6. Pēⁿ-lâng sī yin sai-hū ê hāu-seⁿ | 病人是姻師傅 ê 後生

6. Pēⁿ-lâng sī yin sai-hū ê hāu-seⁿ

Shimamura ùi chhia-téng tòe lo̍h-lâi ê sio-khì iáu-bōe sòaⁿ khì, só͘-í iáu bô kám-kak chin-chiàⁿ kôaⁿ. Che sī i tē-it-pái ê Seh-kok kôaⁿ-thiⁿ, chāi-tē-lâng ê chhēng-chhah hō͘ i kiaⁿ-chi̍t-tiô.

"Kám ū kôaⁿ kah su-iàu chhēng án-ne?"

"Hēⁿ ah, í-keng khoán-hó boeh kòe-tang loh. Lo̍h-seh liáu hó-thiⁿ ê thâu chi̍t-àm siāng léng. E-àm chia ē kàng kàu peng-tiám í-hā neh."

"Í-keng kàu peng-tiám í-hā ah?"

Shimamura ná khòaⁿ kòa tī gîm-chîⁿ ê khó-ài sng-á-ki, ná hām kheh-chàn niá-pan peh ji̍p chū-tōng-chhia. Tī seh-kéng lih, ke-ke hō͘-hō͘ ê kē gîm-chîⁿ khòaⁿ-tio̍h koh-khah sī kē, bē-su kui-ê chng-thâu lóng tîm lo̍h-khì.

"Bo̍k-koài, m̄-koán lí bak-tio̍h sáⁿ, hit-lō léng lóng bô-kāng."

"Kū-nî siāng léng kàu lêng-hā jī-cha̍p gōa tō͘ neh."

"Seh án-nóa?"

"Ah, pêng-sî chhit-peh chhioh, chē ê sî khó-lêng ū chi̍t-tn̄g nn̄g-saⁿ chhioh."

"Chiah tú khai-sí neh."

"Sī ah, tú chiah khai-sí. Che seh chit-kái kan-ta lo̍h chhioh gōa, í-keng iûⁿ boeh liáu ah."

"Iûⁿ ē liáu bô?"

"A̍h-chai, hoān-sè liâm-mi tō koh lo̍h tōa-seh ah."

Chit sî-chūn sī cha̍p-jī goe̍h chhe.

Shimamura kám-mō͘ it-ti̍t sat-phīⁿ, taⁿ léng khong-khì chi̍t-khùi chhèng kàu thâu-khak, phīⁿ-chúi kòng-kòng lâu, ká-ná lóng sé chheng-khì ah.

"Chham sai-hū tòa chò-hóe hit-ê ko͘-niû iáu tī lih bô?"

"Hēⁿ, tī lih, tī lih. Yi ū khì chhia-thâu, lí kám bô khòaⁿ tio̍h? Chhēng chhim-nâ ê hoan-moa."

"Ah, he tō sī yi. Lán khah-thêng-á ē-sái kiò yi, hoⁿh?"

"E-àm hioh?"

"E-àm."

"Thiaⁿ-kóng sai-hū yin hāu-seⁿ chē tú-chiah hit-pang chhia tún lâi, yi khì kā chiap."

Tī iā-sek tiong khòaⁿ tio̍h Yoko chiàu-kò͘ ê hit-ê pēⁿ-lâng, goân-lâi sī Shimamura chit-pái lâi boeh kìⁿ ê cha-bó͘ yin sai-hū ê hāu-seⁿ.

--

6. 病人是姻師傅 ê 後生

Shimamura ùi 車頂綴落來 ê 燒氣猶未散去, 所以猶無感覺真正寒. 這是伊第一擺 ê 雪國寒天, 在地人 ê 穿插予伊驚一趒.

"敢有寒 kah 需要穿 án-ne?"

"Hēⁿ ah, 已經款好欲過冬 loh. 落雪了好天 ê 頭一暗上冷. 下暗遮會降到冰點以下 neh."

"已經到冰點以下 ah?"

Shimamura ná 看掛 tī 砛簷 ê 可愛霜仔支, ná 和客棧領班 peh 入自動車. Tī 雪景 lih, 家家戶戶 ê 低砛簷看著閣較是低, 袂輸規个庄頭攏沉落去.

"莫怪, 毋管你沐著 sáⁿ, hit-lō 冷攏無仝."

"舊年上冷到零下二十外度 neh."

"雪 án-nóa?"

"Ah, 平時七八尺, 濟 ê 時可能有一丈兩三尺."

"才拄開始 neh."

"是 ah, 拄才開始. Che 雪 chit 改干焦落尺外, 已經溶欲了 ah."

"溶會了無?"

"A̍h 知, 凡勢 liâm-mi tō koh 落大雪 ah."

這時陣是十二月初.

Shimamura 感冒一直塞鼻, 今冷空氣 chi̍t-khùi chhèng 到頭殼, 鼻水 kòng-kòng 流, ká-ná 攏洗清氣 ah.

"參師傅蹛做伙彼个姑娘猶 tī lih 無?"

"Hēⁿ, tī lih, tī lih. 她有去車頭, 你敢無看著? 穿深藍 ê 番幔."

"Ah, 彼 tō 是她. 咱較停仔會使叫她, hoⁿh?"

"下暗 hioh?"

"下暗."

"聽講師傅姻後生坐拄才彼幫車 tún 來, 她去 kā 接."

Tī 夜色中看著 Yoko 照顧 ê 彼个病人, 原來是 Shimamura 這擺來欲見 ê 查某姻師傅 ê 後生.

-- 

6.

Shimamura, still warm from the train, was not sure how cold it really was. This was his first taste of the snow-country winter, however, and he felt somewhat intimidated.

"Is it as cold as all that?"

"We're ready for the winter. It's always especially cold the night it clears after a snow. It must be below freezing tonight."

"This is below freezing, is it? " Shimamura looked up at the delicate icicles along the eaves as he climbed into the taxi. The white of the snow made the deep eaves look deeper still, as if everything had sunk quietly into the earth.

 "The cold here is different, though, that's easy to see. It feels different when you touch something."

"Last year it went down to zero."

"How much snow?"

"Ordinarily seven or eight feet, sometimes as much as twelve or thirteen, I'd say."

"The heavy snows come from now on ? " 

"They're just beginning. We had about a foot, but it's melted down a good bit."

"It's been melting, has it?"

"We could have a heavy snow almost any time now, though."

It was the beginning of December.

Shimamura's nose had been stopped up by a stubborn cold, but it cleared to the middle of his head in the cold air, and began running as if the matter in it were washing cleanly away.

"Is the girl who lived with the music teacher still around?"

"She's still around. You didn't see her in the station? In the dark-blue cape?"

"So that's who it was. We can call her later, I suppose?"

"This evening?"

"This evening."

"I hear the music teacher's son came back on your train. She was at the station to meet him."

The sick man he had watched in that evening mirror, then, was the son of the music teacher in whose house the woman Shimamura had come to see was living.

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