On May 11, 300 of the Standard Interstellar Era, humans from the seven planets celebrated the annual Earth Day together. The lively scene was broadcast live across space in real time. Although there was a delay of a few minutes, it was harmless.

Like many festivals, this day was originally a tragic anniversary - 300 years ago, the earth's civilization was destroyed, and only a small number of human beings continued to reproduce and rest on the newly developed planet - year after year, the tragedy gradually faded. Go, the festival can be preserved and become one of the important dates that can be paralleled with New Year's Day.

The most grand festival scene is the high-altitude electromagnetic fireworks show. At dusk, the wind is light and the clouds are light, and the high-altitude begins to display colorful pictures. The theme varies from year to year and lasts for several hours. During peak hours, it can often cover dozens or even hundreds of square kilometers. , and more than one place, to ensure that residents everywhere can enjoy this beauty as long as they raise their heads.

This is also the time when several major planets compete for strength, secretly competing, even if they can't compare, they can't appear too weak.

"It's all money." Shao Yunyuan, the barber, looked up for a while, and felt that his neck was uncomfortable, so he said this and turned back to the store.

At this moment, Shao Yunyuan didn't know that a huge pie was about to fall on his head.

He is from Zhai Wangxing and lives in the old town of Zhaijing City. He owns a small and medium-sized barber shop. He entered the business at the age of 23 and has been in the business for more than 20 years. His business is stable year by year. January is thicker and thicker, and hair and beards are decreasing day by day. The only thing that remains unchanged is the craftsmanship, which is still as mediocre as before.

In this regard, Shao Yun would like to have his own explanation: haircuts are done by machines, and manual haircuts are just a gimmick. After a long day of work, compared with machines, there is only a 1% difference, which may not be as good as machines. A real barber should It is the abbreviation of psychologist-mind barber expert.

To put it bluntly, the main business of a barber should be chatting with guests. Shao Yun would like to call it a "social organization activity". He is like the master who controls the scene at a party. , to ensure that every guest can participate and enjoy an hour or two of fun.

There are not many customers who eat this set. The poor have no problem with machine haircuts, as long as the price is low. As for customers who can afford the money, they are still willing to accept the "gimmick" of manual haircuts and pay more for the one percent difference. Several times, dozens of times the price.

Shao Yun's dream of moving out of the old city and entering the new center has never been realized.

He has long been used to the somewhat sad thought that "life won't get better".

The store is not big, it is arranged in a semi-circle, with seven seats evenly placed, with the hair-cutting machines standing behind the three middle ones. One is in good condition, while the other has some minor problems from time to time, which brings embarrassment to both the host and the guests. One was reduced to a decoration, and it was not repaired well, and it was not removed.

Because it is a holiday, there are more guests than usual, and all seven chairs are occupied. Most of them are old neighbors nearby who are used to getting haircuts and chatting here, which is one of the few hobbies they can afford.

There were two strangers, both of them looked young, out of tune with the decaying atmosphere in the store, but they didn't have the vigor of young people. They sat there barely moving, didn't speak to talk, and seldom made eye contact with people, like Tourists who are tired from walking on the street use the haircut as an excuse to enter the store to rest for a while.

No matter what, they had to pay when they left, which was the only reason Shao Yunyuan didn't open his mouth to expel people.

The other five were regulars and were arguing passionately about where the fireworks show would be the best.

The argument has been going on for a while, and it is entering the boring stage. No one can convince the other party, and there is gradually more anger in the tone.

Shao Yun wished to return just in time, and immediately changed the subject, "After all, electricity is used and money is spent. This year is a seven-star competition, and next year it will be an eight-star competition."

Even on a day of national celebration, "Eight Stars" is still a very hot topic.

"It's really unexpected. It stands to reason that a planet developed more than 300 years ago has either been proven to have failed in development, or has been completely forgotten. Why did it suddenly appear, and it is said that it has entered a mature stage, which is acceptable. What about human migration? I don’t think it’s right, there’s something wrong here.” Shao Yunyuan added, pointing out the direction for the topic.

"Conspiracy" always attracts people's hearts. One person starts, everyone follows, and all kinds of incredible theories are developed smoothly.

What is more attractive than conspiracy is wealth. The topic quickly turns to the value of the new planet. Every now and then, someone's eyes are dull for a few seconds. That is, he is retrieving the news that has just been released through the chip in his body, adding new material to the chat.

At this moment, the huge pie showed a tempting corner.

"Hey, did you see it?" A regular customer's voice rose suddenly with excitement, "The Star Alliance has just made a decision, and the ownership of the new planet will be determined with reference to the Law of Succession!"

"Which company is so lucky? I'm afraid it has long since ceased to exist, right?"

"It's not the company, it's a family that owns the company, or someone..."

All of a sudden, the people in the store shut their mouths all at once, and at the same time entered a state of dull eyes, and a lot of news appeared on the Internet like a volcanic eruption, with at least one exclamation mark after the title.

"Yixing Company...I haven't heard of it."

"The company has long since disappeared. There is a major shareholder, and there are many small shareholders. The one who benefits the most should be the major shareholder, right?"

"Of course. The major shareholder's surname is Shao, the heir... It is said that it is being determined, but there will definitely be."

"A whole planet, the machines on it, and the Guangye Farm, all belong to the Shao family? This is too outrageous."

"Three hundred years, there must be a lot of descendants of the Shao family, right? Besides, there are other shareholders, the descendants, I am afraid there must be hundreds of thousands of people."

"The news that just came out said that the new planet was developed by the Shaw Brothers with family funds and is not owned by the Yixing Group."

"The entire planet is only owned by one family? Really... Hey, Lao Yun, isn't your surname Shao? Shouldn't you be one of the heirs?"

"Haha..." Shao Yunyuan laughed a little fake, "If I were the heir, I would give each of you a free lifetime haircut coupon."

"It's stingy."

"It's dark outside, and Lao Yun is still daydreaming. With such a big company, the descendants of Shaw Brothers should be a big family now, so how can they do haircuts?"

The guests laughed, and Shao Yunyuan laughed along with him. Accepting ridicule was an important part of his work. He was used to it, but he felt a little uncomfortable today.

The guests chatted and chatted, and after it was completely dark, they left one by one. The two young people who were unfamiliar finally got up, paid the money obediently, and didn't say a word of nonsense.

Shao Yun wished to keep his composure reluctantly, but in fact he had lost his mind, lost most of his judgment, and did not notice the strange gaze cast by the stranger when he was leaving.

It was just an hour into the night, there were people coming and going on the street outside, and the electromagnetic fireworks in mid-air continued. Shao Yun wished that he would not have the heart to do business any more, so he locked the door, turned off the lights, covered the windows, rummaged through the boxes, and found the microcomputer that had not been used for a long time. Then sit in a chair and start searching for the family tree.

He was very cautious and didn't use the chip in his body.

Shaw did not have a ready-made family tree, so he had to go back through birth certificates, and he could only look up his own family tree.

Half an hour later, Shao Yun was willing to suspend the operation of the microcomputer, sit still, and it took a long time to recover.

It is confirmed that he is really the descendant of the Shaw family. Coincidentally, the chairman of Yixing Development Group in the earth era is called Shao Xinyuan, which is only one word away from the name of the eighth grandson.

The chairman seems to have only one granddaughter who was lucky enough to escape and end up in Zhai Wangxing. Shao Yunyuan is her descendant.

"It turned out to be for this day." Shao Yunyuan suddenly had a thin layer of perspiration on his body, his arm loosened, and the microcomputer fell to the ground. He jumped up and didn't pick up the things on the ground, but walked in circles, his pace Both big and fast, the small storefront becomes more and more cramped.

There are still many things that cannot be determined, such as how many descendants of Shaw Brothers are there? How are inheritance rights distributed? Will Starlink's decision change again...

But the joy has swelled, filling the ventricle, overflowing the body, and is looking for space everywhere to rush out of the room.

"Maybe it's empty." Shao Yunyuan murmured, he had to pour himself some cold water, but he couldn't keep calm anyway, so he unlocked the door and joined the crowd outside.

The streets were full of people, and the vehicles flowed slowly like viscous syrup.

The fireworks show in mid-air was not over yet. At this time, a giant spaceship appeared, which was more than ten kilometers long and almost suspended.

A real spaceship couldn't be so close to a planet, and the illusion was so realistic that it seemed to weigh heavily on the city at any moment.

Shao Yunyuan was not very interested in spaceships at first, but now he looked up and admired it for a while, because he suddenly thought that he might be about to own such a behemoth.

Not just the spaceship, everything has different meanings in his eyes. For example, the pedestrians and vehicles on this street, which were part of his life not long ago, have become much smaller now. Shao Yunyuan even felt that he was "looking down" on all beings.

Someone bumped him, turned his head and cursed, blaming him for not standing still for no reason.

Shao Yun is willing to smile and be too lazy to respond. His thoughts are flying to the eighth planet that has not yet been officially named. Even if it only occupies one ten thousandth of the share, it will be an unimaginable huge wealth, far beyond this street. On, no, on the entire Zhai Wangxing, all personal assets.

The old city is full of entertainment venues, and most of them are cheap. Shao Yun is willing to pass by and go to a relatively high-end bar outside Santiao Street.

The waiters here are all living human beings. Unlike other places, the charging and drinking system are all automatic systems, and there are no human-shaped machines.

Expensive prices did not deter customers. The bar was crowded with young people, and the noise kept irritating the eardrums. Shao Yun wanted to squeeze in the crowd to get a glass of wine. He stood outside the counter and took a sip. He was disappointed to find that it was no better than a cheap bar. Delicious.

A total of five waiters are busy behind the long counter, skilled and efficient, almost like robots.

With just a glass of wine, Shao Yunyuan left in a hurry, returned to the street, and silently sighed that his youth was no longer there. Thinking that at the beginning, he was like these young people, sweeping every playground in groups, and in half the night, he was gone. Can spend a week's income.

He continued to go in and out of bars, house after house, for a maximum of two drinks, staying away from his own neighborhood to avoid meeting acquaintances.

Tonight, he doesn't want to meet with acquaintances, and he probably won't meet again in the future, he thought, and make adjustments soon, some people can meet, especially those who have looked down on him.

He has had three love experiences, but failed to achieve a positive result. He often regrets it, but now he can only be happy.

"Seeing the news, their expressions must be very interesting." Shao Yunyuan whispered, drinking one more drink for each ex-girlfriend.

After coming out of the tenth bar, he was already drunk, his feet staggered, his mind fell slightly from the cloud, and he seriously considered how to use the wealth he was about to get, and designed the future houses one by one...

Before he knew it, Shao Yun wanted to go deep into the core area of the old city. There were tall buildings older than him, and the streets were full of water-filled potholes, but some of the best small shops were hidden in them. Meet interesting people.

Shao Yunyuan hasn't been here for a long time. Tonight, he wants to relax completely.

He is the descendant of the Shaw Brothers and the heir of a planet. Shao Yunyuan has no doubt about this, and believes that he will receive an official official notice soon, and he will never be so frivolous again.

There are many fewer pedestrians in this area, and there is often a bright light only a few tens of meters away. Shao Yun is not afraid. He knows the streets here like the palm of his hand, and he will not get lost if he closes his eyes.

There was a group of teenagers, about seven or eight people, and Shao Yun would like to avoid him no matter how drunk he was. Crowds of teenagers have always been one of the three major public hazards in the old city, and no one wants to fight with them.

The teenagers laughed for no reason. Obviously they passed by. One of them turned around and spat on the ground, and asked loudly, "Old guy, how do you get to the funeral home?"

The teenagers laughed louder, Shao Yunyuan didn't dare to reply, or even took a second look, but he had already made a decision in his heart that the new planet would never welcome these people, let alone build a bunch of high-rise buildings, which would become unscrupulous after a few years. Teenager's playground.

Shao Yunyuan was bumped, neither serious nor serious, the man did not apologize, and walked quickly, unable to see his age and appearance, and whether he was a member of the group of teenagers.

Shao Yunyuan stood against the wall for a while, felt a burst of dizziness, and went home after another drink, he thought, but he couldn't move.

Someone ran up and grabbed his right arm roughly.

Shao Yun wanted to lose the last bit of strength and sat down slowly along the wall. With the help of the dim light, he saw a slightly familiar face, and he quickly remembered that it was one of the two strangers sitting in his shop at dusk. one.

There were footsteps approaching again, and another strange guest appeared, with an obvious surprised look on his face.

"You did it!" said the latter in a low voice.

"Idiot, how could it be me?" The first person released his palm, took a half step back, and looked in the direction where the teenagers disappeared.

Shao Yunyuan was surprised. He wanted to squeeze out a professional smile, but he couldn't. He looked down for a while, and finally recognized that a large dark spot on his clothes was actually blood, and he didn't feel pain at all.

Strange, he thought, never looking up again.

The two strangers looked at each other and ran away suddenly, in opposite directions. The giant spaceship in mid-air had just dissipated, revealing the eighth planet to be inherited. to a large number of machines and equipment that slowly wriggle.

He is very handsome and has a slightly beaten look. People always want to pinch their cheeks when they see a cute baby, and they always want to rub a few times when they see a small furry animal. It is said that this is called compensation psychology, so he is so handsome. , those who see him always want to beat him hard to make up for the gap in his heart.

Yuan Miyu When Miss Yuan saw him for the first time, she had such an urge in her heart, she wanted to grab the thick and unruly hair and toss it arbitrarily, of course she would be merciful and never lose one.

It was at a large party, all of whom were friends of friends, and it was very lively.

Miss Yuan immediately asked her friends about the man's name and origin. She had a strong premonition that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and whether the final result was good or bad, it would change her destiny.

After only asking three friends, Miss Yuan got the information she wanted, and she was surprised but proud to find that the other party seemed to be inquiring about her too.

The man's surname is Mei, his name is Qianzhong, the important one, not the repeated one, is a meteorological surveyor -- no one knows what this profession does, and they don't care, they only care that he is in a group of people. How dazzling.

Mei Qianzhong is the kind of natural focus person. Even if he just stands somewhere blankly and looks around, he will attract a lot of admiration or jealousy. He has long been accustomed to it, as comfortable as a fish returning to the water.

In addition to name and occupation, Miss Yuan also found out that he has no public partner at present. For her, this is enough. She decides to start immediately, because there are many potential competitors.

Miss Yuan is a principled person, so she went to her current boyfriend first, interrupted his rhetoric, dragged him out of the circle of men, and said calmly, "I have thought about it carefully, we are not suitable, or Let's break up, I wish you happiness, goodbye."

The boyfriend didn't react and stood there. After a while, he would get angry and might act uncomfortably. Miss Yuan was not afraid, because the so-called uncoolness was probably crying in public. Threatening, embarrassing.

Before her boyfriend's embarrassment affected her, Miss Yuan smiled as a sign of consolation, then turned away, picked up a glass of wine as she passed the bar, and walked towards the dazzling jewel without the slightest hesitation or timidity, let alone Consider what would happen if you were rejected.

She never encountered "rejection".

This is an electric and flint-like love. Neither side tried to hide their hearts, and they hit it off. When the party was about to end, the two had fallen into the trap of loving each other. In the eyes of most people, they are a couple Model couples, who have been in contact for a long time, are worthy of blessings.

Only Miss Yuan's ex-boyfriend couldn't accept the fact immediately, and fell into a girl's arms, sobbing and berating his ex-girlfriend for being ruthless and shameless.

Ms. Yuan and Mr. Mei are in love. According to her, this is the first time that she has truly given her true feelings. In the past, it was just to relieve loneliness. Mr. Mei did not say it so absolutely, but every word and every move was full of thickness. love, as if she was everything.

In addition to going to work, the two are tired of being together all the time, and the flame of love is burning higher and higher, and there will be no end in sight for a while.

A month later—there was only one month, Miss Yuan said she was surprised because she thought the two had known each other for several years—Mei Qianzhong invited Yuan Miyu to see her family and wish an elder a birthday.

This is an important and sensitive turning point, one that many men and women have not made, even after years of marriage.

Yuan Miyu agreed without thinking, and regretfully told Mei Qianzhong that she had no other family members, only him.

They gave up the fast plane, drove a small car, brought more than a dozen gifts, set out on the journey, and traveled to the mountains and rivers along the way. On a few whims, they went to the nearby scenic spots to find out.

Miss Yuan is always on a whim, and Mr. Mei never refuses, quickly re-planning to meet all her demands.

It took seven days for them to reach their destination, just in time for the birthday banquet the previous day.

This is also one of the things that Miss Yuan is very satisfied with Mr. Mei. No matter how many changes are added in the middle, no matter how random it seems, he can always arrange things in an orderly manner. The reserved accommodation will not fall.

Mr. Mei's hometown is a farm, Guangye Farm. Instead of crops, solar panels are grown here. From a distance, it looks like an endless blue ocean. When you drive closer, you can see the rows of solar panels. The path and grass in the middle of the light board.

"How big is the farm?" Miss Yuan asked in surprise. She grew up in the city and this is the first time to visit Guangye Farm.

"Nearly 10,000 square kilometers, half are power generation panels, and half are other facilities." Mr. Mei replied with a smile, not impatient, nor did he talk about those boring professional knowledge, which is the fault of many farm people, saying too much , instead curtailing visitors’ interest in the farm.

The car was parked on the side of the road, and Mr. Mei led Miss Yuan into the depths of the "Blue Ocean", walking hand in hand along the road. The scenery was monotonous, and neither of them felt bored.

The skin could not detect the blowing of the wind, but the roar of the wind kept going all the time. After getting used to it, the sound of the wind turned into a vast silence.

"I think we are like two small fish swimming in the sea." Miss Yuan said.

"Small fish, shorter than a finger." Mei Qianzhong gestured.

They met a team of maintenance staff, driving oddly-shaped vehicles, and someone in the distance stood up and waved his arms, calling out Mr. Mei's name, indicating that he was home.

Yuan Guangye Farm, also called a field, the residents here often proudly claim to outsiders that this is the first Guangye farm on the planet, decades before the name of "Zhai Wangxing".

The residential area occupies only a small area of the farm, and a main street runs through it. The layout is the same as that of a common small town, except that the houses are older, there are no high-rise buildings, at most three floors, and they are usually commercial places.

The population is less than 10,000 and they are all familiar with each other. Mr. Mei's car crawls slowly like a snail, because he has to greet too many people, sometimes he has to stop, get out of the car and shake hands, and then introduce Miss Yuan warmly.

In order to maintain her smile, Miss Yuan's face froze, but she was really happy to have the opportunity to integrate into Mr. Mei's life circle.

Early in the morning the next day, the two of them went to the old man's birthday together. According to the seniority, Mr. Mei wanted to call him great grandfather.

At least 200 people lined up for birthday prayers, from the front hall all the way to the courtyard, and the long queue circled several times.

Miss Yuan, who grew up in the city, had never experienced such a thing. She was worried, and her face showed an expression. Mr. Mei put his arms around her shoulders and comforted her in a low voice: "Don't be afraid, it's very simple, just follow me. "

Sure enough, it's very simple. The great grandfather is so old that he has lost most of his body functions. He looks like a zombie and a puppet connected by springs. There was no change in expression.

Mr. Mei and Miss Yuan bowed three times, handed over the red envelopes, placed them on the coffee table in front of the great grandfather, and then stepped aside.

The real party had just begun. Only a small percentage of the family members lived on the farm. Like Mr. Mei, most of them came back from other places on purpose, one to pray for the old man's birthday, and the other to exchange feelings.

In the family, Mr. Mei is still the dazzling figure, and he can't be idle for a moment. When he is still in line, he often nods to others. After the birthday, as soon as he returns to the courtyard outside, he is surrounded by a group of young men and women. , talking non-stop, surrounded him to see other elders.

It was the first time that Miss Yuan felt left out since she met, but she was in a good mood and thought it was a farewell. Soon, he returned to her.

Miss Yuan waved to Mr. Mei in the distance, indicating that she was going out for a walk. Mr. Mei nodded with a smile, and immediately looked back, talking seriously with a woman beside her.

The woman is very young. Miss Yuan walked out of the door with a little jealousy, and soon returned to a happy mood. If she had any motto when she was young, it must be: everything belongs to the outside world, only the mood belongs to yourself, so be yourself Take good care of yourself.

In a small town that is close to each other, outsiders are even more lonely, so Ms. Yuan deliberately avoided the only main street in the town and walked in a more secluded place. Instead of looking at people, it was better to look at the scenery.

Except for the ocean-like power generation panels, the town has no special scenery, but it is different from the big city everywhere, which is quite interesting to Miss Yuan. For example, many houses here directly use the power generation panels as building materials and repaint them with other colors. And there are almost no signs, it is difficult for outsiders to distinguish where is a household and where is a shop.

Miss Yuan likes the tranquility and kindness of the small town, but she is determined that if she has to choose, she would rather give up Mr. Mei and go back to her "home". In that noisy and chaotic city, people are suddenly warm and indifferent. One night, drinking and crying, hugging her head and crying, and the next day she was a stranger. This was the life she wanted.

The path led her to the bank. The river was not wide, but the water looked deep. There were sparse trees planted on both sides, and the trees were overgrown with weeds. A vacant lot.

Miss Yuan strolled around and was quickly attracted by a scene on the other side of the river. It was a forest with tall and straight trees. The strange thing was that they were all dead trees and not a single green leaf.

"What's this?"

Miss Yuan asked herself, not expecting an answer, but a voice came out and told her, "This is the Creation Forest."

Miss Yuan was startled and looked at the sound. It turned out that the benches here were all back-to-back, facing the road and looking at the river. Just a few steps away, a man poked his head from the back of the chair to look at her.

The man was probably in his twenties, looking a little thin, with a bookish look on his face, as if he had not graduated from school.

This is not the type that Miss Yuan likes, and it is not the person she is afraid of, so she raised her head slightly, "What a big tone, Creation Forest."

The man stood up, he was really thin, and he was holding a rare paper book in his hand. Miss Yuan had only seen it before he was ten years old. He said, "Guangye Farm is still in the automatic operation stage, when human beings have not immigrated to Zhai Wangxing, In order to increase the oxygen content, the machine throws a large number of plant seeds and grows a large forest, so it is called the creation forest, because they arrived earlier than humans."

"Oh, then why is it withering again?"

"Because the oxygen is already enough, any more will be harmful, so humans destroyed most of the Creation Forest, some were shoveled clean, and some were left behind. The one on the other side is the second on this planet in terms of area. "

"Why keep the ruins? As a memorial?"

"No." The man walked around the bench without getting too close. "It is unnecessary to eradicate it. There is a lack of economic benefits. These trees are of poor quality, and the land after eradication is useless for the time being."

"You know a lot, what did you learn?"

"Major in history."

"No wonder, then you must know our planet very well?"

"Uh... I'm majoring in Earth history, and I don't know much about modern and contemporary history."

"Ha, is it because Zhai Wangxing has only three hundred years of history, isn't it enough for you to study?"

"After your reminder, it seems that this is the reason."

Both of them laughed. Miss Yuan walked to the bench, sat on one side, pointed to the other side, and motioned for the other side to sit down too.

The man sat on the other side, showing a bit of restraint. His mouth was able to talk freely, but his body was not so flexible.

Neither of the two had ready-made topics, and after ten seconds, the interesting encounter became uncomfortable. Miss Yuan missed Mr. Mei more, and with him, there would never be such a scene.

"Is it the first time for Miss Yuan to come to the farm?" The man finally asked.

"Do you recognize me?" Miss Yuan was a little surprised.

The man smiled and said, "We met. When we were celebrating my grandfather's birthday, I was a little behind you. The old man gave us an introduction."

Miss Yuan can't remember this scene at all, "I'm really sorry, there were too many people at that time..."

"Well, that's enough, and there will be more people coming to pay their respects." The man leaned slightly, handed the book to his left hand, and stretched out his right arm, "My name is Lu Linbei, hello Miss Yuan."

Miss Yuan touched her outstretched palm lightly and said with a smile, "Your family's surname is either Mei or Lu."

"Well, there are other surnames, but it's true that these two surnames are the most."

"What did you call him just now?"

"Lao Qian? Yes, we all call him Lao Qian. Here, the younger you are, the older you are."

"So, what about you? What do they call you?"

"Old North."

Miss Yuan pursed her lips and smiled, let out a long breath, and looked up at the sky, intending to find an excuse to leave in a few seconds, but suddenly came to her senses, turned her head and asked, "Are you also an interstellar orphan?"

Lu Linbei nodded, "Like Miss Yuan."

"Are all people named Lu?"

"In this family, almost."

Miss Yuan felt a little more cordial in her heart, "I thought the interstellar orphans would only be sent to the city... There is also an orphanage on the farm?"

"No, we were born in the Mei family and grew up here. There is no difference between brothers and sisters. It was only after I was fifteen years old that I understood the true meaning of 'Interstellar Orphans' and found that I was one of them."

"I envy you, the orphanages in the city are not so harmonious. When we left, no one even said 'goodbye'." Miss Yuan moved a little closer, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, as long as I know, I know more about the Earth Age."

"I don't ask about history, um, it's history, so... Mr. Mei, Lao Qian, do you often bring girls to the farm?"

A sly smile appeared on Lu Linbei's face, "Not much, I haven't seen it a few times anyway."

"How many times? Did you have one? Tell me, I'm just curious and won't leak it out, and don't worry, I have more friends with Mr. Mei, not sure."

"I have been living in the school for the past few years, and I know very little about the farm." Lu Linbei is obviously a strict man.

Instead, Miss Yuan became interested. She had a hundred ways to get men to tell all their secrets. She used it on Lu Linbei, just like a battle-hardened general. Occasionally hunting was both exercise and entertainment.

Unfortunately, this "hunting" was interrupted before she could make a move.

"Hey, you were hiding here!" Mr. Mei's voice came.

"Lao Bei, I don't see how brave you are to steal Lao Qian's girlfriend!" Another voice said, it was also a young man, about the same age as Lu Linbei, slightly shorter and also thin, but not at all. He is weak, and his energy is too high, and his simple walk also has the meaning of jumping up and down, like a monkey begging for food.

Miss Yuan had a slight impression of "Monkey", but couldn't remember the name. She got up and said with a smile: "There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers here, Lao Qian, you have opened my eyes, and I am hesitating whether to continue with you."

Mr. Mei spread out his hands pretending to be disappointed, "Ms. Yuan has such good eyesight, she actually picked the number one talent in our farm."

A couple flirting, the person being mentioned sits smiling.

When he came closer, Mr. Mei kissed Miss Yuan, put it in her ear and said, "Can I have a word with Lao Bei?"

"Why? Ask him to quit the competition?"

Mr. Mei kissed her again, "I beg him a lot."

Miss Yuan knew that this was not the time to get to the bottom of things, she laughed a few times and walked away, "Monkey" followed closely, telling some trivial jokes, as if the two had known each other for a long time.

Mr. Mei watched Miss Yuan walk away, sat on a chair, and approached Lu Beilin, "Everything has been negotiated, the third uncle agrees, you can join the organization."

Lu Linbei put the book in his hand beside him, instead of replying immediately, he became more cautious.

"You don't want to?" Mei Qianzhong asked with a smile.

"Yes, of course. Thank you."

"I don't want a thank you, and you should know that joining an organization is a test."

"Of course, I'm ready and ready to be tested at any time."

Qian Qianzhong didn't make a sound.

"You mean now?" Lu Linbei asked in surprise.

Mei Qianzhong turned his gaze to Miss Yuan in the distance, stared for a moment, and said, "That's a first-class character. If she were an ordinary person, I think I would love her for the rest of my life, but unfortunately, she is a spy of another faction."

Lu Linbei's surprise turned into panic.

"The door of the spy is closed by magic, and only blood can knock it open." The beating expression on Mei Qianzhong's handsome face was even more obvious. He was actually laughing, as if what he was about to do was a prank often played by a few-year-old child." This is your test."

"Are you sure she's a spy?"

"The question is not whether I can confirm it, the question is whether you can believe and obey my orders. This is the basic requirement of our industry."

Lu Linbei stayed for a while and glanced at Yuan Miyu in the distance, she was being amused by the "monkey".

He shook his head, equally indisputable.

Mei Qianzhong also waited for a while, without persuading or coercion, patted Lu Linbei on the shoulder, said "you", then raised his other arm and snapped his fingers, as if greeting Yuan Yuan. waiter at the place.

"Monkey" got the signal and pushed Yuan Miyu, who was still laughing, into the river.

Interstellar orphans are a special group that has a long history.

The earth was destroyed very suddenly at the beginning. Only a very small number of human beings escaped the disaster and were scattered on the major planets. , so began to focus on rebuilding the interstellar transportation system.

Interstellar transportation costs a lot, and it has not been able to return to the level of its heyday for a long time. There are very few spaceships, and there are not many items that can be carried. As for passengers, they have to choose from a thousand choices, and only the most necessary people can board. Spaceships, the numbers are negligibly small.

If things go on like this, the interstellar transportation system will collapse again sooner or later, and the major planets will have to go their separate ways and develop independently. Some people make extremely pessimistic predictions, thinking that human beings will embark on a completely different evolutionary path and eventually become a completely different species.

At the same time, human beings are also facing another problem. The panic caused by the destruction of the earth has continued. Humans' willingness to reproduce is extremely low, and the population has been slow to increase.

After several rounds of negotiation, someone came up with a plan, hoping to solve two problems at the same time.

The emergence of interstellar orphans, artificial embryos sent to other planets by spacecraft, has multiple advantages: children and biological parents will hardly meet again, avoiding many moral dilemmas; population mobility, avoiding reproductive isolation Threats; to give interstellar traffic a necessary reason for existence, and the requirements for the spacecraft are not high, only a small corner can transport tens of thousands of embryos.

Decades later, human panic has gradually dissipated, the fertility rate has begun to rise, and interstellar transportation has also been greatly developed, with more economic benefits, and even part of the passenger transport function has been restored.

The problem is gone, but Orphans of the Stars is not canceled.

On the one hand, a large number of human beings have developed the habit of being "hands-off parents". Childbirth is like paying taxes, and after paying it, it has nothing to do with them. Although this practice and mentality are extremely controversial, it is a real social custom.

On the other hand, the development of the major planets is uneven, and the strengths are gradually separated. The sending of interstellar orphans begins to have a certain level of symbolism. The powerful planets send the most orphans and receive the least.

In short, this system has become a legacy issue avoided by all parties.

For those interstellar orphans, the problem is not that complicated. Like ordinary people, they always give priority to the problems around them, such as what kind of work to do, what kind of friends to make, where to have fun...

When an interstellar orphan becomes a corpse, there are fewer problems.

Yuan Miyu Miss Yuan sank to the bottom of the water and floated up. The "monkey" who pushed her into the water called the police according to the rules. When the police showed up, he calmly told the cause and effect, blaming the incident on the carelessness of outsiders, "She wanted to see the river. The fish didn't stand still, right here, I stretched out my hand and almost missed it..."

Lu Linbei didn't see this scene, he was sent away by Mei Qianzhong.

"It's a pity. If you don't trust the people of the family, how can you gain the trust of the family? It's a two-way thing. You go home first and think about it. Maybe there will be opportunities in the future, maybe."

Mei Qianzhong's tone is not severe, it can be said to be kind, or it may be because he doesn't care at all, otherwise he would not bring "monkey" as a backup plan.

The "monkey" is named Lu Yezhou, and his companions call him "Yeze". He is also an interstellar orphan adopted by the Mei family. He has been Mei Qianzhong's follower since he was a child, and he obeys his words.

Lu Linbei didn't say anything, picked up the book on the chair and walked towards the town.

"Miss Yuan's water is not very good." Lu Yezhou made a gesture, as if asking Lu Linbei to watch the scene in the water.

Lu Linbei quickened his pace. Halfway through, he met the police who were driving over and pointed them in the direction without saying anything unnecessary.

Back at home, Lu Linbei threw away the book and fell on the bed. Thinking back on what happened just now, he realized that he was wrong from start to finish.

He failed the "test" and lost a precious opportunity.

He didn't rescue Miss Yuan, didn't even try, just watched her being pushed into the river and heard her scream.

He didn't even know whether Miss Yuan was an enemy spy or not.

After thinking about it, he couldn't even figure out his most real thoughts: Do you regret losing the opportunity, or regret not being able to save people? This made him particularly discouraged.

The bedroom is small, the window faces west, and the sun is quietly filtering in from the outside, like an emotionless spectator, staring at the bloody scene, still thinking that the smell of blood is not strong enough.

A bunk bed is placed against the wall. Lu Linbei lives in the lower bunk, and the upper bunk belongs to someone else. That's right, he is twenty-seven years old this year, and he doesn't have a separate room yet.

A tall and thin cabinet stood between the end of the bed and the wall. Apart from that, there was nothing left in the room, and it was as simple as a prison cell.

The sound of the door opening came from outside, and only by the sound of footsteps, Lu Linbei guessed that it was "mother" coming back.

My mother is the owner of this house and the caregiver of a group of orphans. She is tall and strong in her sixties. She has never been young or old. She has raised many orphans. This is her profession and her hobby.

Orphans leave when they grow up. Some work as maintainers on farms, while others go to other places to find opportunities. The turning point usually occurs before orphans are twenty-three years old, when they graduate from high school or college.

Lu Linbei is Lai's orphan for the longest time.

The house is very big, with ten bedrooms, each of which is very small. It is always full of children of different ages. Sure enough, not long after, Lu Linbei heard the noise of the children, who were asking their mother for cake. Like a flock of chirping chicks.

Grandpa's birthday every year, my mother will help, and then bring back a lot of food, mainly cakes, Lu Linbei ate a lot when he was a child, and now he has no interest.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Lu Linbei's roommate came back, who was also another elderly resident of the house.

Lu Yezhou was twenty-four years old and had graduated from university for a year. If he couldn't join the organization this year, his future would also be worrisome.

The "test" completed by the river was a guarantee, so Lu Yezhou was in a good mood. He hummed a little song in his mouth, did not take off his shoes, easily climbed to the top bunk, and lay down heavily.

Neither of them spoke. After a while, Lu Yezhou stuck his head out of the upper bunk and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Ok."

Having slept in the same bed for many years, even enemies will develop some kind of friendship, not to mention Lu Yezhou is a likable guy, he gets along well with everyone, he is willing to run around, he has many ghost ideas, and he is often the main force of the active atmosphere at parties. .

Lu Yezhou handed over a piece of cake.

The mother was kind and strict, and did not allow any children to eat or drink in the bedroom, but Lu Yezhou always had a way to avoid surveillance.

Lu Linbei took the cake and ate it slowly.

Lu Yezhou still kept the probe posture, and was silent for a while, and said, "Don't think that I can be indifferent, but this kind of thing has to be done by someone, it's not you, it's me."

"Do you believe she is a spy for the other party?"

"Why do I have to worry about this issue? Lao Qian is the boss, and he is in charge of everything. Just like the army, why do wars belong to politicians, and how to fight belongs to generals. As a soldier, just shoot and kill. Now. We are all soldiers, why are you asking for trouble and bothering yourself with meaningless questions?"

Lu Linbei ate a small piece of cake silently, carefully eating the residue that fell on the placket, so as not to be discovered by his mother later, and then he said: "In many novels, gods and bodhisattvas often recruit monsters and ghosts as gatekeepers. ."

"Hey, don't you think it's clear? To become a god starts with being a monster. We are the monsters that have just been recruited. We have to do all kinds of dirty work, hard work, and tiring work. Do."

"Maybe... I'm too weak. Congratulations."

"Me? Oh, you're talking about the organization. Well, Lao Qian hasn't given me the final word yet, but it should be almost the same, and I'll be leaving soon. Mom may have heard something, and she asked me to put everything in the kitchen just now. Pack up." Lu Yezhou couldn't control the excitement in his heart, and leaned out of the bed again, "Nine years, I started training at the age of fifteen, a full nine years, if you can't be a spy, it's all wasted. It's gone."

For Lu Linbei, it was not nine years, but twelve years.

"The best way out for Mei's family is to be a spy." Lu Yezhou began to talk, "Investigator, team leader, regional team leader, and then there are two different paths. Of course, we are not named Mei, so we can't be analysts. I can only continue to follow the path of the investigator. The task team leader and the team leader in charge. I heard that someone has become a deputy director. My ambition is not that big, the regional team leader is enough, and I can manage three or five Groups, three or five people in each group, that’s not a lot.”

"be careful."

"Of course, I will never be as stupid as that woman to dare to play the old man's idea, and dare to sneak into the farm and seek death. I will never take this risk, I will always be a shore angler, never Into the water as bait..."

When someone knocked on the door, Lu Yezhou immediately shut up, lay down on the top bunk, and said loudly, "Come in."

Mei Qianzhong pushed the door open, glanced at it, and smiled: "This place will always look like this. I came here to play when I was a child, and I couldn't find a place to hide if I wanted to."

Lu Yezhou rolled over and jumped to the ground, stood up straight, like a recruit, "Hello team leader."

Lu Linbei sat up from the bed.

"I haven't taken you yet. You are not allowed to call me the team leader. Go outside and guard." Mei Qianzhong's kind attitude was given to Lu Linbei. To Lu Yezhou, he was polite from his tone to his expression, and he completely treated him as the other party. is a slave.

"Yes." Lu Yezhou didn't care. Instead, he became more serious. He walked out of the room and closed the door softly.

Mei Qianzhong walked to the window, stood on the side where there was no sunlight, looked outside, and said after a long time, "Generally speaking, you will be eliminated permanently. But after all, this is you, not being a spy is a pity for you, It's a loss to the family. So I'll make an exception and give you a little more explanation."

"thanks."

Mei Qianzhong raised his hand and waved lightly. Even if he only looked at his back, he was a handsome man, tall and straight, and Lu Linbei could vaguely see the appearance of the future leader.

"Yuan Miyu is a spy of the Cui family in the southeast, there is no doubt about it. She is a peripheral spy recruited by the Cui family, and her only task is to lead me in. Alas, the situation in the city is very chaotic now, and it cannot be taken carelessly."

This is the short explanation of Michenjue.

"Do you have to kill? I mean, there's no need to bring her to the farm at all."

Mei Qianzhong turned around, with a charming smile on his face, which disappeared quickly, and said in a serious tone that was just right: "I said I made an exception to explain to you, but I didn't say that I would allow you to ask questions. The rules of being a spy, you Didn't you forget it all?"

"Sorry, it was my fault. I just...I think I was too weak."

"Well, but you have other advantages that are enough to make up for your weakness. Pack up, leave tomorrow, and you'll start serving the family. Remember, you still owe me a test."