Week 4 北京折疊

清晨4:50，老刀穿過熙熙攘攘的步行街，去找彭蠡。

It was 4:50 in the morning. Dao went through the bustling walking street to meet Peng Li.

從垃圾站下班之后，老刀回家洗了個澡，換了衣服。白色襯衫和褐色褲子，這是他唯一一套體面衣服，襯衫袖口磨了邊，他把袖子卷到胳膊肘。老刀四十八歲，沒結(jié)婚，已經(jīng)過了注意外表的年齡，又沒人照顧起居，這一套衣服留著穿了很多年，每次穿一天，回家就脫了疊上。他在垃圾站上班，沒必要穿得體面，偶爾參加誰家小孩的婚禮，才拿出來穿在身上。這一次他不想臟兮兮地見陌生人。他在垃圾站連續(xù)工作了五小時，很擔(dān)心身上會有味道。

After his work at the dump, Dao went back home to take a shower and get changed into a white shirt and brown pants. These are the only decent suit he has. Even after the cuffs of the shirt got frayed, he would roll up the sleeves whenever he wears it. He’s 48 now, still unmarried. Forty-eight is an age when he would pay least attention to his own appearance. And failing to get married means there is no one to take care of him. So he has to take care of himself. He kept the suit for many years, each time wearing it a day and then putting it aside folded at home. He works at the dump, so there is no need to dress up; only weddings of friends’ kids ask for it. But this time, the reason he wore the suit was that he didn’t want to give a bad initial impression to a person he knew not of. After all, after five hours of work he was very likely to get all dirty and stinky.

步行街上擠滿了剛剛下班的人。擁擠的男人女人圍著小攤子挑土特產(chǎn)，大聲討價還價。食客圍著塑料桌子，埋頭在酸辣粉的熱氣騰騰中，餓虎撲食一般，白色蒸汽遮住了臉。油炸的香味彌漫。貨攤上的酸棗和核桃堆成山，臘肉在頭頂搖擺。這個點是全天最熱鬧的時間，基本都收工了，忙碌了幾個小時的人們都趕過來吃一頓飽飯，人聲鼎沸。

The walking street was stuffed with people just out of work. Men and women, squeezing each other, bargained loudly for local specialties around stalls. Eaters, sitting at plastic tables, buried themselves in spicy and sour noodles whose white steam successfully hid their faces. A smell of fried food filled the street, sour fruits and walnuts were piled on booths and cured meat hung over people’s heads. This is the busiest hour of the day, for most people stop work at this time. People often choose here for a good meal after hours of hard work, making the street crowded and noisy every day.

老刀艱難地穿過人群。端盤子的伙計一邊喊著讓讓一邊推開擋道的人，開出一條路來，老刀跟在后面。彭蠡家在小街深處。老刀上樓，彭蠡不在家。問鄰居，鄰居說他每天快到關(guān)門才回來，具體幾點不清楚。

It took Dao tremendous efforts to get through the crowd. He managed to follow a dish-serving waiter who made way for himself by shouting and thrusting people aside. Peng Li’s sat on the deep end of the street. Dao went upstairs, just to find that Peng Li was out. He asked the neighbors, but they told him Peng Li came back home around the closing time every day, but no exact hour.

老刀有點擔(dān)憂，看了看手表，清晨5點。他回到樓門口等著。兩旁狼吞虎咽的饑餓少年圍繞著他。他認(rèn)識其中兩個，原來在彭蠡家見過一兩次。少年每人面前擺著一盤炒面或炒粉，幾個人分吃兩個菜，盤子里一片狼藉，筷子扔在無望而鍥而不舍地?fù)軇?，尋找辣椒叢中的肉星。老刀又下意識聞了聞小臂，不知道身上還有沒有垃圾的腥味。周圍的一切嘈雜而庸常，和每個清晨一樣。

Dao got a bit worried, and he consulted his watch. 5:00 am. He went back to the entrance and started waiting. Beside him were some hungry teenagers wolfing food, two of whom he met once or twice at Peng Li’s. Each one of them placed a plate of fried noodles or rice noodles before them, and they shared the only two dishes. Food on the plates were almost grabbed, but their chopsticks kept looking, desperately and endlessly, for any meat in chili. Unconsciously, he took a sniff of his arms, wondering if he still smelt of waste. Everything around was quite as usual, just noisy and ordinary mornings.

? ? “哎，你們知道那兒一盤回鍋肉多少錢嗎？”那個叫小李的少年說。

“Hey, do you know how much is a double-cooked pork slices out there?”, asked the kid named Li.

? ? “靠，菜里有沙子?！绷硗庖粋€叫小丁的胖少年突然捂住嘴說，他的指甲里還帶著黑泥， “坑人啊。得找老板退錢！”

“Damn it! Sand in the dish!” A plump boy called Ding suddenly said behind his hands, with black mud in his fingers, “what a rip-off! I must get refund from the restaurant!”

? ? “人家那兒一盤回鍋肉，就三百四?！毙±钫f，“三百四！一盤水煮牛肉四百二呢?！?/p>

“A mere double-cooked pork slices costs 340 over there,” said Li, “three hundred and forty! And a boiled beef in chili oil even takes four hundred and twenty!”

? ? “什么玩意？這么貴?！毙《∥嬷鶐妥庸緡伒?。

“What the hell? That’s too much.” Ding mumbled, his hands still covering his mouth.

另外兩個少年對談話沒興趣，還在埋頭吃面，小李低頭看著他們，眼睛似乎穿過他們，看到了某個看不見的地方，目光里有熱切。

With no interest in such discussion, the other two boys were still working on their noodles. Li looked at them from above, but his eyes, with enthusiasm, seemed to have seen through their body and reached someplace yet to be seen.