Chen Hao stood in front of the locker, holding a packet of braised beef-flavored bionic meal. He had just torn open a corner when Nana's voice came from behind him.
"Personal daily quota has been used up for today."
He paused, then turned to look at her. Nana stood by the control panel, her finger still tapping the screen, her eyes calm, as if she were reporting the weather.
"I'll just take one more pack," Chen Hao said. "It's not like I'm stealing."
"The rule is one pack of staple food and two supplements per person per day." Nana didn't raise her voice. "You received two high-calorie meals yesterday, so you've already exceeded that limit today."
Carl looked up from his toolbox: "Then we should follow the rules. No one should be an exception."
Chen Hao shoved the lunchbox into the cabinet, then lurched back half a meter before bumping into the back of his chair and coming to a stop. "Oh, you actually believed me? I didn't steal your portion."
“Fairness isn’t just talk.” Karl closed the box. “We have limited supplies. If we act recklessly now, what will we do later?”
Susan was leaning against the passenger seat, holding a bottle of water. She didn't drink it right away, but just gently swirled it, watching the water droplets swirl on the bottle's surface.
“I take folic acid and calcium supplements every day,” she said. “Are these included in the ‘average’?”
Karl frowned: "Special supplies can be calculated separately, but there must be standards."
"Then what's the standard?" Susan looked up. "By weight? Heart rate? Or weeks of pregnancy?"
No one responded.
Chen Hao scratched his head: "Stop arguing, it's just a matter of eating one more bite or one less bite."
Nana brought up the projector, and a light screen floated in the air. Above it were the names of four people, and below was a string of numbers indicating their daily consumption records.
“In the past 72 hours, Chen Hao’s total intake exceeded the baseline by 38 percent,” Nana said. “Karl remained within the standard range, and Susan received 13 additional nutritional supplements due to her pregnancy needs, all of which were approved by the system. The current remaining staple food reserves can last for 91 days, but if the consumption rate increases, it will be shortened to 67 days.”
Chen Hao stared at his own name for two seconds, then reached out to turn off the screen, but accidentally bumped the projector, causing the image to distort.
“Okay, I admit I have a sweet tooth,” he said. “But it’s also true that I’m fat, have a slow metabolism, and get hungry quickly.”
"Then why didn't you practice more back then?" Carl said.
"If I could keep running, I'd be an Olympic athlete by now," Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "Why would I be eating imitation beef here?"
Susan smiled briefly, then quickly composed herself. "I'm not trying to get special treatment," she said. "I just don't want anything to happen to my child. If malnutrition leads to developmental abnormalities, who will be responsible?"
Carl was silent for a moment, then tapped his fingers on the edge of the toolbox.
“It’s not that I don’t care,” he said. “I’m afraid that once we set a precedent, everyone will say the same thing. Today you need calcium supplements, tomorrow someone says they have a bad stomach and need to eat soft foods, and the day after tomorrow someone says they have insomnia and need to take sedatives. In the end, the rules will become meaningless.”
"So we need to set new rules," Chen Hao suddenly said.
He floated to the control panel, grabbed the edge to steady himself, and said to Nana, "You have everyone's health data, right? Heart rate, blood pressure, nutritional indicators, everything?"
"Yes." Nana nodded.
“Then let’s do it this way.” Chen Hao held up one finger. “The basic quota is the same for everyone and cannot be changed. The extra portion will be distributed by Nana based on the actual physical condition, and the reasons for the adjustment will be announced weekly. If anyone has any questions, they can raise them on the spot, and everyone will listen together.”
He looked at Karl: "The data is public, the process is transparent, so it's not against the rules, right?"
Carl didn't answer immediately. He looked down at the notebook in his hand, then looked up at Susan.
“If you can really make it public, I have no objection,” he said.
"What about me?" Chen Hao grinned. "If I get caught overeating again next week, will I have to write a self-criticism?"
“Put it on the cockpit door,” Susan said.
"That's too embarrassing," Chen Hao shook his head. "I'd rather sweep the floor."
“It can’t be swept away,” Nana said. “The spaceship is dust-free; cleaning relies on electrostatic adsorption.”
“Look, they can’t even design punishments,” Chen Hao said, shrugging. “This ship doesn’t give anyone a chance to make mistakes.”
The cabin was quiet for a few seconds.
Then Carl took a bottle of water from the tank and handed it to him.
“You’re right,” he said. “People are different, so their way of life has to change.”
Chen Hao took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. The water was a bit cool, but it felt better as it went down his throat.
"Actually, I know I can't just take things randomly," he said. "It's just that sometimes when I see food, my brain is a beat slower than my mouth."
“Next time, it’ll be your hands that are slow,” Carl said.
I'll try my best.
Nana started operating the console, and after a few soft beeps, a system notification sounded.
"The resource allocation model has been updated: basic equal distribution plus a dynamic adjustment mechanism has been implemented. Health monitoring data will be synchronized daily, and supply applications must be reviewed and filed by the system."
The names on the screen were rearranged, and each person had a small, flashing green marker next to their quota.
Susan let out a soft breath and placed the empty bottle into the recycling bin. She shifted her shoulders, as if trying to change her posture, but the movement was slow.
Chen Hao noticed she wasn't speaking, so he floated over and asked, "Are you alright? Do you want me to heat up some liquid food for you?"
"No need," she said. "I'm just a little tired."
“You’ve been sitting for too long.” Carl stood up and walked to her side. “When you change seats, you need to use leverage, don’t force yourself.”
“I know,” Susan smiled. “I’m just too lazy to move.”
Chen Hao reached out and pulled the blanket down from the air, securing it to the armrest.
“From now on, I’ll be in charge of these kinds of things,” he said. “You are a key person under protection, and I am a key service provider.”
"So how much is your salary?" Susan asked.
"We haven't discussed it yet," Chen Hao said. "We'll give you a trial period first, and if you do well, we'll raise your salary."
“Then you’d better start performing now,” she said. “Go get me a vitamin B12 tablet.”
Chen Hao saluted, then turned and floated towards the locker. This time, he didn't open it directly, but first glanced at the display screen on the door.
"Check what the daily upper limit for vitamin B12 is for pregnant women," he said to Nana.
“No more than two milligrams per day,” Nana replied. “The current dosing dose is 1.5 milligrams.”
"Then it'll be 1.5." Chen Hao took out the pills, checked the label, and then floated back.
He handed the pill to Susan, glancing at her wrist. The patch was still there, and the green light was on.
"Vital signs are normal," Nana said. "Heart rate is stable, blood pressure is slightly low, and we recommend increasing fluid intake."
"Did you hear that?" Chen Hao pointed to his wrist. "Even the robot is telling you to drink more water."
Susan took the pill and swallowed it with water. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
"Alright, stop bothering me," she said. "I already told you I'm fine."
Chen Hao didn't go far; he stuck himself out on a nearby seat, one hand gripping the armrest and the other resting on his knee.
“I’m not worried about you,” he said. “I’m afraid something will happen to you, and then Carl will make me write a three-thousand-word accident report.”
“He’ll make you copy it ten times,” Susan said, opening her eyes. “And by hand.”
“Then I quit,” Chen Hao said. “I’m going to resign and go collect trash in space.”
“Nobody’s hiring you,” Carl said. “You can’t even sort things out.”
“I can sort them,” Chen Hao said. “One bag for plastic, one bag for metal, and expired canned goods go into the ‘Chen Hao’s Special’ bag.”
“Then go in now,” Susan said.
"I'm too big to fit in," Chen Hao patted his stomach. "I need to order an extra-large trash can."
The cabin fell silent again.
Nana returned to the control panel to continue monitoring the navigation parameters. Carl checked the locker seals to make sure all supplies were locked. Susan slowly adjusted her posture, finally finding a comfortable position where her breathing became steady.
Chen Hao looked up at the ceiling, tapping his knees absently with his fingers.
There were still so many stars outside, so dark and unfathomable.
He suddenly said, "Do you think what we're doing counts as a democratic reform?"
Nobody paid him any attention.
He didn't seem to care and continued, "From egalitarianism to distribution according to need, history textbooks don't even dare to write it like this."
“Because you changed the amount of food,” Carl said, “not the system.”
"They're essentially the same," Chen Hao said. "It's all about having enough to eat."
He turned to Susan: "When I go for the follow-up appointment next week, can I listen in? I want to see if the baby's heartbeat is faster than my hand speed when I'm playing games."
“You can listen if you want,” Susan said, “as long as you don’t make a sound.”
"I promise to be quiet." Chen Hao raised his hand. "At most, I'll scream softly."
“Screaming will interfere with the equipment,” Nana said.
"Then I'll hold it in."
He shrank back, hugging his knees as he floated in mid-air. The light shone on his face, half bright and half dark.
The spaceship continued forward, piercing through the echoing darkness.
Susan's hand slowly slid down to her abdomen and gently pressed down.
Her breathing was very light, as if she was afraid of waking something.
Chen Hao looked at her, and just opened his mouth to say something—
The console suddenly emitted a short beep.
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