第五章 The Child Bride

第五章Chapter Five

我玩的時候，除了在後花園裡，有祖父陪著，其餘的玩法，就只有我自己了。When I played, except in the back garden where Grandfather kept me company, all my other games I played alone.

我自己在房檐下搭了個小布棚，玩著玩著就睡在那布棚裡了。I rigged up a little cloth awning for myself under the eaves, and as I played there I would end up falling asleep inside it.

我家的窗子是可以摘下來的，摘下來直立著是立不住的，就靠著牆斜立著，正好立出一個小斜坡來，我稱這小斜坡叫「小屋」，我也常常睡到這小屋裡邊去了。Our windows could be taken off their frames, and once removed they could not stand upright on their own, so they leaned against the wall at a slant, forming just the right kind of little slope — I called this little slope my “small house,” and I often went to sleep inside this small house too.

我家滿院子是蒿草，蒿草上飛著許多蜻蜓，那蜻蜓是為著紅蓼花而來的。Our whole courtyard was overgrown with wormwood, and dragonflies flitted about above it in great numbers — they had come for the red knotweed blossoms.可是我偏偏喜歡捉牠，捉累了就躺在蒿草裡邊睡著了。But I insisted on catching them instead, and once I had tired myself out catching them, I would lie down among the wormwood and fall asleep.

蒿草裡邊長著一叢一叢的天星星，好像山葡萄似的，是很好吃的。Growing among the wormwood were clumps of little star-berries, which looked rather like wild mountain grapes and were very good to eat.

我在蒿草裡邊搜索著吃，吃困了，就睡在天星星秧子的旁邊了。I would search through the wormwood eating them, and once eating had made me drowsy, I would fall asleep right beside the star-berry vines.

蒿草是很厚的，我躺在上邊好像是我的褥子，蒿草是很高的，它給我遮著蔭涼。The wormwood grew thick, so that lying on it was like lying on my own mattress; the wormwood grew tall, too, and it shaded me from the sun.

有一天，我就正在蒿草裡邊做著夢，那是下午晚飯之前，太陽偏西的時候。One day I was dreaming away right there among the wormwood — it was that time in the afternoon before the evening meal, when the sun had begun to slant toward the west.大概我睡得不太著實，我似乎是聽到了什麼地方有不少的人講著話，說說笑笑，似乎是很熱鬧。I suppose I was not sleeping very soundly, for I seemed to hear, somewhere, a good many people talking, laughing and chatting, and it seemed to be quite lively.但到底發生了什麼事情，卻聽不清，只覺得在西南角上，或者是院裡，或者是院外。But just what was happening I could not make out clearly; I only sensed that it was over in the southwest corner, either inside the courtyard or outside it.到底是院裡院外，那就不大清楚了。Whether it was truly inside or outside the courtyard, that much was not at all clear.反正是有幾個人在一起嚷嚷著。In any case, several people were making a commotion together.

我似睡非睡的聽了一會就又聽不見了。Half-asleep, half-awake, I listened for a while and then could hear it no more.大概我已經睡著了。I suppose by then I had truly fallen asleep.

等我睡醒了，回到屋裡去，老廚子第一個就告訴我：By the time I woke up and went back into the house, the old cook was the first to tell me:

「老胡家的團圓媳婦來啦，你還不知道，快吃了飯去看吧！」“Old Hu's family's child bride has arrived, and you don't even know it yet — hurry and eat so you can go take a look!”

老廚子今天特別忙，手裡端著一盤黃瓜菜往屋裡走，因為跟我指手劃腳的一講話，差一點沒把菜碟子掉在地上，只把黃瓜絲打翻了。The old cook was unusually busy that day; he was carrying a plate of cucumber salad into the room, and because he got so carried away gesturing while talking to me, he very nearly dropped the plate on the floor, and only spilled the shredded cucumber.

我一走進祖父的屋去，只有祖父一個人坐在飯桌前面，桌子上邊的飯菜都擺好了，卻沒有人吃，母親和父親都沒有來吃飯，有二伯也沒有來吃飯。The moment I walked into Grandfather's room, I found only Grandfather sitting alone before the dinner table; the food was all laid out on the table, but no one was eating it — Mother and Father had not come to eat, and You Erbo had not come to eat either.祖父一看見我，祖父就問我：As soon as Grandfather saw me, he asked me:

「那團圓媳婦好不好？」“Is the child bride good-looking or not?”

大概祖父以為我是去看團圓媳婦回來的。Grandfather must have assumed I had just come back from going to see the child bride.我說我不知道，我在草棵裡邊吃天星星來的。I said I did not know, that I had been in the grass eating star-berries.

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「你媽他們都去看團圓媳婦去了，就是那個跳大神的老胡家。」“Your mother and the others have all gone to see the child bride — it's at the home of that shaman family, Old Hu's.”

祖父說著就招呼老廚子，讓他把黃瓜菜快點拿來。As he spoke, Grandfather called for the old cook and told him to hurry and bring the cucumber salad.

醋拌黃瓜絲，上邊澆著辣椒油，紅的紅，綠的綠，一定是那老廚子又重切了一盤的，那盤我眼看著撒在地上了。Shredded cucumber dressed in vinegar, with chili oil poured over it, red where it was red and green where it was green — this must have been a fresh plate the old cook had cut again, since the earlier one I had watched spill onto the floor.

祖父一看黃瓜菜也來了，祖父說：When Grandfather saw that the cucumber salad had arrived too, he said:

「快吃吧，吃了飯好看團圓媳婦去。」“Eat up quickly — once we've eaten we can go see the child bride.”

老廚子站在旁邊，用圍裙在擦著他滿臉的汗珠，他每一說話就乍巴眼睛，從嘴裡往外噴著唾沫星。The old cook stood off to the side, wiping the beads of sweat off his face with his apron; every time he spoke his eyes blinked rapidly, and little flecks of spittle sprayed out of his mouth.他說：He said:

「那看團圓媳婦的人才多呢！“You wouldn't believe how many people are there watching the child bride!糧米鋪的二老婆，帶著孩子也去了。The second wife from the grain shop went too, with her children in tow.後院的小麻子也去了，西院老楊家也來了不少的人，都是從牆頭上跳過來的。」Pockmarked Xiao from the back courtyard went too, and quite a few people from Old Yang's family in the west courtyard came as well, all of them jumping over the wall to get there.”

他說他在井沿上打水看見的。He said he had seen all this while drawing water at the well.

經他這一煊惑，我說：Egged on by his talk, I said:

「爺爺，我不吃飯了，我要看團圓媳婦去。」“Grandfather, I don't want to eat — I want to go see the child bride.”

祖父一定讓我吃飯，他說吃了飯他帶我去。Grandfather insisted that I eat first, saying that once I had eaten he would take me there himself.我急得一頓飯也沒有吃好。I was so anxious that I could not eat my meal properly at all.我從來沒有看過團圓媳婦，我以為團圓媳婦不知道多麼好看呢！I had never seen a child bride before, and I imagined she must be unimaginably pretty to look at!越想越覺得一定是很好看的，越著急也越覺得是非特別好看不可。The more I thought about it, the more certain I became that she must be lovely, and the more anxious I grew, the more I felt she simply had to be exceptionally beautiful.不然，為什麼大家都去看呢。Otherwise, why would everyone be going to see her?不然，為什麼母親也不回來吃飯呢。Otherwise, why would even Mother not come back to eat?

越想越著急，一定是很好看的節目都看過。The more I thought about it the more anxious I became — surely all the best parts of the show had already been seen by everyone else.若現在就去，還多少看得見一點，若再去晚了，怕是就來不及了。If I went right now, I might still catch a bit of it, but if I went any later, I feared it would be too late.我就催促著祖父。So I kept urging Grandfather on.

「快吃，快吃，爺爺快吃吧。」“Hurry and eat, hurry and eat, Grandfather, please eat quickly.”

那老廚子還在旁邊亂講亂說，祖父間或問他一兩句。The old cook was still off to the side chattering on about this and that, and Grandfather would now and then ask him a question or two.

我看那老廚子打擾祖父吃飯，我就不讓那老廚子說話。Seeing that the old cook was interrupting Grandfather's meal, I would not let him speak.那老廚子不聽，還是笑嘻嘻的說。The old cook paid me no mind and went right on talking with a grin.我就下地把老廚子硬推出去了。So I got down and forcibly pushed the old cook out of the room.

祖父還沒有吃完，老周家的周三奶又來了，是她說她的公雞總是往我這邊跑，她是來捉公雞的。Before Grandfather had finished eating, Third Aunt Zhou from the Zhou family next door came by again; she said her rooster kept running over to our side, and she had come to catch it.公雞已經捉到了，她還不走，她還扒著玻璃窗子跟祖父講話，她說：The rooster had already been caught, but she still did not leave — she leaned against the glass window and kept talking with Grandfather, saying:

「老胡家那小團圓媳婦過來，你老爺子還沒去看看嗎？“Old Hu's little child bride has arrived, and you, old sir, haven't gone to have a look yet?那看的人才多呢，我還沒去呢，吃了飯就去。」There are so many people there watching — I haven't gone myself yet either, I'll go once I've eaten.”

祖父也說吃了飯就去，可是祖父的飯總也吃不完。Grandfather too said he would go once he had eaten, but somehow he never seemed to finish his meal.一會要點辣椒油，一會要點鹹鹽麵的。One moment he wanted a bit more chili oil, the next moment a bit of salt.我看不但我著急，就是那老廚子也急得不得了了。I saw that it was not only I who was anxious — even the old cook had become terribly anxious as well.頭上直冒著汗，眼睛直眨巴。Sweat kept beading on his forehead, and his eyes kept blinking away.

祖父一放下飯盌，連點一袋煙我也不讓他點，拉著他就往西南牆角那邊走。The instant Grandfather set down his rice bowl, I would not even let him light his pipe — I pulled him straight off toward the southwest corner of the wall.

一邊走，一邊心裡後悔，眼看著一些看熱鬧的人都回來了。As we walked, I felt a growing regret in my heart, for I could see people who had gone to watch the excitement already coming back.為什麼一定要等祖父呢？Why on earth had I insisted on waiting for Grandfather?不會一個人早就跑著來嗎？Couldn't I have simply run over here by myself long ago?何況又覺得我躺在草棵子裡就已經聽見這邊有了動靜了。What was more, I recalled that even while I lay in the grass I had already heard the stir over here.真是越想越後悔，這事情都鬧了一個下半天了，一定是好看的都過去了，一定是來晚了。The more I thought about it the more I regretted it — this whole affair had been going on the entire second half of the day, so surely all the interesting parts were already over, surely I had come too late.白來了，什麼也看不見了，在草棵子聽到了這邊說笑，為什麼不就立刻跑來看呢？I had come for nothing, there would be nothing left to see — when I had heard the talking and laughing from over here while still in the grass, why hadn't I simply run over to look right then?越想越後悔。The more I thought about it the more I regretted it.自己和自己生氣，等到了老胡家的窗前，一聽，果然連一點聲音也沒有了。I grew angry at myself, and by the time we reached the window of Old Hu's house and I listened, sure enough, there was not even the slightest sound to be heard.差一點沒有氣哭了。I very nearly burst into tears from frustration.

等真的進屋一看，全然不是那麼一回事，母親，周三奶奶，還有些個不認的人，都在那裡，與我想像的完全不一樣，沒有什麼好看的，團圓媳婦在那兒？But once we actually went inside and I saw for myself, it was not like that at all — Mother, Third Aunt Zhou, and some other people I did not recognize were all there, and it was entirely unlike what I had imagined; there was nothing much to look at. Where was the child bride, anyway?我也看不見，經人家指指點點的，我才看見了。I could not even spot her, and it was only after someone pointed her out to me that I saw her at last.不是什麼媳婦，而是一個小姑娘。She was no bride at all, but just a little girl.

我一看就沒有興趣了，拉著爺爺就向外邊走，說：The moment I saw her, all my interest vanished, and I pulled Grandfather toward the door, saying:

「爺爺回家吧。」“Grandfather, let's go home.”

等第二天早晨她出來倒洗臉水的時候，我看見她了。It was not until the next morning, when she came out to empty the wash basin, that I got a proper look at her.

她的頭髮又黑又長，梳著很大的辮子，普通姑娘們的辮子都是到腰間那麼長，而她的辮子竟快到膝間了。Her hair was black and long, done up in a great thick braid; whereas ordinary girls' braids usually reached only to the waist, hers very nearly reached down to her knees.她臉長得黑忽忽的，笑呵呵的。Her face was a dark, swarthy sort, and she wore a cheerful smile.

院子裡的人，看過老胡家的團圓媳婦之後，沒有什麼不滿意的地方。After the people of the courtyard had all had a look at Old Hu's child bride, they found nothing much to complain of in her.不過都說太大方了，不像個團圓媳婦了。Only, everyone said she was far too forward, not at all like a proper child bride.

周三奶奶說：Third Aunt Zhou said:

「見人一點也不知道羞。」“She hasn't the least idea how to be shy in front of people.”

隔院的楊老太太說：Old Mrs. Yang from the neighboring courtyard said:

「那才不怕羞呢！“She's not the least bit shy, that's for certain!頭一天來到婆家，吃飯就吃三盌。」The very first day she arrived at her mother-in-law's house, she ate three whole bowls of rice.”

周三奶奶又說：Third Aunt Zhou spoke up again:

「喲喲！“Well I never!我可沒見過，別說還是一個團圓媳婦，就說一進門就姓了人家的姓，也得頭兩天看看人家的臉色。I've never seen the like — never mind that she's a child bride, even an ordinary bride who takes on her husband's family name the moment she steps through the door ought to spend the first couple of days reading the family's moods.喲喲！Well I never!那麼大的姑娘。Such a big girl she is.她今年十幾歲啦？」How old is she this year, anyway?”

「聽說十四歲麼！」“I hear she's fourteen!”

「十四歲會長得那麼高，一定是瞞歲數。」“Fourteen, and grown that tall already? She must be lying about her age.”

「可別說呀！“You never can tell!也有早長的。」Some girls do grow early.”

「可是他們家可怎麼睡呢？」“But however do they manage sleeping arrangements in that family?”

「可不是，老少三輩，就三鋪小炕……」“Exactly what I wondered — three generations, young and old, and only three small kang beds between them...”

這是楊老太太扒在牆頭上和周三奶奶講的。This was Old Mrs. Yang, leaning over the top of the wall, talking it over with Third Aunt Zhou.

至於我家裡，母親也說那團圓媳婦不像個團圓媳婦。As for our own household, Mother too said the child bride did not seem like a proper child bride at all.

老廚子說：The old cook said:

「沒見過，大模大樣的，兩個眼睛骨碌骨碌的轉。」“I've never seen the like — so bold and full of herself, with her eyes rolling this way and that.”

有二伯說：You Erbo said:

「介（這）年頭是啥年頭呢，團圓媳婦也不像個團圓媳婦了。」“What times are these, that even a child bride no longer looks like a proper child bride.”

只是祖父什麼也不說，我問祖父：Only Grandfather said nothing at all. I asked him:

「那團圓媳婦好不好？」“Is the child bride good or not?”

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「怪好的。」“She's quite fine.”

於是我也覺得怪好的。And so I too came to feel that she was quite fine.

她天天牽馬到井邊上去飲水，我看見她好幾回，中間沒有什麼人介紹，她看看我就笑了，我看看她也笑了。Every day she led the horse to the well to water it, and I saw her many times; with no one to introduce us, she would look at me and smile, and I would look at her and smile too.我問她十幾歲？I asked her how old she was.她說：She said:

「十二歲。」“Twelve.”

我說不對。I said that wasn't right.

「你十四歲的，人家都說你十四歲。」“You're fourteen — everyone says you're fourteen.”

她說：She said:

「他們看我長得高，說十二歲怕人家笑話，讓我說十四歲的。」“They saw how tall I'd grown and said that if I told people I was twelve they'd laugh at me, so they made me say fourteen instead.”

我不知道，為什麼長得高還讓人家笑話，我問她：I could not understand why being tall should make people laugh, so I asked her:

「你到我們草棵子裡去玩好吧！」“Come play in our patch of grass with me, won't you!”

她說：She said:

「我不去，他們不讓。」“I can't go, they won't let me.”

過了沒有幾天，那家就打起團圓媳婦來了，打得特別厲害，那叫聲無管多遠都可以聽得見的。Within a few days, that family began beating the child bride, and they beat her especially hard; her screams could be heard no matter how far away you were.

這全院子都是沒有小孩子的人家，從沒有聽到過誰家在哭叫。None of the households in the whole compound had children, and never before had anyone been heard crying or screaming.

鄰居左右因此又都議論起來，說早就該打的，那有那樣的團圓媳婦一點也不害羞，坐到那兒坐得筆直，走起路來，走得風快。So the neighbors all began discussing it again, saying she should have been beaten long ago: what sort of child bride was so utterly shameless as to sit bolt upright and walk as swift as the wind?

她的婆婆在井邊上飲馬，和周三奶奶說：While watering the horse by the well, her mother-in-law said to Third Granny Zhou:

「給她一個下馬威。“We must show her who is master.你聽著吧，我回去我還得打她呢，這小團圓媳婦才厲害呢！Just listen—you’ll hear me beat her again when I get home. This little child bride is a fierce one!沒見過，你擰她大腿，她咬你；You’ve never seen the like: pinch her thigh and she bites you;再不然，她就說她回家。」or else she says she is going home.”

從此以後，我家的院子裡，天天有哭聲，哭聲很大，一邊哭，一邊叫。From then on, there was crying in our compound every day—loud crying, mixed with screams.

祖父到老胡家去說了幾回，讓他們不要打她了；Grandfather went to the Hu family several times and asked them not to beat her anymore;說小孩子，知道什麼，有點差錯教導教導也就行了。he said that she was only a child and knew no better, and if she did something wrong, it was enough to teach her.

後來越打越厲害了，不分晝夜，我睡到半夜醒來和祖父唸詩的時候，唸著唸著就聽西南角上哭叫起來了。But afterward the beatings only grew worse, by day and by night; when I woke at midnight and recited poems with Grandfather, we would be partway through when cries and screams rose from the southwest corner.

我問祖父：I asked Grandfather:

「是不是那小團圓媳婦哭？」“Is that the little child bride crying?”

祖父怕我害怕，說：Grandfather, afraid I would be frightened, said:

「不是，是院外的人家。」“No, it is someone outside the compound.”

我問祖父：I asked Grandfather:

「半夜哭什麼？」“Why are they crying in the middle of the night?”

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「別管那個，唸詩吧。」“Never mind that. Go on with the poem.”

清早醒了，正在唸「春眠不覺曉」的時候，那西南角上的哭聲又來了。When I woke early and was reciting, “In spring sleep, dawn comes unawares,” the crying from the southwest corner began again.

一直哭了很久，到了冬天，這哭聲才算沒有了。It went on for a long time; only when winter came could it be said to have stopped.

雖然不哭了，那西南角上又夜夜跳起大神來，打著鼓，叮噹叮噹的響；But although the crying stopped, spirit dances began in the southwest corner every night, with drums beating and bells going ding-dang, ding-dang;大神唱一句，二神唱一句，因為是夜裡，聽得特別清晰，一句半句的我都記住了。the chief shaman sang one line and the assistant shaman another, and because it was night, every word came through especially clearly; I even memorized snatches of it.

什麼「小靈花呀」，甚麼「胡家讓她去出馬呀」。Things like, “Little spirit-flower,” and, “The Hu family bids her serve the spirits.”

差不多每天大神都唱些個這個。The chief shaman sang things of this sort nearly every day.

早晨起來，我就模擬著唱：When I got up in the morning, I would imitate the singing:

「小靈花呀，胡家讓她去出馬呀……」“Little spirit-flower, the Hu family bids her serve the spirits…”

而且叮叮噹，叮叮噹的，用聲音模擬著打打鼓。And I would go ding-ding-dang, ding-ding-dang, imitating the drumming with my voice.

「小靈花」就是小姑娘；「胡家」就是胡仙；「胡仙」就是狐狸精；「出馬」就是當跳大神的。“Little spirit-flower” meant a young girl; the “Hu family” meant the fox immortals; “fox immortals” meant fox spirits; and “serving the spirits” meant becoming a spirit-dancing shaman.

大神差不多跳了一個冬天，把那小團圓媳婦就跳出毛病來了。The chief shaman danced for nearly the whole winter and danced the little child bride into an illness.

那小團圓媳婦，有點黃，沒有夏天她剛一來的時候，那麼黑了。The little child bride had grown rather sallow; she was no longer as dark as when she had first arrived that summer.不過還是笑呵呵的。But she was still all smiles.

祖父帶著我到那家去串門，那小團圓媳婦還過來給祖父裝了一袋煙。Grandfather took me to visit that family, and the little child bride came over and filled his pipe for him.

她看見我，也還偷著笑，大概她怕她婆婆看見，所以沒和我說話。When she saw me, she still smiled at me on the sly; she was probably afraid her mother-in-law would see, so she did not speak to me.

她的辮子還是很大的。Her braid was still very thick.她的婆婆說她有病了，跳神給她趕鬼。Her mother-in-law said she was ill, and that they were holding spirit dances to drive the demon out of her.

等祖父臨出來的時候，她的婆婆跟出來了，小聲跟祖父說：As Grandfather was about to leave, her mother-in-law followed him out and said softly:

「這團圓媳婦，怕是要不好，是個胡仙旁邊的，胡仙要她去出馬……」“I fear this child bride is in a bad way. She belongs at a fox immortal’s side, and the fox immortal wants her to enter its service…”

祖父想要讓他們搬家。Grandfather wanted to make them move away.但呼蘭河這地方有個規矩，春天是二月搬家，秋天是八月搬家。But there was a rule in Hulanhe: people moved house in the second month in spring or the eighth month in autumn.

一過了二八月就不是搬家的時候了。Once the second or eighth month had passed, it was no longer the season for moving.

我們每當半夜讓跳神驚醒的時候，祖父就說：Whenever the spirit dances woke us in the middle of the night, Grandfather would say:

「明年二月就讓他們搬了。」“We’ll make them move next February.”

我聽祖父說了好幾次這樣的話。I heard Grandfather say this several times.

當我模擬著大神喝喝咧咧的唱著「小靈花」的時候，祖父也說那同樣的話，明年二月讓他們搬家。When I imitated the chief shaman’s raucous chanting of “Little spirit-flower,” Grandfather would say the same thing: next February they would have to move.

可是在這期間，院子的西南角上就越鬧越厲害。But in the meantime, the commotion in the southwest corner of the compound grew worse and worse.請一個大神，請好幾個二神，鼓聲連天的響。They invited one chief shaman and several assistant shamans, and the drums thundered without end.

說那小團圓媳婦若再去讓她出馬，她的命就難保了。They said that if the child bride were taken again to serve the spirits, her life could hardly be saved.所以請了不少的二神來，設法從大神那裡把她要回來。So they invited a good many assistant shamans to find a way of asking the chief spirit to give her back.

於是有許多人給他家出了主意，人那能夠見死不救呢？Many people therefore offered the family advice—for how could anyone stand by and watch a person die?於是凡有善心的人都幫起忙來。And so everyone with a kind heart pitched in to help.他說他有一個偏方，她說她有一個邪令。One said he had a secret remedy; another said she had a magic spell.

有的主張給她紮一個穀草人，到南大坑去燒了。Some proposed making a straw figure of her and burning it at the great southern pit.

有的主張到紮彩鋪去紮一個紙人，叫做「替身」，把它燒了或者可以替了她。Some proposed having a paper effigy made at the funeral-paper shop, calling it a “substitute,” and burning it so that it might perhaps take her place.

有的主張給她畫上花臉，把大神請到家裡，讓那大神看了，嫌她太醜，也許就不捉她當弟子了，就可以不必出馬了。Some proposed painting her face in gaudy colors and inviting the chief spirit into the house; on seeing how ugly she was, it might reject her as a disciple, and then she would not have to serve the spirits.

周三奶奶則主張給她吃一個全毛的雞，連毛帶腿的吃下去，選一個星星出全的夜，吃了用被子把人蒙起來，讓她出一身大汗。Third Granny Zhou, however, proposed making her eat a whole chicken, feathers, legs, and all; on a night when every star was out, she should eat it, then be smothered under quilts until she sweated all over.蒙到第二天早晨雞叫，再把她從被子放出來。She was to remain covered until the cock crowed the next morning, and only then be released from the quilts.她吃了雞，她又出了汗，她的魂靈裡邊因此就永遠有一個雞存在著，神鬼和胡仙黃仙就都不敢上她的身了。Once she had eaten the chicken and sweated, a chicken would remain forever within her soul, and gods, ghosts, fox spirits, and weasel spirits would no longer dare possess her.傳說鬼是怕雞的。It was said that ghosts were afraid of chickens.

據周三奶奶說，她的曾祖母就是被胡仙抓住過的，鬧了整整三年，差一點沒死，最後就是用這個方法治好的。According to Third Granny Zhou, her great-grandmother had once been seized by a fox spirit; it tormented her for three whole years and nearly killed her, and in the end it was this very method that cured her.因此一生不再鬧別的病了。After that, she never suffered from any other illness for the rest of her life.她半夜裡正做一個惡夢，她正嚇得要命，她魂靈裡邊的那個雞，就幫了她的忙，只叫了一聲，惡夢就醒了。If she was having a nightmare at midnight and was frightened half to death, the chicken within her soul would come to her aid: it had only to crow once, and she would wake from the nightmare.她一輩子沒生過病。She was never ill in all her life.說也奇怪，就是到死，也死得不凡，她死那年已經是八十二歲了。Strangely enough, even her death was extraordinary: she was already eighty-two the year she died.八十二歲還能夠拿著花線繡花，正給她小孫子繡花兜肚嘴。At eighty-two she could still embroider with colored thread, and was in the midst of embroidering a patterned bellyband for her little grandson.繡著繡著，就有點睏了，她坐在木櫈上，背靠著門扇就打一個盹。As she stitched, she grew a little sleepy; sitting on a wooden stool with her back against the door, she nodded off.這一打盹就死了。And in that one doze, she died.

別人就問周三奶奶：Someone asked Third Granny Zhou:

「你看見了嗎？」“Did you see it yourself?”

她說：She said:

「可不是……“Of course…你聽我說呀，死了三天三夜按都按不倒。Listen to me: for three days and three nights after she died, no one could press her down.後來沒有辦法，給她打著一口棺材也是坐著的，把她放在棺材裡，那臉色是紅樸樸的，還和活著的一樣……」In the end there was nothing to be done but make her a coffin in which she could sit; when they put her inside, her face was rosy, just as though she were still alive…”

別人問她：The others asked her:

「你看見了嗎？」“Did you see it yourself?”

她說：She said:

「喲喲！“Good heavens!你這問的可怪，傳話傳話，一輩子誰能看見多少，不都是傳話傳的嗎！」What a peculiar question! Stories are passed from mouth to mouth—how much can anyone see with her own eyes in a lifetime? Aren’t all stories passed on by word of mouth?”

她有點不大高興了。She was rather displeased.

再說西院的楊老太太，她也有個偏方，她說黃連二兩，豬肉半斤，把黃連和豬肉都切碎了，用瓦片來焙，焙好了，壓成麵，用紅紙包分成五包包起來。Then there was Old Mrs. Yang in the western courtyard, who also had a secret remedy: she said to take two liang of coptis root and half a jin of pork, mince them together, roast them on a tile, and, once they were done, crush them to powder and wrap them in red paper in five separate packets.每次吃一包，專治驚風，掉魂。One packet was to be taken at a time; it was a sure cure for convulsions and loss of the soul.

這個方法，倒也簡單。This method was simple enough.雖然團圓媳婦害的病可不是驚風，掉魂，似乎有點藥不對症。Although the child bride’s illness was neither convulsions nor loss of the soul, and the medicine hardly seemed suited to the complaint,但也無妨試一試，好在只是二兩黃連，半斤豬肉。there was no harm in trying; after all, it was only two liang of coptis root and half a jin of pork.何況呼蘭河這個地方，又常有賣便宜豬肉的。Besides, cheap pork was often sold in Hulanhe.雖說那豬肉怕是瘟豬，有點靠不住。True, the pork might come from a diseased pig and could not altogether be trusted.但那是治病，也不是吃，又有甚麼關係。But it was medicine, not food, so what did that matter?

「去，買上半斤來，給她治一治。」“Go and buy half a jin, and give her the treatment.”

旁邊有著贊成的說：Someone nearby voiced agreement:

「反正治不好也治不壞。」“Anyway, if it doesn’t cure her, it won’t make her worse.”

她的婆婆也說：Her mother-in-law also said:

「反正死馬當活馬治吧！」“We may as well treat a dead horse as though it were alive!”

於是團圓媳婦先吃了半斤豬肉加二兩黃連。So the child bride first took half a jin of pork mixed with two liang of coptis root.

這藥是婆婆親手給她焙的。Her mother-in-law roasted the medicine for her with her own hands.可是切豬肉是他家的大孫子媳婦給切的。But it was the elder grandson’s wife who cut up the pork.那豬肉雖然是連紫帶青的，但中間畢竟有一塊是很紅的，大孫子媳婦就偷著把這塊給留下來了，因為她想，奶奶婆婆不是四五個月沒有買到一點葷腥了嗎？Though the pork was mottled purple and blue, there was, after all, a very red piece in the middle; the elder grandson’s wife secretly kept that piece back, thinking, Hadn’t Granny gone four or five months without getting so much as a morsel of meat?於是她就給奶奶婆婆偷著下了一盌麵疙瘩湯吃了。So in secret she made Granny a bowl of dough-drop soup with it.

奶奶婆婆問：Granny asked:

「可那兒來的肉？」“Where did this meat come from?”

大孫子媳婦說：The elder grandson’s wife said:

「你老人家吃就吃吧，反正是孫子媳婦給你做的。」“Just eat it, Granny. Your granddaughter-in-law made it for you, that’s all.”

那團圓媳婦的婆婆是在灶坑裡邊搭起瓦來給她焙藥。Meanwhile, the child bride’s mother-in-law had propped tiles over the fire pit to roast her medicine.一邊焙著，一邊說：As she roasted it, she said:

「這可是半斤豬肉，一條不缺……」“This is a full half-jin of pork—not a sliver missing…”

越焙，那豬肉的味越香，有一匹小貓嗅到了香味而來了，想要在那已經焙好了的肉乾上攫一爪，牠剛一伸爪，團圓媳婦的婆婆一邊用手打著那貓，一邊說：The longer it roasted, the more fragrant the pork smelled. A little cat caught the scent and came over, meaning to snatch at the strips of meat that were already dried; the moment it stretched out a paw, the child bride’s mother-in-law struck at it with one hand and said:

「這也是你動得爪的嗎！“Is this something for you to lay your paws on?你這饞嘴巴，人家這是治病呵，是半斤豬肉，你也想要吃一口？You greedy creature, this is medicine for someone—it is half a jin of pork—and you want a bite of it too?你若吃了這口，人家的病可治不好了。If you eat so much as one bite, her illness may never be cured.一個人活活的要死在你身上，你這不知好歹的。A living person might die because of you, you wretched beast.這是整整半斤肉，不多不少。」This is a full half-jin of meat, no more and no less.”

藥焙好了，壓碎了就沖著水給團圓媳婦吃了。When the medicine was done roasting, it was crushed, mixed with water, and given to the child bride.

一天吃兩包，才吃了一天，第二天早晨，藥還沒有再吃，還有三包壓在灶王爺板上，那些傳偏方的人就又來了。She took two packets in one day; but the next morning, before she could take any more, with three packets still lying on the shelf of the Kitchen God, the people who passed around secret remedies came again.

有的說，黃連可怎麼能夠吃得？Some said, how could anyone possibly give her coptis root?黃連是大涼藥，出虛汗像她這樣的人，一吃黃連就要洩了元氣，一個人要洩了元氣那還得了嗎？Coptis was an extremely cooling medicine; for someone like her, who broke out in cold sweats from weakness, taking it would drain away her vital energy—and if a person’s vital energy was drained away, what then?

又一個人說：Another person said:

「那可吃不得呀！“She mustn’t take that!吃了過不去兩天就要一命歸陰的。」Within two days of taking it, she’ll be on her way to the netherworld.”

團圓媳婦的婆婆說：The child bride’s mother-in-law said:

「那可怎麼辦呢？」“Then what are we to do?”

那個人就慌忙的問：That person hurriedly asked:

「吃了沒有呢？」"Has she eaten or not?"

團圓媳婦的婆婆剛一開口，就被他家的聰明的大孫子媳婦給遮過去了，說：Just as the child-bride's mother-in-law opened her mouth to speak, she was cut off by that family's clever wife of the eldest grandson, who said:

「沒吃，沒吃，還沒吃。」"Hasn't eaten, hasn't eaten, still hasn't eaten."

那個人說：That person said:

「既然沒吃就不要緊，真是你老胡家有天福，吉星高照，你家差點沒有攤了人命。」"Since she hasn't eaten, it's no matter — truly your old Hu family is blessed by heaven, with a lucky star shining down; your family very nearly had a death on its hands."

於是他又給出了個偏方，這偏方，據他說已經不算是偏方了，就是東二道街上「李永春」藥鋪的先生也常常用這個方單，是一用就好的，百試，百靈。Thereupon he gave out another folk remedy — this remedy, according to him, could hardly even be called a folk remedy anymore, since even the physician at the "Li Yongchun" pharmacy on East Second Street often used this very prescription; it worked as soon as it was used, a hundred trials, a hundred cures.無管男、女、老、幼，一吃一個好。No matter whether man, woman, old or young, one dose and one cure.也無管什麼病，頭痛、腳痛、肚子痛、五臟六腑痛，跌、打、刀傷，生瘡、生疔、生癤子……Nor did it matter what the ailment was — headache, foot ache, stomachache, aches of the five viscera and six bowels, falls, blows, knife wounds, sores, boils, carbuncles...

無管什麼病，藥到病除。No matter what the illness, the medicine banished it the moment it was taken.

這究竟是什麼藥呢？So what medicine was this, after all?人們越聽這藥的效力大，就越想知道究竟是怎樣的一種藥。The more people heard of the medicine's great power, the more they wanted to know just what kind of medicine it really was.

他說：He said:

「年老的人吃了，眼花繚亂，又恢復到了青春。」"When an old person takes it, their dazzled eyes clear and they return to youth again."

「年輕的人吃了，力氣之大，可以搬動泰山。」"When a young person takes it, their strength grows so great they could move Mount Tai."

「婦女吃了，不用胭脂粉，就可以面如桃花。」"When a woman takes it, without any rouge or powder her face becomes like a peach blossom."

「小孩子吃了，八歲可以拉弓，九歲可以射箭，十二歲可以考狀元。」"When a child takes it, at eight they can draw a bow, at nine they can shoot an arrow, and at twelve they can pass the examination for top scholar."

開初，老胡家的全家，都為之驚動，到後來怎麼越聽越遠了。At first the whole Hu family was stirred by this, but as time went on, somehow the more they listened the further-fetched it grew.本來老胡家一向是趕車拴馬的人家，一向沒有考狀元。As it happened, the Hu family had always been a family of cart-drivers and horse-tenders, and had never once produced a top scholar.

大孫子媳婦，就讓一些圍觀的閃開一點，她到梳頭匣子裡拿出一根畫眉的柳條炭來。The eldest grandson's wife had some of the onlookers step aside a little, then went and took out a stick of willow charcoal for painting eyebrows from her comb box.

她說：She said:

「快請把藥方開給我們吧，好到藥鋪去趕早去抓藥。」"Please write out the prescription for us quickly, so we can hurry to the pharmacy early to fill it."

這個出藥方的人，本是「李永春」藥鋪的廚子。This person who gave out the prescription had originally been the cook at the "Li Yongchun" pharmacy.三年前就離開了「李永春」那裡了。Three years earlier he had already left that place, "Li Yongchun."三年前他和一個婦人吊膀子，那婦人背棄了他，還帶走了他半生所積下的那點錢財，因此一氣而成了個半瘋。Three years before, he had been carrying on with a woman, and that woman abandoned him, even making off with the little money he had saved up over half a lifetime; because of this, in a fit of anger he became half-mad.雖然是個半瘋子，但他在「李永春」那裡所記住的藥名字還沒有全然忘記。Though he was a half-madman, the names of the medicines he had memorized at "Li Yongchun" he had not entirely forgotten.

他是不會寫字的，他就用嘴說：He could not write, so he simply spoke it aloud:

「車前子二錢，當歸二錢，生地二錢，藏紅花二錢。"Plantago seed, two qian; dang gui, two qian; raw rehmannia, two qian; saffron, two qian.川貝母二錢，白朮二錢，遠志二錢，紫河車二錢……」Sichuan fritillary bulb, two qian; atractylodes, two qian; polygala root, two qian; placenta, two qian..."

他說著說著似乎就想不起來了，急得頭頂一冒汗，張口就說紅糖二斤，就算完了。As he spoke on he seemed unable to remember any more, and in his anxiety sweat broke out on the top of his head; he opened his mouth and blurted out brown sugar, two catties, and let it go at that.

說完了，他就和人家討酒喝。Once finished, he went and begged the family for some wine to drink.

「有酒沒有，給兩盅喝喝。」"Have you any wine? Give me a couple of cups to drink."

這半瘋，全呼蘭河的人都曉得，只有老胡家不知道。This half-madman was known to everyone in all of Hulan River; only the Hu family did not know of him.因為老胡家是外來戶，所以受了他的騙了。Because the Hu family were newcomers from elsewhere, they were the ones taken in by his deception.家裡沒有酒，就給了他兩吊錢的酒錢。There being no wine in the house, they gave him two strings of cash for wine money instead.那個藥方是根本不能夠用的，是他隨意胡說了一陣的結果。That prescription was utterly useless — it was merely the result of his rambling on with whatever nonsense came to him.

團圓媳婦的病，一天比一天嚴重，據他家裡的人說，夜裡睡覺，她要忽然坐起來的。The child-bride's illness grew worse day by day; according to the people of the household, at night while sleeping she would suddenly sit bolt upright.看了人她會害怕的。At the sight of a person she would be frightened.她的眼睛裡邊老是充滿了眼淚。Her eyes were forever brimming with tears.這團圓媳婦大概非出馬不可了。It seemed this child-bride could not avoid becoming a spirit medium.若不讓她出馬，大概人要好不了的。If she were not allowed to become a spirit medium, it seemed she would likely never get well.

這種傳說，一傳出來，東鄰西鄰的，又都去建了議，都說那能夠見死不救呢？Once this rumor got about, the neighbors on all sides went and offered their opinions, all saying: how could one stand by and watch someone die without helping?

有的說，讓她出馬就算了。Some said, just let her become a spirit medium and be done with it.有的說，還是不出馬的好。Others said it was better that she not become a spirit medium.年輕輕的就出馬，這一輩子可得什麼才能夠到個頭。To become a spirit medium so young — in this whole lifetime, what could bring such a thing to an end?

她的婆婆則是絕對不贊成出馬的，她說：Her mother-in-law, for her part, was absolutely against her becoming a spirit medium; she said:

「大家可不要錯猜了，以為我訂這媳婦的時候花了幾個錢，我不讓她出馬，好像我捨不得這幾個錢似的。"Now don't any of you go guessing wrong, thinking that because I spent a few coins betrothing this daughter-in-law, my not letting her become a medium is because I begrudge that bit of money.我也是那麼想，一個小小的人出了馬，這一輩子可什麼時候才到個頭。」I think the same as you — such a little person, once she becomes a spirit medium, when in her whole life would it ever come to an end?"

於是大家就都主張不出馬的好，想偏方的，請大神的，各種人才齊聚，東說東的好，西說西的好。So everyone then held that it was better not to have her become a medium; those thinking up folk remedies, those summoning the great spirit-mediums, all sorts of talents gathered together, one side saying their way was best, the other side saying theirs was.於是來了一個「抽帖兒的」。Then along came a "lot-drawer."

他說他不遠千里而來，他是從鄉下趕到的。He said he had come a thousand li without minding the distance, hurrying in from the countryside.他聽城裡的老胡家有一個團圓媳婦新接來不久就病了。He had heard that in town the old Hu family had a child-bride newly brought into the family who had fallen ill not long after.經過多少名醫，經過多少仙家也治不好，他特地趕來看看，萬一要用得著，救一個人命也是好的。She had been treated by ever so many famous physicians and ever so many immortal-spirit healers, none of whom could cure her, so he had come specially to have a look — in case he might be of some use, saving a life would be a good thing too.

這樣一說，十分使人感激。Hearing him say this, people were deeply grateful.於是讓到屋裡，坐在奶奶婆婆的炕沿上。So they showed him into the house and sat him down on the edge of the grandmother-in-law's kang.給他倒一杯水，給他裝一袋煙。They poured him a cup of water and filled him a pipe of tobacco.

大孫子媳婦先過來說：The eldest grandson's wife came forward first and said:

「我家的弟妹，年本十二歲，因為她長得太高，就說她十四歲。"Our little sister-in-law is actually twelve this year, but because she had grown so tall, we said she was fourteen.又說又笑，百病皆無。She used to talk and laugh, with not a single ailment to her.自接到我們家裡就一天一天的黃瘦。Ever since she was brought into our family she has grown sallower and thinner day by day.到近來就水不想喝，飯不想吃，睡覺的時候睜著眼睛，一驚一乍的。Lately she doesn't want to drink water or eat food, and when she sleeps her eyes stay open, and she starts up in fright again and again.什麼偏方都吃過了，什麼香火也都燒過了。We've tried every folk remedy there is, and burned incense to every god there is.就是百般的不好……」And still, in every way, she's no better..."

大孫子媳婦還沒有說完，大娘婆婆就接著說：Before the eldest grandson's wife had finished speaking, the grandmother-in-law broke in and continued:

「她來到我家，我沒給她氣受，那家的團圓媳婦不受氣，一天打八頓，罵三場。"Since she came to our family, I've never made her suffer anger — what family's child-bride doesn't get her share of anger? Eight beatings a day, three rounds of scolding.可是我也打過她，那是我要給她一個下馬威。Still, I did beat her — that was to give her a good scare from the start, to show her who was in charge.我只打了她一個多月，雖然說我打得狠了一點，可是不狠那能夠規矩出一個好人來。I only beat her for a bit over a month; though I admit I beat her rather hard, if you're not hard on her how can you discipline a good person out of her?我也是不願意狠打她的，打得連喊帶叫的，我是為她著想，不打得狠一點，她是不能夠中用的。I too didn't want to beat her so hard that she cried and screamed, but I was thinking of her own good — if I didn't beat her hard, she'd never turn out fit for anything.有幾回，我是把她吊在大樑上，讓她叔公公用皮鞭子狠狠的抽了她幾回，打得是著點狠了，打昏過去了。A few times I hung her from the roof-beam and had her granduncle whip her hard with a leather lash several times; it was rather severe, and she was beaten unconscious.可是只昏了一袋煙的工夫，就用冷水把她澆過來了。But she was only out for about the time it takes to smoke a pipe, and then we brought her round with cold water.是打狠了一點，全身也都打青了，也還出了點血。It's true we beat her rather hard — her whole body was black and blue, and there was a bit of blood too.可是立刻就打了雞蛋青子給她擦上了。But we beat up egg white right away and rubbed it on her.也沒有腫得怎樣高，也就是十天半月的就好了。The swelling never got very bad, and within ten days or half a month she was well again.這孩子，嘴也是特別硬，我一打她，她就說她要回家。This child, her mouth was also unusually stubborn — the moment I beat her, she'd say she wanted to go home.我就問她：『那兒是你的家？So I'd ask her: 'Where is your home?這兒不就是你的家嗎？』她可就偏不這樣說。Isn't this your home right here?' But she just wouldn't say so.她說回她的家。She said she wanted to go back to her own home.我一聽就更生氣。Hearing that only made me angrier.人在氣頭上還管得了這個那個，因此我也用燒紅過的烙鐵烙過她的腳心。When a person is in the heat of anger, who can be bothered with this or that — so I also branded the soles of her feet with a red-hot iron.誰知道來，也許是我把她打掉了魂啦，也許是我把她嚇掉了魂啦，她一說她要回家，我不用打她，我就說看你回家，我用索練子把你鎖起來。Who could have known — maybe I beat the soul clean out of her, or maybe I frightened the soul clean out of her — but after that, whenever she said she wanted to go home, I didn't even need to beat her; I'd just say, just try going home, and I'll chain you up with an iron chain.她就嚇得直叫。And she'd be frightened into crying out.大仙家也看過了，說是要她出馬。The great spirit-medium looked her over too, and said she must become a spirit medium.一個團圓媳婦的花費也不少呢，你看她八歲我訂下她的，一訂就是八兩銀子，年年又是頭繩錢，鞋面錢的，到如今又用火車把她從遼陽接來，這一路的盤費。A child-bride is no small expense, mind you — look, I betrothed her when she was eight, and the betrothal alone cost eight taels of silver, and every year on top of that there's money for hair-ribbons, money for shoe-uppers, and now besides, we brought her by train all the way from Liaoyang, and all the travel expenses for that.到了這兒，就是今天請神，明天看香火，幾天吃偏方。Once she got here, it's been inviting the gods one day, watching the incense the next, taking folk remedies for days on end.若是越吃越好，那還罷了。If she got better and better from all this, well, that would be one thing.可是百般的不見好，將來誰知道來……But in every way she shows no improvement, and who knows what's to come...結果……」In the end..."

不遠千里而來的這位抽帖兒的，端莊嚴肅，風塵僕僕，穿的是藍袍大衫，罩著棉襖。This lot-drawer who had come a thousand li without minding the distance was dignified and solemn, travel-worn from the road, wearing a long blue gown over a cotton-padded jacket.頭上戴的是長耳四喜帽。On his head he wore a long-eared four-joys cap.使人一見了就要尊之為師。The sight of him made people want to honor him as a master at first glance.

所以奶奶婆婆也說：So the grandmother-in-law also said:

「快給我二孫子媳婦抽一個帖吧，看看她的命理如何。」"Please quickly draw a slip for my second grandson's wife, and let's see how her fate lies."

那抽帖兒的一看，這家人家真是誠心誠意，於是他就把皮耳帽子從頭上摘下來了。The lot-drawer saw that this family was truly sincere and earnest, so he took the fur-eared cap off his head.

一摘下帽子來，別人都看得見，這人頭頂上梳著髮捲，戴著道帽。Once the cap came off, everyone could see that on the crown of his head his hair was coiled up, and he wore a Daoist cap.一看就知道他可不是市井上一般的平凡的人。One look and you could tell he was no ordinary man off the streets.別人正想要問，還不等開口，他就說他是某山上的道人，他下山來是為的奔向山東的泰山去，誰知路出波折，缺少盤程，就流落在這呼蘭河的左右，已經不下半年之久了。Just as the others were about to ask, before they could even open their mouths, he told them he was a Daoist from a certain mountain; he had come down the mountain heading for Mount Tai in Shandong, but who would have thought the road turned out full of twists and troubles, and lacking travel funds, he had drifted and stranded here around Hulan River, for no less than half a year now.

人家問他，既是道人，為什麼不穿道人的衣裳。People asked him, since he was a Daoist, why didn't he wear a Daoist's robes.他回答說：He answered:

「你們那裡曉得，世間三百六十行，各有各的苦。"How could you know — in this world, each of the three hundred and sixty trades has its own bitterness.這地方的警察特別厲害，他一看穿了道人的衣裳，他就說三問四。The police in this place are especially fierce; the moment they see someone in Daoist robes, they start interrogating this and that.他們那些叛道的人，無理可講，說抓就抓，說拿就拿。」Those lawless men of theirs, there's no reasoning with them at all — say arrest, and they arrest; say seize, and they seize."

他還有一個別號，叫雲遊真人，他說一提雲遊真人，遠近皆知。He also had another name, called himself the 'Wandering Immortal,' and said that as soon as one mentioned the Wandering Immortal, everyone far and near would know of him.無管什麼病痛或是吉凶，若一抽了他的帖兒，則生死存亡就算定了。No matter what the illness or pain, or good fortune or ill, once one drew one of his slips, the matter of life and death, survival and ruin, would be settled for certain.他說他的帖法，是張天師所傳。He said his method of the slips had been handed down from Zhang Tianshi himself.

他的帖兒並不多，只有四個，他從衣裳的口袋裡一個一個的往外摸，摸出一帖來是用紅紙包著，再一帖還是紅紙包著，摸到第四帖也都是紅紙包著。His slips were not many, only four; he fished them out of his coat pocket one by one — the first slip he pulled out was wrapped in red paper, the next was also wrapped in red paper, and by the time he pulled out the fourth, it too was wrapped in red paper.

他說帖下也沒有字，也沒有影。He said the slips had no writing on them, no markings at all.裡邊只包著一包藥麵，一包紅，一包綠，一包藍，一包黃。Inside, each simply held a packet of medicine powder — one packet red, one green, one blue, one yellow.抽著黃的就是黃金富貴，抽著紅的就是紅顏不老。Draw the yellow one, and it means golden riches and honor; draw the red one, and it means a rosy complexion that never ages.抽到綠的就不大好了，綠色的是鬼火。Draw the green one, and it's not so good — green is a will-o'-the-wisp, a ghost-fire.抽到藍的也不大好，藍的就是鐵臉藍青，張天師說過，鐵臉藍青，不死也得見閻王。Draw the blue one, and it's not good either — blue means an iron face gone blue-black; Zhang Tianshi himself said, an iron face gone blue-black, even if you don't die you'll still have to meet the King of Hell.

那抽帖的人唸完了一套，就讓病人的親人伸出手來抽。Once the lot-drawer had finished reciting his whole spiel, he had the patient's kin hold out a hand to draw.

團圓媳婦的婆婆想，這倒也簡單、容易，她想趕快抽一帖出來看看，命定是死是活，多半也可以看出來個大概。The child-bride's mother-in-law thought, well, this is simple enough and easy; she wanted to quickly draw out a slip and see — whether fate had decreed life or death could probably be told from it roughly.不曾想，剛一伸出手去，那雲遊真人就說：But no sooner had she reached out her hand than the Wandering Immortal said:

「每帖十吊錢，抽著藍的，若嫌不好，還可以再抽，每帖十吊……」"Ten strings of cash per slip; if you draw the blue one and think it's no good, you may draw again — ten strings per slip..."

團圓媳婦的婆婆一聽，這才恍然大悟，原來這可不是白抽的，十吊錢一張可不是玩的，一吊錢撿豆腐可以撿二十塊。Hearing this, the child-bride's mother-in-law suddenly saw the light — so it turned out these weren't free to draw after all; ten strings of cash apiece was nothing to joke about — with one string of cash you could buy twenty pieces of bean curd.三天撿一塊豆腐，二十塊，二三得六，六十天都有豆腐吃。At one piece of bean curd every three days, twenty pieces, three times two makes six, would give sixty days of bean curd to eat.若是隔十天撿一塊，一個月撿三塊，那就半年都不缺豆腐吃了。If instead one piece were bought every ten days, that's three pieces a month, and then there'd be no lack of bean curd for half a year.她又想，三天一塊豆腐，那有這麼浪費的人家。Then she thought again — a piece of bean curd every three days, what family could be so wasteful as that?依著她一個月撿一塊大家嘗嘗也就是了，那麼辦，二十塊豆腐，每月一塊，可以吃二十個月，這二十個月，就是一年半還多兩個月。By her reckoning, buying just one piece a month for everyone to taste would do well enough; reckoned that way, twenty pieces of bean curd, one a month, would last twenty months, and twenty months comes to a year and a half plus two more months.

若不是買豆腐，若養一口小肥豬，經心的餵著它，餵得胖胖的，餵到五六個月，那就是多少錢哪！And if it weren't spent on bean curd, but instead a little fattening pig were raised, carefully fed and fattened up nice and plump, fed for five or six months — why, how much money would that be worth!餵到一年，那就是千八百吊了……Feed them for a year, and that would be a thousand, eight hundred strings of cash...

再說就是不買豬，買雞也好，十吊錢的雞，就是十來個，一年的雞，第二年就可以下蛋，一個蛋，多少錢！Besides, if not pigs, chickens would do just as well — ten strings of cash's worth of chickens would be about ten of them; raise them a year, and the second year they'd start laying eggs — and an egg, why, how much is an egg worth!就說不賣雞蛋，就說拿雞蛋換青菜吧，一個雞蛋換來的青菜，夠老少三輩吃一天的了……Say you didn't even sell the eggs, say you just traded an egg for vegetables — the vegetables you'd get for one egg would be enough to feed three generations, old and young, for a whole day...何況雞會生蛋，蛋還會生雞，永遠這樣循環的生下去，豈不有無數的雞，無數的蛋了嗎？And what's more, chickens lay eggs, and eggs hatch into chickens, and so it goes round and round forever — wouldn't that mean countless chickens, countless eggs?豈不發了財嗎？Wouldn't that make you rich?

但她可並不是這麼想，她想夠吃也就算了，夠穿也就算了。But that was not how she thought of it; she thought enough to eat was enough, enough to wear was enough.一輩子儉儉樸樸，多多少少積儲了一點也就夠了。A lifetime of frugal, simple living, with a little bit saved up here and there — that was enough.她雖然是愛錢，若說讓她發財，她可絕對的不敢。Fond of money though she was, if it came to actually growing rich, she would never have dared.

那是多麼多呀！That would be far too much!數也數不過來了。More than she could ever count.記也記不住了。More than she could ever remember.假若是雞生了蛋，蛋生了雞，來回的不斷的生，這將成個什麼局面，雞豈不和螞蟻一樣多了嗎？Suppose chickens laid eggs and eggs hatched chickens, back and forth without end — what sort of situation would that become? Wouldn't the chickens end up as numerous as ants?看了就要眼花，眼花就要頭痛。Just looking at them would make her eyes swim, and swimming eyes would give her a headache.

這團圓媳婦的婆婆，從前也養過雞，就是養了十吊錢的。This child bride's mother-in-law had once raised chickens herself — just ten strings of cash's worth.她也不多養，她也不少養。She raised neither more nor less.十吊錢的就是她最理想的。Ten strings of cash's worth was her ideal amount.十吊錢買了十二個小雞子，她想：這就正好了，再多怕丟了，再少又不夠十吊錢的。With ten strings of cash she bought twelve chicks. She thought: this is just right — any more and she'd worry about losing some, any fewer and it wouldn't be worth the ten strings.

在她一買這剛出蛋殼的小雞子的時候，她就挨著個看，這樣的不要，那樣的不要。When she went to buy these chicks freshly out of the shell, she examined them one by one, rejecting this one, rejecting that one.黑爪的不要，花膀的不要，腦門上帶點的又不要。Black-clawed ones, no; speckle-winged ones, no; ones with a spot on the forehead, no again.她說她親娘就是會看雞，那真是養了一輩子雞呀！She said her own mother had truly known how to judge chickens — now there was someone who had raised chickens her whole life!年年養，可也不多養。Every year she raised them, yet never too many.可是一輩子針啦，線啦，沒有缺過，一年到頭靡花過錢，都是拿雞蛋換的。But in her whole life she never once ran short of needle and thread — the whole year round she never spent money on them, it was all traded for with eggs.人家那眼睛真是認貨，什麼樣的雞短命，什麼樣的雞長壽，一看就跑不了她老人家的眼睛的。That woman's eye truly knew its goods — which chickens were short-lived, which were long-lived, one glance and nothing escaped the old lady's eye.就說這樣的雞下蛋大，那樣的雞下蛋小，她都一看就在心裡了。Which chicken would lay big eggs, which would lay small ones — she took it all in at a glance and kept it in her mind.

她一邊買著雞，她就一邊怨恨著自己沒有用，想當年為什麼不跟母親好好學學呢！As she bought her chickens, she kept reproaching herself for being useless, wondering why in those years she hadn't properly learned from her mother!唉！Ah!年青的人那裡會慮後事。How could a young person ever think ahead to what was to come?她一邊買著，就一邊感嘆。As she bought, she sighed.她雖然對這小雞子的選擇上邊，也下了萬分的心思，可以說是選無可選了。Though she had put the utmost care into choosing these chicks, one could say she had chosen as carefully as it was possible to choose.那賣雞子的人一共有二百多小雞，她通通的選過了，但究竟她所選了的，是否都是頂優秀的，這一點，她自己也始終把握不定。The chick seller had over two hundred chicks in all, and she had gone through every single one — but whether the ones she finally chose were truly the very best, of this she herself was never quite certain.

她養雞，是養得很經心的，她怕貓吃了，怕耗子咬了。She raised her chickens with the greatest care, fearing the cats would eat them, fearing the rats would bite them.她一看那小雞，白天一打盹，她就給驅著蒼蠅，怕蒼蠅把小雞咬醒了，她讓牠多睡一會，她怕小雞睡眠不足，小雞的腿上，若讓蚊子咬了一塊疤，她一發現了，她就立刻泡了艾蒿水來給小雞來擦。Whenever she saw a chick dozing in the daytime, she would drive the flies away, afraid the flies would bite it awake; she let it sleep a while longer, afraid the chick wasn't getting enough sleep. If a mosquito left a welt on a chick's leg, the moment she discovered it she would at once steep mugwort water and wash the spot with it.她說若不及早的擦呀，那將來是公雞，就要長不大，是母雞就要下小蛋。She said that if you didn't wash it promptly, then later on, if it was a rooster it would fail to grow big, and if it was a hen it would lay small eggs.小雞蛋一個換兩塊豆腐，大雞蛋換三塊豆腐。A small egg traded for two blocks of tofu, a big egg for three blocks of tofu.

這是母雞。That was the hens.再說公雞，公雞是一刀菜，誰家殺雞不想殺胖的。As for the roosters, a rooster was a dish for the knife — and who, in killing a chicken, doesn't want to kill a plump one?小公雞是不好賣的。A scrawny young rooster didn't sell well.

等她的小雞，略微長大了一點，能夠出了屋了，能夠在院子裡自己去找食吃去的時候，她就把牠們給染了六匹紅的，六匹綠的。Once her chicks had grown a bit bigger, able to go outside and forage for themselves in the yard, she dyed six of them red and six of them green.都是在腦門上。All on their foreheads.

至於把顏色染在什麼地方，那就先得看鄰居家的都染在什麼地方，而後才能夠決定。As for exactly where to dye the color, she first had to see where the neighbors had dyed theirs, and only then could she decide.鄰居家的小雞把色染在膀梢上，那她就染在腦門上。If the neighbor's chicks had their color dyed on the wingtips, then she would dye hers on the forehead.鄰居家的若染在了腦門上，那她就要染在肚囊上。If the neighbor's were dyed on the forehead, then she would dye hers on the belly.大家切不要都染在一個地方，染在一個地方可怎麼能夠識別呢？Above all, everyone must not dye theirs in the same spot — if they were all dyed in the same spot, how could you ever tell them apart?你家的跑到我家來，我家的跑到你家去，那麼豈不又要混亂了嗎？If yours ran over to my house and mine ran over to yours, wouldn't that just cause confusion again?

小雞上染了顏色是十分好看的，紅腦門的，綠腦門的，好像牠們都戴了花帽子。Chicks with dyed colors were a lovely sight — red foreheads, green foreheads, as if they were all wearing little flowered caps.好像不是養的小雞，好像養的是小孩似的。It was as if what she raised weren't chicks at all, but children.

這團圓媳婦的婆婆從前她養雞的時候就說過：Back when she raised chickens, this child bride's mother-in-law used to say:

「養雞可比養小孩更嬌貴，誰家的孩子還不就是扔在旁邊他自己長大的，蚊子咬咬，臭蟲咬咬，那怕什麼的，那家的孩子的身上沒有個疤拉癤子的。'Raising chickens is a far more delicate business than raising children — whose child isn't just left off to the side to grow up on his own? A mosquito bite here, a bedbug bite there, what's there to fear in that? Show me a family whose child doesn't have a scar or a boil somewhere on him.沒有疤拉癤子的孩子都不好養活，都要短命的。」A child without a scar or a boil is hard to raise — he's bound to die young.'

據她說，她一輩子的孩子並不多，就是這一個兒子，雖然說是稀少，可是也沒有嬌養過。By her own account, she hadn't had many children in her life — just this one son — and though he was her only one, she had never pampered him.到如今那身上的疤也有二十多塊。Even now his body bore more than twenty scars.

她說：She said:

「不信，脫了衣裳給大家夥看看……'If you don't believe me, take off his clothes and let everyone have a look...那孩子那身上的疤拉，真是多大的都有，盌口大的也有一塊。That child's scars really did come in every size — there was even one as big around as the mouth of a bowl.真不是說，我對孩子真沒有嬌養過。I'm not just saying it — I truly never pampered that child.除了他自個兒跌的摔的不說，就說我用劈柴棒子打的也落了好幾個疤。Not counting the times he fell and tumbled on his own, even just from my beating him with a kindling stick he's got several scars left.養活孩子可不是養活雞鴨的呀！Raising a child is nothing like raising chickens and ducks!養活小雞，你不好好養牠，牠不下蛋。If you don't raise a chick properly, it won't lay eggs.一個蛋，大的換三塊豆腐，小的換兩塊豆腐，是鬧玩的嗎？An egg — a big one trades for three blocks of tofu, a small one for two — is that something to trifle with?可不是鬧著玩的。」It certainly is no trifling matter.'

有一次，她的兒子踏死了一個小雞子，她打了她兒子三天三夜，她說：Once, her son stepped on and killed a chick, and she beat her son for three days and three nights straight. She said:

「我為什麼不打他呢？'Why shouldn't I beat him?一個雞蛋就是三塊豆腐，雞子是雞蛋變的呀！An egg is worth three blocks of tofu, and a chick is what an egg turns into!要想變一個雞子，就非一個雞蛋不行，半個雞蛋能行嗎？To turn into one chick takes nothing less than one whole egg — would half an egg do?不但半個雞蛋不行，就是差一點也不行，壞雞蛋不行，陳雞蛋不行。Not only would half an egg not do, even an egg lacking just a little wouldn't do — a bad egg won't do, a stale egg won't do.一個雞要一個雞蛋，那麼一個雞不就是三塊豆腐是什麼呢？One chicken takes one whole egg, so isn't one chicken worth exactly three blocks of tofu?眼睜睜的把三塊豆腐放在腳底踩了，這該多大的罪，不打他，那兒能夠不打呢？To watch, wide-eyed, as three blocks of tofu get trampled underfoot — what a crime that is! How could I not beat him for it?我越想越生氣，我想起來就打，無管黑夜白日，我打了他三天。The more I thought about it the angrier I got; whenever it came to mind I hit him, day or night made no difference — I beat him for three days.後來打出一場病來，半夜三更的，睡得好好的說哭就哭。Afterward the beating brought on a bout of sickness in him — in the dead of night, sleeping soundly one moment, crying out the next.可是我也沒有當他是一回子事，我就拿飯勺子敲著門框，給他叫了叫魂。But I didn't make much of it — I just took the rice ladle and rapped it against the door frame, calling his soul back for him.沒理他也就好了。」I paid him no more mind after that, and he was fine.'

她這有多少年沒養雞了，自從訂了這團圓媳婦，把積存下的那點針頭線腦的錢都花上了。It had been many years now since she'd raised any chickens — ever since the betrothal of this child bride, she had spent every last bit of the money she'd saved from needles and thread.這還不說，還得每年頭繩錢啦，腿帶錢的託人捎去，一年一個空，這幾年來就緊得不得了。And that wasn't all — every year there was the money for hair-ties, for leg-bands, that had to be sent along through someone, one expense after another, and these past few years money had grown terribly tight.想養幾個雞，都狠心沒有養。She had thought of raising a few chickens again, but had steeled herself and given up the idea.

現在這抽帖的雲遊真人坐在她的眼前，一帖又是十吊錢。Now here was this wandering Immortal sitting right before her eyes, and drawing a single fortune slip cost another ten strings of cash.若是先不提錢，先讓她把帖抽了，那管抽完了再要錢呢，那也總算是沒有花錢就抽了帖的。If only he hadn't mentioned the money first, if he'd just let her draw the slip and only asked for the money afterward, then at least it would have felt as if she'd drawn it without spending anything.可是偏偏不先，那抽帖的人，帖還沒讓抽，就是提到了十吊錢。But as luck would have it, he did the opposite — before she'd even drawn the slip, he'd already brought up the ten strings of cash.

所以那團圓媳婦的婆婆覺得，一伸手，十吊錢，一張口，十吊錢。So it seemed to the child bride's mother-in-law that the moment she reached out her hand, there went ten strings of cash; the moment he opened his mouth, there went ten strings of cash.這不是眼看著錢往外飛嗎？Wasn't this watching money fly right out of her hands before her very eyes?

這不是飛，這是幹什麼，一點聲響也沒有，一點影子也看不見。If this wasn't flying away, what was it — not a single sound, not a single trace to be seen.還不比過河，往河裡扔錢，往河裡扔錢，還聽一個響呢，還打起一個水泡呢。It wasn't even like crossing a river and tossing your money into it — throw money into a river, and at least you'd hear a splash, at least you'd see a bubble rise up.這是什麼代價也沒有的，好比自己發了昏，把錢丟了，好比遇了強盜，活活的把錢搶去了。This was a loss with nothing at all to show for it — like losing your money in a fit of dizziness, like running into bandits who robbed you of it outright.

團圓媳婦的婆婆，差一點沒因為心內的激憤而流了眼淚。The child bride's mother-in-law nearly wept from the indignation welling up inside her.她一想十吊錢一帖，這那裡是抽帖，這是抽錢。When she thought of it — ten strings of cash for one slip — this wasn't drawing a fortune slip at all, this was drawing out her money.

於是她把伸出去的手縮回來了。So she drew back the hand she had reached out.她趕快跑到臉盆那裡去，把手洗了，這可不是鬧笑話的，這是十吊錢那！She hurried over to the washbasin and washed her hands — this was no laughing matter, this was ten strings of cash!她洗完了手又跪在灶王爺那裡禱告了一翻。Once she had washed her hands, she knelt again before the Kitchen God and prayed for a while.禱告完了才能夠抽帖的。Only after praying could she go ahead and draw the slip.

她第一帖就抽了個綠的，綠的不大好，綠的就是鬼火。On her first draw she got a green one — green wasn't very good, green meant ghost-fire.她再抽一抽，這一帖就更壞了，原來就是那最壞的，不死也得見閻王的裡邊包著藍色藥粉的那張帖。She drew again, and this slip was even worse — it turned out to be the very worst one, the slip wrapped around blue powder that meant, even if you didn't die, you'd still have to go see the King of Hell.

團圓媳婦的婆婆一見兩帖都壞，本該抱頭大哭，但是她沒有那麼的。Seeing that both slips were bad, the child bride's mother-in-law should by rights have clutched her head and wept aloud, but she did not.自從團圓媳婦病重了，說長的、道短的、說死的、說活的，樣樣都有。Ever since the child bride had fallen gravely ill, there had been all manner of talk — some saying this, some saying that, some predicting death, some predicting life.又加上已經左次右番的請胡仙、跳大神、鬧神鬧鬼，已經使她見過不少的世面了。And on top of that, having already invited the Fox Immortal time and again, held spirit-medium dances, and stirred up gods and ghosts this way and that, she had already seen quite a bit of the world by now.說好雖然高興，說去見閻王也不怎樣悲哀，似乎一時也總像見不了的樣子。Being told it was good news made her happy enough, but being told she'd go see the King of Hell didn't sadden her so very much either — it somehow always seemed, for the moment, as though she wouldn't actually have to go see him.

於是她就問那雲遊真人，兩帖抽的都不好。So she asked the wandering Immortal — both slips she'd drawn were bad —是否可以想一個方法可以破一破？was there perhaps some way to think up a method to break the curse?雲游真人就說了：The wandering Immortal then said:

「拿筆拿墨來。」'Bring me a brush and ink.'

她家本也沒有筆，大孫子媳婦就跑到大門洞子旁邊那糧米鋪去借去了。Her family had no brush of its own, so the eldest grandson's wife ran off to borrow one from the grain shop beside the gateway.

糧米鋪的山東女老闆，就用山東腔問她：The Shandong woman who ran the grain shop asked her, in her Shandong accent:

「你家做啥？」'What's your family up to?'

大孫子媳婦說：The eldest grandson's wife said:

「給弟妹畫病。」'Drawing a charm to cure my sister-in-law's sickness.'

女老闆又說：The shopkeeper went on:

「你家的弟妹，這一病就可不淺，到如今好了點沒？」'That sister-in-law of yours — this illness of hers is no light thing. Has she gotten any better by now?'

大孫子媳婦本想端著硯台，拿著筆就跑，可是人家關心，怎好不答，於是去了好幾袋煙的工夫，還不見回來。The eldest grandson's wife had meant to grab the inkstone and the brush and run straight back, but since the woman was asking out of concern, how could she not answer? So several pipefuls of tobacco's worth of time went by, and still she hadn't come back.

等她抱了硯台回來的時候，那雲遊真人，已經把紅紙都撕好了。By the time she came back cradling the inkstone, the wandering Immortal had already finished tearing the red paper into strips.於是拿起筆來，在他撕好的四塊紅紙上，一塊上邊寫了一個大字，那紅紙條也不過半寸寬，一寸長。He then picked up the brush and, on each of the four strips of red paper he had torn, wrote a single large character — the strips of red paper were no more than half an inch wide and an inch long.他寫的那字大得都要從紅紙的四邊飛出來了。The character he wrote was so large it seemed about to burst right off the four edges of the red paper.

這四個字，他家本沒有識字的人，灶王爺上的對聯還是求人寫的。As for these four characters — there was no one in that household who could read, even the couplets pasted up for the Kitchen God had had to be written by someone else asked in for the purpose.一模一樣，好像一母所生，也許寫的就是一個字。They looked exactly alike, as if born of the same mother — perhaps it was simply the same character written four times.大孫子媳婦看看不認識，奶奶婆婆看看也不認識。The eldest grandson's wife looked and did not recognize it; the old mother-in-law looked and did not recognize it either.雖然不認識，大概這個字一定也壞不了，不然，就用這個字怎麼能破開一個人不見閻王呢？Though they couldn't read it, surely this character couldn't be a bad one — otherwise, how could this very character serve to keep a person from having to go see the King of Hell?於是都一齊點頭稱好。So they all nodded together and praised it as good.

那雲遊真人又命拿漿糊來。The wandering Immortal then ordered paste to be brought.她們家終年不用漿糊，漿糊多麼貴，白麵十多吊錢一斤。Their household never used paste from one year's end to the next — paste was expensive, white flour cost over ten strings of cash a catty.都是用黃米飯粒來黏鞋面的。They always used grains of cooked millet to stick down the tops of shoes instead.

大孫子媳婦到鍋裡去鏟了一塊黃黏米飯來。The eldest grandson's wife scooped a lump of sticky yellow millet rice out of the pot.雲遊真人，就用飯粒貼在紅紙上了。The wandering Immortal then used the grains of rice to stick the red paper on.於是掀開團圓媳婦蒙在頭上的破棉襖，讓她拿出手來，一個手心上給她貼一張。Then they lifted the ragged cotton jacket that covered the child bride's head, made her bring out her hands, and pasted one strip onto the palm of each hand.又讓她脫了襪子，一隻腳心上給她貼上一張。Then he had her take off her socks as well, and pasted one on the sole of each foot.

雲遊真人一見，腳心上有一大片白色的疤痕，他一想就是方才她婆婆所說的用烙鐵給她烙的。The moment the Wandering Immortal saw the broad white scar on her sole, he knew it was from the branding iron her mother-in-law had just spoken of.可是他假裝不知，問說：But he pretended not to know and asked:

「這腳心可是生過什麼病症嗎？」“Has there perhaps been some ailment on the sole of this foot?”

團圓媳婦的婆婆連忙就接過來說：The young reunion wife’s mother-in-law hurriedly broke in:

「我方才不是說過嗎，是我用烙鐵給她烙的。“Didn’t I just tell you? I branded her there with a hot iron.那裡會見過的呢？Where have you ever seen the like of her?走道像飛似的，打她，她記不住，我就給她烙一烙。She fairly flies when she walks; I beat her, but she never learns, so I gave her a branding.好在也沒什麼，小孩子肉皮活，也就是十天半月的下不來地，過後也就好了。」It was nothing much, anyway. Children’s flesh heals quickly—she could not get out of bed for ten days or a fortnight, but after that she was fine.”

那雲遊真人想了一想，好像要嚇唬她一下，就說這腳心的疤，雖然是貼了紅帖，也怕貼不住，閻王爺是什麼都看得見的，這疤怕是就給了閻王爺以特殊的記號，有點不大好辦。The Wandering Immortal thought for a moment and, apparently wishing to frighten her, said that although a red talisman had been pasted over the scar on her sole, it might not hold: Lord Yan could see everything, and the scar might serve as a special mark by which he could identify her, making matters rather difficult.

雲遊真人說完了，看一看她們怕不怕，好像是不怎樣怕。When the Wandering Immortal had finished, he looked to see whether they were frightened, but they did not seem very frightened.於是他就說得嚴重一些：So he spoke more gravely:

「這疤不掉，閻王爺在三天之內就能夠找到她，一找到她，就要把她活捉了去的。“Unless this scar disappears, Lord Yan will find her within three days; once he finds her, he will have her taken alive.剛才的那帖是再準也沒有的了，這紅帖也絕沒有用處。」The talisman just drawn was as infallible as could be, but even this red talisman will be of absolutely no use.”

他如此的嚇唬著她們，似乎她們從奶奶婆婆到孫子媳婦都不大怕。Though he frightened them in this fashion, none of them, from grandmother and mother-in-law down to grandson and daughter-in-law, seemed particularly afraid.那雲遊真人，連想也沒有想，於是開口就說：Without even pausing to think, the Wandering Immortal began:

「閻王爺不但要捉團圓媳婦去，還要捉了團圓媳婦的婆婆去，現世現報，拿烙鐵烙腳心，這不是虐待，這是什麼，婆婆虐待媳婦，做婆婆的死了下油鍋，老胡家的婆婆虐待媳婦……」“Lord Yan will not only take the young reunion wife, he will take her mother-in-law as well—retribution in this very life! If branding the soles of her feet with a hot iron is not abuse, what is? A mother-in-law who abuses her daughter-in-law will be boiled in oil when she dies. The mother-in-law of the Hu family abuses her daughter-in-law…”

他就越說越聲大，似乎要喊了起來，好像他是專打抱不平的好漢，而變了他原來的態度了。His voice rose louder and louder as he spoke, until he seemed about to shout; as though he were a champion devoted to righting wrongs, his whole former manner changed.

一說到這裡，老胡家的老少三輩都害怕了，毛骨悚然，以為她家裡又是撞進來了什麼惡魔。At this, all three generations of the Hu family, young and old, grew frightened; their hair stood on end, and they thought some other demon had forced its way into their home.而最害怕的是團圓媳婦的婆婆，嚇得亂哆嗦，這是多麼駭人聽聞的事情，虐待媳婦世界上能有這樣的事情嗎？Most frightened of all was the young reunion wife’s mother-in-law, who trembled uncontrollably. What a horrifying thing to hear! Could there really be such a thing in the world as abusing one’s daughter-in-law?

於是團圓媳婦的婆婆趕快跪下了，面向著那雲遊真人，眼淚一對一雙的往下落：The young reunion wife’s mother-in-law quickly knelt facing the Wandering Immortal, tears falling two by two:

「這都是我一輩子沒有積德，有孽遭到兒女的身上，我哀告真人，請真人誠心的給我化散化散，借了真人的靈法，讓我的媳婦死裡逃生吧。」“It is all because I have stored up no virtue in my life, and my sins have fallen upon my children. I beg you, Immortal, sincerely help me dispel them; by the power of your holy arts, let my daughter-in-law escape from death.”

那雲遊真人立刻就不說見閻王了，說她的媳婦一定見不了閻王，因為他還有一個辦法一辦就好的；The Wandering Immortal at once stopped talking about her meeting Lord Yan and said that her daughter-in-law certainly would not meet him, for he had another method that would set everything right as soon as it was performed;說來這法子也簡單得很，就是讓團圓媳婦把襪子再脫下來，用筆在那疤痕上一畫，閻王爺就看不見了。and the method, as he explained it, was very simple: the young reunion wife need only take off her socks again, and with a stroke of his brush upon the scars, Lord Yan would no longer be able to see them.當場就脫下襪子來在腳心上畫了。Her socks were removed on the spot, and he drew upon the soles of her feet.一邊畫著還嘴裡嘟嘟的唸著咒語。As he drew, he muttered incantations under his breath.這一畫不知費了多大力氣，旁邊看著的人倒覺十分的容易，可是那雲遊真人卻冒了滿頭的汗，他故意的咬牙切齒，皺面瞪眼。No one knew how much effort this drawing cost him; to the onlookers it seemed perfectly easy, yet the Wandering Immortal’s forehead streamed with sweat, and he deliberately clenched his teeth, contorted his face, and glared.這一畫也並不是容易的事情，好像他在上刀山似的。This drawing was no easy matter: he looked as though he were climbing a mountain of knives.

畫完了，把錢一算，抽了兩帖二十吊。When he had finished drawing, he reckoned up the charge: the drawing of two talismans came to twenty strings of cash.寫了四個紅紙貼在腳心手心上，每帖五吊是半價出售的，一共是四五等於二十吊。He had written four red-paper talismans to paste on the soles and palms; at five strings each—sold at half price—four times five made twenty strings altogether.外加這一畫，這一畫本來是十吊錢，現在就給打個對折吧，就算五吊錢一隻腳心，一共畫了兩隻腳心，又是十吊。Then there was the drawing besides. A drawing normally cost ten strings, but he would give them a fifty-percent discount and charge only five strings for each sole; as he had drawn on two soles, that made another ten strings.

二十吊加二十吊，再加十吊。Twenty strings plus twenty strings, and another ten strings besides.一共是五十吊。The total came to fifty strings.

雲遊真人拿了這五十吊錢樂樂呵呵的走了。The Wandering Immortal took the fifty strings of cash and went happily on his way.

團圓媳婦的婆婆，在她剛要抽帖的時候，一聽每帖十吊錢，她就心痛得了不得，又要想用這錢養雞，又要想用這錢養豬。When the young reunion wife’s mother-in-law first heard, just as he was about to draw the talismans, that each one cost ten strings, her heart had ached terribly: she thought of using the money to raise chickens, then of using it to raise pigs.等到現在五十吊錢拿出去了，她反而也不想雞了，也不想養豬了。Yet now that the fifty strings had been handed over, she no longer thought of chickens or pigs.因為她想，來到臨頭，不給也是不行了。For she reasoned that once matters had come to this, there had been no way not to pay.帖也抽了，字也寫了，要想不給人家錢也是不可能的了。The talismans had been drawn and the characters written; it was impossible to refuse him his money.事到臨頭，還有什麼辦法呢？Once things had gone that far, what else could she have done?別說五十吊，就是一百吊錢也得算著嗎？Let alone fifty strings—even if it had been a hundred, could she have stopped to count the cost?不給還行嗎？Could she possibly have refused to pay?

於是她心安理得的把五十吊錢給了人家了。And so, with a perfectly easy conscience, she gave him the fifty strings.這五十吊錢，是她秋天出城去在豆田裡拾黃豆粒，一共拾了二升豆子賣了幾十吊錢。Those fifty strings had come from soybeans she had gleaned in the fields outside town that autumn; altogether she had gathered two sheng of beans and sold them for several dozen strings of cash.在田上拾黃豆粒也不容易，一片大田，經過主人家的收割，還能夠剩下多少豆粒呢？Gleaning soybeans in the fields was no easy task: after the owners had harvested a vast field, how many beans could possibly remain?而況窮人聚了那麼大的一群，孩子、女人、老太太……Besides, such a great crowd of poor people gathered there—children, women, old ladies…你搶我奪的，你爭我打的。snatching and scrambling, fighting and scuffling with one another.為了二升豆子就得在田上爬了半月二十天的，爬得腰酸腿疼。For two sheng of beans, one had to crawl about the fields for a fortnight or twenty days, until one’s back ached and one’s legs were sore.唉，為著這點豆子，那團圓媳婦的婆婆還到「李永春」藥鋪，去買過二兩紅花的。Ah, and because of those few beans, the young reunion wife’s mother-in-law had even gone to the “Li Yongchun” pharmacy to buy two liang of safflower.那就是因為在土上爬豆子的時候，有一棵豆秧刺了她的手指甲一下。It was because, while she was crawling over the ground gathering beans, a soybean stalk had pricked beneath one of her fingernails.她也沒有在乎，把刺拔出來也就去他的了。She paid it no heed; she pulled out the thorn and thought no more of it.該拾豆子還是拾豆子。She went right on gathering beans as before.就因此那指甲可就不知怎麼樣，睡了一夜那指甲就腫起來了，腫得和茄子似的。But because of this, something somehow happened to the fingernail: after one night’s sleep, the finger swelled up as large as an eggplant.

這腫一腫又算什麼呢？And what did a little swelling matter?又不是皇上娘娘，說起來可真嬌慣了，那有一個人吃天靠天，而不生點天災的？She was no empress or imperial consort—to make a fuss would be sheer pampering. Who could live by Heaven’s bounty without suffering a little calamity from Heaven?

鬧了好幾天，夜裡痛得火喇喇的不能睡覺了。It troubled her for several days, until at night the burning pain kept her from sleeping.這才去買了二兩紅花來。Only then did she go and buy two liang of safflower.

說起買紅花來，是早就該買的，奶奶婆婆勸她買，她不買。In truth, she ought to have bought it long before; the grandmother had urged her to, but she refused.大孫子媳婦勸她買，她也不買。Her eldest grandson’s wife urged her to buy it, and still she refused.她的兒子想用孝順來爭服他的母親，他強硬的要去給她買，因此還挨了他媽的一煙袋鍋子，這一煙袋鍋子就把兒子的腦袋給打了雞蛋大的一個包。Her son tried to overcome his mother’s objections by acting the dutiful son and firmly insisted on going to buy it for her; for this he received a blow from the bowl of his mother’s pipe, which raised an egg-sized lump on his head.

「你這小子，你不是敗家嗎？“You wretch, are you trying to ruin this family?你媽還沒死，你就作了主了。Your mother isn’t dead yet, and already you’re making the decisions.小兔仔子，我看著你再說買紅花的！You little bastard, just let me hear you talk about buying safflower again!大兔仔子我看著你的。」You big bastard, I’ll be watching you too.”

就這一邊罵著，一邊煙袋鍋子就打下來了。She cursed as she brought the pipe bowl down upon him.

後來也到底還是買了，大概是驚動了東鄰西舍，這家說說，那家講講的，若再不買點紅花來，也太不好看了，讓人家說老胡家的大兒媳婦，一年到頭，就能夠尋尋覓覓的積錢，錢一到她的手裡，就好像掉了地縫了，一個錢也再不用想從她的手裡拿出來。In the end, however, she did buy it—probably because the commotion had reached all the neighbors, and one household talked while another commented; if she still refused to buy a little safflower, it would look too bad, and people would say that the Hu family’s eldest daughter-in-law spent the whole year scraping and searching to hoard money, and that once money reached her hands it was as though it had fallen into a crack in the earth: no one could ever hope to get a single coin back from her.假若這樣的說開去，也是不太好聽，何況這揀來的豆子能賣好幾十吊呢，花個三吊兩吊的就花了吧。It would not sound very good if such talk spread; besides, the beans she had gleaned would fetch several dozen strings, so she might as well spend two or three of them.一咬牙，去買上二兩紅花來擦擦。Gritting her teeth, she would go buy two liang of safflower to rub on the hand.

想雖然是這樣想過了，但到底還沒有決定，延持了好幾天還沒有「一咬牙」。That was what she thought, but she still could not make up her mind; she delayed several more days without finally “gritting her teeth.”

最後也畢竟是買了，她選擇了一個頂嚴重的日子，就是她的手，不但一個指頭，而是整個的手都腫起來了。At last she did buy it, choosing a day when matters had become extremely grave: not merely one finger, but her entire hand had swollen up.那原來腫得像茄子的指頭，現在更大了，已經和一個小東瓜似的了。The finger that had originally been as swollen as an eggplant was larger still, now resembling a small winter melon.而且連手掌也無限度的胖了起來，胖得和張大簸箕似的。Even her palm had puffed up beyond all bounds, until it looked like a large winnowing basket spread wide.她多少年來，就嫌自己太瘦，她總說，太瘦的人沒有福分。For years she had disliked being too thin; she always said that thin people had no good fortune.尤其是瘦手瘦腳的，一看就不帶福相。Thin hands and feet in particular looked at once as though they bore no signs of prosperity.尤其是精瘦的兩隻手，一伸出來和雞爪似的，真是輕薄的樣子。Above all, two scrawny hands, which when held out looked like chicken claws, had a truly mean and flimsy appearance.

現在她的手是胖了，但這樣胖法，是不大舒服的。Now her hand had grown plump, but plumpness of this kind was not very comfortable.同時她也發了點熱，她覺得眼睛和嘴都乾，臉也發燒，身上也時冷時熱，她就說：At the same time she developed a slight fever; her eyes and mouth felt dry, her face burned, and her body turned cold and hot by turns, so she said:

「這手是要鬧點事嗎？“Is this hand going to make trouble?這手……」This hand…”

一清早起，她就這樣的唸了好幾遍。From the moment she rose early that morning, she repeated this several times.那胖得和小簸箕似的手，是一動也不能動了，好像一匹大貓或者一個小孩的頭似的，她把它放在枕頭上和她一齊的躺著。The hand, swollen like a little winnowing basket, could no longer move at all; it resembled a great cat or a child’s head, and she laid it on the pillow to lie beside her.

「這手是要鬧點事的吧！」“This hand is going to make trouble, isn’t it?”

當她的兒子來到她旁邊的時候，她就這樣說。That was what she said when her son came to her side.

她的兒子一聽她母親的口氣，就有些了解了。Hearing the tone of his mother’s voice, her son understood somewhat.大概這回她是要買紅花的了。It seemed that this time she was willing to buy safflower.

於是她的兒子跑到奶奶的面前，去商量著要給她母親去買紅花，她們家住的是南北對面的炕，那商量的話聲，雖然不甚大，但是他的母親是聽到的了。So her son ran to his grandmother to discuss buying safflower for his mother. Their family slept on kangs facing each other across the room, one north and one south, and although they did not speak very loudly, his mother heard their discussion.聽到了，也假裝沒有聽到，好表示這買紅花可到底不是她的意思，可並不是她的主使，她可沒有讓他們去買紅花。She heard it but pretended she had not, to show that buying the safflower was not her idea after all, that she had not instigated it and certainly had not told them to go and buy any.

在北炕上，祖孫二人商量了一會，孫子說向她媽去要錢去。On the north kang, grandmother and grandson discussed it for a while, and the grandson said he would go ask his mother for the money.祖母說：The grandmother said:

「拿你奶奶的錢先去買吧，你媽好了再還我。」“Use your grandmother’s money to buy it first; your mother can repay me when she is better.”

祖母故意把這句說得聲音大一點，似乎故意讓她的大兒媳婦聽見。The grandmother deliberately said this a little louder, apparently so that her eldest daughter-in-law would hear.

大兒媳婦是不但這句話，就是全部的話也都了然在心了，不過裝著不動就是了。The eldest daughter-in-law had understood not only this sentence but their entire conversation; she merely lay still and pretended otherwise.

紅花買回來了，兒子坐到母親的旁邊，兒子說：When the safflower was brought back, the son sat beside his mother and said:

「媽，你把紅花酒擦上吧。」“Ma, let me rub on the wine with the safflower in it.”

母親從枕頭上轉過臉兒來，似乎買紅花這件事情，事先一點也不曉得，說：The mother turned her face on the pillow as though she had known nothing beforehand about the purchase and said:

「喲！“Oh!這小鬼羔子，到底買了紅花來……」So the little devil went and bought safflower after all…”

這回可並沒有用煙袋鍋子打，倒是安安靜靜的把手伸出來，讓那浸了紅花的酒，把一隻胖手完全染上了。This time she did not strike him with her pipe bowl; instead, she quietly held out her hand and let the wine in which the safflower had been steeped stain the whole swollen hand.

這紅花到底是二吊錢的，還有三吊錢的，若是二吊錢的倒給的不算少，若是三吊錢的，那可貴了一點。After all, perhaps the safflower had cost two strings, or perhaps three; if it was two, the amount they had given her was not too little, but if it was three, then it was rather expensive.若是讓她自己去買，她可絕對的不能買這麼多，也不就是紅花嗎！Had she gone to buy it herself, she certainly would never have bought so much. It was only safflower, after all!紅花就是紅的就是了，治病不治病，誰曉得？Safflower was simply red—that was all; who knew whether it cured illness or not?也不過就是解解心疑就是了。It did no more than set one’s worried mind at ease.

她想著想著，因為手上塗了酒覺得涼爽，就要睡一覺，又加上燒酒的氣味香撲撲的，紅花的氣味藥忽忽的。As she brooded over this, the wine on her hand felt cool and refreshing, making her want to sleep; besides, the liquor smelled sweet and fragrant, while the safflower had a strong medicinal scent.她覺得實在是舒服了不少。She felt considerably more comfortable.於是她一閉眼睛就做了一個夢。So the moment she closed her eyes, she had a dream.

這夢做的是她買了兩塊豆腐，這豆腐又白又大。In this dream she bought two cakes of tofu, both large and white.是用什麼錢買的呢？What money did she use to buy them?就是用買紅花剩來的錢買的。Why, the money left over from buying the safflower.因為在夢裡邊她夢見是她自己去買的紅花。For in her dream, she had gone to buy the safflower herself.她自己也不買三吊錢的，也不買兩吊錢的，是買了一吊錢的。She had bought neither three strings’ worth nor two strings’ worth, but only one string’s worth.在夢裡邊她還算著，不但今天有兩塊豆腐吃，那天一高興還有兩塊吃的！In her dream she even calculated that not only would they have two cakes of tofu to eat today, but whenever the fancy took her, there would still be money for two more!三吊錢才買了一吊錢的紅花呀！Out of three strings, she had spent only one on safflower!

現在她一遭就拿了五十吊錢給了雲遊真人。Yet now, all at once, she had handed fifty strings of cash to the Wandering Immortal.若照她的想法來說，這五十吊錢可該買多少豆腐了呢？According to her way of reckoning, how much tofu could those fifty strings have bought?

但是她沒有想，一方面因為團圓媳婦的病也實在病得纏綿，在她身上花錢也花得大手大腳的了。But she did not think of it: for one thing, the young reunion wife’s illness truly had dragged on and on, and she had already grown free-handed in spending money on her.另一方面就是那雲遊真人的來勢也過於猛了點，竟打起抱不平來，說她虐待團圓媳婦。For another, the Wandering Immortal had come on rather too fiercely, actually setting himself up as a champion of justice and accusing her of abusing the young reunion wife.還是趕快的給了他錢，讓他滾蛋吧。Better to give him the money quickly and let him get out.

真是家裡有病人是什麼氣都受得呵。Truly, when there is a sick person in the house, one has to swallow every kind of indignity.團圓媳婦的婆婆左思右想，越想越是自己遭了无妄之災，滿心的冤曲，想罵又沒有對象，想哭又哭不出來，想打也無處下手了。The young reunion wife’s mother-in-law thought it over and over, and the more she thought, the more she felt she had suffered an undeserved calamity; her heart was full of grievance, but she had no one to curse, she wanted to cry but no tears would come, and she wanted to strike someone but there was nowhere to land the blow.

那小團圓媳婦再打也就受不住了。The little reunion wife could not endure another beating.

若是那小團圓媳婦剛來的時候，那就非先抓過她來打一頓再說。Had this been when the little reunion wife first arrived, she would certainly have seized her and given her a beating before doing anything else.做婆婆的打了一隻飯盌，也抓過來把小團圓媳婦打一頓。The mother-in-law, if she broke a rice bowl, would grab the child bride and give her a beating.她丟了一根針也抓過來把小團圓媳婦打一頓。If she lost a needle, she'd grab her and give her a beating too.她跌了一個觔斗，把單褲膝蓋的地方跌了一個洞，她也抓過來把小團圓媳婦打一頓。If she tripped and fell, tearing a hole in the knee of her trousers, she'd also grab her and give her a beating.總之，她一不順心，她就覺得她的手就想要打人。In short, whenever anything displeased her, she felt her hands itching to hit someone.她打誰呢！Whom should she hit?誰能夠讓她打呢？Who could she possibly hit?於是就輪到小團圓媳婦了。So it always fell to the child bride.

有娘的，她不能夠打。Those who had mothers, she could not hit.她自己的兒子也捨不得打。Her own son, too, she could not bear to hit.打貓，她怕把貓打丟了。Hit the cat — she was afraid of beating it into running off for good.打狗，她怕把狗打跑了。Hit the dog — she was afraid of scaring it away.打豬，怕豬掉了斤兩。Hit the pig — she was afraid it would lose weight.打雞，怕雞不下蛋。Hit the chicken — she was afraid it would stop laying eggs.

惟獨打這小團圓媳婦是一點毛病沒有，她又不能跑掉，她又不能丟了。Only hitting this child bride caused no trouble at all — she couldn't run off, and she couldn't be lost.她又不會下蛋，反正也不是豬，打掉了一些斤兩也不要緊，反正也不過秤。She couldn't lay eggs either, but then again she wasn't a pig, so it didn't matter if she lost some weight from a beating, since no one was going to weigh her anyway.

可是這小團圓媳婦，一打也就吃不下飯去。But this child bride, once beaten, could not eat.吃不下飯去不要緊，多喝一點飯米湯好啦，反正飯米湯剩下也是要餵豬的。Not eating didn't matter — she could just drink more rice gruel; the leftover rice gruel was only going to be fed to the pigs anyway.

可是這都成了已往的她的光榮的日子了，那種自由的日子恐怕一時不會再來了。But these had already become days of past glory for her — those free and easy days were probably not going to come again for a while.現在她不用說打，就連罵也不大罵她了。Now, not to mention beatings, even scoldings had grown rare.

現在她別的都不怕，她就怕她死，她心裡總有一個陰影，她的小團圓媳婦可不要死了呵。Now there was nothing else she feared; she was only afraid that the girl would die — there was always a shadow in her heart: don't let this child bride of hers die.

於是她碰到了多少的困難，她都克服了下去，她咬著牙根，她忍住眼淚，她要罵不能罵，她要打不能打。So however many difficulties she met, she overcame them all — she gritted her teeth, she held back her tears; when she wanted to scold, she could not scold; when she wanted to hit, she could not hit.她要哭，她又止住了。When she wanted to cry, she held that back too.無限的傷心，無限的悲哀，常常一齊會來到她的心中的。Boundless sorrow and boundless grief would often come flooding into her heart all at once.她想，也許是前生沒有做了好事，此生找到她了。She thought, perhaps in her past life she had failed to do good deeds, and in this life it had caught up with her.不然為什麼連一個團圓媳婦的命都沒有。Otherwise why would she not even have the fortune to keep a child bride?她想一想，她一生沒有做過惡事，面軟、心慈，凡事都是自己吃虧，讓著別人。She thought it over — in her whole life she had never done an evil deed; she was soft-faced and warm-hearted, and in everything she had always let herself lose out and given way to others.雖然沒有吃齋唸佛，但是初一十五的素口也自幼就吃著。Although she had never taken up vegetarian fasting and chanting sutras, she had eaten a vegetarian diet on the first and fifteenth of the month since she was young.雖然不怎樣拜廟燒香，但四月十八的廟會，也沒有拉下過。Although she was not one for much temple-worship and incense-burning, she had never once missed the temple fair on the eighteenth of the fourth month.娘娘廟前一把香，老爺廟前三個頭。A stick of incense before the Empress of Heaven's temple, three kowtows before the Lord's temple.那一年也都是燒香磕頭的沒有拉過『過場』。Every single year she had burned incense and kowtowed without ever missing the "rounds."雖然是自小沒有讀過詩文，不認識字，但是《金剛經》《灶王經》也會唸上兩套。Although since childhood she had never studied poetry or letters and did not know how to read, she could still recite a couple of passages from the Diamond Sutra and the Kitchen God Sutra.雖然說不曾做過捨善的事情，沒有補過路，沒有修過橋，但是逢年過節，對那些討飯的人，也常常給過他們剩湯剩飯的。Although she had never, so to speak, done charitable works — never repaired a road, never mended a bridge — still, at each year's festivals, she had often given the beggars her leftover soup and rice.雖然過日子不怎樣儉省，但也沒有多吃過一塊豆腐。Although she had not lived all that frugally, she had never eaten so much as an extra piece of tofu beyond her share.拍拍良心，對天對得起，對地也對得住。Patting her own conscience, she could answer to Heaven above and to Earth below with a clear conscience.那為什麼老天爺明明白白的卻把禍根種在她身上？So why would Heaven so plainly and clearly plant the root of this calamity upon her?

她越想，她越心煩意亂。The more she thought about it, the more her heart was thrown into turmoil.

「都是前生沒有做了好事，今生才找到了。」"It's all because in my past life I failed to do good deeds, and in this life it has found me."

她一想到這裡，她也就不再想了，反正事到臨頭，瞎想一陣又能怎樣呢？Once her thoughts reached this point, she would stop thinking about it any further — after all, when trouble comes, what good does it do to sit around thinking wildly?於是她自己勸著自己就又忍著眼淚，咬著牙根，把她那兢兢業業的，養豬餵狗所積下來的那點錢，又一吊一吊的，一五一十的，往外拿著。So she consoled herself, and again holding back her tears and gritting her teeth, she took that money she had so painstakingly saved up from raising pigs and feeding dogs, and, string of cash by string of cash, coin by coin, handed it all out.

東家說看個香火，西家說吃個偏方。This household said to go look after the incense fire, that household said to try a folk remedy.偏方、野藥、大神、趕鬼、看香、扶乩，樣樣都已經試過。Folk remedies, wild medicines, great spirit-mediums, exorcists driving off ghosts, incense-divination, planchette-writing — every single one of them she had already tried.錢也不知花了多少，但是都不怎樣見效。No telling how much money had been spent, but none of it did much good.

那小團圓媳婦夜裡說夢話，白天發燒。That child bride talked in her sleep at night and ran a fever during the day.一說起夢話來，總是說她要回家。Whenever she talked in her sleep, she always said she wanted to go home.

「回家」這兩個字，她的婆婆覺得最不祥，就怕她是陰間的花姐，閻王奶奶要把她叫了回去。The words "go home" struck her mother-in-law as the most ominous of all — she was afraid that the girl was the Flower Girl of the underworld, and that the Queen of Hell was calling her back.於是就請了一個圓夢的。So she brought in a dream-interpreter.那圓夢的一圓，果然不錯，「回家」就是回陰間地獄的意思。The dream-interpreter's interpretation turned out, sure enough, to confirm it — "go home" meant going back to the underworld, to hell.

所以那小團圓媳婦，做夢的時候，一夢到她的婆婆打她，或者是用梢子繩把她吊在房樑上了，或是夢見婆婆用烙鐵烙她的腳心，或是夢見婆婆用針刺她的手指尖。So whenever that child bride, in her dreams, dreamed of her mother-in-law beating her, or of being hung from the roof beam by a rope, or dreamed of her mother-in-law searing the soles of her feet with a hot iron, or dreamed of her mother-in-law jabbing needles into her fingertips —一夢到這些，她就大哭大叫，而且嚷她要「回家」。— whenever she dreamed such things, she would cry and scream, and shout that she wanted to "go home."

婆婆一聽她嚷回家，就伸出手去在大腿上擰著她。As soon as the mother-in-law heard her shouting about going home, she would reach out and pinch her on the thigh.日子久了，擰來，擰去，那小團圓媳婦的大腿被擰得像一個梅花鹿似的青一塊、紫一塊的了。As the days went on, pinched again and again, the child bride's thighs came to be mottled blue and purple all over, like the spots on a sika deer.

她是一份善心，怕是真的她回了陰間地獄，趕快的把她叫醒來。It came from a kind of good will on her part — afraid that the girl really had gone back to the underworld, she hurried to wake her up.

可是小團圓媳婦睡得朦裡朦朧的，她以為她的婆婆可又真的在打她了，於是她大叫著，從炕上翻身起來，就跳下地去，拉也拉不住她，按也按不住她。But the child bride, still half asleep and dazed, thought that her mother-in-law was truly beating her again, and so she would scream and thrash, flip over off the brick bed, and jump down onto the floor — no one could hold her back by pulling, no one could hold her down by pressing.

她的力氣大得驚人，她的聲音喊得怕人。Her strength was astonishingly great, and her cries were frightening to hear.她的婆婆於是覺得更是見鬼了、著魔了。So her mother-in-law came to feel all the more that this was truly a case of ghosts and possession.

不但她的婆婆，全家的人也都相信這孩子的身上一定有鬼。And it was not only the mother-in-law — the whole family too came to believe that this child must surely have a ghost in her body.

誰聽了能夠不相信呢？Who, hearing all this, could fail to believe it?半夜三更的喊著回家，一招呼醒了，她就跳下地去，瞪著眼睛，張著嘴，連哭帶叫的，那力氣比牛還大，那聲音好像殺豬似的。In the dead of night she would shout about going home, and the moment she was startled awake she would leap down to the floor, eyes staring wide, mouth gaping open, crying and screaming all together, with strength greater than an ox's and a voice like a pig being slaughtered.

誰能夠不相信呢？Who could fail to believe it?又加上她婆婆的渲染，說她眼珠子是綠的，好像兩點鬼火似的，說她的喊聲，是直聲拉氣的，不是人聲。And on top of that, her mother-in-law embellished the story further, saying the girl's eyeballs had turned green, like two points of ghost-fire, and that her screaming had a strange, drawn-out, unnatural pitch to it, not like a human voice at all.

所以一傳出去，東鄰西舍的，沒有不相信的。So once word got out, there was not a neighbor to the east or west who did not believe it.

於是一些善人們，就覺得這小女孩子也實在讓鬼給捉弄得可憐了。Then some kind-hearted souls came to feel that this little girl really was being tormented pitifully by ghosts.那個孩兒是沒有娘的，那個人不是肉生肉長的。That child, after all, had no mother of her own; what person is not born of flesh and raised in flesh?誰家不都是養老育小，……Whose family does not raise the old and rear the young...於是大動惻隱之心。And so great pity was stirred in their hearts.東家二姨，西家三姑，她說她有奇方，她說她有妙法。This household's Second Aunt, that household's Third Auntie — each said she had a wonderful prescription, each said she had a marvelous method.

於是就又跳神趕鬼、看香、扶乩，老胡家鬧得非常熱鬧。So once again there was spirit-dancing to drive off ghosts, incense-divination, planchette-writing, and the old Hu family's house grew tremendously lively.傳為一時之盛。It was passed around as a grand event of the season.若有不去看跳神趕鬼的，竟被指為落伍。Anyone who did not go to watch the spirit-dance and ghost-exorcism was practically branded as behind the times.

因為老胡家跳神跳得花樣翻新，是自古也沒有這樣跳的，打破了跳神的紀錄了，給跳神開了一個新紀元。Because the old Hu family's spirit-dancing was performed with ever new variations, the like of which had never been seen since ancient times — it broke every record for spirit-dancing and opened up a whole new era for the art.若不去看看，耳目因此是會閉塞了的。If one did not go and see it, one's ears and eyes would, on that account, be left closed off from the world.

當地沒有報紙，不能記錄這樁盛事。This locality had no newspaper, so there was no way to record such a grand occasion.若是患了半身不遂的人，患了癱病的人，或是大病臥床不起的人，那真是一生的不幸，大家也都為他惋惜，怕是他此生也要孤陋寡聞，因為這樣的隆重的盛舉，他究竟不能夠參加。As for anyone who suffered from paralysis on one side of the body, or from palsy, or lay bedridden with serious illness — that was truly a misfortune for a whole lifetime; everyone felt sorry for them, worried that for the rest of their days they would remain ignorant and out of touch, since such a magnificent, grand affair as this was one they simply could not attend.

呼蘭河這地方，到底是太閉塞，文化是不大有的。This place, Hulan River, was, after all, far too cut off from the world — there was not much culture to speak of.雖然當地的官、紳，認為已經滿意了，而且請了一位滿清的翰林，作了一首歌，歌曰：Although the local officials and gentry considered themselves already quite satisfied, they went further still and invited a Hanlin scholar from the former Qing dynasty to compose a song, and the song went:

溯呼蘭天然森林，自古多奇材。"Tracing the natural forests of Hulan back to their source, since ancient times it has produced many a rare talent."

這首歌還配上了從東洋流來的樂譜，使當地的小學都唱著。This song was even set to sheet music that had come over from Japan, so that all the local primary schools sang it.這歌不止這兩句這麼短，不過只唱這兩句就已經夠好的了。The song was not only these two lines — it was much longer — but just these two lines alone were already good enough.所好的是使人聽了能夠引起一種自負的感情來，尤其當清明植樹節的時候，幾個小學堂的學生都排起隊來在大街上遊行，並唱著這首歌。What was good about it was that hearing it could stir up a certain feeling of pride in people, especially at the Qingming tree-planting festival, when the pupils of several primary schools would line up and parade through the main street, singing this very song.使老百姓聽了，也覺得呼蘭河是個了不起的地方，一開口說話就：「我們呼蘭河」；It made the common folk who heard it feel that Hulan River really was a remarkable place, so that the moment they opened their mouths to speak they would say, "Our Hulan River" —那在街道上撿糞蛋的孩子，手裡提著糞耙子，他還說：「我們呼蘭河！」可不知道呼蘭河給了他什麼好處。Even that child picking up dung along the street, dung-rake in hand, would say, "Our Hulan River!" — though who knows just what good Hulan River had ever done for him.也許那糞耙子就是呼蘭河給了他的。Perhaps that very dung-rake was the good that Hulan River had given him.

呼蘭河這地方，儘管奇才很多，但到底太閉塞，竟不會辦一張報紙。This place, Hulan River, for all its many rare talents, was after all so cut off from the world that it could not even manage to put out a single newspaper.以至於把當地的奇聞妙事都沒有記載，任它風散了。As a result, all the local wonders and marvels went unrecorded, left to scatter on the wind.

老胡家跳大神，就實在跳得奇。The spirit-dancing at the old Hu family's house was truly, remarkably strange.用大缸給團圓媳婦洗澡，而且是當眾就洗的。They used a great vat to bathe the child bride, and moreover bathed her right there in front of everyone.

這種奇聞盛舉一經傳了出來，大家都想去開開眼界，就是那些患了半身不遂的，患了癱病的人，人們覺得他們癱了倒沒有什麼，只是不能夠前來看老胡家團圓媳婦大規模的洗澡，真是一生的不幸。Once word of this remarkable, grand spectacle got out, everyone wanted to go and broaden their eyes with the sight of it; even those who suffered from paralysis or palsy — people felt that their being paralyzed was nothing much in itself, it was only that they could not come and see the grand-scale bathing of the old Hu family's child bride, and that truly was a misfortune for a lifetime.

天一黃昏，老胡家就打起鼓來了。As soon as dusk fell, the old Hu family's drums began to beat.大缸、開水、公雞，都預備好了。The great vat, the boiling water, the rooster — everything was made ready.

公雞抓來了，開水燒滾了，大缸擺好了。The rooster was caught, the water was boiled to a rolling boil, the great vat was set out.

看熱鬧的人，絡繹不絕的來看。People who came to watch the excitement arrived in an endless stream.我和祖父也來了。My grandfather and I went too.

小團圓媳婦躺在炕上，黑忽忽的，笑呵呵的。The child bride lay on the brick bed, dark and grimy-looking, smiling and laughing.我給她一個玻璃球，又給她一片盌碟，她說這盌碟很好看，她拿在眼睛前照一照。I gave her a glass marble, and also a piece of broken bowl-and-dish china; she said the china was very pretty, and held it up before her eyes to look at it.她說這玻璃球也很好玩，她用手指甲彈著。She said the glass marble was fun too, and flicked it with her fingernail.她看一看她的婆婆不在旁邊，她就起來了，她想要坐起來在炕上彈這玻璃球。Seeing that her mother-in-law was not nearby, she got up, wanting to sit up on the brick bed and flick the marble there.

還沒有彈，她的婆婆就來了，就說：Before she had even flicked it once, her mother-in-law came in and said:

「小不知好歹的，你又起來瘋什麼？」"You little good-for-nothing, getting up again — what are you carrying on for?"

說著走近來，就用破棉襖把她蒙起來了，蒙得沒頭沒腦的，連臉也露不出來。So saying, she came close and threw a ragged cotton jacket over her, covering her up completely, head and all, so that not even her face could be seen.

我問祖父她為什麼不讓她玩？I asked my grandfather why she wouldn't let her play.

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「她有病。」"She's sick."

我說：I said:

「她沒有病，她好好的。」"She's not sick, she's perfectly fine."

於是我上去把棉襖給她掀開了。So I went up and pulled the cotton jacket off her.

掀開一看，她的眼睛早就睜著。When I lifted it off, I saw her eyes had already been wide open all along.她問我，她的婆婆走了沒有，我說走了，於是她又起來了。She asked me whether her mother-in-law had gone, and I said she had, so she got up again.

她一起來，她的婆婆又來了。As soon as she got up, her mother-in-law came back again.又把她給蒙了起來說：She covered her up again, saying:

「也不怕人家笑話，病得跳神趕鬼的，那有的事情，說起來，就起來。」"Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you — sick enough for spirit-dancing and ghost-exorcism, yet the moment someone says 'get up,' up you get."

這是她婆婆向她小聲說的，等婆婆回過頭去向著眾人，就又那麼說：This was what her mother-in-law said to her in a low voice; but the moment she turned back around to face the crowd, she would say instead:

「她是一點也著不得涼的，一著涼就犯病。」"She can't stand the slightest chill — the least little draft and she falls ill."

屋裡屋外，越張羅越熱鬧了，小團圓媳婦跟我說：Inside the house and out, the more the bustle grew, the livelier it became, and the child bride said to me:

「等一會你看吧，就要洗澡了。」"Just wait a while and you'll see — soon they're going to give me a bath."

她說著的時候，好像說著別人的一樣。As she said this, it was as though she were talking about someone else entirely.

果然，不一會工夫就洗起澡來了，洗得吱哇亂叫。Sure enough, before long the bathing began, and she was bathed amid a chorus of shrieking cries.

大神打著鼓，命令她當眾脫了衣裳。The great shaman beat the drum and ordered her to strip off her clothes in front of everyone.衣裳她是不肯脫的，她的婆婆抱住了她，還請了幾個幫忙的人，就一齊上來，把她的衣裳撕掉了。She would not take her clothes off willingly, so her mother-in-law held her down, and with several helpers called in besides, they all set upon her together and tore her clothes off.

她本來是十二歲，卻長得十五六歲那麼高，所以一時看熱鬧的姑娘媳婦們，看了她。She was actually only twelve years old, but had grown as tall as a girl of fifteen or sixteen, so that for a moment the girls and young wives who had come to watch, upon seeing her,都難為情起來。all grew embarrassed on her behalf.

很快的小團圓媳婦就被抬進大缸裡去。Very quickly the little child-bride was carried into the big vat.大缸裡滿是熱水，是滾熟的熱水。The big vat was full of hot water — water boiled scalding hot.

她在大缸裡邊，叫著、跳著，好像她要逃命似的狂喊。Inside the vat she screamed and thrashed, howling wildly as if trying to flee for her life.她的旁邊站著三四個人從缸裡攪起熱水來往她的頭上澆。Beside her stood three or four people, scooping up the hot water from the vat and pouring it over her head.不一會，澆得滿臉通紅，她再也不能夠掙扎了，她安穩的在大缸裡邊站著，她再不往外邊跳了，大概她覺得跳也跳不出來了。Before long, her whole face had been scalded crimson, and she could struggle no more; she stood quietly inside the vat and no longer tried to jump out — probably she felt that jumping out was useless.那大缸是很大的，她站在裡邊僅僅露著一個頭。That vat was very large; standing inside it, only her head showed above the rim.

我看了半天，到後來她連動也不動，哭也不哭，笑也不笑。I watched for a long while, until at last she did not move at all, did not cry, and did not laugh.滿臉的汗珠，滿臉通紅，紅得像一張紅紙。Her whole face was beaded with sweat, flushed all over, red as a sheet of red paper.

我跟祖父說：I said to Grandfather:

「小團圓媳婦不叫了。」"The little child-bride isn't screaming anymore."

我再往大缸裡一看，小團圓媳婦沒有了。I looked into the big vat again, and the little child-bride was gone.她倒在大缸裡了。She had fallen down inside the vat.

這時候，看熱鬧的人們，一聲狂喊，都以為小團圓媳婦是死了，大家都跑過去拯救她，竟有心慈的人，流下眼淚來。At that moment the onlookers let out a wild cry, all thinking the little child-bride was dead, and everyone rushed over to save her — there were even soft-hearted people who burst into tears.

小團圓媳婦還活著的時候，她像要逃命似的。While the little child-bride was still conscious, she had acted as though trying to flee for her life.前一刻她還求救於人的時候，並沒有一個人上前去幫忙她，把她從熱水裡解救出來。A moment before, when she was still crying out to others for help, not a single person had stepped forward to help her, to rescue her from the hot water.

現在她是什麼也不知道了，什麼也不要求了。Now she knew nothing at all, and asked for nothing at all.可是一些人，偏要去救她。Yet now some people insisted on going to save her.

把她從大缸裡抬出來，給她澆一點冷水。They lifted her out of the big vat and poured a little cold water over her.這小團圓媳婦一昏過去，可把那些看熱鬧的人可憐得不得了，就是前一刻她還主張著「用熱水澆哇！The moment the little child-bride fainted, the onlookers were overcome with pity for her — even the very people who a moment before had been urging, 'Pour hot water on her!用熱水澆哇！」的人，現在也心痛起來。Pour hot water on her!' now felt their hearts ache.怎能夠不心痛呢？How could their hearts not ache?活蹦亂跳的孩子，一會工夫就死了。A child so full of life, jumping and running about, was gone in the space of a moment.

小團圓媳婦擺在炕上，渾身像火炭那般熱，東家的嬸子，伸出一隻手來，到她身上去摸一摸，西家大娘也伸出手來到她身上去摸一摸。The little child-bride was laid out on the kang, her whole body as hot as burning coals; the aunt from the east house stretched out a hand and touched her, and the old woman from the west house also stretched out a hand and touched her.

都說：They all said:

「喲喲，熱得和火炭似的。」"Oh my, she's as hot as burning coals."

有的說，水太熱了一點，有的說，不應該往頭上澆，大熱的水，一澆那有不昏的。Some said the water had been a bit too hot; others said they shouldn't have poured it over her head — with water that scalding, of course pouring it on her would make her faint.

大家正在談說之間，她的婆婆過來，趕快拉了一張破棉襖給她蓋上了，說：While everyone was talking it over, her mother-in-law came over, hurriedly pulled out a tattered padded jacket and covered her with it, saying:

「赤身裸體羞不羞！」"Lying there stark naked — have you no shame!"

小團圓媳婦怕羞不肯脫下衣裳來，她婆婆喊著號令給她撕下來了。The little child-bride, too ashamed, had refused to take off her clothes, so her mother-in-law had shouted orders and had them torn off her.現在她什麼也不知道了，她沒有感覺了，婆婆反而替她著想了。Now she knew nothing, felt nothing — and it was her mother-in-law who was, at last, thinking of her.

大神打了幾陣鼓，二神向大神對了幾陣話。The Great Spirit-Medium beat the drum through several rounds, and the Second Spirit exchanged several rounds of words with the Great Spirit-Medium.看熱鬧的人，你望望他，他望望你。The onlookers glanced at one another, this one at that one, that one at this one.雖然不知道下文如何，這小團圓媳婦到底是死是活。Though no one knew what would happen next, whether the little child-bride would live or die in the end.但卻沒有白看一場熱鬧，到底是開了眼界，見了世面，總算是不無所得的。Still, they had not watched the spectacle for nothing — after all, they had broadened their horizons and seen something of the world, so it could be said they had gained something from it.

有的竟覺得睏了，問著別人，三道鼓是否加了橫鑼，說他要回家睡覺去了。Some, growing sleepy, asked others whether the third round of drumming would include the side-gong, saying they wanted to go home and sleep.

大神一看這場面不大好，怕是看熱鬧的人都要走了，就賣一點力氣叫一叫座，於是痛打了一陣鼓，噴了幾口酒在團圓媳婦的臉上，從腰裡拿出銀針來，刺著小團圓媳婦的手指尖。Seeing that the mood was flagging and fearing the onlookers would all leave, the Great Spirit-Medium put in some extra effort to draw the crowd back — beating the drum hard for a spell, spraying several mouthfuls of liquor onto the child-bride's face, and drawing a silver needle from his waist to prick the tips of her fingers.

不一會，小團圓媳婦就活轉來了。Before long, the little child-bride revived.

大神說，洗澡必得連洗三次，還有兩次要洗的。The Great Spirit-Medium said the bathing had to be done three times in a row, and there were still two more washings to come.

於是人心大為振奮，睏的也不睏了，要回家睡覺的也精神了。At this, everyone's spirits lifted greatly — those who had been sleepy were no longer sleepy, and those who had wanted to go home to sleep perked right up.這來看熱鬧的，不下三十人，個個眼睛發亮，人人精神百倍。Those who had come to watch the spectacle numbered no fewer than thirty, and every single one of them had eyes shining bright, every one full of renewed energy.看吧，洗一次就昏過去了，洗兩次又該怎樣呢？Just watch — if one washing made her faint, what would the second washing bring?洗上三次，那可就不堪想像了。And after three washings, it would be beyond imagining.所以看熱鬧的人的心裡，都滿懷祕密。So the hearts of the onlookers were all brimming with secret anticipation.

果然的，小團圓媳婦一被抬到大缸裡去，被熱水一燙，就又大聲的怪叫了起來，一邊叫著一邊還伸出手來把著缸沿想要跳出來。Sure enough, the moment the little child-bride was carried back into the big vat and scalded by the hot water, she let out a loud, eerie scream again, and even as she screamed she reached out to grip the rim of the vat, trying to climb out.這時候，澆水的澆水，按頭的按頭，總算讓大家壓服又把她昏倒在缸底裡了。At this, those pouring water kept pouring, and those holding down her head kept holding it down, until at last everyone together had subdued her and she fainted again at the bottom of the vat.

這次她被抬出來的時候，她的嘴裡還往外吐著水。This time, when she was lifted out, water was still spilling from her mouth.

於是一些善心的人，是沒有不可憐這小女孩子的。And so there was not a kind-hearted person there who did not pity this little girl.東家的二姨，西家的三嬸，就都一齊圍攏過去，都去設法施救去了。The second aunt from the east house and the third aunt from the west house all crowded around together, each trying to find some way to save her.

她們圍攏過去，看看有沒有死？They gathered around to see whether she had died.若還有氣，那就不用救。If she still had breath, then there was no need to save her.若是死了，那就趕快澆涼水。If she was dead, then they should quickly douse her with cold water.

若是有氣，她自己就會活轉來的。If she still had breath, she would revive on her own.若是斷了氣，那就趕快施救，不然，怕她真的死了。If her breath had stopped, then they must hurry to save her, or else she might really die.

小團圓媳婦當晚被熱水燙了三次，燙一次，昏一次。That night the little child-bride was scalded with hot water three times, and each time she was scalded, she fainted.

鬧到三更天才散了場。The commotion did not break up until the third watch of the night.大神回家去睡覺去了。The Great Spirit-Medium went home to sleep.看熱鬧的人也都回家去睡覺去了。The onlookers, too, all went home to sleep.

星星月亮，出滿了一天，冰天雪地正是個冬天。Stars and moon filled the whole sky; it was a world of ice and snow, deep in winter.雪掃著牆根，風刮著窗櫺。Snow swept along the foot of the walls, wind rattled the window lattices.雞在架裡邊睡覺，狗在窩裡邊睡覺，豬在欄裡邊睡覺，全呼蘭河都睡著了。The chickens slept on their roosts, the dogs slept in their kennels, the pigs slept in their pens — all of Hulan River was asleep.

只有遠遠的狗叫，那或許是從白旗屯傳來的，或者是從呼蘭河的南岸那柳條林子裡的野狗的叫喚。Only, far off, a dog barked — perhaps carried from Baiqi Village, or perhaps the howling of wild dogs from the willow grove on the south bank of the Hulan River.總之，那聲音是來得很遠，那已經是呼蘭河城以外的事情了。In any case, the sound came from very far away, already beyond the town of Hulan itself.而呼蘭河全城，就都一齊睡著了。And the whole town of Hulan slept as one.

前半夜那跳神打鼓的事情一點也沒有留下痕跡。Of the spirit-dancing and drum-beating from the first half of the night, not a trace remained.那連哭帶叫的小團圓媳婦，好像在這世界上她也並未曾哭過叫過，因為一點痕跡也並未留下。As for the little child-bride who had wept and screamed, it was as though in this world she had never wept or screamed at all — for not a trace of it remained.家家戶戶都是黑洞洞的，家家戶戶都睡得沉實實的。Every household was dark and hollow, every household slept deep and sound.

團圓媳婦的婆婆也睡得打呼了。Even the child-bride's mother-in-law slept, snoring.

因為三更已經過了，就要來到四更天了。For the third watch had already passed, and the fourth watch was about to come.

第二天小團圓媳婦昏昏沉沉的睡了一天，第三天，第四天，也都是昏昏沉沉的睡著，眼睛似睜非睜的，留著一條小縫，從小縫裡邊露著白眼珠。The next day the little child-bride slept in a daze the whole day; the third day and the fourth day, she likewise lay sleeping in a daze, her eyes neither open nor shut, left in a thin slit, through which showed the whites of her eyes.

家裡的人，看了她那樣子，都說，這孩子經過一番操持，怕是真魂就要附體了，真魂一附了體，病就好了。Seeing her in this state, the people of the household all said that after all this handling, the child's true soul was probably about to return to her body, and once her true soul returned, the illness would be cured.不但她的家裡人這樣說，就是鄰人也都這樣說。Not only did the people of her household say this, but the neighbors said the very same.所以對於她這種不飲不食，似睡非睡的狀態，不但不引以為憂，反而覺得應該慶幸。So instead of feeling any worry over her state of neither eating nor drinking, neither fully asleep nor awake, they felt, on the contrary, that it was something to celebrate.她昏睡了四五天，她家的人就快樂了四五天，她睡了六七天，她家的人就快樂了六七天。She lay in a stupor for four or five days, and her family was happy for four or five days; she slept for six or seven days, and her family was happy for six or seven days.在這期間，絕對的沒有使用偏方，也絕對的沒有採用野藥。During this whole time, not a single folk remedy was used, nor was any wild medicine taken.

但是過了六七天，她還是不飲不食的昏睡，要好起來的現象一點也沒有。But after six or seven days had passed, she was still lying in a stupor, neither eating nor drinking, and there was not the slightest sign of her getting better.

於是又找了大神來，大神這次不給她治了，說這團圓媳婦非出馬當大神不可。So they sent for the Great Spirit-Medium again, but this time he refused to treat her, saying that this child-bride absolutely had to come forth and become a spirit-medium herself.

於是又採用了正式的趕鬼的方法，到紮彩鋪去，紮了一個紙人，而後給紙人縫起布衣來穿上，──穿布衣裳為的是絕對的像真人──擦脂抹粉，手裡提著花手巾，很是好看，穿了滿身花洋布的衣裳，打扮成一個十七八歲的大姑娘。So they turned instead to a proper method of driving out the evil spirit: they went to a paper-effigy shop and had a paper figure made, then sewed cloth clothes for it to wear — the cloth clothes were meant to make it look exactly like a real person — rouged and powdered its face, gave it a flowered handkerchief to hold in its hand, quite fine to look at, dressed it all over in flowered foreign cloth, and made it up to look like a young girl of seventeen or eighteen.用人抬著，抬到南河沿旁邊那大土坑去燒了。They had someone carry it and bore it to the big earthen pit beside the south riverbank, and burned it there.

這叫做燒「替身」，據說把這「替身」一燒了，她可以替代真人，真人就可以不死。This was called burning a "stand-in" — it was said that once this "stand-in" was burned, it would take the real person's place, and the real person would not die.

燒「替身」的那天，團圓媳婦的婆婆為著表示虔誠，她還特意的請了幾個吹鼓手，前邊用人舉著那紮彩人，後邊跟著幾個吹鼓手，嗚咓噹、嗚咓噹的向著南大土坑走去了。On the day the "stand-in" was to be burned, the child-bride's mother-in-law, to show her sincerity, went so far as to hire several musicians with horns and drums; in front, someone carried the paper figure aloft, and behind followed the musicians, blaring wu-wa-dang, wu-wa-dang, as they made their way toward the great earthen pit to the south.

那景況說熱鬧也很熱鬧，喇叭曲子吹的是句句雙。As for the scene — call it lively, and lively it certainly was, with the horns playing tune after paired tune.說淒涼也很淒涼，前邊一個紮彩人，後邊三五個吹鼓手，出喪不像出喪，報廟不像報廟。Call it desolate, and desolate it certainly was too — a paper figure in front, three or five musicians behind, resembling neither a funeral procession nor a temple offering.

跑到大街上來看這熱鬧的人也不很多，因為天太冷了，探頭探腦的跑出來的人一看，覺得沒有什麼可看的，就關上大門回去了。Not many people came out onto the main street to watch, for the weather was too cold; those who poked their heads out to look, seeing there was nothing much worth watching, shut their gates again and went back inside.

所以就孤孤單單的，淒淒涼涼在大土坑那裡把那紮彩人燒了。So, all alone and utterly forlorn, they burned the paper figure there at the great earthen pit.

團圓媳婦的婆婆一邊燒著還一邊後悔，若早知道沒有什麼看熱鬧的人，那又何必給這紮彩人穿上真衣裳。As the child-bride's mother-in-law burned it, she felt regret all the while — had she known there would be so few onlookers, why should she have dressed the paper figure in real clothes?她想要從火堆中把衣裳搶出來，但又來不及了，就眼看著讓它燒去了。She thought of snatching the clothes back out of the fire, but it was already too late, and she could only watch as they burned away.這一套衣裳，一共花了一百多吊錢。That one set of clothes had cost, in all, over a hundred strings of cash.於是她看著那衣裳的燒去，就像眼看著燒去了一百多吊錢。So as she watched the clothes burn, it was as though she were watching more than a hundred strings of cash burn away before her eyes.

她心裡是又悔又恨，她簡直忘了這是她的團圓媳婦燒替身，她本來打算唸一套禱神告鬼的詞句。In her heart she felt both regret and resentment, and she quite forgot that this was her child-bride's "stand-in" being burned — she had originally meant to recite a set of prayers to the gods and spirits.她回來的時候，走在路上才想起來。It was only on her way home, walking along the road, that she remembered.但想起來也晚了，於是她自己感到大概要白白的燒了個替身，靈不靈誰曉得呢！But by then it was too late to remember, and so she felt to herself that the "stand-in" had probably been burned for nothing — who could say whether it would even work!

後來又聽說那團圓媳婦的大辮子，睡了一夜覺就掉下來了。Later it was heard that the child-bride's long braid had fallen off after just one night's sleep.

就掉在枕頭旁邊，這可不知是怎麼回事。It had simply fallen beside her pillow — and no one knew quite how such a thing could happen.

她的婆婆說這團圓媳婦一定是妖怪。Her mother-in-law said this child-bride must certainly be a demon.

把那掉下來的辮子留著，誰來給誰看。She kept the fallen braid, and showed it to whoever came by.

看那樣子一定是什麼人用剪刀給她剪下來的。Judging by its look, it had surely been cut off by someone with scissors.但是她的婆婆偏說不是，就說，睡了一夜覺就自己掉下來了。But her mother-in-law insisted it was not so, saying instead that it had simply fallen off by itself after one night's sleep.

於是這奇聞又遠近的傳開去了。And so this strange tale spread far and wide once again.不但她的家人不願意和妖怪在一起，就是同院住的人也都覺得太不好。Not only was her own family unwilling to live alongside a demon, but even those who shared the same courtyard felt it was altogether too much.

夜裡關門關窗戶的，一邊關著於是就都說：At night, as they shut their doors and windows, they would say, even as they were closing them:

「老胡家那小團圓媳婦一定是個小妖怪。」"That little child-bride at the old Hu family's must surely be a little demon."

我家的老廚子是個多嘴的人，他和祖父講老胡家的團圓媳婦又怎樣怎樣了。Our old cook was a talkative man, and he told Grandfather all about how the Hu family's child-bride was doing this and that.又出了新花頭，辮子也掉了。There was some new development — her braid had even fallen off.

我說：I said:

「不是的，是用剪刀剪的。」"That's not true — it was cut off with scissors."

老廚子看我小，他欺侮我，他用手指住了我的嘴。The old cook, seeing I was just a child, bullied me and pressed his finger against my mouth.他說：He said:

「你知道什麼，那小團圓媳婦是個妖怪呀！」"What do you know? That little child-bride is a demon!"

我說：I said:

「她不是妖怪，我偷著問她，她頭髮是怎麼掉了的，她還跟我笑呢！"She's not a demon — I asked her secretly how her hair had fallen out, and she even smiled at me!她說她不知道。」She said she didn't know."

祖父說：「好好的孩子快讓他們捉弄死了。」Grandfather said: "A perfectly fine child, and they're all but tormenting her to death."

過了些日子，老廚子又說：After some days had passed, the old cook said again:

「老胡家要『休妻』了，要『休』了那小妖怪。」"The old Hu family is going to 'cast out the wife' — they're going to 'cast out' that little demon."

祖父以為老胡家那人家不大好。Grandfather thought that the Hu family was not a good sort of family.

祖父說：「二月讓他搬家。Grandfather said: "Come the second month, I'll have them move out.把人家的孩子快捉弄死了，又不要了。」They've all but tormented the child to death, and now they don't even want her."

還沒有到二月，那黑忽忽的，笑呵呵的小團圓媳婦就死了。But before the second month came, that dark-skinned, ever-smiling little child-bride was dead.是一個大清早晨，老胡家的大兒子，那個黃臉大眼睛的車老子就來了。It was early one morning when the eldest son of the Hu family, that sallow-faced, big-eyed cart driver, came.一見了祖父，他就雙手舉在胸前作了一個揖。As soon as he saw Grandfather, he raised both hands before his chest and made a bow.

祖父問他什麼事？Grandfather asked him what the matter was.

他說：He said:

「請老太爺施捨一塊地方，好把小團圓媳婦埋上……」“Please, Old Master, grant us a piece of land to bury the little child bride in…”

祖父問他：Grandfather asked him:

「什麼時候死的？」“When did she die?”

他說：He said:

「我趕著車，天亮才到家。“I was hurrying home with the cart and did not arrive until daybreak.聽說半夜就死了。」They say she died around midnight.”

祖父答應了他，讓他埋在城外的地邊上。Grandfather agreed and allowed them to bury her at the edge of his land outside the city.並且招呼有二伯來，讓有二伯領著他們去。He also called Uncle You’er over and told him to lead them there.

有二伯臨走的時候，老廚子也跟去了。As Uncle You’er was leaving, the old cook went along too.

我說，我也要去，我也跟去看看，祖父百般的不肯。I said that I wanted to go as well, that I wanted to follow them and have a look, but Grandfather refused no matter how I pleaded.祖父說：Grandfather said:

「咱們在家下壓拍子打小雀吃……」“Let’s stay home and set up a trap to catch sparrows to eat…”

我於是就沒有去。And so I did not go.雖然沒有去，但心裡邊總惦著有一回事。Though I had not gone, the matter kept preying on my mind.等有二伯也不回來，等那老廚子也不回來。I waited, but Uncle You’er did not return; I waited, but the old cook did not return either.等他們回來，我好聽一聽那情形到底怎樣？When they came back, I would hear what had really happened.

一點多鐘，他們兩個在人家喝了酒，吃了飯才回來的。It was after one o’clock when the two of them finally returned, having been treated to wine and a meal at the family’s home.前邊走著老廚子，後邊走著有二伯。The old cook walked in front, and Uncle You’er behind.好像兩個胖鴨子似的，走也走不動了，又慢又得意。They looked like two fat ducks, barely able to waddle along, slow and self-satisfied.

走在前邊的老廚子，眼珠通紅，嘴唇發光。The old cook in front had bloodshot eyes and glistening lips.走在後邊的有二伯，面紅耳熱，一直紅到他脖子下邊的那條大筋。Uncle You’er behind was flushed and hot about the ears, the redness extending all the way down to the thick sinew in his neck.

進到祖父屋來，一個說：When they entered Grandfather’s room, one said:

「酒菜真不錯……」“The wine and dishes were really quite good…”

一個說：The other said:

「……“…雞蛋湯打得也熱乎。」And the egg-drop soup was piping hot.”

關於埋葬團圓媳婦的經過，卻先一字未提。Yet at first they did not say a single word about how the little child bride had been buried.好像他們兩個是過年回來的，充滿了歡天喜地的氣象。It was as though they had returned from a New Year’s celebration, brimming with festive cheer.

我問有二伯，那小團圓媳婦怎麼死的，埋葬的情形如何。I asked Uncle You’er how the little child bride had died and what her burial had been like.

有二伯說：Uncle You’er said:

「你問這個幹什麼，人死還不如一隻雞……“Why ask about that? When a person dies, they’re worth less than a chicken…一伸腿就算完事……」One stretch of the legs and it’s all over…”

我問：I asked:

「有二伯，你多喒死呢？」“Uncle You’er, when are you going to die?”

他說：He said:

「你二伯死不了的……“Your Uncle You’er isn’t going to die…那家有萬貫的，那活著享福的，越想長壽，就越活不長……Those with fortunes of ten thousand strings, those who live in comfort and luxury—the more they long for a long life, the sooner they die…上廟燒香，上山拜佛的也活不長。Those who burn incense at temples and climb mountains to worship the Buddha do not live long either.像你有二伯這條窮命，越老越結實。But someone with a poor man’s fate like your Uncle You’er only grows sturdier with age.好比個石頭疙瘩似的，那兒死啦！I’m like a solid lump of stone—how could I die!俗語說得好，『有錢三尺壽，窮命活不夠』。As the old saying rightly goes, ‘The rich have but three feet of life; those born poor can never live their fill.’像二伯就是這窮命，窮命鬼閻王爺也看不上眼兒來的。」Your Uncle You’er has just such a poor man’s fate—even Yama, King of Hell, has no use for a poor devil like me.”

到晚飯，老胡家又把有二伯他們二位請去了。At suppertime, the Hu family invited Uncle You’er and the old cook over again.又在那裡喝的酒。Once again, they drank wine there.因為他們幫了人家的忙，人家要酬謝他們。Since the two men had done the family a service, the family wanted to reward them.

老胡家的團圓媳婦死了不久，他家的大孫子媳婦就跟人跑了。Not long after the Hu family’s little child bride died, the wife of their eldest grandson ran away with another man.

奶奶婆婆後來也死了。The old grandmother died later as well.

他家的兩個兒媳婦，一個為著那團圓媳婦瞎了一隻眼睛。Of the Hu family’s two daughters-in-law, one went blind in one eye because of the little child bride.因為她天天哭，哭她那花在團圓媳婦身上的傾家蕩產的五千多吊錢。She wept every day over the more than five thousand strings of cash she had spent on the little child bride, a sum that had ruined the family.

另外的一個因為她的兒媳婦跟著人家跑了，要把她羞辱死了，一天到晚的，不梳頭，不洗臉的坐在鍋台上抽著煙袋，有人從她旁邊過去，她高興的時候，她向人說：The other felt that her daughter-in-law’s running away with another man had shamed her to death; from morning till night, without combing her hair or washing her face, she sat on the stove platform smoking her pipe, and whenever someone passed by, if she was in a good mood, she would say:

「你家裡的孩子、大人都好哇？」“Are the children and grown-ups in your family all well?”

她不高興的時候，她就向著人臉，吐一口痰。If she was in a bad mood, she would spit in the person’s face.

她變成一個半瘋了。She became half mad.

老胡家從此不大被人記得了。From then on, people seldom thought of the Hu family.

我家的背後有一個龍王廟，廟的東角上有一座大橋。Behind our house stood a Dragon King Temple, and at the temple’s eastern corner there was a great bridge.人們管這橋叫「東大橋」。People called it the Eastern Great Bridge.

那橋下有些冤魂枉鬼，每當陰天下雨，從那橋上經過的人，往往聽到鬼哭的聲音。Beneath that bridge dwelt the aggrieved spirits of those who had died unjustly; whenever the sky was overcast and rain fell, people crossing the bridge often heard the sound of ghosts weeping.

據說，那團圓媳婦的靈魂，也來到了東大橋下。It was said that the spirit of the little child bride had also come to dwell beneath the Eastern Great Bridge.說她變了一隻很大的白兔，隔三差五的就到橋下來哭。They said she had turned into a very large white rabbit and would come beneath the bridge every few days to weep.

有人問她哭什麼？Someone asked her why she was crying.

她說她要回家。She said she wanted to go home.

那人若說：If the person said:

「明天，我送你回去……」“Tomorrow I’ll take you home…”

那白兔子一聽，拉過自己的大耳朵來，擦擦眼淚，就不見了。As soon as the white rabbit heard this, she would pull one of her long ears over to wipe away her tears, and then vanish.

若沒有人理她，她就一哭，哭到雞叫天明。But if no one paid her any heed, she would go on weeping until the cock crowed and day broke.

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What it’s about

The Child Bride recounts how a lively twelve-year-old girl is renamed, disciplined and ultimately killed by the family that has bought her as a future wife. When 團圓媳婦 first arrives in the Hu household, she is tall, healthy and cheerful, qualities the neighbours perversely read as insolence in a child expected to be timid. Her mother-in-law beats and starves her to make her obedient. Once the girl becomes ill, the same adults who caused her terror declare that spirits possess her and spend beyond their means on cures, shamans and public rituals rather than offering safety or medical care.

The exorcisms turn abuse into communal entertainment. Neighbours crowd in to watch the girl plunged repeatedly into scalding water, interpreting her screams and attempts to escape as proof that the treatment is working. Each failure generates another supernatural explanation and another costly remedy, until the once vigorous child dies. Xiao Hong distributes responsibility widely: the mother-in-law is brutal, ritual experts profit, and spectators lend the proceedings their confidence, but no melodramatic villain controls the system. The narrator's restrained recollection makes the violence harder to evade. People who consider themselves practical and morally ordinary transform a child's resistance into evidence against her, then speak of fate when their own actions have completed the destruction.

When it was written 背景

This chapter is the novel's devastating centre and one of Xiao Hong's clearest indictments of patriarchal custom, child marriage and the fatal authority of superstition. It was written in 1940, when debates over women's emancipation had long been part of modern Chinese literature, but Xiao Hong avoids turning 團圓媳婦 into an abstract case: the girl's height, laughter, appetite and fear keep insisting on the life being erased. The reading is longer and emotionally harder than the garden chapter. Ritual and kinship terms recur, however, and the repeated cycle—abuse, illness, diagnosis, cure—provides a firm narrative spine. Pay particular attention to changes in how others name the girl and describe her body. Their language converts vitality into disobedience before violence converts it into sickness.

Words in this chapter 生词

她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
媳xí媳xí — daughter-in-law
帖tiē帖tiē — fitting snugly · appropriate · suitable · variant of 貼 (tiē) · to paste · to obey
裡lǐHSK 1裡lǐ — lining · interior · inside · internal · also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
吊diàoHSK 6吊diào — to suspend · to hang up · to hang a person (HSK 6)
蛋dànHSK 2蛋dàn — egg · classifier: 個 (gè), 打 (dá) · oval-shaped thing (HSK 2)
唸niànHSK 3唸niàn — variant of 念 (niàn), to read aloud (HSK 3)
焙bèi焙bèi — to dry over a fire · to bake
奶nǎiHSK 1奶nǎi — breast · milk · to breastfeed (HSK 1)
吧bāHSK 1吧bā — bar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc) · to puff (on a pipe etc) · (onom.) bang · abbr. for 貼吧 (tiē bā) (HSK 1)
婆pó婆pó — (bound form) grandmother · (bound form) matron · (bound form) mother-in-law · (slang) femme (in a lesbian relationship)
盌wǎnHSK 2盌wǎn — variant of 碗 (wǎn) (HSK 2)