melancholymedusa

[melancholymedusa]

Zayne’s personal prequel to the fanfiction. Original text in Chinese; machine translation, apologies. Discussion welcome.

这是群负伤的人们。 他们之中，有的伤口像干涸的小池塘，上面沾着一层黑褐色的尘土；有的伤口裂开了，周围是黑色的坏疽；有的伤口表面干干净净，深处却隐藏着脓液，穿过大块坚实的肌肉，在其四周滋漫，像被堤坝堵住的河流，又像暖热的溪流，在肌肉之间或在肌肉周围流动着；有的伤口向外鼓了出来，像霉烂的兰花，或像捣烂了的石竹，是些令人望而生畏的血肉之花；有的伤口不时冒出一块块半凝固的污血，附着不祥的气泡，浮在再度往外流的鲜血上。

These are a group of wounded people.

Among them, some wounds are like dried-up ponds, dusted over with a layer of dark brown earth; some have split open, surrounded by blackened gangrene; some appear clean on the surface, yet hide pus deep inside, seeping through solid chunks of muscle, spreading around like a river blocked by a dam, or like warm streams flowing between and around the flesh; some bulge outward like moldy orchids or crushed carnations—bloody, formidable flowers of flesh that inspire dread; some periodically ooze semi-solid clots of foul blood, clinging to ominous bubbles, floating atop the fresh blood that flows anew.

我今天已经做了六起手术了，其中三个是重伤员。我不想休息，我不能休息。这十几个小时里，我整个人一直处于高度紧绷状态。

I have already performed six surgeries today, three of them on severely wounded patients. I do not want to rest—I cannot rest. For more than ten hours, my entire being has been tense and alert.

我们要争取挽救所有生命的一线希望。我们不能看着我们的任何一位同志活活地走向死亡。这就是我不能停下的原因。我感到头脑发昏。长期而专一的凝视使我再看向别处时视野一片模糊。紧绷的神经终于松懈了一点，眼神聚焦，我这才关注到，身边这个下午替换过来的，一直不声不响帮忙的副手，是个残存着稚气的孩子。

We must seize every last chance to save lives. We cannot watch a single comrade perish before our eyes. That is why I cannot stop. My head is dizzy. Long, focused attention blurs my vision when I finally look away. As my taut nerves relax slightly, and my gaze refocuses, I notice my assistant—the one who quietly helped throughout the afternoon—is a child, still carrying traces of youthful innocence.

短暂的放松结束了。我问：

“还有吗？”

“还有两个日本俘虏。”

“把他们抬进来。”

The brief respite ends. I ask:

“Any more?”

“Two more Japanese prisoners.”

“Bring them in.”

在这样受着伤痛折磨的人当中，是敌人也不按敌人对待。把血污的军服剪开，把血止住，把他们放在其他伤员旁边。他们就像兄弟一样。这些日本兵是职业刽子手吗？不，他们是业余士兵。劳动者的手，他们是穿着军服的劳动者。

Among the wounded, even the enemy is treated not as an enemy. Cut open their bloodstained uniforms, stop the bleeding, place them beside other patients. They are like brothers. Are these Japanese soldiers professional executioners? No—they are amateur soldiers. With the hands of laborers, they are laborers dressed in military uniforms.

头顶上的汽灯不断地发出嗡嗡的声音，好像一窝发光的蜜蜂。泥墙、泥地、土炕、糊着白纸的窗户，寒冷的空气中弥漫着血腥和三氯甲烷的气味。现在是一九三八年，十二月一日，半夜三点钟，我随着八路军驻在华北灵丘附近。

Above, the kerosene lamps hum constantly, like a swarm of glowing bees. Mud walls, earthen floors, clay beds, windows pasted with white paper—the cold air is thick with the smell of blood and chloroform. It is now December 1, 1938, three o’clock in the morning, and I am with the Eighth Route Army stationed near Lingqiu in North China.

……

医生应该跑到病人那里去，而且愈早愈好。每个旅都应该有一个像我们这样的、归自己调动的流动医疗队，它是前方部队和后方医院之间的桥梁。为了把这个新的经验加以推广，我向上级提议，最好把各部队团以下的卫生工作人员和医生集中到后方来，也吸收一部分各分区、各旅卫生部门的主要领导干部，开一个速成训练班。

Doctors should go to their patients—and the sooner, the better. Every brigade should have a mobile medical team like ours, self-deployed, serving as a bridge between front-line units and rear hospitals. To spread this experience, I proposed to my superiors that it would be best to gather the medical staff and doctors below regimental level to the rear, while also including key leaders from divisional and brigade health departments, and conduct an intensive training course.

一九三九年一月三日，这个“特种外科速成班”终于落地实施了。这次速成班采取一种新的学习方法。速成班分为卫生员、护士、军医三组，三个组的同志每天轮换。

On January 3, 1939, this “Special Surgical Crash Course” was finally launched. It adopted a new learning method: students were divided into medical assistants, nurses, and doctors, and each group rotated daily.

我对着这些从各地来的同志们说，采取这样的方法，是因为我们人民军队的性质和历史上剥削阶级的任何军队都不同。在剥削阶级的军队里，对一个军医要求的只是技术。但是，对于我们这支军队来说，一个掌握了技术的人也不一定称得起八路军的军医。我们的军医需要具备的一个重要条件是，成为马克思说过的那种，人民的公仆。

I told the recruits from all over: this method reflects the nature of our people’s army, which differs from any army of the exploiting classes in history. In an army of the exploiting classes, a military doctor is required only to master technical skills. But in our army, a technically skilled person does not necessarily qualify as an Eighth Route Army doctor. One essential quality our doctors must possess is to be, as Marx said, a servant of the people.

我在人群里又看到了那个孩子。他大约十五六岁的样子，个子已经算很高，体型偏瘦，穿着一套有些宽大的旧八路军粗布军装制服。

In the crowd, I saw that child again. He was about fifteen or sixteen, tall for his age, slight in build, wearing an old, slightly oversized coarse cotton uniform of the Eighth Route Army.

这是一个沉稳、早慧，却依旧稚气未脱的男孩。从他像森林一般的眼睛里，我看出他已经不再认为自己是孩子。我问我的翻译，这孩子是从哪里来的。还没等我的翻译说话，那孩子径自用流利的英语回答我：

“我来自延安军区卫生部，我的父母都是像您这样的医生，他们在前线战区。我已经掌握了基础的专业知识，我希望能跟着您在这里学到更多，这样我就可以救更多的人。”

He was composed and precocious, yet still carried the trace of boyhood. From his forest-like eyes, I could see he no longer considered himself a child. I asked my translator where he had come from. Before my translator could answer, the boy spoke fluent English himself:

“I’m from the Health Department of the Yan’an Military Region. My parents are doctors like you, working at the front. I have mastered the basic professional knowledge, and I hope to learn more from you here so that I can save more lives.”

我用对待一个大人一样严肃的语气回答说：“那接下来，你���要认真对待了，孩子。”

I replied, in the serious tone one would use for an adult: “Then you must take this seriously, child.”

晚间，我把全体学员集合起来讲颅脑手术。把病变定位、手术步骤、注意事项，一一讲完后，又把一张局部解剖图挂在黑板上，让大家临摹下来。在学员们画图的时候，我特意去了那孩子身旁。他的笔记详细记下了讲课内容，清晰地画出了复杂的标图。学习态度很好，我暗自点头。

That evening, I gathered all the students to teach cranial surgery. After explaining the location of the lesion, surgical steps, and precautions, I pinned a local anatomy diagram to the blackboard for everyone to copy. While the students drew, I deliberately went to the boy. His notes recorded the lecture in detail, and he sketched the complex structures clearly. His attitude was exemplary; I nodded to myself.

第二天，医生组的所有人跟着我来到手术室。手术台上躺着一位兵工厂的同志，他在进行试验时把手炸伤了，需要做切除。我给他消过毒，指着他的手让翻译问大家：“这个伤员的切除位置应当确定在哪里？”

The next day, all the doctors followed me to the operating room. On the table lay a worker from a munitions factory, who had injured his hand during testing and needed an amputation. After disinfecting, I pointed to his hand and asked the translator to ask the group: “Where should we determine the level of amputation for this patient?”

一位同志认为应当从贴近手掌的关节部位切开，因为他的五个指头都已经负了伤。

One student suggested cutting near the base of the palm, since all five fingers were injured.

我没有表态，转身回视大家。有人表示同意这位同志的意见。我看了那个孩子一眼，他正在专心思考，没有发言。我对他说：“请你回答。”

I remained silent, turning to look at everyone. Some agreed. I glanced at the boy; he was deep in thought and had not spoken. I said, “Please answer.”

他抬起头，果断地说：“我不同意这样的切除法。如果这样，伤员的一只手等于废了。他的食指上有两节还没炸坏，我认为应当保留下来，将来也许有用。”

He lifted his head and said decisively, “I disagree with that amputation. If done this way, one hand will be ruined. Two segments of the index finger are still intact; I believe they should be preserved, as they may be useful in the future.”

我点了点头：“这个方案非常好。我们不但应当想到伤员的今天，还要想到伤员的明天，将来装上假指，伤员留下的两个指节就可以发挥很大的作用。这个手术你来向大家示范，我当助手。”

I nodded. “This is an excellent plan. We must consider not only the patient’s present, but also his future. When prosthetic fingers are fitted, the remaining segments will be very useful. You will demonstrate this operation for everyone; I will assist.”

经过几天的观察，我早就意识到这孩子一开始对我说的“掌握了基础的专业知识”甚至可以算是谦虚。我相信，他应该早就具备了可以主刀的能力。

After observing him for a few days, I realized that when he said he had “mastered the basic knowledge,” he was being modest. I was confident he already had the capability to lead a surgery.

不过我的话还是这孩子没想到的。他并没有推辞，镇静了片刻，接过手术刀，在十几双眼睛注视下开始了手术。他眉头紧锁，形成一道深深的竖纹，眼神专注而冷静，下刀准确，操作目的明确，动作流畅。

My words still surprised him. He did not refuse; after a moment of calm, he took the scalpel and began the operation under a dozen pairs of watchful eyes. His brows furrowed deeply, his gaze focused and steady, incisions precise, movements purposeful and smooth. The surgery was successful, yet his furrowed brow remained. I began teaching him more complex procedures, helping him organize surgical diagrams, and explaining advanced theories. He learned quickly, offering insights that, while somewhat naive, were bold and original. I was certain he was born for this work; he would be an excellent military doctor, and given better conditions, a truly unparalleled physician.

手术很成功，他锁起来的眉心却没再舒展开。我开始教他做更复杂的手术，帮助他整理手术图谱，给他讲解那些高、难、深的理论，他学得很快，在很多方面提出的见解虽然稍显稚嫩却不乏新奇和大胆。我断定，他就是为这一行而生的，他会是个好军医，如果有更好的条件的话，未来更会是个无与伦比的好医生。

实习周很快结束了，那孩子临走前，我问他：“你叫什么名字？”

“黎深。”

“黎深，”我用有些蹩脚的���文模仿着这两个字的发音。然后，我对黎深说：

“接下来，你要认真对待了，同志。”

The internship week ended. Before leaving, I asked him:

“What is your name?”

“Zayne，Li Shen.”

“Li Shen,” I repeated, attempting the pronunciation in my clumsy Chinese. Then I said to him:

“From now on, you must take this seriously, comrade.”

……

朝霞为银装素裹的群山又染上了层层绯红。学员们迎着初升的太阳，奔向了前方的各个战场。我看到人民战争中培养起来的一代新人正在成长。从战争中学习战争——这是我们的唯一方法。

The morning glow stained the snow-covered mountains pink. The students ran toward the battlefields as the sun rose. I saw a new generation, trained by the people’s war, growing strong. Learning war through war—this is our only way.