Ruth took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, paused for a moment, then rolled over to get out of bed.
露丝深吸了一口气,慢慢呼出,停顿片刻,翻身想要起床.
Ruth, lie down a little longer. Since we had fish last night, there's no rush to cook.
"露丝,再躺一会儿吧,昨晚吃了鱼,不着急去做饭了,"
Hearing Lübeck say this, Ruth pulled the blanket back over herself and turned to snuggle closer to him.
听吕贝克这么说,露丝把掀开的被子又盖在了自己身上,转过身往他这边靠了靠.Lübeck gently cradled her head against his chest. Her hair, which should have been cherished and protected, still carried the faint scent of last night's fireworks. For years, she had quietly stood by his side, tending to his daily needs with unwavering loyalty and without complaint. Deep within his heart, Lübeck harbored profound gratitude for her.
吕贝克顺势把她的头搂在胸前,她那本应备受呵护的女性秀发,闻起来还有昨晚淡淡的烟火气息.多年以来,她一直默默守在吕贝克身边,照顾他的生活起居,忠诚,毫无怨言,而吕贝克的内心一直对她深怀感激.
As dawn broke, Lübeck thought about the day ahead and sat up in bed, wrapped in his quilt. He glanced down at Ruth beside him, lying there with her head turned slightly toward him. Her deep-set eyes, curved like crescent moons, seemed to have followed him all the way from the dark nights of his hometown, where they had once graced the rooftops.
当天色渐明,吕贝克想了想今天要做的事情,围着被子从床上坐起.低头看看身边的露丝,躺在那里,微微转头看着自己,她深深的眼窝中那弯弯的眼睛,仿佛曾经家乡暗夜房脊之上的月牙,一路陪自己走来到这里.
Lübeck gently swept her hair aside, tucking one strand behind her ear while letting the other fall softly over her cheek. This frame perfectly revealed the contentment playing at the corners of her mouth and the warmth shining in her eyes.
吕贝克轻撩她的秀发,一侧掩于脸颊,一边别在耳后,正好露出她嘴角的幸福,和眼中的温馨.
"Rest a little longer," Lübeck murmured, tracing the arch of her brow with the back of his finger before lightly brushing her cheek. As his palm swept past, Ruth's smile flickered across her face. Lübeck turned to gaze out at the dawn beyond the window, as if she were the sun rising within his own heart.
"你再休息一会儿吧,"吕贝克说着,用手指背轻轻划过她的眉骨,指尖轻触她的脸颊.当手掌掠过,闪现露丝的笑容,吕贝克扭头回望窗外的黎明,仿佛她就是自己心中升起的太阳.
The security forces were a military unit also stationed at the spaceport. After arriving at City Hall early that morning and making the rounds, Lübeck took a carriage to the security forces' headquarters. Upon entering the office, he found Deputy Security Officer Trudy Koch already there, having just completed the handover from Chief Security Officer Michael Krause.
治安部队属于军事单位,也在太空港驻扎,吕贝克一早到达市政厅转了一圈后就乘坐马车到达治安部队驻地,走进办公室发现治安副官特鲁迪·科赫已经在那里了,刚从最高治安官米迦勒·克劳泽那里交接完毕.
"Good morning, Trudy. Has Michael gone home on leave?" Lübeck asked.
"早上好特鲁迪,米迦勒回家休假去了吗?"吕贝克问,
"Yes, I finished the handover with him this morning, and then he left," Trudy replied.
"是的,上午我和他交接完毕他就走了,"特鲁迪回答,
How's he doing? Is he okay?
"他状态怎么样,还好吧?"
"He's just under a lot of mental pressure."
"他只是精神压力比较大,"
"Why do you say that?"
"为什么这么说?"
"The main issue is that the public security officers are dissatisfied with his law enforcement style."
"主要是治安队员对他的执法风格不太满意,"
"Yeah, he's a real good guy," Lübeck chimed in.
"是啊,他是个老好人,"吕贝克附和着说,
However, this time multiple security officers were injured. According to standard procedure, the law enforcement officer could have opened fire first, but he did not give the order. As a result, the Schmidt family assumed we had come to reinforce and assist the opposing side, and they fired upon our personnel.
"但是这次多名治安队员受伤,本来按照程序执法者是可以先开火的,但是他没有下达命令,结果施密特家族那边以为我们是来增援帮助对方的,就向我们的人射击了."
"Hmm," Lü Beck mused as he listened to the report, his thoughts drifting to the more seriously injured security guard. He wondered how that man was faring now.
"嗯,"一边听他陈述,吕贝克也想到了那名伤情较重的治安队员,也不知道他的情况怎么样了.
"So the security officers felt that his poor command led to multiple injuries. Everyone was talking about it privately, and he heard some of it himself, so he was under some pressure," Trudy continued explaining the situation.
"所以治安队员们觉得是他的指挥不当造成多人受伤的结果,大伙私下都在议论,他本人多少也听到一些,所以有些压力,"特鲁迪继续介绍情况,
"Hmm, letting him step back for a while until things calm down might be best. But I heard from the team members present that they identified themselves, yet the Schmidt family didn't cease fire. Is that correct?"
"嗯,让他离开一阶段,等缓和局势再说也好.但是我听在场的队员说,他们已经表明身份了,但是施密特家族那边并没有停火,是这样吗?"
Trudy nodded and said,
特鲁迪点了点头,说,
"That's exactly right. I also spoke with the team members present that day. The Schmidt family, thinking they had the numbers and the long guns, didn't seem to take the law enforcement officers seriously at all." At this point, Trudy paused, her eyes fixed on Lübeck.
"确实是这样,我也分别询问了当天的队员,施密特家族自以为人多势众,又有长枪,似乎没把执法人员放在眼里,"说到这里,特鲁迪停顿下来,双眼看着吕贝克.
Lübeck exchanged glances with him, shaking his head slightly as he spoke.
吕贝克和他对了一下眼光,一边微微摇头一边说,
"Yes, ever since we settled here, firearms have never been banned—for protection against wild beasts and for household defense," said Lübeck, his gaze fixed on Trudy as he asked,
"是啊,自从在这里定居,为了防范野兽和家庭自卫,就没有禁止火器,"说着吕贝克看着特鲁迪的眼光,问,
"Otherwise, I'll convene the council. You can report the situation and propose a ban on spears."
"要不然我召集议会,你报告一下情况,出一个禁止长枪的议案吧?"
"Sounds good to me," Trudy agreed readily.
"我看行,"特鲁迪爽快地答应了,
"Then I'll head back to handle this matter. I expect it should go through. You should also prepare for the firearms confiscation operation, okay?"
"那我这就回去办理这事,我估计能够通过,你也准备准备枪支收缴工作,好吗?"
"Okay,"
"好的,"
Alright, that's it for today.
"好,那今天就这样."
After returning to City Hall and taking a break in his office following lunchtime, Lübeck reclined in his chair. In a daze, he watched as a young man pushed open the office door and entered. His features were somewhat indistinct, and Lübeck didn't recognize him. He tried to open his eyes wider to make out the man's face, but found it difficult.
回到市政厅,午餐时间之后,吕贝克回到自己的办公室里休息一会儿,斜躺在椅子上,恍惚之中只见推开办公室的门进来一个年轻男子.面相有些看不清,似乎不认识,吕贝克想要把眼睛睁大一些看清他的面容,但是有些吃力.
By now, the man had come right up to me, bending down. His white shirt filled my entire field of vision, yet I still couldn't see his face.
这时候这个男子已经走到了面前,俯下身,他的白衬衫已经充满了自己的视线,还是看不到他的脸.
Just as the young man was about to collapse onto him, Lübeck hurriedly raised his hand to steady him. His body jerked as his foot kicked the desk—only then did he realize he had fallen asleep and been dreaming.
这时候这个年轻男子就要压到自己身上了,吕贝克急忙抬手要扶一把.身体一抖,脚踢在了办公桌,这才发现刚才自己睡着了,做了一个梦.
Clearing his thoughts, Lü Beck got up and headed to his office, where Miller was sitting with the door open, organizing his files.
清理一下自己的思绪,想着继续昨天与米勒的话题,吕贝克起身来到他的办公室,门开着,在整理他的文件夹,
Lübeck hesitated at the doorway, unsure whether to disturb him now. Just then, Miller noticed him and said,
吕贝克在门口看着犹豫了一下,想要不要现在打扰他,这时米勒注意到了他,说,
"Is something wrong?"
"怎么有事吗?"
"No, you go ahead with your work," Lübeck replied casually.
"不,你忙你的,"吕贝克随口应付了一下,
"It's all right, come in. Yesterday I visited several communes," he said, pulling out some notes and handing them to Lübeck to look at, explaining as he did so,
"没关系,你进来,昨天我去走访了一些公社,"说着拿出一些记录,递给吕贝克看,随着解释说,
These are the findings from visits to several nearby communes, where disputes are relatively frequent and the records of relevant stakeholders cover larger areas.
"这些是附近一些公社的走访结果,争议比较多,面积比较大的相关所有人的记录."
Lübeck sat down across from Miller at his desk, holding the documents in his hand. He placed them on the table and flipped through the pages one by one, noting names and locations, trying to discern patterns and find a simple solution to the problem.
吕贝克拿在手里,坐到米勒桌子对面,把文件放在桌上一页页翻看,留意着名字,地点,试图寻找一些规律,找到解决问题的简单方法.
After flipping through Lübeck's book for a while, Miller reminded him,
看吕贝克翻看得差不多了,米勒提醒他说,
"In fact, disputes tend to arise in households with more male descendants or in families with greater influence."
"其实有争议的都是家里男丁比较多的,或者家族实力比较大,"
"Oh, yes, a new generation has grown up." Lübeck paused for a moment, then asked Miller, saying,
"哦,是啊,新的一代已经成长起来了."吕贝克思考了一会儿,问米勒,说,
"Otherwise, break up large families into smaller, independent households as the basic units of society."
"要不然,拆分大的家族,让他们成为小的独立家庭,作为社会的基础单位."
米勒想了想,说,
"That's one way to do it, but how exactly would we implement it?"
"这倒是一个办法,可是怎么实现呢?"
"Families requiring fewer members will need more independent, smaller family homes," Lübeck mused aloud. "Hmm, but they'll also need to be willing to move out of the family compound."
"需要小成员人数的家庭,那么就需要更多独立的,小的家庭住房,"吕贝克一边思考一边说,"嗯,但是还需要他们愿意从家族里搬出来居住,"
"Urbanization," Miller added,
"城镇化,"米勒补充说,
"Yes," Lübeck replied with two words, his eyes fixed on Miller as he fell into deep thought. Urbanization meant non-agricultural industries would need to develop, and education and technology would gradually advance. In the complex social relationships that would emerge, Lübeck lacked confidence in his ability to maintain social stability.
"是的,"吕贝克回答了两个字,两眼看着米勒陷入了沉思,城镇化就意味着非农产业需要发展,教育,科技就要逐步发展起来,到那时候的复杂社会关系中,吕贝克没有信心自己还能控制社会的稳定.
Putting his thoughts about the future aside for the moment, Lübeck waved the documents in his hand and said to Miller,
把对未来的设想暂且告一段落,吕贝克拿起手中的文件晃了晃,对米勒说,
"I'll go downstairs to get them to help with the initial tally."
"我下楼去找他们帮忙先统计着,"
Having finished the day's work, Lübeck returned home earlier than usual and spotted Ruth feeding the chickens in the backyard. From afar, her black fitted top outlined her alluring figure against the bleak backdrop. Bent over, she appeared to be scattering leftovers to the poultry. To distribute the food evenly in the trough, she shifted her weight from one supporting leg to the other, her pleated skirt swaying with the sway of her hips.
完成了今天能做的工作,吕贝克回到了家中,今天回来的早一些,正看见露丝在房屋后院喂鸡.远远看见她黑色紧身上衣,在荒凉的背景色调中显现她妖娆的身材.她正弯着腰,好像在把残羹剩饭倒给饲养的家禽,似乎为了把食物均匀地倒在食槽里,她还在左右交换着支撑腿的重心,百褶裙也随着她的腰肢扭动在摇摆.
By then he had already approached her side. Hearing someone draw near, she turned her head, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, and saw it was Lübeck returning. She straightened up, and they faced each other.
这时已经走到了她的身边,听到有人接近,她转头撩起脸颊的发丝,看见正是吕贝克回来了,直起身,面面相对.
"I'm back," Lübeck said, already pulling her into his arms, as if the morning's parting had been a lifetime ago and he needed to quickly reconnect the severed thread of longing.
"我回来了,"说着吕贝克已经把她搂在怀里,好像早晨的分别已经过去了很久的时光,需要尽快接上那断线的思念.
After a tender moment, Ruth gently pushed Lübeck away and whispered softly,
温存片刻,露丝轻轻推开吕贝克,轻声说,
"Aren't you going to see your Emma?" Her deep eyes brimmed with tenderness.
"还不去看看你的艾玛?",她那双深沉的眼中满是温柔.