红鼻子老拱手里擎了一碗黄酒，说着，向间壁努一努嘴。
A bowl of yellow wine in his hands, Red-nosed Gong jerked his head towards the next house as he spoke.
蓝皮阿五便放下酒碗，在他脊梁上用死劲的打了一掌，含含糊糊嚷道：
^-1'Ah, give it a rest,' Blue-Skinned Ah-wu muttered, putting down his own bowl to punch him hard on the back.
原来鲁镇是僻静地方，还有些古风：不上一更，大家便都关门睡觉。
Lu Town was a quiet out-of-the-way place that still preserved a few ancient customs, and so it was that even before the First Watch everyone had long since bolted the front door and gone to bed.
深更半夜没有睡的只有两家：一家是咸亨酒店，几个酒肉朋友围着柜台，吃喝得正高兴；一家便是间壁的单四嫂子，他自从前年守了寡，便须专靠着自己的一双手纺出绵纱来，养活他自己和他三岁的儿子，所以睡的也迟。
By midnight there were only two households awake: Prosperity Tavern where a few gluttons guzzled merrily round the bar, and the house next door where Fourth Shan's Wife lived.
For, left a widow two years earlier, she had nothing but the cotton-yarn she spun to support herself and her three-year-old boy; this is why she also slept late.
这几天，确凿没有纺纱的声音了。
It was a fact that for several days now there had been no sound of spinning.
但夜深没有睡的既然只有两家，这单四嫂子家有声音，便自然只有老拱们听到，没有声音，也只有老拱们听到。
However, since the wineshop and her room were the only two places where people were still up late at night, whenever the loom was to be heard Everbow and friend were the only ones to hear it.
And when it wasn't to be heard, they were the only ones not to hear it.
老拱挨了打，仿佛很舒服似的喝了一大口酒，呜呜的唱起小曲来。
After receiving the slap, Everbow took a long drink of wine and began to croon a lovesong, obviously enjoying himself immensely.
这时候，单四嫂子正抱着他的宝儿，坐在床沿上，纺车静静的立在地上。
At this moment, Mrs Shan next door was sitting on the edge of the bed, cradling her son, Bao'er, as the spinning wheel stood silently by.
黑沉沉的灯光，照着宝儿的脸，绯红里带一点青。
The dim light of her lamp threw a garish light on the boy's fevered face, a face that had flushed purple and now showed ominous patches of black.
单四嫂子心里计算：神签也求过了，愿心也许过了，单方也吃过了，要是还不见效，怎么好？
Sister Shan went over her situation: she had drawn lots at the temple; she had made her vow; and she had given the boy his medicine. 5"But what if the prescription doesn't work?” she asked herself.”
――那只有去诊何小仙了。
The only person she hadn't yet tried was Dr Ho Xiaoxian.
但宝儿也许是日轻夜重，到了明天，太阳一出，热也会退，气喘也会平的：这实在是病人常有的事。
On the other hand, maybe Bao'er's got the kind of sickness that gets bad at night and lets up a little in the daytime.
Maybe tomorrow, as soon as the sun comes out, his fever will go down and his breathing will smooth out.
After all, that kind of thing often does happen with sick people.”
单四嫂子是一个粗笨女人，不明白这“但”字的可怕：许多坏事固然幸亏有了他才变好，许多好事却也因为有了他都弄糟。
Fourth Shan's Wife was a simple woman, who did not, know what a fearful word “but” is.
Thanks to this “but,” many bad things turn out well, many good things turn out badly.
夏天夜短，老拱们呜呜的唱完了不多时，东方已经发白；不一会，窗缝里透进了银白色的曙光。
Not long after the sentimental cadences from next door died away, the darkness began to pale over to the east, and the first, hopeful silver light of dawn crept in through a crack in the window, drawing the short summer night to a close.
单四嫂子等候天明，却不像别人这样容易，觉得非常之慢，宝儿的一呼吸，几乎长过一年。
Waiting for the dawn was not such a simple matter for Fourth Shan's Wife as for other people.
The time dragged terribly slowly: each breath Bao'er took seemed to last at least a year.
现在居然明亮了；天的明亮，压倒了灯光，――看见宝儿的鼻翼，已经一放一收的扇动。
But now at last it was bright.
Clear daylight swallowed up the lamplight.
Bao'er's nostrils quivered as he gasped for breath.
单四嫂子知道不妙，暗暗叫一声“阿呀！”
She let out a faint cry of terror; he looked worse than she had feared.
只有去诊何小仙这一条路了。
I have to take him to Dr Ho.
他虽然是粗笨女人，心里却有决断，便站起身，从木柜子里掏出每天节省下来的十三个小银元和一百八十铜钱，都装在衣袋里，锁上门，抱着宝儿直向何家奔过去。
Though coarse and uneducated, she could also be decisive.
She stood, went to the cupboard, and fished out all the money she had-through daily economies she'd managed to put aside three silver dollars and one hundred and eighty coppers.
Cramming it all into her pocket, with Bao'er clasped against her breast, she locked the door and rushed straight to Dr. He's house.
天气还早，何家已经坐着四个病人了。
Even though it was still early, the doctor already had four patients waiting for him.
他摸出四角银元，买了号签，第五个轮到宝儿。
She paid out four dimes and got a registration slip in return.
Bao'er was fifth to see the doctor.
何小仙伸开两个指头按脉，指甲足有四寸多长，单四嫂子暗地纳罕，心里计算：宝儿该有活命了。
Dr.Ho stretched out two fingers to feel the child's pulses.
His nails were a good four inches long, and Fourth Shan's Wife marvelled inwardly, thinking, “Surely my Bao'er must be fated to live!”
但总免不了着急，忍不住要问，便局局促促的说：
She could not help feeling anxious all the same, and could not stop herself asking nervously
“他中焦塞着⑵。”
'His stomach's blocked.”