The late summer and early autumn evening breeze already carried a hint of chill, with the scent of fading night, golden wind and jade dew. It drifted in through the slightly open bedroom window, cool and dry, brushing every corner of the room.
夏末秋初的晚风已经有了几分凉意,带着阑珊暗夜金风玉露的气息,从微敞的卧室窗口吹入,带着清凉的干爽,抚遍卧室的每一个角落.
Qin Wenjing felt that Li Haojun's love for her just now had been intense but lacking rhythm. She turned her head away, quietly gazing out the window. The dimness inside the courtyard walls and the deep darkness of the sky beyond the walls — the hand stroking Li Haojun's back and waist felt a little damp; he was sweating.
覃文静觉得李皓珺刚才对自己的爱热烈之中却失了节奏,她把头扭向一边,静静望着窗外,院墙内空间的幽暗与院墙外天空的深沉,抚摸李皓珺腰背的手感到有些潮湿,出汗了.
Afraid he might catch a chill, she pulled over the thin silk quilt and draped it over their waists.
怕他着凉,便一把扯过边上的蚕丝薄被,搭在两个人腰间,
"Haojun, what are your two little girls doing?"
"皓珺,你那两个小丫头在做什么?"
"I don't know either."
"我也不知道,"
"I'm asking what they do while you're at work."
"我问你上班时间,她们在做什么,"
"Kesiya is on vacation. Malaya is still booking my itinerary."
"凯西娅在休假,玛莱雅还是帮我预订行程,"
"Heh heh, so when is Kesiya coming back?" Saying this, Qin Wenjing pushed Li Haojun off her body and let him land beside her.
"呵呵,那凯西娅什么时候回来啊?"说着覃文静一把把李皓珺从自己身上推开,落在了自己的身边,
"Well, about a month."
"嗯,差不多要一个月吧,"
"She didn't take her sister with her, nor you. She took someone else, right?"
"她没有带她的妹妹一起去,也没有带你一起去,是带了别人吧,"
"She can't take Malaya away with her — then who would help me with my work..." Halfway through, Li Haojun realized how meaningless this sounded. He just opened his mouth and stared into Qin Wenjing's eyes.
"她不能一起带走玛莱雅,那样谁帮助我工作上的..."话到一半,李皓珺也觉得这话说的没意思,只有张着嘴,看着覃文静眼睛的份儿,
"Hmph," Qin Wenjing smiled and ignored him. Her gaze passed over Li Haojun and looked out the window.
"哼,"覃文静一笑,没理他,视线越过李皓珺望向窗外,
But at this moment, her silence was like ten thousand horses galloping, their iron hooves crushing Li Haojun's heart, galloping with the swirling dust toward Kesiya's direction, to stand guard by her side.
然而此刻她的沉默,却宛如万马奔腾,铁蹄踏碎李皓珺的心房,随着卷起的风沙,飞奔去凯西娅的方向,去守望在她的身旁.
The evening breeze outside the window carried the faint fragrance of roses and wild roses. Crickets chirped in the corner, urging the dark hours along.
窗外的晚风,带着月季与蔷薇的幽香,墙角的蟋蟀"吱吱吱",催促着暗夜里的时光,
"If a woman gives herself to you completely, how would you treat her?" Qin Wenjing asked softly.
"如果有一个女人,对你舍身相随,你怎么待她?",覃文静轻声地问,
"I will take good care of you."
"我会好好爱护你,"
"What if the person I'm talking about isn't me?"
"如果我说的那个人不是我呢?"
"Who is it?"
"是谁?"
"Don't ask who that person was in the past. You don't remember anymore."
"不要问过去那个人是谁,你已经不记得了,"
"Ah." Qin Wenjing turned her head to the other side in annoyance.
"啊,",覃文静有些懊恼地把头扭向了另一侧,
"Sorry, I've reopened your wound."
"抱歉,我又揭你的伤疤."
"Heh heh, it's nothing. I really don't care about that," Li Haojun said with a smile. He truly didn't care. Seeing Qin Wenjing look so self-reproachful made him forget his own troubles instead, and his heart ached for her. So he used his arms and legs to roll her over again, face to face, and pulled her close into his embrace.
"呵呵,没事,这个我真不在乎,",李皓珺笑着说,他真的不在乎这些,看覃文静那有些自责的样子,他反而忘却了心中的烦恼,心疼起覃文静来,于是胳膊腿并用,把她又翻过身来,面向自己,搂紧她到自己怀里.
"Cherish the woman in front of you. Cherish me when you're with me, and when you're with them..." Qin Wenjing buried her face in Li Haojun's arms, her voice growing softer and softer.
"珍惜你眼前的女人,和我在一起的时候珍惜我,和她们在一起的时候...",把脸埋在李皓珺怀里的覃文静,声音越来越弱.
Last night's murmurs seemed to have dispersed the morning mist. The gorgeous autumn colors spilled over the country roads. Early in the morning, Qin Wenjing saw Li Haojun out the small courtyard gate — just as Malaya arrived in Li Haojun's flying car to take him to George and then to the factory in Ellensburg. Li Haojun was happy to let Malaya do the driving as well; as long as someone kept him company, whether Qin Wenjing or Malaya.
昨晚的呢喃似乎驱散了今早的晨雾,靓丽的秋色洒满乡间公路,一早上覃文静把李皓珺送出了小院门口,正是玛莱雅开着李皓珺那辆飞行汽车前来接他去乔治,还有埃伦斯堡的工厂.李皓珺很高兴顺便把覃文静的活也干了,只要有人陪,不是覃文静就是玛莱雅.
Ever since Malaya took over the new car, Li Haojun had never touched the steering wheel again. Malaya became his personal chauffeur, and she no longer booked flying taxis for him, because even running on the ground, the speed was about the same. Malaya really enjoyed the driving pleasure of this car.
自从玛莱雅接手这辆新车,李皓珺就再也没有摸过方向盘,玛莱雅成了他的专属司机,她也不再为李皓珺订飞行出租车了,因为即便是在地面上跑,速度也差不多,玛莱雅很喜欢这辆车的驾驶乐趣.
The autumn morning sunlight was clear and a little dazzling. She put on her driving sunglasses — but they were a pair of men's style Wayfarers. On the little girl's face, they looked both cool and a bit comical, especially paired with her long hair tied up in two little bunches with red hair strings.
秋天一早晨的阳光就通透又有些刺眼,她带上了驾驶用墨镜,只是那是一副男款样式的蛤蟆镜,这个小姑娘的脸蛋戴上它,既有些酷又有些滑稽,尤其配上她今天的长头发绑扎的双抓阄小辫子还有红头绳.
Her orange long-sleeved dress went well enough — pale orange base with autumn maple leaf patterns, a small black faux leather stand-up collar, matching tight black cuffs. She looked quite spirited. Only she wore a pair of sneakers, but luckily they were black, a color that goes with everything.
她身上那件橙色长袖连衣裙还算搭配,淡橙底色,上面有秋天的枫叶图案,黑色仿皮小立领,同款的紧致黑色袖口,看起来很精神.只是她脚穿了一双运动鞋,还好是黑色的,百搭的色调.
The George factory was fine, an early one, small in scale, with simple production lines. In less than a morning, Li Haojun finished the basic inspection, equipment calibration, and manual sample checks.
乔治的工厂还好,是早期的,规模小,生产线也简单,不到一上午李皓珺就完成了基本的巡检和设备校验,人工抽检工作.
Today, since Kesiya wasn't following Li Haojun, Malaya went with him. From the control room to the production workshop, she looked around curiously. Li Haojun didn't let her come for nothing; he explained the entire production process and safety procedures. But the little girl didn't seem to care much.
今天凯西娅没有跟随李皓珺,玛莱雅便跟着他,从控制室到生产车间,东张西望,有些好奇.李皓珺也没让她白来一趟,全过程给她讲解了生产操作和安全事项,只是这个小姑娘好像并不在意这些.
Before noon, Li Haojun finished his work at the George factory. Walking out of the dim factory office, he stood in the yard and looked up at the sky. On this clear autumn day, his heart didn't want to be constrained by mundane chores or man-made buildings — it wanted to fly into the ethereal blue sky, far away.
还不到中午,李皓珺便完成了乔治工厂的工作,从暗淡的厂房办公室里走出来,站在厂区院子里仰望天空,秋高气爽的日子里,似乎心也不想要被世俗琐事和人造的建筑约束,要飞入那空灵的蓝天里,飞向远方,
"Do you want to know where my sister is vacationing?" Malaya walked up from behind, asking in a clear, slightly mischievous voice.
"你想知道我姐姐在哪度假吗?",玛莱雅从后面走上来,清脆又有些调皮地问,
Li Haojun wanted to know, yet was afraid to know. He had already turned his head instinctively, but for a moment didn't know how to answer the little girl's question.
李皓珺想知道,可是又怕知道,下意识地已经回过头,却一时间又不知该如何回答这个小姑娘的问题,
Malaya grinned, came around to the front of Li Haojun, and placed both hands on his temples.
玛莱雅笑嘻嘻地从后面绕到李皓珺的面前,用双手扶住李皓珺的太阳穴,
"Do you want to know? Put your forehead against mine. I can show you."
"想知道吗?把你的额头靠在我的额头上,我可以展示给你看,"
Li Haojun didn't ask how she could do that, nor did he try to understand. He simply followed Malaya's hands, gently leaned forward, closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against hers at her guidance.
李皓珺并没有询问她是怎么能做到这一点的,也没有试图去理解,只是随着玛莱雅的双手,顺从地轻轻靠前,闭上眼睛,随着她的引导,把自己的额头贴在她的额前.
Slowly, in the darkness of his mind, light seemed to gather — swirling, floating. The brightness wavered and gradually spread, as if passing through a tunnel of light where a thin veil was slowly drawn away. On the screen of his mind was a pale blue sky, a deep ocean, a beige sandy beach.
慢慢地,脑海的黑暗中似乎有了光量,旋转,飘逸,那光亮飘忽着慢慢扩散,仿佛穿过那光亮的隧道中的轻纱帷幕慢慢揭去,脑海的屏幕里是淡蓝的天空,深沉的大海,米色的细砂滩.
A woman's figure sat on a beach lounger. Li Haojun was afraid to look, afraid he'd see another man beside her. But there was none. She was alone, blowing in the sea breeze. Her hair drifted in the wind, revealing the black silk scarf around her neck.
一位女性的身影坐在海边的躺椅上,李皓珺有些不敢看,怕看到她身边有其他的男人,但是没有,她只有孤身一人,吹着海风,她的发丝在风中飘散,露出她脖颈的黑色丝巾.
It was Kesiya. No man beside her, just alone, blowing the sea breeze. Then she stood up and walked barefoot on the soft sand. The wind lifted her skirt and her hair. Seeing her all alone, Li Haojun's heart ached for her loneliness again. He wished someone could be by her side.
那是凯西娅,她身边没有别的男人,只是一个人吹着海风,一会儿她又站起身,赤脚走在松软的沙滩上,风吹起她的裙摆,扬起她的秀发.看着她孤身一人,李皓珺又开始心疼她的孤单,希望有个人能陪在她的身边.
Where exactly was Kesiya vacationing? As Li Haojun concentrated on watching and thinking, without knowing when, a pair of soft lips had pressed against his dry lips.
凯西娅到底是在哪里度假呢?李皓珺正聚精会神地看着,想着,不知什么时候,已经有一双柔软的嘴唇贴在了自己风干的嘴唇上,
It was Malaya! But Li Haojun didn't move, didn't open his eyes. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond to Malaya.
是玛莱雅!但是李皓珺并没有动,也没有睁开眼睛,一时间他不知道该怎么样回应玛莱雅.
He couldn't simply reject her — that would hurt the little girl's pride. He couldn't kiss her either, because he was coveting her sister.
他不能简单拒绝她,那会伤了小姑娘的自尊心,他也不能吻她,因为自己正在觊觎她的姐姐,
Before Li Haojun could figure out how to respond, Malaya had already pulled away, giggling as she ran off. All that remained before his eyes was her fluttering skirt and her back running toward the car.
还没等李皓珺想好怎么回应,玛莱雅已经抽身离开,"咯咯咯"地笑着跑开了,眼前只剩她飘扬的裙摆,跑向汽车的背影.
On the way to Ellensburg, Li Haojun sat in the rear side seat, savoring the sweet warmth of the moment, a smile creeping onto his face. Malaya occasionally glanced at him in the rearview mirror, but Li Haojun was lost in his own world and didn't mention what had happened.
前往埃伦斯堡的路上,李皓珺坐在侧后座椅,回味着刚才的甜蜜温馨,不觉得微笑爬上面容.玛莱雅也会在后视镜里,不时瞟他几眼,但是李皓珺只是沉浸在自己的世界里,没有提刚才的事情.
On the way to Ellensburg, due to the proximity, a low-priority maintenance task was triggered — at the local Elegant Charm Hall in Yakima. Originally, this task wasn't urgent, but Li Haojun thought that if he didn't handle it, it would eventually be Kesiya's job. So he said to Malaya at the wheel,
就在前往埃伦斯堡的路上,由于距离接近,触发了一项低优先级维护任务,就在不远的亚基马,当地的雅姿丽颜堂.本来这个任务不着急,但是李皓珺想,自己不处理也是将来凯西娅的工作,便对驾驶的玛莱雅说,
"Let's take care of the issue there while we're at it."
"我们顺便把那里的问题处理一下吧."
"Are we adding this task on the fly?" she asked coolly, as if driving was partly distracting her.
"我们要临时添加这个任务吗?",她很冷静地反问,似乎是驾驶分散了她部分注意力,
"Yeah," Li Haojun replied.
"嗯,"李皓珺回答,
"Alright. Then we'll have lunch there. You drive, and I'll order the food." With that, Malaya looked around, pulled over, and traded places with Li Haojun.
"好吧,那么中午的午餐就要在这里吃了,你来驾驶,我订订餐.",说完玛莱雅环视了周边情况,路边停车,与李皓珺交换了位置.
When they arrived in Yakima, the delivery drone was hovering right in front of the windshield.
当驾车到达亚基马,送餐的无人机正好悬停在风挡前方,
"See, our coordination is truly —" Li Haojun pushed open the door, got out, and turned back to look at Malaya, excitedly saying halfway.
"你看看,我们的配合真是天...",李皓珺推开车门,下车回头看着玛莱雅兴奋地说到一半,
Malaya shot him a smiling glance, walked past him without a word, took the lunch, then turned back to look at Li Haojun standing there awkwardly.
玛莱雅笑着瞟了她一眼,从他身边走过,什么也没说,接过午餐,然后回身看着李皓珺尴尬在那里,
"Truly what? Heh heh."
"天什么?呵呵,"
Li Haojun's mind raced through options: made in heaven? perfect opportunity? perfect match? None were appropriate. What was he about to say?
李皓珺的脑子里飞速筛选着,天作之合?天赐良机?天生一对?都不合适啊,刚才自己要说什么来着?
"Seamless? Right."
"天衣无缝?是吧,"
"Oh, heh, yeah," Li Haojun agreed, following her into the local Experience Hall.
"哦,呵呵,是啊," 李皓珺答应着,跟在她的身后,走进了当地体验堂.
It wasn't until he mechanically finished the day's work that Li Haojun realized why Malaya had questioned him at noon. It was dark. He pulled Malaya back as she was about to get into the driver's seat.
当机械地完成了这一天的工作,李皓珺才意识到中午玛莱雅反问自己的缘由,天黑了,拉住正要坐进驾驶位的玛莱雅
"Don't drive back to Kalispell alone tonight. Night driving is unsafe."
"今天你就不要再独自回卡利斯佩尔了,夜间驾驶不安全,"
"Okay."
"好啊,"
In the newly fallen night, her smile was gentler and softer than ever before, making Li Haojun feel like he was seeing her sister. Why was that? Was he now coveting her sister as well?
刚刚降临的夜色中,她的笑容从来没有过的温婉柔和,让李皓珺感觉看到了她的姐姐,怎么会是这样?怎么是自己又贪心她的妹妹了么?
The drive home was both peaceful and warm, with a touch of urgency and some anticipation. The headlights of oncoming cars reflected on the road, wafting past, flying toward the unsheltered darkness far away, while he was driving toward home. He just didn't know if Malaya, behind the wheel, could also feel such emotions, could also feel the same call of home.
回家的路心安又温馨,些许急切,几分期待.对面的车灯映着路面,飘摇飞过,飞向无依无靠的暗夜远方,而自己正行驶在归家的方向.只是不知道正在驾驶的玛莱雅是否也能体会这样的心情,也能感受同样家的召唤.
(Translated by DeepSeek)