Last night's thunderstorm had vanished without a trace by the midsummer afternoon. Walking along the path from the courtyard to the solar farm, Qin Wenjing wore a traditional Chinese-style cotton-linen top today. The fabric was light and sheer, a pale brown linen base printed with delicate green leaf patterns. The round-neck blouse featured puffed sleeves, a rounded front panel, and green piping. A dark green ribbon tied her side-braided hair, and she wore no lipstick, earrings, or necklace—a simple look for today.
昨夜的雷雨在盛夏的午后已经不见了踪迹.走在院落去太阳能农场的甬路上,覃文静今天给自己穿了一件中国传统风格棉麻上衣,面料轻薄通透,淡棕麻底色,上面印着淡绿的叶子图案.圆领灯笼袖,圆鞘衣襟,绿色锁边.侧编的麻花辫系了一个墨绿发带,没涂口红,没戴耳坠项链,今天很朴素.
A pair of light blue skinny jeans paired with a fitted top accentuated the waist and hips, showcasing both softness and poise. The light pink high heels clicked rhythmically against the fired paving bricks. Last night's rain evaporated under the sun, and in this warm, humid air, weeds grew rampantly across the ground. Li Haojun disliked mowing the lawn—he didn't want to waste time, nor did he want to smell the scent of plants bleeding. So he let everything take its natural course.
一条淡蓝色紧身牛仔裤,配合收腰圆鞘的上衣,尽显腰胯的柔美与稳重.藕色的小高跟鞋踩在烧制的甬路方砖上发出卡塔卡塔的声音.昨夜的雨水在阳光下蒸腾,在这暖湿里,地面的杂草肆意地生长着.李皓珺不喜欢割草,他不愿意浪费时间,也不愿意闻到植物流血的味道,所以一切任其自然.
The path wasn't long, but on this summer day—bathed in bright yellow sunlight and surrounded by pale green grass, with the air itself scorching hot—time seemed to stand still along it. When she reached the basement door, Qin Wenjing pulled it open but didn't step inside. A wave of coolness washed over her, yet she disliked the damp, chilly atmosphere—even though he was there.
这条小路不长,可是在这大黄色的阳光,与淡绿色青草的环顾的夏日里,加上周围空气的炙热,这条小路上的时光似乎停止了.直至来到地下室门口,覃文静拉开门,但是并没有走进去.迎面扑来清凉的感觉,但是她不喜欢阴冷的环境,虽然他在那里.
In the basement, Li Haojun was still going about his business when the door opened. He turned to see Tan Wenjing standing in the doorway. She didn't come in, but instead leaned her left hand against the doorframe, her right hand still on the doorknob, watching him.
地下室里,李皓珺还在做他的事情,这时门开了,他回头看见覃文静站在门口.她并没有进来,而是左手倚着门框,右手拉着门把手,站在那里看着他.
The sunlight outside cast through Tan Wenjing's blouse, outlining her silhouette. The backlighting made her features hard to make out, but the figure was familiar.
外面的阳光透过覃文静的上衣,勾勒出她的身形轮廓,逆光的对比度不太能看清她的面容,但是身形是熟悉的.
Li Haojun set down what he was doing, walked over, wrapped his arms around Qin Wenjing's waist, and asked,
李皓珺放下手里的事情,走过去搂着覃文静的腰,问,
What's up? Need something?
"怎么了,有事吗?"
"No, would you like to take a break? Come sit down."
"没有,休息一下吗?出来坐坐."
Li Haojun said nothing, simply taking her hand and leading her outside to sit on the bench by the doorway. The afternoon warmth quickly spread through her, opening up the circulation in her fingertips and toes. She'd been so absorbed in the basement earlier that she'd completely lost track of her own physical sensations.
李皓珺什么也没说,拉着她的手,出来坐在门口的长椅上.午后的温度很快使得李皓珺感到自己的四肢末梢血液循环都打开了.刚才在地下室确实过于专注,忽略了自己的身体感受.
"Do you like summer?" Tan Wenjing asked, but she didn't look at Li Haojun. Instead, she faced the sun with her eyes closed, basking in the warm rays.
"喜欢夏天吗?" 覃文静问道,但是她并没有看李皓珺,而是闭着眼睛面向太阳,享受着煦日的沐浴.
Li Haojun thought for a moment, unsure why she'd asked this, and replied, "I do. Each season has its own charm."
李皓珺想了想,不知道为什么她想起来问这个,就回答,"喜欢,每个季节都有它的特点."
You used to love autumn—its depth and romance. After all these years, you've come to love summer—its intensity and passion. Just like the fiery way you've always lived your life. With that, Qin Wenjing turned her head and smiled mischievously at Li Haojun.
"你最早是喜欢秋天的,深情,浪漫.在经过了多年之后,你喜欢夏天,它炙热,奔放.就像你一直努力的生活,一样的火热."说完,覃文静扭头笑嘻嘻地看着李皓珺,
"You told me that."
"是你告诉我的,"
"Oh," Li Haojun replied, wondering what on earth had gotten into the little girl today. So he tried asking,
"哦,"李皓珺答应着,心想这小丫头今天抽的哪门子疯.于是便试着问,
"So which season do you like best?"
"那你喜欢哪个季节?"
"Summer,"
"夏天,"
"Why?"
"为什么?"
"Because of you," she said, turning to burrow into Li Haojun's embrace.
"因为你,"说着,覃文静转身趴在李皓珺怀里,
Li Haojun wrapped one arm around her back while the other swept her legs onto his own. In the gentle breeze, mingled with the scent of fresh grass and rain, he faintly detected the faint, sweaty aroma of her body—the allure of the opposite sex.
李皓珺一手搂着她的背,一手搂过她的双腿,放在自己腿上.和风里,伴着青草和雨水的气息,淡淡的能闻到她身体微微发汗的味道,异性的吸引.
"Why?" Li Haojun leaned close to her ear again and asked softly.
"为什么呀?"李皓珺又趴在她耳边轻轻地追问,
"Because that summer was our happiest time," Tan Wenjing murmured, resting her face against Li Haojun's shoulder as she continued her story.
"因为那个夏天是我们最幸福的时光,"说着,覃文静把脸靠在李皓珺肩上,继续讲述,
Back then, I was transitioning from middle school to high school. You were a better student than me, so you often explained problem-solving approaches to me. You excelled in physics and were pretty good at math too, so we naturally spent more time together than usual. After the exams, we had even more time to be together. I was young back then and didn't overthink things, so that period was the happiest time for me—at least, that's how I remember it.
"那时候我正好初中升高中,你比我学的好,所以你经常给我讲解题思路,你物理学得好,数学也还行,所以比平时接触更多.后来考完试,我们也更多的时间在一起.那时候我也小,也不会想很多,所以那段时间是最幸福的,至少我觉得是."
"So did we start dating back then?" Li Haojun tentatively asked.
"那我们是那时候确定恋爱关系的吗?" 李皓珺试着问,
"No,"
"没有,"
"Was that later?"
"那是后来吗?"
"No, I don't," Qin Wenjing said, glancing up at Li Haojun.
"也没有,"说着覃文静抬头看了看李皓珺,
Back then you were so much older than me. After I started high school, I always wanted someone my own age, so... I guess I just felt insecure, always afraid you wouldn't be there for me in the end.
"那时候你比我大很多,上高中以后,我总想找个同龄的,所以...,我可能是缺乏安全感,总是怕你不能陪我到最后."
"Oh, so now that I've slept off my amnesia, does that mean I'm the same age as you?" Li Haojun said, beginning to shake Qin Wenjing in his arms.
"哦,那现在我失忆睡过之后,是不是跟你同岁了呀?" 说着,李皓珺开始晃动怀里的覃文静.
"In math, right?" Qin Wenjing giggled.
"数学上是吧."说完,覃文静咯咯咯地笑了起来.
Qin Wenjing rarely spoke to Li Haojun about their past, perhaps because she didn't want to bring up some painful memories. But this time, she brought it up herself. Seizing the opportunity, Li Haojun wanted to learn more about their history and asked,
覃文静很少跟李皓珺谈及他们的过去,也许是有些伤心的过往她不愿提及吧.但是这次她主动说起,李皓珺便主动抓住机会,想多了解一些他们的过往,于是接着问,
"Did we still hang out a lot after you started high school?"
"你上高中后我们还经常在一起吗?"
"Pretty much, we're neighbors."
"差不多吧,我们是邻居,"
"Then should I still explain math and physics problems to you?"
"那我还给你讲数学物理题吗?"
"Yes,"
"是的,"
Did I keep you talking until late?
"给你讲到很晚吗?"
"Go on, stop showing off." With that, Qin Wenjing feigned annoyance and turned her head away from him.
"去,别臭美."说着,覃文静假装生气的样子,扭头不看他了.
Li Haojun noticed she was in a fairly good mood today, so he continued to tease her while asking,
李皓珺看她今天心情还不错,就接着边逗她边问,
I helped you study so much, yet you didn't even show a little appreciation. How ungrateful can you be? Tell me, did you get your first kiss?
"我那么帮着你学习,你连一点表示都没有,是不是小没良心的?说,初吻有没有?"
Oh, that doesn't count.
"哎呀,那不算啦."
Oh? What kind of thing counts then? Tell me, what's the deal with your boyfriend?
"哦?那要怎么样的才算呢?说,和你男朋友的是什么样?"
"Go on, go on," Tan Wenjing said, playfully pushing Li Haojun's arm while quietly nestling into his embrace.
"去去去," 覃文静一边撒娇推着李皓珺的胳膊,一边悄无声息地靠在他怀里.
Looking at her slightly sweaty forehead and flushed cheeks, Li Haojun asked softly, one word at a time,
看着她略微出汗的额头,绯红的脸颊,李皓珺轻声地一字一字地问,
If time could turn back, this is that summer—what would you do?
"如果时光倒流,这就是那个夏天,你会怎么做?"
Qin Wenjing nestled in his arms, her eyes closed. After a long while, she spoke softly,
覃文静偎依在他怀里,闭着眼睛,过了好一阵才轻声说,
I hope I can seize the moment.
"我希望,我能抓住现在."
The afternoon's scorching heat had gradually faded, and their embrace had shifted from fiery passion to mutual warmth. Li Haojun shook Tan Wenjing and said,
午后的炙热已经慢慢褪去,两个人的拥抱已经从火热变为互相温暖.李皓珺摇晃了一下覃文静说,
Go back inside. Don't get bitten by mosquitoes.
"回屋里吧,不要被蚊虫叮咬."
Back inside the house, Tan Wenjing's display screen was filled with notifications for subscribed news updates. Li Haojun glanced over and saw they were follow-up reports on the news story from that day in Richland.
回到屋里,覃文静的显示屏幕上好多订阅新闻的提醒,李皓珺留神一瞧,原来还是关于那天在里奇兰上新闻的后续报道,
Follow-up on the Richland Riots Promotion of Marine Life Conservation Propulsion Systems The Forces Behind the Richland Riots Police Announcement Regarding the Richland Riots Richland Riots...
"里奇兰骚乱后续,海洋生物保护推进器推广,里奇兰骚乱背后势力,里奇兰骚乱警方公示,里奇兰骚乱..."
"Oh, come on," Qin Wenjing interrupted Li Haojun's robotic, stiff reading of the news headlines. She knew he was mocking her, still fixated on that heart-fluttering trip they'd taken together days ago.
"哎呀,好啦," 覃文静打断了李皓珺机器般地死板的朗读新闻标题,她知道李皓珺在嘲弄她,依然热心于多日前两人那场心动旅行.
"Women, do you have to be soaked in romance all the time?" Li Haojun asked Tan Wenjing with a smile.
"女人啊,要一直泡在浪漫里吗?" 李皓珺微笑着看着覃文静问,
Qin Wenjing narrowed her eyes at Li Haojun without saying a word.
覃文静眯着眼看着李皓珺也不说话,
"What happened with Richland later?" Li Haojun, seeing Tan Wenjing remained silent, changed the subject.
"里奇兰那边后来怎么样了?" 李皓珺看覃文静不说话,就问了别的话题.
"Oh, it seems some organizers came from Portland and California, but others lack citizenship—they're just local residents living off welfare. Due to disrupting social order and engaging in violent destruction, they've lost all their points and may be deported to farms at the border between residential and natural zones to adapt to self-sufficient living."
"哦,好像里边有些组织者是波特兰和加州过来的,但是有些是没有公民身份的,只是当地居民,靠社会福利生活的,因为扰乱社会秩序和暴力破坏活动,积分扣没了,可能会被驱逐到居民区与自然区交界处的农场去适应自食其力的生活."
Well, if they can only destroy and not build, then they truly have no place in a civilized society. But from a humanitarian perspective...
"嗯,如果他们不能建设只能毁坏,那么确实不适合一个文明社会.但是,从人道主义角度..."
Before Li Haojun could finish speaking, Qin Wenjing covered her mouth and giggled as she looked at him.
没等李皓珺说完,覃文静捂着嘴咯咯咯地笑着看着李皓珺,
"What are you laughing at?" Li Haojun asked in surprise.
"你笑什么?" 李皓珺很诧异地问,
"You really have forgotten. You once told me about your school days—how some classmates wouldn't study themselves and wouldn't let others study either." Qin Wenjing said with a smile.
"你真的是忘了,以前你给我讲过你上学的经历,有的同学就是自己不好好学习还不让别人好好学习那种." 覃文静笑着说,
If you still remembered those people, you wouldn't keep saying "but" and bringing up humanitarianism again.
"要是你还记得那些人,你就不会又说但是,又是人道主义了."
"Oh, I see," Li Haojun found himself at a loss for words. After all, he genuinely couldn't recall, leaving him with no basis for further comment.
"哦,是这样啊," 李皓珺竟无言以对,毕竟自己真的不记得了,真的没了发言权的基础.
"Well, it's not that today's social system doesn't give them opportunities—it's just that they don't cherish them, or lack the self-control to do so. Can you really expect someone who hasn't built anything, or never built anything, to value the fruits of others' labor?"
"哎呀其实现在的社会制度不是没有给他们机会,只是他们自己没有珍惜,或者没有能力自控.一个不会建设的,或者说不曾建设的人,你能指望他们珍惜别人的劳动成果吗?"
"Well, not necessarily," Li Haojun pondered before saying, "Some people are just inherently kind—they wouldn't hurt others or damage their property."
"哎,也不一定," 李皓珺想了想说,"有的人就是天生善良那种,不会去伤害别人,也不会去破坏别人的财物,"
Rest assured, they are living quite well. Even if they aren't particularly bright or creative, they coexist with us as residents. So in a sense, the current personal evaluation system actually serves to protect vulnerable groups.
"你放心吧,他们生活的很好,即便他们不够聪明或者有创造力,他们以居民的身份在与我们一起生活.所以目前的个人评价体系其实是从某种角度上来讲是保护弱势群体的."
"Hmm, that makes sense—to prevent evildoers from slipping through the cracks?"...
"嗯,有些道理,防止作恶者鱼目混珠?"...
Unnoticed, night had fallen. The summer breeze gently rustled the plants in the courtyard, while the dim lamplight spilled through the windows onto the ground. Within the glow of the house, a figure moved about; beyond that, only darkness remained.
不知不觉,夜色已经降临,夏夜的微风轻轻拂动院落中的植物,昏黄的灯光透过窗子散落地上.屋里的灯光中有人影晃动,除此皆为夜色.
Today the warm sun shone down, Only those who cherish it receive its light.
今天曾有煦日照耀,只有珍惜的人得到.