辛-41云乡讯音 Xin-41 Homeward Cloud Messaging

云乡讯音乃不同星球传回的天外回音，承载着科员故土与亲眷的讯息。由「黑塔•银河法政科」统一审阅并分发至对应科员。 The Homeward Cloud Messaging system transmits echoes from other planets across the cosmos, thereby carrying messages from the researchers' homel

信件来源：星球辛-41

Mail Origin: Planet Xin-41

信件类型：亲属慰问

Mail Type: Family Greetings

审查结果：通过，无模因病毒

Examination Result: Passed, no memetic virus present

审查人：伊丽莎白 • 沃森

Examiner: Elizabeth Watson

分发至：星域界种科-基础科员-荣仓终

Send to: Department of Ecology - Entry Researcher - Eikura Shuu

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小终：

Dear Shuu,

收到你寄回来的第三封信，我和你爸都非常高兴，把他乐得，点了一根私藏多年的「月月红」来庆祝。我也拦不住他。你知道那东西的。斯林克人自从单方面宣布香料禁运之后，就把相关制品从我们的生活中完全抹除了。你爸冒着被抓住、被体罚的风险庆祝，还把信拿给小镇人传阅了一遍，你应该能理解，他不是有意要暴露咱家的隐私，而是他真切地为你这个儿子感到骄傲。

Your dad and I are very happy to have received your third letter. It made him so happy that he lit a Harmonious Joy that he has saved for many years to celebrate. I couldn't stop him. You know what I'm talking about. Ever since the Slinkans announced the ban on spices, all related products have been removed from our daily lives. Your dad is risking being arrested and physical punishment to celebrate. He even showed the entire town your letter. Please understand that he's not trying to breach our family's privacy. It's just that he's genuinely proud of having you as his son.

那天晚上大家伙都挤在一起读你的信。你提到的空间站中的「奇物」，在我们这里是闻所未闻的。你所描述的与你共事的「科员」，呵呵，对我们这些一辈子呆在辛-41的人来说，都是比肩斯林克人的天才存在。不过，按照你信中所说，斯林克人并非真理的化身，宇宙的主宰。难道他们根本无法将我们的文明引向终极？在斯林克人之上，真的有更为伟大的存在？老实说，这有点超乎你老妈的想象了。我试着到蒙尘的书堆里翻一翻斯林克人降临之前的史书记载，却被你爸制止了。他说我纯粹是闲的，才会做出翻看禁书这种不要命的事来。我本来打算用你的话来反驳他，但他说，有那功夫，不如去香料地里多采一箩筐的叶子，下个收割季，才能有本钱给你多寄一两件体己来。你老妈我又仔细想了想，觉得他是对的。那种纸面上的东西，留给你们年轻人考虑就好。这不，有个叫米莱的小伙子，曾经跟你上过同一所学院，在念你的信时就特别激动。

That night, everyone bunched together to read your letter. The Curio in the space station that you mentioned is something unheard-of here. And the descriptions of the researchers you work with, heh, well, to people like us who have spent their entire lives on Xin-41, they sound like geniuses compared to even the Slinkans. However, according to what you said in your letter, the Slinkans aren't the embodiment of the truth nor the dominion of the universe. Then does that mean they aren't able to bring our civilization to its apex? Are there really more majestic beings than the Slinkans? To be honest, this is all a little too much for me. I tried looking through historical records in the pile of dusty books about the period before the Slinkans arrived but was stopped by your father. He said that the only reason I would attempt to do something as risky as reading banned books is that I had nothing better to do. I was about to use your words to talk back to him, but he said that if I had the time for that, I'm better off gathering another basket of leaves from the spice fields so that we would have enough money to send you a few more things from home next harvest season. I thought about it. Your father was right. These things are better left to you young people to think about. Oh, and there was a boy who got really excited reading your letter. His name is Milo, and he used to attend the same academy as you.

让我想想。当时，他站在椅子上，说你给大伙带来了全新的知识，说你是什么「抱火者」。说完，他就匆匆离开了。到我写信的这一刻，他已经失踪了二十二天。在今天，这个大雾弥漫的清晨，他的尸体被发现了。最近，辛-41的晨雾总是很浓重，我想是斯林克人增加了香料焚烧量导致。他们好像在过某种节日，或者迎接什么大人物，一些小型飞船频繁在斯林克聚居区来来去去。这倒是扯远了，说回米莱，他就躺在离斯林克聚居区百米开外的荒地上。眼眶、嘴巴、耳道和腹部，都塞满了用过的香料，废草似的。镇上的人都说，这是斯林克人的警告。大家伙把米莱埋在了一个小山坡上，埋在开满暗黄色丁香花的那一面。有几个人掉了眼泪，包括你爸。他们大声责怪烟雾浓重，熏得眼睛直发痛；又小声说米莱的独行侠风格无异于送死，有什么想法，应该大家商量着一起来；还说米莱的嘴很硬，像烧火钳一样硬，到死也是条汉子。你放心，在这之后，我再也不会让你爸随随便便把你的信传出去了。

Let me think... He stood on a chair and said you have brought brand-new knowledge to everyone. He said that you were... the fire bringer... or something. He quickly left after saying that. At the time I'm writing this letter, he has already been missing for twenty-two days. And today, in the foggy morning, his body was discovered. The morning fog has been very thick recently on Xin-41. I think it's because the Slinkans have increased the burning of spices. I think they're celebrating some sort of holiday or welcoming someone important. A number of small spacecrafts flew frequently around the Slinkan Residential Area. But I digress. Back to Milo. He was lying in the wilderness a hundred meters from the Slinkan Residential Area. His eyes, mouth, ears, and abdomen were stuffed full with used spices. The townspeople all said this is a warning from the Slinkans. We buried Milo on a small hill, on the side where the dark yellow lilacs blossom. A few people cried, including your father. They loudly denounced the thick smoke and how it makes their eyes hurt, but quietly claim that Milo's individualistic style cost him his life. If he had an idea, he should've talked to everyone about it. They also said that he was stubborn like a pair of fire tongs, and didn't rat anyone out till his death. Don't worry, after what had happened, I won't ever let your dad carelessly share your letters again.

我还想起一个困扰大家伙的疑问，「黑塔」不是你的工作单位吗？那么「黑塔大人」又是什么呢，是一个人吗？听你的描述，她听起来像是一个斯林克人，聪明、富足、冷漠，又有点儿疯狂。你在辛-41和斯林克人打过十多年的交道，能得到她的赏识也不奇怪。当然，你老妈没有看低你本职工作的意思，我相信你能拿到定分评估第一名，一定付出过莫大的努力。这样的品质，在你当初通过考试，获得登上「黑塔」的船票时就已经被证明了。还有你提到的那位卡波特大人，他对你那么好，说明这银河里还是好人居多，要不怎么到处都在传「巡海游侠」的事迹呢。如你所言，你现在是空间站的「大明星」，更要注意收敛自己的锋芒，别怪老妈唠叨，我是不想你年轻气盛，吃一些暗亏，知子莫若母嘛。

Oh, I've also got something that's been bothering everyone. Aren't you working at Herta Space Station? Then what does Madam Herta mean? Is that a person? From your descriptions, she sounds like a Slinkan. Intelligent, wealthy, cold, and a little crazy. You've dealt with Slinkans on Xin-41 for more than a decade, so it's no surprise you were able to earn her favor. Obviously, I'm not saying that your work isn't just as splendid. I believe that getting number one in your evaluation is a result of an immense amount of hard work. But then again, you've already proven you were capable of that when you first passed the exam and received the ticket to board the space station. Oh, and that Master Capote you talked about. Him being so nice to you shows that there are more good people than not in the cosmos, or why would the stories of the Galaxy Ranger be passing around everywhere? If you are a big celebrity on the space station as you say, then you need to be even more careful and restrained. Please don't mind my nagging, I just don't want you to be impulsive and pay the price for it. A mother knows her son better than anyone ever could.

老妈要提醒你的也就这么多了。这些天我老是梦到你，梦到你把自己一个人关在黑房子里，觉得心里不很踏实，也可能是我老了，胡思乱想，导致失眠梦多。没办法呀，我老是担心你在那边工作如何，吃得好不好，有没有瘦，冷不冷，一大堆的问题。上次托行星货运船捎去我缝了一季的毛线裤，被空间站退了回来，原因是说……你们那边的人都穿统一防护服，用不上这毛糙东西。你爸他气坏了，把毛线裤扔到了给你新置办的小平房里，那房子几乎花了我们采集香料赚来的所有积蓄。别说我们乱花钱。在斯林克人治下，也没多余享受的途径。我们都盼着你能早点成家，有一个自己的小家庭，但如果你不打算在辛-41安家，那就得另当别论，毕竟那超出你爸和我的想象。

Well, that's all the reminders I have for you. I've been dreaming about you lately. In my dream, you locked yourself in a black house. It makes me very worried. Maybe it's because I'm getting old. I let my imaginations get the better of me and it's been affecting my sleep. I'm always worrying about if your work is going well, if you're eating enough, if you've lost weight, if you're wearing enough clothes... and all sorts of other questions. I had the Astral Logistics send you a pair of wool pants I spent an entire season knitting, but it was rejected by the space station... They said that everyone there wears protective uniforms and have no use for something crude like this. Your dad was furious and tossed the pants in the new house we purchased for you. We basically spent all the savings we had from harvesting spices on that house. We're not recklessly spending money. There aren't many other luxuries to be had with the Slinkans ruling the place. We both hope that you can get married and start a family of your own soon. But if you don't plan on staying on Xin-41, then that's a whole different story. After all, that would be something completely beyond both of our imaginations.

小终啊小终，老妈祝你健康，快乐。早日乘坐跃迁星船，回家与我们团聚。

Oh Shuu, Mom wishes you health and happiness. Hop on a warp ship soon and come home to us.

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