Appearance
Chapter 12 Perfect Welding
午后的阳光洒落在大街小巷里，走哪都像在蒸笼里。夏雷顶着日头终于找到了那张转让告示上的机械加工店。它在一条老旧的小巷口，门面所对的便是一条大马路，交通便利。
The setting(环境，背景，情节背景，档位) sun cast long shadows in the streets and alleyways, making everything look like it was encased(包装的，被包住的) in a steamer(蒸锅，蒸笼) basket. Xia Lei finally found the machine shop in the advertisement at dusk(黄昏，傍晚). It was at the mouth of an old battered(破旧不堪的，受到重创的) alley but faced a main road and had easy vehicle access.
机械加工店的门口也贴着相同的转让告示。午间在电线杆上张贴转让告示的老头正在店里收拾东西，他并没有留意到在门口向里面张望的夏雷。
Another copy of the advertisement was on the machine shop door. The old man who had put the poster up on the electric pole in the afternoon was in the shop clearing things away. He had not noticed Xia Lei peering into(凝视，窥视) the shop in the doorway.
夏雷不动声色地观察这这家店的情况。他发现这里的位置虽然有点偏，但车流量和人流量都很不错。店里有一台金鸡牌cs6140b车床，看上去也有六七成新。这种车床他以前在加工厂干活的时候使用过，针对的是小型的加工件，精度和实用性都不错。店里还有一台电焊机和气瓶割刀什么的，工具也还算全面。就店里的情况而言，只要他盘下来，稍微准备一下就可以开张做生意了。
Xia Lei surveyed the condition of the machine shop quietly. He found that though the location was a little out of the way, vehicle and human traffic were still quite good. The shop had a Golden Pheasant(野鸡，雉) CS6140B lathe which looked to be 60-70% new. He had used this lathe before for processing small components in one of his previous jobs - its precision and practicality were not bad. The machine shop also had a welding machine and cylinder(圆柱，圆筒，气缸) cutter and other tools which made up a good comprehensive set-up(计划，组织，机构，装配，陷害，栽赃). Based on what he could see, he could open for business with little preparation once he transferred ownership.
看了店里的设备和工具，还有店面的情况，夏雷的心里也有了点谱，这之后他才走进机械加工店。
After observing the equipment, tools and shop location, Xia Lei made some mental notes, then walked into the machine shop.
老头这才发现夏雷，他看着夏雷，试探地道：“小伙子，你是来加工东西的吗？”
The old man saw Xia Lei then and looked at him speculatively(投机地，试探地，推测地) before asking, “You here to get some machining done, young’un?”
“不，我是来和你谈谈的。”夏雷说道：“我看见了你贴的转让告示，恰好我有点兴趣。”
“No, I came to discuss something with you,” said Xia Lei. “I saw your machine shop ownership transfer advertisment and I’m interested.”
老头的脸上顿时露出了一丝笑容，“原来你是来盘店的，好吧，我和你谈谈，请坐。”
A faint smile appeared on the old man’s face. “So you want to buy the shop? All right, let’s talk. Have a seat.”
“不用，站着说就行。”夏雷并不想让这个老头看出他很想要这家店，那样的话谈价钱的时候肯定会吃亏的。
“I’m fine with standing.” Xia Lei did not want the old man to see that he wanted very much to have the shop, otherwise he would be at a disadvantage when negotiating the price.
老头说道：“好吧，站着说也行。小伙子，你贵姓？”
“Sure, standing is fine too. What’s your name, young’un?” asked the old man.
“夏雷。”夏雷说道：“大爷你呢？”
“Xia Lei,” replied Xia Lei, “What is your name, uncle?”
老头笑了笑，“我姓蒋，你叫我蒋大爷就行了。”
The old man smiled. “My surname is Jiang. Just call me Uncle Jiang.”
“蒋大爷，你为什么不做了呢？”夏雷问。
“Uncle Jiang, why don’t you want to run the shop anymore?” asked Xia Lei.
“你也看见了，我一把年纪了，今年就六十啦，做不动啦。我的眼睛也不好使了，给人加工东西的时候老是出错，再干下去也没劲了。我想回老家抱孙子了，呵呵，累了一辈子，也该享几年清福了。”蒋大爷看上去很开朗。
“As you can see, I’m getting on in years. I’ll be 60 this year and I can’t move like I used to. My eyesight’s declining too so I make mistakes with the parts I process. I have no energy to keep going either - I’d like to go back to my hometown and play with my grandchild. Heh. I’ve toiled(苦干，辛勤劳作) for so long it’s time to relax.” Uncle Jiang was open about his reasons to give up the shop.
“这家店的生意如何？”夏雷又问道。
“How is the business doing?” Xia Lei asked another question.
蒋大爷说道：“还行，一个月除了房租水电和其它的开销，也能赚个八九千一万块。如果不是我的眼睛不好使了，我还真有些舍不得呢。小伙子，如果你的手艺好的话，我相信生意会越来越好的。
“Not too bad. After the rent, utilities and other expenses you can still make eight to ten thousand. If it weren’t for my bad eyes I wouldn’t bear to give up the shop. Young’un, if your workmanship(手艺，工艺，技巧) is good I believe business will pick up.”
夏雷笑着说道：“做手艺的手艺好，生意当然不会差。大爷，我们就不绕弯子了，我想盘下你的店，你要多少钱呢？”
Xia Lei grinned and said, “Business would definitely pick up if the workmanship’s good. Uncle Jiang, let’s not beat around the bush(旁敲侧击，说话绕圈子) - I want to take over ownership of your shop. How much are you letting it go for?”
蒋大爷摸了一下下巴，“嗯，这样吧……”
Uncle Jiang stroked his chin. “Hmm, how about this…”
就在这时一男一女忽然走了进来，蒋大爷也闭上了嘴巴。
At that moment, a man and a woman suddenly walked into the shop and Uncle Jiang stopped talking.
夏雷打量了一下这一对男女。男的西装笔挺，三十岁左右，身材硬朗，面相和眼神都显得有些凶悍，给人一种很不友好的感觉。女的二十五六的样子，成熟性感。她一进门就皱起了眉头，仿佛这里的环境和人都让她感到不舒服。
Xia Lei looked at the pair. The man’s suit had crisp lines; he looked about thirty, was built solidly and had a fierce, tough countenance(面容，脸色，面部表情). The woman looked about 25 and had a mature sex appeal(上诉，申诉，吸引力，感染力，魅力，呼吁). She wrinkled her eyebrows as soon as she walked in, as if the environment and people had made her uncomfortable.
西装男出声说道：“你们谁是老板？”
The suit-clad man spoke, “Who’s the boss here?”
蒋大爷说道：“我是，请问你们有什么事吗？”
Uncle Jiang replied, “I am. Why do you ask?”
西装说男道：“我有一件东西需要焊接一下。”说完他给身边的性感女郎递了一个眼色。
“I have something that needs to be welded.” After he spoke, he shot a look at the sexy lady.
性感女郎跟着就打开了手里的一只公事包，从里面取出了一只红布包。她打开了红布包，露出了包在红布里的物件。那是一支非常古老的铸铁钥匙，大约七寸长度，表面上有奇怪的花纹。钥匙已经断成了两截，看印痕是旧痕，不知道是什么时候弄断的。
She opened a red cloth pouch, revealing the item inside. It was a very old key made of pig iron, about seven inches long with strange patterns all over its surface. The key had been broken in two and the break looked old - there was no telling how long ago it had been broken.
“能焊接吗？”性感女郎出声说道，她的声音柔柔的，很好听。
“Can this be welded?” The sexy lady asked. Her voice was soft and pleasing to the ear.
“我看看。”蒋大爷走了上去，伸手要拿铸铁钥匙。
“Let me see.” Uncle Jiang walked forward and stretched his hand out for the pig iron key.
西装男忽然抓住了蒋大爷的手腕，“这东西非常重要，我的要求可不是简简单单的焊接好就完事了，这钥匙上面的纹路不能有任何破坏，也得焊接好，不能多，也不能少，不能高，也不能低，你明白我的意思吗？如果你有把握的话，你就接这个活。”
The suited man suddenly grabbed Uncle Jiang’s wrist. “This is a very important item. Our request is not just a simple welding. The patterns on the key must not be damaged. The welding must also be done just right - not too much, too little, too high or too low. You understand me? Accept this job only if you have the confidence to do so.”
蒋大爷愣了一下才说道：“这位先生，你这要求太高了，我怕我做不了，你找别人干吧。”
Uncle Jiang paused and said, “Sir, your requirements are too high. I’m afraid I won’t be able to do this. Please find someone else.”
西装男说道：“我打听过，都说这一带你的手艺最好，你要是能按照我的要求帮我焊接好这支钥匙，我给你五千块。
“I’ve asked around and they all say that your workmanship is the best in this area. If you can weld this key as I’ve asked I will pay you 5,000,” said the man.
“五……五千块？”蒋大爷很惊讶的样子。
“Five… Five thousand?” Uncle Jiang was shocked.
他开一个月店，累死累活才能赚八九千一万块，焊接一把钥匙就能赚五千。就这酬劳而言，这确实是让人心动的。
He had to work hard day in and day out to get eight to ten thousand a month - five thousand for welding just one key? For the amount of labour needed, this job was very attractive.
“你行吗？”西装男又从女人手里的公事包里拿出了两块铸铁片，“如果你行的话，你可以先焊接一下这个，我觉得可以的话，你就可以接这个活。”
“Can you do it?” The suited man took two pieces of pig iron from the woman’s briefcase. “If you can, weld these first. If your work is satisfactory, I’ll let you have the job.”
西装男手里的铸铁片也有类似的纹路，弯弯曲曲，看上去很复杂的样子。
The pig iron pieces in his hands had similar twisting patterns which looked quite complicated.
蒋大爷看了一眼，想了一下，最终还是摇了摇头，“你给的酬劳很可观，不过你的要求实在太高了，就算我的眼睛还和年轻的时候一样好我也不敢接你的活，更何况是现在，我老了，我不敢接你的活，你去找别人吧。”
Uncle Jiang examined them, thought for a bit and shook his head in the end. “The compensation you offer is very attractive but your requirements are too high. Even if my eyes were as good as they were when I was a young lad(少年，小伙子，家伙), I would not dare to accept this job - even less so now since I’m old. I cannot accept this job. Please look for someone else.”
“连试都不敢试，你还开什么店呢？”性感女郎的眼眸里满是轻蔑的意味。
“You aren’t even going to try! What is your shop open for then?” The sexy lady’s eyes were full of contempt(轻视，蔑视，耻辱).
这话不中听，但蒋大爷却也默默地受了，“抱歉，真做不了，你们去找别人吧。”
Her words were disrespectful but Uncle Jiang bore it quietly. “I’m sorry. I’m not doing it. Ask someone else.”
西装男冷哼了一声，“这店还是趁早关了吧，开什么店呢。”
The suited man was disdainful. “This shop should just close for good. Why keep it up?”
蒋大爷的脾气好，这话也默默地受了。
Uncle Jiang was a good man and he bore those words quietly as well.
这时夏雷出声说道：“我看看吧。”
At that moment, Xia Lei spoke. “Let me take a look.”
“你是谁？”西装男盯着夏雷，眼神中带着点警惕的意味。
“Who are you?” The suited man glared at Xia Lei, alert and on guard.
蒋大爷跟着说道：“其实我这店真不打算继续开了，他是来盘我的店的。我不行，或许他行，你可以给他看看。”
Uncle Jiang interjected(插嘴), “I am actually going to stop running my business. This young man is here to negotiate the takeover of my shop. I cannot do the job but maybe he can. Give it to him and see.”
“你行吗？”西装男并不是很相信夏雷的手艺，在他看来夏雷不过是一个二十出头的毛头小子，手艺不会好到哪里去。
“Can you do it?” The suited man did not trust Xia Lei’s workmanship. To him, Xia Lei looked like a fresh-faced(容光焕发的，面带稚气的) 20-something year old with no real skill.
夏雷说道：“行不行要试了才知道，我先把这两块铸铁片焊接好，你看看再说吧。”
“I won’t know until I try. I can weld these two pieces first and you decide once you’ve seen my work,” said Xia Lei.
西装男和性感女郎交换了一下眼神，西装男将两块铸铁片交给了夏雷。
The suited man and sexy lady exchanged glances and the suited man handed the pieces to Xia Lei.
夏雷拿着两块铸铁片先观察了一下上面的纹路，还有铸铁片的厚度，然后走到焊机前启动了焊机，给焊钳上了一根铸铁焊条。
Xia Lei first inspected the patterns on the pieces and the thickness of the pig iron, then walked to the welding machine and started it up before he added a piece of pig iron to the welding clamp.
“你行不行啊？不行的话就别动手。”性感女郎说道，她也不相信夏雷的手艺。
“Can you really do it? Don’t try if you can’t,” said the sexy lady. She did not believe in Xia Lei’s ability either.
夏雷没吭声，拿上护目罩便动手焊接了。
Xia Lei said nothing. He put on safety goggles and started welding.
焊接铸铁片并不难，会烧焊的都可以焊，但要焊接铸铁片上的纹路，而且要丝毫不差，这却不是人人都能做的了。这样的难度，就算那些高级焊接工程师都不敢轻易说能焊好！原因很简单，焊接的时候人的眼睛是无法看到强光笼罩下的缝隙和纹路的，缝隙还可以凭借经验焊接好，但纹路却无法凭经验来焊接，必须要亲眼看着才行！
Welding pig iron was not difficult - those who could weld could do it. However, matching the patterns on the pig iron and welding them together exactly was not something everyone could do. A task of this difficulty would make even the elite master craftsman(工匠，手艺人) welders hesitate to say they can do it! The reason was simple - a human eye could not see the cracks and patterns under the shroud(覆盖物，寿衣) of strong light. The cracks could be welded by relying on past experience but the patterns were another matter. One had to use his own eyes to look at the patterns.
对于普通的焊接师来说，这是一条无法克服的障碍，但对于夏雷来说却是手到擒来的轻松事情。他的左眼能穿透护目罩，能清晰地看见铸铁片上的纹路！
This was an impossible obstacle for normal welders but to Xia Lei it was as easy as stretching out his hand. His left eye could see through the goggles and see the patterns on the pig iron clearly!
嗞嗞嗞，嗞嗞嗞……
Szzt szzt szzt, szzt szzt szzt…
焊钳下一团灼眼的亮光，西装男、性感女郎和蒋大爷都不敢直视那团亮光，但在护眼罩的弱化下，夏雷却用他的左眼直视光团的中心，铸铁片上的缝隙和纹路都清晰地呈现在他的眼前。他手中的焊钳轻轻地移动着，将铸铁片上的缝隙和纹路都焊接好。
A light glowed(发光) under the welding pincers(钳，螯) and it was so bright the suited man, sexy lady and Uncle Jiang could not look at it directly. Xia Lei, with goggles muting(哑的，沉默的，减弱...的声音，使...柔和) the power of the light, stared right at the centre of it with his left eye. The chinks and patterns in the pig iron were as clear as day to him. He moved the pincers delicately and welded the pieces together.
“他行不行啊？”性感女郎嘟囔了地道：“我感觉他只是装模作样。”
“Can he really do it?” The sexy lady mumbled, “Looks like he’s just pretending to know what he’s doing.”
他最好别忽悠我，不然的话……”西装男没有说下去，但语气很不善。
“He’d better not be duping(欺骗，愚弄，上当者，易受骗的人) me, or…” The suited man did not finish his sentence but his tone was decidedly(确实，肯定，显然，果断地，坚决地) unfriendly.
两人的话夏雷假装没有听见。他愿意出手倒不是想挣那五千块钱，而是想试一下将左眼的能力运用到工作领域的效果。再就是他想盘下这家店，他可不想这两人离开这里之后说这家店不行之类的话。
Xia Lei pretended not to hear the two of them. He had not volunteered to try welding for the 5,000 yuan but to test if his eye could be used effectively in his job. Furthermore, since he was going to assume ownership of the shop, he did not want the pair to leave the shop telling others it was useless.
几分钟的时间过去了，夏雷将焊钳放了下来
Minutes passed and Xia Lei put down the welding pincers.
西装男和性感女郎跟着就凑了上去，附身去看地面上的铸铁片。
The suited man and sexy lady drew close, leaning to look at the welded pig iron piece.
两块铸铁片已经被焊接了起来，缝隙之上没有半点焊疤，铸铁片上的每一条纹路都被对齐，缝隙之间隐约可见一条焊痕，但焊痕非常光滑，不多一点，也不高一点，就像是用胶水黏上的一样！
The two pieces were welded together and the patterns showed no welding marks on them. Every pattern on the pig iron matched and there was a line which showed where the pieces had been welded together but the welding was smooth - not too much or too high. It was as if the pieces had been glued together!
毫无疑问，这是一次完美的焊接！
There was no question - this was a perfect welding!
西装男和性感女郎还有蒋大爷都惊呆了，半响都没说出话来。
The suited man, sexy lady and Uncle Jiang were dumbstruck(吓呆了，惊呆了).
夏雷说道：“我焊好了，你们还满意吗？”
“I’m done welding. Are you satisfied?” asked Xia Lei.
西装男这次回过神来，他的脸上跟着露出了笑容，“呵呵，小师傅好手艺，不满你说，来这里之前我找过一个焊接工程师，他都没把握焊好，却没想到在这样的小店里找到了这样的高手。这样吧，你帮我把这支钥匙焊好，我给你加一千工钱。”
The suited man snapped out of it and a smile appeared on his face. “Ho ho, the little Master has great workmanship. I’ll tell you this - I’d asked a welding engineer to do this before coming here and he had no confidence in welding it properly. I never expected to find a Master in a small machine shop like this. How about this - weld this key together for me and I will give you 1,000 more.”
夏雷却笑了笑，“抱歉，我可没说要帮你焊钥匙，我只是帮你把这两块铸铁片焊好，不收钱。
Xia Lei just grinned. “Sorry, I didn’t say I would weld your key for you. I’ve only welded these two pieces of pig iron together - no charge.”
“你——”西装男的脸上顿时露出了怒意，可转眼又压制了下去，他满脸堆笑，“呵呵小师父，何必呢，你要是嫌钱少的话，我们可以再商量嘛。这样吧，你开个价。”
“You-” Anger flashed across the suited man’s face before he forced it under control. He was all smiles as he said, “Ho ho, little Master… why say that? We can negotiate if you aren’t satisfied with the amount. How about this - name your price.”
夏雷说道：“你们刚才也听见了，我不是这家店的店主，我只是来谈盘店的事情的。”
“You heard us just now. I’m not the boss, I’m just here to talk about taking over the shop.”
性感女郎凑到了夏雷的身前，用甜腻的声音说道：“小师父，你就帮帮忙吧，你帮姐姐这个忙，姐姐不会亏待你的。”
The sexy lady moved in front of Xia Lei and spoke sweetly, “Help me out on this, please little Master? If you help this big sister, you will definitely not lose out.”
让人骨头发软的声音，性感的身材，这些都是诱因。夏雷的左眼微微跳了一下，性感女郎身上的裙装如晨曦中的水雾一般消散了，他也顿时呆了一下，一头小汗。这个女人非常开放，里面什么都没穿。
Her bone-weakening soft voice and sexy body triggered Xia Lei. His eye throbbed and the sexy lady’s clothing dissipated like dew(露水) in the morning. Xia Lei was thunderstruck and small beads(滴，珠子) of sweat popped out on his forehead. This woman was very open - she wore no underwear under her clothes.
“好不好嘛。”性感女郎的手搭在了夏雷的肩头上，轻轻地摇晃了一下。
“Okay?” The sexy lady slid her hand onto Xia Lei’s shoulder and shook gently.
夏雷跟着退了一步，他说道：“要我做也可以，不过你们得跟蒋大爷道个谦，你们刚才说的那些话不好听。”
Xia Lei took a step backwards and said, “I can do the job but the two of you must first apologise to Uncle Jiang. You said some rather disrespectful things earlier.”
西装男的嘴角微微地抽了一下，但他跟着就向蒋大爷说道：“蒋大爷是吧，对不起，刚才是我们不对，请接受我们的歉意。
The corners of the suited man’s mouth twitched but he faced Uncle Jiang and said, “Uncle Jiang? I apologise. We were at fault earlier. Please accept our apology.”
“这……这没什么啦，呵呵。”蒋大爷笑着说道，一边感激地看了夏雷一眼。
“It… It’s, er, okay. Heh heh.” Uncle Jiang smiled as he spoke and gave Xia Lei a look of thanks.
“给我吧。”夏雷伸出了手。
“Hand it to me.” Xia Lei extended his hand.
性感女郎跟着将红布包着的铸铁钥匙递给了夏雷，满眼期待的样子。
The sexy lady looked to be full of anticipation(预料，预期，盼望，期望) as she handed the pig iron key in the red pouch to Xia Lei.
夏雷再次走到焊机前拿起了焊钳和护目罩，他能焊好刚才那两块铸铁片，这支钥匙也照样能焊好。
Xia Lei walked over to the welding machine once again and picked up the welding pincers and goggles. He had welded the pig iron pieces together earlier; welding this pig iron key was no different.