Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

The aroma of tea filled the office.

On a natural wood square table, two reddish lumps of charcoal burned in an earthen stove, with an exquisite teapot resting steadily on top.

Beside the stove were porcelain teacups, lids, and saucers imbued with the charm of a southern water town. To the left were two plates of pastries so masterfully crafted one couldn’t bear to ruin them.

After saying thank you at the door, An Ning surveyed the arrangement and commented, ”A treacherous banquet?”

”Haha... relax. These old bones of mine are no match for you.”

Director Zhao invited An Ning to sit. She walked steadily to the seat opposite him and waited.

The GURGLE of boiling water and the gentle TRICKLE of tea being poured filled the space in the room.

The two of them sat face-to-face in silence.

It seemed to be a contest of patience, and An Ning was the one who came out on top.

”I was just thinking, if I didn’t speak first, were you planning on not saying a word?”

”Yes.”

Having received a definitive answer, Director Zhao pushed a teacup toward An Ning and asked, ”What’s on your mind?”

”How the universe was actually born from the Big Bang, and how quantum mechanics can describe the forces governing atoms and subatomic particles.”

An Ning met Director Zhao’s gaze and saw astonishment and regret in his eyes.

Just as she expected, Director Zhao put down the teapot, pushed the pastries toward her, and said, ”My apologies. That was presumptuous of me.”

An Ning didn’t reply, simply picking up a pastry and starting to eat.

After just one bite, her eyes lit up slightly as she asked, ”Who made these pastries?”

”Hm? I honestly don’t know. You like them?”

”I do.”

”Good. I’ll have someone get you their contact information later.”

With the small talk concluded, Director Zhao moved on to the main topic of the day.

But the moment he opened his mouth, what he said was a world away from what An Ning had been expecting.

”An Ning, the fraud case has been concluded. You’re aware of that, right?”

”I know. The police called me.”

Director Zhao lowered his head, choosing his next words carefully.

”Um... I heard that you used... Feng Shui and Mysticism to find the person. Is that true?”

”Yes.”

An Ning’s composure stood in stark contrast to Director Zhao’s deliberation. She spoke up, ”Is there a problem?”

”No major problem. I’m just curious.”

After saying this, Director Zhao gave an embarrassed laugh and asked, ”Actually, I’d like to know what you think of Feng Shui and Mysticism. And why did you decide to learn about them?”

An Ning set down the pastry, dusted off her hands, and fixed her gaze on Director Zhao. Her normally brown pupils began to darken.

”I learned it by chance, and I enjoy it very much. I believe Feng Shui incorporates disciplines like statistics, meteorology, psychology, mathematics, and physics. It is both precise and powerful.”

An Ning’s directness made it difficult for Director Zhao to beat around the bush any longer. He sat up straight and asked the question that concerned him most.

”Will you give up on science?”

”Why would I give up on science? As I just said, Mysticism incorporates many things, including science.”

”You could even say that the end of science is Mysticism. Or rather, there are some things science can’t explain, but Mysticism can.”

Director Zhao, sitting opposite her, was not very satisfied with this answer. He asked with some urgency, ”So, will you still pursue science in the future?”

An expression of confusion appeared on An Ning’s face. ”Why wouldn’t I pursue science?” she asked, clearly puzzled. ”I promised my Feng Shui Master that I would make this world a better place.”

”Beautiful things need to be built, and I’m working hard on that.”

An Ning’s words finally allowed Director Zhao to breathe a sigh of relief. When he received the investigation report and saw in An Ning’s testimony that she had used Feng Shui to locate someone, he had been shocked.

Although such things were no longer prosecuted, the lingering paranoia made him afraid.

Fear was only a small part of it. The main reason was that things like Feng Shui and Mysticism were not something an ordinary person could learn. He was afraid that if An Ning spent her energy on these pursuits, it would be a huge loss for the world of science.

”That’s good. I was worried you would become obsessed with Mysticism and neglect or abandon your work in science.”

”Oh...”

An Ning finally understood Director Zhao’s concern. She reassured him, ”Don’t worry, I can handle both. They aren’t mutually exclusive.”

”Good, good. You’re right.”

Now certain that An Ning’s future path hadn’t gone astray, Director Zhao began to chat with her, discussing everyday matters as well as future plans and developments.

”An Ning, the future you envision is wonderful, but it will be very difficult to achieve.”

”Right now, we are purchasing most of our technology from abroad. It’s not that we can’t do the research ourselves, but we’ve fallen behind and are using money to buy time.”

An Ning put down her teacup. ”I know. But what if I told you that I can create any technology you want to buy? That I can even do it better, so we don’t need to purchase outdated technology.”

The teacup in Director Zhao’s hand cracked.

He looked at An Ning, his voice grave as he asked, ”An Ning, do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

”I do.”

An Ning’s mindset had shifted. She continued laying out her plan.

”I will provide any technology you need to purchase. What you need to do is handle the infrastructure. Strengthen the nation’s foundational infrastructure in the shortest time possible.”

Director Zhao didn’t speak. This decision was too momentous for him to make alone.

An Ning didn’t expect a definitive answer from him either.

”Director Zhao, using the Feng Shui and Mysticism you’re not so sure about, and under the guidance of a certain master, I found something. It’s quite peculiar. Would you be interested in seeing it?”

This time, Director Zhao did not remain silent. He simply looked up at An Ning, his gaze focused and intent.

”What is it that’s so mysterious?”

”Rest assured, the master who taught me Feng Shui loves our country very much. I guarantee it’s something good. I’ve done some preliminary research on it, and it’s endlessly fascinating.”

Director Zhao’s interest was piqued. He watched as An Ning took a small, black, fingernail-sized stone from her pocket with one hand and placed it on the wooden table.

”After examining this, I’ve named it the ’electric stone.’ As the name implies, it generates electricity. As for the equipment to harness that electricity, I believe many people will be able to build it.”

”Take it back with you, run some tests, and then we can talk again.”

An Ning left the office. Director Zhao stared at the small stone on the table, half-believing, half-skeptical. However, thinking of An Ning’s genius, he still decided to leave overnight, taking the inconspicuous little black stone with him back to Beijing.

Meanwhile, An Ning had no regrets about her decision today.

She had the ability, and the higher-ups truly needed to develop the country. Everything she was doing now was to close the gap with other nations.

She didn’t want to remain stagnant. If they were going to develop, then they should ruthlessly surpass everyone else, leaving them far behind.

An Ning returned to her dorm, took out a thick stack of blueprints, and began to draw.

What she wanted was a better future, not hasty destruction. Otherwise, she never would have revealed the electric stone.

Long-term plans and future energy consumption all required new designs to accommodate them.

A new Chapter was about to begin.