《紐約地下通道的迷路、木柵欄外的問路與地下奴工？》

2023年5月27日：

似乎是在紐約，想回家。我知道只要往東走就行。後方遠處有一棟地標性的建築，通體墨綠色，似乎是一家藝術博物館。那棟樓所在方位讓我想起了安德魯·魏斯的著名畫作《克里斯蒂娜的世界》（Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth）。我知道自己只要朝著相反的方向走就行。

來到一條繁忙的街口，必須要經由地下通道才能過馬路。地下通道裡有幾條岔道，我轉著轉著就徹底迷失了方向。

通道兩側看見有幾間開著門的小屋子。這條岔道比較髒，屋子狹小且條件很差，其中一間裡住著一個瘦小的男青年。裡面家徒四壁，地上甚至開始流出污水。

我又轉到了另一條岔道，這裡顯得比較乾淨明亮一些。一間裝有大玻璃門的屋子似乎是個公司，有個西方男人正站在門口懸掛寫有漢字的小簾子，門廳裡面還站著三個著裝得體的男人。我走上前問：「怎麼才能走出去？」但並沒有得到任何實質的答案。

我又在裡面轉了轉，一扭頭看到外面的樓房與天空，便立馬走上台階，居然真的就離開了地下街道。回頭一看，那棟墨綠色的樓依然矗立在那裡，我繼續往前走。

走著走著，我似乎想找個人確認一下方向。看到右側有一個農莊，兩個西方人正在裡面工作。等其中一個人停下手裡的活兒，我隔著塗過白漆的舊木柵欄大聲問：「那個方向是否是東方？」正問著，另外一個工人也朝這邊走過來了。

他們反問我打哪兒來的。「取道日本，從中國來的。」我回答。似乎他們打算帶我一程。在他們轉身去取車的時候，我順便觀察了一下這個農莊。

突然，我看到有一排東方人正坐在兩個舊倉房之間狹窄的空隙裡。他們衣著極其樸素，其中也有人穿著綠軍裝，像是文革時期的穿戴。他們看著我，臉上毫無表情。

我走過去跟他們伸出大拇指，但似乎自己的大拇指有些僵硬，怎麼也沒能完全伸直。心裡的感覺頓時有點不妙，隱隱覺得他們似乎都是被這個農莊控制著幹活的奴工。

趁著那兩個準備帶我一程的西方人還沒出現，我即刻撒丫子走人。我推著一個小推車，貓著腰，急急忙忙地往回走。這時，突然有人拍了拍我的右臂。啊呀，他們追上來了！

醒來，原來是胡笳在拍我。估計是我在夢裡逃離現場的動靜太大了。早晨時間是5點57分。

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The Labyrinth of the New York Underpass, Inquiries at the White Fence, and the Hidden Laborers?

I seemed to be in New York, with a strong desire to return home. I knew I simply needed to head east. In the far distance behind me stood a landmark building, entirely dark green, which appeared to be an art museum. The location of this building reminded me of Andrew Wyeth’s masterpiece, Christina's World. I reasoned that I only needed to walk in the exact opposite direction.

Arriving at a bustling intersection, I was forced to use an underground pedestrian underpass to cross the street. The underpass contained several branching tunnels, and after winding through them, I completely lost my sense of direction.

I noticed a few small rooms with open doors along the way. This particular branch was quite filthy; the quarters were cramped and the conditions wretched. In one room lived a frail young man; the space was utterly destitute, and sewage had begun to pool across the floor.

Turning into another branch, the surroundings became cleaner and brighter. A room with a large glass door appeared to be a company office; a Western man stood at the entrance hanging a small curtain inscribed with Chinese characters, while three immaculately dressed men stood inside the lobby. I approached and asked, "How do I get out of here?" but received no definitive answer.

After wandering a bit longer, I turned my head, caught sight of the buildings and sky outside, and immediately climbed the steps. Incredibly, I successfully exited the underground streets. Looking back, that dark green building was still standing there, so I pressed on.

As I walked, I felt the need to find someone to confirm my direction. To my right was a farm where two Westerners were working. Waiting until one of them paused his labor, I called out across an old wooden fence painted in weathered white: "Is that direction East?" As I inquired, the second worker walked over to join him.

They asked where I had come from. "By way of Japan, from China," I replied.

It appeared they intended to give me a lift. While they went to retrieve their vehicle, I took the opportunity to look around the farm. Suddenly, I spotted a line of Asians sitting in the narrow clearance between two old barns. Their clothing was exceedingly plain; some wore green military uniforms characteristic of the Cultural Revolution era. They stared back at me, their faces entirely devoid of expression.

I walked toward them and flashed a thumbs-up gesture, yet my thumb felt stiff and refused to straighten completely. A wave of unease washed over me; I intuitively felt that they were slave laborers controlled by the farm.

Before the two Westerners returning with the vehicle could reappear, I took off instantly. Pushing a small handcart, I hunched my back and retreated in frantic haste. Just then, someone suddenly tapped my right arm. Oh no, they had caught up to me!

I awoke with a start to find Hu Jia tapping me. It turned out the commotion of my escape inside the dream had manifested physically. The morning clock read 5:57 AM.

特別感謝 Gemini AI 提供充滿活力的翻譯和文本潤色。

Special thanks to Gemini AI for providing the spirited translation and text refinement.

第四百二十二篇