Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

An Ning and the other two continued hiring. The three-day recruitment period passed in a flash, and all the positions were filled.

Five days later, the shop was still preparing to open. An Ning used her half-baked Feng Shui knowledge to divine an auspicious date.

It was another five days from now: the twenty-second day of the third lunar month, which was April twentieth on the Gregorian calendar. The almanac deemed it ”auspicious for opening a business.”

In the shop’s backyard, An Guoming watched An Ning pick up a few pebbles from the ground. Filled with disbelief, he stood up and asked, ”An Ning, can you really divine a date with just a few stones?”

”Of course. A truly skilled person could do it with just a few blades of grass.”

An Ning tossed the stones aside. An Guoming started to nod in agreement, but stopped halfway, realizing something was off. He looked up and said, ”Wait a minute! Didn’t you say you were just a dabbler?”

An Ning, who was walking ahead, paused briefly before turning around. ”And since I’m just a dabbler,” she said with conviction, ”does it really make a difference what I use?”

An Guoming was once again stumped by An Ning’s twisted logic.

’She’s so quick-witted. She definitely didn’t learn that from me.’

An Guoming’s train of thought had gone off track again.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it today. All the new hires were arriving to start work, stock inventory, and begin their training.

”Tangtang, time to open the doors!”

”Coming!”

Xiao Tangtang, dressed in a festive, red traditional jacket with her hair in two little buns, cheerfully ran into the shop to open the main doors.

An Ning watched Tangtang run off, unable to hide the fondness in her eyes.

An Ning was fond of the girl’s sensibility and her insistence on protecting her mother.

For the past three days, Tangtang had gone for her run every morning without fail, even on a day when it poured rain.

The little girl possessed a resilience as firm as a mountain.

Since today was a weekend, after her morning run, Tangtang did some additional training on her own—jumping rope, frog leaps, and push-ups. When she was finished, she changed her clothes and ran over to help.

Though young, she was nimble and quick-witted. Combined with her sweet smile, it was truly hard not to find her endearing.

An Ning, An Guoming, and Liu Yiyi followed Tangtang to the front of the shop. A crowd was already waiting outside—all of their new hires.

An Guoming stepped forward and sought out the accountant they had hired.

The accountant was a woman in her forties with many years of experience. She had retired from her previous state-run job so one of her children could take her place.

An Guoming asked the accountant to assist with keeping a tally. They were receiving inventory today, so they needed to record the quantities of goods coming in and going out.

After giving the accountant her instructions, An Guoming stepped back, and Liu Yiyi stepped forward.

”Hello, everyone. My name is Liu Yiyi. Starting today, I’ll be managing this shop. If you have any questions or are unsure about anything, big or small, you come to me.”

Liu Yiyi was dressed sharply today. Though she had a gentle and delicate appearance, her voice was firm and strong. She was the type who spoke softly but acted with crisp, decisive efficiency.

An Guoming and An Ning did not interfere, leaving Liu Yiyi to manage everything herself.

Thankfully, Liu Yiyi lived up to their expectations, organizing everything in a neat and orderly manner.

Seeing that things were in good hands, An Guoming went outside to coordinate with the truck drivers.

By now, An Guoming had five trucks running routes back and forth between the north and south.

An Ning remained in the shop, partly to observe the accountant and partly to keep an eye on the overall situation.

A long, red banner had been hung up early at the shop’s entrance, announcing the grand opening in five days.

The spot with the number ”five” was designed to be replaceable so they could update the countdown each day.

The commotion did indeed attract a lot of attention, and many passersby stopped to see what was going on.

At the entrance, several employees assigned by Liu Yiyi were handing out flyers to everyone who stopped, telling them about the special promotions for opening day.

”Here you go. On opening day, eggs will be one cent each! First come, first served. If you’re late, they’ll be all gone.”

”One cent an egg? For real?”

”Of course! But the one-cent price is only for a limited time and while supplies last, so you’ll have to get here early.”

The people who took a flyer clutched it tightly, mentally noting the date and planning to come snag the cheap eggs.

The allure of cheap eggs is a powerful incentive even in modern times, let alone in an era where they were a significant household expense.

Outside, the neatly dressed employees in their matching teal aprons continuously handed out flyers.

Trucks pulled up one after another in front of the store, and workers began to unload the cargo.

In truth, much of the cargo could have been unloaded at the back entrance, but to attract customers, An Guoming chose to have this first delivery unloaded right out front.

And it had to be said, seeing crate after crate of merchandise being carried inside certainly made people curious and impressed.

”Hey, does that box say ’Peach Crisps’?”

”And that looks like canned food, right?”

”Honey-Glazed Twists, Crispy Rice Sticks.”

The crowd read out the names of one familiar, mouth-watering snack after another as they saw the actual products for themselves.

The warehouse staff carried all these goods inside, box by box.

”Our store opens in five days! As you can all see, our supply is plentiful, so you can shop with confidence. We get our stock directly from the big factories, which means our prices are sometimes even lower!”

An Guoming seized the opportunity to shout a few words to the crowd before getting back to moving boxes.

While a large crowd moved boxes and watched the spectacle outside, the employees stocking the shelves inside were just as busy.

This flurry of activity continued for three full days before all the non-perishable goods were finally stocked.

With two days left before the grand opening, Liu Yiyi started training the staff, emphasizing the importance of politeness and a customer-service mindset.

This was an attitude that most workers at the time lacked.

Liu Yiyi made it very clear: anyone who failed to demonstrate these qualities would be fired.

Immediately, everyone’s attitude sharpened.

On the evening of that third day, Liu Yiyi and the employees she had been training until eight o’clock began to leave one after another.

An Guoming was waiting by the entrance to lock up. Just as the last employee had walked some distance away and he was about to head inside, a glass bottle shattered at his feet.

Startled by the SMASH, An Guoming looked down, then yelled at the top of his lungs, ”An Ning, you’ve got business!”

An Guoming had long been prepared for a scene like this.

When doing business in the south, you had to pay tribute to the local ’powers that be.’ It was inevitable that someone would come looking for trouble in a market this prime.

An Guoming backed away to a relatively safe spot and waited for An Ning.

Just then, several men emerged onto the street. They were shirtless, with jackets slung over their shoulders and beer bottles in hand. They walked with an aggressive swagger, looking like they might as well have had the words ”I’m a bad guy” tattooed on their foreheads.

”Just a moment, gentlemen. My sister handles this department.”

An Guoming wasn’t the least bit nervous. In fact, he even placated the man across from him, who had just raised his arm to try and intimidate him.

”Just wait a second. Otherwise, you’ll just have to repeat yourself later, and that would be a waste of energy.”

Du San, who had come to collect protection money, had never met someone who wasn’t afraid of him. The scar on his face twitched as the corner of his mouth moved.

”Kid, do you understand the rules around here?”

”What rules might those be? ...Do tell.”