Outside the window, a light drizzle fell as spring marched boldly toward the sanctuary. Today was a day of rest. Emma sat on the edge of the bed nursing their child while Lübeck lazed on her bed behind her. His face pressed against her hips, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding their son's small hand, he savored his double happiness.
窗外下着蒙蒙细雨,庇护之地的春天正大踏步地走来.今天是休息日,艾玛正坐在床边给孩子喂奶,吕贝克懒在她的床上,躺在她的身后,脸贴着她的臀部,一手搂着她的腰,一手拉着儿子的小手,享受着他的双重幸福.
Emma chatted with Lübeck behind her during a break. "I heard from Ruth that you went back to visit her when she was little. What was she like as a child?"
"我听露丝说,你回去看望了小时候的她,小时候的她是什么样子呢?"艾玛闲来与身后的吕贝克聊天,
"Slim, just like in my childhood memories,"
"瘦瘦的,和我小时候的记忆里面一样,"
"Oh, she's so skinny, that's why you have to send her money to buy food, right?"
"啊,她太瘦了,所以你才要给她去送钱,买吃的,是吗?"
"Right? Money can do a lot of things."
"是吧,有钱可以做许多事情啊,"
"Oh, did your parents give you money when you were little?"
"唉,那你小的时候有没有你给你钱啊?"
No, that's precisely why I want to help them now. I don't want them to live in the same poverty Ruth and I endured as children.
"没有,所以我现在才想要帮助他们,我不想他们再过我和露丝小时候那么清贫的日子."
"So? You didn't give your money to this Ruth here?"
"那?你的钱给的不是现在这个露丝啊?"
"Hmm, it's not her."
"嗯,不是她,"
"So when you went back, were the ones you saw you and this Ruth?"
"那你回去看到的他们是你和这个露丝吗?"
"All I can say is that they were me and Ruth back then."
"只能说他们是那时候的我和露丝,"
"Alright, you're helping Ruth and yourself too."
"好吧,你这也算是在帮助露丝和你自己,"
"Yes,"
"是的,"
Though the child didn't quite grasp the conversation, he kept interacting with Emma and Lübeck—making sounds or gestures—as excited as if he wanted to join the discussion.
"Look at our son," Emma said happily, "he must be just as smart as you."
孩子虽然不太明白对话的内容,但是一直在和艾玛与吕贝克互动,发出声音,或者做出肢体动作,兴奋得仿佛也要参与讨论一样,
"你看咱儿子,一定像你一样聪明,"艾玛高兴地说,
"Actually, boys tend to take after their mothers more, while daughters take after their fathers—you're the smart one," Lü Beck explained.
"其实男孩应该是随妈妈多一些,女儿才是随爸爸,是你聪明,"吕贝克解释说,
"Oh, so you want a daughter?" Emma asked hesitantly.
"哦,那你是想要女儿吗?"有些顾虑地艾玛问,
"No, I want a son, because you'll need him to rely on in the future. In this day and age, it's still primarily up to men to fight their way through society and support the family."
"不,我想要儿子,因为将来你要依靠他,这个时代主要还得靠男性在社会上拼搏支撑家庭,"
"Oh,"
"哦,"
As Lübecke and Emma chatted, the open bedroom door carried the babbling conversation of Clara and Ruth in the kitchen.
在吕贝克与艾玛的闲聊中,敞开的卧室门正传来克拉拉和露丝在厨房里的咿呀对话声,
With the sound of voices drifting in through the bedroom door, Ada wandered in, her small frame seeming to drift aimlessly around the room. Her eyes flickered as she glanced inside from the doorway.
随着从房门飞进艾玛卧室的言语声,艾达愣愣地走了进来,小小的身体漫无目的地似乎在房间里漫游,眼神闪烁地在门口朝里面望了望,
As soon as Lü Bei saw the child, who had just lost her father and now faced her mother leaving them to make ends meet, his heart ached. He hurriedly called out to her,
"Aida, come here. It's cold outside," he said, lifting the quilt.
吕贝克一见,这孩子才没了爸爸,妈妈为了生活又不得不离开她们,不由得心酸,急忙叫她,
"艾达过来,外面冷,"说着撩起被子,
Ada said nothing, still wearing that dazed expression. She came over with a few thump-thump-thump steps and climbed onto the bed.
艾达没说话,还是愣愣的表情,咚咚咚几步过来爬上了床,
Lübeck pressed his hand against her icy little feet while urging her to lean against Emma's thigh, then pinched Emma's buttock with his other hand.
吕贝克一边用手捂着她冰凉的小脚,一边催促着她靠在艾玛的大腿上,另一边用手掐了一把艾玛的屁股,
Emma turned around just as Lübeck gave her a knowing look. Emma smiled, instantly understanding, then turned back to look at Ida and gently stroked her head.
艾玛一回头,吕贝克给了她一个眼色,艾玛一笑秒懂,转回头看着艾达,用手摸了摸她的头.
After breakfast, Lübeck glanced out the window. The drizzle persisted, showing no sign of letting up. By now, he had already decided what to do.
吃过早饭,吕贝克望了望窗外,依然是细雨蒙蒙,看起来不会有大的天气变化,这时他已经想好了要做什么,
Upon seeing the orderly's carriage arrive, Lübeck bid farewell to his family, took Clara and Ida aboard, wrapped them securely in his own raincoat with his own hands, and set off together.
看到勤务兵的马车到来,吕贝克告别家人,带上克拉拉和艾达上了马车,吕贝克亲手用自己的防雨大衣给他们包裹好,一起上路了,
The carriage rolled on through the spring rain. Along the roadside, the damp earth had already begun to glow with fresh green and deep purple hues. Tender leaves and new shoots of various plants were bursting forth, breaking through the soil. Together with the rain droplets in the air, they carried the refreshing scent of spring that invigorated the soul.
马车行驶,春雨中,路边湿润的泥土已经泛出了新绿,酱紫,各种植物的嫩叶与新芽纷纷冒出,破土,它们一起混合着空气中的雨丝,带来沁人心脾的春的气息.
To surprise them, Lübeck didn't tell the sisters where he was taking them. As the carriage passed through the market district, passersby greeted Lübeck, and the children in the carriage naturally became the topic of their conversation.
为了给她们一个惊喜,吕贝克并没有告诉这对小姐妹要带她们去哪里,当马车经过市场路段,往来的人们看到吕贝克纷纷打招呼,而车上的孩子自然也成了他们谈论的话题.
Without lingering, Lü Beck bought a bag of eggs at the market and pressed on. In the fields beside the road, people were at work—it was the season for spring wheat planting. A fine rain moistened the soil, and the distant mountains, too, were dampened as far as the eye could see.
没有过多停顿,吕贝克在市场买了一兜鸡蛋就继续上路了,路旁的田地里,有人在劳作,正是麦子春播的时候,细雨润湿了泥土,远山,也润湿了一望距离.
Winding country lanes, though not as smooth and wide as city streets, offer no need to rush. With every stretch traveled and every bend rounded, a fresh vista seems to unfold—making such journeys never feel tedious.
蜿蜒的田间小路,虽然没有城区的大路平坦宽阔,却也不急于赶路,每走过一段路,转过一个弯角,似乎都会有不同的景致,这样的旅程似乎永远不会感到乏味.
The carriage arrived at Doris's new home, where no one was present. The house of the neighbors ahead seemed livelier, with women working together to prepare food for the farmers.
马车来到多丽丝的新家,并没有人,前面邻居家里似乎更加热闹,妇女们在一起劳作,给种地的人准备食物.
Stepping outside the courtyard, Lübeck saw Doris standing there too. He turned to Clara and Ida and asked,
"Do you see who that is?"
Clara seemed to recognize her mother. She looked up at Lübeck without speaking, as if seeking his permission.
"Go on, take your sister with you."
走到庭院之外,吕贝克看到了多丽丝也在那里,回身问克拉拉和艾达,
"你们看那是谁?"
克拉拉似乎认出了妈妈,抬头看着吕贝克没有说话,似乎在征求他的许可,
"去吧,领着你的妹妹,"
Clara's petite frame deftly pulled her younger sister out of the carriage before stepping down herself to catch her. Together they walked into the courtyard,
where the women gathered noticed the visitors and turned to look. Lübeck waved at them.
Doris turned toward them as well. The drizzle had dampened her hair, sticking it clammy to her face. Seeing her children and then glancing at Lübeck in the distance, she understood his intention.
克拉拉小巧的身体麻利地拉着妹妹,自己下车,然后接住妹妹,两人走进院落,
这时院子里的女人们也注意到了访客,纷纷望过来,吕贝克向她们摆了摆手.
多丽丝也面向这边,细雨打湿了她的发丝,黏黏的粘在脸上,她看到自己的孩子们,再看看远处的吕贝克,明白了他的用意,
Watching Doris and her children from afar, embracing and sharing stories, expressing the longing and concern since their separation, Lü Beck felt a quiet sadness welling up inside. When would her own happiness arrive?
远远地看着多丽丝和她的孩子们,拥抱和诉说,自从分开以来的牵挂和惦念,吕贝克暗自在心里为之伤感,她的幸福何时到来,
Doris was a petite woman of considerable beauty, though fate had dealt her a harsh hand. Perhaps it was her very beauty that drove her ex-husband to desperate measures—was this truly her destiny? Lübeck silently pondered the way fate both took away and gave.
多丽丝是一位颇具姿色的小女人,只是命运有些坎坷,或许也正是她的美貌让她的前夫铤而走险,这就是她的命运吗?吕贝克暗自感慨命运的剥夺与馈赠.
It was nearly noon, and the sky seemed to have brightened a bit. The drizzle that had started early that morning had stopped. The women had prepared food to take to the fields. Just then, Lübecke's cart arrived. They loaded the pots and jars onto the cart, and the group walked alongside it toward the fields.
快到中午时间了,天色似乎亮了一些,清晨开始的蒙蒙细雨也停了,女人们准备好了食物准备往田里送,正好吕贝克马车在这里,于是罐子坛子装上了车,一行人跟着马车步行,走向田间.
Not only men labored in the fields, but also strong women, while those left at home preparing food were the less robust ones. Lübeck observed Clara and her mother's figures, thinking the little girl might grow up to be as petite as her mother. Yet the child was well-behaved and sensible; despite her young age, she could already follow the women to help distribute food to the laborers.
在田地里劳作的不只有男人,也有强壮的女人,而留在家里准备食物的,都是不那么强壮的女人.吕贝克打量着克拉拉与她的妈妈的身形,觉得这个小女孩将来的身板可能会像她的妈妈,也是娇小那种.但是这个孩子很乖巧,懂事,不大的年纪已经能够跟随着那些女人帮忙给种地的人分发食物了.
During the noon break, everyone gathered around the carriage, eating and chatting. Inevitably, the conversation turned to Doris and her children. Some praised her children for being clever and helpful to the adults, while others reassured her that with Lübeck looking after them, she had nothing to worry about.
午休时间,所有人聚集到马车周边,边吃边聊,也免不了谈论多丽丝和她的孩子们,有人夸奖她的孩子聪明伶俐帮大人做事,也有人安慰她,有吕贝克照看她们不用担心.
It seemed as though Lü Beck caught a flicker of relief in Doris's eyes—perhaps she had come to accept her decision. It seemed that ordinary workers held little power over their own destinies.
似乎,吕贝克在多丽丝的眼里看到了一丝欣慰,或许她认可了自己当初的决定,似乎,普通的劳动者对于自己的命运并没有太多掌控的能力.
On the way back, wrapped in her coat, Ida had fallen asleep leaning against her sister. For her, the day's journey had been exhausting. Throughout the journey, Lübeck pondered that perhaps they should push for scientific and technological progress in the Sanctuary. Increasing productivity could create more non-agricultural jobs—work no longer requiring physical labor. This could improve women's employment opportunities and their social standing.
回程的路上,裹在大衣里的艾达靠着姐姐已经睡着了,对于她来说这一天在外面的奔波太累了.而一路上吕贝克也在思考,或许应该推动发展庇护之地的科学技术进步,提高生产力就可以创造更多的非农业生产岗位,那些不再需要体力的工作,可以改善女性的生产就业,还有她们的社会地位.
In a world where women can participate in society as actively as men, utilizing their talents, wouldn't they be able to live happier lives?
在一个女性能够与男性同样活跃在社会上的世界里,发挥她们的才能,她们能够生活得更加幸福,不是吗?