'SEE YOU MORNING' 018 Sunny and Breezy 《晓欣卿》018煦日和风

Last night's thunderstorm had vanished without a trace by the midsummer afternoon. Walking along the paved path from the courtyard to the solar farm, Qin Wenjing had dressed herself today in a traditional Chinese-style cotton-linen top—light and airy, with a pale brown linen base printed with faint green leaf patterns. It had a round neck, lantern sleeves, a rounded sheath placket, and green piping. Her side-braided plait was tied with a dark green ribbon; no lipstick, no earrings or necklace—she was quite plain today.
昨夜的雷雨在盛夏的午后已经不见了踪迹。走在院落去太阳能农场的甬路上，覃文静今天给自己穿了一件中国传统风格棉麻上衣，面料轻薄通透，淡棕麻底色，上面印着淡绿的叶子图案。圆领灯笼袖，圆鞘衣襟，绿色锁边。侧编的麻花辫系了一个墨绿色发带，没涂口红，没戴耳坠项链，今天很朴素。

A pair of light blue skinny jeans, paired with the waisted sheath top, fully revealed the gentle grace and steadiness of her waist and hips. Her lotus-colored small high heels clicked against the fired square bricks of the path, sounding a crisp "katakata." Last night's rainwater steamed under the sunlight; in this warmth and humidity, the weeds along the ground grew wildly. Li Haojun disliked mowing the grass—he was unwilling to waste time, and unwilling to smell the scent of plants bleeding—so he let everything be natural.
一条淡蓝色紧身牛仔裤，配合收腰圆鞘的上衣，尽显腰胯的柔美与稳重。藕色的小高跟鞋踩在烧制的甬路方砖上发出卡塔卡塔的声音。昨夜的雨水在阳光下蒸腾，在这暖湿里，地面的杂草肆意地生长着。李皓珺不喜欢割草，他不愿意浪费时间，也不愿意闻到植物流血的味道，所以一切任其自然。

This path wasn't long, yet amidst the blazing yellow sunlight and the surrounding pale green grass of summer, coupled with the scorching heat of the air around it, time on this path seemed to have stopped. It wasn't until she reached the basement door that Qin Wenjing pulled it open, but did not step inside. A rush of cool air met her face, but she disliked the damp chill of such places, even though he was there.
这条小路不长，可是在这大黄色的阳光，与淡绿色青草的环顾的夏日里，加上周围空气的炙热，这条小路上的时光似乎停止了。直至来到地下室门口，覃文静拉开门，但是并没有走进去。迎面扑来清凉的感觉，但是她不喜欢阴冷的环境，虽然他在那里。

Inside the basement, Li Haojun was still occupied with his tasks. At the sound of the door opening, he turned back to see Qin Wenjing standing in the doorway. She hadn't come in; instead, she leaned against the doorframe with her left hand, gripping the handle with her right, standing there looking at him.
地下室里，李皓珺还在做他的事情，这时门开了，他回头看见覃文静站在门口。她并没有进来，而是左手倚着门框，右手拉着门把手，站在那里看着他。

Sunlight from outside filtered through Qin Wenjing's top, outlining her silhouette. The backlighting made it hard to see her features clearly, but the figure was familiar.
外面的阳光透过覃文静的上衣，勾勒出她的身形轮廓，逆光的对比度不太能看清她的面容，但是身形是熟悉的。

Li Haojun set down what he was doing and walked over to put an arm around Qin Wenjing's waist, asking,
李皓珺放下手里的事情，走过去搂着覃文静的腰，问，

"Is something wrong? Is there something you need?"
“怎么了，有事吗？”

"No. Just taking a break? Come sit outside for a bit."
“没有，休息一下吗？出来坐坐。”

Without another word, Li Haojun took her hand and led her out to sit on the bench by the door. The afternoon warmth quickly made Li Haojun feel the blood circulating to his limbs again. He had indeed been too focused in the basement, neglecting his body's sensations.
李皓珺什么也没说，拉着她的手，出来坐在门口的长椅上。午后的温度很快使得李皓珺感到自己的四肢末梢血液循环都打开了。刚才在地下室确实过于专注，忽略了自己的身体感受。

"Do you like summer?" Qin Wenjing asked. She wasn't looking at Li Haojun, but had closed her eyes, facing the sun, basking in its warm embrace.
“喜欢夏天吗？” 覃文静问道，但是她并没有看李皓珺，而是闭着眼睛面向太阳，享受着煦日的沐浴。

Li Haojun thought for a moment, wondering why she'd suddenly ask this, then answered, "Yes, I do. Each season has its own characteristics."
李皓珺想了想，不知道为什么她想起来问这个，就回答，“喜欢，每个季节都有它的特点。”

"You used to like autumn best—deep and romantic. After all these years, you've come to like summer—fiery and unrestrained. Just like how you've always strived in life, equally passionate." With that, Qin Wenjing turned her head, grinning mischievously at Li Haojun,
“你最早是喜欢秋天的，深情，浪漫。在经过了多年之后，你喜欢夏天，它炙热，奔放。就像你一直努力的生活，一样的火热。”说完，覃文静扭头笑嘻嘻地看着李皓珺，
"It was you who told me."
“是你告诉我的，”

"Oh," Li Haojun responded, thinking to himself what nonsense the little girl was spouting today. So he tried asking,
“哦，”李皓珺答应着，心想这小丫头今天抽的哪门子疯。于是便试着问，
"Then which season do you like?"
“那你喜欢哪个季节？”

"Summer."
“夏天，”
"Why?"
“为什么？”
"Because of you." As she spoke, Qin Wenjing turned and nestled into Li Haojun's arms.
“因为你，”说着，覃文静转身趴在李皓珺怀里，

Li Haojun wrapped one arm around her back, the other lifting her legs onto his lap. In the gentle breeze, accompanied by the scent of grass and rainwater, he could faintly detect the slight tang of her body's perspiration—the attraction of the opposite sex.
李皓珺一手搂着她的背，一手搂过她的双腿，放在自己腿上。和风里，伴着青草和雨水的气息，淡淡的能闻到她身体微微发汗的味道，异性的吸引。

"Why is that?" Li Haojun leaned close to her ear and asked softly again.
“为什么呀？”李皓珺又趴在她耳边轻轻地追问，
"Because that summer was our happiest time," saying this, Qin Wenjing rested her cheek on Li Haojun's shoulder and continued,
“因为那个夏天是我们最幸福的时光，”说着，覃文静把脸靠在李皓珺肩上，继续讲述，
"I was just moving from middle school to high school then. You were better at studying than I was, so you often explained problem-solving ideas to me. You were good at physics and decent at math, so we spent more time together than usual. Later, after the exams, we had even more time together. Back then, I was young and didn't think too much, so that period was the happiest—at least, I felt it was."
“那时候我正好初中升高中，你比我学的好，所以你经常给我讲解题思路，你物理学得好，数学也还行，所以比平时接触更多。后来考完试，我们也更多的时间在一起。那时候我也小，也不会想很多，所以那段时间是最幸福的，至少我觉得是。”

"So was that when we confirmed our relationship?" Li Haojun ventured to ask.
“那我们是那时候确定恋爱关系的吗？” 李皓珺试着问，
"No."
“没有，”
"Was it later then?"
“那是后来吗？”
"Also no." With that, Qin Wenjing looked up at Li Haojun.
“也没有，”说着覃文静抬头看了看李皓珺，
"Back then, you were much older than me. After I started high school, I always wanted to find someone my own age, so... maybe I lacked a sense of security, always afraid you wouldn't be able to stay with me till the end."
“那时候你比我大很多，上高中以后，我总想找个同龄的，所以……，我可能是缺乏安全感，总是怕你不能陪我到最后。”

"Oh, well, now that I've slept off my amnesia, am I the same age as you?" As he spoke, Li Haojun began to jiggle Qin Wenjing in his arms.
“哦,那现在我失忆睡过之后，是不是跟你同岁了呀？” 说着，李皓珺开始晃动怀里的覃文静。
"Mathematically speaking, yes." Finishing her sentence, Qin Wenjing burst into giggles.
“数学上是吧。”说完，覃文静咯咯咯地笑了起来。

Qin Wenjing rarely talked to Li Haojun about their past; perhaps there were some sad memories she preferred not to mention. But since she had brought it up this time, Li Haojun seized the opportunity to learn more about their shared history, and so he pressed on,
覃文静很少跟李皓珺谈及他们的过去，也许是有些伤心的过往她不愿提及吧。但是这次她主动说起，李皓珼便主动抓住机会，想多了解一些他们的过往，于是接着问，
"Did we still spend a lot of time together after you started high school?"
“你上高中后我们还经常在一起吗？”
"More or less. We were neighbors."
“差不多吧，我们是邻居，”
"Did I still explain math and physics problems to you?"
“那我还给你讲数学物理题吗？”
"Yes."
“是的，”
"Did I explain them to you late into the night?"
“给你讲到很晚吗？”
"Go on, stop boasting." Saying this, Qin Wenjing pretended to be annoyed, turning her head away from him.
“去，别臭美。”说着，覃文静假装生气的样子，扭头不看他了。

Seeing she was in a good mood today, Li Haojun continued to tease her while asking,
李皓珺看她今天心情还不错，就接着边逗她边问，
"I helped you study so much, and you didn't show any gratitude at all? Are you a little ungrateful wretch? Tell me, was there a first kiss?"
“我那么帮着你学习，你连一点表示都没有，是不是小没良心的？说，初吻有没有？”
"Aiya, that doesn't count!"
“哎呀，那不算啦。”
"Oh? Then what kind does count? Tell me, what was it like with your boyfriend?"
“哦？那要怎么样的才算呢？说，和你男朋友的是什么样？”
"Go away, go away!" Qin Wenjing coquettishly pushed at Li Haojun's arm while quietly leaning back into his embrace.
“去去去，” 覃文静一边撒娇推着李皓珺的胳膊，一边悄无声息地靠在他怀里。

Looking at her slightly sweat-beaded forehead and flushed cheeks, Li Haojun asked softly, word by word,
看着她略微出汗的额头，绯红的脸颊，李皓珺轻声地一字一字地问，
"If time could flow backwards, if it were that very summer, what would you do?"
“如果时光倒流，这就是那个夏天，你会怎么做？”

Qin Wenjing snuggled into his arms, closing her eyes. It was a long while before she murmured softly,
覃文静偎依在他怀里，闭着眼睛，过了好一阵才轻声说，
"I hope I could grasp the present."
“我希望，我能抓住现在。”

The scorching heat of the afternoon had slowly faded, and the couple's embrace had shifted from fiery intensity to mutual warmth. Li Haojun gave Qin Wenjing a gentle shake and said,
午后的炙热已经慢慢褪去，两个人的拥抱已经从火热变为互相温暖。李皓珺摇晃了一下覃文静说，
"Let's go back inside, don't get bitten by mosquitoes."
“回屋里吧，不要被蚊虫叮咬。”

Back inside, numerous notification alerts for subscribed news popped up on Qin Wenjing's display screen. Li Haojun glanced over casually and saw they were follow-up reports regarding the news from Richland that day.
回到屋里，覃文静的显示屏幕上好多订阅新闻的提醒，李皓珺留神一瞧，原来还是关于那天在里奇兰上新闻的后续报道，
"'Richland Riot Follow-up,' 'Promotion of Marine Life Conservation Thrusters,' 'Forces Behind the Richland Riot,' 'Police Notice Regarding the Richland Riot,' 'Richland Riot...'"
“里奇兰骚乱后续，海洋生物保护推进器推广，里奇兰骚乱背后势力，里奇兰骚乱警方公示，里奇兰骚乱……”
"Aiya, enough already," Qin Wenjing interrupted Li Haojun's mechanical, monotonous recitation of news headlines. She knew Li Haojun was teasing her, still fixated on their heart-stirring trip from several days prior.
“哎呀，好啦，” 覃文静打断了李皓珺机器般地死板的朗读新闻标题，她知道李皓珺在嘲弄她，依然热心于多日前两人那场心动旅行。

"Women, must they always steep themselves in romance?" Li Haojun smiled as he looked at Qin Wenjing and asked.
“女人啊，要一直泡在浪漫里吗？” 李皓珺微笑着看着覃文静问，
Qin Wenjing squinted at Li Haojun without speaking.
覃文静眯着眼看着李皓珺也不说话，
"How did things turn out over in Richland later?" Seeing Qin Wenjing remain silent, Li Haojun changed the subject.
“里奇兰那边后来怎么样了？” 李皓珺看覃文静不说话，就问了别的话题。

"Oh, it seems some of the organizers came from Portland and California, but others were stateless individuals—just local residents living on social welfare. Because they disrupted social order and engaged in violent destructive activities, their points were deducted completely, and they might be deported to farms at the junction of residential and natural zones to adapt to self-sufficient living."
“哦，好像里边有些组织者是波特兰和加州过来的，但是有些是没有公民身份的，只是当地居民，靠社会福利生活的，因为扰乱社会秩序和暴力破坏活动，积分扣没了，可能会被驱逐到居民区与自然区交界处的农场去适应自食其力的生活。”

"Mm, if they cannot build and only destroy, then they truly aren't suited for a civilized society. However, from a humanitarian perspective..."
“嗯，如果他们不能建设只能毁坏，那么确实不适合一个文明社会。但是，从人道主义角度……”
Before Li Haojun could finish, Qin Wenjing covered her mouth, giggling as she looked at Li Haojun.
没等李皓珺说完，覃文静捂着嘴咯咯咯地笑着看着李皓珺，
"What are you laughing at?" Li Haojun asked, rather surprised.
“你笑什么？” 李皓珺很诧异地问，
"You really have forgotten. Before, you told me about your school experiences—how some classmates were the type who wouldn't study properly themselves and wouldn't let others study either." Qin Wenjing said with a laugh.
“你真的是忘了，以前你给我讲过你上学的经历，有的同学就是自己不好好学习还不让别人好好学习那种。” 覃文静笑着说，
"If you still remembered those people, you wouldn't be saying 'but' and bringing up humanitarianism again."
“要是你还记得那些人，你就不会又说但是，又是人道主义了。”

"Oh, so that's how it is." Li Haojun was left speechless, after all, he genuinely couldn't remember, truly lacking the basis to speak on the matter.
“哦，是这样啊，” 李皓珺竟无言以对，毕竟自己真的不记得了，真的没了发言权的基础。
"Aiya, actually, the current social system hasn't denied them opportunities; it's just that they themselves didn't cherish them, or lacked the capacity for self-control. Someone who can't build, or rather, has never built—can you expect them to cherish the fruits of others' labor?"
“哎呀其实现在的社会制度不是没有给他们机会，只是他们自己没有珍惜，或者没有能力自控。一个不会建设的，或者说不曾建设的人，你能指望他们珍惜别人的劳动成果吗？”

"Sigh, not necessarily," Li Haojun thought for a moment and said, "Some people are just innately kind; they won't hurt others, nor will they damage others' property."
“哎，也不一定，” 李皓珺想了想说，“有的人就是天生善良那种，不会去伤害别人，也不会去破坏别人的财物，”
"Rest assured, they live very well. Even if they aren't clever or creative, they live among us as residents. So, the current personal evaluation system is, from a certain angle, protecting vulnerable groups."
“你放心吧，他们生活的很好，即便他们不够聪明或者有创造力，他们以居民的身份在与我们一起生活。所以目前的个人评价体系其实是从某种角度上来讲是保护弱势群体的。”

"Mm, that makes some sense—preventing evildoers from mixing in and deceiving others?"...
“嗯，有些道理，防止作恶者鱼目混珠？”……

Unnoticed, night had fallen. The summer evening breeze gently stirred the plants in the courtyard, and the dim yellow lamplight spilled through the window onto the floor. Within the lamplight of the room, shadows flickered; all else belonged to the night.
不知不觉，夜色已经降临，夏夜的微风轻轻拂动院落中的植物，昏黄的灯光透过窗子散落地上。屋里的灯光中有人影晃动，除此皆为夜色。

Today, there had been the warm sun shining; only those who cherish could obtain it.
今天曾有煦日照耀，只有珍惜的人得到。

(Translated by Yuanbao)