Two years later.
Beihang University.
In the conference room of the new main building.
"Well, Mr. Tang Yue … We all know that you're the ship's engineer for the thirteenth landing mission. You and Miss Mai Dong are the youngest payload specialists for the Mars landing plan. Now that the first phase of the Mars landing has ended, Orion I and II have been decommissioned." The female host sat on the side. "Orion III and IV have been put into use. In the future, there will be people younger than you who will land on Mars. Perhaps at this moment, in this conference room, one of the students sitting below will land on that planet in the future. Do you have anything to say to them?"
Tang Yue sat on the chair and looked at the crowd of young people sitting below. He held the microphone in his hand and thought for a few seconds.
"Do you want to go to Mars too?"
"Yes —!"
"Then I'll tell you the secret."
The bright conference room suddenly fell silent. The chirping of birds outside the window was crisp.
"Study hard and exercise hard." Tang Yue smiled.
"In the future, more and younger people will land on Mars. The second phase has begun. The scale of Kunlun Station is expanding. They have already started to build vegetable plantations on Mars … In the next ten or even twenty years, more talents will be needed on Mars. Spring has come for the four sinkholes." Tang Yue continued, "The relevant universities will soon join forces with the preparatory committee to develop talents. They will recommend outstanding graduates to the Jiuquan Center for training. The first batch included in the plan will be Beihang and Harbin Engineering. So if you want to land on Mars, study hard."
The conference room suddenly became noisy. The young people were whispering. Tang Yue sat on the rostrum. He saw hope in the eyes of these energetic young people. The youngest among them had just entered the school, and the oldest was about to graduate with a master's degree. It was foreseeable that among these young people, there would definitely be people who would set foot on the land 100 million kilometers away in ten or even twenty years.
"Next is the Q&A session. If you have any questions, you can ask them here."
The female host motioned for everyone to be quiet.
"Teacher Tang, I have a question!"
"I have a question!"
"I have a question too!"
The students rushed to raise their hands.
"You don't have to call me teacher. Do I look that old? I'm not much older than you guys. Just call me brother. "Tang Yue smiled and waved his hand.
"Brother Tang! I have a question for you... "The questioner stood up and took the microphone." I'm studying psychology at Beijing Normal University. I came here today specifically to attend the lecture. I want to ask you what you think of this question. It's about the psychological effects of being in an isolated environment for a long time. We all know that it takes at least a few months to travel from Earth to Mars. If we go to more distant planets in the future, such as Jupiter or Saturn, the travel time will undoubtedly be longer. How can astronauts endure such a long period of loneliness? Would he be mutated by the environment? Or to put it more broadly … are humans who have left Earth for a long time still human? "
"Well …" Tang Yue pondered for a moment. "This is not only a psychological problem, but also an engineering problem. It will take at least a few months to travel from Earth to Mars, so we need to upgrade our spacecraft and rockets to shorten the time as much as possible. As for what you said at the end, humans who have been away from Earth for a long time, I think they are still humans. Do you think they are monkeys?"
The audience roared with laughter.
"Personally, I am optimistic. I think that only humans who have truly left Earth can become a complete race. Only then can they have a clearer understanding of themselves. Only then can they become real humans." Tang Yue said, "One day in the future, when you get on a manned spacecraft and fly into space, you will see Earth in its entirety. At that time, you will feel that … the many disputes that humans have had in the past are insignificant, not worth mentioning, and insignificant. The land that the ancients fought for is not even as big as a fingernail in your eyes."
"Brother Tang, I want to ask you, did you encounter any difficulties during the Mars mission? How did you solve them? "
Tang Yue turned his head and looked out of the window. The sun shone through the green leaves, and the mottled shadow fell on the windowsill. A sparrow flew down from the branch and stopped there, hopping.
"Difficulties …" Tang Yue suddenly smiled. "Of course I encountered difficulties. There were also many unknown difficulties. I even fell into despair at one point and felt that I could not hold on."
"Then what supported you to persevere?"
"It's the beautiful things in this world and in human nature." Tang Yue replied, "In your heart, there are always things and people that are worth holding on to at all costs."
"Brother Tang, how did you get the scars on your body?"
"Well … it was an accident."
"With the current level of technology, going to Mars is still a very dangerous thing. Mr. Tang Yue, have you not thought about the possibility of an accident?"
"Of course I have." Tang Yue shrugged. "If we unfortunately die, I hope that people can accept it. If something happens to us, I hope that the project's progress won't be delayed. The conquest of space is worth the risk. That's why it's worth the risk of life."
"Brother Tang … do you believe in the existence of aliens?"
Tang Yue held the microphone and smiled.
"I do."
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Tang Yue hurried through the corridor, brushing past pedestrians as he ran all the way down the stairs. He was really out of his mind and forgot the time. Due to the large number of questions in the lecture, the event was extended by more than half an hour. When the bell rang, he realized that he was late.
Tang Yue rushed out of the lobby of the building and saw the slender girl standing under a tree by the roadside. She was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, and a thin hoodie. Her hair was combed into a ponytail, and her hands were behind her back. Her eyes were looking at the building in the distance, and she was humming a song. Her soft ponytail swayed to the rhythm.
It's over.
Tang Yue's heart skipped a beat, and he silently covered his face.
The girl turned her head and saw Tang Yue coming down the stairs. Her eyes lit up, and then her eyebrows furrowed.
He said that he would wait at the subway station at the entrance of Tongluo Gu Alley at 10: 30 in the morning, but she waited until 11 o 'clock sharp, and still did not see him. She called him, but he did not pick up. So the girl looked for him herself. She walked around the Beihang campus and asked around. Finally, she saw a poster and notice on the wall and found out where Tang Yue was.
When it came to being late and standing people up, Tang Yue was a habitual offender. Mai Dong knew this better than anyone.
"I'm guilty. I admit it. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm late again …"
Tang Yue admitted his mistake first.
"Too many questions again?"
Tang Yue nodded.
"The event was extended again?"
Tang Yue nodded.
"You always say the same thing every time. Can't you come up with a more plausible reason? For example, you were stuck in traffic and missed the subway … "
"But it's the truth. I'll push Old Wang out the next time there's an event like this. I won't participate anymore." Tang Yue was helpless. "How was the thesis defense?"
Mai Dong walked in front of him. She turned around and walked back step by step. She tilted her head and smiled brightly. Her ponytail fell down.
"What do you think?"
"I passed."
"Of course, I passed with a unanimous vote. I'm a genius. From today onwards, you have to call me Dr. Mai!"
"Okay, girl."
"It's Dr.!" The girl corrected him.
"Okay, Dr. Mai."
Tang Yue walked on the sidewalk. There were young people coming and going on campus. His clothes were plain and he didn't look impressive, so he didn't attract much attention. Even though he was a member of the Mars landing mission's crew, he wasn't the kind of person who could be considered famous among the masses. May was the season for flowers to bloom. The magnolia orchids planted on both sides of the road were in full bloom, and even the wind carried a strong floral fragrance. Mai Dong walked in front of him, her ponytail swaying leisurely.
The girl's footsteps suddenly stopped. She was about to take a step forward when she stopped. Her foot was suspended in mid-air.
"What's wrong?"
"I almost stepped on it." Mai Dong pointed to the bottom of her foot.
A pale yellow flower emerged from a crack in the sidewalk's bricks.
In the hundreds of days and nights she spent alone on the space station, Mai Dong and the plants in the incubator accompanied each other. This made her develop a deep affection for all animals and plants. This girl always told Tang Yue that if she did not participate in the Mars Landing Mission, she would devote herself to environmental protection and the conservation of endangered animals and plants.
Probably everyone who had been to space would feel the beauty and fragility of Earth.
The girl carefully walked around it. "Did Mr. Cat contact you?"
"It?" Tang Yue grinned. "It didn't just contact me."
Old Cat was becoming more and more talkative. It used the Mars Landing Mission's public mailbox to send Tang Yue all kinds of spam. Most of it was meaningless content like: "Tang Yue, are you married to Miss Mai Dong?" "Tang Yue, why aren't you married to Miss Mai Dong yet?" "Tang Yue, I've thought of a good name for your future child. It'll be Tang Mai." "What do you think of Tang Mai?" "Is little Tang Mai born yet?" "Why isn't she born yet?" "What? You're not married yet? "
"Is Mr. Cat going to return to Earth soon?"
Tang Yue nodded. "After this mission, it will officially retire and return to Earth on Orion III. It will then live the life of a retired officer that it has been looking forward to for a long time."
"Will it come back to China after it retires?"
Tang Yue pondered for a long time and rubbed his chin. "It's hard to say. It gave me the house in Tongzhou District. Where will it live when it comes back?"
A large screen by the roadside was broadcasting the noon news. The female reporter was wrapped up tightly, only revealing her eyes. Behind her was the dust-free workshop of China Aerospace Science and Technology. The white Tianzhou 40 cargo spacecraft was being assembled. It was a brand new second-generation cargo spacecraft.
"The selection for the fifteenth Mars Landing Mission has begun. Tang Yue, are you still going to participate?"
"Of course." Tang Yue said, "The moment I left Mars, I made up my mind. One day, I will go back."
Mai Dong held his hand. She saw the faint scars on Tang Yue's hand. No one knew what Tang Yue had experienced. The people on Earth did not know. Mai Dong did not know. Even Old Cat did not know. There was only one thing that was certain, and that was that he had won the battle alone.
Every time Mai Dong asked, what happened after the space station crashed? What happened after he left Mars?
Tang Yue would vaguely answer with a few words.
What was the past that was unbearable to look back on? What memories were too painful? Could she not ask in such detail? If you ask any more questions, I will have a nervous breakdown.
"Even though so many things have happened?" The girl hugged him gently and leaned her head against Tang Yue's chest.
Tang Yue ruffled her hair and kissed the girl's forehead. He said softly, "Don't be bound by the past. Only then can we go further. This is what you taught me."
Mai Dong lowered her head and was silent for a few seconds. Then, she took a step back and looked up at him.
"What about you, girl? Will you still go? "Tang Yue asked.
Mai Dong and he looked at each other for a long time. The breeze blew her long hair. The girl suddenly smiled and skipped over to Tang Yue's arm.
"Wherever you go, I will go."
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(End of Drama)
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