<p class="ql-block">喜愛(ài)路遙這《平凡的世界》，因?yàn)檫@里有最真摯和樸素的情感故事。</p> <p class="ql-block">Shao’an and Runye walked together along a narrow path by the banks of the Yuanxi River, heading upstream. Bathed in the bright light of Spring, they felt an indescribable joy, so much so that, for a while, neither spoke.</p><p class="ql-block">“Slow down! I can’t keep up with you!” Runye finally lifted her face and said to Shao’an with a smile.</p><p class="ql-block">Shao’an had no choice but to slow his long strides. “I’m used to running around in the valleys back in the mountains—walking too slow makes me restless,” he replied.</p><p class="ql-block">“Oh, look!” Runye suddenly pointed toward a grassy slope ahead and called out loudly.</p><p class="ql-block">Shao’an stopped and looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw nothing and asked curiously, “What is it?”</p><p class="ql-block">“Iris tectorum flowers! Look—shining bright blue!”</p><p class="ql-block">Shao’an thought it must be something extraordinary, but it turned out to be just a few Iris tectorum flowers. He saw such wildflowers and grasses every day in the mountains—nothing unusual to him. By then, Runye had already run ahead and sat down beside the clumps of Iris tectorum flowers, waiting for him to come over.</p><p class="ql-block">He walked to her side.</p><p class="ql-block">“Let’s sit here for a while,” she said.</p><p class="ql-block">So he sat down, folding his arms across his chest, and gazed at the muddy-yellow waters of the Yuanxi River flowing calmly away into the distance beneath the grassy slope.</p> <p class="ql-block">潤(rùn)葉摘了一朵馬蘭花，在手里擺弄了半天，才吞吞吐吐說(shuō):“少安哥，我有個(gè)急人事，想對(duì)你說(shuō)一說(shuō)，讓你看怎么辦……”</p><p class="ql-block">少安扭過(guò)頭，不知道她遇到了什么困難，就急切地等待她說(shuō)出來(lái)。他知道這就是潤(rùn)葉捎話叫他來(lái)的那件事。潤(rùn)葉臉紅得象發(fā)高燒似的，猶豫了一會(huì)，才說(shuō):“……我二媽家給我瞅了個(gè)人家?！?lt;/p><p class="ql-block">“什么……人家?”少安一時(shí)反應(yīng)不過(guò)來(lái)她說(shuō)的是什么?！熬褪恰h上一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的兒子……”潤(rùn)葉說(shuō)著，也不看他，只是紅著臉低頭擺弄那朵馬蘭花。</p><p class="ql-block">“噢……”少安這下才明白了。他腦子里首先閃過(guò)這樣一個(gè)概念:她要結(jié)婚了。</p><p class="ql-block">潤(rùn)葉要結(jié)婚了?他在心里又吃驚地自問(wèn)。</p><p class="ql-block">是的，她要結(jié)婚了。他回答自己說(shuō)。</p><p class="ql-block">他心里頓時(shí)涌上一股說(shuō)不出的味道。他把自己出汗的手輕輕地放在有補(bǔ)釘?shù)耐认ドw上，兩只手甚至下意識(shí)地帶著一種憐憫撫摸著自己的腿膝蓋。</p><p class="ql-block">你這是怎了? 唉……</p> <p class="ql-block">He quickly realized that something was amiss in himself, and felt annoyed at his own mood. He should be, like his elder brother, helping Runye think things through. The very reason she had asked him to come to town was because she trusted him enough to speak of this matter.</p><p class="ql-block">He forced himself to grow calm and serious, and said to her, “This sounds like a good thing. The family’s well-off… What does that person do for a living?”</p><p class="ql-block">“But I don’t want to!” Runye lifted her head, looking at him with a mix of surprise and disappointment.</p><p class="ql-block">“You don’t want to?” Shao’an was at a loss. If she didn’t want to, then that was that—what could be so difficult about it? “It’s your decision to make…” he said at last.</p><p class="ql-block">“I’m asking you—what do you think I should do?” she insisted, raising her head again.</p><p class="ql-block">Shao’an simply couldn’t make sense of it. He pulled a small scrap of paper from his pocket, pinched some shredded tobacco, quickly rolled a cigarette, lit it, and took a few drags. “If you don’t want to, then just forget it, right?”</p><p class="ql-block">“He keeps pestering me, and I…” Runye lowered her head again, her voice tight with discomfort.</p><p class="ql-block">“Pestering?” Shao’an couldn’t fathom it. If the woman was unwilling, what was the man still pestering her for? How could these city folk have such thick skins?</p><p class="ql-block">“You’re like brain-dead…” Runye muttered with her head still down.</p><p class="ql-block">A pang of guilt struck Shao’an. Runye needed his help to deal with the trouble she was facing, yet at the critical moment he was powerless. What was he supposed to do? Go and thrash the fellow who kept bothering her? But that fellow was the son of a county leader—and besides, what right did he have to beat him? Hmph! If, in the future, Lanxiang grew up and someone dared treat her that way, he would beat the scoundrel within an inch of his life!</p> <p class="ql-block">他看見(jiàn)潤(rùn)葉一直難受地低著頭，急忙不知怎樣安慰她，就急躁地說(shuō):“唉，要是小時(shí)候，誰(shuí)敢欺負(fù)你，我就早把拳頭伸出去了!你不記得，那年咱們?cè)谑俟?jié)上高小，有個(gè)男同學(xué)專意給你身上扔籃球，我把那小子打得鼻子口里直淌血……再說(shuō)，那時(shí)候，你要是看哪個(gè)土崖上有朵山丹丹花，或者一缽紅酸棗，要我上去給你摘，那我都能讓你滿意……可現(xiàn)在，可這事……”</p><p class="ql-block">潤(rùn)葉聽(tīng)他說(shuō)著，突然用手捂住自己的臉哭了。</p> <p class="ql-block">誦讀：志長(zhǎng)（英文由誦讀者與AI互動(dòng)翻譯）</p><p class="ql-block">圖片攝影：明生（近日攝于西藏）</p>