原标题：最爱她写的小城故事，一切仿佛还未消失｜单读本期单读节选了中国当代非虚构作品英译计划的第四个作品，来自小说家颜歌的《平乐事》，曾发表在《单读15：我们的黄金时代》，文章描写了她的家乡郫县的故事和景象，颜歌写作多用短句，擅长场面和对话的描写，口语化和富有感染力的表达，使小城的人事物跃然纸上，十分生动。中国当代非虚构作品英译计划由《单读》、纸托邦和《洛杉矶书评》中华频道共同合作完成。它们选自《单读》杂志，经纸托邦翻译成英文后，将先后在《洛杉矶书评》中华频道和纸托邦上发表。通过这些作品，我们将会了解一个更加全面、复杂和生动的中国。颜歌，小说家，1984年出生于四川郫县。迄今为止，她出版了包括《平乐镇伤心故事集》《我们家》《五月女王》在内的十本小说，作品也见于《收获》、《人民文学》等杂志，并获得了《人民文学》“未来大家TOP20”及华语文学传媒大奖年度潜力新人等奖项。TheSpicesofLifebyYanGe–translatedbyPoppyTolandNotCarryingMoneyBeforePiCountyNewTownwasbuilt,thecountytown,Pitong,usedtobesosmallitwaslikeayeerba–asticky-ricebunfilledwithmincedporkandgreens–withallthetownspeoplesquashedtogethersnugbutnotstifled,knowingeachotherthoroughly,intimately.Atthattime,successfulpeopleweredescribedinthetownas,“Folkwhogooutontothestreetwithoutasinglepennyonthemandwalkfast.”Thismaysoundlikeagoodthing,butyoucan’tgeneralise.Myfatherwasgivingmealiftonhisbikeonedaywhensuddenly,justpasttheWestGateofthecitywall,weheardsomeonecallingouttohim.“DaiWei!DaiWei!”Myfatherjumpedinsurprise,appliedthebrakes,andturnedhisheadtothewontonshopacrosstheroadtoseeThirdBrotherHuangfromSouthStreetsittingthere.“ThirdBrother,it’sbeenawhile,”fathersaid,abittakenaback,leadingmeovertosayhello.“Comeon,addresshimproperly.Say‘HelloUncleHuang.’”SoIcalledouttoUncleHuang,whorespondedwithahalf-heartedgrunt,beforeturningtofather,saying,“I’mreallysorryDaiWei,butIhaven’tgotapennyonme.IatehalfthisportionofwontonsbeforerealizingI’dforgottentobringanymoneyouttoday!Ohmydays!”Itimmediatelybecameclearthathisgreetinghadbeenacryofdesperation.FathergaveThirdBrotherHuangthemoneyheneeded,andThirdBrotherHuangthankedhimrepeatedlysaying,“Oh,dearhowembarrassing,I’llgiveitbacktoyouanotherday.”“It’soneyuan–there’snoneedtopayitback!”Withawaveofhishand,fatherandItookoff.Thiswasjustacaseofyourbasic,unintendedNotCarryingMoney.ButthentherewasSeriousNext-LevelNotCarryMoney,whichwasmorecalculated.OneexampleoccurrednotlongafterfatherhadgraduatedfromPiTeachersTrainingCollegeandstartedhisjob.Hewaswalkingdownthestreet,whenheheardsomeonecallingouthisname:“DaiWei!DaiWei!”FatherturnedtoseehisfriendQiu,whohe’dknownalmostallhislife,ontheothersideofthestreet.Ithadbeenalongtimesincethey’dlastmet,andtheyweredelightedtobumpintoeachother,Qiujumpingupanddownashecrossedtheroad,pattingfather’sshouldersandsaying“DaiWei!I’veheardyou’vebeendoingreallywellforyourself!”“I’mnotdoingthatwell,I’mjustateacher!”fathersaid.“You’reateacherofthepeople,that’sanhonorableprofession!”Qiusaidflatteringly.Theywerebothintheirearlytwenties,neitherofthemattached,andtheystoodbythesideoftheroadchattingenthusiastically,smokingacoupleofcigarettestogetherastheycaughtup.“Hey,DaiWei,it’sbeensuchalongtime.Comeon–letmetakeyououtforameal!”suggestedQiu.“Youwanttoeatout?”Fatherlookedalittleshocked.“Qiu,youolddog,youhitthejackpot,didn’tyou?”Ignoringhim,QiudraggedmyfathertotheWangFamilyRestaurantbytheEastGateandtheybothsatdown,orderedhalfakiloofbraisedpigs’earsandbegantoeat.Theyorderedanumberofdishes,andabottleofwolfberrywine,whichtheyknockedback,drinkinguntilthedayturnedtonight.Thetwoofthemtolddrunkenstoriesofbackintheday,chattedabouttheircurrentsituations,andsharedvisionsofthefuture.Atclosingtime,therestaurantmanagercameover.“Sorrytobotheryou,butit’stimetopayup–yourbillistenyuanandthreejiao.”Qiureachedhishandintohispocketforhiswallet.Atonce,hisfacialexpressionalteredtheatrically.“Ohdamn,ohdamn.Oh,sonofabitch.DaiWei!Damn!Doyouhappentohaveanycashonyou?HowcanIhaveforgottenmymoney...?”ItjustsohappenedthatFatherhadjustreceivedhispaycheck,andtheforty-oneyuanandfivejiaothathe’dbeenkeepingwarminhispocketwasimmediatelyreducedbyaquarter.Hefollowedthestreetlight-illuminatedcitywallbackhomethatevening,thewholewaythinking,“ThatbastardQiu,callingouttomesosweetly,thentreatingmelikescum!Hewasclearlytakingmeforafool.Oh,butitwasmyownfaultreally,leavingthehousewithsomuchmoney.Iwon’tbecarryinganymoneyonmefromnowon!”Hethoughtaboutthetenyuanandthreejiaoandfeltapainfultugathisheart.Sothatwaswhynooneintowncarriedmoney.Youcouldwalkoutthesouthgateandthere’dalwaysbesomeoneyouknew;youcouldeatdatesatthisperson’shouse,orhaveaglassofwateratthatperson’s;youcouldmakeyourwaytotheNorthGateandbackagain,nevercarryingapenny.Ofcourse,thatwasbeforetheNewCitywasbuilt.AftertheNewCitycameeverynewbuildingtriedtoout-Westernthelastbuilding.Insteadofbuyingclothesfromastreetvendor,youwenttotheshoppingmall;insteadofeatingataroadsidestallyouwenttoarestaurant;andteashacksweresoonreplacedwithteahouses.Theysaidteaintheteahousecost15yuanacup,afactthatscaredthedickensoutofmanyoldervillageresidents.Butevenmoreterrifyingthingswerestilltocome.Oneday,twobusinessproprietorsweresittinginsidethisteahouse,amanandawoman.Bitbybit,theirconversationstartedtorampupintoanargument.“Youwatchwhatyousay!I’vegotplentyofmoney!”saidtheman.“Youthinkyou’retheonlyonewho’sseenmoney?”repliedthewoman.Unabletosettleit,theybothwhackedtheirwalletsdownonthetableandsaid,“Let’scompare!Seewho’sgotmoremoney!”Theotherpeopleintheteahousestaredinshockasthetwoofthemcountedoutthenotes,one,two,three,four,five,six.Themanturnedouttobecarrying3,700RMB,whilethewomanhad4,200RMB.Themanwasflabbergasted–hadhereallylosttoawoman?Afterthetaleofthemoneybattlemadetheroundsofourvillage,everyonefeltasiftheireyeshadtrulybeenopened.“Itturnsoutyoushouldcarrymoneywhenyouleavethehouseafterall,themorethebetter!”Weonlyfiguredthatoutthen.LoudVoicesIfyoudrivepastChengdu’swesternThirdRingRoadandfollowstraightdowntotheendoftheYanxiLinefortwentyminutes,youwillarriveatPitong,thecountytownofPiCounty.Intheblinkofaneye,theskywidensandtheearthexpands.Takingadeepbreathofthecountryaroma,youfeelasenseofbelongingasyoureyesfinallyrelaxoncemore.Whilebackhometherearethreethingstokeepinmind:nottocarrymoneywhenwalkingaround,howsaltythefoodis,andhowloudpeopletalk.Myfatherhadtheloudestvoiceofthemall.Hewassoloudthatwhenhesneezedinthecourtyard,thesound-activatedlightswouldcometolifeinallthesurroundingbuildings,firstfloortothesixth.Hewassoloudthatwhenhecalledmetodinnerfromthedoorwayofourhouse,alltheotherkidswoulddropwhattheyweredoingandrunhome,too.Hewassoloudthatwhenhechattedwithmygrandmotherabouthouseholdmatters,mygrandmother,whowasovereightyanddidn’thavegreathearing,wouldsay,“DaiWei!Canyoupleasetalkmorequietly!”Theysaiditwasbecausemyfatherhadbecomefat,whichmadehisvoicemorerobust.ButIdon’tknowaboutthat–I’dneverseenhimwhenhewasstillyoungandthin,andIcertainlyhadn’teverheardhimtalkinaninsidevoice.EighthUncleZeng,whoworkedinthepolytechniccollegemailroom,hadthesecondloudestvoice.Everydayafterhe’deatenandhadnothingtodo,he’dstandinthecourtyarddoorwayanddependingonwhohesaw,he’dshout,“ThirdAuntZhou!You’vecomebackfromyourvisit!”or“TeacherSong,haveyouonlyjustfinishedwork?You’reeatingdinnersolatetoday!”or“JiangYanzi,there’saletterforyou–it’sfromGuangzhou!”Thankstohim,everyoneinourcourtyardknewallabouteachother:whethertheZhoufamilyateaplateofsaltedmeattoday,ortheWangfamilyweremakingthreeportionsofnoodlestomorrow;asforfightsandquarrels,orweddingsandfunerals,well,youcanimagine.Heannoyedplenty,butlotsoffolkssaiditwasthankstohimthatourcourtyardhadneverhadanyproblemswiththieves,andamanyyearslater,whenheleftthemailroom,wereallystartedtomisshim.Therewerealsoafewothercharactersthateveryoneknewforbeingespeciallyloud:thekniferepairman,theknifegrinder,andtheguywhosoldmosquito,flyandflearepellent.Atthattime,everyoneinourvillagespokeinthisverystandardPiCountydialect.TospeakPidialectyouhadtostretchyourmouth,bulgeitfullofair,rollupyourtongueandthen,withaclack,outcamethesoundsthatwerecognized–onlythenwas‘white’reallywhite,‘black’reallyblack,‘eating’reallyeating,and‘thestate’reallythestate.EverysooftensomeonefromChengduwouldshowup,pointingtheirtongueandflatteningtheirmouth,comingoutwiththingslike“havesomefood”intheirreedyvoices,whichhadusallcrackinguplaughing.Ofcourse,weknewthat,“Speakinginaloudvoicedoesn’tmakeyouright,”andsometimeswe’deventelloneanothertosaveourstrengthandspeakabitquieter.Butifyoutriedaddressingsomeoneeloquentlyandelegantlyonthestreet,they’dsay,“What’swrongwithyoutoday?Haven’tyouhadenoughtoeat?Don’thavetheenergytotalkproperly?Comeonthen,let’sgetsomefoodinyou!”Therewasonlyonesituationinwhichloudvoiceswerenotwelcomed,whichIlearnedwhenmyfathertookmetothehospitaltoseethedoctor.Wewerewaitinginthecorridor,weheardsomeonemoaningandgroaningfromsomewayoff.“Ohdear,ohdear.Whatagony!”Foralongtimeeveryonewascraningtheirneckstosee,eventuallymakingoutthismaninhisfortiesbeingledover.Heseemedhealthyenoughandwasdecentlydressed,buthekeptcallingoutthewords,“Ohdear,whatagony,ohdear,whatagony!”hisvoiceboomingsoloudlyitcarriedthroughoutthehospital.Mostpeoplewerepreparedtoendureit,butonewizenedoldladywentstraightovertohimsaying,“Youngman!You’renotachild–whyareyellingatsuchaloudvolumewhenyou’reill!Youshouldbeashamedofyourself!”Themanlookedastonished,andlikeaballoonpokedwithaneedle,heletoutapuffofairandfellsilent.Aswewatchedhimshuffleoffsilently,myfathersaid,“Youseethat,yougottakeepyoursufferingtoyourself.Cryingout‘Ohdear,’likethat,you’rereallyaskingforit!”Sothat’showIlearnedthatbadnewsshouldn’tbesharedinaloudvoice,becauseonlygoodthingsneededbespreadaround.Thatwaswhywelikedtoshoutateachother.Itwasanunspokenrule;everyoneinthecountytownhadgrownupthisway.Itwasonlyafterfinishinghighschool,goingtothecitytostudyatuniversity,graduating,andfindingajob,thatIfinallyunderstoodthatspeakingMandarininquiet,dulcettonesmakesotherpeoplefeelrelaxed.Ialsohadtolearnthatwhentalkingtopeople,youshouldn’tsay,“Mydadsaid,”“Myauntsaid,”or“Fifth-bornXiesaid.”Insteadtheappropriateexpressionswere,“Iheard,”“Afriendsaid,”or“Someonetoldme.”Outintheworldeverythingwaslackluster,vagueanddistant,whichiswhatmadeitallseemsomuchmoreelegant,civilizedandappropriate.Afterlongperiodsoftimewithoutseeingmyfatherandmother,letalonefolklikeThirdUncleZhang,SecondSisterChenandFourthUncleZhou,I’dreturnhomeonceayeartofindthesofa,teatable,televisionandfridgeallunchanged.Sittinginthelivingroom,pluggedintowifi,worriedyoumightbemissingsomethingfromtheoutsideworld,suddenlyfather(whowascookinginthekitchen)wouldholler,“DaiYuexing!Hurryoutsideandbuymeapacketofsalt!”AndI’djumpinfrightandcouldn’thelpbutthink,“Mylord,fatherreallyisloud!”Author:YanGewasbornin1984inSichuaninthePeople’sRepublicofChina,andcurrentlylivesinDublin,Eire.SherecentlycompletedaPhDincomparativeliteratureatSichuanUniversityandisthechairpersonoftheChinaYoungWriterAssociation.PoppyTolandisaLondon-basedfreelanceliterarytranslator.ShestudiedChineseatLeedsUniversityandlivedinBeijingforfouryearsduringwhichtimesheworkedasaneditorforTimeOutBeijingandfieldresearchsupervisorfortheBBC\'sWildChinaTVseries.ThispiecefirstappearedinChineseinDandu(单读)MagazineandispublishedincollaborationwiththeLARBChinaChannel.编辑丨程絮圆图片来自《饮食男女》▲点击上图，预订即将上市的《单读18：都市一无所有》▼▼平乐事。责任编辑：