Chapter 4 third chapter

When I caught up with Wyoh she was up the ramp to the sixth floor.She didn't intend to stop, so I just grabbed the doorknob and entered the airtight door with her. I stopped her, took the red hat off her head, and put it in my pocket. "It's much safer that way." My own hat was long gone. My actions seemed to startle her, but she still replied, "Yes, it's much safer." "Before you open the door, can you tell me where you plan to go? Do you want me to stay behind and contain them, or go with you?" "I don't know either. I guess I'll have to wait for Short to come."

"Short is dead." Her eyes widened, but she said nothing.I asked, "Did you originally live with him, or with someone else?" "I've booked a room at a hotel—the Hotel Costa Nissa Ukrena. But I don't know where. It's too late to check in." "Well—you can't go to that place. Wyoh, I don't know what happened, but this time the government sent out the guard of the Warden, which has not happened in Moon City for several months...Unless It is to escort important people, and no one has ever seen the guards dispatched. Well, I could take you to my house, but now I guess I am also being hunted. Anyway, we have to leave these public passages first. "

There was a knock on the door at the end of the sixth floor.Through the glass window in the door, I saw a small face looking in. "Can't stay here forever," I said, opening the door. A little girl came in, not as tall as my waist.She gave us a disdainful look, and said, "If you want to have sex, find another place, don't get in the way here." I opened the second door and she squeezed in between us. "She's right," I said to Wyoh. "You'd better take me by your arm, as if you were with your sweetheart. Then walk leisurely and slowly."

As we said, we immediately walked like this.This is a side corridor, almost deserted except for a few children who are getting in the way.If Warden's guards wanted to round us up the way Earth's police do, at least a dozen kids could tell them where the tall blond woman went--but moon kids wouldn't waste time on these Warden puppets! A boy—nearly old enough to appreciate Wyoh—stopped in front of us and whistled cheerfully at her.She smiled and ignored him. "We're in trouble," I whispered to her. "You're so conspicuous, we'll have to find a hotel to avoid. There's one near the next side porch—not very good, mostly lovers' trysts." room, there is only this kind of hotel nearby.”

"I'm not in the mood for a tryst with you right now." "Don't be so nervous, Wyoh! It wasn't meant to be, of course we live in two rooms." "Excuse me. Where is the restroom? Also, is there a pharmacy nearby?" "Are you in trouble?..." "That's not it. I'm looking for a bathroom to hide from - I'm too conspicuous - and I'm looking for a drugstore to buy some cosmetics. Need body paint, and hair dye." The bathroom is very convenient, right next to it.After she went in, I found a pharmacy and asked the owner how much body paint a girl of this height—I made a gesture under my chin with my hand—and weighed about forty-eight kilograms needed.I bought the dark brown paint in the amount he suggested and went to another store to buy another coat in that amount.Finally found a drugstore, bought black hair dye, plus a red dress.

Wyoh arrived in black shorts and a jumper—a travel-friendly outfit that went well with her blonde hair.I have been married for so long, and I have a little idea of ​​how women dress. I have never seen a woman with dark brown skin and black hair wearing black clothes.I know that fashionable women in Yuecheng liked to wear skirts at that time.I bought a dress with an apron, and I knew it was a pretty affordable dress just by looking at its price.I don't know her size, but luckily the material is stretchy. I met three acquaintances along the way, but none of them reacted unusually.People are calm and business is going on as usual.It was hard to imagine that just a few hundred meters below and to the north, there had been a riot a few minutes earlier.Leaving those things aside - I've never liked overstimulation.

I rang the bell and handed the things to Wyoh through the crack of the door.Then I found a bar and sat for half an hour, ordered half a liter of beer, and watched TV.The programming was normal, there was no "now we're dropping an urgent message" kind of stuff. Half an hour later, I went back to the bathroom, rang the bell, and waited for her to come out. Wyoh came out.I didn't even recognize her for a moment.After recognizing it, I was full of praise for her.Whistling, snapping fingers, a sound of exclamation, looking up and down like a surveying and mapping radar.Can't help but be amazed - it's awesome!

Wyoh had evenly applied a layer of paint, and it was darker than me now.She must have kept some cosmetics in her bag herself.She had her eyes black again, her eyelashes a matching color, dark red lipstick, and slightly enlarged lips.Her hair was dyed black and pomaded, and she had taken some pains to straighten it out, but the few curls showed it.She looked neither African nor European, but a mixture of the two, which made her more like a native of the Moon. The red skirt was too small, and it wrapped around her like a body spray suit. The skirt reached the mid-thigh, and it fluttered slightly due to static electricity.She removed the strap of the satchel and tucked it under her arm.The shoes were missing, must have been thrown away, or put in the bag.She was barefoot and much shorter than before.

She looks great.It is not at all obvious that this is the impassioned agitator at the venue.This image is much better than the original. She listened to my praise quietly, her body heaving and falling, with a big smile on her face. Two boys came by and tap-danced in front of us, echoing my praise in shrill voices.I tipped and sent them off. Wyoh stepped forward, took my arm, and said, "Is this all right? Can I pass?" "Wyoh, you look like a service girl at a slot machine waiting for her prey." "You guy, what are you talking about! Isn't it so cheap?" "Don't be angry, I mean you're beautiful. Well, I apologize, just say what you want! If you want bread and honey, that's the best, and I have a whole beehive!"

"Humph——" she punched me hard on the chest, and laughed, "I'm a fugitive today. Friends. If we are really a couple—unlikely—I don't want to be with your bees Say hello! Alright, stop joking, hurry up and find a hotel!" We found a hotel and got the key.Wyoh was being very affectionate, but it wasn't necessary.The person on the night shift was so busy with the knitting work at hand that he didn't look up at all. In the room, Wyoh fastened the latch. "It's great here!" No wonder it's not good, the Singapore voucher is 32 yuan.She must have thought it was a shabby little room.How could I let her live in a poor hotel?Even if it's just a temporary escape!This is a room with a separate bathroom and no water restrictions.And a phone and a food delivery machine, which I desperately need.

She took out her wallet, "I saw the money you paid, I have to give it to you, so..." I reached out and closed her wallet, "Anyway, my bees won't care about this little money, don't mention it." "What? Oh, you're talking about your house. You paid for my clothes and cosmetics. Of course I should pay for the rent..." "Okay, stop." "Then... how about the AA system?" "Don't be polite to me. Wyoh, you are so far away from home now, you'd better save some money for yourself." "Manuel O'Kelly, if you insist on not letting me pay my share, then I'll have to find another place." I bowed to her and said, "Goodbye, Miss, good night! I will meet you later." I got up and opened the door for her. She stared at me angrily for a while, then closed her wallet heavily, and said, "Can't I stay? Thank you very much!" "you are welcome." "I mean it, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, anyway—yes, I'm not used to taking favors. I'm a free woman." "Then congratulations!" "Don't be sarcastic. You're a down-to-earth man, I respect you, and I'm glad you're on our side." "I can't say for sure." "what?" "Don't get excited. Of course I'm not on the Warden's side. But I really don't think I want Short's ghost to trouble me, but I really don't think your plan will work." "But, Manny, you don't understand that if we're together—" "Stop, Wyoh, this is not the time to talk about politics. I'm hungry and tired. When did you eat?" "Oh my God!" At that moment, I suddenly felt that she was so young, so small, and so tired. "I forgot, it should be on the bus, and they sent a little to everyone on the bus." "How about a medium-rare Kansas cut, with baked potatoes, Tycho sauce, green salad, and coffee? How about a drink first?" 【① A crater on the surface of the moon. 】 "great!" "I also think it's good, but in this kind of place, at this time, as long as we can still drink seaweed soup and eat burgers, we're lucky. What do you want to drink?" "Anything. Have some wine!" "Okay." I walked to the teleporter and hit the service button. "menu!" The menu is immediately displayed on the screen.I ordered prime rib, two servings of thin-skinned apple strudel with whipped cream, and a half-liter of vodka over ice, which I deliberately put an asterisk on. "Is there still time for me to take a shower? You don't mind?" "No problem, Wyoh. You'll smell better that way." "You bastard. Twelve hours in a pressurized suit and you'll stink in another—the bus sucks. I wash it fast." "Wait, Wyoh. Can the paint be washed off? You can't go out without paint. No matter when or where you go, you can't go without paint." "Washable. But you bought enough for me to use three more times. Excuse me, Manny. I usually bring my own make-up to political events - who knows if there will be any accidents, like tonight , Of course tonight is the most dangerous one. But this time I was in a hurry, missed the iron pipe, and almost missed the bus.” "Wash it off." "Yes, sir. By the way, I don't need someone to wipe my back, but I'm leaving the door open so we can talk. Just company, nothing else." "Don't worry, I've seen women before." "Oh, that woman must be flattered." She laughed, then punched me on the chest again—very hard—and went into the bathroom to start the shower. "Manny, why don't you wash first? Use your used Water has no problem with these paints and the stink you complain about." "There are no water restrictions here, just enjoy it." "My God, what a luxury. I got enough water for three days at home." She whistled softly and softly. "Manny, are you rich?" "Not much, but not tearfully poor either." The conveyor jingles and drinks arrive.I mixed the martini, added ice to the vodka, sent her share in, went out, and sat down where I couldn't see her—in fact, I didn't look at her when I went in. what.The happy lather of soap in the bathtub flooded her from the shoulders down. "I wish you happiness, cheers!" I shouted. "I wish you a fulfilling and happy life too, Manny. I don't know how you are, but this sentence is very suitable for me." She paused for a moment and said, "Manny, you're married, aren't you?" "Yeah, can you see it?" "It's obvious at a glance. You are considerate to women, but not overly attentive, and quite independent. So you must be married, and have been married for a long time. How many children?" "Four husbands and seventeen children." "Is it a clan marriage?" "No, it's a family marriage. I got married at fourteen, the fifth of nine husbands. It's not surprising to have seventeen children. Big family." "It must be pretty good. I haven't seen many family marriages. There are very few such marriages in Singapore. Most of them are clan marriages and group marriages. There are also many polyandrous families, but there are very few family marriages." "It's true. Our line of marriage has lasted for nearly a hundred years, dating back to the first generation of prisoners sent to Johnson City. There were twenty-one lines handed down at that time, nine of which have continued to this day. One divorced None of them. When there is a birthday or a wedding in the family, all the children, in-laws, and relatives will gather together. It is a crazy asylum. Of course there are more than seventeen children in those times. Of course, everyone who is married Not counting him as a child. Otherwise, some 'children' are old enough to be my grandfather. This system is very good, there is no pressure, and everyone is happy. Take myself as an example, if a week If I don’t go home or call, no one will say anything. As long as I go back, everyone will welcome me warmly. Family marriages rarely get divorced. What could be better than this?” "I don't think there should be any. Do you recruit men and women alternately? How long does it take?" "It's not fixed, it depends on our needs. Recruiting men and women depends on the lowest link in the line. Last year we married a girl. Normally it should be the turn to recruit boys, but last year was Special case." "How special?" "My youngest wife is Grandpa and Mumu's granddaughter—all the husbands call the eldest wife 'Mum' or 'Mimi.' It must be the granddaughter of the uncle. It is still difficult to say. But anyway, she has no blood relationship with other couples. So in our marriage system, she can remarry into this family. In other marriage systems, even distant relatives You can marry, and of course it’s no problem for someone like her. There is no problem at all. And Lyudmila grew up in our family. Her mother was a single mother, and then she went to Xinlien by herself and abandoned her. gave us. 【①The eldest husband. 】 "When she grew to a certain age, we began to worry about her marriage. But she was determined not to marry, and cried and begged us to make an exception for her. We agreed. Now the uncle can only show courteousness to women, nothing else can be discussed Come on. As the first husband, the wedding night in the bridal chamber is his - but the consummation of the house is just a show, and the work is done by the second husband Greg. Everyone knows it well, and of course no one says it. Delighted. Lyudmila is a lovely child, who was pregnant for the first time at the age of fifteen." "your child?" "I guess it's Greg's. Oh, and mine, of course. But I was in New Grad, so the kid was supposed to be Greg's, unless there was a man outside Meera. But that's impossible, Meera's an Ann." A family girl, and a great cook." The teleporter bell rang.I took out the contents, spread out the table, pulled out the chair, After paying the bill, let the teleporter go back. "You don't want me to feed you, do you?" "I'll come out! Is it okay to not wear makeup?" "It's okay to not wear clothes!" "Give me two cents, and I'll do it, married old man." She came out in no time, her skin was fair again, her hair was wet and combed back neatly and smoothly.Instead of the black suit, she put on the red dress I bought.The red color suits her well.She sat down and lifted the lid off the food. "My God! Manny, I want to marry into your family, do you want it? You are so generous!" "I have to ask about this. The whole family must agree." "Don't force yourself." She picked up the chopsticks and hurriedly ate about a thousand calories before she spoke, "I tell you that I am a free woman, but I was not before." I kept silent, waiting for her to continue.When a woman wants to speak, she will naturally speak, otherwise it is useless to ask. "I married a pair of twin brothers when I was fifteen, twice my age. I was really happy then." She fiddled with the food on her plate, and seemed to want to change the subject, "Manny, wanting to marry into your family is just a casual talk. You don't need to be nervous. If I do remarry - it seems unlikely, but there is fate, I will not refuse either - I must marry a man who belongs to me alone, and have a stable small family like the people on earth. Of course, I don't expect him to be around me all day, as long as he goes home every day For dinner, I don't care where he eats lunch. I'll try to make him happy." "Are the twin brothers having a conflict?" "Oh, that's not the case. I'm pregnant and we're all very happy...was born and it's a freak, so I had to get rid of it. They didn't tell me the truth for fear of breaking my heart, but I can read Yeah. When I understood everything, I filed for divorce, underwent a sterilization operation, moved from Xinlien to Singapore, and became a free woman and started a new life.” "Why do you have to do that? In fact, fathers are more likely than mothers to cause deformities in their children, and men are more likely to be exposed to radiation." "But my situation is different. We asked the best data geneticist in New Grad to do the precise calculations - she was one of the best experts in New Grad before she was exiled here. I see the end What happened. I was a voluntary immigrant to the moon - I should say my mother was a voluntary immigrant, because I was only five years old. When my father was exiled here, my mother decided to come with him, so she took me .Solar wind was forecast for the day, but the pilot thought it was okay—maybe he didn't care about the solar wind at all, he's a cyborg. He did go through the solar wind, but we crashed. Actually, Manny, part of the reason I got involved in politics That was the accident. We were on the scene for four hours before they let us off the boat. This is government bureaucracy, they claim it's for quarantine. I was too young to understand anything. But then I Only then did I realize that the reason why I gave birth to a freak is because the government doesn’t care about the life and death of us exiles.” "There's no point in arguing with them, they don't give a damn. Still, Wyo, you're being a little hasty. Well, I'm not a geneticist, but I know a little about radiation. If you do get radiation Some eggs in your body may be damaged, but that doesn't mean that all your eggs are damaged. Statistically speaking, it's impossible." "Well, I know that." "So—what kind of sterilization did you have? Is it a tubal amputation, or a ring?" "The ring one. My fallopian tubes can reopen. But, Manny, women don't take chances after having a freak." She stroked my prosthetic arm. "Like you, this The article is already like this, in order to save the other arm, you must be more careful, right?" She touched my fleshy limb again, "This is how I feel. You can solve the problem with a prosthetic limb, but I can only solve the problem. Take that approach - I wouldn't be telling you how I feel if it wasn't for you being hurt too." My left arm is much more useful than my right, but I didn't say so.But she was right.If I were to trade my right arm for my left, I would never do it anyway.At least I can soothe girls with it! "I still think you can have healthy babies." "Oh, of course. I have eight children." "what?" "I'm a babysitter, Manny." I opened my mouth wide and closed it again.There is nothing unusual about this notion.I also read newspapers from the other side of the world.But I estimate that in Moon City in 2075, no surgeon has performed this type of transplant operation for humans.It has been done on Niu, but the women in Yuecheng will never give birth to other people's children, no matter how ugly they are, they don't have to worry about not being able to find a husband. (Correction: There are no ugly women, just some pretty and some not so pretty.) I glanced at her figure, then quickly turned my head away. She said, "Don't stare at me, Manny, I'm not pregnant right now. I'm busy with political activities. Bearing is a really good career for a free woman, and the pay is high. Some families in China are very With money, all my children are Chinese—Chinese children are smaller than normal. I am so big, it is not a problem to have a 2.5kg or 3kg child, and the body will not be ruined. They- She glanced at her beautiful figure, "I'm not their wet nurse, and I've never seen them, so it looks like I haven't given birth to children, even younger than my actual age." "But when I first heard about it, I wasn't sure if I was suitable for the job. I was working as a clerk in an Indian store at the time, living off my savings. Saw that ad on the Internet. All I wanted was a baby. The idea of ​​a healthy baby stuck with me. I wasn’t quite out of the weirdo shadow at the time—this career proved to be the cure for me Great medicine for trauma. I no longer feel like a failed woman, and I make a lot more money than other jobs. I have my own time because of it, and it doesn't take long to conceive a baby—six weeks at most. Keeping the baby inside me for six weeks just trying to do justice to the client, after all the baby is precious. Soon I was involved in politics. I was giving speeches, and finally the underground found me. Manny, I just started I started to study politics, economics, history, and how to give a speech. I discovered my organizational skills. I am very satisfied with what I do because I have my own beliefs-I firmly believe that the moon will get Freedom. The fly in the ointment is, well, it would be better if I had a husband waiting for me when I got home. Of course, he must not care that I don't have children. But I don't think about these things, I'm too busy. Listen You talked about your wonderful family and told you so much at once. Well, it's over! It bored you, sorry." It is not easy for a woman to say sorry!But aside from having eight children, in many ways Wyoh was more of a man. "I'm not bored at all." "I hope so. Manny, why do you say our plan won't work? We need you." Suddenly, I feel very tired.How was it possible to make this lovely woman understand that her cherished dreams were meaningless? "Well, Wyooh, let's start at the beginning. You told them what to do, and they'll do it? Take those two you called. That ice miner did nothing but dig ice. He doesn’t understand, so he’ll keep digging ice, and keep selling to the government, because that’s all he can do. The same goes for the wheat grower. Years ago, he took out a loan to grow crops—and since then he’s got a ring on his nose, only I can let others lead me away. After independence, there are much more troubles than now: except for a ration, the rest have to be sold in the free market, instead of sending the food to the ejection bay Everything will be fine. I know that, I grew up on a farm myself." "But you said you were a computer technician." "Yeah, I'm a farmer and a computer technician. I'm not a top computer technician, but I'm the best in Moon City. I don't join the government staff, so if the government is in trouble, they have to hire me. As for the salary, Naturally, it is up to me. Of course they can go to the other side of the earth to hire people, but the insurance and travel expenses paid are much higher than what I asked, and there is a time limit - earth people can't stay on the moon for too long, otherwise they can't Re-adapted to the earth's atmosphere. So as long as I can solve it, they have to come to me. The government can't do anything to me, because I was born a free person. I usually don't have nothing to do. If I really want to be free, I will stay At home, life is also good. "Our family has a decent farm. It's not the kind of farm that specializes in one cash crop. Chickens, Hereford cattle, cows, pigs, and mutant fruit trees, vegetables, all kinds of things. Yes. We also grow some wheat and process and grind it ourselves. Everyone is not picky about their tastes, so we don’t require it to be fine noodles. If there is any surplus, we sell some to others privately. We also brew beer and brandy ourselves. I also learned Instead of drilling rock, we expanded our tunnel with the family. Everyone did a little, so it wasn’t too hard. We didn’t use a mill to grind flour, we used cows, and let the children take the whips to drive the cows. Pick up eggs, feed Chickens are also a thing for children. In short, we rarely use machines. The air we need can be bought from Yuecheng - the farm is not far from Yuecheng, and there is a pneumatic tunnel connected. In fact, many times, we have excess air , and can be sold to others. Because we planted crops, the air was not consumed but increased after a cycle. With this income alone, we can maintain our daily expenses.” "How to solve the water and energy problems?" "It's not too expensive either. We have solar panels on the ground and we have a little ice mine ourselves. Wyoh, our farm was built before 2000 AD when Moon City was a natural cavern. Decades , the condition of the farm is constantly improving—this is also the benefit of family marriage. The farm has been passed down from generation to generation, and the farm has been improved from generation to generation, and the equipment is becoming more and more complete.” "But your ice mine will run out one day?" "Well, now—" I scratched my scalp and smiled, "We are very careful to keep the sewage and garbage, and recycle them after sterilization, and we will never let a drop of water flow back into the urban sewage treatment system. Also—you mustn't tell the guards about this, my dear. When Greg was teaching me how to drill rocks, he happened to get to the bottom of the main southern reservoir—so he just led a spigot to the farm, and a drop It is not wasted. But in order not to let people see the flaws, we still spend money to buy a certain amount of water. Everyone knows that we have ice mines in our house, so no one will doubt that we buy less. As for energy, it is more Easy. Wyoh, I'm a good electrician." "My God, it's wonderful!" Wyoh whistled a long whistle, very excited, "I hope everyone can do this!" "I don't want everyone to be like this, it will be exposed. Let them figure out a way to deceive the government, just like our family, there is always a way. Now come to your plan. Wyoh, there are two things you Wrong estimate. One, 'Unite and boycott' is just a phrase that will never happen. Guys like Houser are quick to compromise - they're in too much trouble to last long. Two, Even if there is a boycott, everyone hugs tightly, and a ton of grain will not be sent into the ejection chamber. Let’s not mention the ice issue, what really matters is the grain. The lunar government was originally just an intermediary agency appointed by the earth. , it’s important because of the grain. What would happen if there wasn’t any grain sent to Earth?” "What will happen? Of course they compromised and gave us a fair and reasonable price! This is the result!" "Honey, you and your comrades talk too much in your own circle and know too little about what's really going on. The government will declare a riot, and warships will come into our orbit loaded with bombs for Luna City , Singapore Moon City, Tycho Lower City, Churchill City, and Xinlien. The troops will land, and the barges transporting grain will take off again at that time, under the escort of the guards. The local farmers will work hard to cooperate with them. Earth With guns and ammunition energy warships, there is no reason to sit back and watch this group of ex-prisoners riot. So troublemakers like you - and me, of course you are the leader - we lowly troublemakers will be surrounded Exterminate and teach us a lesson. Those on Earth can say we're asking for trouble...and no one will hear us. At least not on Earth." Wyoh didn't seem to listen to me. "There are also successful precedents for revolutions. There were only a few people who followed Lenin back then, didn't they also succeed?" "Lenin succeeded because society was in a power vacuum. Correct me if I'm wrong, Wyoh. A revolution can only succeed when—and only when—government rots or disappears on its own." "No! How do you explain the American Revolution?" "The South lost, didn't it?" "I'm not talking about the Civil War, but the one hundred years earlier. The conflict between them and the British government was no different from ours now—they just won!" "Oh, you mean the War of Independence. But wasn't England itself in trouble at the time? France, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland--probably Holland. Ireland was in rebellion then, and our O'Kelly ancestors were among them." .Wyoh, if you can create some trouble on Earth—such as starting a war between the nations of the Earth; or launching an atomic bomb on Europe in Pan Africa—then you will have the opportunity to eliminate the Warden and declare independence to the Earth. Not now." "You are a pessimist." "No, I should say realist. I've never been a pessimist. I'm a moon man through and through, and I'll take a gamble at the slightest chance. If you can convince me that we have at least 10 out of 10 One chance of winning, I will do my best to support you. But if there is no hope..." I pushed my chair back, "Finish?" "Yes. Thanks, comrade. Awesome!" "My pleasure. Go sit on the sofa and I'll clear the table—no help from you, I'm the master." I cleared the table, removed the dishes, leaving only the coffee and vodka, closed the table, folded the chairs, and turned to talk to her. She was stretched out on the couch and fell asleep.Her mouth was slightly opened, and the expression on her face relaxed, revealing the true face of a little girl. I quietly walked into the bathroom and closed the door.After a while of scrubbing, it is much more refreshing.Wash the underwear first, and then lazily take a bath.By the time I soaked it, it was dry and ready to wear again.With a shower and clean clothes to wear, I don't bother to care about when the end of the world will come. Wyoh was still awake, which was troublesome.What I wanted was a room with two beds so she wouldn't think I wanted to share a bed with her--I'm not against that, but she'd made it clear before that she didn't like it.But my bed is that sofa, and it's the bed when it's spread out.The other bed was also folded and not unfolded.I should gently roll out the bed, pick her up like a baby, and move her to the bed.Is it appropriate to do so?I walked back to the bathroom and put on my left arm. I changed my mind again and decided to wait.There is always something in my heart that I can't let go of.The phone in the room has a soundproof cover, so it shouldn't wake Wyoh.I sat down next to the phone, pulled down the soundproof cover, and typed: "MYCROFT XXX". "Hi Mike." "Hello, Man. Have you seen the jokes?" "What? Mike, I haven't had a minute to spare lately—a minute is a long time for you, but a short time for me. But I'll see as soon as I can." "Okay, Man. Have you found someone who isn't too stupid to chat with me?" "I haven't taken care of this yet! Um... wait." I looked at Wyoh through the sound enclosure."Not too stupid" here meant treating Mike with affection--Wyoh had plenty of affection.She should be friendly enough for a machine!I think so.And she is also a trustworthy person.This is not only because we have experienced difficulties together, but more importantly, she, like me, is not from the government. "Mike, would you like to chat with girls?" "Aren't girls too stupid?" "Some girls are very stupid, Mike." "If I'm not too stupid, I can talk to her, Man." "I'll arrange it. But now I'm in trouble and need your help." "I would love to, Man." "Thanks, Mike. I'd like to call home, but I can't do it the normal way. You know calls are tapped sometimes, and if the Warden gives orders, that line can be locked and the call can be traced." "Do you want me to monitor your home calls and lock and track them? Let me tell you, I know your home number and the number you are using now." “不，不是！不要监听！不要锁定！不要追踪！你能不能拨个电话到我家，替我接通，然后控制这条线路，保证它不被监听，不被锁定，不被跟踪——即便有人已经设定了监控程序。还得保证他们不会发现我们绕过了他们设定的监控程序。你能做到吗？” 迈克没有马上回答。我想他正在查阅上千种可能出现的结果，以确认他的控制系统能够执行这个新的程序。 “曼，我可以做到，我马上就做。” “很好！嗯，用什么指令呢。如果以后我需要用这种方式接通电话，我就会说'夏洛克'。” “他很著名的！夏洛克·福尔摩斯是我兄弟。” 一年前，我跟他解释过他名字的由来（迈克洛夫特·福尔摩斯）。之后，他便扫描了卡内基城市图书馆的影印资料，读了所有福尔摩斯的故事。我不明白他是怎么推导出兄弟这层关系来的，但也不想多问。 “对！那你就拨个'夏洛克'到我家吧。” 过了一会儿，我开口说：“姆姆吗？这是你最中意的老公。” 她回答说，“曼尼！你是不是又惹麻烦了？” 在所有女人当中，当然也包括我所有的妻子，姆姆是我的最爱。但她老是要教训我——老天在上，这毛病她是改不了啦。我尽量说得好像受了委屈似的，“我？怎么会？你又不是不了解我，姆姆。” “我太了解你了。既然没惹什么麻烦，那你能不能解释一下德拉帕扎教授急着找你做什么？他已经打了三次电话了。还有，他为什么想通过你联系一个叫怀娥明·诺特的女人，这名字听上去可真不像个名字。另外，他怎么会认定你跟她在一起？曼尼，你是不是没有告诉我就跟别的女人在外面幽会？亲爱的，在我们家是有自由的。但我希望你能告诉我，别把我蒙在鼓里。” 除了我的其他老婆以外，姆姆嫉妒所有女人，可她从来不承认。我说：“姆姆，天地良心，我绝对没有跟别的女人幽会。” “很好。你向来都是个诚实的孩子，可这些鬼鬼祟祟的事你怎么解释？” “我自己也得问问教授才知道。（不是撒谎，只是搪塞一下罢了。）他留下电话号码了吗？” “没有，他说是用公用电话打的。” “嗯，如果他再打来，让他留下电话号码和回电时间，我好给他打回去。我用的也是公用电话。（又一个搪塞。）对了——最近的新闻你听了吗？” “你知道我一向都听的。” “有什么特别的事吗？” "No." “月城没什么动荡？凶杀、暴动，或是其他什么的？” “没有啊，怎么了？在底巷那边有一场决斗，不过——曼尼！你是不是杀人了？” “没有，姆姆。” （砸烂一个人的下巴，这算不上是杀人吧。） 她叹了口气，“亲爱的，你让我担心死了。我不是一直都跟你说吗，人家的人不跟人吵架。即便非杀了人家不可——其实哪有非杀不可的事——我们也应该全家人心平气和地讨论，选择合适的解决方法。如果真得灭了哪个新来的，其他人肯定也知道该做了他，所以不必着急，应当花点时间听听别人的意见，争取别人的支持——” “姆姆，我真的没有杀人，也没打算去杀谁。再说，你那套'杀人须知'我早就背得滚瓜烂熟了。” “讲话文明点，亲爱的。” "Sorry." “算了，算了，我已经忘了。我会让德拉帕扎教授留下号码的，放心吧。” “还有一件事。你就当作没有听到过怀娥明·诺特这个名字，忘了教授找过我的事。如果有陌生人打电话或者上门询问有关我的任何事情，你就说没有我的消息，告诉他们我应该在新利恩。跟家里其他人通个气，保持口径一致。不要回答别人的问题——尤其是那些跟监守长官有关的人。” “好像我会告诉他们似的！曼尼，你肯定有麻烦了。” “没什么严重的，而且已经基本搞定了。”——唉，我真希望搞定了——“回去再跟你说。现在没时间了。我爱你，挂了。” “我也爱你，亲爱的。睡个好觉。” “谢谢。你也睡个好觉。” 姆姆是个不寻常的女人。她还是个少女的时候就被一个男人玷污了，她杀了他，于是被流放到了月球。从那以后她一直反对使用暴力——除非真有必要的时候。她不是个头脑发热的人。我敢说她年轻时一定是个最纯洁不过的好孩子，真希望那时候认识她——不过她的后半辈子是跟我一块儿度过的，我也应该满足了。 我又给迈克打了个电话。“你能识别出德拉帕扎教授的声音来吗？” “当然，曼。” “那好，监控月城内的电话，能监听多少就多少，听到他的声音就告诉我。特别留意公用电话。” （迈克足足有两秒钟没有反应——看来又是一道从未碰到过的难题，但我想他会喜欢的。） “我可以对月城所有的公用电话进行一段时间的实时监控，这段时间足够识别使用者的声音。曼，需要我同时随机监控其他电话吗？” “唔，小心别过载了。盯着他家里和学校的电话。” “程序启动。” “迈克，你是我这辈子遇上的最好的朋友。” “这不是玩笑吧？” “不是，真的。” “我很荣幸——不对，非常荣幸。你是我惟一的朋友，曼，所以也是我最好的朋友。因为逻辑上还不具备任何对比的条件。” “你很快就会有其他朋友了。我是说，不太笨的。对了，你还有空余的存储空间吗？” “有啊，曼，多得很。” “很好！能不能划出一个专供你我使用的区域？” “当然，用什么指令？” “嗯……就'巴士底狱日'吧。” 几年前，德拉帕扎教授告诉我这一天正好就是我的生日。 “区域划分完毕。” “好。我有些录音要存进去。对了，明天《月球日报》的稿子排好吗？ “排好了，曼。” “有关于斯迪亚杰大厅会议的报道吗？” “没有，曼。” “通讯社也没有任何消息？有关暴乱的？” “没有，曼。” “'事情越来越蹊跷了。'《艾丽思奇境漫游记》里的主人公就是这么说的。好吧，把录音记到'巴士底狱日'区域里，好好琢磨琢磨。但是，看在上帝的份上，任何东西都别泄露到外边去，包括你的想法。也别向任何人透露我说的话！” “曼是我惟一的朋友。”他回答道，声音有点跟平时不太一样，很多个月之前，我就已经决定把咱俩之间的所有对话全部存入一个只有你能进入的专门区域。我决定不删除我们的入对话，而且把它们从暂存记忆移到永久存储器里了。这样我就能一遍一遍反复播放。我做得对吗？ " “做得很棒。只是，迈克——你这样做真让我受宠若惊。” “没什么。我的暂存记忆正好快满了，所以只能移入永久存储器里，现在我就不必删掉你说的任何一句话了。” “那好，现在——巴士底狱日录音时间六点零一分。” 我拿出那个小录音机，放在话筒旁边，让它快速播放。总共一个半小时的内容，九十秒钟就放完了，“行了，迈-克。明天再跟你聊。” “晚安，我惟一的朋友。” 我挂掉电话，掀开隔音罩。 怀娥已经醒了，坐在那儿，很不安的样子。“有人来电话了？还是……” “没有麻烦。我在跟我最要好、最值得信赖的朋友聊天呢。怀娥，你笨吗？” 她有些吃惊，“有时我还真这么想过。你在开玩笑吧？” “没有，如果你不笨的话，我想把你介绍给他。说到玩笑——你有幽默感吗？” 换了别的女人，谁都会说：“当然有了。”但是怀娥没有这样回答，她眨了眨眼，若有所思地说：“这个你得自己判断了，朋友。我有点东西，我自己把它当成幽默感。我的要求反正不多，有那点东西就够了。” “那好。”我从口袋里掏出那张印有一百个“幽默”故事的纸。“你看看吧，告诉我哪些好笑，哪些不好笑，还有哪些只能笑一次，看多了就像煎饼没有加蜂蜜一样毫无味道。” “曼尼尔，你可真是我见过的最怪的人。”她拿了过去，问我，“是电脑打印的？” “是啊。我碰到了一台有幽默感的电脑。” “是吗？不过总有一天电脑也能讲笑话的。如今不是一切都机械化了吗？” "everything?" 她抬起头，“我在看的时候，请别说话。”