Golden Deer 2: Fossil

October 2029, Gwalior City, Madhya Pradesh, India

Bharat's grandmother, Vanita, was a remarkable old woman. Though she never attended school, she knew a great deal.

In Bharat's eyes, his grandmother was like an omniscient question-and-answer machine. Whenever he had something he couldn't understand, he would always ask her first.

Since Irene had told Bharat about a wealthy individual who suffered an allergic reaction after receiving stem cell injections and required his "original blood" for treatment, Bharat had been troubled. He sought out Grandma Vanita, believing she would surely teach him how to make the right choice.

"Irene is our friend, and her friend is ill and needs our help, which means your blood is needed. What's so difficult about that?" Grandma said calmly, holding Bharat's right hand and gently rubbing his palm with her thumb.

"My friend is sick, and my blood can help cure him, so of course it's a good thing. But if my Family Tree Project receives funding as a result, I can't accept such a transaction," Bharat said, his slightly tanned cheeks flushing red with indignation.

Although Bharat had an answer in his heart, he was still restless because Irene had told him she and her daughter, Mandy, would be visiting today.

They had traveled a long way to his remote mountain village. It was so difficult to refuse them in person.

Grandma Vanita was over 80 years old. Her eyes were cloudy, her dark brown irises flecked with pale white spots. Logically, her eyesight should have been very poor, but somehow, the old woman seemed to see everything.

Facing her grandson's dilemma, Vanita felt a surge of relief. In this world, not everything could be exchanged for money.

Grandma Vanita began telling Bharat the story of his grandfather. Bharat's grandfather had never attended school. He had spent his childhood herding sheep and hunting in the forests of their hometown, occasionally acting as a guide for travelers and archaeological teams.

Gradually, he developed a deep interest in archaeological excavations. He often ventured alone into the mountains and valleys, tapping and searching for fossils within the rock layers.

His efforts paid off. The various fossils Bharat's grandfather collected filled the backyard of their home. Using the knowledge he had learned from the archaeological teams, he kept notes, a mix of writing and drawing, accumulating several thick volumes.

Among all the fossils, Grandma Vanita's favorite was a flat, grayish-white specimen, its surface bearing clear and complete raised animal bones.

Vanita had never seen such an animal. Bharat's grandfather told her that it had lived fifty to sixty million years ago and was now extinct or had evolved into other forms.

Bharat's grandfather called the animal a "little pig," but Grandma Vanita disliked the name. She felt the animal resembled a little deer more.

She reminded her husband that there was a poem in Tagore's The Gardener titled "The Golden Deer." Calling the fossil a "little deer" sounded much better than "little pig."

The arrival of Irene and Mandy interrupted their memories. Bharat welcomed the guests who had traveled from afar into the dimly lit room and introduced them to his grandmother.

Both Irene and her daughter were dressed in outdoor traveler's attire. Mandy wore a heavy backpack, and a camera with its long lens removed hung around her neck.

From Bharat's slightly awkward gaze, Irene seemed to understand his thoughts and said:

"Bharat, I've come to apologize. Your blood is pure, just like your heart is pure and flawless. My previous proposal tainted it. I am very sorry."

Bharat was deeply surprised and relieved, but he suddenly became inexplicably worried and asked:

"What about your friend's illness?"

Irene explained that a biological agent she was researching had made progress. The Phase III clinical trial participants included her friend, Prince Harufa, and the rejection reaction had been miraculously eliminated. This biological agent was made from small molecules extracted from the milk of female Humpback Whales.

"Even without this new drug, Prince Harufa and I would not have asked you for a blood transfusion again. We are all the same and have common boundaries," Irene said, recalling a report about Martha and shaking her head with a bitter smile. Sigh! Are rich people really that bad?

Irene had not come to this small mountain village solely to tell Bharat that a blood transfusion was no longer necessary. She was also acting on behalf of Prince Harufa, seeking Bharat's opinion on whether he would be willing to accept funding to promote the Family Tree Project worldwide.

"The Prince will donate funds to establish a special fund within my foundation for your Family Tree Project," Mandy explained.

Bharat looked at his grandmother. Encouraged by her loving and proud gaze, he said:

"Please convey my thanks to the Prince. I will definitely work hard to make the Family Tree Project even better." He then asked Mandy, "What kind of charitable work does your foundation primarily engage in?"

"Our foundation is called 'Fossils of Civilization,' and we primarily focus on the protection of indigenous tribes," Mandy explained. "The foundation has branches in Egypt and Mexico. This time, we plan to make your village a recipient of our support."

This is interesting, Bharat thought. My project is called "My Family Tree," and Mandy's foundation is called "Fossils of Civilization." The two projects and their names are indeed quite fitting.

Mandy noticed the playing cards spread out on the table in front of Grandma Vanita and asked curiously:

"Are these cards for divination? I've heard for a long time that Indian divination techniques are very magical."

Grandma Vanita smiled kindly, shuffled the cards on the table, turning each one face down, and then gestured for Mandy to pick one.

The cards on the table were face down, with red and black colors, clearly two decks. Mandy noticed that one card was noticeably worn, and its back pattern was also special: a yellowish, shell-like leaf.

She drew this card and turned it over. The front of the card was dark gray, interspersed with a few thin gray and white lines. The pattern in the center was reversed white, showing only the number "0." Mandy realized the pattern on the card was a rubbing from a stone tablet.

Mandy held the card, waiting to hear Grandma Vanita's divination. The grandmother seemed to have guessed that Mandy would choose this special card. She didn't explain immediately but continued telling Bharat's grandfather's story.

Bharat's mountain village was deep in the heart of India, with little contact with the outside world. For some unknown reason, the news of Bharat's grandfather finding the Little Deer Fossil spread like wildfire. Merchants came knocking every few days, offering high prices for the fossil, but Bharat's grandfather always flatly refused.

After Bharat's grandfather passed away, the Little Deer Fossil was kept by his grandmother.

One day, a representative from the world's most famous museum arrived, offering $50,000 to acquire the Little Deer Fossil. Grandma Vanita, as before, refused without hesitation.

"Wouldn't it be better for more people to see it if it were exhibited in the world's most famous museum?" Bharat couldn't help but ask.

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

Mandy couldn't help but ask curiously, "Did the destined person appear later? Where is the Little Deer Fossil now?"

Grandma smiled mysteriously and pointed to the "0" on the card in Mandy's hand. "It's in your hand. The destined person was an archaeologist. He was the one who found the ancient stone tablet engraved with '0' in our ancient city. He gave me this rubbing of the stone tablet, and I determined that he was someone who could understand the Little Deer Fossil."

As everyone looked on in confusion, Bharat suddenly understood and exclaimed:

"In my hometown, Gwalior City, a stone tablet was unearthed, engraved with the great invention of ancient India, the number '0.' This led to the origin of the Cartesian coordinate system and, consequently, all of modern natural science."

"Not just natural science; the invention of the number '0' is also an important milestone in the history of human thought and philosophy," Mandy added.

"So you refused the temptation of $50,000 and gave the Little Deer Fossil to the archaeologist who discovered the stone tablet?" Irene said with newfound respect.

"Yes, I gave him the Little Deer Fossil, and also a collection of Tagore's poems, which Bharat's grandfather cherished most during his lifetime," Grandma Vanita said.

"I know the poem Grandpa loved most. He used to read it to me when I was little, and I still remember it today," Bharat said, reciting loudly:

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

I chase that little golden deer, Laugh not at me, friends, I seek a home unreachable. You can go to the market, go home, pay no heed to my plea. But the homeless wind blows a spell, Touching my body, making me unaware, Of what year it is tonight, or where I am. Emptying my mind and body, I abandon all that is mine, I cross the valleys, only to chase that little golden deer.

&

A Poem Compiled from Chapters:

The vicissitudes of ages span a thousand years. — Dai Zi (Qing Dynasty) Gazing at each other, only pitying ourselves. — Xu Juzheng (Ming Dynasty) The ancient moss on the sealed path invades the stone deer. — Lu Guimeng (Tang Dynasty) Unable to bear watching the blood fill the courtyard. — Shi Hao (Song Dynasty)