Just then, there was a noise outside, and then the old lady's majestic voice was heard.
"Something happened at the port. In the next few days, don't go there to join in the fun, so as not to get into trouble. If you want to buy something, tell the housekeeper and he will go to buy it for you. Don't run around by yourself." The old lady always has the final say at home. When she was sick, some people dared to jump around. Now that she is well, no one dares to act rashly in front of her. Even Ruan Jun, who is usually arrogant, has shrunken like a quail.
However, whether Ruan Jun's current behavior is due to the old lady's majesty or because he was frightened by Ruan Xi before is a matter of opinion.
Anyway, Ruan Xi didn't care much. As long as Ruan Jun didn't cause him any more trouble, he was willing to ignore his existence. After all, with Ruan Jun's mental endurance, he was afraid that he would never get over the shadow of this incident in his lifetime. He was punishing himself enough, so why would Ruan Xi do anything extra?
"Aunt, grandma is back." Ruan Xi only said this one sentence, then looked at Ruan Huaqing quietly, without doing anything else.
However, Ruan Huaqing already understood the implication of Ruan Xi's words.
"I understand, Xiaoxi, thank you." Ruan Huaqing slowly stood up, nodded slowly to Ruan Xi to express his gratitude, then turned and walked out of Ruan Xi's room.
It was not until the door was closed that Ruan Xi breathed a long sigh of relief, and his shoulders, which had been tense, slumped slightly. He really didn't like dealing with such things at all; it felt awkward.
Since he couldn't make up for it in bed, Ruan Xi was too lazy to struggle anymore, so he went straight to find the old lady and waited for her at the door of the study.
"Grandma, can we talk?" The old lady obviously didn't expect that Ruan Xi was still at home. She thought that this kid would go straight to the mountains and forests as soon as he came back. After being stunned, she couldn't help but smile slightly.
"I thought you loved to be a wild man in the mountains. It's strange that you stay at home now." The old lady teased with a smile, but she didn't mean to blame at all. She motioned Ruan Xi to go into the study with her.
The housekeeper made them a pot of tea and was about to go to guard outside the door, but was stopped by the old lady, "Bai Yu, please stay too."
The housekeeper was stunned for a moment when he heard this, but he quickly reacted and walked back behind the old lady with a normal expression, "Yes."
Ruan Xi looked at the way the old lady and the housekeeper got along with each other and couldn't help but sigh in her heart, but she was not too curious about it. Anyway, the old lady was free and the housekeeper was free too. If the two could support each other and move forward, it would be better than being lonely all the time.
"Grandma, you were at the port today. You were at the port today. Actually, you have something to say, right?" Ruan Xi went straight to the point, staring at the old lady without blinking. She stared until the old lady couldn't help but chuckle. Then she blinked innocently, "Grandma, what are you laughing at?"
Ruan Xi has a cold personality and doesn't like to socialize with others, but he has always been popular with the elderly, especially elderly people like his grandmother, who can be coaxed into submission without fail.
"Child, your temperament is much more straightforward than before. It's a good thing this way, so you don't have to keep everything in your heart." The old lady said with a smile and emotion, and then fell silent again.
Ruan Xi did not express his own feelings on this matter, but just waited quietly for the old lady's next words. Sure enough, the old lady was silent for a while, and then spoke again. There was a nostalgia and emotion on her face that Ruan Xi had never seen before.
"Our planet has a secret..."
Ruan Xi: “…” Okay, this is really a clichéd beginning. There really is a story on Funong Star. I’m afraid it’s a big story.
Ruan Xi acted as if he was listening attentively, and this little look actually amused the old lady. The originally tense atmosphere instantly became relaxed.
"Xiao Xi, tell your grandmother what you encountered in the mountains and forests? Did you see a...big tree?" The old lady finally got to the point. The first sentence she said shocked Ruan Xi.
"Grandma, do you know that tree?" Ruan Xi chose his words carefully and did not directly say "Tree of Life". He subconsciously wanted to protect the big tree and did not want more people to know about its existence.
However, there is a barrier in the forest, and not everyone can enter. At least for the time being, there is no need to worry too much.
"The Tree of Life, I have only seen it once, and today, it has been exactly sixty-five years. Is it...still okay? It must have grown very tall..." The old lady's eyes flashed with nostalgia, and her thoughts seemed to have flown to sixty-five years ago. However, when she saw Ruan Xi's slightly surprised face, she instantly returned to reality.
"Our planet thrives because of the Tree of Life, but we can't help it. We can only watch it trapped deep in the mountains and forests. As time goes by, we can't even get close to it. Xiaoxi, you have seen the Tree of Life, right? You... can communicate with it, right?" The old lady looked at Ruan Xi with hope in her eyes, and her hands were even clenched into fists nervously, expecting to hear the answer she wanted from Ruan Xi.
"Grandma, are you saying that there is indeed a barrier in the mountains and forests that traps the Tree of Life inside?" Therefore, the function of the barrier is not to protect, but to imprison.
Who imprisoned the Tree of Life in that forest? What was the purpose of this imprisonment?
As if seeing through Ruan Xi's doubts, the old lady took the initiative to say, "I don't know who trapped the Tree of Life there, but I know their purpose. They simply wanted to use the power of the Tree of Life to maintain life on Funong Star, allowing us to reproduce on Funong Star from generation to generation, waiting for a turning point that may come at an unknown time..."
Speaking of "turning point", the old lady looked at Ruan Xi with a strange light in her eyes, and a powerful force burst out from her body. This power refers to the spirit, not the body, which made Ruan Xi feel particularly incredible.
"Then... are we going to continue trapping the Tree of Life there?" Although it is the nature of plants to take root in the soil, the Tree of Life is special. After reaching adulthood, the Tree of Life can move on its own. There are even ancient legends that the Tree of Life can transform into a human form. However, no one has ever seen the transformed Tree of Life with their own eyes.
Thinking of the loneliness that permeated Dashu's words when they first met, Ruan Xi felt heartbroken. He naturally felt resentful towards the people who had trapped the Tree of Life there. The humans on Funong Star were living beings, so was the Tree of Life not also living? Why did the Tree of Life have to sacrifice itself for the humans on Funong Star?
Is there no better solution?
Or maybe those people have never considered any other options and are just stubbornly sticking to their own opinions?
"Grandma, is there any way to save the Tree of Life?"
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