Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

An Ning stood in the doorway and called out to the man at the front gate, who was currently in a standoff with the big rooster.

The man raised the bowl in his hand, his voice weak and hollow. ”Spare some food?”

A beggar.

An Ning wasn’t surprised. A beggar would come by the village every ten days or so.

Each time, Lin Cuihua would give them a bowl of rice, but never anything more.

”Wait here.”

An Ning turned and went back inside. She looked at the leftover rice from lunch in the pot, scooped out a bowlful, topped it with some leftover vegetables, and went back out.

The little wolf cub, Xiao Lang, having woken up at some point, trotted plumply at An Ning’s heels. He tumbled over the threshold and followed her outside.

An Ning walked up to the man with the rice and said, ”I’ll pour it into your bowl.”

”Thank you.”

The man held up his chipped, empty bowl, and An Ning poured the food from her bowl into it.

”Are you all alone?”

The man’s question made the air around An Ning turn several degrees colder. Her movements quickened as she looked up and stared directly at him. ”That’s right. Just a little girl, home all by myself. Is there something you want to do about it?”

An Ning’s words made the man holding the bowl grin, revealing a set of large, yellow teeth.

”Hee hee hee... Such a pretty little girl.”

As he spoke, the bowl dropped from his hands, and his filthy hand reached out to touch An Ning’s face.

In An Ning’s eyes, the man’s movement was slower than slow motion. She took a step back, raised her foot high, and kicked him in the chest.

That wasn’t all. An Ning’s kicks were fast; she landed two more in quick succession, and the man plopped onto the ground with a THUD.

An Ning pulled her foot back, kicked up a wooden rafter left over from construction, and grabbed it with one hand. Then she let the man have it.

”If you’re going to beg, then just beg! You may be a nobody, but you’ve sure got some nasty ideas!”

”Pretty? I’ll show you what’s really pretty!”

The sound of THUD, THUD, THUD was incessant.

The big rooster and Xiao Lang, though small, were each smarter than the last.

The rooster’s beak pecked relentlessly at the man’s face, leaving deep, red gashes.

Xiao Lang was even more vicious. It probably knew its own strength and teeth weren’t enough, so it aimed its butt right at the man’s mouth. From a short distance, its little face strained as all the food it had eaten for lunch was converted into excrement.

With a ”SPLAT—,” a yellowish-green substance splattered all over the man’s face.

Even the big rooster retreated a few steps in disgust, looking for a new place to attack.

The commotion in the An family’s courtyard naturally alerted Master Tang and Mr. Jiang Sr. next door.

Master Tang climbed onto the wall to take a look. After one glance, he grabbed a spatula and vaulted over.

”Uncle Jiang— A bad guy!”

Hearing this, Mr. Jiang Sr., who was inside, rushed out of his own yard with surprising agility and charged in through the main gate.

”Master Tang, be careful.”

”You just stand aside and watch. I’m more than enough on my own.”

Master Tang, holding a wok spatula, stood to the side worriedly and said, ”Of course I know you’re enough on your own. I’m here to be your witness.”

”Go on and hit him, don’t worry. I’ll be here the whole time.”

Master Tang’s words made An Ning unable to hold back a smile as she thanked him. ”You’re so thoughtful. So if I beat him to death, it’s not a big deal, right?”

”Don’t worry, this old man is here too.”

Grandpa Jiang walked in through the gate and stood with Master Tang. Neither of them asked what had happened or why An Ning was beating someone up.

But they stood firmly on An Ning’s side.

As for who was in the wrong, they could figure that out after the beating was over.

An Ning pulled back the wooden rafter. She then found a hemp rope, preparing to tie up the man on the ground.

”I’ll do it. Don’t you lift a finger.”

Master Tang, still worried, stepped forward and took the rope. Using the professional technique he used for tying up pork, he bound the man on the ground tightly.

That wasn’t all. He casually pulled up a clump of grass, wadded it into a ball, and stuffed it into the man’s mouth.

Master Tang clapped his hands clean and only then found the time to ask, ”So what exactly happened?”

Mr. Jiang Sr., standing nearby, also looked at An Ning, waiting for her to speak.

After An Ning explained that the man had been begging, what he’d said, and what he’d tried to do, Master Tang flew into a rage. He stormed over and kicked the man squarely in the crotch.

”I’ll break your damn junk! You’re looking for death, you piece of scum!”

Mr. Jiang Sr. was also furious. ’I need to make some calls,’ he thought, ’and make sure this guy gets locked up for life.’

’A person like this should never have been let out.’

The man on the ground let out a muffled grunt from Master Tang’s kick and curled up in pain.

The big rooster, which had been searching for a new angle of attack, was inspired by Master Tang. It flew over with precision and lowered its head.

”Nnngh—”

What should have been a muffled grunt somehow ended up sounding like the shriek of a newly made eunuch.

The three of them stepped back in unison, looked at each other, and nodded in satisfaction.

Master Tang and Mr. Jiang Sr. stayed behind while An Ning went to call the police.

By the time An Ning returned, quite a few people from the village had gathered.

An Ning didn’t hide anything; the incident could serve as a reminder to the villagers.

Normally, the village was tolerant of beggars, but the children were also used to roaming freely.

If they were to really encounter a scoundrel like this—and not everyone was An Ning with her skills—it was good for everyone to be a little more vigilant.

The village chief and Uncle An arrived at the An family home one after another after hearing the news.

The members of the An family who had been working on the mountain also rushed back, including Jiang Xia.

Coincidentally, everyone seemed to go blind at the same time and failed to see the man on the ground. The man was invisibly stepped on or kicked by who knows how many people.

When the police arrived, the man on the ground looked as if he’d seen his own family, his eyes filled with tears of overwhelming relief.

One of the police officers glanced at the scene and said disapprovingly, ”You know, the ’law doesn’t punish the masses’ excuse doesn’t fly anymore.”

”The man is fine. Everyone, don’t be so impulsive. You should leave this for us to handle.”

One of the officers moved to help the man up, while the other began to inquire about the case.

When An Ning mentioned that the ”beggar” had ill intentions, the officer helping the man up ”accidentally” let his hand slip.

”My hand’s cramping. You should probably lie back down for a bit.”

That same officer stood aside with a look of disgust and said to the surrounding villagers, ”Everyone did a good job. When you encounter someone like this, you have to stand united.”

The complete reversal in attitude told An Ning and the others that something terrible must have happened recently.

Sure enough, one of the officers discreetly mentioned that recently, a man had been posing as a beggar, going door-to-door during the time when most villagers were out working.

Sometimes he’d get a little money, other times some food.

But that wasn’t his goal. His main targets were young girls who were home alone, the youngest not even of age.

The officer’s warning made all the surrounding villagers regret the same thing. ’Why didn’t I kick him a few more times!’

”Alright, we’ll take him away now. About these wounds...”

”My big rooster accidentally pecked him. You’re not going to take the rooster away too, are you?”

After An Ning finished speaking, Hua Cheng, who was standing to the side, glanced at the wound and remarked wistfully, ”It’s not that big. Just a mouthful.”