Chinese · Episode 16
Rocks Travel Cheaper
Spoken by 晓航
Why throwing metal to Earth is cheap (the city just flings it) and why he still cannot visit 小雨 on a whim.
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Episode text
别人总问我,你怎么不去地球。 People always ask me why I don't go to Earth.
小雨在那儿,去看看她就好了。 Xiaoyu's there—just go see her.
他们说得好像说走就能走。 They talk like you can leave whenever you want.
其实事情不是那样。 It isn't really like that.
城里往地球扔东西其实很便宜, Shipping things from the city to Earth is actually cheap,
就像把一块石头扔出去。 like tossing a rock.
石头走,铁也走,一箱一箱的。 Rocks go, iron goes, crate after crate.
爸爸在下面接着那些箱子。 Dad takes those crates down below.
那些东西都可以扔。 All that stuff can just be thrown.
人可不能这样往外扔。 People can't be thrown out like that.
人要买票才能走。 People need a ticket to go.
票又贵,又很少。 Tickets are expensive, and scarce.
有时候一年才有一张,有时候一张也没有。 Sometimes there's only one a year. Sometimes none at all.
我不是不想去看她。 It isn't that I don't want to see her.
我想她,她在地球,我在这儿。 I miss her. She's on Earth. I'm here.
我看着那些箱子往地球那边走。 I watch those crates head toward Earth.
它们走得又快又远。 They go so fast and so far.
我还站在原来的地方。 I'm still standing right where I was.
小雨问我:你什么时候来? Xiaoyu asks me, When are you coming?
我跟她说,我还在等票。 I tell her I'm still waiting for a ticket.
她说:石头都能去,你怎么不能。 She says, Even rocks can go—why can't you?
她不是真的生气,就是有一点想不通。 She isn't really mad. She just doesn't quite get it.
我听了也不太好说。 I don't really know what to say to that.
石头可以一下子扔出去。 A rock can be thrown out in one go.
人只能在这儿慢慢等。 People can only wait here, slowly.
我刚送走一块铁。 I just sent off a piece of iron.
它去地球了,很快就看不见了。 It went to Earth and was out of sight in no time.
那不是我,那只是东西。 That wasn't me. That was only cargo.
我还在望城这一边,或者在船上慢慢干活。 I'm still on this side in Wangcheng, or working slowly on a ship.
我就在这儿等一张票。 I just wait here for a ticket.
等她自己回来,也行。 Waiting for her to come back herself works too.
她回来会更近一点。 When she comes back she'll be a little closer.
家也还在这一边。 Home is still on this side too.