Chapter 21 Under the Glimmer of the Oil Lamps

Under the glow of a few oil lamps, Grandfather Wei Shengjin's safe slowly opened, stirring up a bit of dust.

Filled with curiosity, Lin Xian, Anya, and Angelica couldn't help but step forward, bending down to peer inside the safe. It was nearly empty, containing almost nothing except a small, exquisite metal box, flat and untarnished despite the passage of years, indicating a very advanced material.

However, the box was remarkably small.

At most, it could hold a book or a notebook. Anya, seeing this, was puzzled. "Why do people generally store so few things, and of such small size, in these safes? There aren't many items at all."

"Because most man-made objects can't withstand the ravages of time and oxidation," Lin Xian explained. "This is something clients are informed of before they purchase a safe. Any non-metallic artificial objects, like fabrics, handicrafts, or wooden products, will slowly oxidize, become brittle, fade, and eventually crumble. Plastic can last a bit longer, but it depends on the type."

"Even metals are tricky. The warehouses where safes are stored have certain humidity requirements. Oxidation, rust, and corrosion are unavoidable, so clients are generally advised against storing metal items prone to rust."

"For a short period, it's fine. For a few years or even decades, most things can hold up and remain relatively intact. But over longer periods... hundreds or even thousands of years, most collectibles will shatter into fragments and dust."

"Therefore, the most recommended items for storage are specially treated books, written materials, and the like."

Anya, finding this very logical, turned to look at Lin Xian. "You seem to have done a lot of research."

Lin Xian smiled, remaining silent. As the owner of Thym Bank, wasn't this common knowledge?

Grandfather Wei Shengjin, looking at the metal box, naturally didn't know what it contained. His heart rate quickened. He knelt on the ground, reaching into the safe with trembling hands to carefully lift out the metal box.

It truly was small.

He wondered why, in his youth, he would place such a small object in such a large safe. Was it very precious?

Did it hold some special significance?

He flipped open the box's latch.

Inside, a letter lay peacefully.

The paper of the envelope was still in excellent condition, undoubtedly using some remarkable anti-corrosion and anti-oxidation technology, not ordinary paper. "So, it really is a letter," old Angelica said. "The safes we opened before mostly contained similar envelopes, mostly letters written to their future selves. The technology behind this paper is very advanced. There's nothing like it on Mars... This shows that before the Great Disaster of 2400, Earth's technological level was definitely far superior to that of Mars now."

So, this letter was probably written by the old gentleman to himself when he was young. But, if he suspects he isn't Wei Shengjin, then reading this letter is useless, because this safe belongs to Wei Shengjin, and the person who wrote this letter was also Wei Shengjin in his youth. Trying to prove he isn't Wei Shengjin through Wei Shengjin's safe is inherently a fallacy.

"Indeed," Lin Xian agreed. He felt that Grandfather Wei Shengjin's trip to Earth would likely be fruitless. At best, he could fulfill a wish. Relying on a safe to prove himself and find himself was indeed too unrealistic.

Grandfather Wei Shengjin looked at the letter.

He placed the metal box on the ground, his hands trembling slightly. He opened the letter, taking out the thin folded sheet of paper. The essence of humanity is gossip and curiosity. Lin Xian, Anya, and Angelica all instinctively leaned in, holding the burning oil lamp forward, curious to see what was written on the letter.

Grandfather Wei Shengjin didn't stand on ceremony.

He gently unfolded the letter, which had been folded for over two hundred years. On it were lines of very delicate handwriting, appearing to be written by a young girl. The words "To Wei Shengjin" at the upper left corner also indicated that this should be a letter written to the young Wei Shengjin.

It was quite surprising. They had originally guessed that the letter was written by Wei Shengjin himself.

But unexpectedly, it was written by a young girl to the young Wei Shengjin!

Everyone's curiosity exploded instantly, looking at the content: "To Wei Shengjin: They say that you lose your memory after waking up from hibernation, so you naturally won't remember me, your classmate and desk mate. I'm very sad to see you go, but this era can't cure your illness, and I sincerely hope you can recover in the future."

"There's a thank you I've never been able to say, and I think it's time now. If I don't say it, I might never have the chance again."

"Do you remember what happened in elementary school? My teeth weren't pretty, and my front teeth were quite large. The other students always made fun of my teeth, calling me a rabbit and saying I was stealing corn from other people's fields every day. I was afraid to speak, afraid to open my mouth, afraid others would laugh at me. But at that time, you stood up to protect me. You weren't sick then, tall and brave, standing in front of me and saying that whoever dared to laugh at my teeth, you would knock their teeth out."

"I sat in the corner of the classroom by the wall, looking at your back shielding me, feeling like you were a light shining into my life."

"I remember you liked Ultraman very much. You told me you liked Ultraman Tiga the most. You said Tiga was a partner of justice, so you wanted to be like Tiga, protecting the world and maintaining peace."

"I thought you would always be so cheerful and sunny, but after entering middle school, everything changed. People no longer laughed at my teeth because they became neat and less protruding after my adult teeth grew in. But your name became everyone's joke, and people always mocked your name and spoke harshly."

"Since then, I rarely saw your cheerfulness and smiles. You gradually became silent and withdrawn, rarely speaking or raising your head."

"You told me that you hated your name and resented your parents for giving you such an unpleasant name. But I never thought so."

"I never thought your name was embarrassing. In my eyes, it's the name of a hero, the name of a desk mate I admire and adore. No matter how many times you ask me, I will always think it's a brave name, like Ultraman Tiga."

"But, before I could do anything, you suddenly fell ill and had to sleep in a hibernation pod and leave this era. I'm so sad to see you go. The adults all say that once you sleep in that hibernation pod, you'll probably never see each other again... I regret not being able to say a few more words to you before. I was always too shy to say a sincere thank you. In the end, besides wishing you good health, I don't know what else to say to bless you. If you really hate your name, I don't think it's your fault, you didn't do anything wrong. Then I hope that after you wake up from hibernation, there will no longer be such a thing as 'Weishengjin (sanitary napkin)' in this world, so you will never be bothered by your name again."

"Goodbye, Wei Shengjin. Will we ever meet again?"

"If you lose your memory and don't remember my name or my face... then next time, let's switch, let me protect you, okay?"

"Your desk mate, Liu Shiyu." After reading it, Angelica straightened up and looked at Lin Xian and Anya. "What's a sanitary napkin? Why would people laugh at him?"

Lin Xian hesitated, unsure how to answer.

No matter how you look at it, this isn't a good time to explain this question. The current Earth certainly doesn't have the industrial capacity to produce sanitary napkins, and probably uses ancient methods of blood absorption like "menstrual cloths."

And on Mars, clearly, there are already better alternative products or better ways to perfectly handle this physiological issue, so naturally the word "sanitary napkin" has been eliminated on Mars.

Even if Angelica did leave behind many notebooks and videotapes, who would specifically introduce sanitary napkins in their notebooks and videotapes?

Therefore, neither Grandfather Wei Shengjin nor Angelica naturally knew what a sanitary napkin was, nor could they understand how thunderous Grandfather Wei Shengjin's name was.

Seeing that Angelica still wanted to get to the bottom of it, Lin Xian quickly changed the subject. "In that case... this letter was written to him by his classmate before Wei Laoshuai (Old Marshal Wei) went into hibernation. Now, over a hundred years have passed, and she's definitely no longer alive."

Anya nodded. "Actually, whether it's the problem of bad teeth or the problem of Wei Laoshuai's name, they aren't big problems in society. But especially in school, facing immature children who don't know how to respect others and like to give people nicknames, it's an unbearable form of verbal violence."

Lin Xian spread his hands. "There's no way around it. Children are like that when they're young. It's something everyone inevitably experiences in their school years. But this letter doesn't seem to contain anything meaningful. As Angelica said, the content of the letter can't prove anything, and it can't prove that Wei Shengjin is Wei Shengjin."

"Not only that," Angelica added, "Don't you two feel anything special when you see this letter? Like drinking plain water, it's just bland? Actually, I feel the same way. From an adult's perspective, what impact can there be from trivial matters between children? It just feels like making a mountain out of a molehill."

"I also recovered my memories by looking at notebooks and videotapes, but as I told you in the bedroom, those memories don't have any deep emotional resonance. I can only force myself to accept them, force myself to believe they're real, force myself to empathize, force myself to integrate into those memories."

"But, one thing is for sure, long-term self-suggestion is very useful, and it can indeed instill emotions. For example, you, Lin Xian, I clearly have never met you and Ji Lin, and have only seen your photos and information in the recordings."

"But over the years, I've constantly relived the records about the two of you, repeatedly presenting them in my mind, and gradually I do develop feelings. Just like I said, avenging the two of you... If there really is such an opportunity, I will not hesitate and will solve the murderer decisively."

"But... this acceptance takes time."

Her gaze turned to the back of Grandfather Wei Shengjin, kneeling on the ground, and she didn't continue speaking.

Anya also followed her gaze.

She quietly said to Lin Xian, "I've also thought about it. The reason why memories are different from movie clips is because memories come with feelings and emotions. Wei Laoshi (Teacher Wei) doesn't have any memories of his youth, so naturally he won't have any feelings for this young girl's handwritten letter."

"He must be very disappointed, right? Traveling all the way from Mars to Earth, and in the end, opening the safe and only finding a letter that doesn't evoke any emotions... anyone would feel a little disappointed."

Lin Xian nodded, deciding to go and comfort Grandfather Wei Shengjin. He had been kneeling there, staring at the letter, as if petrified, not moving for a long time.

So, he stepped forward, preparing to speak. "Wei Laoshi, you..."

Instantly, he froze.

He saw that the letter, which had been smooth and white, was now covered in large teardrops!

The tears were so intense that they almost pierced the letter, making it muddy.

What's going on?

Doesn't Grandfather Wei Shengjin have no memories?

Then why is he reacting so strongly to this letter?

Anya and Angelica also realized that something was wrong. They went around to the front of Grandfather Wei Shengjin from both sides, seeing that Grandfather Wei Shengjin was already sobbing silently, gritting his teeth, tears streaming down his face... The two looked at each other, unable to understand the reason, and lowered their heads. "Wei Laoshi, have you... have you regained your previous memories?"

Grandfather Wei Shengjin sobbed softly, shaking his head. Angelica frowned slightly. "Then is it... that seeing the things written on the letter, you're having a resonance?"

Grandfather Wei Shengjin's tears continued to fall, shaking his head.

Lin Xian was also very puzzled. He hadn't regained his memories, and he didn't resonate with the little story written on the letter. At the same time, the letter couldn't prove Grandfather Wei Shengjin's identity, and it couldn't help him find himself. Then... why was he crying so painfully?

At this time, most of the content on the letter had been blurred by the flooding tears. The little girl Liu Shiyu's name in the lower right corner of the letter also began to decompose in the tears. "Could it be..."

Lin Xian pursed his lips. "Wei Laoshi, do you have any impression of the name Liu Shiyu?"

Finally, Grandfather Wei Shengjin wiped his eyes, looked up, and said with a choked voice, "Liu Shiyu... is the name of my wife who passed away a few years ago!"

"What?"

Lin Xian, Anya, and Angelica spoke in unison, unable to sort out the logic for a moment. Suddenly, Lin Xian recalled many details. On the hillside, Grandfather Wei Shengjin mentioned his wife, praising her to the skies. "Children, you two don't have experience with love and marriage, but I do! My wife and I are very loving, a model couple for decades, never arguing, truly sweet and inseparable, like glue."

The acting skills for couples that he taught were all based on his wife as a model, petite, fond of acting cute, clingy, and caring. And the last words on the letter, "Goodbye, Wei Shengjin.

Will we ever meet again?

If you lose your memory and don't remember my name or my face... then next time, let's switch, let me protect you, okay?" Finally, and most importantly!

Grandfather Wei Shengjin's wife's name was Liu Shiyu!

She was the same person as the little girl who wrote the letter!

In an instant, Lin Xian understood the logic and couldn't help but gasp!

"Could it be that Liu Shiyu also slept in a hibernation pod... and went to the future with you?"

Grandfather Wei Shengjin sniffed.

He took a deep breath, understanding many things. "So my wife, she... she knew everything! She knew my past! She is my past!"

"When I woke up on Mars, I was only a teenager. Then I studied and worked. When I met my wife, we were both twenty-seven years old. She was very good to me, very patient, tolerant, and caring... So we quickly got together, got married, and had children."

"I was always very proud to have such a good wife, and she even took the initiative to pursue me, which made me feel like it was a dream!"

"So... so we've known each other for a long time! We were desk mates hundreds of years ago!"

The more Wei Shengjin thought, the more he understood. "Over the years, my wife often asked me if I liked Ultraman and what I thought of Ultraman Tiga. I once laughed at her for being so childish, asking what age she was still watching this old, outdated tokusatsu film."

"Every time, she would just smile and let it go. Later, when she got older, she never asked again. So she always remembered..."

Just like the content written in this letter, before she went into hibernation, she must have recorded these things in her notebook! That's why she came to find me after waking up from hibernation! And I... I didn't remember anything... until she passed away, I couldn't remember."

Listening to Grandfather Wei Shengjin's story, Lin Xian closed his eyes.

In his mind, a love story spanning more than two hundred years, youthful, innocent, loyal, and lasting, already emerged. At first, Wei Shengjin and Liu Shiyu were just elementary school classmates in the same class. Wei Shengjin, who liked Ultraman Tiga and wanted to become the light of justice himself, protected Liu Shiyu's dignity amidst the ridicule of his classmates.

Perhaps in Wei Shengjin's eyes at the time, he was just like Ultraman Tiga, killing one of the many little monsters, doing an insignificant act of righteousness. But for Liu Shiyu, the light that illuminated her life was unique, immortal, and irreplaceable. It was just a pity.

The most regrettable and cruel part of growing up is that girls of the same age are always much more mature than boys of the same age.

Liu Shiyu probably fell in love with her Ultraman Tiga, Wei Shengjin, at that moment; but Wei Shengjin was completely unaware of it.

This unrequited love continued until middle school, when they became desk mates. People no longer laughed at the increasingly beautiful Liu Shiyu, but turned to mocking Wei Shengjin's name because they knew more.

It's hard to imagine how much malice and ridicule a boy would experience in middle school with such a name. Could the sudden brain illness that the young Wei Shengjin suffered be related to this verbal violence? Lin Xian didn't know, but in any case, Liu Shiyu's budding love hadn't had time to blossom before her Ultraman Tiga slept in a hibernation pod and went to an unknown future.

It's true that she wrote a farewell letter.

But perhaps at some point after that, she still couldn't forget the light that illuminated her life, and still couldn't stop worrying about the boy who might still be ridiculed.

So, she finally went into hibernation with Wei Shengjin sometime before she was in her twenties, preparing to meet again in a shared future. Wei Shengjin was so important to Liu Shiyu, so like Ji Lin in Angelica's notes, the story of this little boy must have occupied most of the pages of Liu Shiyu's diary. She might have deliberately woken up a few years later to ensure that she was the same age as Wei Shengjin. Then, twenty-seven-year-old Liu Shiyu and twenty-seven-year-old Wei Shengjin reunited. He didn't remember her, but she came across time specifically for him, and the lovers finally got married.

Liu Shiyu's wish came true. This was an era without sanitary napkins, and no one laughed at Grandfather Wei Shengjin's name.

At the same time, just like what was written at the end of that youthful handwritten letter... "Next time, let me protect you, okay?"

Judging from Grandfather Wei Shengjin's self-proclaimed happy and fulfilling life, Liu Shiyu did fulfill her promise, taking good care of Wei Shengjin, and the two were very loving, grew old together, and spent a fulfilling life.

A love that spans more than 200 years.

Chasing her husband to Mars.

And the beginning of all this... was just a brave act on a whim by a little boy who admired Ultraman Tiga.

Fate.

It's really an elusive thing. The cycle of time, the exchange of roles, isn't this also a form of good begets good?

"Do you regret it?"

Lin Xian looked at Grandfather Wei Shengjin. "Do you regret... only knowing about this now?"

Grandfather Wei Shengjin looked up.

He stood up.

He carefully folded the tear-soaked letter and put it in his pocket.

Then... he solemnly shook his head. "I don't regret it."

He said softly, "Although I feel regret, I don't regret it."

"Because life is like this. Any small choice, any small action, will be like a butterfly effect, affecting many years later, and even the lives of many people."

"If I had known about this from the beginning, known that my wife approached me deliberately because of what happened in her youth, would we two have still ended up together?"

"But, there's one thing I can't figure out."

Grandfather Wei Shengjin scratched his head. "When I woke up on Mars, I got my memory notebook, and there wasn't a single record about Liu Shiyu on it. This shows that when I was young, I didn't care about this name very much... Little boys at that age are very strange, and most of their energy and attention is focused on games and anime. They have no interest in girls of the same age at all."

"Then why... would I put her letter so solemnly in a hafnium alloy safe?"

For a moment, everyone was silent.

Lin Xian suddenly wondered if there was some other reason.

He turned around, looking at the opened safe door. The password, composed of eight dials, was 23730907. 2373 was the year Grandfather Wei Shengjin was born.

Then what about 0907?

What was it?

Lin Xian closed his eyes, trying to find some related clues. 0907. Whose birthday would it be?

It wasn't Grandfather Wei Shengjin's, and it wasn't Liu Shiyu's. Then in the world of the young Wei Shengjin, whose birthday was so important?

Suddenly, Lin Xian couldn't help but smile. "Ultraman Tiga."

He had finally remembered.

When Lin Xian was a child, Ultraman Tiga's popularity was also explosive. Every year on Ultraman Tiga's birthday, Ultraman fans would organize various celebrations. September 7th.

This was Ultraman Tiga's birthday, and the date when the tokusatsu film Ultraman Tiga was first broadcast.

"Sigh."

Lin Xian shook his head with a wry smile. "Wei Laoshi, it seems you really liked Ultraman Tiga when you were young."

"0907, the reason you set this password is because it's Ultraman Tiga's birthday."

"At the same time, the reason you treasured Liu Shiyu's letter so much in the safe is the same... In her letter, she said that you were a hero as brave as Ultraman Tiga. For you at that young age, it was probably the highest honor and the most glorious recognition in your life."

Hearing this explanation, Grandfather Wei Shengjin couldn't help but laugh. "Is that all... hahaha... It's just because of this little thing?" He smiled, his eyes narrowed into a slit.

He chuckled.

Laughing and laughing... he cried.

After a long time, Lin Xian and Anya walked out of the warehouse and came outside.

Looking up at the rising moonlight, and then looking down at his watch, 21:45. It was still early, and there was still time to travel.

Lin Xian wanted to complete a wish.

"Anya, let's go back to Rhein Village."

Anya turned her head. "What are you going to do?"

"I've figured it out."

Lin Xian said softly, "Memories are much more important than we imagine. Just like Grandfather Wei Shengjin, he never thought he was complete... until this moment, the instant he saw that letter."

"After thinking about it, I have no right to make decisions about other people's memories, and I have no right to stop others from obtaining memories under the guise of kindness."

"As you said, a crescent moon is also part of the moon. Without the crescent, there naturally wouldn't be a full moon. Many things that seem insignificant to us may be an epiphany comparable to life for the person involved."

"So let's hurry back to Rhein Village now and meet that great Grandma Village Chief, that little girl who brought perfect moonlight to Earth with her own strength."

Lin Xian looked into the distance. "It's time... to return the memories and past that belong to Zheng Xiangyue to her."