Week 4 - 5.30 Tue 译文（上）

清晨4:50，老刀穿过熙熙攘攘的步行街，去找彭蠡。

It was ten to five in the morning. Old Dao passed through the crowded pedestrian street to find Peng Li.

从垃圾站下班之后，老刀回家洗了个澡，换了衣服。白色衬衫和褐色裤子，这是他唯一一套体面衣服，衬衫袖口磨了边，他把袖子卷到胳膊肘。老刀四十八岁，没结婚，已经过了注意外表的年龄，又没人照顾起居，这一套衣服留着穿了很多年，每次穿一天，回家就脱了叠上。他在垃圾站上班，没必要穿得体面，偶尔参加谁家小孩的婚礼，才拿出来穿在身上。这一次他不想脏兮兮地见陌生人。他在垃圾站连续工作了五小时，很担心身上会有味道。

After he went back home from his work in the transfer station, Old Dao took a shower and changed his clothes – a white shirt and brown trousers, the only decent clothes he had. He rolled up the worn cuffs to his elbows. He was forty-eight, unmarried, unattended and grown out of the age at which men still care about their appearances. He had kept these clothes for many years. He would never wear them longer than one day and always fold them up after he returned home. He worked at the transfer station, so there was no need to dress up properly. It was only when he occasionally attended weddings of his friends’ children that he wore these clothes. But this time he did not want to meet this stranger in rags. He had worked at the transfer station for five hours, nonstop, so he worried that he might smell.

步行街上挤满了刚刚下班的人。拥挤的男人女人围着小摊子挑土特产，大声讨价还价。食客围着塑料桌子，埋头在酸辣粉的热气腾腾中，饿虎扑食一般，白色蒸汽遮住了脸。油炸的香味弥漫。货摊上的酸枣和核桃堆成山，腊肉在头顶摇摆。这个点是全天最热闹的时间，基本都收工了，忙碌了几个小时的人们都赶过来吃一顿饱饭，人声鼎沸。

The pedestrian street was flush with people who just came off work. Men and women were cramming around the stalls and selecting specialties, bargaining loudly. People who were sitting at the plastic tables hungrily plunged their heads into the white steam of Suanlafen[1].The air was filled with smell of the fried food. Jujubes and walnuts were piled up at the stalls, and cured pork was hanging above people’s heads. This was the busiest time of the day. After hours of work, people all came here for a hearty meal. It was full of clamour.

老刀艰难地穿过人群。端盘子的伙计一边喊着让让一边推开挡道的人，开出一条路来，老刀跟在后面。彭蠡家在小街深处。老刀上楼，彭蠡不在家。问邻居，邻居说他每天快到关门才回来，具体几点不清楚。

Old Dao squeezed his way out by following a plates-holding attendant shouting and pushing to make a way out through the crowd. Peng Li lived deep inside the street. Old Dao went upstairs, only to find he is not at home. The neighbours told him that Peng Li came home every day when the gate was almost closed, but they were not sure when it might be.

[1]Suanlafen: hot and sour rice noodles