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Later he sent me by his father a packet of shells and a few very beautiful feathers， and I sent him presents once or twice， but we never saw each other again.
他后来还托他的父亲带给我一包贝壳和几支很好看的鸟毛，我也曾送他一两次东西，但从此没有再见面。
Now that my mother mentioned him， this childhood memory sprang into life like a flash of lightning， and I seemed to see my beautiful old home. So I answered：
现在我的母亲提起了他，我这儿时的记忆，忽而全都闪电似的苏生过来，似乎看到了我的美丽的故乡了。我应声说：
“Fine！ And he—how is he？”
“He？… He’s not at all well off either，” said Mother. And then， looking out of the door： “Here come those people again. They say they want to buy our furniture； but actually they just want to see what they can pick up. I must go and watch them.”
Mother stood up and went out. Several women’s voices could be heard outside. I called Hong’er to me and started talking to him， asking him whether he could write， and whether he was glad to be leaving.
“Shall we be going by train？”
“Yes， we shall go by train.”
“And boat？”
“We shall take a boat first.”
“Oh！ Like this！ With such a long moustache！” A strange shrill voice suddenly rang out.
I looked up with a start， and saw a woman of about fifty with prominent cheekbones and thin lips standing in front of me， her hands on her hips， not wearing a skirt but with trousered legs apart， just like the compass in a box of geometrical instruments.
I was flabbergasted.
“Don’t you know me？ And I have held you in my arms！”
I felt even more flabbergasted. Fortunately my mother came in just then and said， “He has been away so long， you must excuse him for forgetting.”
“You should remember，” she said to me， “this is Mrs. Yang from across the road…. She has a beancurd shop.”
Then， to be sure， I remembered. When I was a child there was a Mrs. Yang who used to sit nearly all day long in the beancurd shop across the road， and everybody used to call her Beancurd Beauty. But she used to powder herself， and her cheekbones were not so prominent then nor her lips so thin； moreover she remained seated all the time， so that I had never noticed this resemblance to a compass. In those days people said that， thanks to her，that beancurd shop did very good business. But， probably on account of my age， she had made no impression on me， so that later I forgot her entirely. However， the Compass was extremely indignant and looked at me most contemptuously， just as one might look at a Frenchman who had never heard of Napoleon or an American who had never heard of Washington，and smiling sarcastically she said：
“这好极！他，——怎样？……”
“他？……他景况也很不如意……”母亲说着，便向房外看，“这些人又来了。说是买木器，顺手也就随便拿走的，我得去看看。”
母亲站起身，出去了。门外有几个女人的声音。我便招宏儿走近面前，和他闲话：问他可会写字，可愿意出门。
“我们坐火车去么？”
“我们坐火车去。”
“船呢？”
“先坐船，……”
“哈！这模样了！胡子这么长了！”一种尖利的怪声突然大叫起来。
我吃了一吓，赶忙抬起头，却见一个凸颧骨，薄嘴唇，五十岁上下的女人站在我面前，两手搭在髀间，没有系裙，张着两脚，正像一个画图仪器里细脚伶仃的圆规。
我愕然了。
“不认识了么？我还抱过你咧！”
我愈加愕然了。幸而我的母亲也就进来，从旁说：
“他多年出门，统忘却了。你该记得罢，”便向着我说，“这是斜对门的杨二嫂，……开豆腐店的。”
哦，我记得了。我孩子时候，在斜对门的豆腐店里确乎终日坐着一个杨二嫂，人都叫伊“豆腐西施”。但是擦着白粉，颧骨没有这么高，嘴唇也没有这么薄，而且终日坐着，我也从没有见过这圆规式的姿势。那时人说：因为伊，这豆腐店的买卖非常好。但这大约因为年龄的关系，我却并未蒙着一毫感化，所以竟完全忘却了。然而圆规很不平，显出鄙夷的神色，仿佛嗤笑法国人不知道拿破仑，美国人不知道华盛顿似的，冷笑说：
“You had forgotten？ But naturally I must be beneath your notice….”
“Certainly not … I …” I answered nervously， getting to my feet.
“Then you listen to me， Master Xun. You have grown rich， and they are too heavy to move， so you can’t possibly want these old pieces of furniture any more. You had better let me take them away. Poor people like us can do with them.”
“I haven’t grown rich. I must sell these in order to buy….”
“Oh， come now， you have been made the intendant of a circuit， and do you still say you’re not rich？ You have three concubines now， and whenever you go out it is in a big sedan-chair with eight bearers， and do you still say you’re not rich？ Hah！ You can’t hide anything from me.”
Knowing there was nothing I could say， I remained silent.
“Come now， really， the more money people have the more miserly they get， and the more miserly they are the more money they get，” said the Compass， turning indignantly away and walking slowly off， casually picking up a pair of Mother’s gloves and stuffing them into her pocket as she went out.
After this a number of relatives in the neighbourhood came to call. In the intervals between entertaining them I did some packing， and so three or four days passed.
One very cold afternoon， I was sitting drinking tea after lunch when I was aware of someone coming in， and turned my head to see who it was. At the first glance I gave an involuntary start， and hastily stood up and went over to welcome him.
The newcomer was Runtu. But although I knew at a glance that this was Runtu， it was not the Runtu I remembered. He had grown to twice his former size. His round face， crimson before， had become sallow and acquired deep lines and wrinkles； his eyes too had become like his father’s with rims swollen and red， a feature common to most of the peasants who work by the sea and are exposed all day to the wind from the ocean. He wore a shabby felt cap and just one very thin padded jacket， with the result that he was shivering from head to foot. He was carrying a paper package and a long pipe， nor was his hand the plump red hand I remembered， but coarse and clumsy and chapped， like the bark of a pine tree.
“忘了？这真是贵人眼高……”
“那有这事……我……”我惶恐着，站起来说。
“那么，我对你说。迅哥儿，你阔了，搬动又笨重，你还要什么这些破烂木器，让我拿去罢。我们小户人家，用得着。”
“我并没有阔哩。我须卖了这些，再去……”
“阿呀呀，你放了道台了，还说不阔？你现在有三房姨太太；出门便是八抬的大轿，还说不阔？吓，什么都瞒不过我。”
我知道无话可说了，便闭了口，默默的站着。
“阿呀阿呀，真是愈有钱，便愈是一毫不肯放松，愈是一毫不肯放松，便愈有钱……”圆规一面愤愤的回转身，一面絮絮的说，慢慢向外走，顺便将我母亲的一副手套塞在裤腰里，出去了。
此后又有近处的本家和亲戚来访问我。我一面应酬，偷空便收拾些行李，这样的过了三四天。
一日是天气很冷的午后，我吃过午饭，坐着喝茶，觉得外面有人进来了，便回头去看。我看时，不由的非常出惊，慌忙站起身，迎着走去。
这来的便是闰土。虽然我一见便知道是闰土，但又不是我这记忆上的闰土了。他身材增加了一倍；先前的紫色的圆脸，已经变作灰黄，而且加上了很深的皱纹；眼睛也像他父亲一样，周围都肿得通红，这我知道，在海边种地的人，终日吹着海风，大抵是这样的。他头上是一顶破毡帽，身上只一件极薄的棉衣，浑身瑟索着；手里提着一个纸包和一支长烟管，那手也不是我所记得的红活圆实的手，却又粗又笨而且开裂，像是松树皮了。
Delighted as I was， I did not know how to express myself， and could only say：
“Oh！ Runtu—so it’s you？…”
After this there were so many things I wanted to talk about， they should have poured out like a string of beads： woodcocks， jumping fish， shells， zha…. But I was tongue-tied， unable to put all I was thinking into words.
He stood there， mixed joy and sadness showing on his face. His lips moved， but not a sound did he utter. Finally， assuming a respectful attitude，he said clearly：
“Master！…”
I felt a shiver run through me； for I knew then what a lamentably thick wall had grown up between us. Yet I could not say anything.
He turned his head to call：
“Shuisheng， bow to the master.” Then he pulled forward a boy who had been hiding behind his back， and this was just the Runtu of twenty years before， only a little paler and thinner， and he had no silver necklet on his neck.
“This is my fifth，” he said. “He has not seen any society， so he is shy and awkward.”
Mother came downstairs with Hong’er， probably after hearing our voices.
“I got the letter some time ago， madam，” said Runtu. “I was really so pleased to know that the master was coming back … ”
“Now， why ever are you so polite？ Weren’t you playmates together in the past？” said Mother gaily. “You had better still call him Brother Xun as before.”
“Oh， you are really too … What bad manners that would be. I was a child then and didn’t understand.” As he was speaking Runtu motioned Shuisheng to come and bow， but the child was shy， and only stood stock-still behind his father.
我这时很兴奋，但不知道怎么说才好，只是说：
“阿！闰土哥，——你来了？……”
我接着便有许多话，想要连珠一般涌出：角鸡，跳鱼儿，贝壳，猹，……但又总觉得被什么挡着似的，单在脑里面回旋，吐不出口外去。
他站住了，脸上现出欢喜和凄凉的神情；动着嘴唇，却没有作声。他的态度终于恭敬起来了，分明的叫道：
“老爷！……”
我似乎打了一个寒噤；我就知道，我们之间已经隔了一层可悲的厚障壁了。我也说不出话。
他回过头去说，“水生，给老爷磕头。”便拖出躲在背后的孩子来，这正是一个廿年前的闰土，只是黄痩些，顼子上没有银圈罢了。“这是第五个孩子，没有见过世面，躲躲闪闪……”
母亲和宏儿下楼来了，他们大约也听到了声音。
“老太太。信是早收到了。我实在喜欢的了不得，知道老爷回来……”闰土说。
“阿，你怎的这样客气起来。你们先前不是哥弟称呼么？还是照旧：迅哥儿。”母亲高兴的说。
“阿呀，老太太真是……这成什么规矩。那时是孩子，不懂事……”闰土说着，又叫水生上来打拱，那孩子却害羞，紧紧的只贴在他背后。
“So he is Shuisheng？ Your fifth？” asked Mother. “We are all strangers，you can’t blame him for feeling shy. Hong’er had better take him to play. ”
When Hong’er heard this he went over to Shuisheng， and Shuisheng went out with him， entirely at his ease. Mother asked Runtu to sit down， and after a little hesitation he did so； then leaning his long pipe against the table he handed over the paper package， saying：
“In winter there is nothing worth bringing； but these few beans we dried ourselves there， if you will excuse the liberty， sir.”
When I asked him how things were with him， he just shook his head.
“In a very bad way. Even my sixth can do a little work， but still we haven’t enough to eat … and then there is no security… All sorts of people want money， and there is no fixed rule … and the harvests are bad. You grow things， and when you take them to sell you always have to pay several taxes and lose money， while if you don’t try to sell， the things may go bad….”
He kept shaking his head； yet， although his face was lined with wrinkles， not one of them moved， just as if he were a stone statue. No doubt he felt intensely bitter， but could not express himself. After a pause he took up his pipe and began to smoke in silence.
From her chat with him， Mother learned that he was busy at home and had to go back the next day； and since he had had no lunch， she told him to go to the kitchen and fry some rice for himself.
After he had gone out， Mother and I both shook our heads over his hard life： many children， famines， taxes， soldiers， bandits， officials and landed gentry， all had squeezed him as dry as a mummy. Mother said that we should offer him all the things we were not going to take away， letting him choose for himself.
That afternoon he picked out a number of things： two long tables， four chairs， an incense-burner and candlesticks， and one balance. He also asked for all the ashes from the stove （in our part we cook over straw， and the ashes can be used to fertilize sandy soil）， saying that when we left he would come to take them away by boat.
“他就是水生？第五个？都是生人，怕生也难怪的；还是宏儿和他去走走。”母亲说。
宏儿听得这话，便来招水生，水生却松松爽爽同他一路出去了。母亲叫闰土坐，他迟疑了一回，终于就了坐，将长烟管靠在桌旁，递过纸包来，说：
“冬天没有什么东西了。这一点干青豆倒是自家晒在那里的，请老爷……”
我问问他的景况。他只是摇头。
“非常难。第六个孩子也会帮忙了，却总是吃不够……又不太平……什么地方都要钱，没有定规……收成又坏。种出东西来，挑去卖，总要捐几回钱，折了本；不去卖，又只能烂掉……”
他只是摇头；脸上虽然刻着许多皱纹，却全然不动，仿佛石像一般。他大约只是觉得苦，却又形容不出，沉默了片时，便拿起烟管来默默的吸烟了。
母亲问他，知道他的家里事务忙，明天便得回去；又没有吃过午饭，便叫他自己到厨下炒饭吃去。
他出去了；母亲和我都叹息他的景况：多子，饥荒，苛税，兵，匪，官，绅，都苦得他像一个木偶人了。母亲对我说，凡是不必搬走的东西，尽可以送他，可以听他自己去拣择。
下午，他拣好了几件东西：两条长桌，四个椅子，一副香炉和烛台，一杆抬秤。他又要所有的草灰（我们这里煮饭是烧稻草的，那灰，可以做沙地的肥料），待我们启程的时候，他用船来载去。
That night we talked again， but not of anything serious； and the next morning he went away with Shuisheng.
After another nine days it was time for us to leave. Runtu came in the morning. Shuisheng had not come with him—he had just brought a little girl of five to watch the boat. We were very busy all day， and had no time to talk. We also had quite a number of visitors， some to see us off， some to fetch things， and some to do both. It was nearly evening when we got on the boat， and by that time everything in the house， however old or shabby， large or small， fine or coarse， had been cleared away.
As we set off， the green mountains on either side of the river became deep blue in the dusk， receding towards the stern of the boat.
Hong’er and I， leaning against the cabin window， were looking out together at the indistinct scene outside， when suddenly he asked：
“Uncle， when shall we go back？”
“Go back？ Do you mean that before you’ve left you want to go back？”
“Well， Shuisheng has invited me to his home….” He opened wide his black eyes in anxious thought.
Mother and I both felt rather sad， and so Runtu’s name came up again. Mother said that ever since our family started packing up， Mrs. Yang from the beancurd shop had come over every day， and the day before in the ashheap she had unearthed a dozen bowls and plates， which after some discussion she insisted must have been buried there by Runtu， so that when he came to remove the ashes he could take them home at the same time. After making this discovery Mrs. Yang was very pleased with herself， and flew off taking the dog-teaser with her. （The dog-teaser is used by poultry keepers in our part. It is a wooden cage inside which food is put， so that hens can stretch their necks in to eat but dogs can only look on furiously.） And it was a marvel， considering the size of her feet， how fast she could run.
I was leaving the old house farther and farther behind， while the hills and rivers of my old home were also receding gradually ever farther in the distance. But I felt no regret. I only felt that all round me was an invisible high wall， cutting me off from my fellow， and this depressed me thoroughly. The vision of that small hero with the silver necklet among the watermelons had formerly been as clear as day， but now it had suddenly blurred， adding to depression.
夜间，我们又谈些闲天，都是无关紧要的话；第二天早晨，他就领了水生回去了。
又过了九日，是我们启程的日期。闰土早晨便到了，水生没有同来，却只带着一个五岁的女儿管船只。我们终日很忙碌，再没有谈天的工夫。来客也不少，有送行的，有拿东西的，有送行兼拿东西的。待到傍晚我们上船的时候，这老屋里的所有破旧大小粗细东西，已经一扫而空了。
我们的船向前走，两岸的青山在黄昏中，都装成了深黛颜色，连着退向船后梢去。
宏儿和我靠着船窗，同看外面模糊的风景，他忽然问道：
“大伯！我们什么时候回来？”
“回来？你怎么还没有走就想回来了。”
“可是，水生约我到他家玩去咧……”他睁着大的黑眼睛，痴痴的想。
我和母亲也都有些惘然，于是又提起闰土来。母亲说，那豆腐西施的杨二嫂，自从我家收拾行李以来，本是每日必到的，前天伊在灰堆里，掏出十多个碗碟来，议论之后，便定说是闰土埋着的，他可以在运灰的时候，一齐搬回家里去；杨二嫂发见了这件事，自己很以为功，便拿了那狗气杀（这是我们这里养鸡的器具，木盘上面有着栅栏，内盛食料，鸡可以伸进顼子去啄，狗却不能，只能看着气死），飞也似的跑了，亏伊装着这么高底的小脚，竟跑得这样快。
老屋离我愈远了；故乡的山水也都渐渐远离了我，但我却并不感到怎样的留恋。我只觉得我四面有看不见的高墙，将我隔成孤身，使我非常气闷；那西瓜地上的银项圈的小英雄的影像，我本来十分清楚，现在却忽地模糊了，又使我非常的悲哀。
Mother and Hong’er fell asleep.
I lay down， listening to the water rippling beneath the boat， and knew that I was going my way. I thought： although there is such a barrier between Runtu and myself， our children still have much in common， for wasn’t Hong’er thinking of Shuisheng just now？ I hope they will not be like us， that they will not allow a barrier to grow up between them. But again I would not like them， because they want to be one， to have a treadmill existence like mine， nor to suffer like Runtu until they become stupefied， nor yet， like others， to devote all their energies to dissipation. They should have a new life， a life we have never experienced.
The access of hope made me suddenly afraid. When Runtu had asked for the incense-burner and candlesticks I had laughed up my sleeve at him，to think that he was still worshipping idols and would never put them out of his mind. Yet what I now called hope was no more than an idol I had created myself. The only difference was that what he desired was close at hand，while what I desired was less easily realized.
As I dozed， a stretch of jade-green seashore spread itself before my eyes， and above a round golden moon hung from a deep blue sky. I thought：hope cannot be said to exist， nor can it be said not to exist. It is just like roads across the earth. For actually the earth had no roads to begin with， but when many men pass one way， a road is made.
Jan-21
母亲和宏儿都睡着了。
我躺着，听船底潺潺的水声，知道我在走我的路。我想：我竟与闰土隔绝到这地步了，但我们的后辈还是一气，宏儿不是正在想念水生么。我希望他们不再像我，又大家隔膜起来……然而我又不愿意他们因为要一气，都如我的辛苦展转而生活，也不愿意他们都如闰土的辛苦麻木而生活，也不愿意都如别人的辛苦恣睢而生活。他们应该有新的生活，为我们所未经生活过的。
我想到希望，忽然害怕起来了。闰土要香炉和烛台的时候，我还暗地里笑他，以为他总是崇拜偶像，什么时候都不忘却。现在我所谓希望，不也是我自己手制的偶像么？只是他的愿望切近，我的愿望茫远罢了。
我在朦胧中，眼前展开一片海边碧绿的沙地来，上面深蓝的天空中挂着一轮金黄的圆月。我想：希望是本无所谓有，无所谓无的。这正如地上的路；其实地上本没有路，走的人多了，也便成了路。
一九二一年一月。
