Carmen's Idle Notes
After picking and choosing a few places, Xu Huo had his smart terminal make reservations. Once he'd eaten, he headed to the first stop.
The Field exhibition hall limited the number of visitors allowed inside at a time, so quite a few people were waiting in line outside. Of course, they could also watch a holographic projection on the terminals outside, but since they'd come all this way, most still wanted to see Carmen Field's relics with their own eyes.
Xu Huo followed the crowd inside. The first thing he saw was a large flag hanging not far from the entrance, bearing several bold words:
"Visit the cemetery. Make as much noise as you like."
An android dutifully explained the flag's origins. Apparently, Carmen Field had been inspired to make it after attending a funeral for an elder in his family when he was thirty. It wasn't that he objected to people maintaining a solemn atmosphere at funerals; he simply didn't want his own funeral to be so quiet.
"If I die someday, it'll be in a blaze of glory, a death worthy of me. Whatever the manner of my death, I'll have done right by myself and fulfilled my wishes. What is there to fear in death? My family should be happy for me. How unlucky to cry so much."
"These were Mr. Carmen's exact words. It's hard not to admire his open-mindedness, and the ease with which he grasped the truth of life and death at such a young age."
"Are we allowed to make noise, then?" a child asked, looking up.
"Of course," the android replied with a smile. "That's what Mr. Carmen wanted."
With permission granted, the children happily ran off from their parents. They couldn't yet understand death and sacrifice, but they