Day after day, week after week, Lin Yuhui felt that if the weather cooled any further, he might need more clothes and bedding. It wasn't until he spoke with another colleague that he realized he wasn't alone in this situation. Another young man had also come to work at the Shanghai headquarters for a probationary period, yet he had already been there for half a year.
日复一日的生活过了一周又一周,林语晖觉得天气再降温自己就可能需要更多衣物和被褥了.直到和另一个同事交流才知道类似情况不只出现在自己身上,有一个年轻人也是来上海公司总部工作为试用期,但是他已经在这里工作半年了.
Lin Yuhui figured they couldn't find local hires, and no wonder—how many young people today could endure long-term dormitory living, being on call around the clock with no personal time whatsoever? His original agreement with the company was to work from home, traveling occasionally with the Shenyang project manager. So he requested to end his probationary period and leave Shanghai. The company quickly agreed, as they had ongoing projects in Jilin that required on-site support. However, he was first required to accompany Manager Tong Fei, head of the Shenyang project department, to Fushun for a client meeting.林语晖估计是当地招不到,也难怪,现在的年轻人有几个能忍受长期住宿舍,全天待命,完全没有个人生活时间.而自己与公司当初的约定也是居家工作,不定时随沈阳项目部负责人出差,所以也提出了结束试用期离开上海的要求.公司也很快同意了,因为当时在吉林也有项目,需要现场支持.但是需要首先到沈阳陪同沈阳项目部主管童飞经理去抚顺见一个客户.
It wasn't until I shared a hotel room with him during a layover in Beijing that I understood why he was hiring—his snoring was thunderous. To save money, we had to share a room. Lin Yuhui realized that working this job without proper sleep and rest for his heart could be deadly.
当与他在北京转车一同住旅馆才明白他为什么在招人,鼾声如雷啊,为了节省经费又是两个人住一个房间.林语晖意识到干这个工作睡不好觉心脏得不到休息会要命的.
The next day's schedule was so hectic he barely had time to eat or use the restroom. By then, he'd already made up his mind to quit. He just wanted to get back to his hometown, tough it out for the rest of the month, and at least collect his final paycheck.
第二天的行程的匆忙简直就是连吃饭拉屎的时间都没有,这时他已经下定决心辞职了,只是回到老家,好歹熬过这个月,能够拿一个月的工资吧.
Stepping out of the train station, he found himself back in his familiar hometown, the place he cherished. Yet here, there was no job to sustain him. Riding the bus, neon signs from roadside shops flashed by, evoking a strange yet familiar feeling. By the time he reached home, it was past seven in the evening. Finally back in his familiar, comfortable surroundings, he sat down to play a quick game—only for the company phone to ring again. Lin Yuhui couldn't help but marvel at how truly flexible his work hours were.
当走出火车站,熟悉的家乡,依恋的地方可是这里就是没有工作可以让他赖以谋生.坐着公交车,沿途路边店铺的霓虹闪过,陌生又熟悉的感觉.回到家里已经晚上七点多了,终于回到了自己熟悉舒适的环境,坐下来刚开一把游戏,公司的电话又追来了,林语晖不由得感慨这工作时间是真的自由.
The next day's field service was at a local chemical plant. Knowing that winter winds in the suburbs can be harsh, Lin Yuhui deliberately wore extra layers. The facility had installed specialized incinerators to handle the volatilization of organic matter from wastewater ponds, and the equipment layout and pipeline construction were currently underway.
隔天的现场服务在当地的化工厂,林语晖知道冬季郊区的风比较硬,特意多穿了棉衣.那里为了处理污水池的有机物挥发而设置了专门的燃烧炉,设备布置和管道施工的过程正在进行中.
Two colleagues were already on-site. Upon arrival, the top priority was to complete safety training documentation. Lin Yuhui noticed the two seemed to be at odds. The young man in charge of technical matters was fine, but the other, responsible for on-site work, appeared quite robust. Whether due to a lack of common sense or deliberate obstruction, he kept making demands—first this, then that—leading the pair on a pointless trek through the factory grounds. Battling the northwest wind, they ended up walking several kilometers of unnecessary distance, with no clear purpose in sight.
现场已经有两个同事在那里了,到达现场后首要任务就是办理安全教育相关证件.林语晖发现两人似乎有些不合,一个负责技术的小伙还好,另一个负责现场工作的很健壮的样子,但是不知道是脑子不够用还是故意跟另外两个人过不去,一会儿要这样,一会儿要那样,带着两个人在厂区里,迎着西北风,来回走了有几公里的冤枉路,也不知道他要干什么.
At that moment, Lin Yuhui's knee injury flared up again for some reason. He flexed it, trying to correct any improper alignment in the joint surfaces, but to no avail. He had no choice but to tell the other two to go ahead while he trailed behind, moving slowly with small steps.
这时候林语晖膝盖的伤不知怎么又犯了,他活动了一下,试图纠正膝关节摩擦面是否存在不当的接合,但是没有效果,只好告诉两个人先走,他自己在后面迈着小步慢慢移动.
Lin Yuhui couldn't figure out why his body had so many issues. He was usually very careful, but over the years, he still hadn't managed to keep his body parts in good shape. His left knee had once been caught in a car door, and his right knee had suffered a contusion. Though neither was a major problem, they would flare up unpredictably, requiring a few days of rest to recover.
林语晖也不知道自己的身体为什么会有这么多的问题,平时已经很小心了,但是在岁月中,还是没能维护好自己身体的零件,左腿膝关节曾被车门夹伤,右腿膝关节曾经挫伤,虽然都不是大问题,但是不知什么时候就会犯病,休息几天就好.I strained my lumbar spine while working outdoors moving luggage. At the time, I kicked my legs repeatedly on the road to stretch my lower back and self-rescued, avoiding collapse. My throat and upper respiratory tract frequently become inflamed, requiring regular anti-inflammatory medication. I have a congenital cardiac muscle bridge causing poor blood supply. It flared up when I was thirty-six, but fortunately, I recovered.
腰椎有扭伤,在外面工作搬行李造成的,当时在路上自己一顿踢腿拉伸腰椎,自我解救了,没有瘫倒在路上.咽喉和上呼吸道感染总是感染发炎,需要定期吃消炎药.心脏存在先天肌桥,供血不好,三十六岁那年发作,还好人又缓过来了.
The only thing he was satisfied with about himself was his mind—sharp judgment, though naturally prone to perfectionism, and a kind heart. He really wasn't cut out for this dirty world. Over the years of adversity—his wife's betrayal, his parents' scolding—he'd doubted himself, wondering if it was his fault. One day, he suddenly thought to test his IQ. He found a free foreign website offering a quick 20-question test and scored 110. Not bad—at least within the normal range. He then found another site with more questions. Later, due to unfamiliar English vocabulary, he missed one question and scored 129—quite impressive. After that, he took a comprehensive sixty-minute test from a domestic source, achieving an IQ of 138. Not bad—just a little over the threshold for genius. Yet genius often comes with a troubled fate.
他唯一对自己满意的就是脑子了,有判断力,但是天生有些完美主义,心地善良,真的不太适合这个肮脏的社会.在过去多年的逆境中,妻子的背叛,父母的责骂,他也怀疑过自己,是不是自己的问题.有一天他忽然想到要测一下智商,于是找了一个免费的外国网站,二十道题的快速测试,得分110.还不错,至少是正常人,于是他又找了一个网站,有更多的问题,后来因为英语单词不认识,错了一道题,得了129分,很不错.之后他又找了一个国内的,六十分钟答卷,比较全面的测评,IQ138,不错,才一点就算得上天才了,只是天才的命运多舛.
After resigning from the company, this month's salary gave Lin Yuhui a little breathing room financially. But he'd given up hope—with his health issues and the current job market, his prospects were bleak. He'd even tried renting out one of his rooms, advertising it exclusively for female tenants. It seemed like a win-win—safer and a solution to his personal living situation. Nice try, haha. Only one person inquired, and she wanted to bring her boyfriend along. What was she thinking? Both sides were at fault.
辞去了这家公司的职位,这一个月的工资让林语晖又有了一些家底,只是他已经绝望了,以他的身体状况,和当下的就业环境,真的没什么可能性了.他也尝试出租自己的一间房屋,只租给女生,安全又能解决个人生活问题,想得美,哈哈.只有一个人来询问还想带男朋友,咋想的?两边都是.
Another bitter winter had passed, and March brought gradually warming weather. Opening his eyes one morning, Lin Yuhui realized he'd been dreaming. A beautiful woman in a white dress had walked past him. In the dream, she was his college English teacher—though her appearance wasn't particularly striking. Regardless, she was his teacher in the dream. Many boys followed behind her, staring with lecherous eyes. Lin Yuhui, however, simply admired her beauty with ordinary appreciation, harboring no lustful or malicious thoughts. As she passed by, he noticed one of her canine teeth—long, white, and protruding—which made him think she was a fox spirit.
又一个寒冬熬过去了,三月份天气渐暖,早上睁开眼睛,林语晖意识到自己做了一个梦,一个美女,身穿白色连衣裙从自己面前走过,在梦里她是自己的大学英语老师,但是相貌并不是,很美,反正梦里她就是自己的老师.很多男生跟在她后面用很色的眼光盯着她看.而林语晖只是平常地欣赏她的美,并无任何淫荡或者恶念.在她从自己面前走过的时候,林语晖看见了她的一颗槽牙很长很白,露在外面,所以才认为她是狐狸精.
Lin Yuhui pondered the dream for a moment, dismissed it, and fell back asleep. Unexpectedly, he had another dream—this time in his college dorm, where he was getting ready for his English class. But he was dawdling and running late. It seemed like the room he lived in was rumored to be haunted. He thought to himself, "If you've got nothing to feel guilty about, what does a haunted place have to do with you?" Then he woke up again.
林语晖想了想这个梦,没在意,又睡着了,没想到又做了一个梦,这次是在大学寝室里,自己准备去上英语老师的课.但是很磨蹭,快要迟到了.好像是自己住的这间屋子据说闹鬼,他心想,为人不做亏心事,闹鬼与自己有什么关系,然后又醒了.
Lin Yuhui thought about it some more, finding it rather odd, but still didn't want to get up. He fell asleep again. This time, a man barged into the room—middle-aged, leaning toward older, with skin that looked terrible, covered in pockmarks. He didn't seem like a good person. He said, "The ghost came."
林语晖又想了想,觉得有些奇怪,但还是不想起床,又睡着了,这次屋里闯进来一个男的,中年偏老,脸上皮肤很不好,都是麻子,看着不像好人,他说鬼来了.Then the front door blew open. He felt as if some invisible force was trying to take control of him, but he resisted fiercely with his mind and wasn't subdued. Yet when he turned around, he saw the man who had entered had been controlled—possessed. Lin Yuhui was still holding the umbrella, jabbing at him, trying to break the control, but to no avail. At that moment, he began speaking under the influence: "You're the only good person here." The scene then shifted to a beautiful woman—likely a fox spirit—adopting a seductive pose. Her lips brushed the edge of the table as she turned her face toward Lin Yuhui and said, "I have a favor to ask of you."
然后大门被风刮开,觉得好像有什么无形的东西想要控制自己,但是他用意念使劲反抗没有被控制.但是一回头看见进来那个男的被控制了,被上身了,林语晖还拿着雨伞戳他,试图帮他解除控制,但是没成功.这时候他开始被控制着讲话说,就你一个好人.然后画面切换到一个美女,狐仙吧,用很诱惑的姿势,嘴唇蹭着桌子边,斜脸看着林语晖,说,有件事求他帮忙.
He thought, You don't need to seduce me like that—I'm happy to help others. The scene then shifted to another beautiful woman, floating in, also wearing a white long dress, with a delicate oval face and short hair just above her neck. She instructed Lin Yuhui to prepare a wooden, hollow coffin covered with red cloth. Lin Yuhui thought, Where am I supposed to get a coffin? My bed is wooden and hollow, but it's stuffed full of junk. I do have a red blanket or quilt cover—would that work? She said nothing and drifted away slowly, her long dress flowing gracefully. Lin Yuhui called after her, "Would that work?" but received no answer. Then he woke up again.
他心想,你不用那样色诱我,我也乐意帮助别人.这时画面又切换到另一个美女,飘过来的,也是白色长裙,瓜子脸,齐颈短发,她叫林语晖准备一个木制的空棺材,上面盖上红布.林语晖心想,我上哪给你弄棺材去啊,我家床是木头的,是空心的,只是都塞满杂物了,我还有红色毯子或者被面,行吗?她什么也没说慢慢飘走了,长裙很飘逸,林语晖还追着她问行吗,没回答.梦又醒了.
I had three dreams in a row this morning, and the plots seemed to flow together. Lin Yuhui was curious why, but since she'd already agreed to it, she went ahead and spread the red quilt cover over the bed.
早上连续做了三个梦,好像情节还是连贯的,林语晖很好奇为什么,可是既然答应人家了,就索性把家里的红色被面盖在了床上.