After several days of commuting between home and Kalispell, spending evenings with Qin Wenjing at home and seeing the Kesiya sisters at the office during the day, Li Haojun finally decided to head to Cut Bank to handle the crop purchasing matters—something he had already postponed for several days.
经过几天往返于家与卡利斯佩尔之间,晚上回家陪覃文静,白天在公司可以见到凯西娅姐妹,李皓珺终于决定前往卡特班克处理农作物收购的事务,这已经被他推迟了好几天了.
Malaya offered to drive Li Haojun's sports car to take them there. Over the past few days, she had already become familiar with the car's operations, and it seemed there was no longer any need for Li Haojun to drive it himself. Malaya was in high spirits, skilled at it, young, and full of energy.
玛莱雅主动提出驾驶李皓珺的跑车送他们过去,这些天她已经熟悉了这辆车的操作,看起来似乎李皓珺今后自己驾驶的必要都不存在了,玛莱雅的兴致很高,并且擅长,还年轻,精力十足.
The agreed-upon agricultural suppliers had already lined up to deliver their goods before dawn. That day involved weighing and inspecting the produce—noisy and hectic. When everything finally settled down, the setting sun was already sinking below the horizon. But Malaya did not come back as promised to pick them up. Li Haojun had no choice but to message her,
约好的农产品供货商天不亮就已经排队送货了,这一天验收过秤,嘈杂而又繁忙,当一切平静下来,已经天边残阳西沉.可是玛莱雅并没有如约回来接他们返回,李皓珺只好发消息问她,
"Excuse me, when can you get here? I have to ask you while you're driving,"
"请问,你什么时候能到这里,我不得不在你驾驶的时候问你,"
"No, I'm not driving. Sorry, I can't come pick you up. The car has some issues,"
"没有,我没有驾驶,抱歉我无法过去接你们回来了,车子出了点问题,"
"Are you safe?" Li Haojun interrupted anxiously.
"你安全吧?"李皓珺急忙打断问她,
"Don't worry, it seems to be an onboard computer malfunction. I also tried to book you a flying car, but there are no routes going there,"
"你放心,似乎是行车电脑故障,我也试过给你们订飞行汽车,但是没有航线去那里,"
As she spoke, Malaya sent over the address of the only restaurant, then added,
说着,玛莱雅把唯一的餐馆地址发了过来,然后补充道,
"Go there early to eat and buy food. Tonight you'll just have to make do sleeping in the factory. There are no hotels there either. Really sorry,"
"趁早去那里就餐买食物吧,晚上你们只能在工厂里将就一宿了,那里也没有旅馆,真是抱歉,"
"It's okay. You be safe too. Don't try to fix the car yourself. We'll talk tomorrow,"
"没关系,你自己也注意安全,不要自己修车,明天再说,"
"Alright, see you later."
"好的,待会儿见."
After finishing the conversation, he looked up and realized Kesiya was right beside him, reading through the messages.
沟通完毕一抬头,原来凯西娅正在自己身边看着往来消息呢,
"Let's go get dinner first."
"走,先去吃晚饭吧."
Cut Bank was a remote, isolated small town. With the passage of time, more people had moved to the cities, making the town even more desolate.
卡特班克是一个偏僻闭塞的小镇,随着时代的变迁,更多的人前往了城市,使得小镇的规模更加凋敝了.
The buildings were all wooden, with paint peeling from wind and rain, and the cracked, potholed asphalt roads unrepaired. Not far down the road, there was a single-story commercial building ahead, with a few faded umbrellas placed outside on the lot, wooden tables and chairs beneath them.
这里都是木制建筑,风雨侵蚀油漆破落,沥青路面的开裂与坑洞没有人修复.沿着道路走下去不远,前方有一个一层营业建筑,门外场地放着几个褪色的遮阳伞,下面有木制桌椅.
It was a fast-food restaurant. After ordering, the two decided to sit at the outdoor tables to eat, because the inside didn't smell great, and outside they could also enjoy the sunset on the horizon. Why not?
这是一家快餐店,点餐之后两个人决定坐在外面的桌椅进餐,因为室内闻起来不怎么样,并且在外面还可以欣赏天边的夕阳,为什么不呢?
The orange-red glow of the evening sky set off Kesiya's youthful cheeks. Those most beautiful years of girlhood, like the fleeting sunset—enchanting yet impossible to grasp. And she was spending her youthful days accompanying him. After settling Qin Wenjing's emotions, it seemed Li Haojun could appreciate Kesiya's face in the sunset's afterglow without any reservations.
橙红色的晚霞映衬着凯西娅青春的脸颊,那最美的少女时光,宛如易逝的夕阳,让人迷恋而又难以抓住.而她正在用她的青春时光陪伴自己,在安顿了覃文静的情绪之后,似乎李皓珺可以毫无顾忌地欣赏凯西娅落日余晖里的容颜了.
But after just a moment, he realized whether he was being too complacent and greedy. An involuntary smile mocking his own state of mind appeared on his face.
只是片刻,他就意识到了自己是不是过于得意贪心了,无意间嘲笑自己的心境已然浮现在自己的面容,
"What are you smiling at?" Kesiya asked softly. She had noticed, of course.
"你笑什么,"凯西娅轻声问,她当然留意到了,
"I was thinking, I'm so lucky to have you both with me, but I feel like I'm being too greedy,"
"我在想,有你们陪伴我真幸福,但是我觉得有些太贪心了,"
"Hehe, what do you mean?" Kesiya asked calmly, a smile at the corner of her mouth.
"呵呵,怎么说呢?"凯西娅的嘴角带着微笑,平淡地问,
"I can't give you my complete companionship, yet I'm consuming the most beautiful years of your youth,"
"我不能给你完整的陪伴,却在消耗你最美的青春时光,"
"No, I just don't want to get married too early. Besides, Dad couldn't be with his daughter forever anyway." Kesiya responded with a nearly cold tone, decisive and unhesitating, cutting through Li Haojun's hesitation and guilt.
"没有啊,我只是不想过早地嫁人,本来爸爸也不能陪女儿一辈子."凯西娅有些近乎冷酷的语气,斩钉截铁,毫不犹豫地回应了李皓珺的迟疑与愧疚.
Her resolve moved Li Haojun, but her persistence pained him. Unable to express it, he could only take her fingertips and hold them in his palm, gently stroking them. But his tangled thoughts drifted to the sky confession he and Malaya had shared a few days ago, and he felt embarrassed.
她的坚定让李皓珺感动,但是她的执着让李皓珺心痛,无以表达只好拉住她的手指尖,攥在手心里轻轻抚摸.可是混乱的思绪却又想到了几天前自己和玛莱雅的天空表白,内心尴尬.
"She told me everything. I don't mind,"
"她都跟我说了,我不介意,"
"Oh." Li Haojun knew these sisters had a habit of sharing their experiences with him.
"哦,"李皓珺也知道这姐妹有互相告知与自己相处经历的习惯,
"You can think of me and her as one person. We can sense each other's emotions,"
"你可以把我和她当作一个人,我们能互相感知对方的情绪,"
"Mm, you told me that before."
"嗯,你告诉过我,"
But Li Haojun had never pressed for details on that point.
但是关于这一点李皓珺一直没有详细追问过,
After dinner, they packed food for the next morning. By the time they headed back, night had fallen. Holding Kesiya's hand as they walked down the empty street, the evening breeze blew past, a little cool. Looking at her short-sleeved batwing top and thin jeans, staying warm late at night would be a problem.
吃过晚饭,打包明早的食物,往回走的时候已是夜色降临.拉着凯西娅的手走在无人的街上,晚风吹过,有些微凉.再看看她短袖的蝙蝠衫,薄款牛仔裤,夜深的时候保暖就是个问题.
Walking silently hand in hand with Kesiya, Li Haojun's mind raced through the items he'd seen in the factory, filtering for anything that could be used for warmth.
拉着凯西娅的手无言地走着,李皓珺的脑子里飞速地回顾着自己在工厂里看到的物品,筛选能够用于保暖的,
"I'm afraid you'll have to rough it tonight. This old factory—we can only sleep on the sofa in the break room." As he spoke, Li Haojun also wondered if Malaya was up to something, deliberately leaving him and her sister here. But the spot this little girl had picked really wasn't great.
"今晚要委屈你了,这个老工厂,我们只能睡休息室的沙发了,"说着,李皓珺也想到了是不是玛莱雅在搞事情,故意把自己和她姐姐扔在这里,只是这小丫头选的这个地点真是不怎么样,
"Hehe, do you blame her?"
"呵呵,你埋怨她吗?"
Li Haojun knew Kesiya meant Malaya.
李皓珺知道凯西娅指的是玛莱雅,
"No, isn't her sister here with me?"
"不,她姐姐不是也在这陪着我吗,"
"Hehe."
"呵呵,"
"I'm just thinking, we don't have any warm blankets. It'll get even colder later tonight."
"我只是在想,我们没有保暖的毛毯,一会儿夜深了温度会更低的,"
"That's easy—you hold me," Kesiya said, laughing.
"那好办啊,你搂着我,"凯西娅说着笑了,
Li Haojun knew she was joking. The arm around her shoulders gave her a few firm shakes, and Kesiya happily wobbled her head along with him, delighted like a child.
李皓珺也知道她是在说笑,搂着她肩膀的手臂用力摇晃了她几下,凯西娅也得意地随着他的摇晃,晃着脑袋,像孩子一样开心.
Back at the factory, the hallway lights were dim, and the temperature was noticeably lower than outside.
回到工厂,建筑楼道里灯光昏暗,明显感觉温度比室外还低,
"This place is too old. There's no air conditioning, so no heat at night either."
"这个设施太老旧了,没有空调,所以晚上我们也没有暖风,"
"So what do we do?" Kesiya's tone didn't seem to care.
"那么怎么办呢?"凯西娅的语气似乎并不在意,
"I think the only option is to take down the conference room curtains and use them as blankets."
"我觉得只有会议室的窗帘可以摘下来当毯子盖在身上,"
"Oh, hehe."
"哦,呵呵,"
"Or we could be more romantic and burn the wooden tables and chairs for warmth, then watch the stars together tonight." Li Haojun wanted to add that tomorrow would be miserable, but he swallowed the words. That was his own experience, and Kesiya was young and spirited—he didn't want to ruin her mood because of himself.
"或者可以更浪漫一点把木头桌椅烧了取暖,我们晚上一起看星星,"李皓珺想接着说,这样第二天会很难受,但是他把这半句咽了回去,因为那是他自己的体会,而凯西娅正年轻气盛,他不想因为自己搅了凯西娅的兴致.
But this time Kesiya didn't answer right away. She walked along, looking into Li Haojun's eyes, as if reading his thoughts.
而这次凯西娅没有立刻回答,边走边看着李皓珺的眼睛,仿佛在读他的心思,
"Let's not destroy those tables and chairs. We still have work tomorrow. Let's just get some proper rest."
"我们还是不要破坏那些桌椅了,毕竟明天还有工作要做,还是好好休息吧."
"Alright, you go back to the break room first. I'll take down the curtains." Li Haojun then walked into the conference room next door alone.
"那好,你先回休息室吧,我这就把窗帘摘下来,"说完李皓珺便独自走进了隔壁的会议室,
"What, you don't need my help?"
"怎么,你不用我帮忙吗?"
He turned around. In the night, Kesiya's figure was lit by moonlight—her face and silhouette glowing. Li Haojun hadn't expected her to follow him over.
回过头,夜色中凯西娅的身影被月光照亮脸颊和身体轮廓,李皓珺没想到她会跟着自己过来,
"There'll be a lot of dust. The curtains have been hanging a long time."
"这里会有很大的灰尘,窗帘挂了很久了,"
"Oh, what? So you're the dustproof one now?" Kesiya teased, already walking up to him. Her eyes scanned him up and down, then her lids half-closed, her gaze drifting to the side, murmuring to herself,
"哦,怎么?你就是防尘的了?"凯西娅说笑着,已经走到了面前,她那双眼睛上下打量了自己一番,却又二目微合,眼光流转望向一边,嘴中喃喃自语,
"Are you really going to raise me into your princess?" Then she took Li Haojun's hands, stepped half a step closer, and looked into his eyes.
"难道你真的要把我养成你的公主吗?"说完拉起李皓珺的双手,上前半步又看着他的眼睛,
"Do you remember Ellensburg last year?"
"还记得去年的埃伦斯堡吗?"
"I remember." Li Haojun of course remembered the moment he first met her. He remembered her lifting him up from the ground. He remembered in the darkness, the silhouette of her figure wrapped in a bath towel, lit by the hallway light outside the door, appearing before him. He remembered her dripping hair, even the scent of her body wash.
"记得,"李皓珺当然记得与她初见的时刻,记得是她把摔倒在地的自己扶起来,记得黑暗中,是她裹着浴巾的身形轮廓被门外走廊灯光照亮在自己面前,也记得她滴水的头发,甚至她身上沐浴露的味道,
"You never thought about possessing me?"
"你就没想过要占有我吗?"
Looking at her eyes in the night, shimmering as they gazed at him, Li Haojun knew very well—though she always said she didn't want anything from him, she was a real, flesh-and-blood person. But he couldn't give her a complete version of himself. It wasn't just that he already had Qin Wenjing—his own life was only half left.
看着面前她夜色中的双眼,闪烁着凝望自己的眼神,李皓珺心里很清楚,虽然她总是说不要自己什么,但是她也是一个有血有肉的实实在在的人,但是自己却不能给她一个完整陪伴的自己,不单单是自己已经有了覃文静,就连自己的生命也只剩下一半了,
In their silent gaze, Li Haojun could only gently pull Kesiya into his arms.
相视无言中,李皓珺只好把凯西娅轻轻搂入怀中,
"Maybe we just met at the wrong time," Kesiya continued to murmur softly.
"或许,是我们相遇的不是时候,"凯西娅依然在喃喃低语,
Li Haojun didn't answer. He didn't know what it would have been like if he were young, meeting her now—because he couldn't remember what his past had been like at all. He didn't dare say to Kesiya, if I were young... because he didn't dare break everything he had now. He could only comfort her:
李皓珺没有回答,他也不知道如果自己正年轻,与她的相遇会是什么样子,因为他根本不记得自己的过去什么样子了.他也不敢对凯西娅说,如果我正年轻...,因为他不敢打破自己现在所拥有的一切,只好安慰说,
"No, it's exactly the right time. Just when you wanted a father, and I wanted a daughter—that's when we met."
"不,正是时候,正好是你想要爸爸,我想要女儿,在这个时候我们相遇了,"
"Is that so?" Kesiya's questioning gaze turned back to Li Haojun.
"是吗?"凯西娅疑问的眼光再次看向李皓珺,
"Yes. Exactly at this time, I won't be attracted to any other woman. Only you are my princess." He felt the direction of his words was off—how could a young woman not crave appeal to the opposite sex? He quickly added:
"是的,正好在这个时候我不会再被别的女人吸引,只有你是我的公主,"说完觉得自己表达的语义方向不对,因为作为一个年轻女性,又怎么会不渴望对异性的吸引力呢?于是又急忙补充,
"You're young and beautiful. Who wouldn't want you? I do too. It's just that I can't love you completely." He felt that was wrong too—there was ambiguity. He hurried to add:
"你年轻又美貌,谁不想得到你?我也想,只是我无法完整地爱你,"说完觉得不对,这里有歧义,急忙补充说,
"I think what I feel for you is complete love. With Emily, it's more like family. I cherish you too much. I can't give you a love that's incomplete." Even after saying that, Li Haojun still felt it wasn't right. Just now it was father and daughter, now it was love—but he couldn't explain it clearly anymore, so he gave up trying.
"我觉得我对你是完整的爱情,我和艾米莉更多是亲情的感觉,我太珍重你了,我不能把残缺的爱给你,"说完李皓珺还是觉得不妥,刚才还爸爸女儿,现在又爱情,可是也说不清了,索性不解释了,
But he saw Kesiya gently shaking her head.
却见凯西娅在轻轻摇头,
"It's just that your most perfect love has become our greatest distance."
"只是你的最完美的爱,却成了我们最远的距离."
（Translated by ERNIE Bot）