Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Jiang Xia arrived just in time to see it.

That single teardrop was like a knife plunging into his heart.

It hurt.

Jiang Xia approached quietly, walked to An Ning’s side, and crouched down.

”I’ll stay with you.”

It was just four words. Jiang Xia said no more.

He squatted there silently, his eyes fixed on the teacup as ripples spread across its surface, one after another.

The tears falling from above gradually formed a steady stream, slowly filling the cup that had been just short of full.

The entire process was silent. An Ning cried without a sound, and it was this silence that made Jiang Xia’s heart ache for her.

Jiang Xia hovered one hand behind An Ning’s back, wanting to comfort her but not daring to, his hand frozen in the air.

”Jiang Xia, I didn’t even know the Master for that long. For a good while, I was even scared of him. So why does it hurt so much right here?”

Jiang Xia looked at An Ning with heartache, his voice losing its usual cockiness and becoming gentle and calm.

”An Ning, the connections between people aren’t measured by time. You and the Master clearly shared a bond. It’s perfectly normal for you to be grieving.”

”Don’t hold it in. It’s okay to cry it all out.”

”I’m here.”

Those two simple words, ”I’m here,” finally made An Ning break down and cry aloud.

”I don’t want the Master to go.”

An Ning turned, resting her forehead on Jiang Xia’s shoulder as her tears soaked the front of his shirt.

Apart from where her forehead touched him, there was no other contact between them.

One cried while the other simply waited in silence.

Having finally let it all out, An Ning’s emotions gradually began to calm.

”There’s still something I have to do.”

An Ning lifted her forehead from Jiang Xia’s shoulder and steadied herself. ”I promised the Master I would do one last thing for him.”

Jiang Xia discreetly shifted his numb legs and said to An Ning, ”I’ll go with you.”

”Okay. Wait for me outside.”

An Ning stood up and went into the Master’s room.

Jiang Xia waited quietly outside, not asking, not prying.

He had come for one person only.

An Ning wasn’t long. When she walked out the front door, the room inside was completely empty. Nothing was left.

After coming out, An Ning walked respectfully to the Master’s side and first performed a bow.

”Master, I will carry you up the mountain.”

An Ning stood, then crouched down. Seeing this, Jiang Xia came over, but he didn’t try to take over the task. It wasn’t that he was squeamish about carrying a body; he understood that this was something An Ning needed to do herself.

He helped lift the Master’s body, positioned it properly, and placed it on An Ning’s back.

An Ning braced herself, hoisted the Master onto her back, and walked out the main door, step by step, heading toward the mountain.

Jiang Xia closed the door, as if the Master were just stepping out on an errand, and followed behind An Ning up the mountain.

With every step she took, An Ning felt the sorrow in her heart lessen just a little.

Her mind replayed the Master’s words, the stories he’d told, even reciting the Feng Shui knowledge he had imparted to her.

’Actually, I probably could have called you ’Master,’ couldn’t I?’

A somewhat regretful smile touched An Ning’s lips, but her steps grew even more determined. She had to fulfill the Master’s final wish.

As she walked, An Ning soon arrived back at the place the Master had visited before. Using her spiritual power, she pinpointed the exact location and lowered the Master from her back.

”I’ve got him. Easy now.”

Jiang Xia was right behind her to catch the Master’s body, and together they laid him down.

”Thank you.”

”I said I’d stay with you.”

For once, Jiang Xia didn’t make a wisecrack. He and An Ning exchanged a comforting smile before starting to gather dry wood to prepare for the Master’s cremation.

An Ning stood on the spot the Master had chosen for himself and tapped her foot twice, confirming there was a stone slab beneath the soil.

She found the edge of the stone and heaved it up. Beneath the slab was a grave, just large enough for one person and two meters and three inches deep.

’Oh, Master...’

An Ning could almost picture the scene: the Master, choosing this spot and digging his own grave.

One man, one shovel, digging a tomb for himself.

An Ning shook the image from her head, gathered some dry branches, and lined the inside of the grave with them.

With An Ning inside the grave and Jiang Xia outside, they worked together to lower the Master in and lay him flat.

”Come on up!”

The moment the Master was laid to rest, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but reach out, ready to pull An Ning up.

He didn’t like the sight of her down there.

An Ning didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Jiang Xia’s hand, and with a firm pull from him, she leaped up easily.

An Ning stood by the grave and held out a hand. Not a whisper of wind stirred.

”Master, your calculations were perfect.”

An Ning took out a prepared tinder-stick, lit it, and tossed it into the grave.

Whether it was because the wood was exceedingly dry or because the Master had made some arrangement, the entire grave burst into flames the instant the tinder-stick touched down.

The flames reached a height of exactly two meters and three inches, not a fraction more, not a fraction less.

The fire burned with incredible speed, and the Master’s body quickly vanished within the inferno.

As the flames died down, a wisp of green smoke rose from the grave, ascending straight toward the heavens.

An Ning’s gaze followed the wisp of smoke. After reaching a certain height, it met the rays of the rising sun.

As green met red, a flash of golden light, visible to the naked eye, blinked into existence. At that moment, countless invisible nets were formed.

”The wind is picking up.”

Jiang Xia held out his hand, a little puzzled, feeling the breeze flow between his fingers. It was neither cold nor hot; in fact, it felt deceptively gentle.

”An Ning, did you see that?”

Through the gaps between his fingers, Jiang Xia thought he could see a hundred flowers blooming.

When he moved his hand, the grass around the grave had grown greener and taller, and the surrounding trees had burst into bloom in an instant.

A miracle on earth, it seemed to have happened in a flash.

”I saw. What the Master wanted... it’s done.”

An Ning retracted her gaze. The wisp of smoke had already dissipated, just like the Master, becoming one with the flowers and grass to protect this land.

Jiang Xia had encountered a Feng Shui Master when he was a child, and had even seen a ”ghost.”

So, he had no trouble believing what he was seeing.

”The Master was the real deal.”

”He was.”

An Ning affirmed Jiang Xia’s words. As they both brought their gazes back from the distance and looked down, they were startled.

The grave was gone.

Except for the large, flat stone slab, there was only vibrant grass and flowers. Not a single trace of digging remained.

”Let’s move the stone.”

”Okay.”

Before lifting the stone, they both bowed deeply toward the spot where the grave had been.

After bowing, An Ning remained standing there for a long while.

”Master, thank you for being a part of my life.”

”Master, I will make this world a better place.”

She said the last sentence with great earnestness.

”Jiang Xia, the Master has gone on a long journey.”

”I know. He left this morning, with no destination and no return date.”

An Ning looked at the ever-cooperative Jiang Xia. ”Thank you.”

After her sincere thanks, An Ning collected herself and said to Jiang Xia, ”I’ve discovered that you’re actually kind of handsome when you’re being serious.”

”Oh? Are you saying I wasn’t handsome before?”

Jiang Xia’s question made An Ning pretend to ponder for a difficult moment.

”Would it be wrong of me to lie?”

”It’s fine, I won’t be able to tell the difference. Go on, tell me.”