散文佳作108篇 第25期:田水嘩啦 The Irrigation

The Irrigation Water Came Gurgling

姚景文

Yao Jinwen

三十守寡起，十多年了，“招白眼”又一夜失眠：自家種的“責(zé)任田”擱開了雞爪裂，大還是晴得不肯掛一根云線線。要是減產(chǎn)，全家四張嘴巴，還不吊了起來?

Black-brewed Zhao, widowed over ten years ago when she was thirty, was having anothersleepless night. Her family's contracted land had cracked because of drought, but there wasstill not a cloud in the bright sky. If production dropped this year, what should her family of fourdo except go hungry?

唉，17歲的女兒到底不知深淺，剛才還對娘嚷：“好愁勿愁!后半夜大水庫放水，還怕那雪癲子不將水上足?”現(xiàn)在卻掛著笑篇熟睡了。對推廣“責(zé)任田”，“招白眼”是白著眼睛反對的。因?yàn)樗r候親眼看到爺爺跟雪癲子的大爹，爭田水打得血肉橫飛，田缺流紅。如今回想起來，還寒毛磣磣，心驚肉跳呢。雪癲子當(dāng)了隊(duì)里的管水員，能擔(dān)保他不包藏禍心?

It was a pity that her seventeen-year-old daughter didn't yet know what worry was. Just a fewminutes ago she was shouting to her mother, "Don't you worry! late at night the reservoir willlet out water. Scabby-headed Xue will certainly give us our full share of water, won’t he?" Butnow she was asleep with a smile still on her lips. Black-browed Zhao didn't see eye to eye withthe implementation of contracted land policy, because she had seen with her own eyes whenshe was still very young how her grandfather and Scabby-headed Xue's uncle had fought toothand nail over irrigation water. She would shudder even at the thought of it. Now Scabby-headed Xue was in charge of the irrigation water in the brigade; who could say for sure that hebore no grudge against her?

“招白眼”心神不寧，翻身起床，就提著鋤頭出門去。

Black-Mowed Dian became so agitated at the thought that she got off the bed, took a hoe andwent out to the field.

“招白眼”叫阿招，自從死了男人，臉上從未掛笑，逢人見眾，老是翻著白眼，惹得那老光棍雪癲子心里癢癢，有口難張。于是村里留著一個“話把”：雪癲子不哭，“招白眼”不笑。

Black-browed Zhao used to be called Ah Zhao. After her husband's death, she never smiled andalways scowled at others. The old bachelor Scabby-headed Xue could only bury his longings forher in his heart. Thus there spread in the village a popular saying: "Scabby-headed Xue neverwept; Black-browed Zhao never smiled."

“招白眼”轉(zhuǎn)過岙口，隱隱傳來吱呀吱呀的水車聲，圓月下，車著池塘水的雪癲子，那銅勺樣的后腦和起油的光背，在閃著銀光。他雪癱子要不是當(dāng)了管水員，還不一樣要等后半夜灌水?早一鋪水，多一捧米，誰不望自家的飯碗滿?

As she approached the field, Black-browed Zhao heard the faint creaking of a waterwheel andsaw Scabby-headed Xue pedalling water under the full moon. His bald head and his greasy bareback were glistening like silver. Wouldn't he have to wait for the water to come late at night likethe rest of us if he had not been in charge of the irrigation water? The earlier one got water, themore rice one would reap-who wouldn't like to see his own bowl full of rice?

然而，“招白眼”傻了!她來到自家的“責(zé)任田”邊，破天荒開了笑顏：怎么，田水嘩啦嘩啦地跳躍著，喧笑著，閃著粼粼的銀光。這“甜水”像是流進(jìn)了她的心窩。而她上坎雪滾子的“責(zé)任田”里，依然唇焦口燥。她不解地瞧著雪癲子，眼里噙著淚，終于鼓足了勇氣，第一遭喊了聲：“阿雪哥!’

However, when she came to her own contracted land, she got such a pleasant surprise that forthe first time she beamed with joy. Why, water came gurgling happily over her land, glitteringlike silver. The sweet water seemed to be flowing into her heart. Yet Scabby-headed Xue's ownland above hers was still parched with thirst. She looked at Scabby-headed Xue withincomprehension. Tears welled up in her eyes. She plucked up her courage to call him"Brother Ali Xue" for the first tithe.

水車“吱格”地停住，雪癲子轉(zhuǎn)過身來，只見“招白眼”傻乎乎地笑，雪癲子也懵了，好像眼前不是日日開門相見的“招白眼”，而是從月亮上飄下來的嫦娥。瞧那一雙烏黑的眸子，真還有點(diǎn)兒含情脈脈哩!

The waterwheel came to a stop with a creak and Scabby-headed Xue saw Black-browed Zhaogazing at him with a foolish smile. He felt dazed as if she were not the Black-browed Zhao hemet day in and day out, but rather Chang Er, the Moon Fairy coming down from the moon.Those black eyes of Black-browed Zhao seemed to be exuding tenderness and love.

“嘿呀，是你，阿招妹妹，我，我是想，你的責(zé)任田，裂，裂得厲害，怕，伯后半夜灌水，來不及……”雪癲子有點(diǎn)語無倫次了。

"Why, it's you, Sister Ah Zhao? I, I thought your contracted land must have become parchedand l was afraid it would be too late if water came at midnight." Scabby-headed Xue becametongue-tied.

“招白眼”覺得耳熱，她也慌難擇辭：“你的責(zé)任田也……”

Black browed Zhao blushed to her ears and was lost for words, "Your own contracted land also. . ."

“找是負(fù)責(zé)田水的，誰的田受旱，都是我的貴任。你，你不要放在心上……”雪癲子也感到渾身火熱，連忙又回過頭去，踩動水車。田水又嘩啦地笑了。

"Never mind, I'm in charge of the irrigation water. It would be my fault if anyone's land gotruined because of drought. It's my pleasure to do my job well." Xue felt hot all over his bodyand hastily resumed pedalling. Irrigation water came gurgling again.

“招白眼”悄悄地?fù)炱鹛锕∵叺囊患仔〔忌?，走過去披在雪液子的身上，一面也登上水車。雪癲子投過感激的一瞥。“招白眼”溫存而體貼地說：“半夜露重，當(dāng)心著涼。”

Black-browed Zhao gently picked up the white shirt at the ridge of the field and put it on Xue'sbare back, while joining him in the pedalling. Xue threw her a glance of gratitude. Black-browed Zhao said with affection and consideration, "It's midnight, take care not to catchcold."

月光下，他倆挨得很近，她見白小布衫的領(lǐng)口破了，她想：“明天該給他補(bǔ)一補(bǔ)。”

In the moonlight, the two kept close to each other. She saw the collar of his white shirt wasworn out and said to herself, "I must mend it for him tomorrow."