Chen Hao put down his cup, the soft sound particularly clear in the quiet main hall. He looked up at the others and found that everyone was staring at him, as if waiting for him to say something.
He cleared his throat. "To be honest, I thought we were going to die here."
No one laughed or responded to these words. But the atmosphere eased a little.
Susan lowered her head and touched her belly, her voice very soft, "I remember the first time I grew potatoes, Karl said they were radishes, took a bite, and almost threw up."
Carl frowned. "That thing does look like a radish."
“You even used it as a lamp holder for three days,” Nana added.
“That’s because the wires aren’t long enough,” Carl argued.
Chen Hao laughed, "Do you guys remember when we modified a broken air conditioner outdoor unit into an oven? The cookies we baked were so hard you could crack walnuts with them."
“But you ate five pieces.” Susan looked at him.
"I was starving." Chen Hao shrugged. "Back then, I just hoped the next meal wouldn't be nutritional paste."
Nana stood beside the terminal, light and shadow falling on her face. "Day 387, all personnel's calorie intake met the target. System record as 'Day of Establishing Survival Stability'."
Chen Hao turned to look at her, "That's all you remember?"
“The database has 32,000 records,” she said. “That’s the only milestone I can confirm.”
“But that’s not what we remember,” Susan said softly. “What I remember is the day it rained, the roof was leaking, and we used basins to catch the water. But when the basins were full, no one dared to empty them because it was too slippery outside.”
“I went in the end,” Carl said. “I tripped and scraped my left leg.”
"You even complained about the weather for ten minutes," Chen Hao laughed.
“This place has never been good for a single day.” Karl shook his head. “It’s windy, the ground is hard, and there’s little water. Nothing you grow here can survive for more than a few days.”
“But we survived,” Susan said.
The room fell silent immediately.
Chen Hao reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He glanced at it, smiled, tore it in half, then tore it a few more times before tossing it into the recycling bin on the corner of the table.
“Words that have been written down lose their meaning when read aloud,” he said.
"So what do you want to say now?" Susan asked.
“I wanted to say…” He paused, “Back in school, I was the kind of person who wouldn’t even bother to look up when the teacher called my name. I didn’t know how to copy homework, and I relied entirely on guessing for exams. My mom says my greatest achievement in life is eating on time.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, "But here, I've fixed circuits, moved oxygen tanks, and even learned to read pressure gauges. I'm not the best, but I didn't back down."
“You ate just as much,” Carl said.
"This is called logistical support," Chen Hao said seriously. "The team's stability depends on its stomach, and I'm in the psychological support role."
Nana nodded. "According to statistics, the satisfaction rate for the food distribution you are in charge of is 89%, which is higher than the efficiency of tool management led by Carl."
"Look!" Chen Hao pointed at her, "The robot has certified me; I'm in a key position."
“She thinks you’re ridiculously fat,” Carl said.
"So what if I'm fat?" Chen Hao patted his belly. "That's all fat reserves. It can last me three more days in a critical moment."
Susan couldn't help but laugh out loud, and unconsciously put her hand on her waist.
"Do you remember the day you had your first ultrasound?" Carl suddenly asked. "When the machine showed the heartbeat, we were all stunned."
“I thought it was going to be bad news,” Susan said in a low voice, “but then I heard a thumping sound, a really strong one.”
“My hands were shaking,” Carl said. “Not from fear, but because I didn’t know what expression to make.”
"You ended up grinning like an idiot," Chen Hao said, "like a kid who'd just stolen some candy."
“That night, the three of us squatted outside the door waiting for the results,” Nana said. “When the medical system beeped, Chen Hao said, ‘If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Xiao Na.’”
"I was just saying that offhand!" Chen Hao immediately denied.
“The system has saved this.” Nana said expressionlessly. “Naming suggestion: Xiao Na Chen.”
"Stop!" Chen Hao raised his hand. "I'm not taking the blame for this."
The laughter inside the room was warmer than before.
Karl stood up and walked to the window. The spaceship was parked not far away, its outline outlined by the base's external lights.
“We’ve been repairing the boat for so long,” he said. “At first, we just wanted to leave alive. Now that we’re actually leaving, we’re actually a little reluctant to go.”
"What are you reluctant to part with?" Susan asked.
"I can't bear to part with this wasteland," he said. "I can't bear to part with checking the air filter first thing every morning. I can't bear to part with having to take turns burning waste for heating in the winter."
“You wouldn’t want me to sneak away and eat the compressed biscuits you’ve hidden in the middle of the night,” Chen Hao said.
“That time you stuffed the packaging into my toolbox after you finished eating,” Carl turned and glared at him. “It made me think the equipment had short-circuited.”
"Isn't that revenge?" Chen Hao laughed. "Who told you to always say I'm fat?"
“I’m not going to talk about you anymore,” Carl said, “because you’ve become as fat as a permanent fixture.”
Chen Hao pretended to be angry, "Hey, I'm the team's morale booster."
"She's also the one who weighs the most," Susan added with a smile.
Nana looked at them and suddenly said, "I can record this conversation and save it in the flight log."
“Record it,” Chen Hao said. “When the kids grow up, they can hear how their dad went from being a useless piece of trash to a space colonist.”
"On the condition that you don't eat the spaceship to pieces," Carl said.
"I'm warning you, if you say that again I'm going on a hunger strike." Chen Hao pretended to stand up. "If you end up malnourished, it'll be your responsibility."
"You can lose ten pounds by fasting for three days?" Karl retorted.
"Impossible." Chen Hao sat down honestly. "At most, I'll lose two pounds, and I'll still have to rely on Nana's IV drips to keep me going."
“Based on physiological models,” Nana said seriously, “if you go without food for 72 consecutive hours, your physical strength will decrease by 40%, your irritability will increase by 68%, and the frequency of your complaints is expected to double.”
"Look!" Chen Hao pointed at her, "They even calculated her temper; that's called precision strike."
“I’m just stating the facts,” Nana said.
“Have you ever thought about this?” Susan suddenly said, “When we return to human society and people ask us how we survived, what will we say?”
“Just say you’ll live off dirt,” Carl said.
"To add, we mainly survive by arguing," Chen Hao added. "Whenever we're about to give up, we tease each other, and we immediately perk up."
“This is indeed an effective way to regulate emotions,” Nana admitted. “During arguments, adrenaline levels rise, attention is focused, and work efficiency increases by an average of 15 percent.”
"So in the future, when you encounter problems," Chen Hao concluded, "have an argument first, then solve the problem."
"The premise is that the argument doesn't go too far," Carl said. "Last time we argued for two hours about who should wash the dishes, and I ended up doing it myself."
"Because I don't know how to use that old-fashioned cleaning machine," Chen Hao said matter-of-factly. "There are too many buttons, and I'm afraid it will explode if I press the wrong one."
“It’s just a dishwasher,” Carl said helplessly.
“In the space station, any electrical appliance could be a bomb,” Chen Hao said seriously. “You can ask Nana if you don’t believe me.”
Nana nodded. "Historically, there have been instances where short circuits in coffee machines on colonial ships caused a chain reaction of malfunctions, resulting in the entire cabin losing pressure."
"Look!" Chen Hao spread his hands. "I told you we shouldn't underestimate home appliances."
Carl stopped arguing and turned to pour water. He picked up four glasses, filled them with warm water, and placed them back on the table.
Susan leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.
Chen Hao looked down at the empty glass and gently tapped the inside of the glass with his fingers.
“Actually,” he continued, “I’m not afraid of not being able to go back to Earth. What I’m afraid of is that once we go back, we’ll all become strangers again.”
No one spoke.
“We’ve weathered storms together here, repaired generators, and shared the last piece of chocolate,” he said. “You might never experience something like this in your entire life outside.”
"So we took the memory box." Susan opened her eyes. "Inside there were stones, circuit boards, and that bag of unfinished cookie crumbs."
“And my medical notes,” she said, “shown what our first meal together looked like.”
“I left something there too,” Carl said. “That charred motherboard is from my first attempt at repairing a communicator.”
“Even failed attempts have meaning,” Chen Hao said.
"Where's Nana?" Susan asked. "What did you put in?"
Nana paused for two seconds, then said, "I cut a segment from last night's tea party recording into it. The title is: Seventeen Ways Humans Express Emotions."
"Including swearing?" Chen Hao asked.
“These include rolling your eyes, sighing, coughing to cover up embarrassment, and drinking water to delay your answer,” she said. “These are all data samples.”
"So do you understand now?" Susan asked.
“It’s not complete yet,” Nana said, “but I’m willing to continue learning.”
Chen Hao smiled, stood up, and walked to the memory box. He reached out and touched the surface of the box, then took a step back.
“That’s it then,” he said. “Goodbye to this place.”
No one stood up, and no one spoke.
The wind blew through the outer wall, making a low rustling sound.
Nana said softly, "The ceremony is over."
Carl didn't move, and Susan leaned against him with her eyes closed.
Chen Hao put his hands back in his pockets, his fingertips touching the tattered piece of paper. He didn't take it out, but just gripped it tightly.
Carl got up and went to the kitchen to get more water.
Susan opened her eyes and looked out the window.
Chen Hao stared at the memory box and suddenly said, "When you inspect the spaceship tomorrow, remember to let me be the first one up."
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