Chapter 4: Midnight Fright半夜

In our village, several people, like me, sold goods, so we sometimes went together, while other times I ventured out alone.

我们村里也有好几个人也和我一样去卖东西，所以我们有时候也会结伴而行，有时候是我单独一个人行走。

In my memory, my father was incompetent. We could only grit our teeth and endure the pain when we fell sick. Since I began earning income for the family, my father was pleased that I contributed to our financial support, but he never considered me.

我的父亲在我的印象中是一个很不称职的父亲，我们生病了，只能自己咬着牙齿扛着，而自从我开始能为家里带来收入了，父亲很高兴我赚钱养家，但是他从来没有为我考虑过。

As a teenage girl, out alone early in the morning and late at night, he never worried about my safety.

一个十几岁的少女，每天清晨四五点和晚上十点多了还一个人在外奔波，他一点都不担心我的安全。

No, he never thought about such matters. He only saw that if I rose early and stayed out late, I could bring more income to the family, and our life could be better.

不，他从来没有想到过这些事情，他看到的只是我如果起早贪黑就能给家里带来更多的收入，而我们这个家的日子就能更好过一些。

Life continued this way until one night, at fourteen, I noticed a man following me. A stranger tailing a young girl would frighten anyone in the desolate woods and fields, with no one around at eight or nine o''clock at night.

日子就这样慢慢地过着，直到我十四岁的那天晚上，我发现一个男人一直跟着我后面走。空旷的山林，无人的田野，晚上八九点钟了，一个陌生的男生跟着一个女孩子在后面走着，不停地跟着，谁能不害怕呢？

I realized that no matter which path I chose, he persisted in following me. Eventually, I hastened my pace and sprinted ahead, terror-stricken.

而且我发现不管我走哪条路，他都始终跟着，后来我加快步子往前赶，飞也似的跑着，我真的怕极了。

Finally, I had put considerable distance between us and couldn''t hear his footsteps anymore. Spotting a pond next to a field, I decided to hide there until the man left.

终于我走远了，后面终于没有听到脚步声了，我看到田野旁边有一个池塘，心里想着我就躲到那里去，等那人走远了我再走。

I threw my empty shoulder pole into the nearby bushes and concealed myself in a grass pile.

于是我就把我肩膀上的空担子扔到旁边的草丛中，自己再往草堆里一躲。

Hiding there in fear, I soon heard footsteps approaching, and I knew the stranger was drawing near.

胆战心惊地躲着，终于不久就听到了脚步声，我知道是那