Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

If not for the fear of stealing the show, Du’s crew would have had firecrackers at the ready.

Even without firecrackers, they were making quite a scene.

Dozens of burly men, all nearly six feet tall, wore red tops. They had red headbands of unknown origin tied around their freshly shaved heads.

They had even thoughtfully wrapped the drumsticks they were waving in red silk or cloth.

As their arms swung up and down, the red fabric danced, creating an atmosphere that couldn’t have been more festive.

Leading the procession were Du and Du San, each carrying a red wooden sign on their shoulder.

If you looked closely, the red paint on the signs wasn’t even completely dry.

The rectangular red signs bore gold-painted characters wishing for abundant wealth and a grand, auspicious opening. Their earnestness was as clear as day.

And walking in front of those two was the same clean-faced subordinate who’d had his head shaved the day before. He was dressed head-to-toe in red. If not for the words on the signs behind him, you might have mistaken him for a groom.

Dressed all in red, he held a red box in his hands. Inside was a gift—an apology gift.

The large procession made its way to the shop’s entrance, where An Ning happened to be standing right in the middle of the steps.

The clean-faced subordinate in the lead raised the box high, then dropped to his knees with a THUD.

The moment he knelt, the rest of them followed suit with a RUSTLE, kneeling in unison. Even the dancing lion knelt down with them.

”Congratulations to Green Land on its grand opening! May your wealth be abundant!”

After the clean-faced subordinate finished speaking, everyone behind him repeated it. Their voices were so thunderous you could probably hear them on the west side of the county if they were shouting from the east.

Once he was done, Du San, who had been holding up his sign, obsequiously lifted his head and gave An Ning a fawning smile.

”Boss An, may you prosper.”

”I especially liked the gift you gave me yesterday, so I’ve come to give you one today.”

Du San’s posture was exceptionally humble, and his willingness was genuine, especially after seeing the crowd of factory managers out front washing the windows.

Beside him, Du looked at An Ning with an earnest expression.

”So you’re Boss An. Truly a person of extraordinary talent. Please forgive us for our offense yesterday. We were blind and failed to recognize your greatness. We are here today first to offer our congratulations, and second to apologize. We hope you can be magnanimous.”

After Du finished his speech, all eyes turned to An Ning.

An Ning didn’t put on airs or try to make things difficult for them.

There was no need for a mutually destructive conflict between them.

”You’re too kind. It was all a misunderstanding. Please, get up. Come inside.”

As she spoke, An Ning walked down the steps and personally helped Du and Du San to their feet, inviting them inside.

This invitation truly soothed Du and Du San’s hearts.

The two of them went inside, but their crew remained outside, continuing their performance.

The rather amateurish gong and drum troupe and lion dance team waved their red cloths, adding a splash of vibrant color to the grand opening.

Inside the shop, everyone—from those who had been scrambling to wash the windows to those who had come to apologize—stood obediently in one area, awaiting the auspicious hour.

At 9:58 AM, An Ning and An Guoming stood outside once more. In front of them was a red ribbon decorated with flowers.

When the time came, Jiang Xia lit the prepared firecrackers. With a SNIP of their scissors, An Ning and An Guoming cut the ribbon.

An Ning turned to the side and pulled a red cord. The red cloth covering the sign was yanked away, revealing the two words ”Green Land” to the world.

The moment everyone saw the sign, it was as if they could see green fields and a vast, refreshing landscape. They could almost smell the fragrance of fresh grass.

There was something magical about that sign.

An Ning, of course, noticed everyone’s reaction. She gave a mysterious smile. ’The Master is truly formidable.’

”All the vegetables at Green Land are picked and delivered fresh this morning. We promise to never sell day-old produce.”

”Today, from 10:00 to 10:30, we have a special on eggs. One cent each, with a total of five hundred available. Each person is limited to five.”

”We are open!”

An Guoming put down the megaphone in his hand. With a grand wave of his arm, he cleared the way to the store’s entrance.

Inside, the staff, dressed in green aprons, shouted in unison, ”Welcome to Green Land!”

The people entering were taken aback by this enthusiastic service, and for a moment, they hesitated.

They just felt that something was off. ’Why isn’t this clerk glaring at us?’

’Why isn’t this clerk sneering?’

’Why is this clerk smiling?’

’This clerk’s voice is so pleasant!’

’The clerk even said thank you to us. How strange.’

Green Land’s focus on customer service was a first for this small county, showing the local people that shopping could be a completely different experience.

The director of the supply and marketing cooperative, who had come to offer his congratulations, had a sinking feeling. ’The cooperative is going to be deserted.’

’If this keeps up, we’ll probably go under soon. Looks like I need to make other plans.’

He didn’t blame the An family, though. In his position, he was aware of certain developments in the south and north.

’It’s just the general trend.’

The bustling atmosphere and the growing crowd inside the store got so busy that An Ning and An Guoming both had to jump in and help.

The various factory managers who had come to visit ended up being demoted to laborers, helping maintain order at the egg counter.

The rush continued like this until well after one in the afternoon before it finally started to die down.

An Ning immediately arranged for lunch, inviting everyone who came to congratulate them to a hot pot meal.

The broth base was personally made by Master Tang. The lamb was hand-sliced, and there was fresh pork belly, fish fillets, every kind of vegetable imaginable, farmhouse-style glass noodles, wild mountain vegetables, and more, all laid out to fill the table.

To make it easier for everyone to eat, An Ning set up four yin-yang pots, ensuring everyone could reach.

There was mellow sesame paste, sprinkled with crushed peanuts and seafood sauce. Then you could add some of Master Tang’s mushroom or beef sauce, chili oil made from fried dried chilies, and finally some chive flowers, cilantro, and so on. You could just mix it all up.

Taking a deep whiff, An Ning felt that with a fragrance like this, anything you dipped in it would taste delicious.

The steaming hot pot meal had everyone sweating, with beads of perspiration on their foreheads.

”If you opened a restaurant with this hot pot, it would definitely be a huge hit.”

”This broth base is amazing.”

”This marinated meat is delicious, too. The flavor is perfect, not gamy at all.”

The factory managers, who had eaten their fair share of fine food, gave their praise, but Master Tang remained unmoved.

For one, he wasn’t short on money. For another, there was no way to mass-produce it.

These were all from ingredients he had saved up over time; in total, he had only made a dozen or so blocks of hot pot base.

If An Ning hadn’t been treating them to a meal, he never would have parted with them.

Everyone was just making casual remarks. No one dared to actually ask Master Tang to do anything, not with An Ning right there.

After the hot pot meal, the factory managers left first.

The store reopened in the afternoon. After closing, Du and Du San returned with their men to help clean up.