Writer: Fei Ming
Translation: Zhaojing


Tao village sits in the dyke of Lingdang¹ embankment, only half li² from the town. Walking down the dyke, crossing a bridge, then a sandbar could lead to Chengxi Gate³.

A line is arranged, ten or so tile houses with muddy walls, bricks are clearly drawn in lime. It is illuminated under the sun, indicating Tao village is always thriving. In the bamboo forests behind the houses, green leaves are piled up like steps, leaning to the bank of river and the water babbles away with twists along the bamboos. It is truly close to the town and there is only a river in between. A part of the rampart stands beside the water, facing straightly to the bamboos and a tiny path  winds its way in it, one could even peep it on the rampart. Somehow, someone stands beside the river—it is Tao villager comes to carry water. When the setting Sun could reach Tao village (many are visiting town while this time), it is unavoidable that people would climb up the battlements and poke heads to gaze the river. Then turns out people up on the battlement could only gaze to the people below it — as if they could not tell water’s limpidity and the greenness of the bamboo leaves — people below look up to the people on the rampart as well.

There is a stone pagoda on one side of the bridge which connects the town and the village, it was named of Xishou⁴ Pagoda. It is said that there was no bridge at first, “Ferry” is needed when crossing. Ferry man refers to people who carry passengers to cross river by bamboo strip which is made by big black bamboos. An old man whose surname was Zhang lived his life on ferrying, his hair was white like silver threads. One day, He Xiangu⁵ descended to ferry the old man to the heaven. Then the old man said: “ I’m not going. How could town people go to village? How could villagers go to town?” Though the old man died at that night. Early in the morning, the river had a bridge and a pagoda was on the bridgehead. He Xiangu built the bridge over one night and she washed hands, then it was called Xishou Pagoda. Deaf Chen from Tao village was the only one who does not believe this story,  he said: “Old man Zhang ferries people, didn’t he ferry money?” People still had to give him money for ferrying, it was the same as deaf “as a long-term laborer,” therefore he could not ascend to heaven.

The Pagoda is not tall, a big maple is high above it and people who travel far always stop here to enjoy the shades. Sitting under the tree, Lingdang embankment is clear at one glance,—and what you could see is only the world of Lingdang embankment. And there are one mountain, two mountains beyond it, though knowing they are not close, the forests are in the hillside. Lingdang embankment is not a big one, it shapes like a flower basket but without even one flower, and it greens from the bottom— but if buckwheats or Cole flowers’ bloom, then flowers are all over the land again. Surely paddy field is shown at one glance, nonetheless townspeople who even frequently come to play still could not name those piled balls in the forests and could only tell some might be villages, or vegetable gardens, or trees that are planted around the ponds. The trees of the dyke make the sky of Lingdang embankment smaller than the land, except Tao village and the small temple in front of it, and walking around in this place would just be simply walking in the forest. Sometimes one would hear the voice of carving trees with axes, but still finds nothing even the voice stops. And looking over to the small temple from here, a scroll of white wall is revealed, though it is deeply hided, it is still a small temple. When afternoon arrives, this place would lose the sunlights first and trees’ color would become extremely dark. Some would think, this temple might be a village temple, since it is so small, nearly as small as Shuizhu Temple on the hillside behind it, however the bamboos of the Shuizhu⁶ Temple are just bamboo forests of the faraway mountain. Have some townspeople ever asked Tao villagers about this temple in their whole lives, and have ever seen such white wall in their whole lives after.

The field in front of the Tao village is not harvested nine years out of ten. It is not planed to plant in the first place, the field is too shallow and water is filled during four seasons. Harvesting would be an unexpected good year(As, Tao village’s good year is drought year). Water grass grows with zhuopu⁷ and bapu⁸ to the feet of the dyke and the tree shade cover all of these grasses, making one cool without wind. Cattle of Tao village grazes on the dyke’s feet and town’s donkeys are grazing in here as well. Even people would love to stretch hands, feet, lying on here and closing their eyes toward the sky. The sandy road encircles surround this water paddy field to past the shallow lake of water chestnut.

Lingdang embankment is named after this shallow lake of water chestnut.

The shallow lake of water chestnut belongs to Tao village, it is surrounded by the brushwood of densely evergreen trees. Walking on the dyke, gazing to a corner of the white water, some wild flowers distribute green grasses and form a circle on the bank of the shallow lake. And there are two exits, one connects with vegetable garden, where some beds planted by deaf Chen are also in here.

Er Laodie⁹ from Tao village knows the deepness of the shallow lake of water chestnut. Er Laodie is a seventy-eight years old man, he once said, in the Daoguang¹⁰ nineteenth year, only their shallow lake of water chestnut had not became dried soils, though the bottom was almost appeared. Many big and small fishes were netted, even some carps could be weighed to twenty jin¹¹. Then Tao village became so lively, six towns’ people came and Xishou Pagoda was full of people. Villagers pushed around in the shallow lake, even trees were scattered by the crowd.

The water chestnut’s leaves cover approximately half of the shallow lake’s surface and the rest is white water. When Sun hangs right on the top of people’s heads, there is only the thick forest with no bird’s sounds and passerby could not see where the water comes and goes. If one is a frequent guest, then just circles to the entrance to play, their eyes would flash up and down to see the sky and water. And when feet stop, chirping sound is inside the water — seems like the water is totally stuffed by these voice! Then slightly turns head, seeing someone might be fishing and one could only see a wire. You walk out again without a word. Like going to the town, on the street, you are still a passerby of shallow lake of water chestnut.

Such people always think one thing is deep, darkish-blue, green, and really round.

Townspeople do not consider the shallow lake of water chestnut belong to Tao village, or to deaf Chen. Everyone familiars with this deaf, likes him, teases him, especially those women who wash clothes — more than half of them live by the West wall of the town and they would come to the shallow lake of water chestnuts to wash when river is thirsty. Then the deepness of it was stirred. When sun sets or day breaks, the yelling of them could even be heard on the dyke, even, some sit on the grassland under the feet of the embankment to “da yi zhan”¹² due to the heaviness of the clothes basket echoes with people are pounding pestles. And the wild flowers become their futons, the green grass were stepped into roads.

Deaf Chen is normally called without “Chen”, just called as deaf. He works as a long-term laborer for ten or so years in Tao village, seeing him speaking was not easy, though he would listen when others talk. Seems like everyone is jealous of him, and call him the deaf. However it might not start from Tao village, seemed like he did not bring any other names to here. And he plants Er laodie’s vegetable garden, the vegetables grow from the garden are also carried by him to the streets to sell. Er laodie only trusts him, then he would come back and counts penny after penny on Er laodie’s hands. Laundry women ask him for carrots — it is like when he is in the carrots’ farmland, he would immediately pull out a large one, even giving her with leaves on it. Though he only gives one carrot if they ask, and if they say the carrots are not good, he replies with no words, though smiles. And when Lingdang embankment’s carrots are in the mouths, they are truly sweet.

When shallow lake is full of water chestnuts, there is sometimes a little boat (one could carry such boat) in it. Deaf Chen is always the one who circles above the water chestnuts’ leaves in the boat. Where has deaf Chen gone, Er laodie does not know as well. Er Laodie just watches his cattle grazing in the feet of the embankment, does not care his deaf has entered the shallow lake of water chestnuts. The deaf carries the water chestnuts to home — Deaf was picking water chestnuts in the shallow lake!

Deaf Chen always picks water chestnuts like that, exactly like water does not appear in the shallow lake of water chestnuts of Lingdang embankment.

Once the deaf delivered a basket of water chestnuts to Shijia Jing— Shijia Jing is a famous lane in the town, people whose surnames are Shi reside in there. A deep lane is formed by two yards’ walls and road is paved by stones. When children walk past it, they would intentionally step hard to play with the echoes. Deaf walked to the front gate of Shi’s house, then stopped, raised head, seeing the pomegranates are in the yard, as if people would come out by his gazing. Two dogs ran out, jumped to his shoulders to yell. One was black, one was white, deaf could not separate his eyes lids, just stood and circled on a stone, two hands gripped the basket tightly, until the little girl from Shi’s house walked out due to the yelling of the dogs, helping him to shout down the dogs. Shi’s girl saw the basket of red water chestnuts, smiled: “Did my house buy it?” Deaf looked like he was frozen because of the dogs, did not say one word, but he smiled to the little girl with his teeth appeared. Little girl led him inside, after a while walked him out. There is even no sound when he walks.

Later on, every time when deaf sees Er laodie’s grand daughter is having quarrel, he would grumble:

“See, the town’s girl’s so good!”

He always says like that.

One day, the Sun had already set behind the West Mountain, the Ching sky still cloaked Lingdang embankment with greenness, and there were so many different colors. The white wall of the temple from the dyke and the deaf was in the feet of embankment alone. He had just came to the vegetable garden from home, carried a bucket and held a hoe. He had to water the green pepper in the garden. Then he listened— some were washing clothes in the shallow lake of water chestnuts. And the wind blew, bringing delightfully coolness. The bucket was rested in the pathways of the beds, he shouldered a hoe and walked along the beds and eyes watched eggplants one after one. Some green peppers had already turned to red, one could not see unless walking in front of them.

Then walked back, the carrying pole was lying on the bucket. He sat on it, taking out a cigar pipe to smoke and all he had hung in his waist. Deaf Chen’s temper was strong, if he was others, Er laodie would nag several times a day, however, his deaf man (but Wang Siniu¹³ went down to the water in the embankment said: four fucking strings of little money, what could expect unless smoking? Let alone deaf Chen carries water, sells vegetables and water chestnuts!)

Flint flamed out the fire — this was the scene added by deaf Chen for Lingdang embankment.

Then deaf Chen bent his back while smoking.

Carried a cigar and turned his head, listened—

It was Zhang dasao¹⁴, Zhang dasao said something funny. And deaf Chen laughed as well.

He hung the cigar pipe on the waist, carried the carrying pole on the shoulder.

“Today is hot!” The sentence slipped from Zhang dasao’s broken throat.

“What if someone comes and sees you?”

“What if I die of hotness?”

The trees along two sides covered people were carrying buckets, one bucket had already entered the shallow lake of water chestnuts.

“Ay—”

“Haha, Zhang dasao good boobs!”

This person’s nickname was Nianyu¹⁵, she was Wang dama’s¹⁶ third daughter, who just finished washing clothes and sat with Zhang dasao on the bank. Zhang dasao undid her guazi¹⁷ that was wetted by sweat to catch the wind.

“I wonder who that is — deaf Chen.“

Deaf Chen’s eyes looked at the water, muttered and smiled —

“Deaf Chen!”



1927, 10.


1. Lingdang: Shallow lake of water chestnuts.
2. Li: A Chinese unit of length (= 1/2 kilometer) 
3. Chengxi Gate: “Cheng”, town, “Xi”, west.
4. Xishou: “Xi”, wash, “Shou”, hands.
5. He Xiangu: one of the eight immortals in China and she is the only woman of them.
6. Shuizhu Temple: “Shui”, water, “Zhu”, bamboo.
7. Zhuopu: A plant.
8. Bapu: Perhaps the leaves of zhuopu.
9. Er laodie: “Er”, second, “Lao”, old, “Die”, papa.
10. Daoguang: An emperor in Qing dynasty. Characters in this story still refer years with emperors plus their reigning time.
11. Jin: a unit of weight (=1/2 kilogram)
12. Da yi zhan: Take a break. Though this word might be this village’s specific dialect, so the writer added quotation marks.
13. Wang Siniu: “Wang”, a surname, “Si”, four, “Niu”, cow.
14. Zhang dasao: “Zhang, surname”, “dasao”, auntie.
15. Nianyu: Catfish.
16. Wang dama: “Wang”, surname, “dama”, another way of saying auntie.
17. Guazi: a Chinese styled unlined upper garment. Like the western gown.

作者：废名
翻译：兆京


陶家村在菱荡圩的坝上，离城不过半里，下坝过桥，走一个沙洲，到城西门。

一条线排着，十来重瓦屋，泥墙，石灰画得砖块分明，太阳底下更有一种光泽，表示陶家村总是兴旺的。屋后竹林，绿叶堆成了台阶的样子，倾斜至河岸，河水沿竹子打一个弯，潺潺流过。这里离城才是真近，中间就只有河，城墙的一段正对了竹子临水而立，竹林里一条小路，城上也窥得见，不当心河边忽然站了一个人——陶家村人出来挑水。落山的太阳射不过陶家村的时候（这时游城的很多），少不了有人攀了城垛子探首望水，但结果城上人望城下人，仿佛不会说水清竹叶绿——城下人亦望城上。

陶家村过桥的地方有一座石塔，名叫洗手塔。人说，当初是没有桥的，往来要“摆渡”。摆渡者，是指以大乌竹做成的笺载行人过河。一位姓张的老汉，专在这里摆渡过日，头发白得像银丝。一天，何仙姑下凡来，渡老汉升天，老汉道：“我不去。城里人如何下乡？乡下人如何进城？”但老汉这天晚上死了。清早起来，河有桥，桥头有塔。何仙姑一夜修了桥。修了桥洗一洗手，成洗手塔。这个故事，陶家村的陈聋子独不相信，他说：“张老头子摆渡，不是要渡钱吗？”摆渡依然要人家给他钱，同聋子“打长工”是一样，所以决不能升天。

菱荡圩是以这个菱荡得名。

菱荡属陶家村，周围常青树的矮林，密得很。走在坝上。望见白水的一角。荡岸，绿草散着野花，成一个圈圈。两个通口，一个连菜园，陈聋子种的几畦园也在这里。

菱荡的深，陶家村的二老爹知道，二老爹是七十八岁的老人，说，道光十九年，剩了他们的菱荡没有成干土，但也快要见底了。网起来的大小鱼真不少，鲤鱼大的有二十斤。这回陶家村可热闹，六城的人来看，洗手塔上是人，荡当中人挤人，树都挤得稀疏了。

城里人并不以为菱荡是陶家村的，是陈聋子的。大家都熟识这个聋子，喜欢他，打趣他，尤其是那般洗衣的女人——洗衣的多半住在西城根，河水渴了到菱荡来洗。菱荡的深，这才被她们搅动了。太阳落山以及天刚刚破晓的时候，坝上也听得见她们喉咙叫，甚至，衣篮太重了坐在坝脚下草地上“打一栈”的也与正在捶捣忤的相呼应。野花做了她们的蒲团，原来青青的草她们踏成了路。

陈聋子，平常略去了陈字，只称聋子。他在陶家村打了十几年长工，轻易不见他说话，别人说话他偏肯听，大家都嫉妒他似的这样叫他。但这或者不始于陶家村，他到陶家村来似乎就没有带来别的名字了。二老爹的园是他种，园里出的菜也要他挑上街去卖，二老爹相信他一人，回来一文一文的钱向二老爹手上数。洗衣女人问他讨萝卜吃 —— 好比他正在萝卜田里，他也连忙拔起一个大的，连叶子给她。不过讨萝卜他就答应一个萝卜，再说他的萝卜不好，他无话回，笑是笑的。菱荡圩的萝卜吃在口里实在甜。

菱荡满菱角的时候，菱荡里不时有一个小划子（这划子一个人背得起），坐划子菱叶上打回旋的常是陈聋子。聋子到哪里去了，二老爹也不知道，二老爹或者在坝脚下看他的牛吃草，没有留心他的聋子进菱荡。聋子挑了菱角回家 —— 聋子是在菱荡摘菱角！

聋子总是这样的去摘菱角，恰如菱荡在菱荡圩不现其水。

有一回聋子送一篮菱角到石家井去——石家井是城里有名的巷子，石姓所居，两边院墙夹成一条深巷，石铺的道，小孩子走这里过，故意踏得响，逗回声。聋子走到石家大门，站住了，抬了头望院子里的石榴，仿佛这样望得出人来。两匹狗朝外一奔，跳到他的肩膀上叫。一匹是黑的，一匹白的，聋子分不开眼睛，尽站在一块石上转，两手紧握篮子，一直到狗叫出了石家的小姑娘，替他喝住狗。石家姑娘见了一篮红菱角，笑道：“是我家买的吗？”聋子被狗呆住了的模样，一言没有发，但他对了小姑娘牙齿都笑出来了。小姑娘引他进来，一会儿又送他出门。他连走路也不响。

以后逢着二老爹的孙女儿吵嘴，聋子就咕噜一句：“你看街上的小姑娘是多么好！”

他的话总是这样的说。

一日，太阳已下西山，青天罩着菱荡圩照样的绿，不同的颜色，坝上庙的白墙，坝下聋子人一个，他刚刚从家里上园来，挑了水桶，挟了锄头。他要挑水浇一浇园里的青椒。他一听——菱荡洗衣的有好几个。

走回了原处，扁担横在水桶上，他坐在扁担上，拿出烟竿来吃，他的全副家伙都在腰边。聋子这个脾气厉害，倘是别个，二老爹一天少不了啰嗦几遍，但是他的聋子（圩里下湾的王四牛却这样说：一年四吊毛钱，不吃烟做什么？何况聋子桃了水，卖菜卖菱角！）。

衔了烟偏了头，听 ——

是张大嫂，张大嫂讲了一句好笑的话。聋子也笑。

烟竿系上腰。扁担挑上肩。

“今天真热！”张大嫂的破喉咙。

“来了人看怎么办？”

“把人热死了怎么办？”

“嗳呀 —— ”

“我道是谁——聋子。”

聋子眼睛望了水，笑着自语 ——

“聋子！”