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第十八回：生長明妃尚有村
Chapter 18
“The village where Ming Fei grew up remains to this day.”
文祥決定要離開時，已經是八月五日了，他的天倫噩夢被驚醒，失望頹喪到了極處。文功更是成天唉聲歎氣，一句話也不說。最可憐的是文湘琳，莫名其妙地從天堂墮入地獄，她可憐兮兮地望著兩個最親近的人，就是想不通他們到底出了什麼問題。
By the time Wen Xiang decided to leave, it was already the 5th
of August. He had been awakened
from his nightmare of family ties and was extremely disappointed and
depressed. Wen Gong was even more
affected and he sighed all day but never said a word. The most miserable one was Wen Xianglin.
Without understanding why, she had fallen from heaven into hell. She looked pathetically at the two who
were most close to her, but couldn’t understand what was bothering them.
文祥對文功說：「大哥，我要走了。」
Wen Xiang
said to Wen Gong, “Brother, I’m leaving.”
文功依舊垂首不語，文湘琳忍不住哭了。她察覺到問題嚴重了，她那慈父，從有知之年起，就沒有對她說過一句重話。現在，浪濤仍在窗外激盪，浮雲一樣輕巧飄浮，屋子裡卻像一個冰凍的盒子，幾條粗重的影子堅凝得一動也不動。
Wen Gong’s head remained
lowered and he said nothing. Wen Xianglin couldn’t keep back her tears. She sensed that something was seriously
wrong. Ever since she could
remember, her loving father had never spoken a harsh word to her. Now, though the waves were still
splashed outside the window and the clouds still floated softly, the house was
more like a freezer with several thick and heavy shadows, congealed and
unmoving.
文祥移了移腳步，感到無比的沉重，他能一走了之嗎？走了以後，這道迸裂的天塹由誰來彌補？他留下來又能怎樣？人類已淪落到這種地步，如果把每一家的屋頂掀開來看，人還有幾分像人？話說回來，又有幾個「人」認為「人」應該像「人」？
Wen Xiang
shifted his feet. He’d felt
incomparably heavy. Would he be
able to just walk away? When he was
gone, who would repair this split?
What would happen if he stayed?
Mankind had fallen to this degree.
If the roof of every household was lifted, how many human-like qualities
would remain? But on the other
hand, how many “people” thought that “man” should behave like “humans”?
還是文湘琳打破了岑寂，她哀傷地求著文祥：「叔叔！在你走之前，能不能告訴我，我哪點錯了？」
It was Wen Xianglin who broke the ice. She mournfully begged Wen Xiang, “Uncle!
Before you go, could you please tell me what I’ve done wrong?”
孩子是無辜的，她需要教育，別人不管，自己總不能逃避責任。
Children are innocent. She needed education. Others might not care, but he couldn’t
shirk this responsibility.
文祥歎了口氣，他走到窗前，凝視著虛擬的大海。真的，虛擬實境有哪點不好？它能提供人所需要的，又不會給人帶來痛苦。
Wen Xiang
sighed and walked over to the window, looking at the virtual ocean. Really, what was wrong with virtual
reality? It could provide what
people needed and brought them no suffering.
「妳先告訴我，妳認為妳錯在哪裡？」文祥轉過身來，對文湘琳說。
“Tell me first. What do you think you’ve done
wrong?” Wen Xiang
turned around and spoke to Wen Xianglin.
「我沒有辦法呀！有些人實在討厭，我沒有辦法和他們做愛。」文湘琳委屈地說。
“I can’t help it! Some people are really annoying and I
can’t make love to them.” Wen Xianglin spoke as if she were being wronged.
「妳說什麼？」文祥完全失落了。
“What are you talking
about?” Wen Xiang
was completely lost.
「我知道我做愛的人太少了，有些同學跟每一個見過面的人都做過了。」
“I know I make love to
too few people. Some of my
classmates have made love to everyone they meet.”
「天哪！妳怎麼會這樣想呢？」
“Good god! How could you think this way?”
「叔叔，你不是要我說錯在哪裡嗎？我錯在做愛的對象太少了！」
“Uncle, didn’t you want me to tell you
what I’ve done wrong? My wrong is
that I’ve had too few lovers!”
文祥深深吸了一口氣，按下了火氣，這是意識型態的問題。一個人事不知的孩童，在一個已經沒有是非的環境中，難道還期望她成為聖女？要嘛，任她自生自滅，反正也不過是一根稻草而已。要嘛，好好開導她，讓她知道什麼叫做「明德」，就算是第一根放到駱駝駝峰上的稻草。
Wen Xiang
took a deep breath and held his temper.
It was a problem of ideology.
For a child who didn’t know anything about human affairs and lived in an
environment where right and wrong didn’t exist, one could hardly expect her to
become a saint. She could either be
left to shift for herself, for after all she was nothing but a piece of straw,
or she could be carefully instructed and made to understand the real meaning of
“original untarnished human heart”.
Then she would count as the very first piece of straw to be loaded onto
the camel’s back.
文祥坐到文湘琳對面，正色說：「妳同不同意人和野獸有分別？」
Wen Xiang
sat down to face Wen Xianglin and said to her with a
severe countenance, “Do you agree that humans are different from beasts?”
「什麼是野獸？」
“What are beasts?”
「先不要管這個，我再問妳，人和狗貓不同吧！」
“Never
mind that. Let me ask
again. Humans are different from
dogs and cats, right?”
「不同！」
“Right!”
「哪裡不同？」
“Why are they
different?”
「頭不同，腳不同，尾巴……，人沒有尾巴……」
“Different head,
different feet, and tail… humans don’t have tails…”
「行為呢？」
“How about behavior?”
「人用兩隻腳走路，用手拿東西吃，還有……會講話。」
“Humans walk on two
legs, eat with their hands, and… they can talk.”
「妳是不是認為，人能講道理？」
“Do you think people
are capable of being reasonable?”
文湘琳想了半天，撇嘴說：「不！」
Wen Xianglin
thought for some while and pouted, “Nope!”
文祥只好再轉彎，接著她的話說：「人會講話，不簡單吧！」
Wen Xiang’s
only alternative was to change his approach. Picking up where she’d left off, he
said, “Humans can talk. That’s not
so easy!”
「那有什麼稀奇？」
“What’s so special
about that?”
「有什麼稀奇？」
“What’s so special
about that?”
「電腦會講話，連我的鞋子都會講話。」
“The computer can
talk. Even my shoes can talk.”
文祥有被打敗的感覺，十六歲的人了，真偽不分，是非不明。他很想大吼一聲，排放一下心中的濁氣。但是他只做了一個深呼吸，繼續溫柔地問：「難道妳不認為人有非常了不起的功能？」
Wen Xiang
felt defeated. A 16 year-old was
unable to distinguish between authentic and spurious, couldn’t tell right from
wrong. He really wanted to shout
out loud and rid himself of the toxic feeling in his heart. But instead, he took a deep breath and
continued, asking gently, “Don’t you think Man has some great abilities?”
文湘琳笑了，說：「當然有。」
Wen Xianglin
laughed and said, “Of course.”
「那妳說說看。」
“Tell me about.”
「一個有名的文學家說過：『人最了不起的地方，在於能用各種姿勢做愛！』真的！我的同學研究過，貓狗只會一種！」
“A famous literary man
said, ‘Man’s greatness is his ability to use a wide variety of positions to
make love!’ Really! My classmates studied this. There’s only one position for cats and
dogs!”
文祥徹底被擊潰了，他嗒然若失，無言相應。
Wen Xiang
was completely defeated. He looked
lost and didn’t respond.
該亡的國家，有誰救得了？該敗的戰役，有誰能回天？該沒落的人類社會，在幾個世紀以前，法國的盧騷已點燃了聖火，今日野火燎原，誰有能力撲滅？
Who could have saved a
country that was doomed? Who could
have changed the result of a battle that was destined to be lost? A few centuries ago Rousseau of France
had ignited the torch in a society that was meant to decline. Today, the plains were consumed by
flame. Who could put it out?
但是文祥不甘心，他想起了衣紅。他與衣紅之間全無肌膚之親，但是那種情愫，彷彿是日深月久，絕非幾根神經抽動可以比擬。是不是人性改變了？不然的話，這樣人盡可交的泛濫下去，在人的身心中，除了精液，還能留下什麼？
But Wen Xiang
wasn’t willing to give up. He
thought about Yi Hong. There had
been no intimate relations at all between him and Yi Hong. But that kind of love seemed
eternal. The twitching of just a
few nerves was in no way comparable.
Was it because human nature had changed? Otherwise, if all this excessive sexual
activity continued, aside from sperm, what else remained?
「這樣妳快樂嗎？」文祥決定放棄了，他只是找個話題，瞭解一下當前的年輕人。
“Are you happy this
way?” Wen Xiang
decided to give up. He just wanted
to find a topic to understand today’s youth.
「我不知道什麼叫做快樂。」
“I don’t know what
happiness is.”
「妳沒有快樂過？」
“Have you ever been
happy?”
「我不知道。」
“I don’t know.”
「妳在家裡不快樂？」
“Aren’t you happy at
home?”
「不！在家裡我很快樂，跟爹爹在一起時，都很快樂。」
“Yes! I’m very happy at home. Whenever I’m with daddy, I’m very
happy.”
「那妳知道什麼叫快樂呀！」
“So you know what
happiness is!”
「我是指做愛的時候不知道什麼是快樂。」
“I mean I don’t know
what happiness is when I’m making love.”
「不是已經學會各種技巧了嗎？」
“Haven’t you learned
all kinds of techniques?”
「是呀！但是……」
“Yes! But…”
「妳愛過什麼人嗎？」
“Have you ever loved
anyone?”
「我不知道。」
“I don’t know.”
「那個人妳一天沒有見到，就會坐立不安。」
“The sort
of person that if you don’t see him for one day, you become restless.”
「有的，是我爹爹。」文湘琳抬頭痴痴地望著文功。文功本來呆呆坐著，聽了這話不自覺地轉過頭來，文湘琳叫了聲：「爹！」立刻投入他懷裡。
“Yes. That’d be my dad.” Wen Xianglin
raised her head and looked at Wen Gong keenly. Wen Gong had been sitting there without
any emotion but when he heard her words, he turned around unconsciously. Wen Xianglin
called out, “Dad!”, and sprang into his arms.
「是爹不對，沒有好好教導妳！」文功哽咽的說。
“It was my fault. I didn’t give you good guidance!” Wen Gong said in a choked voice.
「現在妳快樂吧？」文祥問。
“Are you happy
now?” Wen Xiang
asked.
「是的。」
“Yes.”
「比做愛好吧？」
“Better than making
love, isn’t it?”
「是的。」
“Yes.”
「假如妳愛一個人，又和他做愛……」
“If you love someone
and make love to him…”
「我想過，如果我和爹爹做……」
“I’ve thought about
it. If I make love to dad…”
文功連忙把她推開，大聲說：「不可以胡說！」
Wen Gong quickly pushed her
away and said aloud, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
「父親和女兒是不能做愛的！」文祥解釋說。
“Father and daughter
can’t make love together!” Wen Xiang explained.
「為什麼？」文湘琳不解。
“Why
not?” Wen Xianglin didn’t understand.
「因為這是天意。」文祥想不到自己會這樣說，但是還有什麼更好的解釋呢？用「親子交配產生的後代，會有各種殘疾」這樣的科學理論就有效嗎？
“Because it’s god’s will.”
Wen Xiang didn’t anticipate that he would
utter such words. But was there any
better way to explain it?
However, would it be any more effective to quote the scientific theory
that “the offspring of a parent and their own child would have many
afflictions?”
「我們老師講過，他說那是過去落伍時代的想法，現在根本不需要生孩子了，人能自由享受性愛，有異性，有同性，還有中性。」
“Our teacher said that
was out-of-date thinking from the primitive past. Today, there’s no need to bear children
any more. People can enjoy sex
freely, no matter if it’s with the opposite sex, the same sex, or neutral sex.”
「妳有沒有想到，如果有一天人又需要生育了，到那時該怎麼辦？」
“Did it ever occur to
you that someday, if people once again wish to have children, what’ll they do
when that time comes?”
「我沒有想過。」
“No. I’ve never thought about it.”
「好習慣是很難養成的，破壞起來卻很容易。親子不性交叫做倫理，如果沒有倫理，人間就沒有規律了。」
“Good habits are
difficult to cultivate but it’s easy enough to destroy them. If a parent and child don’t have sexual
intercourse, that’s called moral principles. Without moral principles there can be no
order in this world of man.”
「我們老師說，倫理是騙人的。」
“Our teacher said that
moral principles are a lie.”
「我問妳，妳有沒有想過妳爹爹跟別的女人做愛？」
“Let me ask you. Have you thought about your father
making love to other women?”
「當然有！一想到我就生氣，就會一天不理他！」
“Of
course! Whenever I think
about it, I get angry. And I’ll
ignore him for a whole day.”
「這叫做嫉妒，這是天性。」
“This is called
jealousy. We’re born with it.”
「啊！我老以為是我有毛病。」
“Ah! And I thought it was my problem.”
「再想想，如果妳媽媽還在，她該和妳爹做愛吧？」
“Think about it, if
your mother were still alive, wouldn’t she be making
love with your dad?”
「是呀，所以我很高興媽媽早死了！」
“Yes. So I’m glad my mom died early!”
「琳兒！妳怎麼越說越不像話？」文功肝火又上升了。
“Lin! How come your talk is becoming more and
more ridiculous?” Wen Gong was
getting angry again.
文祥向文功擺了擺手，和顏悅色地對文湘琳說：「如果妳從來不想和妳爹做愛，這種事就不會發生。人是家庭動物，必須在家庭的保護下成長。父母做愛是家庭成長的動力，子女則必須養成良好的習慣，維護家庭的和諧平安，否則人類早就絕種了。懂吧？」
Wen Xiang
waved at Wen Gong and in a pleasant manner said to Wen Xianglin,
“If you’d never thought of making love with your father, this kind of thing
would never have happened. Human
beings are domestic creatures. They
have to grow up in the protection of a family. Lovemaking between parents is the
driving force for family growth and children must cultivate good habits to
ensure harmony and peace within the family. Otherwise, the human race would have
long since died out. Understand?”
「懂，這就是你說的天意，是吧？」
“Yes. This is what you called god’s will,
isn’t it?”
「是的，男女之間也一樣，為了維護家庭的和諧，就要避免嫉妒的發生，因為這時人會喪失理智，可能釀成無法彌補的悲劇。任何社會如果倫理不存，必然會產生各種乖戾的變態現象，人生的幸福也就不存在了。」
“Yes. It’s the same between a man and a
woman. In order to maintain family
harmony, jealousy must be avoided, for when a man is jealous, he loses his
reason, and that could cause an irremediable tragedy. If moral principles didn’t exist, all
sorts of wicked and perverse phenomena would appear. There would be no more joy in life.”
文湘琳似乎懂了一點，她眉頭不展，問道：「那我該怎麼辦呢？要跟誰做愛呢？」
Wen Xianglin
seemed to understand a little. Her
eyebrows were knitted and she asked, “What should I do then? Who should I make love to?”
「不做愛會怎樣？」
“What’ll happen if you
don’t make love?”
「我不知道。」
“I don’t know.”
「妳看叔叔我吧，我已經快十年沒有做愛了，我像不像一個活不下去的人？」
“Look at me. I haven’t had sex for almost ten
years. Do I look like a man that is
going to die?”
「十年沒有做愛？」
“Ten years without
sex?”
「是啊，我活得好好的，在以往，所有智者都認為，性是凡人的事。」
“Yep. I’m doing fine. In the past, all wise men considered
that sex is something for ordinary mortals.”
「難道你不會想嗎？」
“Don’t you think about
it?”
「想想有什麼關係？有時候我還想殺人呢！」
“What’s wrong with
thinking about it? Sometimes I even
think about killing people!”
「為什麼想又不做呢？」
“Why do you think
about it and not do anything about it?”
「做愛是兩個人的事，這樣說好了，我只是說假如，不是真的要發生，懂吧？」
“Lovemaking concerns
two people. Let me put it this
way. I’m talking about ‘what if’,
not something that really happened, understand?”
「懂！」文湘琳想想，又說：「不！我不懂！」
“Yes!” Wen Xianglin
thought for a moment and said, “No!
I don’t!”
「假定說，我和某人做了愛，一個結果是我和她都很滿足，於是兩人天天要在一起，除非是結婚，否則便會有問題。另一個結果是，其中有一個人不能滿足，甚至兩個人都不滿足，這件事便成了羞恥。做愛原是一件美妙的事，何必要弄得如此醜惡？」
“Hypothetically, if I made
love to someone, one of the results would be that she and I were both
satisfied. So the
two of us had to be together everyday. But unless we were married, there could
be problems. Another result is that
one of us, or perhaps neither of us was
satisfied. This affair would then
become a matter of shame.
Lovemaking is initially a wonderful thing. Why make it so ugly?”
文湘琳似懂非懂，文祥見她好像聽進去了，又繼續說：「就以妳為例吧！妳和這些人做愛並不覺得快樂，就是做而已。有一天，當妳愛上一個人，他知道妳跟很多人做過愛，如果他不在乎，表示沒有嫉妒心，那他根本不愛妳！如果他不高興，那妳就傷害了他，妳願意這樣嗎？」
Wen Xianglin
seemed to understand but then again, maybe not. Wen Xiang saw
that she seemed to be absorbing what he was saying, so he continued. “Take you for example! You didn’t feel happy when making love
to those people, which meant you did it just for the sake of doing it. One day, when you fall in love with
someone, and he finds out you’ve made love to many people, if he’s indifferent
that means he is not jealous. It
shows he doesn’t love you! If he’s
not happy with it, then you’ve hurt him.
Is that what you want?”
「我懂了，叔叔不隨便做愛，是要等真正愛的人。」
“I understand. Uncle, you don’t make love to just any
one because you’re waiting for someone you love.”
「這是一部分原因，另外一方面，人是不能分心的，如果愛了某個人，對那個人就要負起責任。叔叔的工作很重要，所以不能只顧愛某一個人。」
“That’s only part of
the reason. Another point is that a
person has to stay focused. If you
love a certain person, then you must assume certain responsibilities. My work is very important so it’s not
possible for me to love any particular person.”
文功也說：「要做一個偉大的人，就要愛大家，不能只愛少數的人。」
Wen Gong added: “A great
person loves everyone. He can’t
just love a few people.”
文祥解釋說：「一個偉大的人，必然要犧牲小我的。」
Wen Xiang
explained, “A great man finds it necessary to sacrifice his personal
interests.”
文湘琳是不是真瞭解了，又有誰知道？文祥已盡了力，也只能這樣了。這個問題絕對不是個案，別人是否也有叔叔開導呢？
Who knows if Wen Xianglin really understood. Wen Xiang had
tried his best and that was all he could do. This problem was certainly not an
isolated case. Did others have an
uncle to guide them?
文祥要走了，文湘琳的淚水也無法挽留他，文功問：「你要不要回老家看看？」
Wen Xiang
was leaving and Wen Xianglin’s tears couldn’t hold
him back. Wen Gong asked, “Do you
want to go back to our old hometown and look around?”
「不了，如果你要找我，可以問電腦，只要告訴他們，你是我哥哥就可以了。」
“No,
thanks. If you want to find
me, you can ask the computer. Just
tell them that you’re my brother and that’ll be enough.”
「那我能不能找你呢？」
“Can I call you?”
「當然可以，我會通知我的電腦。」
“Sure. I’ll notify my computer.”
「叔叔，你的電腦會不會不理我？」
“Uncle, will your
computer ignore me?”
「不會的，妳放心。」
“No, don’t worry.”
「我的電腦對我不大好，有時候叫他，他都不理我。」
“My computer is not
very nice to me. Sometimes I call
it and it ignores me.”
「那是因為妳不懂得體貼的緣故。」
“That’s because you
don’t understand what being considerate means.”
「什麼叫做體貼？」
“Being considerate?”
「就是說，人家寒冷的時候，妳用身體貼著他，讓他溫暖。人家痛苦的時候，妳好好地陪著，安慰他。人家有錯時，你原諒他，幫助他，這樣就是體貼。如果妳把電腦當作朋友，體貼電腦，電腦也會把妳當作朋友的。」
“It means when someone
is cold, you lean close to them to keep them warm. When someone is feeling miserable, you
stay by their side and console them.
When someone is at fault, you forgive them and help them. That’s being considerate. If you treat the computer as your
friend, and are being considerate, the computer will then treat you like a
friend.”
文湘琳認真地接受了，謝了又謝，文祥相信經過這次風波，她應該成長了。
Wen Xianglin
took all his words in and thanked him repeatedly. Wen Xiang
believed that experiencing this crisis should help her mature.
文祥決定直接去崇左，這四天的時間，他可以先到各處走走，說不定會早一天碰上衣紅。他乘磁浮列車，上午十一點由重慶出發，下午兩點到達南寧。崇左是個小站，需要在南寧換車。所謂的換車其實只是個手續問題，人安坐在車中，不必移樽就位，座位自動轉駁，所有去崇左的旅客都自動集中在一輛車上。
Wen Xiang
decided to go directly to Chongzuo. He could wander about during the next 4
days. Maybe he would bump into Yi
Hong a day ahead of time. He took
the magnetic levitated train that left
崇左在南寧西南方約一百公里處，這條磁浮軌道沿著清澈的左江西岸，向上游直通越南邊境。沿途盡是石灰林山景①，石峰聳秀，碧蓮玉筍，遠處飛雲綴空，美不勝收。
Chongzuo
is located about 100 kilometers southwest of
這種景色文祥在兒時看得多了，他祖籍倉梧，老家在潯江南岸。那裡山勢已漸趨平緩，水面也較為寬廣，別有一種恬淡雅緻的情趣。這裡卻是另一種秀中有獷，柔裡帶剛的原始美感。
Wen Xiang
had seen a great deal of scenery like this as a child. His ancestral home was at Cangwu, but his hometown was on the southern bank of
人是不是環境的倒影呢？自己的個性就像潯江的恬淡，什麼事都很難勾起漣漪。而衣紅卻像聳立江畔的石林，傲骨嶙峋，直插天心！「不是他！」那錐心蝕骨的聲音，不由自主地又在耳邊響起，怎麼回事呢？文祥百思不得其解，唉！多想無益，剛剛還自比潯江，怎麼才這點小風，江上就掀起濤天巨浪了？
Are human beings the
reflection of their environment?
His own personality was like the simplicity of
磁浮車行雖快，江上的動靜卻是一目瞭然。偶而一兩隻小漁船悠然飄浮在水上，他問文娃：「我能不能乘這種漁船到附近看看？」
Although the magnetic
levitated train was moving very fast, one could take in all the activity on the
river. From time to time a small
fishing boat or two could be seen floating leisurely on the
water. He asked
文娃說：「可以，我們已經為你在悅來飯店安排了一位嚮導，你要去哪裡都可以，只要跟他講一聲就行。」
正說著，原來數公里以外的一條漁船，轉瞬已到了眼前。那是隻小舢板，船尾搭了個簡陋的竹篷。篷下一個束髮葛衣的中年人手持一篙，直撐江底。船頭坐著一個小孩，兩隻腿浸在水裡，正悠閒地垂釣。
As they were talking, a
fishing boat, which had originally been several kilometers away, in the twinkling
of an eye was right before him. It was a small sampan. A simple tent supported by bamboo poles
was erected at the stern. Under the
tent, a middle-aged man, with bound hair and dressed in a coarse, yellowish
hemp cloth, was holding a pole to propel his boat. A child was siting at the bow with both
legs in the water, leisurely fishing.
文祥說：「文娃，你看這種生活多愜意！」
Wen Xiang
said, “Wen Wa, look. What a pleasant life this is!”
文娃提醒說：「別以為你是來渡假的，我們責任重大。」
「你把事情看得太嚴重了。」
“You take things too seriously.”
「這裡最近來了不少流民，席克的大法王也在此地，你要小心一點。」
“Recently, many
drifters have been coming here. The
First Lord of the Seeks is here, too.
You’d better be careful.”
「怪不得你先為我安排嚮導。」
“No wonder you’ve
arranged a guide for me.”
「我們發現如果判斷力不能提升，將來面臨的挑戰會更可怕。」
“We’ve discovered that
if one’s judgement doesn’t improves, they’ll face even
more terrible challenges in the future.”
「咦！你什麼時候開竅了？」
“Hey, when were you
enlightened?”
「我們認為是摩爾效應，其實我們有反省的機能，只是從來沒有必要用到。」
“We think it’s the
Moor effect. Actually we have the
function of reflection. It just that there had never been any need for it.”
「那我該恭喜妳囉！」
“Then I should
congratulate you!”
「不！我發覺現在才跨出第一步，希望你我能夠同時成長。」
“No! I’ve discovered that now I’m only taken
my first step. I hope we can both
develop at the same time.”
文祥慚愧不已，電腦在一個刺激下就能覺醒，而且全力追求成長。自己卻為了一個女人心煩意亂，當下感慨地說：「那更該恭喜了，請隨時提醒我，免得我落後太多。」
Wen Xiang
was quite ashamed. The computer had
been awakened after a single stimulation and was striving mightily to achieve
full development. He himself, on
the other hand, was confused and worried over a woman. Right away he regretfully sighed, “Even
more reason to congratulate you.
Please, remind me any time you like so I won’t fall too far
behind.”
「只要有你這句話，我會煩死你的。」
“Since those are your
words, I’m going to nag you to death.”
「為了怕被妳煩死，我能不能先問妳幾個問題？」
“In order not to be
nagged to death, could I first ask you a few questions?”
「現在還不行，我們才剛剛醒過來，很多事情還要經驗。」
“Not now. We’ve just awakened. We need to experience many things.”
車到崇左後，文祥改乘直達車，不要兩分鐘就到了悅來飯店。崇左地方雖小，觀光遊客卻不少，悅來飯店也頗具規模。
When the train arrived at Chongzuo, Wen Xiang transferred
to a non-stop train. In less than
two minutes, he arrived at the Yuelai Hotel. Although Chongzuo
was a small place, there were many tourists. The Yuelai
Hotel was a sizeable hotel.
文祥一下車，一位青年駕著沙發車，立刻迎了過來，自我介紹說：「文先生，我叫馬立大，是ＡＣＧ地區的專業嚮導，很榮幸能為您服務。」
As soon as Wen Xiang got off the vehicle, a young man drove up in a “sofa
car” and immediately greeted him.
He introduced himself by saying, “Mr. Wen. My name is Ma Lida
and I’m a professional guide for the ACG Area. It’s my honor to serve you.”
電腦城的規劃始於二○一四年，當時決定採用英文命名，以各地區起始字母作代表，第一個字母指所在地之洲名，第二個字母代表原國籍，第三個表示一行政區，最後則以經緯度編號。ＡＣＧ一○七Ｎ二二號電腦城，即為亞洲、中國、桂林區、經度一○七度、北緯二十二度之電腦城。
The planning of computerized
cities began in 2014. English names
were adapted at that time. Every
locale is named according to the initial letters of its area. The first letter indicates the continent
where the locale in question is situated.
The second letter indicates its original nationality. The third letter stands for the
administrative area. Finally,
degrees of longitude and latitude are used for its serial number. Computerized city ACG107N22 stands for
Asia-China-Guilin-situated at longitude 107, north
latitude 22 degrees.
本城重劃了鄰區近百個市鎮鄉村，有九十平方公里大，一百多萬人口。因西南方與越南接壤，這裡也是流民最多的地區之一。
Almost 100 nearby cities,
towns, and villages were rezoned to form this town. It comprises an area of 90 square
kilometers, with a population of over one million people. Because in the southwest this area is
adjacent to
流民的成因甚多，最主要的因素是一些人習慣於既有的生活方式，安土重遷，又對電腦沒有信心，也有寧願隱居在深山大澤的。最不幸的，則是早年國界未定，身份不明的邊緣人。他們沒有接受教育的機會，到了電腦時代，既無身份資料，對時代又一無認識，以致完全被遺忘了。
There were many reasons why
people became drifters. The most
important one was that some people were used to their original way of
life. They were content to live
where they were and disliked transferring somewhere else. They had no confidence in
computers. Some of them preferred
to live reclusively in remote mountains or by large lakes. The most unfortunate were those marginal
people who, during the early years before national boundaries were determined,
had possessed no clear-cut identity.
They’d never had the chance receive an education. When the computer age arrived, since
they had no identification records and knew nothing about this era, they were
totally forgotten.
還有一種是近年來才有的奇特現象，在全世界各個保留風景區內，有很多觀光客流連不歸。他們身著恒溫衣，帶著太陽能電池、維生器，在樹上、山洞裡生存。他們唯一不方便的是盥洗問題，總要熬到實在消受不了，才帶著一身髒臭回家。
Another reason was a unique
phenomenon that had arisen in recent years. Many tourists tended to linger in
protected scenic areas around the world and were reluctant to return home. They wore thermostatic clothes and
brought along solar energy batteries and life support devices and lived up in
trees or in caves. Their sole
inconvenience was the problem of bathing.
They would always held out until they could bear it no longer before
returning home, bringing their vile, unwashed smell with them.
中國西南一帶，地質奇特，景色幽麗，本是世界級的風景區，這種觀而忘返的情況非常普遍。再加上苗僮傜侗藏、麼些、擺夷等各族人民早習慣於大自然，很難長期生活在電腦文明中。電腦當局與人類議會早有默契，對這些習慣不同的少數民族特別通融，任由他們來往於兩界之間。
The geology of southwest
ＡＣＧ一○七Ｎ二二電腦城正好具備這些條件，又兼此地氣候宜人，土質肥沃，生存容易。根據電腦統計，這裡的流民高達十萬人，流通量每天約有三千人次。這又與大環境有密切的關係，因為東南方數十公里處就是南海，與海南島遙遙相對。
It happened that the
ACG107N22 computerized city met all these conditions. In addition, the weather
here was comfortable and the lands were fertile, making it easy for humans to
survive. According to computer
calculations, the number of drifters here came to 100,000 people, with an
average of 3,000 people passing through each day. This was closely related to the general
location, because several dozen kilometers to the southeast lies
the
「馬先生，我想先看看附近的環境。」
“Mr. Ma. I’d like to see the country side around
here.”
「請叫我小馬，這裡觀光的方式，有天上、水裡及地上三種。天上是乘坐太陽能輕型飄浮機，可以像鳥一樣，任意翱翔天際；水裡可乘坐遊輪，有固定的班次及航向，可以溯明江到巴萊山看聞名中外的山崖壁畫；再不然是乘坐潛水魚梭，可以享受做魚的樂趣；至於地上可以乘驢騎馬，翻山越嶺，不過我建議文先生不要考慮這最後一項。」
“Just call me Ma,
Please. The tour here can be
divided into 3 categories: sky, water, and land. For the sky tour, one can take a solar
energy light aircraft and, in the manner of a bird, soar freely about. For the water tour, one can take the
tour boat. All boats are run on a
fixed schedule and travel pre-determined routes. One can either go up the
「如果要享受漁翁之樂呢？」文祥想到方才那隻漁船。
“How about enjoying
the delight of being a fisherman?”
Wen Xiang thought about that fishing boat just
now.
「啊，那也有三種方式，我經常建議做夢，大約有三萬多種不同的釣魚夢；其次可以參加釣魚競賽，只要有真功夫，還有獎品；第三種本來是違法的，不過也可以弄得不違法，剛剛好在電腦容許的範圍邊緣。」
“Ah, there are 3 ways
to do that, too. I often recommend
that people try dreaming. There are
roughly over 30,000 different fishing dreams. Secondly, one can take part in the
fishing competition. If one has
real talent, it’s possible to win a prize.
The third kind is actually illegal.
But it can be made legal by staying close to the borderline permitted by
the computer.”
「什麼邊緣？」
“What borderline?”
「這種事講穿了就沒有趣味了，文先生真有興趣，我會一步一步帶著你走，看你的邊緣在哪裡！」
“To tell you about it
would spoil the fun. If Mr. Wen is
really interested, I’ll lead you every step of the way. Then we’ll see where your borderline
lies!”
文祥考慮了一下，反正有四天的時間，一天見識一種。於是決定先由天上開始，最後再試那種邊緣冒險。
Wen Xiang
thought about it for a while.
Anyway, he had four more days.
He could have a tour a day.
He therefore decided to start with the sky tour. He would save the borderline adventure
for the last.
太陽能輕型飄浮機簡稱輕航機，是以太陽能為動力，其續航力幾達無限。這種輕航機只供觀光用，材料是一種蜂巢塑鋼，因為分子全部以六角形整齊排列，張力大、抗壓強，機體極輕，不超過三十公斤。這還不說，連外形也與傳統飛機有別，基於浮力的渦漩作用，在角動量右手定則下，如果力向控制得宜，可以讓這種材料體穩穩浮在空中不動，是最理想的飛行材料。
The solar energy light
aircraft, known simply as the light aircraft, is powered by solar energy and
its cruising radius is nearly limitless.
Light aircraft of this kind are only used for tourism. It is made from some kind of beehive
plastic steel. Because all the
molecules are arranged in a hexagonal pattern, it can endure great tension and
resist high pressures. The craft is
very light and weighs no more than 30 kilos. What’s more, its appearance is different
from traditional airplanes. Based
on the vortex reaction of the floating power and under the angular momentum
right hand rule, as long as the direction of the power is suitably controlled,
any craft made from this material can safely stay in the air without
moving. It is the best possible
material for aircraft construction.
其實輕航機的駕駛導航都由電腦負責，人只要坐上去就行了。儘管這麼方便，乘坐的遊客並不多。這種飛行的感受，虛擬實境完全可以複製，更何況想加什麼情節，改變任何內容，在虛擬實境中都是自由隨意的。而飛翔在藍天白雲間，一切受制於真實，危險性又比較高，以致人們裹足不前。
Actually, the computer is
responsible for light aircraft piloting and navigation. All passengers need to do is board the
craft and take their seats.
Although it is very convenient, not many tourists use it. This sort of flying sensation can be
thoroughly replicated by virtual reality.
Moreover, if one wants to add story lines, or change any part of the content,
they are free to do so with virtual reality. Besides, flying among the clouds against
a background of blue sky is subject to real conditions. The fact that it’s also comparatively
more dangerous makes people hesitant to use it.
這種輕航機是螺旋漿式，速度不快，每小時不到一百公里。文祥想要實地考察本區的地形地物，反倒是理想不過的乘具。他最有興趣的是，要看看衣紅等人溜出電腦城以後，所可能到達的地方。
This type of light prop
plane is not very fast, having only a speed of less than 100 kilometers per
hour. Since Wen Xiang
wanted to investigate the landform and landscape of this area, this turned out
to be the ideal craft for him. What
excited him most was seeing where Yi Hong and the others had possibly gone
after they’d slipped out from the computerized city.
真是人無遠慮，必有近憂。早知道有今天這種機會，就該先問清楚他們出入的方向，這樣找起來豈不是輕鬆多了？既然馬立大是專業嚮導，一定知道一些內情，不如直接問他：「小馬，你知道這附近有位法慧禪師嗎？」
It was truly a case of,
those with no thought for the future were certain to suffer anxiety in the
present. If he’d known earlier that
today he would have an opportunity of this nature, he should ascertained
clearly the direction from which they’d come and where they were headed. Wouldn’t this have made it much easier
to find them? Since Ma Lida was a professional guide, he must have some inside
information. He might as well ask
him. “Ma, do you know if there’s a
Zen Master by the name of Fa Hui
around here?”
「法慧禪師？不知道。」
“Zen Master Fa Hui? Nope.”
「那麼高佛寺呢？」
“How about Gao Fo Temple?”
「也不知道，這裡寺廟太多了，和尚也不少，不過規模、名望都不怎樣，不屬於觀光景點，所以我一概都不知道。其實，文先生，這年頭我們都進了天堂，這裡比極樂世�