派林的小路（Pailin's path）

突然有些想起柬埔寨的水果来了。这段时间在刚果布打工，营地不让出去。附近也没有水果摊，白天上班很热。出很多汗之后全身软绵绵的，我就想起水果电解质来了。可惜只是望梅止渴，空留口水而已。
在柬埔寨上班的时候，星期天大多是休息的，这时候你能骑上一个自行车，沿着厂区门口的路去附近的集市上买菜做饭。很多人都有摩托车，下班就出去了。我去了好几趟也想买一个，终究因为太贵，还有一个原因是我想买个踏板车，这样的话放生方便。后来也终究没买。有同事买摩托后送我一辆自行车，我也就凑合着使用。
上集市不是很远，大概有五公里左右。我没有买摩托车，但我还是想放生，于是我就买些水产，放在自行车的篮子里，骑到10公里左右，有一个没有什么人的公园里放生。放过不少品种，有螃蟹，黄鳝，青蛙，柬埔寨蛇头鱼，后来我查了一下名叫线鳢。有时也放生河蚌和田螺。一个人骑着自行车，走在异国他乡的公园去放生，有时候自己也觉得蛮奇怪的。
去的时候是上坡路，经常是大上坡。每次上坡之前都必须猛蹬自行车，然后艰难的骑上坡顶。柬埔寨天气很热，我穿的T恤经常是湿透的。路边有个大门口有两口大炮，每当我看见炮台我就知道快到公园了，心里就松了一口气。冲上最后一个高坡，不远处就是公园了。我对这一段记忆很深，每当我想起柬埔寨，我想起工作的记忆不是很多，而是我骑着自行车，汗流浃背的上坡时，狼狈不堪的样子。
回来的时候下坡路很轻松，基本不用蹬，很轻松就回来了。这时候我会瞅着路边的小摊，在那条路上有很多果农会把产品摆在路边卖。品种非常丰富，各种各样的水果。我常买当地的龙眼，非常甜的。还有香蕉，菠萝，波罗蜜，释迦果，还有鸡蛋果，很好吃的。还有一些叫不上名字的水果，我都吃了个遍。唯一不太习惯的是吃了一次牛油果，感觉像脂肪。有时候也会喝个椰子汁，路边的摊贩用刀很快砍开。感觉一下南国美味。
再后来回国了，没有再去过柬埔寨。在国内混的也不好，不过困难的时候，我也会想起柬埔寨那段日子。热带高温的路面上，一个异国他乡的中年衰老男人，骑着一个自行车，车的前面小筐里有些鱼和螃蟹。望着前面的高坡，又开始一次冲锋。也许，仅仅是因为回程时路边的水果。
Suddenly I was reminded of the fruits from Cambodia. During this time, I was working in Congo-Brazzaville and was not allowed to leave the camp. There are no fruit stalls nearby, and it’s very hot to work during the day. After sweating a lot, my whole body felt limp, so I thought of fruit electrolytes. It's a pity that I just looked at the plum blossoms to quench my thirst, leaving my saliva empty.
When working in Cambodia, most Sundays are off. At this time, you can ride a bicycle and go to the nearby market along the road at the factory gate to buy food and cook. Many people have motorcycles and go out after get off work. I went there several times and wanted to buy one, but after all it was too expensive. Another reason was that I wanted to buy a scooter so that it would be more convenient. I didn’t buy it after all. A colleague gave me a bicycle after buying a motorcycle, so I made do with it.
The market is not very far, about five kilometers. I didn’t buy a motorcycle, but I still wanted to release the animals, so I bought some aquatic products and put them in the basket of my bicycle. I rode about 10 kilometers and released the animals in a park with few people. Many species were spared, including crabs, eels, frogs, and Cambodian snakehead fish. Later I found out it was called the snakehead. River mussels and snails are sometimes released. Riding a bicycle alone and walking in a park in a foreign country to release animals, sometimes I find it quite strange.
It's uphill when we go, often uphill. Every time you go uphill, you have to pedal hard and then ride hard to the top of the hill. The weather in Cambodia is very hot, and the T-shirts I wear are often soaked. There is a gate with two cannons on the roadside. Whenever I see the fort, I know that I am almost at the park, and I feel relieved. After rushing up the last high slope, you will find the park not far away. I have a very deep memory of this period. Whenever I think of Cambodia, I don’t remember much about my work, but the way I looked miserable when I was riding a bicycle uphill with sweat all over my body.
The descent was very easy when we came back. We basically didn’t need to pedal, so we came back very easily. At this time, I would look at the stalls on the roadside. There are many fruit farmers selling their products on the roadside. The variety is very rich, all kinds of fruits. I often buy local longan, which is very sweet. There are also bananas, pineapples, jackfruit, sugar apples, and egg fruits, which are delicious. There were also some fruits that I couldn’t even name, and I ate them all. The only thing I wasn’t used to was eating avocado once and it felt like fat. Sometimes I drink coconut juice, and the roadside vendors quickly chop it open with a knife. Feel the delicious food of the South.
I later returned to China and never went to Cambodia again. Things were not going well in China, but when times were difficult, I would also think of those days in Cambodia. On the road in the tropical heat, a middle-aged man in a foreign country was riding a bicycle. There were some fish and crabs in a small basket on the front of the bicycle. Looking at the high slope in front of me, I started charging again. Maybe, just because of the fruit on the roadside on the way back.