Besides, the noise of dripping water made sleeping with an easy conscience impossible. Two days later they stopped. But how did the old man get to know about it? Who reported them? Young Lin and his wife immediately suspect their neighbours opposite, a fat couple. The woman claims to look li
ke an Indian and often puts a red dot between her eyebrows. The couple have a child about the same age as the Lins. The two children often play together and fight, too. Young Lin’s wife and the “Indian” woman are polite to each other on the surface but actually they don’t get along very well. Nevertheless, the childminders of the respective families are on very good terms even though they are not from the same province. They often put their heads together to discuss how to deal with their employers. The two must have gossiped about them so the “Indian” woman learnt that the Lins had collected dripping water twice and reported them to the old man. What he says must have come from this source. How can one bear such a matter being talked about openly? How can the Lins show their faces in public if they admit to having done such a shameful thing? So Young Lin hastens over and declares with a stern countenance that he has no idea whether any resident on their stairway is stealing water or not. His family, anyway, has not done such a thing. Poor as they are, they are people of moral integrity. His wife also comes up and remarks that whoever reported it must be the person who does it, for otherwise how would they know such a trick. It’s a case of a thief crying “stop thief,” isn’t it? The old man flicks the ash off his cigarette and says:

  “OK. That’s all this time. Whether it’s true or not, let the matter rest. We should make sure it’ll not happen again.”

  Then he stands up, assumes a generous posture and limps away, leaving Young Lin and his wife feeling embarrassed. The intervention of this case makes the sour bean curd incident appear less important. Young Lin feels his wife is to blame. How could a university graduate become so vulgar? For two buckets of water which hardly costs anything, she has been disgraced by a sharp reproof. His wife feels quite ashamed herself and finds it difficult to go on complaining about the bean curd incident. Glancing at him angrily, she goes to the kitchen to prepare dinner. The incident has brought peace to his family just when it was on the brink of war. Young Lin is somewhat grateful to the old man for this.