The two set off once more. Glancing at Casey in the rearview mirror, their new looks mirrored their renewed spirits. Their shared smiles seemed to satisfy the longing of their recent separation.
两个人再次上路,看看后视镜里的凯西娅,新的形象也伴随着新的心情,相视的笑容中,仿佛久违的分别都得到了满足.
Speeding along Highway 2 through Cut Bank and Shelby, the first stop was Dunkirk—a somewhat dilapidated facility with mechanic sheds and parked farm equipment. They located the contact person, inspected the varieties and quantities with them, and signed the relevant purchase contracts. Then Li Haojun realized two things were definitely going to cost him: men of all ages were greedily ogling Kasiya's figure. Back in the car, he took a silk scarf and tied it diagonally around her waist, perfectly covering the front and back of her hips. The other thing was that their shoes were caked with dust from the fields.
沿着2号公路飞速行驶,穿过卡特班克和谢尔比,第一站就是敦刻尔克,看上去有些破败的设施,机修工棚和停放的农具.找到预约人,带着他们查看了品种和数量,签订了相关收购合同.然后李皓珺意识到两件事肯定亏了,凯西娅的身材被不同年龄段的男人贪婪地窥视着,回到车上他就拿了一条丝巾斜系在了她的腰间,正好可以遮挡凯西娅臀部前后位置,还有就是他们的鞋都在田地间沾满了尘土.
The second stop was Devon. The same old story bored Li Haojun. Feeling restless on the road, he remarked to Kasiya,
"Maybe I should start an acquisition firm, hire some acquisition specialists, and next year we won't have to run around doing business here."
第二站是德文,同样的故事让李皓珺感到乏味,路上觉得无聊,对凯西娅说,
"也许我应该成立一家收购公司,雇佣一些收购人员,明年我们就不必在这里跑业务了."
After a moment's thought, he added,
"In that case, we could still establish a futures company and act as market makers ourselves."
想了想又说,
"那样的话,还能继续成立一家期货公司,我们自己来当做市商,"
No way, that's not allowed anymore. Only direct transactions between producers and consumers are permitted now. Capital-driven systems and debt-driven systems are both prohibited because when those systems collapsed in the past, the impact on society was too devastating—I learned that in history class.
"不行啊,现在不可以了,只允许生产者和消费者直接交易,资本驱动的系统,债务驱动的系统都不允许了,因为过去当系统崩溃的时候对社会的冲击太大了,我在历史课学到的."
"Oh, you can be my advisor now."
"哦,你可以做我的顾问了,"
Ha ha, who told you to forget the past?
"哈哈,谁让你把过去忘了,"
But that would mean a lot of legwork for both of us—we'd have to go from station to station negotiating contracts with the locals.
"只是这样的话,你我就要受累了,我们要一站一站地去和当地人谈合同."
"It's okay, I'll be with you..." Kasiya trailed off mid-sentence.
"没关系,我和你..."凯西娅说到一半,不出声了,
"What about me?" Before Kasiya could finish, Li Haojun didn't think twice—he just kept driving while pressing her for answers.
"和我什么?"凯西娅没说完,李皓珺也没多想一边开车就一边追问,
"I'll go anywhere with you," Kasiya murmured softly, gazing at Li Haojun in the rearview mirror.
"我和你去哪都行,"望着后视镜中的李皓珺,凯西娅小声把这句话说完了,
Li Haojun didn't answer. He simply pulled the car over to the side of the road again. Kasiya watched silently as he opened the door first, cupped her cheek, kissed her lips, then took her hand, knelt on one knee before her, and kissed the back of her hand.
李皓珺没有回答,只是又把车停在了路边,凯西娅默默地看着他先开车门,扶着她的脸颊,亲吻了她的嘴唇,然后又拉着她的手,单膝跪在她的面前,亲吻了她的手背,
"What's wrong?" Kasiya's voice sounded slightly flustered. After observing Li Haojun's expression, she continued,
"I just said I'd go anywhere with you."
"怎么了?"凯西娅的声音里似乎有些慌张,观察了一下李皓珺的表情接着说,
"我只是说和你去哪都行,"
Li Haojun held her hand and gazed at her, saying,
"I just feel that after being apart for so long, you're still willing to follow me."
李皓珺拉着她的手,望着她说,
"我只是觉得,我和你分开了那么久,你还愿意跟随我,"
"Is it going to be long?"
"很久么?"
"You're so young,"
"你那么年轻,"
"What? Can't a young person have their own thoughts? Whoa, you scared me—I thought you were going to propose," Kasiya continued when Li Haojun was momentarily speechless.
"What about your Emily then?" Kasiya laughed as she finished speaking.
"怎么?我年轻就不能有自己的想法吗?嚯,你吓到我了,我还以为你要和我求婚,"见李皓珺一时不知道说什么,凯西娅又接着说,
"那样的话,你的艾米莉怎么办?"说完凯西娅笑了,
Back on the road, Li Haojun reflected on himself. How could he have been so moved that he nearly scared her? He tried to reassure himself: Kasiya was a young girl. She simply wanted an intimate relationship to heal her wounded childhood. All she desired was the feeling of the moment, just this process. She wasn't deciding right now to follow him for the rest of her life.
再次上路,李皓珺也在反思自己,怎么会自己感动到差点吓到人家,然后试图安慰自己说,凯西娅是个年轻女孩,她只是想要和自己亲密的关系疗愈她受伤的童年,她想要的只是现在感觉,只是这一个过程,她并不是现在就决定要跟随自己一生一世.
On their way through Chester, the two had a late lunch, arriving even later at their lodging in Haver. After a simple supper, they strolled along Milk River Park. The cool evening breeze carried the moonlight filtering through the trees, illuminating the river as it gently caressed and reflected the silhouettes of the two walking side by side.
一路上在切斯特两人吃了晚一点的午饭,最后更晚到了哈弗住宿,两人简单吃了晚饭,来到牛奶河畔公园散步,清凉的晚风伴着树林间白月光照亮的河水,轻拂并映衬着两人一同漫步的身影,
"Sorry for scaring you earlier today. I don't know why I felt so impulsive then," Li Haojun apologized as they walked, addressing the incident from earlier that day.
"抱歉,白天的时候吓到你了,我也不知道为什么,那时候会有那么冲动的情绪," 李皓珺一边走一边为白天的事情道歉,
Kasia didn't answer right away. She simply wrapped herself in a cotton knit shawl blanket matching the pattern of her robe, arms crossed over her shoulders, walking slowly. Then she suddenly turned to face Li Haojun and asked,
凯西娅并没有立刻回答什么,她只是身披罩衫同款花纹的纯棉针织披肩毯,双手抱肩,慢慢地走着,然后突然扭头面向李皓珺问,
Tell me the truth—were you really going to propose to me back then?
"告诉我实话,那时候你是真的要向我求婚吗?"
"No, to me you're like a grand princess, a queen. I'm deeply touched that you're willing to walk beside me."
"不是,你在我心里就好像是大公主,女王,我很感动有你愿意与我相随,"
Why would I be the eldest princess, the queen?
"为什么我会是大公主,女王呢?"
You're so young and beautiful, standing before me—you're my princess, my queen.
"你那么年轻,又漂亮,站在我面前,就是我的大公主,女王."
"Oh," Casey replied, nodding slightly, then asked again,
"Then don't you want me to be your daughter?"
"哦,"答应着,凯西娅微微点了点头,然后又接着问,
"那你不想我是你的女儿吗?"
"Come on, isn't a daughter her daddy's little princess?"
"想啊,难道女儿不是爸爸的公主吗?"
But Princess, or Queen, seems a bit distant. If I only want to be your daughter, is that okay?
"可是,公主,或者女王,似乎关系就有些疏远了,要是我只想做你的女儿,可以吗?"
"Of course I can, but I'm afraid it might be too much for you."
"当然可以啊,只是我怕委屈了你,"
"No, you did buy me new clothes, didn't you?"
"没有啊,你这不是给我买了新衣服?"
"You're such a good girl, so easy to please," Li Haojun said, wrapping his arm around Casey's waist and pulling her closer to him.
"你真是好姑娘,这么容易满足,"说着李皓珺搂着凯西娅的腰,把她往自己身边拉了拉,
"So do you like me or Emily?" Kasiya asked as she walked.
"那你到底是喜欢我还是喜欢艾米莉?"凯西娅一边走一边问,
"You're special."
"你很特别,"
"Isn't she special?"
"她不特别吗?"
"Her? She's special too, but you're different."
"她?她也特别,但是你们不一样,"
Oh, if one day there were someone you could trust to look after Emily, would you be willing to come with me?
"哦,要是有一天有一个你可以信赖的人照固艾米莉,你愿意跟我一起走吗?"
Li Haojun hesitated, seemingly puzzled by why Kasiya would ask such a question. He silently weighed whether he could accept that Tan Wenjing belonged to another man.
李皓珺犹豫了一下,似乎没明白凯西娅为什么会这么问,便自己在心中暗暗衡量,能否接受覃文静属于另一个男人了.
"If it were a clone of you keeping her company, could you leave her behind with peace of mind?" Seeing he didn't respond, Kasiya rephrased her question.
"假如是一个克隆的你,陪伴着她,你能放心地离开她吗?"见他不回答,凯西娅就又换了一个方式问,
"A clone of me? Does it share the same soul?" Li Haojun paused for a moment before pressing further.
"克隆的我?是和我一个灵魂吗?"李皓珺想了一下便追问,
"Yes,"
"是的,"
"We each have our own perceptions—how could they possibly be one?" Li Haojun asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"我们两个有各自的感知,怎么会是一个呢?"李皓珺有些疑惑地问,
"Then how about letting you both share each other's perceptions simultaneously?"
"那么,让你们都能同时拥有彼此的感知可以了吧?"
"Did he share you with me too?"
"他也和我分享你?"
Ha ha ha, jealous? Then how about just letting you sense his presence? That should be okay, right?
"哈哈哈,你吃醋了?那么只让你感受他的感知,总可以了吧?"
Oh, that's a bit strange—it's like knowing another guy is sleeping with your girlfriend.
"哦,有点奇怪,好像是自己知道别的男人睡自己的女友,"
"That other man is you—why can't you see it that way?"
"那个别的男人就是你,你为什么不能这样认为呢?"
"Oh, alright,"
"哦,好吧,"
After a leisurely stroll and casual chat, they returned to their hotel room. Kasiya sent Li Haojun off to take a shower first, then went to the window herself, gazing at the moonlit night sky.
经过了轻松的散步与闲聊,回到旅店房间,凯西娅打发李皓珺先去洗澡了,自己来到窗前,望着明亮月色的夜空,
At this moment in low Earth orbit, Liana finished her day's work feeling slightly weary. Interstellar politics were truly a mess—for in the vastness of the cosmos, no one could verify those claiming to represent certain races, nor their true interests and motives. And that was without even considering the existence of lifeforms without physical bodies.
此时在地球低轨道上,莉安娜结束了一天的工作略感疲惫,星际政治真的是一团糟,因为在浩瀚的宇宙里谁也无法确认那些自称是某某种族代表的人,以及他们真正的兴趣和利益所在,更别说还有无物质形态身体的生命了.
Returning to her own room, she found her younger sister exercising her privileges, using the terminal interface in her room for a remote immersive experience. They were twin sisters, yet had inherited distinct personality traits—the elder sister calm and resilient, the younger sister lively and playful. It was unclear whether one soul had split into two separate parts or if the same soul expressed divergent dominant characteristics.
回到自己的房间中,发现自己的妹妹正在使用她的特权,在她房间里的终端接口使用远程沉浸体验,她们是双胞胎姐妹,但是却继承了不同的性格特质,姐姐性格平和坚韧,妹妹灵动俏皮,不知道是一个灵魂分成了不同的两部分还是同一个灵魂表达了相异的显性特征.
"What are you doing?" Liana asked.
"你在做什么?"莉安娜问,
"Watch him take a bath,"
"看他洗澡,"
"Him? Huh," Liana began to wonder, but quickly remembered who he was. "他?呵呵,"莉安娜开始疑问,但是很快想到了他是谁,
"Want to give it a try?"
"你要来试试嘛?"
"Alright," Liana said, declining the perception-enhancing helmet her sister offered her. Instead, she walked over to the more advanced immersion control pod and lay down inside it.
"好啊,"说着,莉安娜并没有接过妹妹递给她的感知获取头盔,而是走向了功能更完善的沉浸控制舱,躺了进去.
Watching her sister settle into the pod, Lydia carried her perception-enhancing helmet and opened the door connecting the room to her own. Just as she was about to leave, she glanced back to see her sister comfortably positioned. She quietly closed the door behind her, tiptoed back to her sister's immersion pod, and switched her perception helmet to subordinate observation mode.
看着姐姐躺进去,莉迪娅拎着她的感知获取头盔,拉开房间内部通向自己房间的房门,正要回去,回头看看姐姐已经躺好了,她悄悄地又合上了门,蹑手蹑脚地回到姐姐的沉浸舱旁边,把自己的感知头盔设置了从属观察模式.
After gazing at the moonlight outside the window for a while, Kasiya returned indoors and walked toward the bathroom. The glass was transparent, and when Li Haojun saw her, he felt a bit surprised but not exactly shy. He just gave her an awkward smile.
望了一会儿窗前月色,凯西娅回到了室内,走到浴室前,玻璃是透明的,李皓珺看到她,有点感到意外,但是也不至于羞涩,只是朝她尴尬一笑,
Kasia took off her clothes and set them aside. At first, Li Haojun watched her every move, but later he felt too embarrassed to look directly at her.
凯西娅脱掉自己的衣服放在了一边,开始李皓珺还在看着她的一举一动,后来有些不好意思直视了,
Kasia pushed open the door and stepped into the bathroom. Li Haojun instinctively took a step back, yielding the showerhead to her.
凯西娅推门走进了浴室,李皓珺下意识地往后退了一步,把水喷头让给了她,
"Ethan, would you wash my hair for me?" After saying this, Kasiya turned around, her back facing Li Haojun.
"伊森,为我洗头好吗?"说完,凯西娅转过身,背对着李皓珺,
"Alright,"
"好,"
Kasia closed her eyes, tilting her head back to let the warm rainwater cascade over her body. She savored the caress of the flowing water against her skin, and felt Li Haojun behind her, gently unfurling strands of her hair with both hands, moistening them—yet moving with such care that not a single part of his body ever touched hers.
凯西娅闭着眼睛,仰着头,让温暖的淋雨水从头顶流经自己的身体,体会着水流给自己身体的抚摸,也体会着李皓珺在自己背后,用双手轻轻舒展自己的头发丝缕,润湿它们,但是却小心翼翼地,从来没有他的任何身体部位接触自己的身体.