Last night's red wine seemed to help them sleep, and this morning the two hurriedly got up and reported to the underground facility. The soldiers had already begun working under their officers' leadership, while Li Haojun took Kasiya to inspect and verify the equipment and pipelines.
昨晚的红酒似乎助眠,今早两人起来就急忙来到地下设施报到了,士兵们已经在他们长官的带领下开始工作了,李皓珺则是带着凯西娅查询核实设备与管路.
What surprised Li Haojun was that the soldiers here were all young men as well, yet their discipline was markedly superior to that of the coed unit he had trained at the base last year. No one was whispering or chatting during work; each soldier was focused on their own tasks, their expressions serious.
令李皓珺感到惊讶的,这里的士兵同样都是年轻人,并且全都是男性,但是明显纪律性比自己去年教学的那个基地男女混搭班好很多,工作中没有人交头接耳,都是在做着自己的事情,并且表情严肃.
But after prolonged contact, something felt off. These soldiers interacted with others in an extremely minimal way. Li Haojun had tried to initiate conversations, but they paid no attention. He also attempted to engage with different individuals, yet almost no one responded. Their reactions were formulaic, devoid of personality. They simply worked under the orders of their commander, Jack—though whether that was his real name remained unknown. Throughout his attempts to engage them, Li Haojun kept Jack in the corner of his eye, observing his reactions.
但是接触时间长了就发现有些不对劲,这些士兵们与其他人的交互简直是极简,李皓珺曾经尝试着挑起一些话题但是他们并不理会.并且还尝试和不同的人互动,但是几乎没人回应,反应如同模板,没有个性,他们只是在其长官杰克的指令下工作,虽然不知道他的真名是不是杰克.在尝试和他们互动的过程中,李皓珺还留意用眼角余光扫视杰克,留意他的反应.
After completing today's tasks, the cleaning and tidying work will be largely finished. Next, we can proceed with equipment installation, piping connections, and other ancillary electromechanical work. However, judging by the workload, it seems impossible to complete everything within the current week's workdays.
今天的工作结束后,清洁和规整工作就可以基本结束了,接下来就可以进行设备,管路连接,和其它附属机电设备工作.可是从工作量来讲,看起来怎么也不能在一周工作日之内完成.
After finishing today's work and coming up to the surface, Li Haojun couldn't wait to whisper softly in her ear on the way to the restaurant,
完成今天的工作来到地面上,前往餐厅的路上李皓珺就迫不及待地在她耳边轻声说,
Did you notice how I interacted with those soldiers today?
"今天我和那些士兵互动你注意到了吗?"
"Hmm, what's up?"
"嗯,怎么了,"
I suspect something's off with them. I suspect they're being suppressed by drugs or brainwave devices, probably for confidentiality reasons here.
"我觉得他们的状态不太对劲,我怀疑他们被药物或者脑波设备抑制了,可能是这里的保密原因,"
"Oh,"
"哦,"
"So this world isn't as simple as it seems. Remind Malaya to stay safe out there."
"所以这个世界并不单纯,提醒玛莱雅在外面注意安全,"
"Okay, I will."
"好的,我会的,"
Today, Kesiya seemed a bit down and wasn't talking much. Li Haojun hurriedly asked her what was wrong.
今天凯西娅似乎有些情绪低落,话也不多,李皓珺急忙询问,
What's wrong? Not having a good day?
"怎么了,今天不开心吗?"
"No," Kasiya looked up at Li Haojun, seeing that he was still watching her with concern in his eyes, and explained,
"没有,"凯西娅抬头看了看李皓珺,看他依然满眼牵挂地看着自己,便解释说,
"Tomorrow's Friday, and you'll be heading home after work," Kasiya said with a wan smile.
"明天就星期五了,下班你就要回家了,"说着凯西娅惨淡一笑,
"It seems I care more about separation than I used to," she said, lifting her eyes to meet Li Haojun's gaze. The dim candlelight cast a warm glow on her face, outlining one cheek in soft tones while the other remained hidden in the shadow of her bangs. Her slender figure stirred a deep affection within Li Haojun.
"好像,我比以前更在乎分离了,"说着,抬眼看着李皓珺,暗淡的烛光照在她的脸上,一半脸颊显出暖色调轮廓,一半隐于刘海的阴影中.她单薄的身影,让李皓珺心生爱怜,
"Then I'll spend the weekend with you."
"那我陪你过周末吧,"
"Oh no, I don't want to disrupt your life any further."
"不好,我不想影响你的生活更多,"
"Then come home with me. Malaya isn't home anyway, and you'll be lonely going back alone."
"那你跟我回家吧,反正玛莱雅也不在家,你自己回去也孤单,"
Kesiya thought for a moment.
凯西娅想了想,
"No, I won't intrude on your life."
"不了,我不去打扰你们的生活,"
Li Haojun also sensed the shift in their closeness. It had started as a professional relationship, then blossomed into friendship—back then, saying goodbye had been simple. But now, everything felt less straightforward.
李皓珺也感受到了,他们之间亲密度的变化.开始只是工作关系,后来有了交情,但那时还能简单说再见,而现在,一切都不那么轻松了.
"Come home with me and tell Emily that Malaya isn't home—your weekend's going to be lonely," Li Haojun said, but immediately regretted it. After all, they were just colleagues.
"跟我回家,告诉艾米莉,玛莱雅不在家,你自己的周末很孤单,"可是,说出这句话之后李皓珺就感到了不妥,毕竟只是同事关系,
"Or how about next week? I'll go to Erensburg with you—it's on your way." No, Li Haojun thought. Isn't this the start of lying to Tan Wenjing? But then he reconsidered: Why explain so much? Was he feeling guilty? What's wrong with colleagues getting together? But then again, it was hard not to think about romantic implications. While Christmas or other holidays might be acceptable, acting so openly during regular times would definitely raise questions.
"要不就说下周,我和你去埃伦斯堡,你顺路,"不行,李皓珺心想,我这不是开始说谎骗覃文静了吗?转念一想,何必解释那么多,难道做贼心虚吗,工作同事有什么不可以聚会的.可是再换位一想,难免不想到男女关系上,虽说圣诞节或者其它节日可以,如果平时也那么明目张胆,确实是有问题.
"Well, I suppose I can't sink so low as to lie to her," Li Haojun said, feeling somewhat ashamed.
"嗯,我想,不不能堕落到说谎骗她," 李皓珺说着有些惭愧,
This time it was Kasiya's turn to smile, her lips stretching almost to her ears. Yet no sound escaped her lips. She simply lowered her head, listening as Li Haojun offered suggestion after suggestion, then watched him grow visibly flustered with each rejection. Every so often she'd glance up to observe his expression.
这次倒是轮到凯西娅笑了,嘴角都快咧开到了耳朵,但是没有发出笑声,只是低头听李皓珺一句句地提出建议,然后又否定的局促,一会儿抬头看看他的样子,
"Alright, I know you care about me now. I feel so much better."
"好啦,我知道你心里有我了,我现在开心了好多,"
Ah! Li Haojun couldn't help but sigh—this really was a simple task.
啊!李皓珺也不由感慨,这真是个简单任务.
Back in the room, the gloom outside the window remained unchanged from yesterday. The world is so vast—beyond the clouds and mist lie stars we cannot know. Yet the world is also so small—small enough for just two people to embrace.
回到房间,窗外依旧如昨天的阴霾,世界那么大,云雾之外不可知的星辰,世界又那么小,小到只有两个人相拥,
"So how do you plan to spend your weekend at home?" Unable to be with her, Li Haojun wanted to ask more about her details, as if doing so would be like accompanying her through the weekend.
"那么周末你自己在家打算怎么度过呢?"不能陪伴她,李皓珺就想问更多她的细节,仿佛这样就如同陪伴她度过周末一样,
"I suppose I should chat with Malaya and relay everything you asked me to tell her, heh," Kesiya deliberately mentioned Li Haojun's concern, then laughed at his earnest expression. After a moment of seemingly insignificant thought, she began planning each step one by one.
"我想,应该是和玛莱雅聊天,把你嘱咐的话都告诉她啊,呵呵," 凯西娅特意提到了李皓珺的关切,然后笑他认真的样子,随后又无足轻重地想了想,一件件计划着,
"I need to clean the house, wash the dirty laundry, and buy some groceries—that's about it," Kasiya said, pausing to think before asking,
"需要打扫室内卫生,清洗换下来的衣服,买些食品用品,也就是这些事情吧,"说着,凯西娅想了想,问,
So how do you want to spend this weekend?
"那么你想怎么过这个周末呢?"
"Well, I'm not usually the one preparing meals. The garden needs tending, and I handle the heavy lifting around the house," he said. Suddenly, Li Haojun's eyes lit up as he added,
"嗯,我一般,不经常做准备食物的工作,庭院需要我打理,我会做清洁工作中的力气活,"说着,忽然李皓珺眼前一亮,说,
Kesiya, I've got this basement where I can play driving simulators. I used to go there all the time—doing some calculations or just for fun. Now that I'm busier, I don't go as often. Want to come play with me sometime? What kind of video games do you like? After saying this, Li Haojun looked at Kesiya excitedly and gave her shoulder a firm squeeze.
"凯西娅,我还有一个可以玩模拟驾驶游戏的地下室,我以前经常去,做一些计算或者娱乐,现在忙了,不经常过去了,要不你来一起玩吧,你喜欢什么类型的电子游戏?"说完,李皓珺兴奋地看着凯西娅,用力搂了搂她的肩膀,
Kesiya thought for a moment and said,
凯西娅想了想说,
"I'll pass. Since you've been here since the start of the week, I won't bother you when you go home for the weekend," she said with a smile, looking at Li Haojun.
"还是不要了,这周开始你已经在这里了,你周末回家我就不打扰你们了,"说完微笑看着李皓珺,
"Alright then," Li Haojun said, sounding somewhat resigned.
"那好吧,"说着,李皓珺有些无奈,
Am I being too greedy, wanting your company even though I already have hers?
"是不是我太贪心了,有了她的陪伴还想要你的陪伴,"
"You want me to be with you, but don't you want to be with me?" Kasiya countered.
"只有你想要我陪伴,难道你不想陪伴我吗?" 凯西娅反问道,
"I wish I could have been with you for the past twenty years," Li Haojun murmured as he gently took her hand. The image of the little girl from his dream flashed through his mind once more. He wondered if these were the very hands he had been unable to touch in his dream. Lonely and young, she had seemed so helpless.
"我想,我恨不得陪伴你之前的二十年,"说着李皓珺轻轻拉起她的手,脑海中又闪现梦中那个小女孩,不知道这双手是不是他没能在梦中触及的那双小手,孤单年幼的她是那样的无助,
"How do you know you weren't with me twenty years ago?" Kasiya asked softly, gazing into Li Haojun's eyes.
"你怎么知道二十年前你没有陪伴过我?"凯西娅望着李皓珺的眼睛轻声地问,
For a moment, Li Haojun didn't know how to respond. After a brief pause, he tentatively asked,
这一时让李皓珺不知如何回答,思索片刻试探着询问,
Could it be... you know something?
"难道,你知道些什么?"
"I don't know, but I just feel like I know you."
"我不知道,但是我就是觉得和你熟悉,"
"Oh," Li Haojun nodded and continued,
"哦,"李皓珺点了点头,接着说,
Perhaps it truly was fate's arrangement. I remember back in Ellensburg, when I encountered that little girl in my dream, it was precisely then that you appeared before me.
"也许真的是命运的安排吧,记得最初在埃伦斯堡,当我梦中遇到那个小女孩,正好是你出现在我的面前,"
Listening to Li Haojun's account, Kasiya said nothing more, only gazing silently at him.
听着李皓珺的陈述,凯西娅没有再说什么,只是默默相望.
...
With Kesiya already buried deep in his heart, Li Haojun set off on his weekend journey home. The neon lights of the airport in the dark night, the hurried figures of travelers, and the separation from Kesiya all combined to make his mood seem to plummet to the depths.
带着已经埋入心田的凯西娅,李皓珺踏上了周末的回程.暗夜里机场的霓虹灯光与旅人们行色匆匆的身影,加上与凯西娅的分离,心情似乎要跌到谷底.
Though the distance between home and family gradually shrank during the flight, the thought of Kacyah left behind never ceased to weigh on his mind.
虽然飞行途中距离家与家人在逐渐拉近,可是被抛在身后的凯西娅却无时不在惹其牵挂.
Li Haojun also began to wonder if he had fallen head over heels in love, even worrying that he might unconsciously distance himself from Qin Wenjing emotionally. This uneasy feeling troubled him all the way.
李皓珺也在怀疑自己是不是坠入情网不能自拔了,甚至开始担心自己会在感情上不由自主地疏远覃文静,这样忐忑的心情困扰了他一路.
Only when standing before my own door did that familiar feeling seem to envelop me once more. Stepping into the yard and closing the door behind me, there it was again—the familiar bench and porch.
直到站在自家门前,那种熟悉的感觉似乎又笼罩了自己.进入院子回手关门,又是那熟悉的长椅和门廊.
Stepping into the living room, the dim night light revealed no one in sight. A vague sense of dread welled up in Li Haojun's heart—a fear of losing Tan Wenjing. He couldn't explain why this feeling had overtaken him, this terror that he might never find her again in this house. With a flutter of panic, he hurried to the door of Tan Wenjing's bedroom and gently pushed it open.
走进客厅,夜色暗淡,没有人影,李皓珺莫名心中泛起一丝恐慌,害怕失去覃文静.不知为什么会有这样的感觉,害怕在这个家里再也找不到她.于是带着惶恐,快速几步走到覃文静的卧室门前,轻轻推开房门.
Through the faint night light filtering through the curtains, the person whose loss terrified him still lay there, turned sideways on the bed.
透过窗帘的淡淡夜色里,那个让他惶恐害怕失去的人,还在,侧身躺在床上.
Li Haojun approached the bedside, kneeling on one knee as he leaned over to gaze at the sleeping Qin Wenjing face-to-face. He studied her features in the night's darkness, listening to her steady breathing until he was certain she was safe and sound beside him. Only then did he go to the living room to remove his outer garments. Returning to the bedroom, he lay down gently beside her, breathing in the scent of her hair and feeling her indispensable presence in his life.
李皓珺凑到床前,单膝跪地,俯身与熟睡的覃文静面对面,看她夜色中的脸庞,听她均匀的呼吸,直到确信她还好好的,在自己身边,才去客厅脱了外衣,回身到卧室,轻轻侧身躺在她身后,呼吸着她秀发的味道,感受她在自己生命中的不可或缺.