<p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 黑娃進(jìn)入白嘉軒的臥室后不像在鹿子霖那樣從容，倒不全是鹿家只有鹿子霖一個男人在家而白家人手硬邦，不能不防；從縱上墻頭攀住柿樹落進(jìn)院中的那一刻，他悲哀地發(fā)覺，兒時給白家割草那陣兒每次進(jìn)入這個院子的緊張和卑怯又從心底浮泛起來，無法克制。排除了懷疑對象之一鹿子霖之后，黑娃十拿九穩(wěn)地肯定殺死小娥的人非白嘉軒莫屬，白嘉軒要除掉小娥的因由比鹿子霖更充分十倍，這人又是個想得出也做得出一馬跑到頭絕不拐彎的冷硬心腸。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Unlike his composure when entering Bai Jiaxuan's bedroom, Heiwa wasn't as relaxed when he was with Lu Zilin. This wasn't solely because Lu Zilin was the only man at home while the Bai family was well-organized and he couldn't afford to be careless; from the moment he leaped over the wall, clung to the persimmon tree, and landed in the courtyard, he sadly realized that the tension and timidity he felt as a child, when he used to cut grass for the Bai family and always entered this courtyard, resurfaced from the depths of his heart, uncontrollable. Having eliminated Lu Zilin as one of his suspects, Heiwa was absolutely certain that Bai Jiaxuan was the one who killed Xiao'e. Bai Jiaxuan's motives for eliminating Xiao'e were ten times more compelling than Lu Zilin's, and he was a cold-blooded man who could think of anything and do it without hesitation.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 他一把把白嘉軒從被窩里拉出來，像拎一只雞似的把他拎到炕下，用黑色的槍管抵住他的腦門，白嘉軒沒有呼叫也沒有驚慌失措，他從迷蒙狀態(tài)清醒過來明白發(fā)生了什么事以后，便梗著脖子一聲不吭，只是心里揣猜這個土匪是誰。黑娃對著被子圍裹著身子的白吳氏說：“明人不做暗事。你去把燈點(diǎn)著，咱們打明說。我是黑娃——”白吳氏黑暗摸索著穿上衣褲。點(diǎn)燃了油燈：“黑娃你要啥就去拿啥，錢在炕頭匣子里，糧食在上囤包里……你快把槍收了……”白嘉軒冷笑著對妻子說：“放心放心。黑娃這回來不要你的錢也不要你的糧食，專門是提我的人頭來咧！這我明白?！?lt;/u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? He yanked Bai Jiaxuan out of bed, dragged him off the kang (heated brick bed) like a chicken, and pressed the black barrel of a gun against his forehead. Bai Jiaxuan didn't cry out or panic. After regaining his senses and understanding what was happening, he remained silent, his neck stiff, wondering who this bandit was. Heiwa said to Bai Wushi, who was wrapped in the quilt, "An honest man doesn't do things in secret. Go light the lamp, and we'll talk things out. I'm Heiwa—" Bai Wushi groped in the dark to put on her clothes. She lit the oil lamp: "Heiwa, take whatever you want. The money is in the box by the kang, the grain is in the granary... Put the gun away quickly..." Bai Jiaxuan sneered at his wife, "Don't worry, don't worry. Heiwa didn't come for your money or grain this time; he came specifically to take my head! I understand."</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 黑娃說：“明白就好！你就明說吧，是你還是你派誰殺了我女人？”白嘉軒說：“那我就明說吧！我沒殺她也不會指派旁人去殺她。我一生沒做過偷偷摸摸暗處做手腳的事。這你知道。你女人犯了族規(guī)我用刺刷刷她，是在祠堂里當(dāng)著眾人的面刷的，孝文犯了族規(guī)也一樣處治。”黑娃說：“我現(xiàn)在就認(rèn)定是你下的毒手。白鹿村我再想不到誰會下這個毒手。我知道你為啥殺她——”白嘉軒說：“那你就開槍吧！反正我是活下長頭兒了。你上回讓人打斷我的腰桿后來我就權(quán)當(dāng)活下長頭兒了。”黑娃問：“你憑啥說我讓人打斷你的腰？”白嘉軒說：“你自小就看不慣我的腰。你的弟兄動手之前說了你的那句話，你的腰挺得太直……”黑娃說：“這是真的，我小時一看見你的腰就害怕就難受。你的陽壽到了，今晚跟你把這話說明也好?！?lt;/u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Heiwa said, "Good! Just tell me plainly, did you or someone you sent kill my woman?" Bai Jiaxuan said, "Then I'll be frank! I didn't kill her, nor would I have sent anyone else to kill her. I've never done anything sneaky or underhanded in my life. You know that. Your woman broke the clan rules, so I used thorns to scrub her, right there in the ancestral hall in front of everyone. Xiaowen broke the clan rules and was punished the same way." Heiwa said, "I'm convinced now that you were the one who did it. I can't think of anyone else in Bailu Village who would do such a thing. I know why you..." "Kill her—" Bai Jiaxuan said, "Then go ahead and shoot! Anyway, I've survived the long-term. Since you had my back broken last time, I'll just consider myself a survivor." Heiwa asked, "Why do you say I had your back broken?" Bai Jiaxuan said, "You've disliked my back since we were kids. Before your brothers attacked, they said something about you, 'Your back is too straight…'" Heiwa said, "That's true. When I was little, I was afraid and uncomfortable whenever I saw your back. Since your lifespan is up, it's good to explain this to you tonight."</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 門里突然飛進(jìn)一把镢頭，黑娃一揚(yáng)手就把它隔開了。黑娃對撲進(jìn)門來的孝武說：“你要是不想當(dāng)族長了，你再來！”白吳氏一把抱住孝武。孝武說：“你把俺爸放開！有話跟我說，殺呀剮呀朝我來?！焙谕蘩湫φf：“輪不到你哩！等你日后當(dāng)了族長，看看你怎么行事再說?！毙⑽湔f：“你一定要尋個替死鬼給你那個婊子償命，我頂上；你放開俺爸，算是我殺的她！”黑娃說：“殺了就是殺了沒殺就是沒殺，怎么是‘算’？是你自個要?dú)⒛兀€是你爸指派你殺的？”孝武說：“是我要?dú)⒌?，誰也沒指派我?！焙谕拚f：“我不信。我只信是你爸殺的。我就要拿他抵命。你老實(shí)點(diǎn)你快滾開——”說著一抖左手，把白嘉軒一下子拖到門口，迎面撞見一個人。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Suddenly, a hoe flew in through the door, but Heiwa easily deflected it. Heiwa said to Xiaowu, who rushed in, "If you don't want to be the clan leader anymore, come back!" Baiwushi hugged Xiaowu tightly. Xiaowu said, "Let my dad go! Talk to me if you have something to say, or come at me with your killing and torture." Heiwa sneered, "It's not your turn! Wait until you become the clan chief, then we'll see how you act." Xiaowu said, "If you insist on finding a scapegoat to pay for that bitch's life, I'll take it; if you let my dad go, it'll be considered that I killed her!" Heiwa said, "Killing is killing, not killing is not killing, how can it be 'considered'? Did you want to kill her yourself, or did your father order you to kill her?" Xiaowu said, "I wanted to kill her, no one ordered me." Heiwa said, "I don't believe you. I only believe your father killed her. I'll make him pay with his life. You better behave yourself and get out of here—" With that, he flicked his left hand, dragging Bai Jiaxuan to the doorway, where they bumped into someone.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 那人說：“是我殺的?！焙谕揶q出聲音，是父親鹿三站在當(dāng)面，堵住了門，惱怒而又沉靜他說：“龜孫，那個婊子是我殺的。”“這——”黑娃愣怔一下，說，“你不要攪和。”“是我殺的?！甭谷映领o地瞅著兒子說，“你把嘉軒放開。你跟我招嘴，殺哩剮哩槍崩哩？由你！”“你甭胡說！”白嘉軒猛然揚(yáng)起頭，盯住鹿三說，“你想搭救我，故意把事往你身上攬，你把屎擦不干凈反倒抹勻了！”鹿三沒有話說，把垂在腿胯旁側(cè)的右手揚(yáng)起來，是一只爛布裹著的包兒，再用左手撕開一層又一層爛布，一個梭鏢的鋼刃赫然呈現(xiàn)在油燈的亮光里，他把梭鏢鋼刃撂到黑娃腳下，說：“拿去！這是物證?！?lt;/u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? The man said, "I killed her." Heiwa protested, but his father, Lu San, stood in front of him, blocking the door. He said, angrily yet calmly, "You bastard, I killed that bitch." "This—" Heiwa hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't get involved." "I killed her." Lu San looked at his son even more calmly and said, "Let Jiaxuan go. If you talk back to me, I'll kill you, torture you, shoot you! It's up to you!" "Don't talk nonsense!" Bai Jiaxuan suddenly raised his head and stared at Lu San, saying, "You want to save me, so you deliberately took the blame. You can't clean up the mess, you've only made it worse!" Lu San had nothing to say. He raised his right hand, which was hanging by his side, revealing a bundle wrapped in rags. He then tore off layer after layer of rags with his left hand, revealing the steel blade of a spear in the light of the oil lamp. He threw the spear blade at Heiwa's feet and said, "Take this! This is evidence."</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 白嘉軒白吳氏白孝武和隨后聞聲趕來的白趙氏白孝義以及孝武媳婦二姐兒擁在門外，驚愕地瞅著鹿三撂到黑娃腳下的梭鏢鋼刃兒。黑娃松開揪著白嘉軒肩胛的左手，從地上拾起梭鏢鋼刃兒，眼睛忽然一黑，腦袋里轟然爆響。這個雙刃尖頭的梭鏢鋼刃并不陌生，原來安著一根丈余長的桑木棍柄，是祖?zhèn)鞯囊患?；鋼刃上的血跡已經(jīng)變成黑紫色，糊住了原本锃亮的鋒刃。這是確鑿無疑的物證兇器，黑娃抬起頭瞅著父親，意料不及的這個結(jié)局使他陷入慌恐，說不出一個字來。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Bai Jiaxuan, Bai Wushi, Bai Xiaowu, and Bai Zhaoshi, Bai Xiaoyi, and Xiaowu's wife, Erjie'er, who rushed over after hearing the commotion, stood outside the door, staring in astonishment at the spear-shaped steel blade that Lu San had tossed at Heiwa's feet. Heiwa released his left hand from Bai Jiaxuan's shoulder, picked up the spear-shaped steel blade from the ground, and suddenly everything went black; his head exploded with a loud bang. This double-edged spear-shaped steel blade was not unfamiliar; it had originally been fitted with a mulberry wood handle over ten feet long, an heirloom weapon. The bloodstains on the steel blade had turned blackish-purple, obscuring the once gleaming edge. This was undeniable physical evidence—the murder weapon. Heiwa looked up at his father, the unexpected outcome filling him with panic, unable to utter a single word.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 鹿三說：“她害的人大多了，不能叫她再去害人了。”說著挺一挺胸脯，“我存著梭鏢是準(zhǔn)備官府查問的，你倒先來了。給——朝老子胸口上戳一刀！”黑娃的腮巴骨扭動著，又低下頭，從地上揀起那塊爛布重新裹纏到梭鏢刃上，塞到腰里說：“大！我最后叫你一聲算完了。從今日起，我就認(rèn)不得你了……”鹿三說：“龜孫！你甭叫我大。我早都認(rèn)不得你了！”</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Lu San said, "She's harmed too many people already; we can't let her harm anyone else." He puffed out his chest, "I kept this spear in case the authorities questioned me, and you've come first. Go ahead—stab me in the chest!" Heiwa's jaw twitched, then he lowered his head, picked up the tattered cloth from the ground, rewrapped it around the spear blade, and stuffed it into his waistband, saying, "Big brother! I'll call you that one last time. From today onward, I won't recognize you..." Lu San said, "You little bastard! Don't call me big brother. I haven't recognized you in ages!"</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 黑娃從白嘉軒家出來，疾步趕到吊莊白興兒破落的莊場上，從樹上解下馬翻身騎上。白興兒從黑影里兒溜出來說；“兄弟你快走。兄弟你可甭給人說在我這兒拴過馬……”黑娃已經(jīng)策馬馳去了。他重新進(jìn)入白鹿村，轉(zhuǎn)過馬頭來到村子中心作過家協(xié)總部的祠堂門前，連發(fā)三槍，槍聲震撼死寂的夜空，他再騎馬走過村巷來到慢道上，勒馬佇立在窯院里，對著天空又放了三槍，垂臂默默片刻，就猛然轉(zhuǎn)過身催馬奔上慢道。在他轉(zhuǎn)身背向窯洞也背向村莊的一霎問，心里便涌上一句慨嘆來，至死再不進(jìn)白鹿村咯！</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Heiwa left Bai Jiaxuan's house and hurried to Bai Xing'er's dilapidated village. He untied his horse from a tree and mounted it. Bai Xing'er emerged from the shadows and said, "Brother, hurry up. Don't let anyone know you once tied your horse here..." Heiwa had already galloped away. He re-entered Bailu Village, turned his horse around, and went to the ancestral hall in the village center, which had once served as the headquarters of the family association. He fired three shots in quick succession, the gunshots shaking the deathly silent night. He then rode through the village lanes to the slow path, reined in his horse, stood in the cave dwelling courtyard, fired three more shots into the sky, stood silently for a moment with his arms hanging down, then suddenly turned around and spurred his horse onto the slow path. In that instant as he turned his back to the cave dwelling and the village, a sigh welled up in his heart: Never again would he enter Bailu Village!</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 鹿三殺死兒媳婦小娥的準(zhǔn)確時間，是在土壕里撞見白孝文的那天晚上。鹿三看著茍延殘喘垂死掙扎著的白孝文的那一刻，腦子里猛然噼啪一聲閃電，亮出了那把祖?zhèn)鞯乃箸S。他手里拄著镢把兒瞅著躺在上壕里的孝文竟然沒有驚奇，他慶賀他出生看著他長大看著他穩(wěn)步走上白鹿村至尊的位置，成為一個既有學(xué)識又懂禮儀而且儀表堂堂的族長；又看著他一步步滑溜下來，先是踢地接著賣房隨后拉上棗棍子沿門乞討，以至今天淪落到土壕里坐待野狗分尸。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? The exact time Lu San killed his daughter-in-law Xiao'e was the night he encountered Bai Xiaowen in the ditch. The moment Lu San saw Bai Xiaowen struggling and barely clinging to life, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he drew his ancestral spear. Leaning on his hoe, he stared at Xiaowen lying in the ditch without surprise. He had celebrated Xiaowen's birth, watched him grow up, and watched him steadily rise to the position of supreme leader in Bailu Village, becoming a learned, courteous, and dignified clan chief; and then watched him slide down the social ladder, first kicking the ground, then selling his house, then begging from door to door with a jujube stick, until today he was reduced to sitting in the ditch waiting to be torn apart by wild dogs.</b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;"><u> 鹿三親眼目睹了一個敗家子不大長久的生命歷程的全套兒，又一次驗(yàn)證了他的生活守則的不可冒犯；黑娃是第一個不聽他的勸諭冒犯過他的生活信條的人，后果早在孝文之前擺在白鹿村人眼里了。造成黑娃和孝文墮落的直接誘因是女色，而且是同一個女人，她給他和他尊敬的白嘉軒兩個家庭帶來的災(zāi)難不堪回味。鹿三當(dāng)時給孝文說：“你去搶舍飯”，不是指給他一條生命，而是出于一種鄙夷一種嘲笑。</u></b></p><p class="ql-block">?</p><p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:20px;">? Lu San witnessed firsthand the entire short-lived life of a spendthrift, once again proving the inviolability of his life principles. Heiwa was the first person to disobey his advice and violate his creed, the consequences of which had been evident to the people of Bailu Village long before Xiaowen. The direct cause of Heiwa and Xiaowen's downfall was lust, specifically the same woman, whose devastation was unbearable to recall for both his and his respected Bai Jiaxuan's families. When Lu San told Xiaowen, "Go steal the fodder," he wasn't referring to saving his life, but rather expressing contempt and mockery.</b></p>