Final Chapter (2) Flying tumbleweeds drift far apart, let us drain our cups...
"I wonder how Chengcheng is doing now."
After seeing off so many people, Du Yuan felt a little melancholy, thinking of Rong Cheng, who had recently gone back to visit her biological parents.
Rong Cheng recovered faster than the other Sentinels and left Black Tower Star much earlier.
Sangye thought of what Rong Cheng had said to her a long time ago, and she felt a little lost.
It's possible that Rong Cheng will never come back to live with them again.
Rong Cheng's goals have always been clear. She enjoys military life, rising through the ranks in the army, and exploring the unknown world.
Golden crows are naturally freedom-loving and find it difficult to stay in one place for long.
It's just unknown where she will choose to go next.
A few days later, Rong Cheng returned. As usual, she kept complaining about being so hungry, wishing she could eat a whole cow.
Du Yuan greeted her with a smile, asked her what she wanted to eat, and then instructed Sangye to make it.
Sanye:?
While complaining, Sangye rolled up her sleeves and walked towards the kitchen: "What do you want to eat? How about I make Ants Climbing a Tree? It's spicy, you like that. I recently made a batch of clay pots, so I'll make clay pot rice. I'll also stew some beef and tofu soup."
As she spoke, Rong Cheng echoed, "Okay, okay," she liked whatever Sangye did.
Ants Climbing a Tree is a dish of stir-fried vermicelli with minced meat. The way the minced meat "climbs" on the vermicelli resembles little ants climbing a tree, hence the name.
Soak the thin rice noodles in water until soft, so they can absorb more broth when stir-fried later.
After greasing the pan with a little lard, add the bright red minced meat and stir-fry until it turns white. Then add scallions, ginger, and garlic to remove any gamey smell. Next, add fermented bean paste, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and stir-fry evenly to color the meat. No salt is needed, as these seasonings are already quite salty. Once cooked through, you can add a little sugar to balance the flavor and enhance the umami. Since Rong Cheng likes spicy food, she added dried chili peppers at the end and stir-fried, releasing a strong, pungent aroma.
Next, add water to the pot and simmer until cooked through. Once boiling, add the glass noodles and simmer together, allowing them to absorb the savory flavor of the broth. Stir the noodles frequently to prevent them from sticking to the pot. Once the broth has almost evaporated, it's ready to serve.
Du Yuan evenly brushed a layer of oil on the inner wall of the casserole, poured in the rice that had been soaking for two hours, added an appropriate amount of water, and placed it on the pot. When the water on the surface of the rice had evaporated and the rice was about 70-80% cooked, he added various side dishes such as sausage, corn, bok choy, carrots, and mushrooms. He then drizzled oil around the edge of the pot again, cracked two bright yellow egg yolks on top, covered the pot, and continued to simmer over low heat.
In a separate small bowl, prepare the claypot rice sauce by mixing sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chopped green onions, and water in the correct proportions. Pour the sauce over the claypot rice after it's cooked, and it's ready.
The rice in the freshly cooked claypot rice turned into a golden-brown, crispy crust right at the edge of the pot, smelling incredibly tempting.
The beef used is top-quality marbled beef, which is marinated with sugar and salt to lock in moisture and prevent it from becoming tough during stewing.
The tofu soup also contains kelp and dried shrimp; the addition of seafood makes it exceptionally delicious.
Since arriving in this world, the three of them have rarely eaten together as a trio. It felt as if they had returned to their time in Shifangwu.
Du Yuan missed Rong Cheng very much and kept putting food on her plate, as if he were still taking care of her like when they were children.
Rong Cheng buried his head in his food, and when he looked up again, he hesitated to speak.
In fact, Sangye had a premonition, and when he saw her like this again, that premonition became seven or eight parts certainty.
A sense of relief rose within her: "This day has finally come."
"Say what you want to say." Sangye nodded, encouraging Rong Cheng to speak. "It's okay, your master and I will support all your decisions."
Rong Cheng took a sip of soup, took a deep breath, and announced to her master and senior sister, "I have signed up for the Navigation Program to explore unknown star systems."
The Navigator Program is a plan that existed at the very beginning of human space exploration. It has now evolved into a special legion directly managed by the royal family.
All members share the goal of exploring unknown galaxies, discovering new homes suitable for human survival, and developing new energy sources and materials. They are pioneers of human civilization and have always stood at the forefront of humanity's advancement into the universe.
Most members of the Navigator Program possess special mental abilities to deal with various emergencies that may occur during the journey. Sentinels/guides who are not at least A-level are not allowed to participate.
Moreover, each piloting journey lasts at least fifty years, and sometimes several hundred years.
Not everyone is willing to give up everything and leave their hometown for so many years.
Even if Jiang Sili was rebellious back then, he only joined the White Wolf Star Pirates, and he never left the star system where he grew up.
Moreover, the dangers encountered during the journey are unpredictable, and the pilot program has never had a complete safe return for all participants.
Rong Cheng's biological parents respected her decision, and another important purpose of her return was to persuade the two of them to have another child.
If Rong Cheng really has an accident, having other children around will at least prevent her parents from being too distraught.
As a "mother" and "family member" in another sense, Rong Cheng returns to Black Tower Star to tell Sangye and Du Yuan about her decision.
Rong Cheng knew this was a decision she had already made, and she didn't need anyone else's approval.
But deep down, she still hoped that the two people in front of her would support her.
Du Yuan was stunned for a moment, and the scene of finding Rong Cheng in another world suddenly appeared in her mind.
She was born to a pair of young, carefree, and somewhat irresponsible golden crow parents. After incubating the eggs for a while, they became impatient and the two birds went out to play for a while.
Rong Cheng was found by Du Yuan before her body temperature dropped to the critical level.
Later, when Rong Cheng was already a teenager, the Golden Crow parents finally came knocking on their door.
Rong Cheng had made up her mind. She wouldn't go with them. Shifangwu would become her new home, and she would naturally leave home to find her own life when she grew up.
The golden crow's parents neither pestered nor stopped it, and flew away happily, never to be seen again.
It vividly demonstrates what it means to be "passersby in each other's lives".
Rong Cheng is by nature like this; she is an unbridled golden crow, a soul soaring freely.
Sangye reached out and patted her head: "Take care on your journey, and keep in touch with us."
Du Yuan snapped out of her reverie, pursed her lips, feeling both sad and worried, but also offered Rong Cheng her blessings: "If you ever get tired, come back to Master's place, and we'll continue living together."
Rong Cheng doesn't need anything more; these two sentences are enough.
*
Melusin could no longer stay on Black Tower.
Duke Vera Seren personally came to Black Tower to retrieve her medical records and seized her, intending to take her back to the capital planet.
How can a daughter leave her mother?
Melusin had no choice but to bid farewell to her beloved mermaid and come to Xixiaolou to say goodbye to Sangye.
In the short few months she had become very close to Sangye, and since she felt she was leaving, she naturally wanted to say goodbye to her.
It seems that Melusin's life was without regrets. Born into a top noble family, the only heir to the duke's throne, doted on by the duke, relied upon by the emperor, and possessed exceptional abilities, her life could be described as perfect and smooth sailing, except for her mental abilities which made her particularly feared and resented.
However, Melusin was actually a little envious of Sangye's free and easy life, and she also envied Jiang Sili's courage to abandon everything, while she was about to return to the huge circle of fame and fortune in the capital star to fight for the family's honor and status.
But it was impossible for Melusin to give up all of this. She was also well aware that her privileges came entirely from the Duke of Seren's family.
Melusin strolled around the base and the West Building again, breathing in the fragrance of osmanthus in the courtyard. Cats and dogs circled around her feet, while Du Yuan and Rong Cheng sat on a stone bench enjoying tea.
Meluxin accepted a cup of Wuyi green tea from Du Yuan, and the aroma of the tea, like clouds and mist, wafted over.
It's truly rare to have such a carefree time in one's life.
She thought so.
"I heard you joined the Navigator Program?" Meluxin chatted with Rong Cheng. She was the financial manager of the Navigator Program and was responsible for reviewing all members' information, corresponding job levels, and salaries.
Sangye didn't hear what Rongcheng replied because Wu Huansheng and his family of three also arrived at the West Building.
They came to say goodbye as well.
Everyone got together today.
Sangye packed all the Chinese medicinal herbs and gave them to Mu An, instructing him to watch Wu Huansheng drink them regularly each day, as it would be difficult to rely on Wu Huansheng on his own.
Wu Jianing has grown to the age of seven on Black Tower Star, already showing signs of becoming tall and slender, and her stern little face is strikingly similar to Wu Huansheng's. She is about to return to her home planet, Mingyang Star, which she has never seen before, and return to the star cluster ruled by the Wu family, where she will grow up under the protection of her family's power and have a smooth journey.
Their family will set off today.
Wu Huansheng's mother, Wu Xiangxi, finally stopped rejecting Mu An. When she came to visit last time, she surprisingly smiled at him, which made Mu An feel flattered.
The Wu family has few members. The three Wu sisters only had two children in total. Wu Xiaomei is a staunch advocate of not getting married or having children, and Minur, who has just joined the family, does not consider such matters either. However, in the generation of Wu Huansheng and Wu Huanyin, each of them has a daughter who is regarded as a treasure by the family.
Even a cold and stern figure like Wu Jinyue becomes much more amiable and indulgent when facing his two youngest children.
Sangye gave Wu Jianing a big hug and stroked her fluffy head: "You're welcome to come and play often in the future. I'll always reserve a room for you in the West Building."
Wu Jianing held extraordinary significance for Sangye. She was the first person to show Sangye kindness and indirectly helped her "clear her name." During Sangye's loneliest days, Wu Jianing often came to visit her, and the two, one big and one small, comforted each other.
The parting at this moment also made Sangye somewhat sad.
Sangye brought out the osmanthus wine he had recently brewed and poured it into a glass.
Consider this a farewell drink.
Osmanthus wine has a very low alcohol content and was originally intended as a flavorful beverage.
Even Wu Jia Ning can have a small cup.
Sangye clinked glasses with everyone.
The brief reunion of everyone on Black Tower Star has now scattered like tumbleweeds in the wind.
But eventually they will find the most suitable soil to take root and grow.
There's no need to say anything more at this moment.
Like tumbleweeds drifting far apart, let us empty our cups in hand.
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