Genius Club

“Zheng… Zheng Xiang Yue?!”

Lin Xian stared at the elderly woman in front of him. Her hair was white but neatly tied in a ponytail. Even though she was over a hundred years old, she moved with surprising agility, and her eyes were sharp and vibrant.

It was Zheng Xiang Yue.

Just two days ago, Lin Xian had seen her in 2024. Back then, she was a small, fragile girl, connected to wires and electrodes, struggling to move. She had always looked so helpless that it stirred both sympathy and a sense of hopelessness in those who saw her.

But now, here she stood, an elderly woman, full of life.

Lin Xian found it hard to match the image of that frail girl with the vibrant woman before him.

Yet…

The laminated card in his hand was undeniable proof of her identity. It was the same card he had seen teenage Zheng Xiang Yue painstakingly write, each character crooked because she hadn’t practiced writing much. Those crooked letters had made it unforgettable for him.

“Be a kind and compassionate person.”

And now, here she was, having come back from the advanced world of Mars to primitive Earth, teaching people how to farm, smelt iron, build communities, and shape a future.

Though it might not seem like a big deal now, in this era on this Earth, Zheng Xiang Yue’s return from Mars, bringing knowledge and hope, was like a goddess descending from the heavens.

Lin Xian suddenly remembered something he had once told her:

“Be kind, be loving. Help those in need, show care to those who long for it. If you have the ability, use it to do great things. If not, return home to Donghai and contribute there. Spreading your kindness and love is the best way to repay those who have helped you.”

Who could have imagined his casual words would come true?

Zheng Xiang Yue not only survived into the future but had also cured her congenital heart disease and returned to Donghai to “build her homeland.”

Lin Xian understood that Zheng Xiang Yue probably didn’t remember his words. She had admitted that the amnesia caused by hibernation had wiped out her memories. Even standing right in front of him, she didn’t recognize him.

The elderly Zheng Xiang Yue was likely so shocked to see him because his name was on that small card. She had probably searched for this name for a long time, wanting to find out what had happened and, maybe, to thank this “Brother Lin Xian,” as she had written in her wish list.

At that moment, Lin Xian finally understood why Old Man Wei Sheng Jin had repeatedly suggested he just call people by their names without using any titles. He had found the advice unnecessary and even a bit rude before, but now it made sense.

How was he supposed to address Zheng Xiang Yue now? Should he still pat her on the head like a little sister as he had done just days ago? Or should he ask this elderly woman, who was as old as his grandmother’s grandmother, to call him “Brother Lin Xian”?

The thought made him uncomfortable.

And they couldn’t just talk as if nothing had changed. He couldn’t call her “grandma,” and she couldn’t call him “brother.” That would only make things more confusing.

In the end, Old Man Wei Sheng Jin’s suggestion was best: in an era where age and seniority had become so mixed up due to hibernation, addressing people by their names avoided all awkwardness.

Seeing Zheng Xiang Yue, now over a hundred years old, healthy, and having fulfilled her purpose and dreams, Lin Xian felt genuinely happy—for her and for his small act of kindness.

Throughout his life…

Though Lin Xian didn’t like to admit it, his attempts to change the future always seemed to backfire, often making things worse.

But seeing Zheng Xiang Yue in the Fifth Dream was like a bright moon shining over the dark and backward Earth, illuminating his gloomy dream.

Lin Xian was curious.

Had Zheng Xiang Yue fulfilled her dream? Had she been to the moon?

Just as he was about to ask, Old Man Wei Sheng Jin suddenly shouted, cutting him off.

“Zheng… Zheng Xiang Yue!!!” Old Man Wei Sheng Jin was so excited he nearly jumped.

He stared at the elderly village chief, his voice trembling, “The Moon Girl… Zheng Xiang Yue! I can’t believe you’re still alive! No, I’m sorry… I’m just shocked. I never thought I’d meet someone from my school textbooks on Earth!”

“Someone from the textbooks?” Lin Xian asked, puzzled.

Old Man Wei Sheng Jin swallowed, calming himself before explaining.

“The story of Moon Girl was in our middle school textbooks. I was just a teenager, starting middle school when I went into hibernation. When I woke up, I had forgotten everything, my mind completely blank. Apart from language, I knew nothing. You see, language and memory are processed in different parts of the brain, so language skills don’t fade even after long hibernation.”

“Sorry, I’m digressing… That’s just the teacher in me. Anyway, after receiving basic education and history lessons, I continued with middle school on Mars. One of the most famous lessons in the textbook was Moon Girl.”

“The lesson told the story of SpaceX Corporation and a little girl who made a promise that spanned hundreds of years. The company, keeping its promise, took this girl on a trip to the moon, accompanied by Elon Musk himself. It was a very romantic story… Though, of course, it served as propaganda for SpaceX, boosting its image. But the story was true—Zheng Xiang Yue, the Moon Girl, was real.”

“When the story was published, it caused a sensation across Mars. SpaceX and Elon Musk’s reputation skyrocketed, and Zheng Xiang Yue’s name became known in every household on Mars. Naturally, the story was included in middle school textbooks. Back then, students were required to memorize it word for word!”

Lin Xian became interested.

“Can you recite it for me? I’d like to hear it.”

Old Man Wei Sheng Jin chuckled, shaking his head.

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“I can’t remember it all now… But I did help my son and grandson with their homework when they were in school, and Moon Girl was still in the textbooks, still required for memorization.”

“You have to understand, I woke up from hibernation in 2574. By then, Zheng Xiang Yue had returned from the moon decades earlier. The story remained in textbooks even when my grandson went to school… It’s probably one of the most famous pieces of literature on Mars.”

“Though I can’t recite it now, I remember the key points: the story praised Zheng Xiang Yue’s perseverance, her courage to fight against illness, her optimistic outlook, and her bold pursuit of dreams. It also commended SpaceX and Elon Musk for keeping their word, highlighting the importance of trust between people—”

“Mr. Wei, you’re slipping into teacher mode again,” Lin Xian interrupted, squinting slightly. “Let’s skip the analysis. Just tell me what the story was about.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Old Man Wei Sheng Jin cleared his throat.

“The story wasn’t long. It started with Zheng Xiang Yue waking up from hibernation, going through basic education, and then being approached by Elon Musk, who asked if she still wanted to go to the moon.”

“SpaceX fulfilled its promise to this little girl who had crossed centuries. The journey from Mars to the moon was long, but Elon Musk took six months off his busy schedule to accompany her on the trip.”

“However, to protect her privacy, the reasons for going to the moon and what they did there were not included in the lesson. These omissions sparked curiosity among the public and became a topic of research for many historians, though no one could ever figure out the truth.”

“Many people thought Zheng Xiang Yue would use this fame to become a celebrity or enter politics, given the advantages she had that most people could only dream of. But she surprised everyone by staying out of the spotlight, never using her fame for personal gain.”

“Everyone only knew that she worked for SpaceX. After that, no one knew where she went, when she retired, or what became of her. That’s why I was so shocked to see the Moon Girl here on Earth, living as a village chief!”

As Old Man Wei Sheng Jin finished speaking, the elderly Zheng Xiang Yue smiled kindly and looked at Lin Xian.

“Mr. Lin Xian… Do you remember me?”

Lin Xian looked up.

Zheng Xiang Yue’s tone had changed; it was more respectful now. She understood that if she had written down a desire to repay “Brother Lin Xian,” it must have meant that he had helped her a lot, that they were very close.

But due to the effects of the hibernation chamber, she had forgotten everything.

Lin Xian thought for a moment, then gently nodded.

“I remember you,” he smiled, “but… you probably don’t remember me, right?”

Zheng Xiang Yue’s expression was complicated—confused, touched, and a little lost.

“I’m sorry… Mr. Lin Xian. I wish I could remember you, but unfortunately… I’ve spent my entire life trying to recall even a small detail about you, but I couldn’t.”

“Not just you…”

She extended a wrinkled finger, pointing to the laminated card in Lin Xian’s hand, specifically the part where the first wish was written.

“I can’t even remember anything about my brother. Even though there’s a photo on his urn, I stared at it for a long time, but it felt like looking at a stranger, someone completely unfamiliar.”

Lin Xian watched as the elderly Zheng Xiang Yue spoke, her face lit by the dim light of the tallow lamp. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but overlay the image of the frail girl, covered in wires and electrodes, onto this woman.

It was as if she was still lying in that hospital bed on the 17th floor of Donghai University’s Affiliated Hospital, hugging the large Rhine Cat plushie, head bowed, holding Zheng Cheng He’s urn, wiping it clean over and over again until it was spotless.

Time had passed.

Lin Xian was still living in the past, while centuries had flown by for Zheng Xiang Yue.

At this moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“So…” He swallowed. “Did you bury your brother’s urn on the moon?”

Zheng Xiang Yue smiled gently and began to recount her past.

“When I woke up from hibernation, it was the year 2523, exactly 101 years ago. My mind was blank; I didn’t know where I was, who I was, or what had happened. After some education, I learned that I had entered hibernation on Earth. But when Mr. Elon Musk initiated the Mars colonization project, it was as if he knew that a super disaster would strike Earth around 2400, so he transported many hibernation pods, including mine, to Mars, where I continued to hibernate.”

“The super disaster of 2400 destroyed everything on Earth, making the environment uninhabitable. I was able to avoid this catastrophe by being on Mars. By the time I woke up in 2523, my congenital heart disease had been completely cured, and I was healthy and full of energy. Mr. Elon Musk then appeared and gave me four items that I had left behind…”

“A Rhine Cat plushie that had become completely deformed, torn, and discolored; an urn; a laminated piece of notebook paper; and a similarly laminated ticket to the moon.”

“He apologized, saying that after 600 years, the Rhine Cat plushie had deteriorated beyond repair. He had searched for many experts to fix it, but this was the best they could do. Although it looked ugly, he felt it was important to preserve as much of the original as possible. He jokingly called it… ‘Theseus’s Cat’.”

“At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant by ‘Theseus’s Cat,’ but later I realized it was just Mr. Elon Musk’s way of making a philosophical joke.”

Zheng Xiang Yue, despite her age, stood up again, walked to the wooden bed in the stone-brick house, and carefully took out a patched-up plushie from a cabinet.

It was a Rhine Cat plushie, but it no longer resembled the original.

It looked more like a poorly made knock-off.

Theseus’s Cat…

What an appropriate comparison.

The original philosophical question was about the “Theseus’s Ship,” also known as the Theseus Paradox.

In the first century AD, the philosopher Plutarch posed the question:

Suppose there was a ship that could sail the seas for hundreds of years.

Thanks to continuous maintenance and replacement of parts, as soon as a wooden plank rotted, it was replaced.

This continued until none of the original parts remained—all the wood was new.

So, the question arises: is the ship, now made entirely of new parts, still the same Theseus’s Ship? Or is it a completely different ship? If it’s not the original ship, at what point did it stop being the original?

Just like the patched-up Rhine Cat plushie before him.

Even though Zheng Xiang Yue had aged, she still cherished this “slightly ugly” Rhine Cat and didn’t hand it to Lin Xian to examine up close. Instead, she placed it in a corner of the bed, allowing him to observe from a distance.

It seemed…

She had completely forgotten that this Rhine Cat plushie was actually a gift from Lin Xian.

In the dim light of the tallow lamp, Lin Xian carefully observed the Rhine Cat.

Compared to the one he had given her, it was an entirely different object. There probably wasn’t a single piece of fabric or a single thread from 600 years ago remaining.

First, there was the size.

The one Lin Xian had given her was a giant plushie, so big that she couldn’t even hold it at first. Zheng Cheng He had to help her place it on the bed.

Later, when Zheng Cheng He was no longer around and Zheng Xiang Yue grew stronger, she could naturally carry the giant Rhine Cat on her own.

But the “Theseus’s Cat” before him was much smaller, only about the size of two basketballs.

Then there was the design.

Compared to the original, this one bore no resemblance at all.

But Lin Xian couldn’t blame Elon Musk for that.

No toy or plushie could survive hundreds of years intact.

They would inevitably break down.

And not just in the usual way—this was a complete breakdown. All the threads would unravel, all the fabric would degrade, discolor, and become brittle like seaweed, crumbling to dust at the slightest touch. Not to mention the cotton inside, which would have long since turned into a soggy mess after hundreds of years.

So, the fact that it had been repaired to this extent was already quite impressive.

“It’s strange, though,” Zheng Xiang Yue said, looking at the plushie by her bed with a smile. “Mr. Elon Musk said he tried to buy a new one just like it, or even make a new one for me. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find the original design… Not just the plushie—he couldn’t even find a picture, a photo, or a promotional poster of it.”

As Zheng Xiang Yue spoke, Lin Xian pictured Elon Musk’s frustrated expression in his mind.

Of course, he couldn’t find it…

Only two samples of this Rhine Cat plushie were ever made. For various reasons, production was halted.

One was won by Chu An Qing in a raffle at the MX celebration party; the other was taken by Lin Xian from the company warehouse to give to Zheng Xiang Yue as a birthday gift.

With no commercial release or promotion, it was impossible to find a picture or design of it.

“Then Mr. Elon Musk asked me if I wanted to use the ticket to the moon. He said he could arrange a flight for me at any time.”

“At first, I was confused. I didn’t really want to go to the moon, and I didn’t understand why I had that ticket. But then I saw the little card with the title Things to Do After Waking Up from Hibernation!”

“I saw that the first item was… to bury my brother on the moon. I didn’t remember having a brother, but when I saw the urn, I understood that the ‘brother’ referred to must be this.”

“I remember feeling both scared and distant from the urn, too afraid to even go near it. It took me two years after that before I, as a middle schooler, took the ticket to Mr. Elon Musk and said I wanted to go to the moon… to see if I could recover any memories.”

“Mr. Elon Musk readily agreed, saying the flight had been ready for a long time. So, I took my brother’s urn and the little laminated card to the moon. Once there, I put on a spacesuit, dug a hole on the lunar surface, and buried the urn.”

“When the task was done… I didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment or emotion. It was as if I was mechanically carrying out an action that had nothing to do with me. That’s when I realized… ‘Memory is such a precious thing.’”

“‘Memory isn’t just information, a sentence, or a piece of imagery. What makes memory different from a movie clip is that… memory is filled with emotion.’”

“Just like the little card said, I had a brother. From the name on the urn, I knew his name was Zheng Cheng He. I also knew that my wish was to bury him on the moon. But… so what? What did that mean? I had no idea and no emotional connection to it.”

“I stood on the moon, looking at the vast darkness of space, staring at the enormous Earth hanging in the sky… At that moment, I felt so lonely. I wanted to go back to Mars, where at least I had a home, classmates…”

“I looked at the card with the three wishes and told Mr. Elon Musk that I had completed the first one. The second wish was… to repay Brother Lin Xian. But who was Brother Lin Xian? Did Mr. Elon Musk know him?”

“Mr. Elon Musk didn’t answer. From his expression, I could tell he knew who Brother Lin Xian was, but he didn’t seem to want to tell me. I then asked if I would ever get to see Brother Lin Xian again.”

“Still, Mr. Elon Musk remained silent, just gazing at the blue Earth. I guessed this meant that Brother Lin Xian, like my brother Zheng Cheng He, was probably already dead, right?”

“I remember that moment clearly…”

Zheng Xiang Yue closed her eyes as if reliving the scene from 100 years ago, where she and Elon Musk stood on the moon, looking at Earth.

She spoke softly.

“Mr. Elon Musk told me that if the person you want to see is in your heart, then you’ve already seen them… Besides, the second wish on your card says to repay Lin Xian; it doesn’t say you have to meet him to do that… So why not start working on the third wish?”

“He said… perhaps the second and third wishes are connected. By being kind and doing good deeds, that’s the best way to repay Lin Xian.”

…

After saying this, Zheng Xiang Yue smiled, opened her eyes, and looked at Lin Xian.

“And that’s how the second chapter of my life began.”

“After returning to Mars, I focused on studying and eventually started working at SpaceX. I spent my life looking for ways I could contribute, but I realized that I wasn’t particularly talented or capable of making a significant impact on the world…”

“I must say, my life on Mars was very happy. I got married, had children… I had two kids, a son, and a daughter. They got along well. My son had two daughters, and my daughter had a son… After I retired, I enjoyed many years of family happiness.”

“But now, before I came to Earth, my son and daughter had both passed away, and of my three grandchildren, only one grandson was still alive, though his health was poor… It seems that children born and raised on Mars generally have shorter lifespans compared to humans who came from Earth via hibernation. Most of the people I knew who came from Earth lived to be over 100 years old.”

Old Man Wei Sheng Jin nodded in agreement.

It was true. Humans who hibernated on Earth and woke up on Mars generally lived to be over 100. Scientists speculated this had something to do with gravity, environment, and embryonic development, but the exact reason remained unknown.

Zheng Xiang Yue looked at the laminated card in her hand and continued.

“As I approached 100 years old, I often looked at this card, feeling that as Zheng Xiang Yue, I hadn’t fulfilled my childhood wishes… The young girl who wrote down these three dreams for me, I had only completed the first one, and the other two… I had no idea how to accomplish them.”

“As you get older, you start to worry more. Without memories of my life on Earth, I found myself increasingly nostalgic for it. I knew Earth was backward, life there was hard… But I often wondered, what kind of person is truly kind and loving?”

“If Earth is indeed my homeland… shouldn’t I return, bringing knowledge and love, to help rebuild it?”

“And so, I came to Earth and have never wanted to return. I just want to contribute kindness and love, to make Earth a better place. This, I believe, is the best way to honor the young Zheng Xiang Yue who once wrote down such great dreams. I can’t let her down.”

Now over a hundred years old, Zheng Xiang Yue shook her head, a satisfied smile on her face.

She placed the laminated card on the table and looked up at Lin Xian again.

“I love Earth because… the moon here is truly beautiful, something you could never see on Mars.”

The moon?

Suddenly, Lin Xian remembered the black hand that stretched from the north to the south pole of the moon.

Could such a moon really be called beautiful?

Unless…

He quickly got up and stepped outside the stone-brick house, looking up at the sky.

And there it was.

In the dark, starry sky above, a bright and radiant full moon hung in the heavens!

It was clear, white, and perfectly round like a jade plate.

This was a moon more beautiful than any he had seen in his future dreams.

Lin Xian felt an unexpected sense of peace.

This was how it should be.

This was the real moon.

Behind him, Old Man Wei Sheng Jin and Zheng Xiang Yue, the two elderly figures, also stepped out of the house and stood beside Lin Xian, gazing up at the full moon.

“I love Earth’s moon too,” Old Man Wei Sheng Jin said with emotion. “Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, but they’re too small and can’t reflect sunlight, so you could never see a sight like this on Mars.”

“In the two months I’ve been on Earth, I’ve spent long nights just staring at the moon. It’s so beautiful, so mesmerizing.”

Lin Xian chuckled and looked back at Zheng Xiang Yue.

“Even if you hadn’t come to Earth, the people here would have always been grateful to you. Your kindness and love… they received it centuries ago.”

The elderly Zheng Xiang Yue didn’t quite understand what Lin Xian was saying and asked in confusion.

“Why do you say that? I haven’t done anything for Earth… I haven’t contributed anything.”

“No…”

Lin Xian raised his head again, bathed in the white moonlight, his eyes reflecting the inverted image of the bright moon.

“This clean moonlight is the best gift you could have ever given Earth.”