"Aiya, don't be so cold."
Russell shook his head helplessly. "Can't we be like in the past?"
"Decades ago, you held the Book of Destiny in your hand, but you stood by and watched as the last institution of the Utopia was canceled from the catalog. You did nothing and didn't even say a word. Now, you come back with your old face and tell me, 'Yangzi, we're all companions, and we have ties …' Who's the cold one, Russell? "
The old man retorted, "Letting you walk into my house and sit across my table is already my last courtesy. Do you want more from me?"
In the silence, Russell did not speak. Huai Shi paused and glanced at Russell. However, Russell did not look at him and continued staring at his old friend.
"Back then, it's always different now. Yangzi, the existence of the Utopia has never depended on the Book of Destiny. No matter how loud my voice is, it won't work. "
He said, "You should know that after the fall of Heaven, the collapse of the Utopia was destined."
"After so many years, what are you saying now?" Yangzi shook his head. "It's like an old lover who wants to get back together. Finding his ex-wife and saying that we can start over? You really live in the world of morning dramas, Russell. "
"It's not too late, Yangzi. At least we're all still alive." Russell shook his head. "As long as we still exist, there's still a chance for the Utopia to be rebuilt. Before that …"
"No, it's already too late, Russell."
Yangzi interrupted him expressionlessly and told him, "You're already too late."
She said, "A few years ago, I'd already passed away."
In the silence, Huai Shi's movements stiffened.
His eyes widened in a daze.
In front of him, the old woman raised her hand and took off her face. Following the gaps in her wrinkles, she revealed the countless gears and tiny structures hidden under her face.
When her pupils contracted and dilated, the camera hidden in her eyeballs slowly adjusted its focus.
First, it was her face, then her chin, cheekbones, and forehead … Finally, the brain was empty, and only a device like a clockwork engine was slowly turning.
"I'm already dead, Russell."
A hoarse voice came from under the steel. "Don't tell me you still don't understand?"
Huai Shi was in disbelief.
She couldn't believe her eyes.
Now, he finally understood why Russell had said that she was the best biologist and mechanic in the entire Utopia. She had actually replicated him perfectly, including the origin substance waves and the aura of his soul.
Even all the memories of the past …
Even after death, the human-shaped tombstone remained.
He mocked the visitors who would come after so many years.
After a long silence, Russell lowered his eyes and asked in a hoarse voice,
"… When did this happen?"
"Last year, in October."
'Yangzi' sighed. "She woke up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet. She fell and had a cerebral hemorrhage. I think it's time, right? When people get old, these kinds of messy things will happen. "
She rearranged her face.
She lifted the lid of the soup pot and said to the two guests, "Eat, it's already cooked."
Huai Shi ate two mouthfuls. He was no longer in the mood to distinguish whether what was in his mouth was delicious or something else. Russell put down his chopsticks and asked, "Before she left …"
"She was probably very sad," the old woman replied calmly.
"She had just quarreled because her granddaughter wanted to study liberal arts. Before she left, she was still thinking about getting her child back on the right path. The apartment management fee was too high. She should've saved the money that she couldn't use up. Also, the ingredients in the fridge … "
"No, I'm not talking about that."
Russell was in disbelief. "She … she never mentioned … mentioned us when she was alive?"
"No," the old woman replied firmly.
The old man replied flatly, "How many years ago was that? Russell, don't think too highly of yourself, okay? Or do you think you're more important than your son and granddaughter? Don't talk nonsense. In the years when she died, she talked about Ah Long more than you did. "
Russell was even more confused. "Who's Ah Long?"
The old woman glanced at him coldly.
"A dog."
Therefore, Russell was speechless.
"She's already dead. Why do you still care about that? There's nothing you can't get over." "Yangzi" said, "You have to learn to let go."
However, Russell did not give up. He still stared at her, as if he could see something from the past under that mechanical face.
"Is it Yangzi or someone else who said this?"
"Just think of it as Yangzi." The old woman was still calm. She was operating like a machine. She told him coldly, "It makes no difference to you now."
"…"
After a long time, Russell withdrew his gaze in disappointment. When he picked up his chopsticks again, he paused and asked softly, "How was her life in the last few years?"
"Very satisfied, but also very lonely."
"Yangzi" replied, "She had both a son and a daughter, and her family was prosperous. Such a life is a blessing for anyone. As for some shortcomings, there's no need to care about them.
The only regret is that I couldn't attend my granddaughter's wedding. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been created.
Maybe in another two years, I can stop working. "
She raised her hand and added rice for the two guests again.
After that, no one said anything. After dinner, the old woman cleaned up the dishes and told them, "The bedroom on the first floor has been cleaned up. The bathroom is on the right. Please feel free to use it."
She paused for a moment, bowed and said, "Please have a good rest tonight."
The old woman turned and left.
Huai Shi and Luo Su looked at each other and didn't say anything.
They also had nothing to say.
In the middle of the night, when Huai Shi opened his eyes from the sofa, he saw that the bedroom light was still on. However, he didn't know if Russell had fallen asleep.
But what about upstairs?
In the dim light, he stared at the ceiling, as if he was a lecher who wanted to see a beauty through the wall.
But there was no sound upstairs.
It was quiet and deserted, just like every tomb.
It was just arrogant silence.
Letting time go by.
She had passed away.
No matter how beautiful the words were or how strong the determination was, it couldn't change the result.
Look, you are high-spirited, you are full of determination, you are full of confidence, you have stepped onto your own path, but you have come too late, everything is too late.
Because people will die.
I can't wait for your good news …
"Damn it …"
Huai Shi sighed silently and closed his eyes.
.
The next morning, after breakfast, Yoko Kusanagi sent them to the door.
"Well, I wish you a safe journey."
She said goodbye calmly and finally looked at Huai Shi, "Good luck to you too, young man."
Only at this time, she had the agility that machines didn't have. She smiled kindly … Perhaps, this was the blessing left by Ms. Yangko before she passed away?
Huai Shi was stunned for a moment and nodded solemnly.
Russell reached out and took his luggage from her hand. Finally, he asked, "Don't you go to the park today? Do you want to go together? "
"You don't have to go today."
Yangko replied with a smile, "Gentian is a careless child. As long as I appear once in a while, she won't suspect anything. When I get married and have children in the future, she won't be too sad when I pass away, right?
Russell, have a safe journey too. You're already so old. It's time to learn to give more room for young people. "
"Then …"
Russell nodded as if he wanted to say something, but he was stuck. In the end, he smiled and hugged his old friend in front of him, "… Take care."
"Take care."
Yangko stood at the door, smiled, and watched them leave.
After a long time, until they disappeared from her sight.
She calmly turned around and went home, closing the door.
She walked through the quiet living room, watered the potted plants, took out the clothes from the dryer in the morning, and calmly ironed and hung them up. Finally, after a day's work, she returned to the sofa.
Just like that, she sat silently.
She didn't do anything else.
Only the occasional sound of horns on the road outside the window could be heard. The sun slowly rose in the sky and streaked across the sky. The sunlight illuminated the dancing dust, rising and falling in front of her eyes.
The lonely silence engulfed everything.
For a long, long time, it seemed to have lasted for thousands of years.
She blinked her eyes. After a long time, she blinked again.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She collapsed on the sofa weakly and reached out to scratch her itchy scalp.
When she finally scratched enough, she took out a bottle of beer from the fridge, raised her head, and gulped it down. Finally, she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Phew, I almost couldn't fool him. Fortunately, I'm quick-witted …" She complained helplessly, "I knew that Russell was unlucky enough to come here with nothing good. Why did he always come to me for trouble …"
Fortunately, she finally coaxed him away.
She was finally free!
After driving away the troublemaker, she had to celebrate!
She hummed a song, changed a new bottle of beer, turned on the television, and began to watch a variety show on the sofa, laughing with the host.
Until the door was suddenly pushed open.
An old man, who was supposed to have left, came back in a hurry.
She stiffened on the sofa.
"Sorry, I forgot to take the razor … You see, it's easy to forget things now."
Russell walked out of the bathroom and noticed the scene. He was stunned for a moment and then exclaimed, "You can simulate this perfectly? This is probably artificial intelligence, right? It's really amazing. "
"… Uh, yes, yes."
Yangzi nodded with difficulty. Even her movements were exactly the same as yesterday, smooth but stiff. "Perfectly copying the life of the producer is one of my functions."
"Then I'm sorry to disturb you."
Russell waved goodbye and considerately closed the door for her.
After a long, long time.
Yangzi was still in a daze. She couldn't believe it. Did I fool him again? That was close!
She drank the beer in her mouth stiffly, feeling that her frightened heart was still beating non-stop.
However, she had a feeling that the guy hadn't left yet. Maybe he was waiting outside the door for her to make a mistake.
No, Russell made her suspicious. She raised her head and drank the beer. She planned to go to her granddaughter's place to lie low for a while and come back later.
But when she opened the door with the package, her smile stiffened.
Outside the door, the visitors who had been waiting for a long time all smiled brightly.
"Hello, this is the Ivory Tower's Elderly Escort Group!"
The service staff from Danbo revealed standard smiles. They were warm and considerate. "A Mr. Russell has ordered a year's worth of top-notch care services for you, including cleaning, tidying up, three meals, and daily care … May I ask if it's convenient for you now? Can we begin? "
Silence.
In the long silence, the old lady tilted her head and lit the cigarette at the corner of her mouth with trembling hands.
She took a deep breath.
The corners of her eyes glistened with tears.
"Russell, damn you …"
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