"Really?" Little Mu Lan's eyes lit up as soon as he heard his mother's words, extremely happy.
Mu Sijie looked at Little Mu Lan, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he couldn't help himself and remained silent.
"Of course, it's true. Does Lan Lan like the starry sea too?" Lu Wanqing couldn't help but ask. Seeing the little one's happy expression, she felt the starry sea must be very beautiful.
"Yes!" Little Mu Lan nodded immediately, excitedly saying, "I like it very much!"
"Then let's go see it together!" Lu Wanqing said happily, raising her hand to affectionately ruffle Little Mu Lan's hair.
The three of them made plans to go out together, and the next day they immediately arranged it. They spent the day accompanying Little Mu Lan to the amusement park, having a wonderful time. In the evening, they took a starship together, jumped through a wormhole, and went to see the starry sea.
This was Lu Wanqing's first time on a starship, and her first time jumping through a wormhole. When she first boarded, her curious expression was even more childlike than Little Mu Lan's. She kept sneaking glances around until the starship was about to start.
"Go back to your seat and sit properly. The starship is about to start," Mu Sijie reminded her.
Lu Wanqing quickly nodded at his words, returned to her seat, and checked all the safety locks on the seatbelt, ensuring they were securely fastened. Only then did she feel at ease.
Soon, the starship started. Sitting inside, they didn't feel anything unusual. It was a bit like... riding an elevator?
Lu Wanqing had an indescribable feeling. Disappointed? It didn't seem so. The technology of the interstellar era was amazing. According to Mu Sijie, they were leaving their original planet to go to another one.
This was similar to astronauts in the 21st century on Earth boarding a rocket to fly into space. In other words, she could now easily travel from one planet to another, as if taking an elevator. It was truly incredible!
Half an hour later, they reached their destination. The starship stopped, and everyone disembarked in an orderly fashion.
Mu Lan was small but very well-behaved, staying close to Lu Wanqing and Mu Sijie. The little one was extremely happy. As soon as they got off the starship, he couldn't help but look around everywhere.
Lu Wanqing also couldn't control her curiosity and subtly observed her surroundings. However, after a while, she suddenly noticed a problem...
Were there too many couples in the interstellar era?
Among the crowds coming and going, almost half were men and women holding hands, some even wearing obvious matching couple outfits. This was blatant dating, wasn't it?
As they walked, Lu Wanqing even noticed young men and women openly embracing and kissing not far away?
Little Mu Lan also clearly saw these strange scenes. The child was still very young. He stared at those people, his little brows furrowed in confusion.
Mu Sijie hesitated for a moment, then suddenly reached out and covered Mu Lan's eyes.
"Children shouldn't look at such things!" Mu Sijie reminded him in a serious tone.
How could Little Mu Lan obey? Almost instinctively, he stretched out his little hand, trying to push his father's large hand away. He was very confused. What were those uncles and aunties doing?
Lu Wanqing also reacted and quickly reminded Little Mu Lan, "Yes, Lan Lan, you shouldn't look at those people. Children shouldn't look at those things~"
Hearing his mother's words, Little Mu Lan hesitated, gave up struggling, and withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at those people.
"Mommy, why can't I look?" Little Mu Lan still asked, confused and bewildered.
Lu Wanqing suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She noticed Mu Sijie looking at her and quickly said, "Because this is something only adults can do."
As Lu Wanqing spoke, Mu Sijie had already let go of his hand. He bent down, scooped Mu Lan up, and then turned to Lu Wanqing, saying, "Let's walk faster."
Lu Wanqing's ears felt hot, and she quickly nodded, "Okay."
They quickened their pace and left the area. Only when they were outside and could no longer see those couples embracing and kissing did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Mu Sijie called for a hover car. Once they were in the car, Lu Wanqing quickly lowered her gaze to look at Little Mu Lan.
Little Mu Lan was completely unaffected by the recent interlude. He looked curiously at Mu Sijie and asked, "Dad, will we be able to see the starry sea soon?"
"Mm," Mu Sijie nodded slightly.
Lu Wanqing's mood also brightened. The starry sea. She remembered when she was a child on Earth, every night, she could look up and see the vast starry sky, which was very beautiful.
"What are you thinking about?" Just as Lu Wanqing's mind wandered, Mu Sijie's voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Lu Wanqing was startled and then snapped back to reality. She turned to look and saw both Mu Sijie and Little Mu Lan looking at her.
Lu Wanqing smiled, but there was a hint of sadness. She shook her head slightly, explaining, "It's nothing, just remembering some things from when I was little."
"Have you seen the starry sea before?" Mu Sijie couldn't help but ask.
Lu Wanqing's mind went blank for a moment. After a while, she nodded, "I don't know if that counts as the starry sea. Where I come from, everyone calls it the starry sky..."
"When I was very young, the environment on Earth was still very good. Every night, we could look up and see the countless stars overhead. It was beautiful."
"Because I loved looking at stars, my eldest brother even built an observatory for me. My second brother bought me a super luxurious telescope as a birthday gift. And my third brother, he directly decorated my room to look like the starry sky. It was exceptionally beautiful!"
As Lu Wanqing spoke, there was still sadness in her eyes, but she was also very happy. Those were the simple joys of her past life with her family, which belonged only to her.
Mu Sijie reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair, "Your brothers all treated you very well."
Lu Wanqing smiled and nodded, "Yes, my brothers treated me very well."
Lu Wanqing started to miss her brothers, and her parents...
"Mommy," Little Mu Lan seemed to sense his mother's sadness, and his little hand held onto his mother's large hand.
Lu Wanqing tried hard to suppress her sadness. She raised her head, put on a smile, and said, "It's okay, it's all in the past."
"Mr. Mu, can I ask you something?" After a moment of silence, Lu Wanqing couldn't help but ask.
"What is it?" Mu Sijie looked at her, his eyes gentle and concerned.
Lu Wanqing looked at Mu Sijie, her lips slightly parting. After a moment, she said, "Do you think... I could go back to Earth to see it?"
The technology of the interstellar era was amazing. Jumping from one planet to another seemed like a simple matter. Did that mean she could also return to Earth?
Mu Sijie looked at her for a long time, then shook his head slightly, "No."
"Wanqing, Earth's environment has been completely destroyed. It's filled with toxic gases harmful to humans everywhere. Earth has been uninhabitable for human beings for more than two thousand years."
"I just want to go back and see," Lu Wanqing couldn't help but say, her voice hoarse, her trembling tone revealing her inner turmoil. "Even if it's just for a glimpse."