After a romantic stroll through the snowy night, Li Haojun had just returned from Spokane when she received notice of a business trip to Las Vegas. Yet the lingering intimacy of the previous night became an obstacle to her departure today.
浪漫的雪夜漫步之后,刚从斯波坎回来,李皓珺便接到了前往拉斯维加斯的商务旅行通知,然而那隔夜的缠绵却成了今日出行的羁绊,
Li Haojun glanced at Qin Wenjing's retreating figure in the bedroom, and it felt like he'd just woken up—that same sense of unfamiliarity. Ever since getting a new assistant, he hadn't taken her on a business trip to complete company tasks for ages, leaving her alone at home. This trip to the big city was the perfect chance to bring her along, spend time together, and make up for the time he'd missed.
李皓珺看了一眼卧室里覃文静的背影,仿佛回到自己刚醒来的时刻,那几分生疏的感觉.自从有了新的助手,自己已经很久没和她一起出差完成公司任务了,而是把她留在家里一个人孤单.这次正好去大城市,一定要顺便带着她一起度过时光,好好补偿一下之前的亏欠.
If following the usual practice, Malaya would accompany him on his business-oriented trips. But this time, he was bringing Qin Wenjing along—would their meeting be awkward? Li Haojun felt some apprehension, so he hesitated for a moment before sending Malaya a message:
如果按照惯例,玛莱雅会陪同自己偏商务性的旅程,可是这次要带着覃文静,她们相遇会不会尴尬呢?李皓珺有些顾虑,便斟酌了一阵子,给玛莱雅发消息,
"Hi, I plan to bring Tan Wenjing along on this trip to Las Vegas. I've left her home alone too many times before, and I really feel bad about it." After typing that, the next thought that flashed through his mind was: Sorry I can't accompany you this time... What else could he say? No matter how he tried to add or explain, it wouldn't be enough to make himself clear. Truthfully, he wanted to see Malaya too.
"你好,这次去拉斯维加斯的旅程我打算带着覃文静一起前往,之前太多次把她扔在家里孤单一人,我心里实在过意不去."打完这句话,脑海里接着的就是,抱歉这次不能陪伴你...还能怎么说呢?不管怎么补充,解释,都不足以表达清楚.其实自己也想见到玛莱雅.
After sending the message, Li Haojun thought to himself, perhaps Malaya knew Tan Wenjing would be coming. To avoid disturbing the two of us, she wouldn't accompany Suo herself—just as she sometimes remotely arranged things for me and Kasiya.
发完消息,李皓珺心想,也许玛莱雅知道覃文静将会前往,为了不打扰我俩,她就不会跟所自己一同前往了,就像有时候远程安排自己和凯西娅一样.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Malaya's slender figure seemed to flicker faintly before his eyes once more.
刚想到这里,玛莱雅那单薄的身影,又似乎隐约闪现在面前.
"Ah," Li Haojun sighed. That young girl had been freezing alongside him in the rain just the other night, and now he was leaving her out in the cold. He couldn't help but feel guilty. Both sides of the hand are flesh—this truly was a happy dilemma.
"唉,"李皓珺,叹了口气,那个小姑娘上次雨夜里还在跟自己一起挨冻,现在要把人家晾在一边,心里实在过意不去.手心手背都是肉,这可真是幸福的烦恼.
After packing the necessary luggage, Li Haojun returned to the screen to check. Sure enough, Malaya had already arranged flights and a hotel for two, but there was no message—just a cold, impersonal booking.
整理完毕必要的行李,李皓珺回到屏幕前查看,果然玛莱雅已经准备了双人的航班和旅店,只是冷冰冰的什么留言也没有.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Li Haojun quickly responded to Malaya.
"谢谢,麻烦你了,"李皓珺赶紧主动回应了玛莱雅,
"Sorry, I can't this time..." Before he could finish typing the sentence, Li Haojun deleted it again. He just couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"抱歉这次不能...",没等打完这句话,李皓珺又把它删掉了,总觉得说什么都不合适.
After sleeping in late, the now-excited Qin Wenjing finally sat alongside Li Haojun in the cabin cruising high above the clouds. It had been nearly half a year since their last flight. Outside, the sunlight remained brilliant, while inside the cabin, the passengers had grown much more familiar with one another.
早上懒床,起来兴奋的覃文静现在终于和李皓珺一起坐在高空巡航的机舱中了,上一次还是差不多半年前,这时机舱外的阳光依旧灿烂,机舱里的人已经更加熟悉了.
"Have you ever been to Las Vegas before?" Li Haojun asked Tan Wenjing as he pulled her along.
"你以前去过拉斯维加斯吗?" 李皓珺拉着覃文静的问她,
"No," Qin Wenjing said with a smile.
"没有,"覃文静笑了笑说,
Although I've lived here for a long time, I've never been there.
"虽然在这边生活很长时间了,但是我没去过."
This is the year-end industry trade show. Haven't you attended it before?
"这次是年底的行业展会,你以前没参加过吗?"
"No, maybe it's because my position isn't high enough," Qin Wenjing said with a wry smile, making a face.
"没有啊,也许是我职位级别不够吧,"说着,覃文静苦笑做了个鬼脸.
"It might not be that reason. Your work is similar to mine, and I feel like what I learned from you when I first woke up is pretty much the same as what I know now." Li Haojun dismissed her view, half to comfort her, half because he wasn't entirely sure himself. But as he thought about it, Li Haojun seemed to suddenly realize something.
"未必这个原因,你做的工作和我差不多,我觉得我刚醒过来的时候跟你学的和现在差不多." 李皓珺否定了她的观点,一半是安慰她,一半是自己也不确定的猜测.但是想到这一点李皓珺似乎突然意识到什么,
Wenjing, I feel like over these past six months at work, I've somehow regained certain memories. Some things just come naturally now, like conditioned reflexes.
"文静,我觉得,这半年的工作,我似乎恢复了某些记忆,有些东西好像是条件反射一样的就会了,"
"Oh, really... That's great," Qin Wenjing's expression betrayed a hint of delight, though she hesitated for a moment. Li Haojun, however, didn't notice, instead continuing to express his own excitement.
"哦,是吗...那好啊," 覃文静有点欣喜的表情,却迟疑了一下,可是李皓珺并没有留意到,只是自顾自地表达自己的兴奋,
"When I went to Nevada and saw those industrial facilities, as I began tackling system issues, the relevant knowledge of electricity, mechanics, and fluids seemed to gradually surface from the depths of my mind."
"去内华达,当我见到那些工业设施,开始处理系统问题,相关电,机械,流体的知识似乎从我的大脑深处逐步自己都浮现出来了,"
"Yes, you've been doing technical work for many years," Qin Wenjing said with a smile, her eyes fixed on the other person with concern.
"是啊,你确实做了很多年技术工作," 覃文静笑着说,眼睛关切地看着对方,
"I still can't remember what happened in the past."
"只是过去发了过的事情我还是记不起来,"
"Ah, it's fine. It's much the same as now—don't worry too much about it," Qin Wenjing said, taking Li Haojun's hand and leaning gently against his shoulder.
"啊,没关系,就和现在差不多,你不用太在意,"说着,覃文静拉着李皓珺的手,轻轻靠在他的肩头,
As the two snuggled close, the cabin fell silent once more, broken only by the distant hum of the engines. Outside the porthole, clouds drifted slowly and silently backward.
两人依偎中,机舱恢复了寂静,只剩后面传来的嗡嗡引擎声,舷窗外的云朵,缓慢无声地向后慢慢移动.
The aircraft seemed to be experiencing some turbulence, causing slight vibrations in the fuselage. Li Haojun glanced at the radar display on the front instrument panel but saw no signs of severe weather or warnings—everything appeared normal.
似乎气流的影响,机身有些抖动,李皓珺看了看前仪表板的雷达,并没有什么恶劣天气或者警告,似乎没有什么问题.
The aircraft shook again, this time more violently. Li Haojun sensed something was wrong. He turned to look into Qin Wenjing's eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment. Instantly, Li Haojun tightened her seatbelt, then secured his own.
接着机身又一阵抖动,明显感觉更加强烈,李皓珺感到似乎不对劲,扭头看着覃文静的眼睛,四目对视瞬间,李皓珺紧固了她的座椅安全带,然后自己的.
Scanning the display again, red alerts flashed one after another. While reviewing them, a sudden explosion erupted from the rear fuselage, accompanied by intense vibrations. The warning messages on the front instrument panel screen turned crimson.
再次扫视屏显信息,红色警报一个个亮起,正在检视中,突然后机身爆裂声音伴随着强烈震动,前仪表板面屏警示信息飘红,
Warning, engine failure. Warning, prepare for emergency landing.
"警告,引擎失效,警告,准备迫降,"
Warning, engine failure. Warning, prepare for emergency landing. As the voice prompt from the autopilot's main control computer sounded, the screen displayed the flight path and emergency landing site.
"警告,引擎失效,警告,准备迫降,"随着自动驾驶主控电脑的语音提示,屏幕显示了航线规划和迫降地点,
Li Haojun assessed the aircraft's attitude and reassured Qin Wenjing, saying,
李皓珺感觉了一下飞机姿态,安慰覃文静说,
Don't worry, the flight control system hasn't failed. We can still control our attitude. If all else fails, we can always bail out—we've got altitude. I brought a parachute.
"别担心,飞控系统没有失效,还能控制姿态,实在不行我们还能跳伞,还有高度,我带了降落伞,"
After checking the altitude and descent rate, Li Haojun was just about to assess the damaged sections and their severity when the main control computer's voice alert sounded again, accompanied by a flashing warning on the primary display.
查看了一下高度和下降速率,李皓珺刚想了解受损部分和程度,主控电脑的语音又语音提示,同时主显示屏闪烁提示,
Please tap the screen to select either a glide landing or parachute descent. The system will automatically choose after thirty seconds.
"请点击屏幕,选择滑翔迫降或者伞降,三十秒后系统将自动选择,"
Please tap the screen to select either a glide landing or parachute descent. The system will automatically choose after thirty seconds.
"请点击屏幕,选择滑翔迫降或者伞降,三十秒后系统将自动选择,"
Li Haojun clicked the parachute deployment.
李皓珺点击了伞降,
Parachute deployment countdown: Five, four, three, two, one. With a thud, the pilot chute deployed, followed by the main canopy.
"伞降启动倒计时,五,四,三,二,一,"随后砰的一声抛出了前导减速伞,随后拉出了主伞,
After a moment of shaking, the aircraft stabilized and entered a steady, gradual descent.
一阵晃动之后机身平稳下来,进入匀速缓降,
Li Haojun breathed a sigh of relief, taking Qin Wenjing's hand in his palm. It felt a little cool.
李皓珺这时松了一口气,把覃文静的手拉在手心,有点凉,
"It's okay, don't worry. We'll be landing smoothly in a moment."
"没事了,不用担心,一会就能平稳降落,"
Both the audio and the screens were broadcasting landing precautions and rescue-related information, but no one was paying attention.
语音和屏幕都在播放着陆注意事项和救援相关情况,但是没人有兴趣留意它.
As the altitude decreased, the earth below came into view through the clouds—a patchwork of red soil dotted with ochre and dark green.
随着高度降低,穿过云层见到下方大地,红土的大地斑驳点缀着土黄和暗绿.
Never trust capitalists. For airlines, gliding to the nearest airport without power is the cheapest option. But no one knows if the damage just now affected the flight control system, so we're parachuting out now. After the tension subsided, Li Haojun began explaining the reasoning behind his decision.
"永远也不要相信资本家,对于航空公司来说无动力滑行到附近机场成本最低,但是谁也不知道刚才的损伤是否涉及飞控系统,所以我们现在就伞降."紧张过后,李皓珺开始陈述自己刚才选择的理由,
Qin Wenjing listened to his words, smiled, and nodded, though the lingering terror made her smile stiff. Yet to Li Haojun, the pallor of her face contrasted with her crimson lips and wide-eyed gaze, evoking an inexplicable sense of pity.
覃文静听他说完,微笑点头,尽管刚才的惊恐依旧使得笑容僵硬.可是,看在李皓珺眼里,有些惨白的脸色,对比红唇,瞪大的眼睛,却感觉莫名让人心生怜爱.
The plane finally touched down in a gently sloping valley, a cornfield where the leaves had turned dry and yellow but the crop remained unharvested. Scattered farmhouses, barns, and cattle sheds dotted the distant hillsides.
飞机最终降落在了一处平缓的山谷里,这是一片玉米地,玉米叶子已经干枯发黄,但是还没有收割.远处山坡稀疏点缀着农家,谷仓和牛棚.
Navigating to the nearest intersection rescue rendezvous point, Li Haojun shouldered his backpack and stepped out of the cabin with Qin Wenjing. Despite the low latitude, the afternoon sun felt chilly as a cold wind swept through.
下载导航到最近的路口救援汇合点,李皓珺背上背包和覃文静走出机舱.虽然纬度偏低,沐浴着午后的阳光依然冷风袭袭.
"Look, follow this dirt road over that hill, and you'll be close to the highway," Li Haojun said, pointing in the direction while holding Qin Wenjing's hand with his other.
"你看,沿着土路,过了这个山坡,那边就接近公路了," 李皓珺边说边指着方向,另一只手拉着覃文静,
Glancing around at the surroundings, he quipped,
看了一眼周边环境,调侃道,
"It's a rare chance to immerse ourselves in nature—let's consider this our hiking trip."
"难得有机会走进大自然,就算是你我的徒步旅行吧,"
"Yeah, the airline's covering it," Qin Wenjing said, visibly relaxing.
"是啊,还是航空公司买单," 覃文静这时也放松了许多,
"Hahaha," seeing her like this, Li Haojun couldn't help but laugh heartily too.
"哈哈哈哈,"看她这样李皓珺也笑得很开心,
"Actually, this is a free zone—they're all self-sufficient," Li Haojun remarked as he glanced at a farmhouse ahead, continuing his walk while explaining to Qin Wenjing.
"其实这是自由区,他们都是自给自足的," 李皓珺瞟了一眼前方一家农舍,边走边给覃文静介绍.
They pay no taxes and receive no public services, relying on themselves for local security. Yet reports of murders or similar crimes are virtually unheard of. Most describe them as devout religious believers who live peaceful, unassuming lives.
"不用纳税,也没有公共服务,地方治安靠自己,但是基本上没听说凶杀之类的新闻.他们多说是很保守的宗教信徒,过着与世无争的生活."
"Can we live like that too?" Tan Wenjing asked childishly.
"我们也过这样的生活好吗?" 覃文静孩子气地问,
"No," Li Haojun replied with absolute certainty.
"不好,"李皓珺十分肯定地回答,
"I can't farm, can you?"
"我可不能种地,你能吗?"
"Oh, I can't," Qin Wenjing replied coyly and timidly.
"哦,我不能," 覃文静卖萌怯生生地回答,
Look, besides growing crops, there's also a cattle shed. Do you see any agricultural machinery?
"你看,除了种庄稼,还有牛棚,你看到有什么农业机械了吗?"
"Oh," Qin Wenjing replied, taking Li Haojun's arm.
"哦,"覃文静答应着,主动搀着李皓珺的胳膊,
"Farming and tending livestock? I don't have the strength for that. You'll go straight from princess to farmhand."
"又是种地又是伺候牲畜,我可没那体力,到时候你直接从公主直接跌落到农妇,"
"Oh," Qin Wenjing stuck out her tongue.
"哦,"覃文静吐了吐舌头,
The two walked along, chatting and laughing. Not far ahead to the right was a farmhouse, where the woman of the house could be seen standing at the door.
两个人说笑着往前走,右前方不远处就是一户农家,能看到女主人站在门前.
Li Haojun waved his arm to greet her, but due to the distance, she did not respond.
李皓珺主动挥动手臂向她打招呼,因为距离远,对方并没有回应.
After approaching, Li Haojun smiled and explained to the other person,
走近之后,李皓珺笑着跟对方解释,
"Excuse me, ma'am. I'm sorry to say our plane made an emergency landing in that field over there," he said, turning to look back in the direction they'd come from and pointing in that direction.
"女士你好,抱歉我们乘坐的飞机迫降到那边农田里了,"说着回身看向来处,用手指明方向,
But the other person still didn't respond, merely staring coldly at the two strangers. Li Haojun continued explaining, breaking the awkward silence.
但是对方依旧没有应声,只是冷漠地看着这两个陌生人,李皓珺接着解释,化解尴尬气氛,
"Well, the airline will compensate you for your loss. We just had some bad luck today—the plane we were on had a malfunction. It scared the living daylights out of her just now," he said, glancing at Qin Wenjing.
"嗯,航空公司会赔偿你的损失的,我们今天不走运,乘坐的飞机发生了故障,刚才还给她吓到半死,"说着看了一眼覃文静,
After several attempts at persuasion, the other party remained cold and distant. Li Haojun couldn't help but wonder why they were so indifferent—was it caution stemming from safety concerns? Or perhaps the insular nature of people in this remote place?
几番说辞之后,对方依旧冷漠,李皓珺心里莫名对方为何如此冷漠,安全顾虑的谨慎?还是地方闭塞人员排外的个性?
A little boy, about eight or nine years old, came running out of the house, shouting excitedly as he ran.
这时从屋里跑出来一个小男孩,八九岁的样子,边跑边兴奋的喊,
Are you from outside? Where are you from? How did you get here?
"你是从外面来的吗?你是从哪里来的?你是怎么到这里来的?"
The child ran over, and his mother didn't stop him from approaching the stranger. Li Haojun found this equally puzzling—it didn't fit her aloof nature.
孩子跑了过来,而他的母亲并没有阻止自己的孩子接近陌生人,李皓珺同样有些不理解,这并不符合她的冷漠.
The child had already run up to us, his big blue eyes sparkling, golden hair a bit long, clothes and face dirtied by the mischief typical of boys.
此时孩子已经跑到眼前,一双蓝色大眼睛,金色头发有些长,衣服和脸上特有的男孩顽皮造得脏兮兮.
Li Haojun explained the situation to him. The child was thrilled—perhaps because this place was so remote that people were few and far between. Suddenly, Li Haojun remembered the paper map in his backpack. He took it out, showing and explaining it to the boy as he went, then gave the map to him. The child was overjoyed. It seemed that pioneering and exploration were in a boy's nature.
李皓珺向他解释了事情缘由,孩子很兴奋,也许是这里太偏僻,能见到的人太少了.这时李皓珺忽然想起自己背包里带着纸质地图,便拿出来给孩子边展示边讲解,然后把地图送给了他,孩子很开心,看来开拓与探索是男孩儿的天性.
After bidding farewell to the mother and child, Li Haojun's emotions remained unsettled for a long time. Tan Wenjing, standing beside him, couldn't help but ask,
告别母子后,李皓珺的心情久久不能平静,旁边覃文静忍不住问,
Do you like children?
"你是喜欢孩子吗?"
Yeah, well, not really. I'm not sure. It's just that being around the kids makes me feel like I've been infected by their youth. Maybe I really am getting old.
"是啊,嗯,也不是,我也不确定,只是和孩子在一起我觉得被他感染得自己都年轻了,也许是我真的老了吧,"
"Then treat me like your child," Qin Wenjing clung to Li Haojun's arm, acting coy.
"那就当我是你的孩子吧," 覃文静抱着李皓珺的胳膊撒娇,
"Don't be silly, you're all grown up now."
"别傻了,你都长大了,"
"Hmph, that Kesiya, Malaya—isn't she young enough?" she said, pouting her lips in mock anger.
"哼,那个凯西娅,玛莱雅,是不是够年轻啊?"说完撅起嘴假装生气,
"Well, I was thinking that maybe this child should go to school to get an education."
"唉,我是在想,也许这个孩子应该去学校接受教育,"
"You've brought this proposal up before," Qin Wenjing said calmly, her expression turning serious and no longer playful.
"你以前提过这个议案," 覃文静语气平静地说,神情也变得认真不再顽皮,
You suggested it before, but the implementation didn't work well, so it was shelved later.
"你以前建议过,但是实行的效果不好,后来搁置了."
"What's the reason?" Li Haojun asked curiously.
"什么原因呢?" 李皓珺好奇地问,
People in the Free Zone tend to be quite insular, and most children struggle to adapt to city life. Furthermore, many fall behind academically, resulting in less than ideal outcomes.
"自由区的人很封闭,多数孩子不适应城市生活,并且多数跟不上学习进度,效果不是很好."
"Oh, it's just that for the gifted children born there, opportunities are far fewer, or their life paths are more arduous," Li Haojun said regretfully.
"哦,只是,这对个别生在那里的资质好的孩子来说,机遇会少很多,或者人生道路要更艰难," 李皓珺惋惜地说,
After walking along that country lane, the two stood atop a high ridge. Before them lay the highway connecting to the modern world. Looking back, the winding paths through the wilderness revealed a life of tranquility and seclusion—free from the relentless hustle of necessity, untouched by the private longing for separation. Yet it too bore the toil of making a living, unaware of the joy of family reunions.
走过刚才那段乡间小路,两人站在高处的山梁,前方是连接现代世界的公路,回头望去,旷野中曲折的小径里,是平静与世隔绝的生活,没有身不由己的奔波,没有分离的私念,但是同样有着谋生的辛劳,与亲人幸福的团聚却不自知.
After gazing at the contrasting paths of life for a long while, Li Haojun withdrew his distant gaze. Qin Wenjing stood before him, watching him. He gently drew the person before him into his embrace.
对比着不同的人生道路,凝视许久,李皓珺收回远眺的视线,覃文静正站在面前,看着自己,他轻轻把眼前人搂入怀中.