Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Hua Cheng’s four cryptic words had been spoken. Those who were meant to understand, understood. And those who weren’t, understood as well.

One of the police officers said, ”We’ll take him away for now. If we need anything else, we’ll come back.”

The two officers didn’t comment on what the big rooster had done. It’s not like they could give the rooster a medal, could they?

They took the man and left without any fuss.

The slovenly man, tied up securely, had hatred in his eyes. An Ning saw it crystal clear.

’Fail to pull the weeds by the root, and you’ll have endless trouble later.’

An invisible but sharp surge of spiritual power pierced the slovenly man’s brainstem, reaching the very core of his brain.

In an instant, the hatred in the man’s eyes was replaced by a dull, vacant look, full of confusion as to why he was even there.

Jiang Xia noticed the change, but he didn’t say a word.

Not only did he keep quiet, his inner thoughts mirrored An Ning’s: eliminate the threat completely.

’I’ll make sure this man rots in prison for the rest of his life.’

’I’ve heard that a certain type of criminal is at the very bottom of the prison hierarchy. An ’accident’ wouldn’t be out of the question.’

The two of them hadn’t communicated at all, but they had made the same decision.

After the slovenly man was taken away, Village Chief Sun Dazhuang stepped forward to say a few words.

The gist of his speech was that with strangers entering the village, everyone needed to be more vigilant.

The villagers all agreed. Everyone had children, so it was always better to be cautious.

The crowd in the An family’s courtyard dispersed. Everyone had plenty of their own work to do.

Lin Cuihua’s heart was still pounding with fear. Even though she knew An Ning was very capable, as a mother, she was still terrified.

This time, Lin Cuihua didn’t take Hei Dan’er out again, deciding to just play at home.

Hei Dan’er wasn’t very mobile yet. He had just learned to crawl and couldn’t stand.

Lin Cuihua placed him in a playpen, where he played with a few smooth, splinter-free wooden toys.

At some point, Xiao Lang slipped into the playpen to play with Hei Dan’er.

An Ning took a book and sat outside the playpen, quietly keeping them company.

Seeing this, Lin Cuihua, who could never sit still, went to do some work in the vegetable garden. After that, it would be time to cook for the large family.

A little after two in the afternoon was when the sun was at its fiercest. The scorching sunlight baked down on your skin until it ached.

Villagers usually chose to go home and rest during this time. They preferred to start early in the morning or work a little later in the evening.

But they couldn’t start too early in the morning because of the dew, which would soak their pant legs the moment they stepped into the fields.

The members of the An family who worked the fields also returned around this time. They would have a simple meal of rice with water and some vegetables with dipping sauce, and that was that.

An Ning and An Guoping each had a book, sitting by the edge of the playpen and watching Hei Dan’er and Xiao Lang play.

”POPSICLES—”

”POPSICLES—”

An Guoping shot to his feet, one hand patting his pocket, then quietly sat back down.

”Here.”

An Ning understood and handed him five yuan. ”Buy a few extra. There are a lot of us.”

”Hey, Sis, have I ever told you you’re the best?”

”Stop sucking up and go.”

An Guoping took the money and bolted out of the courtyard. Before he even reached the gate, he was already yelling at the top of his lungs, ”POPSICLES—WAIT UP!”

As An Guoping burst out of the courtyard, he ran right into his next-door neighbor, Hua Cheng.

Like little kids afraid the other would buy out all the popsicles first, they both broke into a run, chasing after the popsicle seller.

The way they charged toward him made the old man selling popsicles wonder if they were about to rob him.

”Give me ten popsicles! You got anything else?”

Thanks to the speed An Ning had drilled into him, An Guoping pulled ahead and got there first.

”One yuan, and I’ll give you eleven. I also have White Rabbit ones. They’re made with milk, really tasty.”

The old man, a seasoned pro, expertly flicked off the thick rubber band on the quilt, opened the styrofoam box underneath, and counted out eleven popsicles.

An Guoping hadn’t brought anything to carry them in. He shoved the money at the old man and said, ”I’ll go get a basin. Wait for me!”

He took off running back home. Hua Cheng, who arrived just after him, asked breathlessly, ”What’s wrong? Are they sold out?”

Hua Cheng, who had perfectly blended in with the locals, got no answer from An Guoping and had to ask the vendor himself.

It turned out he had just bought too many to carry.

Hua Cheng bought four cream popsicles, unwrapped one on the spot, and started eating it while waiting for An Guoping.

’What if the old man takes off?’

An Guoping returned quickly with a small metal basin. After loading the eleven popsicles into it, he bought three of the cream ones as well.

After getting his change, An Guoping left with Hua Cheng, leaving the old popsicle seller surrounded by a group of small children.

Most of them bought just one, while a few kids who couldn’t buy any watched on with longing eyes.

After selling to that wave of customers, the old man pedaled his bicycle with renewed vigor.

’This village is great. They sell out fast.’

Normally, he’d be lucky to sell ten popsicles in an entire village.

The old popsicle seller memorized the route to this village, thinking he’d come here first from now on.

Meanwhile, An Guoping, carrying the popsicles home, gave the three cream ones to Lin Cuihua, his sister-in-law, and An Ning.

The rest of the popsicles were put in the basin, and everyone unwrapped one to eat together.

An Ning finished a cream popsicle in just a few bites, then grabbed one of the regular ice pops.

After a single bite, she said, ”I like this one better. It’s colder and more refreshing.”

Seeing An Ning already eating another one, Lin Cuihua said, ”Slow down. That’ll make your teeth ache.”

”Huh? It doesn’t hurt me.” An Ning took a big bite of the ice pop and crunched it loudly, CRUNCH CRUNCH, proving her teeth were ridiculously strong.

Seeing that An Ning really wasn’t in pain, Lin Cuihua realized and said, ”Ah, you’ve got young teeth.”

Everyone laughed. They sat in the kitchen with the front and back doors open, a cross-breeze blowing through. With popsicles in hand, they listened to the cicadas droning outside and could almost faintly hear the sound of the sun baking the earth.

They passed the time with idle chatter and laughter.

Seeing everyone enjoying their treats, Hei Dan’er couldn’t help but babble and coo.

Village folk weren’t so fussy. An Guoqing let Hei Dan’er have a tiny taste of a popsicle, which made the baby squint his eyes in a happy smile.

”Oh, my dear Hei Dan’er,” An Guoqing teased, ”your eyes were already small to begin with!”

Hei Dan’er, who had been facing An Guoqing, twisted around and presented his bottom to him instead.

”HAHAHA! Looks like Hei Dan’er’s not happy with you!”

The family’s laughter and cheerful voices filled the air; it was a truly happy moment.

After finishing their popsicles, everyone took a short nap. They woke up from their drowsy sleep feeling refreshed and full of energy, ready to head back to the fields.

Days like this were simple, but not easy.

Most villagers would work until six or seven in the evening. They’d come home, have a bite to eat, gossip for a bit by their doorways, and then it would be time for bed.

An Ning used her spiritual power to cheat and save a popsicle for her ”reservist,” Zhou Xiaoshan, a first-year high school student currently learning how to get along with people. In return, she received a goofy ”thank you” from him.

That night, An Ning returned to her room with Xiao Lang. His bed, which had been put out to dry in the sun during the day, was brought back inside.

An Ning watched as Xiao Lang obediently lay down in it, and soon, tiny snores could be heard.

She didn’t go to sleep right away. ’Why did I sleep so deeply last night? What exactly happened?’

’And what was going on with the change in Xiao Lang’s eyes?’