“It’ll be ready soon.”
For some reason, in that instant, Mai Hai seemed to see his own father. Although he no longer had the intense homesickness he felt when he first traveled here, he still missed home, and in this moment, the scene unexpectedly stirred his emotions.
“It’s fine,” Mai Hai said. “Uncle, have you and Pollack known each other for a long time?”
The uncle good-naturedly answered Mai Hai’s doubt: “Mm, if you count it up, it’s been quite a while. I didn’t expect him to have grown up so much.”
Hearing the uncle’s tone, Mai Hai followed up: “How old was he when you met him?”
“He was probably only eleven or twelve,” the uncle said. “I didn’t expect him to get married so quickly.”
Mai Hai wanted to continue asking, but Pollack suddenly appeared behind him and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, nothing, just walking around,” Mai Hai said.
After seeing Pollack, the uncle asked, “Little Spinach, did you go to see those pets again?”
“Mm.” Pollack only gave a slight nod, clearly not wanting to say much.
Mai Hai, however, was curious: “What pets did you go to see?”
Pollack said, “Nothing.”
Mai Hai didn’t ask further, and the two returned to their seats. The uncle’s cooking speed was indeed fast. When the food was served, Pollack called out to him: “Sit down and eat with us.”
“Haha, no, look, there are other customers over there. I’ll go attend to them. You two eat more, don’t be polite!” the uncle said heartily.
Mai Hai took a taste and it was indeed delicious. He asked Pollack, “Did you often come here to eat before?”
“Mm,” Pollack said. “Back when I was in school, I ate here during all my holidays.”
Seeing Pollack’s expression, Mai Hai knew when to stop, so he changed the subject: “Uncle’s skill is really not bad!”
Facing Mai Hai’s sincere praise, Pollack said very calmly, “You should see whose favorite shop it is.”
Hearing this, Mai Hai went back to burying his head in his meal.
After eating, it was still early, so Pollack said he would take Mai Hai shopping and buy him a few sets of clothes. Mai Hai, of course, had no right to object; since whatever Pollack decided was useless to oppose, it was better to remain silent.
Mai Hai felt that lately Pollack was treating him better and better, often giving him gifts and buying things for him at the drop of a hat.
Mai Hai specifically found an afternoon when he had no work and went to find that place according to the address written on the slip of paper. He got in touch with the spies from Planet Pandora on Giant; one of them, a man named Ge Mu, was the person in charge.
They were disguised and hidden inside a toy store. Ge Mu was the nominal owner of this shop. After Mai Hai found Ge Mu, he revealed his identity.
Ge Mu had been waiting for Mai Hai for a long time. He said, “We received General Nesbit’s announcement a few days ago, knowing that Your Highness would be coming by recently to assist us in completing the mission.”
“Mm, so what do you plan to do next?” Mai Hai asked.
Ge Mu said, “I believe you already know the general plan. Now, let me tell you about the data we have obtained so far; as for the detailed plan and proposal, they haven’t been finalized yet.”
Mai Hai nodded, signaling him to continue.
Ge Mu took out an electronic tablet and handed it to Mai Hai, saying, “This is the latest intelligence we’ve obtained. This person is called Pollack. He is one of the ten great generals of Planet Giant and the youngest among them… that core chip is kept by him.”
Looking at the handsome photo of Pollack in military uniform on the electronic tablet, Mai Hai was instantly speechless… he wondered what the reaction would be if Spinai and the others found out he had already married Pollack and become a couple in name.
“Your Highness does not need to worry; we have already found a way to get close to Pollack.” Seeing Mai Hai staring at the photo in a daze, Ge Mu thought he was worrying.
Mai Hai’s expression remained unchanged, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. He asked normally, “Do you know where his core chip is hidden?”
Ge Mu said, “In his home.”
Mai Hai looked at Ge Mu to confirm once more: “Are you certain?”
Ge Mu nodded categorically: “If the intelligence is correct.”
“Then contact me once you have finalized the specific action plan. This is my contact information.” Mai Hai took out a piece of paper he had written beforehand, handed it to Ge Mu, and stood up to take his leave. “It’s not convenient for me to stay here too long; I’m heading back.”
Ge Mu nodded, then handed a small object to Mai Hai, continuing, “This is a product we’ve recently developed. Attach this to your communicator and input Pandora’s border defense code to contact Planet Pandora. General Nesbit should have already told you the code.”
Mai Hai put the object away and nodded: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
“Alright, take care!” Ge Mu saw Mai Hai out of the shop.
After leaving Ge Mu’s shop, Mai Hai’s mood was very complex. He didn’t know which side he should help. From a rational perspective, Pollack only had a relationship with him as a partner in name, while Pandora was the place where he had lived for a long time…
But for some reason, when facing Pollack, Mai Hai always found it hard to be ruthless.
He didn’t rush home but wandered around the surroundings. Unknowingly, he actually walked to the small shop where Pollack had brought him to eat. Since it wasn’t mealtime, the shop wasn’t very busy.
The uncle was watering the various plants planted in front of the shop. When he turned and saw Mai Hai, he greeted him amiably: “Hi, hello.”
“Ah, Uncle, hello.” Mai Hai only snapped out of it when the uncle greeted him.
The uncle looked at Mai Hai and asked, “Eh, you came here alone today? Did you have a fight with Little Spinach?”
“Haha, no,” Mai Hai said. “I just got off work and was bored, so I’m walking around.”
“Then come in and sit for a while,” the uncle invited, putting away the watering can.
Mai Hai did not refuse; he nodded and followed the uncle into the shop. Just as he stepped in, Mai Hai regretted it. He was thinking, Surely the hackneyed plot of an 8:00 PM idol drama isn’t about to start, where this amiable uncle is going to tell me about Pollack’s tragic childhood experiences and so on?
But clearly, Mai Hai was thinking too much. The uncle didn’t mention Pollack at all, but instead discussed the plants growing outside… The uncle said, “Although I could just tell the smart robots to take care of them, I still feel it’s better to take care of them personally and water them myself.”
Mai Hai asked the uncle, “Do you think that since robots have now replaced most human jobs, humans will one day be replaced by robots?”
The uncle said, “Who knows? Even if it happens, we probably won’t be around to see it.”
Whether it was a psychological effect or due to the environment, Mai Hai suddenly felt a bit melancholy. A sentence blurted out of his mouth: “True. A person’s life is no longer than a lifetime, yet as short as an instant.”
“Haha,” the uncle said with a smile. “That’s why we should cherish the present even more and live well. Come.”
Mai Hai looked curiously at the uncle who had suddenly stood up and followed behind him. The uncle led Mai Hai into the small courtyard at the back, then took out a small potted flower and handed it to Mai Hai, saying, “I’m in a good mood today, so I’m giving you a potted flower.”
“What is this?” Mai Hai, flattered by the gift, took the small pot with its thick green leaves and a few sparse little flowers blooming in the center, and asked curiously.
The uncle said, “This is called White Leaf. It doesn’t need watering. It’s said to have been brought over from the Desert Planet; it’s a common variety there. Because interstellar pirates have been rampant there in recent years, this flower has become quite precious. Back then, I spent a high price to buy a small bag of seeds from a merchant, and it only resulted in these few pots.”
After hearing this, Mai Hai wanted to return the White Leaf to the uncle. He said, “I don’t have any experience growing plants. For such a precious variety, I’m afraid…”
The uncle interrupted Mai Hai and intentionally put on a stern face, saying, “What do you mean ‘afraid’? Doesn’t everyone start from not knowing? You just have to learn with your heart. Besides, this isn’t particularly hard to keep alive. Just make sure to put it in a place with good ventilation and plenty of sunlight, and remember to water it once a month. If you can’t remember, have your home robot remind you.”
Since the uncle put it that way, it was hard for Mai Hai to keep declining, so he expressed his thanks and accepted the White Leaf.
Coming out of the uncle’s shop holding the White Leaf, Mai Hai’s mood improved a lot. When he returned home, he didn’t see Pollack and thought he hadn’t finished work yet, so he went upstairs first, planning to put the flower the uncle gave him out on the bedroom balcony.
As it turned out, when he pushed open the bedroom door, he saw Pollack standing in the bedroom completely naked. From his appearance, it seemed he had just come out of the shower. Pollack was clearly startled by Mai Hai suddenly pushing the door open while holding a potted flower.
Perhaps because both of them had relatively good psychological states, no clichéd scene like screaming occurred. After staring at each other for a few dozen seconds, Pollack quickly darted into the bathroom to change clothes.
Mai Hai looked at the flower in his hand and muttered to himself, “Is he shy? Is there a need? After all, I have what he has…”
Then he shrugged his shoulders, and as if nothing had happened, he pulled open the French window and walked onto the balcony. Finding the spot that usually got the best sunlight, he set down the White Leaf.