After a busy morning, Li Haojun lay down on the sofa in the break room at the Erensburg factory to rest. In early spring, the sunlit slopes showed signs of melting snow and ice, and the sunlight carried more warmth than before. Some insects that had spent the winter indoors were beginning to stir. A ladybug crawled up and fell off the glass window in the break room.
忙碌了一上午,在埃伦斯堡工厂的休息室里,李皓珺躺在沙发上休息一下.早春时节,阳面的山坡已经有了冰雪开始融化的痕迹,阳光的照射也比之前有了温度,于是躲在室内过冬的虫子有的开始活跃了,一只瓢虫正在休息室的玻璃窗上爬上去掉下来.
Watching its futile attempts, Li Haojun wondered whether to let it out. The temperature outside remained below freezing, and the cold would render it immobile. There was no food out there either. It seemed that some ladybugs awoke earlier, much like certain seeds sprout sooner than others. But the price was greater exposure to the bitter cold. This gamble clearly paid off, otherwise such traits would have been weeded out through generations of inheritance. Yet for the individual, the cost of life or death was borne entirely alone.
看着它徒劳地尝试,李皓珺在想要不要放它出去呢,外面的气温依然是零下,并且低温会让他失去行动能力,外面也没有食物.似乎就是有一部分瓢虫会更早地醒来,就像有的种子会更早发芽一样,但是代价就是冒更多严寒的风险.这样的赌博显然也是有回报的,不然它们这种特性可能就在一代代的遗传中淘汰了,只是对于个体来说,是死是活,只能靠自己全买单了.
For these individuals who deviate from the mainstream, does their number align with the extremes of a normal distribution? Minorities. Take Kesiya, who headed to Seattle this morning—she too belongs to the minority. Instead of choosing a same-age partner, she chose herself. Could it really be explained by a simple cause-and-effect relationship, like lacking family warmth in childhood and craving paternal affection? Moreover, she knows she has a partner yet shows no jealousy. She'd be well-suited to adopt a daughter, allowing them to live together—like during Christmas. The only question is whether she might want more in the future. Speaking of Christmas, he'd accidentally made Qin Wenjing cry. If another woman were added to the mix, wouldn't it cause even more trouble? Not optimistic. Thinking this, Li Haojun couldn't help but laugh. Better not to indulge in such pipe dreams. Rein in that overflowing compassion—one Qin Wenjing alone had already tied his next life to hers.
对于这种不符合主流的个体,它们的数量是否符合正态分布的两端呢?少数派.就像早上去西雅图的凯西娅,她也是少数派,她没有选择自己的同龄人异性,却选择了自己,难道只是小时候缺乏家庭温暖,想要父爱这么简单的因果吗.并且她知道自己有伴侣,还不吃醋,倒是适合收养做女儿,那样就可以一起生活了,就像圣诞节,只是不知道未来她会不会想要得更多.想到圣诞节,自己不小心把覃文静弄哭了,要是再多个女性,会不会闹出更多乱子?不乐观,想到这李皓珺自己都笑了,还是别做春秋大梦了,收一收你泛滥的爱心,一个覃文静都已经把自己的下辈子绑上了.
The bright early spring sunlight streamed through the glass window onto a corner of the sofa. Li Haojun turned his face directly toward the light, closing his eyes as he faced the sun. The sunlight seemed to illuminate his eyelids, filling them with brightness before fading and turning reddish. Was it the warmth of the sun that made his capillaries dilate? Or had her pupils contracted from the earlier intensity? Just as she pondered this, footsteps sounded downstairs—Kesiya had returned from Seattle. With her help, Li Haojun would indeed save a great deal of effort.
早春的明媚阳光透过玻璃窗照在沙发一角,李皓珺便把自己的脸转到正对阳光的方向,闭着眼睛面向太阳,阳光似乎照亮了眼睑,一片明亮,接着又变得暗淡转成红色.是阳光的温度让毛细血管扩张了吗?还是刚才的光线强烈瞳孔收缩了,正想着,楼下传来脚步声,是凯西娅从西雅图回来了,有她的协助,自己确实可以省下好多力气.
"Ethan, I'm back," Kasiya said, peeking through the doorway. She seemed to have searched every room.
"伊森,我回来了," 凯西娅趴在门口探出头说,看来她是循着每个房间找过来的,
"Have you eaten lunch? Check our food supplies and heat up whatever you like. I've already eaten," Li Haojun lay there, too lazy to move.
"吃午饭了吗?你看一下咱们储备的食物,喜欢哪个就自己加热一下.我已经吃完了," 李皓珺躺在那里,懒洋洋地不想动,
"Sure thing!" Youth is truly wonderful—her voice brimmed with lightness and vitality. With that, her energetic footsteps carried her to the conference room, where she pulled a chair over and placed it beside the sofa where Li Haojun lay. She then grabbed some self-heating food, set it on the chair, and sat down on the sofa next to Li Haojun. Still grinning, she playfully nudged him with her hip.
"好啊,",年轻真好,她的声音都充满了轻快与活力,说着,充满活力的脚步跑到会议室拉了椅子过来,放在李皓珺躺着的沙发旁边,然后拿了自热食品,放在了椅子上,自己则坐在了沙发上李皓珺身边,还笑嘻嘻,调皮地用屁股挤了挤.
Li Haojun had no choice but to turn sideways to face her, making room for her to sit down, then silently watched to see what she would do next.
李皓珺只好侧过身面向她,给她让出些坐的地方,然后默默地看着她接下来又有什么节目.
I've already trained the confused staff in Seattle—wonder if they'll mess up the system again. Their first-quarter orders have already come through. After saying that, he leaned back against Li Haojun, gazing at the wall in front of him and grumbling,
"西雅图的疑惑店员我已经教会了,不知道以后会不会又把系统弄坏了,他们的一季度订单已经传过来了,"说完往后面李皓珺身上一靠,看着面前的墙壁抱怨道,
"I spent the whole morning running over there, fixing the system, then had to teach them how to use it, and then came right back. I'm exhausted," he said, turning back to look at Li Haojun. His right hand slowly groped along the sofa, inch by inch, until it reached Li Haojun's fingertips. He asked,
"一上午跑过去,修系统,又得教她们,然后又返回来,忙死我了,"说完又回过头看着李皓珺,右手慢慢在沙发上摸索着,一点点靠近,拉到李皓珺的指尖,问,
"How am I?"
"我怎么样?"
"Well done," Li Haojun smiled too, taking her fingertips in his.
"干得漂亮," 李皓珺也笑了,握住她的指尖说,
"Thank you for sharing so many of my responsibilities."
"谢谢你分担了我好多重任,"
Kesiya lifted her head with pride and satisfaction, her tousled short hair swaying rhythmically as if to emphasize the pearl necklace hugging her skin close. Even in winter, she wore no high-necked top.
凯西娅得意又骄傲地扬了扬头,她蓬松的短发也跟随着有节奏地摆动着,似乎她想要突出那条紧贴皮肤的贴颈珍珠项链,冬季里也没有穿高领的上衣.
Li Haojun noticed her concern that her throat might catch a chill, so he pulled out his terminal device, logged onto the nearby mall's online store, found the women's scarves section, and handed one to Kesiya.
李皓珺注意到了,担心她呼吸道受凉,就拿出自己的终端设备登上临近商场网购,找到女士围巾项,递给凯西娅,
Pick out two scarves for yourself. It's still cold out—don't catch a chill.
"你给自己选两条围巾吧,现在天气还冷,别着凉,"
Kesiya hesitated for a moment and didn't answer.
凯西娅愣了一下,没接,
"Once you've made your selection, place your order now for delivery here."
"选好了现在下单,送到这里,"
After realizing what was happening, Kesiya still didn't answer. Instead, she smiled and lay down in Li Haojun's arms before casually taking his device. She browsed through it absentmindedly, occasionally turning to look at Li Haojun and asking, "What about this?" or "What about that?"
凯西娅反应过来之后依然没接,而是脸上带着笑直接躺在李皓珺怀里,才顺手拿过他的设备,然后有点心不在焉地浏览着,一会儿回头看看李皓珺,问这个怎么样那个怎么样,
He had no idea where this relationship might lead, but Kasiya's youthful vitality and girlish charm stirred in Li Haojun an irresistible urge to cherish and protect her. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
也不知道这样的关系发展下去会成什么样子,可是凯西娅那青春的活力,少女的气息,让李皓珺无法按捺的爱惜与保护欲,他不由用手搂住她的腰胯.
After selecting the scarf and placing the order, their quick lunch was nearly heated through. Li Haojun patted Kesiya's lower back and said,
选好了围巾下了单,快速午餐也热得差不多了,李皓珺拍拍凯西娅的后腰说,
"Let's go eat."
"去吃饭吧,"
The winter sun still cast a low angle, flooding the entire room with light. After eating for a while, Kasiya began to feel warm. She glanced at Li Haojun, wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with one hand, and slipped off her coat, draping it over the sofa back.
冬季的阳光角度还很低,照进整个屋子,吃了一会儿凯西娅就觉得热了,她看了李皓珺一眼,一边抬手擦拭了一下额头冒出的细细汗汗,一边脱下外衣放在了沙发靠背上.
After taking a few more bites, she turned her head and smiled warmly at Li Haojun, saying nothing. Yet her flushed cheeks, reddened by the heat, betrayed her feelings.
又吃了几口,她又扭头笑眯眯地看着着李皓珺,什么也没说,可是她热得泛红的脸颊已经无法掩饰了,
"If you're hot, just do whatever you like. No one else is coming anyway," Li Haojun said softly, smiling at her.
"热你就随意吧,反正也没有别人会来," 李皓珺微笑看着她轻声说,
Kesiya seemed to have received permission. She turned and gently removed her thermal pants, setting them aside before lowering her head to eat her lunch in silence. Her fallen strands of hair obscured her flushed cheeks.
凯西娅好像得到了许可一样,转身轻轻把御寒的外裤也脱掉放在了一边,然后低头默默地吃自己的午餐了,她下垂的发丝遮挡住了她潮红的脸颊.
Kesiya, having shed her outer garments, revealed a stunning figure. Through the golden sunlight bathing her, one could almost see the vapor from evaporating sweat rising through her pure cotton undergarments and wafting off her skin. Unbeknownst to her, the vibrant essence of her vitality stirred Li Haojun's heart, stirring both his sight and his sense of smell.
褪去外衣的凯西娅,身材靓丽,透过照在她身上金色的阳光,似乎可以看到汗液气化产生的蒸汽透过她身穿的纯棉内衣在她的身体表面散发,而她同样不知道的是她的活力的气息,正同时透过视觉与嗅觉搅动着李皓珺的心池.
In this radiant and sweet moment, Li Haojun closed his eyes, savoring every second of warmth and happiness until Kasiya finished her lunch. He listened with eyes shut as she went to throw away the trash, pulled out the chair, and after a while returned to sit back down on the sofa.
在这灿烂而甜蜜的时光里,李皓珺闭上眼睛,享受这每一秒的温馨与幸福,直到凯西娅吃完午饭,闭眼倾听她去扔掉垃圾,拉走椅子,过了一阵又回来坐回到沙发上.
Li Haojun opened her eyes to see that she had already fetched her work uniform from the changing room and slipped it on over her clothes. Though it was a bit loose and baggy, it looked quite nice on the young girl, making her appear petite and adorable, evoking a strong urge to protect her.
李皓珺睁开眼睛,看到她已经从更衣室拿了工作服套在外面穿好,虽然有点宽松肥大,但是一个小姑娘穿上它效果也不错,显得娇小可爱,令人充满保护欲,
"Do you need to rest for a while?"
"你需要休息一会儿吗?"
"No need."
"不用,"
Li Haojun couldn't help but marvel at how wonderful it was to be young and full of energy. He took Kesiya to the control room to review orders coming in from Seattle and other locations. He then familiarized her with the software and hardware operating systems of the control platform. Afterward, he walked her through the tasks he had completed that morning, ensuring she would be well-prepared to handle them independently in the future.
李皓珺不由感慨年轻真好,总是那么有活力,于是带着凯西娅到控制室,查看了从西雅图和其它地方传来的订单.然后又带着她熟悉了控制操作平台的软硬件操作系统,之后再把自己上午所做的工作内容与她陈述了一下,以便她将来单独承担工作的时候能够更熟悉.
The afternoon was quickly drawing to a close, the sun already dipping toward the west. He still needed to visit George's factory, but there simply wasn't enough time left today. Li Haojun glanced at Kesiya, considering arranging a hotel for her. Yet he feared it might be unsafe for her to stay alone, and accompanying her himself felt awkward—after all, he'd booked the room voluntarily. But this wasn't a military restricted zone; there was no alternative. Only one option remained: bring her home. But who to ask first? He'd ask Kesiya first. If she agreed, what if Tan Wenjing refused? After all, setting this precedent might make it routine—unlike the occasional holiday gatherings.
很快下午的时光就快要过去了,太阳已经偏西,还需要去乔治的工厂去,但是今天的时间已经来不及了,李皓珺看了看凯西娅,想说给她安排旅馆,又怕她一个人住旅馆不安全,自己陪她住旅馆,这旅馆是自己主动订的的,也说不过去,这里又不是军事禁区没得选择.现在只剩一个选择,带她回家,先问谁呢?先问凯西娅,她同意了,要是覃文静不同意呢,毕竟开了惯例,可能会变成常态,毕竟与节日的偶尔聚会不同.
Li Haojun silently sent a message to Qin Wenjing explaining the situation. Kasiya received the scarf she had purchased from outside, wore it, and returned to stand before Li Haojun.
于是李皓珺默默给覃文静发了信息,说明了情况.凯西娅从外面收到了购买的丝巾,并且佩戴着回来,站在李皓珺面前,
"How about it?" he said, slowly turning around once more.
"怎么样?"说着又慢慢转了个身,
She bought a black silk scarf, which contrasted sharply with her white top and bobbed hair. However, this thin scarf served more as decoration around her neck than as warmth, failing to cover her collar and instead accentuating the snow-white pallor of her skin. Upon closer inspection, the scarf wasn't pure black; it shimmered with a gradient from dark green to ochre brown under different angles of reflected light.
她买了一条黑色丝巾,搭配白色上衣和波波短发倒也对比突出.只是这是条薄款丝巾,系在脖颈之间装饰作用偏多,保暖功能不足,根本无法遮挡她的领口,倒是对比凸显了肌肤的雪白.细看这丝巾还不是纯黑色,在不同的反射光线角度之下会闪现墨绿到赭石棕色的渐变.
Li Haojun didn't respond, tugging at her scarf in an attempt to cover her neckline, but to no avail. Kasiya looked down, then glanced back up at Li Haojun. She understood his meaning too, but said nothing, merely flashing a mischievous grin.
李皓珺没应声,拉拉她的丝巾,试图掩盖领口,只是做不到.凯西娅低头看着,然后抬头又看看李皓珺,也明白他的意思,没说什么只是调皮地咧嘴一笑.
"I don't have enough time today. I still need to go to the factory in George's place tomorrow," Li Haojun said with an awkward smile, then continued,
"今天时间不够了,我明天还要去乔治地工厂," 说着李皓珺似有尴尬地一笑,接着说,
"That factory was originally Emily's responsibility, but since it's on my way, I usually help her manage it," Li Haojun said, watching Kesiya's expression as he spoke.
"那个本来是艾米莉负责的工厂,只是顺路,一般我就帮她打理了,"一边说,李皓珺一边看着凯西娅的表情,
"But I don't have enough time today. I'll have to come back tomorrow. What do you plan to do?" Without giving Kesiya a chance to respond, Li Haojun continued.
"但是今天时间不够了,我只能明天再过去,你怎么打算?"没给凯西娅回答的时间,李皓珺接着说,
You can fly back to Boise. I can handle George's affairs myself. After all, you're just my assistant, and George's factory isn't under my management. Having said that, Li Haojun silently looked at Kesiya.
"你可以飞回博伊西,乔治的事情我自己也能处理,毕竟你只是我的助手,乔治的工厂不属于我管理,"说完李皓珺默默看着凯西娅,
Kesiya didn't speak either, but listened quietly until Li Haojun finished. She smiled at him, then after a moment said,
凯西娅也没说话,而是一直听李皓珺说完,微笑着看着他,过了一会儿才说,
"You missed me, didn't you?"
"你想我了是吗?"
Li Haojun hadn't expected her to ask him that in return, and he found himself examining his own feelings on the matter. Did he miss her? No, it was simply that the time spent with her had been joyful, so he answered honestly,
李皓珺没想到她会这样反问自己,不禁也审视自己,关于这个问题.自己想她,是吗?只是感觉和她在一起的时光是快乐的,于是便诚实地回答,
"Right," he said with an awkward smile, feeling he shouldn't have harbored such greed.
"是吧,"说完尴尬一笑,觉得自己本不该有这样的贪念,
Ethan, do you remember me saying I could sense your thoughts?" She finished, her gaze fixed intently on Li Haojun's eyes.
"伊森,你还记不记得我说过,能感觉到你的想法,"说完目不转睛地看着李皓珺的眼睛,
"Is this how young people are nowadays?" Li Haojun asked, a mix of surprise and curiosity evident in his voice.
"现在的年轻人都这样了吗?" 李皓珺有点惊异和好奇,
"Not really. It's probably more likely between people who care about each other."
"也不是,可能在乎的人之间可能性更大吧,"
Ah, Li Haojun felt a surge of emotion inside, but said nothing. He gently opened his arms and embraced Kesiya.
啊,李皓珺内心感慨,什么也没说,轻轻张开双臂,给了凯西娅一个拥抱.
The westward sun had lost its warmth, and even its faint glow was about to vanish behind the mountains. It cast long shadows along the road, urging those far from home to hurry back, their hearts racing like shuttles.
西斜的阳光已经没了温度,就连仅有的光亮也快要隐于山后,在路上拉出长长的影子,催促着离家的人们,归心如梭.