Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

An Ercheng asked to borrow money, An Sancheng blurted out a ”no,” and Uncle An briskly tried to send them off. An Ercheng couldn’t accept it.

”Younger Brother, Eldest Brother, do you still consider me your brother?”

An Ercheng was getting emotional, his eyes filled with hurt as he looked at Uncle An and An Sancheng.

Uncle An and An Sancheng exchanged a look, and Uncle An spoke. ”Second Brother, we are brothers. We made things very clear last New Year.”

”You’re always thinking about what you can get, never about what you can give. How can you expect all the good things in the world to fall into your lap?”

”We have feelings, too. Why can’t you ever show a little consideration?”

This was the first time Uncle An hadn’t spoken so forcefully; instead, he was playing the sympathy card.

An Ercheng hung his head at the words. He truly didn’t mean to be like that.

If Uncle An or An Sancheng needed a kidney transplant or an organ donation right now, he’d roll up his sleeves and do it without a second thought.

Seeing An Ercheng with his head lowered, An Sancheng felt a pang of sympathy.

When they were young, he had spent more time with An Ercheng.

”Second Brother, what do you need the money for? Tell us first.”

An Sancheng’s question made An Ercheng look up. His lips quivered for a moment before he finally said, ”I... I want to buy a house.”

An Ercheng sounded completely devoid of confidence as he spoke.

At his side, Du Guijuan had been growing anxious. She couldn’t help but chime in, ”Eldest Brother, Younger Brother, I know we haven’t done right by you in the past, but we’re still family. Please, help us.”

”Our current house is only ten-odd square meters, and with seven people living there, it’s just too crowded.”

”We want to take this opportunity to buy a house and move. The prices might go up in the future.”

Du Guijuan worked at a savings bank and had met many people. Everyone else was buying houses and storefronts, so she’d gotten the idea as well.

She had wanted to come back to borrow money for a long time, but An Ercheng hadn’t been keen on the idea.

Although An Ercheng always sided with her, she knew not to push her luck, lest she lose his affection.

Judging by how she handled An Ercheng, Du Guijuan was no fool.

Over a long period, Du Guijuan had been subtly changing An Ercheng’s mind: the house was too small and inconvenient; the children were growing up; you could barely turn around without knocking over a bowl.

Du Guijuan made sure An Ercheng noticed these things, one by one. She kept dropping hints, and slowly, An Ercheng’s resolve began to waver.

After Du Guijuan finished speaking, the room fell quiet, with only Hei Dan’er gurgling and cooing nonstop.

An Guoqing extended a finger for Hei Dan’er to play with, teasing, ”Stop your fussing now, there are so many people here.”

Having just spoken, it was hard for Du Guijuan not to think that An Guoqing was taking a veiled jab at her.

She felt a pang of hurt, but if being thick-skinned could improve her family’s life, she was willing to do it.

Uncle An puffed away on his dry pipe. After a few drags, he blew out a choking ring of smoke.

Seeing this, An Ning stepped forward and took the pipe from Uncle An’s hand.

”Uncle An, Hei Dan’er is here. It’s not good for a baby to inhale smoke.”

”Ah? Take it, take it. I’ll stop smoking.”

Uncle An was certainly most lenient with An Ning.

An Ning gave Uncle An a sweet smile, took the pipe, and added, ”Uncle An, may I say something about this?”

Uncle An nodded.

An Ning turned to face An Ercheng and Du Guijuan.

”Second Uncle, Second Aunt, no matter what, the An family is one. Now that we’re doing well, we don’t want to see you struggling.”

”But relationships are about give and take. It can’t be a one-way street.”

”The money... I can lend it to you, but—”

An Ning’s ”but” halted the joyful expressions on An Ercheng and Du Guijuan’s faces. They waited with bated breath for her to continue.

”But, I’m going to the county town with you. First, to verify if what you said is true, and second, to speak with the supervisors at your workplaces and get official statements.”

”I can lend you the money, and because we all share the name An, I won’t even charge interest. However, you must make a payment every month. As for how much and how you’ll repay it, I’ll decide after I’ve spoken with your supervisors.”

”If you agree, we can leave tomorrow to get it done. If you don’t, you can leave now.”

After An Ning finished, Uncle An, who was behind her, stood up and backed her up.

”Do as An Ning says.”

”That’s right. Listen to my daughter.”

The support from Uncle An and An Sancheng made An Ercheng and Du Guijuan understand that Uncle An was no longer the only one calling the shots in this family.

In fact, An Ning’s authority was now firmly established above everyone else’s.

”Of course! We’ll definitely pay it back, right, Gui Juan?”

An Ercheng’s joy was pure and unadulterated, but Du Guijuan’s smile was a bit forced. Still, she had no choice but to accept.

She nodded at An Ercheng. ”Of course.”

Everyone but An Ercheng noticed the shift in Du Guijuan’s mood.

Or rather, it wasn’t that they saw through her, but that they simply knew what kind of person Du Guijuan was.

Lin Cuihua curled her lip in disdain. ’One to talk. Utterly shameless.’

The matter of An Ercheng’s family borrowing money was temporarily settled.

The family of three would stay the night at Anning’s house, and An Guoming would drive them back in the morning.

An Ning personally walked Uncle An out of her house. After they had gone some distance, Uncle An asked, ”An Ning, what’s your thinking on this?”

”Uncle An, our lives are only going to get better. If Second Uncle’s family is doing too poorly, they’ll grow more and more resentful. And when they’re resentful, they’ll stir up trouble.”

”But if their lives aren’t so difficult—if they’re better off than some but not as well off as others, and they still owe us something—the whole family can be more harmonious.”

When speaking with Uncle An, An Ning didn’t hide a single thing.

After hearing her out, Uncle An wasn’t displeased at all. On the contrary, he was very gratified.

”You’ve thought this through. Let me tell you, when you go to handle this, you can let them pick the house, but don’t put it in their names. Draft an agreement with them stating that the house will be transferred to them only when the money is fully repaid. Find someone capable to notarize it.”

An Ning nodded. ’Uncle is very thorough.’

”All right, you can go back now. I can walk the rest of the way myself.”

Uncle An still had his hands clasped behind his back, his stooped shoulders casting a long shadow as he gradually walked away.

’Uncle An... he’s getting old.’

An Ning turned and went back home.

An Ercheng’s family of three ate the noodles Lin Cuihua had made and slept in An Sancheng’s room.

It was a very large kang, big enough to sleep five people comfortably.

Du Guijuan had felt a bit awkward at first, but Lin Cuihua’s comment, ”Our kang is bigger than your entire house,” left her speechless.

That night, everyone slept well—everyone except Du Guijuan.

The next morning, everyone rose at the crack of dawn as usual. An Ning and the others went about their daily routine.

When they returned from their run, Du Guijuan was crying.