Chapter 62 Welcoming Mom and Dad!
"Uncle, how can you be so kind?"
After tattled, the child hugged Yan Xingli affectionately and said, "You lovable little melon uncle."
That unlucky kid is too good at socializing; he's got a sweet tongue that's deadly.
Yan Xingli lifted the child onto his arm and sat him comfortably.
"You're just saying nice things to coax me. You're going home tomorrow, so you need to go to bed early tonight and not stay up late secretly."
The child nestled in the crook of his neck paused, then raised his head: "Uncle, tomorrow is the day Mom is coming to visit Earth, I'm not going home."
"?"
Looking at Yan Xingli's bewildered expression, Yu Yu pinched his ear and asked, "Uncle, didn't Grandpa Zheng tell you?"
Tell me what?
"My mom's spaceship doesn't have enough energy, so she needs to collect energy on Earth to bring me home."
Yan Xingli looked bewildered: "Nobody told me."
After returning from his spring outing yesterday, Director Zheng was so busy he barely had time to breathe. He was also feeling lost and uncertain about Yu Yu's impending departure, which caused a stagnation in information flow.
Yu Yu held up a little finger and said, "Mommy said some good news and some bad news. This is the bad news."
Yan Xingli looked bewildered; he had only heard the good news that day, not the bad.
Looking back now, it wasn't that he missed something, but rather that Qi Feizhu hadn't finished speaking before Yu Yu was escorted down the mountain.
Such turbulent emotions! Yan Xingli pressed his right hand to his chest. Wait, what about the ton of seafood he prepared?
Are you going to keep them at the breeding farm?
Yan Xingli rubbed his temples: "How long will it take to collect the energy?"
“I don’t know,” Yu Yu said. “That was Mom’s own spaceship.”
Yan Xingli blurted out, "You didn't make it by hand either, did you?"
"Yes, yes!" Yu Yu said happily and proudly, hands on her hips. "After Mom finished making the big spaceship, she taught me how to make the little spaceship!"
The child looked at Yan Xingli expectantly: "Uncle, I can teach you how to make a little spaceship too."
Yan Xingli smiled politely: "I appreciate your kind offer, but I have a proper job now and I need to focus on my work."
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but his sense of responsibility towards his work wouldn't allow him to be distracted.
Yan Xingli didn't give the child a chance to continue his divergent thinking. He walked around the suitcase on the ground, carried the child back to the room, and covered him with a blanket.
"It's time to close your eyes. Come on, hug your little bunny and go to sleep."
The child, like a radish just sprouting from the ground, stared at him for a moment with his clear, dark eyes, then chuckled.
"Uncle, have you been secretly hiding little pearls?"
Yan Xingli raised an eyebrow: "What little pearl?"
Yu Yu made a crying face and winked: "Like this, cry loudly."
Yan Xingli twitched the corner of his mouth and bent down to help her tuck the blanket in.
"You're just making things up again."
Children are indeed imaginative little creatures, saying whatever comes to mind.
"Because you're so reluctant to part with me," Yu Yu declared confidently. "I'm leaving Earth, and your heart is raining."
Yan Xingli stubbornly insisted, "I didn't."
“You have it, I saw it all.”
The child stretched his two little hands out from under the covers, made a face, and said confidently, "You've had a grumpy face all day yesterday."
Is it really that obvious? Yan Xingli asked doubtfully.
"Go to sleep."
Yu Yu raised her hand: "Uncle, I have another question."
Without hesitation, Yan Xingli said, "I need to tidy up the living room later, so I won't have time to tell you a bedtime story."
"That's not it."
"So what do you want to ask?"
Before the words were finished, a chubby little foot poked out from under the covers: "Uncle, if I hit you really hard with my foot, will you fly away like a ball?"
"..."
After saying that, Yu Yu quickly added, "Uncle, I didn't mean to kick you, I just raised my foot."
Yan Xingli smiled speechlessly, then gritted his teeth and ruffled the child's hair: "You watched one more episode of cartoons today, so you have to watch one less tomorrow."
ah.
Yu Yu covered her mouth, realizing that her uncle already knew.
Upon meeting her uncle's wise gaze, which seemed to see through everything, Yu Yu silently withdrew one foot and watched him leave.
For Yan Xingli, the past two days have been like a rollercoaster of emotions, but fortunately he is strong and healthy enough to withstand great joy and sorrow.
After the child fell asleep, he hurriedly contacted the seafood vendor to deliver the seafood later and temporarily place it in the warehouse for safekeeping.
*
On the morning of the day they welcomed the extraterrestrial visitors, one after another specially modified buses, filled with experts, drove into the heavily guarded base.
The experts on the bus were no longer limited to the field of science and technology; experts in the humanities and arts were also included in the list of invitees.
When Yan Xingli received the dinner program from Director Zheng Shoucheng, he was waiting for Yu Yu in the rest area outside the classroom.
As his gaze swept across the screen, a string of resounding names came into view.
—Liu Qin, the queen of love songs, a national first-class actress, principal of a national orchestra, and a famous dancer, are all well-known big names.
Yan Xingli thought he had misread it.
He stood there dumbfounded, zooming in on the program list and looking at it repeatedly.
Seeing his reaction, Zheng Shoucheng cautiously asked, "Is there a problem with the list?"
Those who appear on this list have all undergone the most rigorous political vetting, are absolutely upright and have a firm will, and are also at the pinnacle of their respective fields.
Even so, Zheng Shoucheng was still worried that there might be a mistake.
"No, I have no objection to the list." Yan Xingli quickly explained, chuckling awkwardly, "I was just a little surprised. I thought the base wouldn't invite teachers from the arts and culture field."
Zheng Shoucheng smiled, and with the wisdom of an elder, said:
"Guests are guests, so of course we should treat them to something nice."
Yan Xingli nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and casually replied:
“I took Yuyu to Liu Qin’s concert before, and Yuyu really liked her.”
Zheng Shoucheng was not surprised at all; instead, his smile deepened: "It's not surprising that Yu Yu likes her."
"Because Yu Yu's grandma also likes Xiao Liu."
Yan Xingli was taken aback.
Director Zheng Shoucheng looked knowing: "It seems you don't know."
Banquet Gift: 0.0
How novel! He's just a personal nanny.
Zheng Shoucheng: "I was chatting with Yuyu before, and the little one said that her grandma has always liked listening to Xiaoliu's songs and is considered her little fan."
Then, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, he offered an explanation:
"Older people tend to like listening to old songs, and half of us old guys are fans of Teresa Teng."
Yan Xingli resonated with this: "That's so true, my parents are the same way."
As you get older, you find old songs more enjoyable to listen to.
"Xiaoxing, do you know how old Yuyu's maternal grandmother is?"
"I don't know." Yan Xingli shook his head honestly. "Yu Yu didn't mention it to me."
Zheng Shoucheng didn't keep him in suspense, pulling him aside and whispering, "One hundred and twenty-five."
125 years old?
But Liu Qin is only thirty-five this year.
Yan Xingli recalled the words "little fan" that Director Zheng had just mentioned. The absurdity brought about by the time difference made him feel both strange and amused.
Before he could finish his shock, Director Zheng pulled up a photo from a secret album: "She is Yu Yu's maternal grandmother."
Yan Xingli stared intently, his breath catching in his throat.
The woman on the screen wore a graceful long dress, with smooth skin, bright eyes, and a serene demeanor.
She's too young. This woman looks to be in her early forties at most. How could she possibly be 125 years old?
Yan Xingli had seen centenarians before, but no matter how well they maintained themselves or how youthful they looked, they couldn't possibly be eighty years younger than they actually were.
Absolutely terrifying!
He looked up again, and Director Zheng was staring intently at him, the ease in his eyes gone.
"Xiao Xing, you must know how important this contact is. It involves far more than just a few technologies. The organization hopes that you can play a unique role in helping to stabilize the situation."
"The bottom line is that we must not antagonize each other under any circumstances."
Yan Xingli's heart skipped a beat: "I understand."
Director Zheng patted him on the shoulder and left without saying anything more.
If what Yu Yu said is true, then it means that the humans on the planet Cang Ai not only have long lifespans, but their physical functions also far exceed those of humans on Earth. They may very well possess the technology to extend their lifespan.
The top leadership has not revealed this to anyone; their strategy is clear and has never changed.
Compared to pursuing longevity, developing technology, and solving the pressing survival problems, finding a second habitable planet for humanity is of paramount importance.
*
When Yu Yu finished her class, her stomach was growling with hunger. Yan Xingli led the child to the rest area and took out a still-warm lunchbox from her small backpack and arranged it there.
"Teacher Yuyu taught for an extra fifteen minutes today, thank you for your hard work."
Yu Yu nodded vigorously, puffing out her cheeks as she shoveled rice into her mouth, "Yes, my poor little tummy."
Everyone knew that after Fishy's mother arrived on Earth, Fishy had no time to tutor the old professors. Although the research project urgently needed to be advanced, Fishy was still a child after all.
We can't keep taking advantage of the kids all the time.
So theoretically, this was Yu Yu's last class at the base, so everyone tried their best to extend the class by a few minutes.
The child gets hungry quickly when he is tired. Yu Yu buried himself in the sumptuous lunchbox and ate heartily. Then he let out a burp and patted his round belly with a satisfied look on his face.
Yan Xingli was amused by her: "Have you eaten and drunk your fill?"
Yu Yu thought for a moment, picked up the remaining soup in the bowl, drank it, wiped her mouth, and said with great bravado:
"No, I'm completely full!"
Stepping out of the rest area, Yan Xingli casually slung Yu Yu's little backpack over his shoulder, and then asked the question that had been bothering him:
"Fish, do you people on your planet Cang'ai still listen to Earthlings' songs?"
“Listen, my grandma loves listening to ancient people sing.”
It's been 300 years since Earth exploded, yet the descendants who migrated to the planet Cang'ai still remember Earth's culture and art. It's undeniably romantic.
Yan Xingli suddenly had a strange idea and leaned down to ask shyly, "What about me? Is there anyone who likes or remembers me?"
Qi Youyu replied with a strong voice: "Of course! Uncle, you're a big star, Ya Ya even has your movies at home."
Yan Xingli, who had no expectations, was stunned.
He's been ridiculed online for his terrible acting, yet he actually has fans? And they're fans from 300 years in the future...
Yan Xingli couldn't help but feel his cheeks burning. Look at the mess this has made! It turns out his mentor is three hundred years later.
*
It's 9 PM in City A.
Without grand ceremonies or media flashes, a teardrop-shaped aircraft, like a shooting star, landed precisely on the base plaza at the appointed time, streaking across the quiet, dark night sky.
The top leader and Director Zheng waited in the square, while Yan Xingli stood in the center with Yu Yu by his hand.
Yu Yu was wearing a dress, a beret with a temperature-regulating chip on her head, and a round bun at the back of her head. At first glance, she looked like a pink and plump little peach, and her cuteness level was off the charts.
Yan Xingli was very fortunate that after returning to being an ordinary person, he did not overeat and maintained his previous fitness habits. Because he was free from work pressure, his appearance improved even more.
Amidst the intense anticipation of the crowd, the aircraft's hatch began to slowly move.
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