Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Once everyone had confirmed whether they were staying or leaving, all that remained were the arrangements for the apprenticeship ceremony the next day.

However, Uncle An said he had everything under control and An Ning didn’t need to worry.

And so, An Ning really didn’t worry.

That afternoon, the An family prepared a magnificent feast that filled three tables.

There was a balanced mix of meat and vegetable dishes, hot soups and cold appetizers—a complete spread. Combined with Master Tang’s culinary skills, even a tough critic like Zhou Xiaoshan was thoroughly conquered, left with no time to talk.

After the meal, everyone heaped praise on Master Tang and expressed their thanks.

Master Tang chuckled and waved his hand modestly. ”It was all in the ingredients, all in the ingredients.”

After the meal, there was little time for rest. Uncle An assigned tasks to everyone.

An Guoming drove the truck out to buy more meat, and An Guoqing was responsible for slaughtering the chickens and the pig.

The chickens were their own, and the pig was one that An Guoqing had raised. Though it hadn’t reached full market size, it was just right for the sacrificial offering.

When An Guoqing went out to fetch the village butcher, it didn’t take long for word to get out. Soon, the whole village knew that An Ning was taking on disciples.

The villagers weren’t the least bit surprised by the news.

It seemed that anything An Ning did was considered normal.

Any villager who had a free moment, including the children, came out to lend a hand.

Uncle An’s three sons were busy building a wooden frame to be used for the ancestor worship ceremony the next morning.

As villagers arrived, some went to help with the frame, while others pitched in to clean the An family’s courtyard.

Many hands make light work. In just an hour, the An family courtyard was so clean you’d be hard-pressed to find even a single pebble.

Everyone bustled about, working with tools they had brought from home, and didn’t stop until the sun set behind West Mountain.

The people helping at the An family home left in a hurry without even stopping for a sip of water.

Lin Cuihua and An Sancheng stood at the gate seeing everyone off. Only after the last person had gone did the two of them go back inside.

That night, everyone went to bed early to prepare for an early start the next morning.

Lin Cuihua laid out the new clothes An Guoming had bought for everyone. They had saved them for a special occasion, and tomorrow was the perfect auspicious day.

.............

The next day, just after four in the morning, visitors arrived at the main gate of the An family home.

They came in a black car and, not wanting to disturb anyone, neither knocked on the gate nor honked the horn, intending to wait quietly.

But the moment they parked, the An family’s large rooster flew onto the wall and began to squawk loudly.

Listening closely, one could tell its calls had a distinct rhythm, a clear signal that someone had arrived.

A man who got out of the black car put his palms together, facing the rooster, and whispered a plea, ”Shh, be quiet. Be quiet.”

But it was no use; the large rooster wouldn’t listen.

This was its job, the one that guaranteed its survival. How could it possibly stop?

”KUK-KUK-KUK-KUK-KUK—”

Prompted by the rooster’s calls, the gate to the An family home opened.

An Ning stepped out and immediately recognized the people at the gate.

”Director Li, Uncle Li, Aunt Li, please come in.”

It was Li Chengze’s family.

Director Li took a step forward, looking a little sheepish. ”I’m afraid we’ve arrived a bit early,” he said to An Ning.

”Not at all. Many of the villagers are already up and getting ready to work in the fields by this hour.”

An Ning invited them inside, then nimbly climbed up on the wall and called to Da Huang, who was already awake. ”Go get Li Chengze.”

”WOOF!”

Da Huang obediently stood, pushed open the door to the Jiang family’s house, and rushed into the east-facing room, licking Li Chengze awake with his big tongue.

When Li Chengze came over, he greeted An Ning and the others before leading his parents and uncle into the Jiang family’s courtyard to speak privately.

An Ning reminded them to come over for breakfast, then left them to their conversation.

She went about her usual morning routine: jogging, giving her lesson, and eating breakfast.

Just as breakfast was ending, another visitor arrived at the gate. An Ning was the first to sense his presence and went out respectfully to greet him.

”Sir, good morning.”

”I have come uninvited. I hope you will forgive the intrusion.”

An Ning shook her head, indicating that it was no problem at all, and invited the Feng Shui Master into the courtyard, where she poured him some tea.

An Ning always felt somewhat guarded in the Feng Shui Master’s presence.

The Feng Shui Master noticed her guardedness. He took a book from within his robes and placed it on the small teaching table in the courtyard.

”This book is a gift to you.”

An Ning accepted the book. It looked like a kind of journal, its pages densely packed with various mysterious symbols and handwritten annotations.

”This...?”

The Feng Shui Master explained, ”It is my life’s work.”

An Ning suddenly felt the book in her hands grow as heavy as lead. She wanted to put it down, but it didn’t feel right.

”Sir, what is the meaning of this?”

”We were brought together by fate, young friend. I am gifting it to you, hoping that someday, you can help me find a successor.”

The Feng Shui Master’s gaze was serene, holding the wisdom of one who has seen through the illusions of the world.

An Ning found she didn’t dare to meet those eyes directly. She felt that he *knew*.

”Do not be afraid,” he said. ”My days are numbered.”

His words unsettled her. She didn’t want to see a master with such true skill pass from this world.

”Do not dwell on it. Everything is as heaven wills it. My life has been perfectly complete, save for one thing: I have no disciple to whom I can pass on my knowledge.”

A hint of regret still lingered in the Feng Shui Master’s voice. He looked at An Ning and said, ”I would never dare ask this of you myself, young friend, but I hope that you might accept a disciple in my stead. In doing so, you would ensure the continuation of our Huaxia heritage.”

Those words, ”Huaxia heritage,” truly moved her.

She was not a person who dithered. For the first time, she met the Feng Shui Master’s gaze directly and declared solemnly, ”I will.”

The Feng Shui Master smiled. He left his address, telling An Ning, ”I hope you will come visit when you have a free moment, young friend. This is but a single volume from my lifelong collection.”

An Ning nodded, promising that she would.

Once they had reached an agreement, it was nearly time.

At the auspicious hour he had personally calculated, the Feng Shui Master led the An family, who had changed into ceremonial attire, and a large crowd of curious villagers up the mountain for the ancestor worship ceremony.

An Ning was, in a way, the leading figure of the An family. Her taking on disciples was a major affair for the clan, making the ancestor worship ceremony a necessity.

An Ning walked at the head of the procession, wearing a long, cyan-colored gown.

Uncle An had brought it to her that morning; his wife had sewn it overnight.

An Ning, her face solemn in her long gown, led the way. She was flanked by Yu the Elder in a Zhongshan suit and Li Chengze in a modern Chinese-style suit, who followed slightly behind her to the left and right.

Behind them came the younger men of the An family, shouldering the frame they had built the day before. On it rested a whole roasted pig, a whole sheep, and a whole chicken—all cooked through the night—as well as platters of breads and pastries.

Bringing up the rear was the final group, carrying tables, chairs, and stools, along with teapots, teacups, and kettles of hot water for the apprenticeship ceremony that would soon take place.

The procession made its way up the mountain in silence. No one joked or fooled around as they followed the winding path to the An family’s ancestral gravesite.

Following the Feng Shui Master’s directions, the offerings were all carefully arranged. Uncle An stood at the very front and led An Ning in kneeling before their ancestors to announce the purpose of the day’s ceremony.

An Ning knelt obediently on the ground. The moment Uncle An finished speaking and An Ning touched her head to the ground in a deep bow...

The sky cleared.

The morning, which had been gray and shrouded in a messy fog, suddenly brightened.

Sunlight scattered the thin mist, and a single, brilliant ray shone down to fall perfectly upon An Ning, as though bestowing a divine blessing.