Hot Wavelength

Chapter 24 (Golden Deer 2): Fossils
October 2029, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Barat's grandmother, Vanita, is a magical old lady who has never been to school but knows a lot of things.

In Bharat's mind, his grandmother was like an all-knowing question machine. Whenever Bharat had something he couldn't figure out, he would always ask his grandmother first.

Ever since Eileen mentioned to Bharat that a wealthy man had experienced a rejection reaction after receiving stem cell injections and needed Bharat's "original blood" for treatment, Bharat has been in a dilemma. He sought help from Grandma Vanita, believing that she could surely teach him how to make the right choice.

“Eileen is our friend. Her friend is sick and needs our help, which means she needs your blood. What’s there to hesitate about?” Grandma said calmly, holding Barat’s right hand and gently rubbing his palm with her thumb.

“My friend is sick, and my blood can help him heal, which is certainly a good thing. However, I cannot accept a deal that would allow my family tree project to receive funding as a result.” Bharat’s dark cheeks turned red as he spoke indignantly.

Although Barat had the answer in his heart, he was still so uneasy because Eileen told him that she and her daughter Mandy would be visiting today.

They came all this way to my remote little mountain village, and I'm really in a difficult position to refuse them in person.

Grandma Vanita is over 80 years old. Her eyes are cloudy, with dark brown pupils mixed with faint white spots. Logically speaking, her eyesight should be extremely poor, but for some reason, the old lady seems to be able to see everything.

Seeing her grandson's dilemma, Vanita felt a sense of relief. In this world, not everything can be bought with money.

Grandma Vanita told Bharat the story of his grandfather, who had never been to school and had spent his childhood herding sheep and hunting in the mountains of his hometown, occasionally serving as a guide for travelers and archaeological teams.

Gradually, he developed a strong interest in archaeological excavation, often venturing alone into the mountains and valleys to search for fossils by tapping and knocking on the rock strata.

Hard work pays off. Grandpa Barat's collection of fossils filled his backyard. Using the knowledge he learned from the archaeological team, he took notes in a half-written and half-drawn style, and ended up with several thick notebooks.

Of all the fossils, Grandma Vanita's favorite was a flat, grayish-white fossil with clearly visible and complete animal bones on its surface.

Vanita had never seen this animal before. Barat's grandfather told her that the animal lived fifty or sixty million years ago and is now extinct or has evolved into other forms of animals.

Grandpa Barat called the animal a pig, but Grandma Vanita didn't like that name; she felt the animal was more like a fawn.

She reminded her husband that there was a poem in Tagore's "The Gardener" called "The Golden Deer," and that calling fossils "deer" sounded much better than "pig."

Eileen and Mandy's arrival interrupted the reminiscence. Barat welcomed the guests from afar into the somewhat dimly lit room and introduced them to his grandmother.

Eileen and her daughter were both dressed like outdoor travelers. Mandy carried a heavy backpack and had a camera with the telephoto lens removed around her neck.

From Bharat's slightly embarrassed look, Eileen seemed to see through his thoughts and said:

“Bharat, I’ve come to apologize to you. Your blood is pure, just like your heart is spotless. My previous suggestion polluted it, and I’m very sorry.”

Bharat was deeply surprised and relieved, but then a sudden, inexplicable worry arose within him, and he asked:

What should we do about your friend's illness?

Erin said that a biological agent she is researching has made progress, and her friend Prince Harufa was among the subjects in the phase III clinical trial. The rejection reaction was miraculously eliminated. This biological agent is made from small molecules extracted from the milk of female humpback whales.

“Even without this new drug, Prince Harufa and I will never ask you for a blood transfusion again. We're all the same; we all have the same bottom line.” Eileen said, recalling the report about Martha, and shook her head with a wry smile. Sigh! Are the rich really that bad?

Eileen came to this small mountain village not just to tell Bharat that he no longer needed a blood transfusion, but also to ask Prince Harufa for his opinion on whether he would be willing to accept funding to promote the Family Tree project to the world.

“The prince will donate to set up a special fund in my foundation for your family tree project,” Mandy explained.

Barat looked at his grandmother, encouraged by her loving and proud gaze, and said:
"Please convey my gratitude to the Prince. I will certainly strive to make the Family Tree project even better." Then, he asked Mandy, "What kind of charitable work does your foundation primarily engage in?"

“Our foundation is called ‘Fossils of Civilization,’ and it mainly works on the protection of indigenous tribes,” Mandy explained. “The foundation has branches in Egypt and Mexico, and this time in India, we plan to include your village as a recipient of our funding.”

This is interesting, Barat thought. His project is called "My Tree," while Mandy's foundation is called "Fossils of Civilization." The two projects and their names are indeed a good match.

Mandy noticed the cards spread out on the table in front of Grandma Vanita and asked curiously:
"Are these cards for divination? I've heard that Indian divination is amazing." Grandma Vanita smiled kindly, turning over the cards on the table so that each one was face down. After rubbing them, she gestured for Mandy to draw one at random.

The cards on the table were face down, some black and some red, clearly indicating two decks. Mandy noticed that one of the cards was obviously worn, and the design on its back was quite peculiar—a yellowish, seashell-like leaf.

She drew the card, turned it over, and saw that the front was dark gray with several fine gray-white lines, and the central image was white with only the number "0". Mandy realized that the image on the card was a rubbing of a stone tablet.

Mandy held the cards, waiting to hear Grandma Vanita's divination. Grandma seemed to have guessed that Mandy would choose this special card. Instead of giving an explanation immediately, she continued to tell the story of Grandpa Barat.

Bharat's family's small village is deep in the heart of India, with little contact with the outside world. For some unknown reason, news of Bharat's grandfather finding the deer fossil spread like wildfire, and every now and then, merchants would come to the door offering high prices to buy the fossil, but Bharat's grandfather always resolutely refused.

After Barat's grandfather passed away, the fawn fossil was treasured by his grandmother.

One day, a representative from one of the world’s most famous museums offered to pay $5 to acquire the fawn fossil, but Grandma Vanita refused without hesitation.

“Wouldn’t it be better to exhibit it in the world’s most famous museum so that more people can see it?” Bharat couldn’t help but ask.

Grandma replied, "Balart, your grandfather told me that fossils have high research value and can only be left to those who are destined to study them."

Mandy couldn't resist her curiosity and asked, "Did someone destined to be with you appear later? Where is the deer fossil now?"

Grandma smiled mysteriously, pointed to the "0" on the card in Mandy's hand, and said:

"It's right here in your hands. The person who found it was an archaeologist. He found the ancient stone tablet with the number '0' inscribed on it in our old city. He gave me a rubbing of the stone tablet, and I was convinced that he was the one who could understand the deer fossil."

While everyone was filled with doubt, Barat suddenly understood and shouted:

“In my hometown, Gwalior, a stone tablet was unearthed, inscribed with the great invention of ancient India: the number '0,' which led to the origin of the Cartesian coordinate system and the entirety of modern natural science.”

“Not only in the natural sciences, but the invention of the number '0' is also a significant milestone in the history of human thought and philosophy,” Mandy added.

"So you turned down the $5 offer and instead gave the deer fossil to the archaeologist who found the stele?" Eileen said with deep respect.

“Yes, I gave him the deer fossil, and also a book of Tagore’s poems, which was Grandpa Bharat’s favorite when he was alive,” Grandma Vanita said.

“I know Grandpa’s favorite poem. He read it to me when I was little, and I still remember it to this day,” Barat said, reciting it aloud:

Tagore's *The Gardener*, 69: The Golden Deer

I followed that golden fawn.

Don't laugh at me, my friends, I'm searching for a home that can never be reached.

You can go to the market or go home; you don't need to listen to my complaints.

But the wind, carrying the curse, brought homelessness.
A light touch on my body, without my knowledge,

What year is it tonight? Where am I?
Empty your mind and body, disregard everything that belongs to you.

I crossed the valley just to find that golden deer.

&
The poem composed of collected verses at the end of the chapter:
Through a thousand years of vicissitudes, Qing Dynasty, Dai Zi
They gaze at each other longingly, only to feel pity for themselves. —Xu Juzheng (Ming Dynasty)
Ancient moss covers the path, encroaching on the stone deer; Tang Dynasty, Lu Guimeng

I cannot bear to see the courtyard stained with blood. —Song Dynasty, Shi Hao

(End of this chapter)