Chapter 480 Waiting Under the Stars

Qin Huairu sat in a wicker chair, looking up at the sky. The Big Dipper hung directly overhead, dazzlingly bright. He Yuzhu sat next to her, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, not moving the fan, but stroking the fan ribs with his fingers.

"They'll be back soon, right?" Qin Huairu asked without looking at him.

He Yuzhu paused for a moment—the fan ribs were no longer chipped. "In a few more days."

Qin Huairu turned her head. "Is the insulation tile fixed?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer immediately. He looked at the spot next to the Big Dipper, where it had been empty just moments before, without any shooting stars. After a few seconds, he said, "It's fixed. We replaced it with a new one."

Qin Huairu sensed something in his tone—it was too fast, like he was trying to cover something up. She didn't press him, and looked up at the sky again. The courtyard was quiet. Under the jujube tree, He Nianhua was doing his homework at the stone table, his pen scratching on the paper. The bundle of mugwort in the corner had been there for half a month; Qin Huairu had forgotten to put it away. He Yuzhu stood up, carried the mugwort to the eaves, and sat back down. The palm-leaf fan rested on his lap, but he didn't use it.

He Nianhua's pen tip touched the paper, leaving a small black dot. He didn't look up, and his voice was softer than usual.

"Dad, when will the coil for Yanhuang-2 start winding?"

"Wait until you get into university."

He Nianhua put down his pen. He looked up at He Yuzhu's profile. He Yuzhu didn't look at him, staring at the Big Dipper in the sky.

"If I pass the exam, can I draw blueprints?"

He Yuzhu turned his head this time. He looked into He Nianhua's eyes for a few seconds. The light from the table lamp shone through the room onto his son's face, revealing the hardened contours of his chin.

"Yes. But you have to show it to me first after you're done drawing."

He Nianhua clenched her fist, said nothing, and lowered her head to pick up her pen again. This time, the pen moved very quickly, as if she were writing something that wasn't homework.

Qin Huairu stood up, went inside, and brought out three bowls of white fungus soup. She gave one bowl to He Yuzhu, placed one on He Nianhua's table, and carried the last one herself. She didn't sit down, but stood beside the stone table, watching He Nianhua write.

"Nianhua, the soup won't taste good when it gets cold."

He Nianhua didn't look up. With her other hand, she picked up the bowl, took a sip, and winced from the heat. Qin Huairu laughed. He Yuzhu laughed too.

The night wind blew in through the doorway, making the jujube tree branches creak. Qin Huairu placed the bowl on the stone table, sat down, and rested her hands on her knees.

"He Yuzhu".

"Um."

Are you scared?

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid they won't be able to come back."

He Yuzhu didn't reply. He picked up the bowl of white fungus soup and took a sip; it was lukewarm now, no longer hot. "I'm scared. But I'll be able to land tonight."

Qin Huairu looked at his bowl, where there was still a ring of unfinished soup stains at the bottom. She reached over, took his bowl, and placed it next to her own.

A streak of light flashed past the Big Dipper—not a shooting star, as shooting stars don't fly from north to south. The point of light trailed a tail, was blindingly bright, and moved much faster than a shooting star, disappearing from the zenith to the horizon in the blink of an eye.

He Nianhua dropped the pen in his hand. He stood up, tilted his head back, and opened his mouth.

Qin Huairu also stood up. "What's that?"

He Yuzhu didn't move, his eyes following the point of light. Only after the point of light disappeared into the southern sky did he speak, his voice very low.

"Kunlun".

Qin Huairu gripped He Yuzhu's arm. Her nails dug in, but he didn't flinch.

"Reentry capsule. Re-entry into the atmosphere."

He Nianhua stood behind the stone table, his hands resting on the edge, leaning forward with his neck stretched out. "Dad, where are they?"

"Inner Mongolia. Siziwang Banner."

He Nianhua swallowed and didn't ask any more questions.

He Yuzhu stood up, went inside, and picked up the phone. Old Sun's voice on the other end of the line had a static hissing sound.

"Director He, the return capsule has landed. The landing point was off by 300 meters. The astronauts are in good condition. The recovery team is approaching."

"Okay. Who's in charge?"

"Yang Xiaobing. He's here."

"Tell him to report as soon as he opens the hatch."

"clear."

He Yuzhu hung up the phone and stood in the room for a few seconds. Several sketches of Yanhuang II were spread out on the table, with elliptical circles drawn by He Nianhua, and dimensions and angles marked next to them. He glanced at them, then turned and walked back to the yard.

Qin Huairu was still standing under the jujube tree. The white fungus soup in her bowl had gone cold, but she didn't drink it.

"Have you landed?" she asked.

"We've landed. Everything's fine."

Qin Huairu placed the bowl on the stone table and sat down. The bottom of the bowl tapped softly on the table.

He Nianhua sat down, opened his workbook, but didn't write anything. The pen tip poked at the paper, the ink spreading and forming an irregular dot.

"Dad, when are they coming out?"

"Wait for the recovery team to open the hatch. It'll be soon."

He Nianhua put down his pen and looked up at the starry sky. He Yuzhu also looked up. The Big Dipper was still directly overhead, its handle pointing north. Qin Huairu didn't look at the sky, but at He Yuzhu's profile. Light leaked from the room, illuminating half of his face, while the other half remained in darkness.

"Dad," He Nianhua said, tilting her head back without bowing, "once Yanhuang II is built, can I go up there?"

He Yuzhu was silent for a few seconds. "I'll wait until you become an astronaut."

He Nianhua turned his head back and looked at He Yuzhu. The moonlight shone on his face, casting a slanted shadow on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sure I can do it."

He Yuzhu didn't reply. Qin Huairu reached out and took He Yuzhu's hand. He Yuzhu's hand was cold, and Qin Huairu's hand wasn't warm either. Neither of them spoke.

The sound of a car came from outside. The door was ajar, and the headlights swept in through the crack, flashing briefly on the courtyard wall. Yang Xiaobing stood at the doorway, snow clinging to his coat, his breath dissipating in the streetlights. He didn't come in, but stood outside the threshold.

"Director He, the return capsule has opened. Everyone is safe and sound. Tan Wei asked me to tell you—"

"What did you say?"

Yang Xiaobing took a step forward and lowered his voice. "Tan Wei said—'Tell Director He that next time I'll be piloting Yanhuang No. 2.'"

Qin Huairu released her hand from He Yuzhu's arm.

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment. "Go back and tell him to submit the summary report for this trip first. Three thousand words, not a single word less."

Yang Xiaobing smiled, the scar at the corner of his mouth twitching. "His exact words?"

"The exact words."

Yang Xiaobing turned and left. The car door closed, and the engine sound faded into the distance.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and the night wind blew in, making the jujube tree branches creak. He Nianhua stood behind the stone table, clutching the pen in his hand. He looked in the direction Yang Xiaobing had disappeared, then looked up at the sky. The Big Dipper was still there.

"dad."

"Um."

"I've made up my mind."

He Yuzhu didn't ask what the decision was. Qin Huairu released He Yuzhu's hand, stood up, picked up three bowls stacked together, and went into the kitchen. The tap ran twice and then stopped.

He Nianhua put the pen back in its cap, closed his notebook, and stuffed it into his schoolbag. He walked up to He Yuzhu and stood there.

"Dad, I want to take the entrance exam for Beihang University. I'll take it next year."

He Yuzhu looked at him. His sixteen-year-old son was taller than him.

You'll only be a sophomore next year.

"I skipped a grade. The teacher said it was okay."

He Yuzhu neither nodded nor shook his head. Qin Huairu came out of the kitchen, still wearing her apron, and stood at the door of the main room, clutching a dishcloth in her hand.

"Nianhua, when your father was your age, he was already chasing spies in Northeast China." Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the courtyard could hear her. "Do what you want to do yourself. You don't need his approval."

He Yuzhu did not refute. He turned around, went into the room, gathered up the sketches on the table, folded them neatly, and stuffed them into a drawer.

Then I walked back and stood under the jujube tree.

"Shooting star," He Nianhua pointed north.

A tiny point of light streaked past the Big Dipper, trailing a very short tail, and disappeared in an instant.

"That was a shooting star. Not the Kunlun," He Yuzhu said. "The Kunlun has already landed."

He Nianhua didn't say anything more. He squatted down, zipped up his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Mom, I'm going inside."

"Go."

He Nianhua walked past He Yuzhu without stopping. The door closed behind her.

Qin Huairu walked to He Yuzhu's side. "Nianhua will go with you."

He Yuzhu did not answer.

Qin Huairu took off her apron, folded it neatly, and draped it over a branch of the jujube tree. "Come inside. You still have to go to Siziwang Banner to pick someone up tomorrow."

"You go in first. I'll stand here a little longer."

Qin Huairu glanced at him, then turned and went inside. The lights were off. The lights in the yard were also off. Only moonlight and starlight remained.