To my frozen hometown

Chapter 95 It's a pity that meeting is always accompanied by parting

In this quiet night, the three watched the paper lantern go away.

The clear night sky is full of stars, and the paper lanterns that are gradually hard to find seem to turn into stars and blend into the bright galaxy.

And the words written in it seem to have been successfully conveyed to the distance, to the end that is hard to reach.

If someone was really waiting there, she must be able to see it.

Maybe she was also looking down at this time.

"It's a beautiful custom." The old man stood in the snow with his hands behind his back and said with a smile.

"It's hard to imagine what it will be like when a group of people do this together."

Yes, Al listened to what the old man said, and tried to imagine it.

It's really hard to imagine, maybe it's like a group of people sending a piece of star to the starry sky.

A little bit of fire will be reflected in people's eyes full of expectations, and finally fill the sky.

Liuyuan must have a very beautiful hometown, Al thought so, and looked enviously at the wanderer standing beside him.

As for Liu Yuan, he raised his head, looked at the direction in which the paper lantern was going away, and kept silent.

Because she knows that the more beautiful something is, the more painful it is to lose it.

So yes, she used to have a very beautiful hometown.

There are clean and warm streets, people there are smiling, and the sun is always pleasant and warm.

It used to be her home and it was so beautiful.

So much so that she still suffers from the loss to this day.

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When the three of them returned to the institute, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

Both Al and Azttod's bodies were frozen stiff. It must be admitted that although the snow had stopped, the temperature outside was still terribly low.

The old man prepared a cup of warm tea for Al and Liuyuan each, while he went into the kitchen to make coffee.

He seems to like this slightly stimulating drink, and even isolated an independent greenhouse in the ecological garden to grow the plants that produce it.

Liu Yuan sat on the seat in the lobby, looking at the coffee powder in the old man's hand boredly, suddenly seemed to think of something, smacked his mouth, and glanced sideways at Al.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Azttod." After a while, Liu Yuan turned his gaze back to the old man and asked aloud.

"Do you have sugar here?"

"Sugar?" The old man was taken aback for a moment, obviously he didn't understand why Liu Yuan asked this question, but he still thought about it, and then replied.

"There should be. Last time the supply team seemed to send some, it's in the warehouse."

"So, can I borrow some?" Liu Yuan asked again.

"Of course, it's not a big deal, is it?" Azttod raised his shoulders and glanced at Liu Yuan with a smile.

"Thank you very much."

"Actually, you don't have to be so polite, but it's best not to point a gun at me again."

After casually joking, Azttod took the brewed coffee and sat in the hall while stirring it.

"That's right." Perhaps out of curiosity, the old man glanced at Liu Yuan again and asked, "What do you want candy for?"

"Make something, something to eat?" Liuyuan thought, and said in words that were as easy to understand as possible.

"Really, it seems that I can look forward to it." The old man smiled and narrowed his eyes, and took a sip of coffee slowly.

With the end of the exchange between the two, the surroundings gradually quieted down.

Perhaps because he thought the timing was just right, Al hesitated for a moment and asked Liuyuan to tell another story.

Liu Yuan thought for a while, since he had nothing to do anyway, he told another story called Robot Story.

This is a story about adventure, love, and thinking. The background of the story is somewhat similar to the current world, but it is not the same.

There is also a desolate world. Although it has not been frozen, it is not difficult for the old man and Al to experience some of the emotions in person.

The loneliness of the robot left alone on the planet, and the joy when it meets others of its kind.

This makes it so that when a story is finished, neither of them has recovered.

As if they were still in that world.

In fact, Liu Yuan didn't remember the main plot of this story very clearly, so he could only rely on his own impression to tell a similar story.

But this didn't seem to affect too much, at least the old man and Al still seemed to be listening attentively.

There should have been silence in the hall for a while again, until the old man stirred the cold coffee in his hand with a spoon again, and the sound of the spoon colliding with the wall of the cup broke the silence.

Glancing at the time, it was already eleven o'clock in the evening.

"This is really a story full of fantastic ideas." After a pause, the old man gave such an evaluation.

"I like it very much, Liuyuan. You should write a book."

His tone was sincere, because he felt that such stories had a reason to be heard by more people.

"Unfortunately, this is not my story." Liu Yuan picked up his cup of tea, leaned on the seat, and said without concealment.

"It's a movie of the pre-disaster era."

"Movies?" As a child in the slums, Al had never heard of such things.

"It's a form of expression that uses light and shadow images to narrate." The old man sat aside and explained patiently.

It's a pity that Al still doesn't seem to understand.

So the old man went on to explain eloquently.

In his slow but incomprehensible expression, this night seemed to bring a different kind of fun.

Perhaps for people living on the ice sheet, even just sitting around doing nothing can be regarded as a special enjoyment.

What's more, there are people around to accompany and talk.

So the old man felt that he had reason to cherish the present time, and the same was true for Liuyuan and Al.

They are all willing to immerse themselves in this kind of leisure, which may not be interesting, because even this is enough to give their tired bodies and minds a moment's rest.

It is as if a weary traveler would sit on the side of the road, light a bonfire, and brag about his past with strangers passing by.

The point is not about bragging, nor about the past.

It is because the flame just happens to warm the body, and because "I" just meets "you".

There is no doubt that this ice field is lonely, so there will always be someone to cherish every encounter.

(End of this chapter)