The next morning, Lübeck bid farewell to his family and boarded a carriage driven by an orderly, heading straight for the town hall in the city center. The weather was still quite cold, and the navy wool coat he wore provided excellent protection against the chill as he sat in the carriage.
第二天早晨,吕贝克告别家人,直接乘坐勤务兵驾驶的马车,前往城镇中心的市政厅.这时的气候还比较冷,坐在马车上,身穿的海军呢大衣起到了很好的防寒作用.
The journey wasn't long, for the Sanctuary itself had only been established for a little over two decades. The city hadn't yet undergone large-scale development, but the growth of a new generation was sufficient to reshape social hierarchies and structures. During the monotonous trip, watching the scenery flash by outside the window, Lübeck reflected on the changes that had unfolded over the years.
路程并不远,因为庇护之地本身成立的时间也才二十几年,城市规模还没有大规模发展,但是新一代人的成长也足以改变人际阶层和社会结构,无聊的旅程中,看着眼前飞过的路边景物,吕贝克回忆着这些年来的变化.
The town hall is a simple two-story wooden structure. Not all officials work here daily; only when necessary do those requiring services gather here. Typically, only ordinary administrative staff are present.
市政厅是一个简单的二层木质建筑,平时并不是所有官员都在这里每天来上班,只有必要的时候,有需要的人才会到这里前来集会,而平时只有一些普通管理人员在此.
That morning, when Lübeck entered the building, Fritz Müller, the town hall secretary, came forward to greet him, saying,
这天早上,当吕贝克走进这里,市政厅秘书弗里茨·米勒迎上前来,打招呼道,
"Good morning, Captain Lübeck,"
"吕贝克船长早上好,"
Good morning, Miller. Could you bring me a portion of today's work lunch?
"早上好,米勒,今天中午的工作餐能带我一份吗?"
"Certainly, I'll make arrangements right away."
"当然可以,我一会儿就去吩咐,"
How's work been going these days?
"这些天工作顺利吗?"
"Well, the farmers didn't give me any trouble, but..."
"还好,农户们也没给我出什么难题,就是..."
"What exactly?"
"就是什么?"
Just a few days ago, disputes erupted again between different communes over the demarcation of farmland.
"就在前些天,不同公社因为农田划界问题又起了争执,"
"Is it serious?"
"严重吗?"
"It's not serious—just some injuries—but the problem is that firearms were used."
"不算严重,只是有人受伤,但问题是有人使用火器,"
"Oh," they said as they entered the mayor's office and took their seats. Lübeck leafed through the monthly reports from various local officials that had been delivered to his desk. He searched through them and found the sheriff's report detailing the brawl among commune farmers. After reading it, he handed it to Miller. What else could he say? He sighed.
"哦,"交谈中,两人已经来到了市长办公室,分别落座,吕贝克翻看着桌面上送过来的各个基层官员的月度汇报.他找了找,找到了治安官送过来的公社农民殴斗事件过程的报告.看完之后交给了米勒,还能说什么呢,叹了口气,
"Oh, this resentment has been building for a long time. We've tried talking to them before, but the problem is that this time the security guards got caught in the crossfire too—and it was a gunshot wound."
"哎,积怨已久啊,之前也不是没有和他们谈过,但问题是这次治安队员也受到波及,还是枪伤,"
After speaking, Lübeck looked at Miller with some displeasure.
说完吕贝克有些不满,看了看米勒,
Miller hesitated for a moment and said,
米勒迟疑了一下,说,
"Actually, this already constitutes treason."
"其实,这已经叛乱罪了,"
Lübeck exchanged a glance with Miller and said,
吕贝克与米勒对了一下眼光,说,
"Otherwise, let's have Krause take a temporary leave of absence. Have his deputy, Koch, take over for a while. While we're at it, emphasize the strictness of law enforcement and make a public announcement about it."
"要不然,让克劳泽休假一阶段吧,让他的副手科赫接替他一段时间,顺便强调一下执法的严格性,对公众宣讲一下."
"Yes, that's fine," Miller nodded.
"是的,这样也好," 米勒点头说,
"Look, could you draft this executive order and forward it to them both?"
"你看,你起草一下这个行政命令,传达一下给他们俩好吗?"
"Alright, I'll get right on it."
"好,我随后着手就办理,"
Who are the injured security personnel?
"受伤的治安队员都有谁?"
"Ah, please take a look at the report—it should be in there. Additionally, there's the hospital's injury report."
"啊,请看一下报告里面应该有,另外还有医院的伤情报告,"
"Oh, all right," Lübeck looked up and smiled at Miller before lowering his head again to search through the documents.
"哦,好啊,"吕贝克抬头向米勒笑了笑,又低头在文件中寻找,
"Ah, this should be it. Take a look—it's the report from the hospital," Miller said, leaning in to watch Lübeck search through the documents while pointing with his finger.
"哎,应该是这个,你看一下,这是医院来的报告,"米勒一边凑过来看着吕贝克查找,一边用手指着说,
As the two were talking, they heard a woman shouting in the lobby downstairs.
二人正交谈着,听见门外楼下大厅有个妇女大喊,
Mr. Miller, are we adding an extra meal for lunch today? Ah, I'll just increase the main dish according to today's menu—that should be enough. Is that alright, Mr. Miller? The voice was rough and casual, distinctly that of a working woman from the common folk.
"米勒先生,今天午餐是要加一个人的用餐量是吗?啊,我就按照今天食谱增加点主食应该够了,这样行吗,米勒先生?"声音粗犷随意,很具有平民阶层劳动妇女风范.
Miller gave a sheepish smile. The people he led simply couldn't keep up with his pace. Though he'd explained everything in detail just now, it was clear they didn't always work with their heads on. He could only tell Lübeck,
米勒惭愧一笑,自己带领的这些人真的是没办法跟上自己的节奏,虽然刚才详细说过了,显然那些人干活不总是带着脑子,只好跟吕贝克说,
"I think I'll go downstairs and make the arrangements,"
"我看我还是下去一趟安排一下吧,"
"Alright, go ahead. I'll stay here and take another look," Lü Beck could understand his helplessness.
"好的,去尽管去,我在这里再看看," 吕贝克也能理解他的无奈,
Miller then left and casually closed the office door behind him. Lübeck could still faintly hear their conversation.
随后米勒离开并随手关上了办公室的门,吕贝克还能依稀听到他们的对话,
Since the mayor is visiting today, don't rigidly stick to the daily menu.
"今天是市长先生过来了,你就不要死板地还按照每日食谱,"
"Oh, oh oh..." the woman replied as she followed him away.
"哦,哦哦,..."那个妇女一边跟他离开一边回答着,
Lübeck continued flipping through the documents, jotting down the names of the injured security officers on a piece of paper—it might come in handy when he went to visit them at the hospital. After skimming through some administrative meeting minutes and finding nothing of importance, he left the office and took a carriage to the hospital.
吕贝克继续翻阅文件,拿纸笔记下了受伤治安队员的名字,准备去医院看望他们的时候或许有用,随后又翻阅了一些行政管理方面的会议纪要,看没什么重要的了,便离开办公室乘坐马车前往了医院.
In pre-industrial societies, medical institutions held little significance. Those who came here were mostly individuals who had suffered accidental physical injuries during labor, requiring simple disinfection, bandaging, or wound suturing. The hospital was not crowded, so Lübeck was quickly escorted by staff to the recovery room where injured security personnel were recuperating.
在前工业文明时代的社会,医疗机构似乎没有什么特殊意义,来这里的人基本都是在劳作中不慎遭受物理外伤的人,进行简单的消毒包扎或者缝合伤口.医院里的人并不多,所以吕贝克到这里很快就被工作人员带到了受伤治安队员休养的房间.
"Stay put."
"躺着别动,"
Seeing someone about to rise to salute, Lübeck quickly stopped him.
见有人要起身敬礼,吕贝克赶紧制止了他,
"Yes, sir,"
"是,长官,"
Lübeck assessed their conditions. One had a thigh abrasion—superficial injuries, thankfully. The other had a broken scapula—more serious, but likely not life-threatening. The third man, however, looked terrible. His abdomen was lacerated, and blood seeped through the layers of bandages wrapped around him. Lübeck felt a pang of sorrow. For a moment, he wanted to take him to a more modern hospital, but feared the patient couldn't endure the rough journey. After offering a few words of comfort, he sought out the other two to inquire about the day's events before hastily departing.
吕贝克查看了他们的情况,一个人是大腿擦伤,皮肉伤,还好.另一个人是肩胛骨受伤,比较严重,不过应该没有生命危险,但是还有一个人看起来很糟糕,腹腔贯穿伤,看着他身上层层缠绕的纱布依然透着血色,吕贝克内心很不是滋味,一瞬间想要带他去更现代时代的医院,又怕他无法承受路途颠簸.安慰了他几句就找另外两个人去询问当天情况,然后匆匆离开.
Back at City Hall, it was just lunchtime. Only a few people were at the table: the City Hall secretary, two clerks, and a support staff member. Lübeck and they sat on opposite sides of the long table. Looking at his colleagues, Lübeck spoke first,
回到市政厅,正好中午工作餐时间,餐桌儿上只有几个人,市政厅秘书,两个文员,和后勤人员.吕贝克和他们分别坐在长桌儿两侧,看着这些同事,吕贝克先开口说,
First, I'd like to thank Mr. Miller for arranging today's splendid lunch. I don't come here often, but he made special arrangements for me today.
"今天丰盛的午餐首先谢谢米勒先生的安排,我不经常过来,今天是他特意安排的,"
"Ha ha, you're too kind," Miller said, sitting across from Lübeck.
"哈哈,你客气了,"米勒坐在吕贝克对面说,
"Alright, thank you to the ladies who prepared lunch for us today. Thank you," Lü Beck said, extending his arm to draw everyone's attention toward them. He nodded again in acknowledgment and added,
"好的,谢谢今天为我们准备午餐的女士们,谢谢,"说着吕贝克伸出手臂,把大家的目光引导向他们,并再次点头致意说,
"Thank you,"
"谢谢,"
The women in charge of cooking were somewhat shy, nodding with smiles on their faces without answering.
负责做饭的妇女们有些腼腆,脸上带着笑点头没回答,
"Alright, let's dig in," Lü Beck said, glancing around at everyone present.
"好啦,我们开吃吧,"说着吕贝克目光扫视了在座各位,
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy your meal."
"好的,女士们先生们,请用餐吧,"
During the casual conversation at the gathering, Lübeck inquired about the sources of their food supplies. They described some aspects based on their own observations—issues concerning supply channels, food quality, timeliness, and preservation. Lübeck was also curious about which communes and individuals they interacted with, asking questions like whose households they belonged to and what they looked like.聚餐的闲谈中,吕贝克询问了食物补给来源情况,她们凭自己的感觉陈述了一些,关于供给渠道,食物品质,及时性和保存方面的问题.吕贝克也很好奇她们都和哪些公社的什么人接触,还询问了都是谁家的,相貌,等问题.
Next, the clerks from City Hall were also present, and they were asked if they were familiar with the individuals mentioned earlier, as they maintained the population records.
接着看市政厅的文员也在这里,还询问了他们是否熟悉刚才提到的那些人,因为他们掌管人口情况档案.
But the two young men seemed uninterested in these details, stammering incoherently. Lü Beck didn't press them, simply saying that after dinner he'd head to the archives to review the population growth records and investigate the families of the injured security officers—and asked them to accompany him.
但是那两个小年轻似乎对这些内容并不上心,支支吾吾也说不出什么,吕贝克也没为难他们,就说等吃完饭,自己要去档案室查看一下,看看人口增长细节,也看看受伤治安队员家庭情况,要他们陪同一下啊.
Lübeck then raised with Miller certain issues concerning the partial communal specialization adjustments in agriculture and animal husbandry. To minimize disputes and facilitate comparison and valuation, it was necessary to survey the precise boundaries of farmland and pastures. Previously, these had been gradually developed by farmers during production, with records containing only approximate locations and area data. Given the passage of so many years, it would be prudent to clarify the current situation to prevent dissatisfaction during transactions and compensation processes.
随后吕贝克又和米勒提到了关于种植和养殖业部分公有专业化调整工作中的一些问题,为了减少争端,和方便对比和估价,需要把把农田和牧场的具体边界勘定一下,因为之前都是农户在生产过程中逐步开发的,记录档案中只有大致位置和面积数据,现在又过了这么多年,还是明确一下当前情况比较好,免得交易和补偿过程中有人不满.
Miller also agreed and discussed some details.
米勒也表示了同意,谈论了一些细节问题.
As they chatted, the working lunch at City Hall soon came to an end. Lübeck even joked with the women in charge of cooking, telling them to ask the people in their supply chain for any suggestions or feedback. He earnestly reminded them to make sure they did ask, as if he truly valued everyone's opinions.
交谈间,很快市政厅的工作餐就结束了,吕贝克还开玩笑般地跟负责做饭的妇女们说,要她们问问她们的供应链上的人有什么意见建议,还很认真地叮嘱一定要问哦,好像很重视每个人的意见一样.
After dinner, as agreed, Lübeck summoned the clerk holding the archives key to look up some population and family relationship records. However, once inside, he did not require the clerk's accompaniment—he was thoroughly familiar with the town and everything within the Sanctuary.
饭后如约,吕贝克叫了持有档案室钥匙的文员一起去查一些人口和家庭关系记录,但是进入之后并没有要求陪同,他很熟悉小镇和庇护之地的一切.