Memory of the Youth 少年往事 | Monthly Review

"Who hasn't done some ridiculous things in a young age?" "Qing often said to himself.

“ 年少时谁还没干过几件荒唐事呢？”一清时常这样跟自己说道。
懵懵懂懂中，一清就开始对男女之间的那种不同有了微妙的感觉，虽然还不至于知道男欢女爱，他已经开始喜欢班上一个女孩子，时常幻想着有个机会能够接近那个女孩子，好让女孩子也注意到并喜欢上他。

Qing began to have a subtle feeling of the difference between men and women. Although Qing did not know the passionate love, he had begun to like a girl in the class. He often dreamed to have a chance to approach the girl. He wanted the girl to notice him and like him finally.

机会终于来了。一次农忙假的时候，女孩子要在她外婆家住几天。而恰好她外婆家同一清是同一个村子，一清感觉这是个很好的机会，他要把握住这个机会，所以他想法设法准备接近那女孩子。

The opportunity came at last. During the vacation of busy farming season, the girl was going to stay at her grandmother's house for a few days. Qing felt it was a good opportunity, for he was in the same village as her grandmother. He wanted to grasp the chance so that he tried his best to find ways to approach the girl.

非常巧的是，一清奶奶家原来有口老窑洞，就刚好在女孩子外婆家隔壁，一清瞅准了这个机会，就借机总是去奶奶家老窑那边附近晃悠。

Coincidently, his grandmother had an old cave-house, which just next to the girl’s grandmother's house. Qing often took a stroll near grandma's cave dwelling and intended to get a chance to meet the girl.

奶奶家的这个老窑，其实就是一间三口的窑洞，原是多年前盖的，小时候他们家同奶奶家未分家时，一清也在那里住过段时间，后来独立分家后便没在那里住了，而奶奶家也搬到了新院子，原先那个老窑洞就很少有人再住，只是偶尔的时候家里人会过来打理下，或者存放些东西在里边，因为年久失修，外边的墙皮都开始有些脱落了，外墙角甚至有些砖开始凸露出来。

Grandma's old cave-house which was built many years ago had three independent rooms. When Qing was a child, he lived in the cave-house with his grandmother for a while. After dividing up family property and live apart, Qing had not been lived there any more and grandma also moved to the new yard. Sometimes, the family members came to the old cave dwelling to deposit something, but no one actually lived in it. The old cave-house was in a dilapidated condition. The plaster began to peel, and some bricks began to reveal the corner.

一清小时候很调皮，时常会抓着那些砖墙，沿着墙边爬上去，虽然每次爬到半途，向下望去，感觉异常危险，但小孩子嘛，多是很调皮的。因为这边墙角太过于陡峭，虽然可以爬上去，但是很难顺着再溜下去，而墙的另外 一边有棵大树，刚好靠着墙，所以一清总是习惯从那边爬上窑洞顶部，再从窑洞这边靠树的一边溜下去，经常爬上爬下，上蹿下跳，一时乐此不疲。

When Qing was a little boy, he was quite naughty and often clutched the brick to climbed up the wall. Although every time he climbed half way and looked down with an abnormally dangerous feeling, he still liked to do so. Though he can climb up, it was hard to slid down the wall again for the corner of wall was too steep. There was a big tree on the other side of the wall which was right against the wall. For that reason, Qing got used to climb up to the top of the cave-house, and then slid down from the side which has the tree. Qing was happy to climb up and down at that time.

窑洞的顶部是那种中间稍凸起，两边较矮的水泥地，主要是为了让雨水能够顺着两边流下去，不至于因为冬天雪太大或夏季雨水太多而压垮窑洞。

The top of the cave is slightly protruding in the middle and lower on both sides with cement floor. By this means, the rainwater would flow down along the both sides, and the cave-house would not be crushed because of the snow in the winter or rain in summer.

窑洞顶部是一片较为开阔的地方，一清小时候经常同伙伴们在上边玩耍，而窑洞的另一边，刚好就是女孩子外婆家的厨房房顶。

The top of the cave-house is a relatively open area, and Qing often played with his friends when he was young. On the other side of it was the kitchen roof of the girl's grandma's house.

一天下午，一清又像往常一样爬上窑洞顶，站在靠近女孩子外婆家的厨房屋顶上向院子里望去，发现女孩子正一个人坐在院子里，手里好像是拿本书在看。一清看这情况，心中不由大喜，他从屋顶上拿起一片瓦片，轻轻敲碎，捡起其中一块，顺手向院子里空旷地方扔去，他希望此举能引起 那女孩子的注意。

One afternoon, Qing climbed up the cave-house roof as usual, and stood near the girl's kitchen roof. When he looked into the yard, he found the girl was reading there by herself. Qing was very happy and he considered it was a good chance. He picked up a piece of tiles from the roof, and gently broke. Then he chose one piece and threw it to the empty place in the courtyard in order to attract the girl's attention.

只听见一声清脆响，仿佛是有什么打碎的声音，一清竖起耳朵，隔了好久，仍没见院子里有动静，他悄悄地站起身子，隔着屋顶的一片瓦片，偷偷地院子方向瞄去，发现女孩子仍端坐在院子里，似乎没有引起任何注意。

It seems that something's broken for the crisp sound. Qing waited for a long time, there wasn't anything happened in the yard below. He stood up quietly and looked into yard. The girl‘s attention seems not be attacked for she was still reading there.

一清再次捡起刚才敲碎的另一块瓦片，这次他瞅准方向，用尽全身力气，奋力向院子里空旷地方抛去。

Once again he picked up another piece of tile that had just broken before, and he thew it into the open space of the yard in the right direction with all his strength in this time.

只听咣当一声，碎瓦片落在离女孩子不远地方。女孩子被这突如其来的声音吓了一跳，她合起书，抬头向四周望去，没有发现什么，她又闻声望去，原是一清站在屋顶后边，正冲着她挤眉弄眼地憨笑着。

With the sound of clang, the tiles fell not far from the girl. The girl was shocked by the sudden sound. She closed the book and looked around but found nothing. Then she heard some tiny little noises from the roof behind, and finally found Qing, who was smiling to her simple and honest.

女孩子见此情景，脸色略微一红，其实对于一清，女孩子也是颇有好感的，这时刚好这时候家里没人，她起身向这边走来，一清拿起早已准备好的一本书，向女孩子努了努嘴，意思是告诉女孩子这本书拿给女孩子看，见女孩子点头后，一清将书顺着风向朝院子里扔了过去。。。

The girl blushed for that situation. She had a good impression on him, either. She stood up and came to him. Qing showed the prepared book and asked her whether she wanted to read or not through his expression. By seeing the girl's nod, Qing thew the book directly into the yard…

回去之后，一连几天一清都沉浸在亢奋中，一清开始幻想以后跟女孩子生活在一起，甚至连娶妻生子都想到了。。。他心里一阵美滋滋的。

Qing was in a state of excitement for the following days. He began to imagine the life with the girl, even thinking about getting married and giving birth to babies… His heart was full of sweet.

然而几天后，一件令一清非常尴尬的事情发生了。

However, something very embarrassing happened a few days later.

原是那女孩子的外婆，不知道怎么就找到一清家里了，跟一清的妈妈讲，说是一清朝他们家里扔瓦片，甚至还打碎了她家的几个碗。。。因为一清家在村子里也是大家族，同这家祖上算是本家族，关系也还可以，加之一清那时候年龄小，对方认为是小孩子捣蛋而已，倒也没有太追究。

The girl's grandmother came to Qing's home and complained to his mother:"Your son threw tiles to my house and even broke several bowls." Qing belongs to an extended family in the village which has some relationship with the girl's family. Considering Qing was just a naughty little boy, they did not blame him too much.

但是一清的妈妈还是觉得过意不去，后来买了几个新碗，专程找了个机会给送了过去，并且还跟对方表示赔礼道歉，这事就算这样过去了。

While his mother still felt sorry for that, so she bought a few new bowls. She sent the bowls to the neighbor and made a sincerely apology. This embarrassing things turned to another page.

但是一清因为这事情很是生气，他觉得自己都看上女孩子了，以后也是要娶那女孩子做婆姨(老婆)的，(两家)都快成亲家了，何必还那么计较几个破碗呢？所以他心里有些生气，觉得对方做事太小气。

However, Qing was very angry. He considered that he was falling love with the girl and going to marry her. He thought that there was no need to care about the bowls for the two families would merge into one sooner or later. So he got a little angry and felt that they were too mean.

还有一件事情，虽然过去多年了，但他一直没搞明白，明明是扔的瓦片而已，那个碗又怎么会碎呢？难道那老婆子在讹他？

Otherwise, he hadn't figured out that how the bowls was broken for he just thew the tiles. Was the old woman trying to deceive him?

哎，不管怎样，“ 年少时谁还没干过几件荒唐事呢？”一清这样宽慰自己。

"Who hasn't done a few ridiculous things in his youth?" Qing said to himself relievedly.

作者: @rivalhw
译者: @vickylin