The Sanctuary is an Earth-like planet in a binary star system. It has four seasons, but they are extremely irregular because the two suns are far apart and the planet orbits in an elliptical path. The overlapping cycles of different periods mean that the seasons do not follow each other in order, but fortunately, the climate is not extreme.
Lübeck received information that after this spring, there would be consecutive summers and autumns followed by another summer, so he needed to bring in more laborers to plant more grain and other crops during the upcoming suitable seasons.
Leaving behind those unavoidable matters, the carriage had already brought Lübeck home. A wooden cottage, with smoke rising from the chimney—perhaps for heating, perhaps for preparing food. One sun was about to disappear behind the small ridge behind the house. The courtyard was quiet, with the barn and woodpile casting long shadows in the yard beside the cottage.
Lübeck walked up to the house and knocked gently on the door. The one who opened it was his household manager, Ruth, who had been with him for many years. A slender middle-aged woman with dark brown hair, a high forehead, deep-set eyes, black eyes, narrow cheeks, a pointed chin, and a slightly upturned nose.
Her eyebrows were somewhat heavy, lacking the softness typically associated with femininity. In contrast to the deep-set eyes, this added a touch of mystery and sadness to her demeanor. In contrast to her facial structure, her lips were full and soft, with the corners extending to her cheeks, amplifying any subtle movement at the corners of her mouth.
When welcoming Lübeck home, after the customary hug and kiss on the cheek, she slightly raised the corner of her mouth and said,
“Welcome back. Emma is in her bedroom taking care of the children. Go see her.” " After speaking, she released his hand and stepped aside to make way for him to go to Emma's room.
Lübeck walked past her, still smiling at her, his left hand resting on her arm. He had always been deeply grateful for her loyalty and companionship.
Opening Emma's door, she was sitting by the bed, rocking the baby's cradle to put him to sleep. Lübeck had a young, beautiful wife, and Emma was the second generation of immigrants to the Sanctuary. She was born here, with blonde hair, dark eyes, a round face, and thin lips. When she laughed, her two front teeth showed, resembling a cute, innocent groundhog. However, her figure perfectly inherited the ethnic group’s overall characteristics—robust yet feminine, appearing more mature.
When Emma saw Lübeck push open the door and enter the room, she jumped up excitedly, calling out his name, but suppressed her excitement to avoid waking the baby.
Lübeck embraced Emma as she came toward him, and Emma, standing on tiptoes in his arms, said,
“Erich, both the baby and I have missed you,”
“I missed you too,” Lübeck tightened his arms around her waist, kissed her lips, and secretly pinched her plump little buttock with one hand,
After a moment of intimacy, Lübeck whispered,
“Let me go, let me see the baby,”
Emma obediently let go and followed him to the cradle. In the dim light, she saw the baby’s sleeping face, which seemed to have changed slightly from the previous days. Watching this new life change day by day, Lübeck sometimes wondered if he should have brought him into this world. Though they had escaped the war, disease, and religious persecution on the European continent, this place was still a wild frontier, where life was harsh.
“Mr. Lübeck, would you like to eat something? There's some food already prepared,”
Lübeck turned around to see Ruth standing at the bedroom door asking for his opinion.
“Sure, you should eat too,” he said, then turned back to look at Emma. In truth, what he truly desired was the time spent together as a family.
In the living room, by the flickering light of the fireplace, Lübeck pulled Emma to sit beside him, with Ruth across from them. The table held only simple bread, oatmeal porridge, cabbage, and eggs. He also wanted to buy some food to enrich his wife and daughter's meals, but for the sake of social stability in the Sanctuary, he had already banned the crew from purchasing daily necessities from Europe and bringing them here. He had to set an example himself to maintain his prestige and stabilize social governance.
At the table, Luo Beck didn't eat much, just slowly going through the motions of eating. Ruth would relay to him the events that had occurred in the Sanctuary during his absence. As the captain of the only ship connecting this place to the outside world, he was naturally the highest military commander, the highest administrative official, and also the highest judge here.
Therefore, when he was away, some administrative subordinates would also deliver official documents here and hand them over to Ruth. Emma, however, did not participate in these matters at all. Whether due to her youth or lack of interest, she simply watched this man do everything he did with admiration.
“Regarding the proposal for specialized adjustments to agriculture and animal husbandry, have you heard any feedback from the farmers?” Lübeck asked.
“The main issues are the public ownership of assets and compensation, the exchange value of various materials, and the remuneration for different divisions of labor. It's not easy to reach a consensus,” Ruth replied.
“Yes, families with resources are reluctant to let go. Without the exploitation of large-scale market dumping or monopolistic systems, individuals are also emphasizing their own interests. How has the配套部分配给制反响如何?”
“The commune council is still discussing it. The preliminary results have been submitted recently, and different communes have also expressed their opinions.”
“Good. I’ll take a look tomorrow. Is the market still stable?”
“It's okay, but I heard that the Schmidt and Bauer families are having friction.”
“Is it still about the dispute over farmland and pastures?”
“Possibly,”
“Is it serious?”
“It's okay, just some injuries,”
“Actually, I'm pushing for partial collectivization to balance the growing influence of these families. I hope their relationships don't deteriorate to the point of no return.”
“Will they hold a grudge against you?” Ruth asked with concern, reaching across the table to hold Lübeck's hand.
Emma was also curious about Ruth's question and turned to look at him.
“It shouldn't come to that; the interests involved aren't significant,” he said, using his right thumb to gently tap Ruth's fingers while his left hand stroked Emma's cheek, which was turned toward him. She had a good personality, always with a smiling face that could make one forget the troubles of the day just by looking at her.
At that moment, the child suddenly made some noise in the room, having woken up.
“I need to go feed the baby,” Emma said, quickly returning to the room to check on the child.
Lübeck turned back to look at Ruth,
"Have you finished eating? Shall I clear the table?” Ruth asked.
“Sure, thank you,”
Ruth didn’t respond, but smiled slightly and stood up to tidy up one item at a time.
Lübeck followed Emma into the room. She was sitting on the bed holding the child, whose mouth was filled with milk and had stopped fussing.
Suddenly, Lübeck remembered something. She reached into her pocket, took out a paper packet, and handed it to Emma. But Emma’s hands were full, so she couldn’t reach out to take it. She asked,
“What is it?”
Lübeck didn't answer. He opened the paper packet, took a piece, and held it to Emma's lips. After Emma chewed it and tasted it, Lübeck told her,
“Dried apples. How do you like them?”
“Hmm, sour and sweet. Delicious,”
Seeing that she liked them, Lübeck sat beside her, watching her feed the baby while also feeding her something to eat.
At that moment, Ruth from the living room seemed to have finished cleaning up dinner. She came to the door of Emma’s bedroom, stood there for a moment, and asked,
“Mr. Lübeck? The bathwater is ready. Would you like to take a bath?”
Before Lübeck could answer, Emma nudged him and said,
“Go ahead. You don’t need to stay here with me. Take a bath and get some rest.”
Emma was young but smart and sensible. Lübeck kissed her and followed Ruth out.
The bathing tub was in the corner by the fireplace. Lübeck went over to test the water temperature. There wasn't much water, and even if he sat down, the water level wouldn't be very high. The two women had already done so much for him; what could he possibly complain about? He handed his clothes to Ruth and glanced back at her. Ruth held his clothes in one hand and leaned against the wooden tub with the other, standing close to it.
Lübeck placed a hand on Ruth’s shoulder, stepped into the tub, turned to face her, and gently wrapped his arm around her slender body to draw her closer. He kissed her lips, then gazed into her deep, calm eyes, which were always so serene, except for the faint smile at the corners of her mouth.
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