34 Liu Dashan laughed dryly: “Heh heh! What about the future? I dismiss you, a small stationmaster, and the heavens collapse?! Beating around and crying about, and when that don’t work, you try intimidating me. Spare me the theatrics! Damn it, are you a Communist?”
35 The person had initially also prepared a few other moves, but just as he made his intents known, Liu Dashan cut him short. Once outside, he ferociously slammed the things from his canvas bag onto the floor: “Feed it to the dogs!”
36 处分决定在局报上一公布，千里铁路线上象闹了小地震。北仓分局局长白帆当天冠心病就犯了。
36 When the decision about the disciplinary action was publicized in the bureau’s newspaper, it was as if tremors of a small earthquake shook the thousand-li long railroad. Bai Fan, the bureau chief of the Beicang branch office, suffered from a heart attack that very day.
37 晚上，刘大山来到白帆家里。白帆看到刘大山进来，发胖的身子转了过去，冲着墙，闭上了眼睛。
37 In the evening, Liu Dashan went to Bai Fan’s house. When Bai Fan saw Liu Dashan enter, he turned away his chubby body, faced the wall, and closed his eyes shut.
38 When Bai Fan’s daughter, Lingling, peeked out and saw it was Liu Dashan, she exhaled on a high note and slammed shut the door to the inner room. Liu Dashan halted there, waited for ages, cleared his throat, then yelled: “Lingling, there’s a guest, pour some water!”
39 There was no sound in the room. Liu Dashan raised his voice: “Lingling, did you also have a heart attack?” Suddenly, Bai Fan called out loudly: “Lingling, these are adults’ affairs, what’s it got to do with—pour the water!”
