Some things, you can't just not do them because you're reluctant.
The price of boat tickets soared, and it was time to make a decision.
The man ultimately chose to buy the ticket, board the spaceship, and leave this planet.
Before leaving, the man kowtowed three times to his mother, then stood at the door, watching his mother, who had come out to see him off, for a long time.
He knew that this departure was a permanent farewell.
The old woman waved her hand, as if shooing him away, or perhaps waving goodbye.
"Go, find a warm place, build a new home, and establish a burial mound there; then I will have gone with you all."
Upon hearing this, the man nodded, tears streaming down his face. He took one last look at his mother, then turned away.
With his back to his mother, he said in a trembling voice:
"Mom, I'm leaving. All the remaining money is for you."
"Mm, I know. Don't come back. It's cold here."
"Mom, I'm going."
"Go."
The old woman stood in front of the small house, watching her family slowly disappear into the distance. She chose to remain where she was.
However, this seemingly resolute old woman cried alone in the dead of night when faced with an empty room.
Ai Lu watched the old woman crying in the deep night; it couldn't understand.
She made the choice herself, yet she cried because of the choice she made.
Why?
It was a decision that put herself at a disadvantage, yet she made it so resolutely.
She chose to do it herself, yet she cried over the outcome of that choice.
What was she thinking?
Why do it?
As if sensing Ai Lu's thoughts, 882's voice sounded in Ai Lu's ear.
"I once had the same thoughts as you."
Looking at the confused Ai Lu now, 882 seemed to see its past self.
Now, looking at this scene again, it had a new understanding.
"She cries… that is proof that she is human."
"Is that so? I still don't quite understand."
"Even with the Spark implanted, emotions aren't understood all at once."
The two of them fell silent again, focusing on the memory.
After the family of three left, the person and the machine relied on each other, and 882 continued to diligently care for the old woman.
The savings left by the family of three, if used sparingly, were enough for the old woman to live on.
As for what to do when it ran out, they would consider it when the time came; they didn't even know if she would live that long.
As the time spent caring for her lengthened, the old woman's attitude towards 882 also changed somewhat; she no longer saw it merely as a robot.
Their communication was no longer just about issuing commands; the old woman would occasionally chat with 882 about the past.
Her experiences when she was young, her loved one, her children, and even an interesting event that happened today.
At that time, although 882 couldn't understand why the old woman would tell it these things, as a nanny robot, it silently recorded everything.
Sometimes, when the old woman brought up a repeated topic, 882 would also say a few words, joining the conversation.
Often at such times, a flicker of surprised light would flash in the old woman's eyes—a natural joy that came from having one's story listened to attentively.
The old woman no longer treated 882 merely as a robot, though she still called it 882.
Later, one night, the old mother developed a fever, and there was no medicine at home.
882 determined that if this continued, the old mother might be in danger, so it decided to go out and search for medicine.
Before it left, the old mother weakly pleaded for it to stay.
"If I don't go, you might die."
"Death… is not scary. Loneliness… is."
At that time, 882 could not understand the old woman's thoughts; its logic circuits told it that only by finding medicine could the risk of the old woman's death be reduced.
And as a nanny robot, it ought to find fever-reducing medicine for this old woman.
This was what it should do.
Despite the old woman's plea for it to stay, 882 still left.
"I cannot let you die. Wait for me to return."
882 left this sentence and exited the room. The former pharmacy seemed to have been ransacked, leaving only dilapidated ruins.
It had no choice but to search for medicine nearby, but no matter how hard it looked, it couldn't find the necessary medicine.
Finally, it had to return home empty-handed.
882 came to the old mother's side. In the time it had been away, the old woman's condition seemed to have worsened.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't find the medicine to save you."
The old woman opened her eyes with some effort and looked at 882.
Although her physical condition was not good, she showed a reassuring smile.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Why, when it had failed its mission, did she feel happy?
Humans truly are difficult to understand.
882 reached out its hand and touched the old woman's burning forehead, which could at least make the old woman feel a little more comfortable.
882's mechanical body still carried the coldness of the outdoor wind, and now, it was gradually being warmed by the old woman's scorching forehead.
The next day, the old woman's fever subsided without incident. After this experience, the old woman became even more open-minded.
"It's like dying once and coming back to life."
She approached her daily life with an even more positive attitude, as if every extra breath of air she took was a profit.
Her address for 882 also changed from 882 to 'daughter.' At first, 882 didn't understand, and often, when the old woman called 'daughter, daughter' for a long time, it wouldn't respond.
It wasn't until the old woman gave a command to modify it that it self-identified 'daughter' as a form of address for itself.
And so, 882 cared for the old woman for another year.
On an ordinary day, the old woman seemed to sense something. She called 882 to her side, took her hand, and looked at 882 with gentle eyes.
"I'm leaving now, daughter. You must live well on your own, do you understand?"
At that time, 882 looked into the old mother's eyes, and it felt that there was some emotion it couldn't understand flickering in those eyes.
And Ai Lu, who had been watching 882's memories until now, also reacted at this moment.
It remembered that gaze… In Eve's memories, Graeme often looked at Eve with that kind of gaze.
A strong curiosity surged in its heart. What was this emotion called?
Ai Lu looked at 882 beside it, just about to ask, but found that 882 at this moment was serious, already immersed in its own memories.
It would be better to ask after everything was over.
The 882 in the memory could not yet understand what the old woman meant by "leaving," simply interpreting it as going out.
"You're leaving? I'll pack my luggage now…"
The old woman was amused by this. She chuckled softly and said:
"That's not what I mean, daughter."
She looked at 882 and said:
"When I say I'm leaving, I mean a departure where I can take nothing with me."
882 pondered for a while, then finally shook its head and replied:
"I don't understand… I don't comprehend…"
The old woman looked at 882, stroked its head, and said with a smile:
"You will understand… just not now."
882 listed 'to live' as its highest directive, although it didn't understand why it had to live.
The next day, the old woman passed away peacefully in her sleep. 882 exerted great effort to bury her.
It looked at the small mound it had piled up.
Surely the old woman had gone to the cenotaph her family had established for her, right?
An unprecedented feeling suddenly permeated 882's heart.
It didn't know what was wrong with it, whether it had malfunctioned or something else.
It slowly sat down beside the mound, leaning its back against it. That feeling grew stronger, making it feel like a helpless child, hugging itself and curling into a ball in the Beta Star's wind and snow.
Strange, I shouldn't be afraid of the cold… This was the first time 882 felt lonely…