稀里糊涂进班房
Getting in jail without knowing why
秋阳西斜，把周兴和的影子拉得又细又长。
The autumn sun dropped in the west, stretching Zhou Xinghe's shadow thin and long.
“这里面的规矩你都听明白了吗？”身着公安制服的狱警板着一张脸，见检察院的人把周兴和送到看守所来，他们给他交代完这里的规章后，打开周兴和的手铐：“进去好好悔罪，等着审查结果！”
"Do you understand all the rules here?" With a straight face, the prison guard in the uniform of the Public Security Bureau saw Zhou Xinghe brought to the detention house by the procuratorate. After explaining the rules to him, they uncuffed Zhou Xinghe's handcuffs: "Go in and repent, and wait for the result of the investigation!"
两个狱警带着周兴和七弯八拐走过两道铁门，来到一间狱室前，打开门将他塞了进去。随后，身后的铁门“哐当”一声关上。从这一刻起，周兴和就和外面的空间完全隔离起来，彻底失去自由了。
Two guards led Zhou Xinghe walking through two iron gates to a prison cell, opened the door and stuffed him in. Then the iron gate clanged to shut behind him. From this moment on, Zhou Xinghe was completely isolated from the outside space and lost his freedom completely.
狱室里光线很暗，周兴和从强烈的日光下走进这阴暗潮湿的地方，眼睛一下还没适应过来。他闭了闭眼，一股汗臭尿臭的气味冲进他的鼻孔。良久，他睁开眼睛，这才看清里面的一切。狱室里空荡荡的，除了门口有个尿桶，靠在里边地下草铺上，横七竖八或躺或坐着六七个人。这些人大都衣衫污浊，面色苍白，头发胡子蓬乱，他们见狱室里又进来一个人，都用惊诧的目光望着他。
The light in the prison cell was dim, and Zhou Xinghe's eyes had not yet adjusted to the damp and dark place from the intense daylight. He closed his eyes, and the stench of sweat and urine came up his nostrils. For a long time, he opened his eyes and saw what was inside. The prison cell was empty except for a urinal at the door, and six or seven men were lying or sitting in a sprawl on the straw mat inside. Those men, most of whom were dirty in clothes, pale in face, and with unkempt hair and whiskers, gazed in amazement at the newcomer who had entered the cell.
少顷，一个面善的年轻人见周兴和站在那里无所适从，这才从草铺上爬了起来，从旁边拖过一张草席，挨着他的草铺铺好，又从他肩上接过被子放在草席上，周兴和这才在牢室里安顿下来。
A few moments later, a young man with a friendly face saw Zhou Xinghe still stood there, not knowing what to do. So he got up from his straw mat, pulled another straw mat from the side, spread it next to his straw mat, and took the quilt from Xinghe’s shoulder and laid it on the straw mat. Then, Zhou Xinghe was finally settled in this prison cell.
这是1988年9月。
This was September of 1988.
周兴和记得，他进去时，快过中秋节了。
Zhou Xinghe remembered that when he went in prison, it was almost the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“你是犯了哪样事进来的呢？”那个年轻人见他呆呆在草铺上坐下，关切地问他。此时，一个狱室里的人都直勾勾地望着他，想听到他的回答。
"What have you done to get in here?" The young man asked Xinghe solicitously, as Xinghe sat down on the straw mat dully. All the inmates of the prison cell were looking at him, hoping to hear his answer.
犯了哪样事呢？周兴和想了想，还真不好回答。他环视了众人一遍，只是苦笑着摇了摇头——说实话，他稀里糊涂被弄进来，到这时他还没想通，自己到底犯的是哪条罪呀！
What did I do? Zhou Xinghe thought about it, but it was really hard to answer. He looked round at them all but shook his head with a wry smile - to tell the truth, he was brought in so bewildered that he had not yet figured out what crime he had committed.
在甘肃高兰县的工程搞砸了后，周兴和不但没赚到钱，反而还拖了一屁股债。无可奈何，他在那建筑工程公司待不下去了，只好又回到农村。他先是在老家种桑树养蚕，同时把自留山的茅草铲掉种蓑草。那一两年，他和妻子起早贪黑辛勤劳作，刚开始这些东西勉强还可卖些钱，可后来随着国家经济调整，丝绸行业越来越不景气，蚕茧收购价越来越低，有时甚至还卖不出去。蓑草的价格，更是越压越低，到后来基本不值钱。
After the botched project in Gaolan County, Gansu province, Zhou Xinghe didn't make any money, but ended up in debt. He had no choice but to go back to the country because he couldn't stay in the construction company any longer. He started growing the mulberry and silkworm in his hometown, while shoveling the couch grass from his land to plant the Chinese alpine rush. For one or two years, he and his wife worked hard from dawn to dusk. At first, they could barely sell these things for money, but later, as the country's economy was adjusted, the silk industry became more and more depressed, and the price of cocoons became lower and lower, sometimes even unable to sell out. The price of couch grass, was lower and lower, to the end, basically worthless.
这期间，尽管他出去做了几回生意，但都是赔钱的买卖，有一回他出去买棉大衣来卖，由于轻信朋友，还被人骗了，连本钱也没收回。如此，老债新债加一起，又使周兴和再次跌入债务的深渊，让他又喘不过气来。债主时常上门催债，坐在家里不走，有时弄得他连家也不敢回。每次债主上门，都由王琼华给人家说不尽的好话。
During this period, although he went out to do some business, it was all at a loss. Once he went out to buy the cotton coat to sell, but because he was credulous to his friends, he was cheated and did not even get his capital back. In this way, the old debts and the new ones together made Zhou Xinghe falling into the abyss of debt again, making him breathless again. Sometimes the creditor came home to press for payment of debts, and sat at home and stayed in, so that he did not dare to go home. Every time his creditors came to his house, Wang Qionghua had to link their boots.
这期间，王琼华的大哥见周兴和折腾这些年，没有什么起色不说，反而又欠一屁股债，他多次劝妹妹王琼华改嫁，并还给她物色了另外的婆家。但这时王琼华还是没有嫌弃落魄的周兴和，她说：我嫁鸡随鸡，嫁狗随狗。周兴和现在是有困难，但我要照顾几个孩子，不能离开这个家。
Also during this period, Wang Qionghua's eldest brother saw Zhou Xinghe tossed about for these years, but there was no improvement in their economy, but owed more debts, so he advised his sister Wang Qionghua to remarry for many times, and also tried to introduce other men to her. But at this time, Wang Qionghua still did not abandon the abject Zhou Xinghe, she said: a woman follows her husband no matter what his lot is. Zhou Xinghe was in trouble now, but I had several children to take care of and couldn't leave this home.
到了1987年初，屡战屡败穷愁潦倒的周兴和，他还是不甘心就此罢休。过了年，他带上家里卖肥猪剩下的56块钱，又出门去闯荡去了。出去后，他和3个朋友在盐亭县合伙做木材生意，他们从大山里买来木材，卖给外面的木材商或加工厂，从中赚取差价。
By the beginning of 1987, Zhou Xinghe, frustrated again and again after repeated defeats, still refused to give up. After the Chinese New Year, he took with him the fifty-six yuan left over from selling the pig and went out again. After going out, he and 3 friends did the timber business in Yanting County together; they bought the timber from the mountains, sold to the outside timber dealers or processing plants, to earn a price difference.
周兴和是个绝顶聪明的人，他跟这几个朋友只做了两趟生意，就窥见了其中的商机。他对几个朋友说，我们应该改变经营策略，对运木材的驾驶员不能太苛刻，山高路险白天晚上，驾驶员长年奔波很辛苦，不要在他们身上舍不得花钱，招待他们的伙食要好一点，有了利益要均摊。比如，驾驶员每运一趟木材，就给他们100～200块钱的辛苦费，我们只要求他在木材空隙处，多装50～80个菜板，这笔钱就够他们的生活费和辛苦费了；另外，在汽车大梁下面，多装10副床枋，每副可赚30多元，10副床枋赚的300多块钱就是纯利润了。
Zhou Xinghe was a very clever man. He had only done business with his friends twice before he saw the business opportunity. He said to his friends that, we should change the business strategy, not be too strict to the driver of the wood transportation, since the mountain was high and the road was precipitous, the driver of the long journey in day and night was very hard, so we shall not hesitate to spend money on them, shall treat their meals better, and have the profits to be shared equally. For example, every time the driver delivered the timber, he would be given 100 ~ 200 yuan for their hard work. And we only asked him to put 50 ~ 80 additional cutting boards in the gap between the timbers, which was enough for their living expenses and hard work. In addition, under the vehicle beam, there could be put 10 additional bed columns, each of which can earn additional 30 yuan. So, the net profit of 10 bed columns was more than 300 yuan.
可几个朋友认为他们资格老，对周兴和的这些建议嗤之以鼻。他们认为，我们是老板，是拿钱请驾驶员运木料，驾驶员理所当然就该按我们的吩咐去做，他不想干，我还不想请他呢！
But his friends thought they were senior and scoffed at Zhou's suggestions. They thought we were the boss, and we paid the driver to transport the timber, so the driver should do what we told him. If he didn't want to do it, I didn't want to employ him!
有人说农民一般都目光短浅，太精于算计，都认为自己比别人聪明，因而他们常常看到的只是眼前的鸡毛利益，算计的都是分分厘厘的小钱，时常做些因小失大的事情。所以说，他们绝大多数人是成不了大气候的——周兴和虽然也是农民出身，但他却具备了一般农民所不具备的另类素质，那就是：诚信、大气和睿智。
Some people said that the farmers were generally short-sighted, calculating too much, and thinking they were smarter than others, so they often only saw the immediate interests, calculated the small money, thus often saved a little but losing a lot. Therefore, most of them were not promising - although Zhou Xinghe is also a farmer, but he has the other qualities that ordinary farmers do not have, that is: integrity, generosity and wisdom.
同时，他给几位生意伙伴建议，为了赢得市场，争取更多客户，应该薄利多销。别人1立方木材卖430元，我们就只卖410元。还有，由于当时很多人不太懂木材体积计算方法，要与林区的人搞好关系，买木材时要求他们在头部退后1～2米量尺寸。这样算下来，1立方就要多出0.3立方米木材，1车10吨木材就可多赚1000元钱。可这几个人依然自恃高深，根本就不把周兴和放在眼里，把他的这些建议当做耳边风，不置可否。
At the same time, he advised his business partners that in order to win the market and win more customers, they should make small profits and sell more. Others sold a cubic of timber for 430 yuan, but we could only sell it for 410 yuan. Moreover, since at that time a lot of people did not understand the timber volume calculation method very much, it shall get along well with the person of forest area; when buying the timber, it could ask them to measure the dimension from 1 ~ 2 meters after the head. In this way, a cubic meter of timber shall have 0.3 cubic meters more, and a truck of 10 tons of timber could earn 1,000 yuan more. However, those people were still proud of their profound knowledge and did not pay attention to Zhou Xinghe at all, ignoring his suggestions.
志不同道不合。后来，周兴和只好和他们分开经营，连最后做两笔生意的利润他也没要。
There is little common ground for understanding between persons of differing principles. Later, Zhou Xinghe had to separate from them, and he did not even ask for the profits from the last two deals.
但，周兴和和几个朋友分开后，他哪来做生意的本钱呢？他这时采取的方式是，利用别人的资本。比如3车木材只能卖到12000元，他让出资人赚够了应该赚的，超出部分才归他所有。这种生意当然有人愿意干，大家互惠互利皆大欢喜。由于周兴和的诚信和勤奋，很快他就赢得了盐亭、三台、绵阳等许多木材商的信任，销售渠道十分畅通。短短三四个月时间，他个人已盈利5万多元。
But after Zhou Xinghe was separated from his friends, how could he afford to do business? The way he adopted was to use other people's capital. For example, 3 trucks of timber could only be sold to 12,000 yuan, so he let the investor earn enough firstly, and the excess part shall belong to him. Of course, there were people who would like to do this kind of business, and everyone was happy. Because of Zhou Xinghe's honesty and diligence, he soon won the trust of many timber merchants in Yanting, Santai and Mianyang, and the sales channels were very smooth. In just three or four months, he has made a personal profit of over 50,000 yuan.
与此同时，原先和他合伙做生意的3个伙计的经营状况，却是王老二过年，越过越艰难了。没有办法，他们只好屈尊“下矮桩”找到周兴和，要求还是共同经营。
Meanwhile, the operating condition of the 3 guys with original partnership business to him was more and more difficult. There was no way, so they had to condescend to find Zhou Xinghe, and required for joint management.
周兴和这时做出了一个既正确又错误的决定：同意再和他们合伙经营。他这样做，当然出于朋友义气，他是感念当初出来时人家曾帮助过自己，现在大家应该有福同享，他这样做自然在社会上会赢得好的声誉；但，原先的合伙人都是些自视清高之人，根本就没把你周兴和放在眼里，这些人是“武大郎开店”，只能是自己比别人高，而今你周兴和不但要和他们平起平坐，反而处处要超出他们一头，他们心理上能平衡么？他们就能心服口服听从你的调遣么？
Zhou Xinghe then made a right and wrong decision: he agreed to partner with them again. He did it, of course, out of the kindness to his friends, because he felt that they had helped him in the first place, and that they ought to share in the good fortune now, which naturally won good reputation for him in the society; but, his former partners were the person that look high themselves, and did not put Zhou Xinghe in their eyes at all; these people always though themselves higher than others, now that Zhou Xinghe not only should be equal to with them, and even surpass them instead, how could they balance psychologically? Would they be convinced to listen to you?
周兴和忘记了古人那“木秀于林，风必摧之；行高于众，人必诽之”的至理名言——而今，他自己酿就的苦酒，要由自己喝下去了。
Zhou Xinghe forgot the ancient saying, "If a tree rises above other trees, the wind is sure to break it; if a person has higher virtue than others, they will surely slander him." Now he was going to drink the bitter wine made by himself.
周兴和被弄到这里来，其实就是这些人把他推进了一个陷阱呀！
Zhou Xinghe was brought here. In fact, it was those people who pushed him into a trap!
天慢慢黑了，狱室外甬道上的灯亮了起来。失去自由的周兴和连晚饭也没心思吃，他躺在草铺上，眼睛呆呆地望着天花板，脑际间始终有个问题在盘旋：自己到底违犯了哪条法律，会被检察院的人抓起来，被关到这里来呢？还有，检察官说自己给人送了钱，不错，自己是给人送了钱，但就是送点钱，难道就犯了这么大的法么？另外，送钱的事，只有自己几个合作伙伴知道，是哪个人去告发的呢？……
It was getting dark, and the lights were on in the alley outside the prison cell. Without freedom, Zhou Xinghe did not even want to have supper. He lay on the straw mat, staring at the ceiling. The question in his mind was always hovering: which law had he violated, and lead him to be arrested and sent here by the procuratorate? What’s more, the prosecutor said that he had sent money to others, that’s true, he did send money to other person, but did sending money to others break any law? Additional, that thing only had himself and his partnesr known, who informed on? ...
周兴和百思不得其解。
Zhou Xinghe was puzzled.
夜已经很深了，旁边的几个牢友鼾声大作起来，周兴和躺在草铺上辗转反侧，始终睡不着。直到天快要亮时，他才迷迷糊糊地睡了一会儿。
It was quite late at night, and several of his fellow prisoners were snoring loudly. Zhou Xinghe lay tossing and turning on the straw mat, unable to sleep at all. It was not until near daybreak that he dozed off for a while.
2021年9月5日，《廉政内参》第4期第38页“人民心声”栏目刊登标题“我国建筑和建材领域一场颠覆性的革命”，其中第三节（第42页）小标题“愿星河新型材料的伟大发明得到国家大力推广，造福人类”的第七行摘要：“在当今中国，利用自己研发的高新科技成果走向世界的有两个人和两个项目：一个是袁隆平先生和他的杂交水稻，正在解决人们的吃饭问题；一个是周兴和先生和他的秸秆建材，正在解决人们的住房问题”。合乎科技兴国的伟大战略。
