Love in a Fallen City 傾城之戀 Part 7

http://www.rain8.com/article/class10/1512.htm

by Eileen Chang 張愛玲

Translated by Yoyo  幽柚

Part 6

流蘇突然叫了一聲，掩住自己的眼睛，跌跌衝衝往樓上爬，往樓上爬……上了樓，到了她自己的屋子裡，她開了燈，撲在穿衣鏡上，端詳她自己。還好， 她還不怎麼老。她那一類的嬌小的身軀是最不顯老的一種，永遠是纖瘦的腰，孩子似的萌芽的乳。她的臉，從前是白得像瓷，現在由瓷變為玉——半透明的輕青的 玉。下頜起初是圓的，近年來漸漸尖了，越顯得那小小的臉，小得可愛。臉龐原是相當的窄，可是眉心很寬。一雙嬌滴滴，滴滴嬌的清水眼。陽台上，四爺又拉起胡 琴來了。依著那抑揚頓挫的調子，流蘇不由得偏著頭，微微飛了個眼風，做了個手勢。她對著鏡子這一表演，那胡琴聽上去便不是胡琴，而是笙簫琴瑟奏著幽沉的廟 堂舞曲。她向左走了幾步，又向右走了幾步，她走一步路都彷彿是合著失了傳的古代音樂的節拍。她忽然笑了——陰陰的，不懷好意的一笑，那音樂便戛然而止。外 面的胡琴繼續拉下去，可是胡琴訴說的是一些遼遠的忠孝節義的故事，不與她相干了。

Suddenly Liu Su shouted, covering her own eyes, rushing and tumbling down the stairs, down the stairs... up the stairs, to her own room.  She opened the lights, threw herself onto the dressing mirrors and closely looked at herself.  Not bad, she wasn't too old.  Her dainty body type mostly hides old age, a forever slim waist, child-like sprouting breasts.  Her face, in the past was white like marble, now marble turned to jade-- half clear young jade.  The beginning of her lower jaw was round, over the past few years it slowly sharpened, making her little face more prominent, small, and cute.  Here face was wide as it was small, but the space between her eyebrows were wide.  I pair of sweet, delicate, and clear eyeballs.  On the balcony, 4th Brother was playing the huqin.  With the rise and fall of the melody, Liu Su couldn't help but tilt her head, with a slight glance fluttering by, gestured with her hands.  She faced a mirror and started to perform.  That huqin wasn't listened to as a huqin, but a flute and qinse played with the deep hidden temple dance. She shuffled to the left, then shuffled to the right.  Each of her steps was like writing an ancient musical beat lost in translation.  She suddenly laughed, softly, a laugh of malicious intent, suddenly the music stopped.  The huqin outside continued to play, but the huqin was telling a distant story about didactic morals that no longer had anything to do with her.

這時候，四爺一個人躲在那裡拉胡琴，卻是因為他自己知道樓下的家庭會議中沒有他置喙的餘地。徐太太走了之後，白公館裡少不得將她的建議加以研究 和分析。徐太太打算替寶絡做媒說給一個姓范的，那人最近和徐先生在礦務上有相當密切的聯絡，徐太太對於他的家世一向就很熟悉，認為絕對可靠。那范柳原的父 親是一個著名的華僑，有不少的產業分佈在錫蘭馬來亞等處。范柳原今年三十三歲，父母雙亡。白家眾人質問徐太太，何以這樣的一個標準夫婿到現在還是獨身的， 徐太太告訴他們，范柳原從英國回來的時候，無數的太太們急扯白臉的把女兒送上門來，硬要□〔左"提手"右"亞"〕給他，勾心鬥角，各顯神通，大大熱鬧過一 番。這一捧卻把他捧壞了。從此他把女人看成他腳底下的泥。由於幼年時代的特殊環境，他的脾氣本來就有點怪僻。他父母的結合是非正式的。他父親有一次出洋考 察，在倫敦結識了一個華僑交際花，兩人秘密地結了婚。原籍的太太也有點風聞。因為懼怕太太的報復，那二夫人始終不敢回國。范柳原就是在英國長大的。他父親 故世以後，雖然大太太只有兩個女兒，范柳原要在法律上確定他的身份，卻有種種棘手之處。他孤身流落在英倫，很吃過一些苦，然後方才獲得了繼承權。至今范家 的族人還對他抱著仇視的態度，因此他總是住在上海的時候多，輕易不回廣州老宅裡去。他年紀輕輕的時候受了些刺激，漸漸的就往放浪的一條路上走，嫖賭吃著， 樣樣都來，獨獨無意於家庭幸福。

At the moment, 4th Brother was by himself stroking the huqin, actually because he knew that the family meeting downstairs had no extra room for his voice.  After Madam Xu left, the Baigong place couldn't avoid investigating and analyzing her opinion.  Madam Xu calculated being a go-between for Bao Luo and someone named Mr. Fan.  Recently that person and Mr. Xu had family relations at the mining company.  Madam Xu regarded their family very quickly with familiarity, believing absolutely they were reliable.  That Fan Liuyuan's father is a famous overseas Chinese person, having industry distributed throughout the Sri Lanka Malaysia region.  Fan Liuyuan is 33 this year, mother and father are deceased.  Everyone in the Bai family interrogated madam Xu, why this proper husband until now is still a bachelor.  Madam Xu told them during the time Fan Liuyuan returned from England, countless mothers jostled and forced their daughters to his door, determined (With the "raise" of the left hand, and a "sigh" with the right) to give away their daughters to him.  Locked in constant strife, all showing their magic touch, a period of big hubbub and excitement, all flattering him to death.  From then on he saw women as mud under his feet.  Due to the unusual circumstances of his childhood he had an eccentric temperament.  His parent's ties were unofficial.  His father once went abroad to investigate.  In London for the first time he meet an overseas Chinese social flower, and the two secretly married.  The birthplace of the mother was also hearsay.  Because she was afraid of the first wife's wrath, the second wife didn't dare return home, so Liu Fanyuan grew up in England.  After his father passed away, although the first wife only had two daughters, Liu Fanyuan  originally wanted to go to court to prove his identity, which became a thorny problem.  He alone stayed in London, and overcame some odds.  Afterwards suddenly he received his rights to inheritance.  To this day the Fan clan still have a grudge  towards him.  As a result the time he stayed long periods of time in Shanghai, easily knowing he could not go to his old hometown in Guangzhou.  When he was young he suffered some provocation, and gradually walked an unrestrained path, chasing women, gambling and eating.  He did everything, alone without thinking of his family's happiness.

白四奶奶就說："這樣的人，想必是喜歡存心挑剔。我們七妹是庶出的，只怕人家看不上眼。放著這麼一門好親戚，怪可惜了兒 的！"

4th wife Mrs. Bai said, "This kind of person enjoy being deliberately picky.  Our 7th Sister is common, I'm just afraid people will look down on her.  Letting go of such good family, no wonder the son is pitiable!"

三爺道："他自己也是庶出。"

3rd Brother said, "He himself is a commoner."

四奶奶道："可是人家多厲害呀，就憑我們七丫頭那股子傻勁兒，還指望拿得住他？倒是我那個大女孩子機靈些，別瞧她，人 小心不小，真識大體！"

4th Wife said, "But he's amazing!  But him with our dumb 7th Sister, think we can hold onto him?  If only my oldest daughter were more clever, don't even bother with her.  If other people aren't careful, they should know better!"

三奶奶道："那似乎年紀差得太多了。"

3rd Wife said, "Apparently the age difference is too big."

四奶奶道："喲！你不知道，越是那種人，越是喜歡年紀輕的。我那個大的若是不成，還有二的 呢。"

4th Wife, "Hey, don't you know?  With people more that way, they like them young!  If the biggest won't work, I still have a second!"

三奶奶笑道："你那個二的比姓范的小二十歲。"

3rd Wife laughed, "The second is younger than Mr. fan by 20 years."

四奶奶悄悄扯了她一把，正顏厲色地道："三嫂，你別那麼糊塗！護著七丫頭，她是白家的什麼人？隔了一 層娘肚皮，就差遠了。嫁了過去，誰也別想在她身上得點什麼好處！我這都是為了大家好。"

4th Wife quietly tugged her, with a serious tone said, "3rd madam, don't be silly!  Protecting 7th girl, who is she in the Bai household?  Separated by another mother's belly, the difference is huge.  After marrying her off, no one's even going to bother thinking for her benefit!  I'm doing this for everyone's good!"

然而白老太太一心一意只怕親戚議論她虧待了沒娘的七小姐，決定照原 來計劃，由徐太太擇日請客，把寶絡介紹給范柳原。

Yet Mother Bai was single-minded fearing the family discussion was unfairly treating the motherless 7th sister, deciding to follow the original plan, going with Madam Xu's date to invite the guest, and introducing Bao Luo to Mr. Fan Liuyuan.