Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

”Mother and son are safe.” It was the most beautiful phrase one could hear outside a delivery room.

An Guoqing gawked at the baby in the nurse’s arms.

”How did we end up with a monkey?”

His one comment shattered what had been a touching moment.

”Should I go buy him some bananas?”

At his second comment, the nurse, who had been about to hand the baby to An Guoqing, turned to Lin Cuihua instead. ”Here, you take him. Keep the baby away from his father.”

Lin Cuihua carefully took the baby. To her, he was beautiful from every angle.

”Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The nurse nodded. ”The mother will be out in a little while. We’re just taking care of the afterbirth.”

The nurse went back inside.

An Guoqing scratched his head, a look of comical distaste on his face as he stared at the baby in Lin Cuihua’s arms.

”He’s just too ugly. Even a pet monkey would be better-looking.”

Lin Cuihua shot An Guoqing a fierce glare.

”Get out of here. You weren’t even as cute as him when you were little.”

”Grandma’s precious grandson, we won’t listen to your daddy. He doesn’t know a thing.”

An Ning walked over to Lin Cuihua’s side and peered at the swaddled baby.

’Oh my, Big Brother is actually right.’

’The baby was dark and wrinkly, his eyes mere slits. They really weren’t as big as a monkey’s.’

Lin Cuihua held the baby while An Guoqing and An Ning watched from the side, worry etched on their faces.

”Don’t worry. Dad will earn a lot of money, so you’ll be able to get a wife even if you’re a little ugly.”

”Haha...”

An Ning couldn’t help but laugh. ’Big Brother really is thinking long-term.’

Lin Cuihua shot him a look but said nothing.

’There’s nothing wrong with making more money,’ she thought.

’Most kids get better-looking as they grow up, but what if he’s the exception?’

The three of them waited outside for more than half an hour before the delivery room doors opened again.

An Guoqing, who was waiting right by the door, was the first to see Gao Guifen being wheeled out.

”Where’s my wife?”

Gao Guifen’s head was completely covered, which made An Guoqing so scared he nearly dropped to his knees.

’Why is she covered up?!’

The nurse gave An Guoqing a speechless look.

”Family, step aside. It’s the middle of winter; she can’t be exposed to any drafts during her postpartum confinement.”

”We’ll take her back to her room. If she’s urinating normally by tomorrow, she can be discharged.”

Hearing this, An Guoqing finally felt the strength return to his legs. He had been scared to death.

The nurse pushed the gurney, with Gao Guifen bundled up tightly on it, and everyone followed them into the hospital room.

Once in the room, the nurse asked for help moving her.

An Ning stepped forward. ”I’ll get her.”

To the nurse’s astonishment, she single-handedly lifted Gao Guifen and gently placed her on the bed.

A doctor came in, gave a few instructions, and then left.

The family was finally alone in the room.

”Honey, are you still in pain?”

An Guoqing sat on a stool, looking at Gao Guifen, whose head was now uncovered. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Gao Guifen could tell at a glance that he wanted to speak. ”What is it?” she asked, a little worried. ”Is it the baby?”

An Guoqing gave a simple nod, startling Gao Guifen so much that she tried to sit up.

”Honey, the baby’s so ugly. Not even as cute as a monkey.”

”Daughter-in-law, don’t listen to his nonsense,” Lin Cuihua chimed in. ”All babies look like this. He’ll get cuter when he’s older.”

”There’s no one ugly in our family, after all.”

Lin Cuihua carried the baby over and placed him beside Gao Guifen.

”I’ll go cook you some millet porridge. In the meantime, let the baby try to nurse. Your milk will come in eventually.”

Gao Guifen nodded, her eyes fixed on the little baby lying beside her.

’He really is... not that cute.’

Seeing her chance, An Ning spoke up. ”I’ll go find Second Brother and send word back home.”

She left the room, giving her brother and sister-in-law some space.

Unfortunately, what should have been a tender moment turned into a large-scale fault-finding session.

”Do you think I ate too much eggplant? Why is he this color?”

”No way. The color of an eggplant is much nicer than this.”

”Then it must be because I didn’t eat enough tomatoes. Everyone says eating tomatoes gives you fair skin. Why didn’t I eat more of them?”

”Good thing you didn’t. What would we have done if he’d turned out tomato-red?”

The couple debated their child’s skin color for quite a while.

In the end, they came to a unanimous decision: they had to make good money, or their son would probably end up a lifelong bachelor.

Meanwhile, An Ning found An Guoming and told him that mother and son were safe and sound. It was a boy, weighing seven pounds, eight ounces.

Overjoyed, An Guoming drove his truck back to the village to share the good news.

An Ning wasn’t in a hurry to go back. She went to Fatty’s shop and bought some things for her sister-in-law to eat during her postpartum confinement at home.

After she finished shopping, An Ning returned to the hospital and ran into An Sancheng and An Guoping, who had also come to see the new baby.

When they went in to see the baby, everyone’s first thought was, ’He’s so ugly.’

But he was one of their own, and the longer they looked, the more they grew fond of his face.

’He isn’t *that* ugly, is he?’ they thought.

After they had seen the baby, An Guoming drove An Sancheng, An Ning, and An Guoping home.

Only Lin Cuihua and An Guoqing remained at the hospital.

The next day, Gao Guifen was urinating normally and was ready to be discharged.

Gao Guifen was bundled up tightly and helped into the back of the truck. The family was heading home.

Once home, Gao Guifen was settled onto the kang and told not to lift a finger.

Lin Cuihua cooked six meals a day for her, while An Guoqing was in charge of changing and washing the baby’s diapers.

Other than breastfeeding, Gao Guifen didn’t have to do a thing.

Even at night, if the baby so much as whimpered, An Guoqing would be the one to get up, pick him up, and bring him to Gao Guifen’s side to nurse.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the baby’s name was finally chosen.

An Sancheng named him An Jiawen, with the nickname Hei Dan’er.

Almost no one called him An Jiawen; the nickname Hei Dan’er, however, was a big hit.

On the morning of the sixth, An Ning resumed her usual study schedule.

Yin Xuemei had come back on the fourth day of the New Year, as had Yang Jianguo.

The two of them, along with An Guoping, started their daily routine of lessons and drilling practice problems.

Just after the morning lesson ended and Yin Xuemei and Yang Jianguo had left, a visitor arrived at the gate to the An’s house.

A small black sedan was parked at the gate.

An Ning went out to see who it was. It was an acquaintance.

”Director Jin, what brings you here?”

”Happy New Year, An Ning! I’ve come to pay you a New Year’s call.”

Director Jin put on no airs whatsoever. Disregarding their age difference, he cupped his hands in a traditional gesture to offer his New Year’s greetings to An Ning.

An Ning nodded and wished him a happy new year in return.

Behind Director Jin stood two other men dressed in Zhongshan suits, exuding a bureaucratic air.

”An Ning, let me introduce you. This is the director of the provincial automobile factory, Director Hu.”

”Director Hu, this is An Ning.”

The man who had been introduced as Director Hu quickly stepped forward, extending both hands toward An Ning for a handshake.

”Comrade An Ning, Happy New Year. I am here on behalf of our automobile factory, specifically to pay you a New Year’s call.”

An Ning waved a hand, declining the handshake.

”Hello. Thank you.”

An Ning disliked such pleasantries. She got straight to the point. ”You need something from me? It’s best to be direct.”

Director Hu, standing before her, had heard about An Ning’s direct style.

”As a matter of fact, there is. We’d like to partner with you.”

”The automotive blueprints you drew for us before were an enormous help, but there are many things we still don’t fully understand. We’re having particular trouble with the engine, and we were wondering if you might be able to help us resolve it?”