CH 47

Driving agricultural mecha wasn’t difficult so even ordinary people could quickly learn how to drive them after a little training. However, the conventional impression wasn’t as good. How could driving through the fields and mud be as cool as piloting a battle mecha through the stars?

Still, the piloting of the two top Mecha Masters was too textbook, full of mechanical beauty, and not less than when they piloted battle mecha, making everyone feel the absolute power of killing and making their blood run wild.

On the other hand, the operation of agricultural mechas in the fields was just fun, which anyone could understand and entertain themselves with.

Especially when seeing piles of fruits being harvested cheerfully, the audience—especially those living in the city— felt a special sense of pleasure!

It was hard for them to imagine themselves becoming Mecha Master Sergeants. It was too far-fetched, but operating agricultural mechas was a simple substitution.

Coincidentally, the water mist sprayed out by the agricultural mecha just happened to disperse and turn into a rainbow.

The drone flew upwards, through the rainbow, higher and higher, looking down at the land.

On the thousands of miles of land, brightly colored fields were laid out as agricultural mechas drew harvest lines one after another.

The quiet and fresh wind in the field seemed to blow out of the screen and into the heart of the audience.

So refreshing.

At dusk the very same day, Yan Xueshan took Arthur to visit the grave of his adoptive father.

He had already brought Arthur here before, and Arthur had made some decorations for his adoptive father’s grave with small stones.

When he lived on the farm before, he often came to wipe the tombstones and pull out the overgrown weeds nearby. When his day was free, he would sit on the tombstone and watch the scenery, sunbathe, and take a nap, and relax for the whole day.

He remembered that the night before his adoptive father went to join the army, they went to have a big meal, and his adoptive father had a drink.

On the way back, and not sure why, he had suddenly said to his adoptive father, “You have to come back alive. In two years, I hope we can celebrate my coming of age together.”

His adoptive father had just smiled and said, “Okay.”

But the appointment was missed.

Yan Xueshan didn’t cry when he received the letter, and on the next day, he even went to school as usual.

Instead, his teacher learned of his adoptive father’s death on the news, so when she saw him come to school as usual she’d asked him, surprised, “Aren’t you taking a break?”

Yan Xueshan was confused. “Is school closed today?”

The teacher said apologetically, “I know your adoptive father died. You can take the day off, it’s okay, it doesn’t count as you missing class.”

Yan Xueshan thought about it and replied, “I’m not sick.” Then asked, “Have I gotten into any trouble? Please tell me directly, without beating around the bush. Or do I need to stop school because my only guardian has died and I have six months before I reach adulthood?”

Yan Xueshan had asked, unwillingly, “Do I have to apply for another guardian with the government to go to school?”

The teacher looked at him with an odd expression. “No.”

That’s good. Yan Xueshan thought. He hadn’t wanted to apply for another guardian. It’s not that it was too troublesome, he was just not willing.

Two days had passed, and Yan Xueshan went to discuss with his teacher about his future education, and he changed his choice directly. Instead of going to university, he decided to join the army directly.

His grades were good enough for the high school graduation exams, and he began to take some of the time he had intended to use to prepare for college exams for his own physical training so that he could pass the draft physical exams.

He officially signed up for the army on the third day after his eighteenth year. Soldiers were needed on the front lines.

After successfully signing up, he only had one week to sort out his things and bid farewell to his family. He has no family and no valuables at home. They were just a poor father and son.

It took him only one day to sort out his own things, while he stored the rest of his adoptive father’s belongings properly.

The day before his departure, he received a courier. Unpacking it he found it was a fresh birthday cake with strawberry cream flavor. There was also a small envelope in the gift box, with a note on the back: [Happy 18th birthday. Take this money and go buy yourself a gift you like. 】

The first sentence was in the handwriting of his adoptive father but the second half was of someone else.

It was too bizarre.

Yan Xueshan called the cake store owner to ask who bought the cake for him, and the owner gave him the number of the person who ordered it.

Yan Xueshan dialed the number according to the number he received and fortunately it connected at that time.

The person who answered the phone was a woman.

Yan Xueshan asked directly, “Hello, this is Yan Xueshan. May I ask if you are the one who bought my birthday cake for me?”

She readily admitted it. “Haha, yes, it’s me. You’re here to ask me why, right? Just like Roy said, you are a very cautious kid. Don’t worry, I’m your adoptive father’s comrade. The money in the envelope was saved by your foster father during his lifetime and has been kept in his quarters.

“Before he died, he was nagging me about what gift he should give you for your eighteenth birthday. He kept nagging for a month without being able to decide, and said he would order a cake for you even if he couldn’t go back for your birthday.”

“Since he died, I bought it for you instead of him. This cake is from me to you. As for the gift, I still couldn’t think of what to buy, so I sent the money directly to you so you could buy it yourself.”

Yan Xueshan listened quietly, then he said, “Thank you.”

He has kept this small envelope, and the money in it has not been used until now.

That night, he dreamt of his adoptive father.

He dreamed that he had become a child again, about ten years old and they didn’t live in their cramped rental house, but on the farm.

He saw his adoptive father sitting on the hillside from a distance, then turned his head and saw little Arthur again.

Little Arthur was still wearing a small suit, his cheeks flushed with excitement as he looked at him expectantly, his big golden eyes blinking.

Yan Xueshan belatedly remembered what he wanted to do – he wanted to show Arhur to his adoptive father.

So he said to little Arthur, “Let’s go.”

Holding his hand, they  walked through the flower fields and wheat fields, climbed up the hillside, and came up to his adoptive father.

Yan Xueshan said to him, “This is Arthur.”

His adoptive father greeted him and asked him, “Long time no see, Little Xue, how are you doing recently?”

Yan Xueshan said, “Very well. I have a job, a farm, savings, food to eat every day, and a place to sleep with a warm blanket, and a family of my own. Arthur, he’s my new family. We’ve made a new family and a great house.”

His adoptive father was sincerely happy for him. “That’s great.”

His foster father played with Arthur for a while. He liked him a lot and stroked Arthur’s head. “What a good boy. Same as you.”

He told Arthur, “You have to take good care of Xue from now on, you know?”

Arthur nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice.

Yan Xueshan said in wonder, “I don’t need to be protected, I can protect myself.”

His adoptive father just smiled as he said, “I know, I know, you’re a capable boy. You can protect him as he protects you. That’s what you call a family.”

Yan Xueshan was confused as he didn’t understand.

His adoptive father asked again, “Is he really just your family?”

Yan Xueshan looked at his adoptive father, not understanding.

His adoptive father asked, “Shouldn’t he also be your lover? Do you love him?”

Yan Xueshan couldn’t understand and, shaking his head, said: “I can’t experience feelings such as love.”

His adoptive father squatted down, touched his little face, and asked, “You really can’t?”

Yan Xueshan said, “My brain is injured, I can’t perceive it.”

His adoptive father said, “It’s not in the brain. Love should exist in the soul.”

Did he have it?

Love, or something like that?

Yan Xueshan woke up.

He found Arthur holding him in his sleep, with one hand tucked against the side of his face. He was clearly asleep, but his thumb was gently stroking his cheek, as if he liked him even in his sleep.

Yan Xueshan used to be sure he didn’t know love.

Lately, however, it has become impossible to assert.

Yan Xueshan turned around and faced Arthur. Arthur still hadn’t opened his eyes, and continued to sleep soundly, while naturally adjusting his posture to continue to snuggle him tight, and rubbed his chin against his head.

Yan Xueshan couldn’t sleep.

This was very rare. His sleep quality has always been very good, and he usually falls asleep without any problems.

He let Arthur hold him and closed his eyes to rest. He was in a daze until Arthur woke up and they got up together.

These days he lived in the Vega military base.

The day after the show aired, one by one, interstellar pirates surrendered to the federal government. Desolate planets in the previous war zones, one after another, welcomed their children that had been scattered for many years.

Freedom to take risks was engraved in the DNA of human beings, but the roots of fallen leaves were also in their blood.

It was better than Arthur had envisioned.

Even so, there were also some problems. Some people wanted to leave pirate gangs but the heads of these gangs didn’t want to let them go, so they secretly sent them a distress signal.

Arthur led his troops to knock one group after another.

After each fight he would come back and sleep soundly.

Like a big tin can, in this dark military base floating in space, Arthur was like a ray of sunshine. When he woke up early in the morning it was like the sun shining brightly. Especially recently, as he was in a good mood no matter what he did.

Yan Xueshan got up early to clean up, and changed into a military uniform without any military rank insignia.

Even their toiletries are the same as when he was in the military. Back then, every time he changed to new cleaning products, he would find that Arthur replaced them with the same different-colored cups and toothbrushes and he still was.

The day they returned to the barracks after the wedding, Yan Xueshan received a lot of congratulatory gifts for their wedding, so many that they piled up into a small mountain. On the same day, Yan Xueshan asked Arthur to register and store these gifts one by one.

Everything was recorded, and when a gift giver gets married, he would also give them a gift in return.

When they came to the base cafeteria, people passing by, covered their noses and walked around them. Yan Xueshan understood now that it must be because of Arthur’s pheromones again.

After they sat down, and before they could even start eating, Arthur received a message. Saying he had something to do, he left first.

Yan Xueshan nodded calmly, just letting him go as he continued to eat by himself.

Looking at Arthur’s back as he was leaving, a strange question appeared in his mind for the first time. It popped up suddenly, making him ask himself, “Does it smell that good? What do Arthur’s pheromones smell like?”

He was beta so he couldn’t smell them.

Next to him, a soldier was listening to him, turned his head and said, “Major, do you want to know what Admiral Arthur’s pheromones smell like?”

A group of people, no, to be precise, a group of victims, turned their heads in unison to look over and leaped to speak.

Yan Xueshan: “?”