Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Night fell, the starlight dim and lonely.

A black sedan drove alongside the darkness, the two indistinguishable.

Inside the car, An Ning’s heart was a mixture of calm and agitation. She knew her last test had been a high-stakes gamble.

But the progress she envisioned wasn’t one achieved by sacrificing natural resources. She needed to make a change.

An Ning closed her eyes, her mind filled with every little moment she had spent with Mister. Every word of his counsel, every syllable, tumbled through her thoughts.

Mister had said his abilities would be An Ning’s best cover, and he had made it so.

Mister had said that anything An Ning couldn’t explain, she could attribute to him. And that’s exactly what she had done.

Mister had said that since ancient times, Mysticism has always been mysterious and powerful. And the more mysterious and powerful something is, the more cautiously people will treat it.

Mister had said... so many things.

Just then, An Ning’s eyes snapped open. She gazed into the endless darkness and murmured, ”Mister...”

A parent’s deep love for their child makes them plan far into the future for them.

This was even more true of what Mister felt for An Ning.

In that moment, An Ning finally understood Mister’s intentions. He was paving the way for her.

He always had been; she had just overlooked it.

Mister was the only person who knew An Ning’s identity as an otherworldly visitor. Though he had hidden his own thoughts, he wasn’t acting for his own sake.

Shou’an. Guarding the An family was only the first layer. What Mister was truly guarding was the ”An”—the peace—of Huaxia.

The car slowed down. An Ning’s thoughts settled, and she calmly awaited whatever was to come.

Yu Zheng’s car underwent a comprehensive security check. Afterward, An Ning got out and followed Director Zhao inside.

After passing through two more security checkpoints, An Ning arrived at a red door, where Director Zhao stopped.

”An Ning, this is as far as I go. You can go in by yourself.”

”Thank you.”

An Ning knocked and entered.

Half an hour later, An Ning emerged, her expression relaxed.

Director Zhao, who had been waiting outside the entire time, stepped forward and asked, ”Everything went well?”

”Everything went well.”

An Ning had met *him*.

Before the meeting, her mind had been a mess of thoughts. Afterward, she was at ease.

’So there really are different levels to people,’ she thought.

’A level that even she, a visitor from an interstellar civilization, couldn’t reach.’

She was told that as long as it benefited Huaxia’s development, she should do as she saw fit.

She was told that if anyone gave her trouble, she should come directly to him, and he would resolve it for her.

She was told that Huaxia didn’t want to fall behind and be beaten, nor did it wish to bully other nations. But they needed to stand up—to stand tall and stand firm.

During the half-hour conversation, An Ning wasn’t asked about her origins, nor was she questioned.

From beginning to end, she received nothing but affirmation.

When the half-hour talk concluded, An Ning asked, perplexed, ”Why do you believe me?”

”The person Shou’an chose cannot be wrong.”

’Mister again!’

An Ning only had time to nod affirmatively. ”Mister is never wrong, and your trust in me won’t be either.”

As she walked out of the room, An Ning had a feeling she’d been outmaneuvered by Mister, but it wasn’t a strong one.

’Even without Mister, I would have eventually made a name for myself, though I probably would have exposed myself in a much stupider way.’

’But Mister’s existence had cloaked her in a shroud of mystery. For now, no one would try to tear it away. They would only gaze from behind the curtain, content with the enigma.’

”An Ning, do you have time tomorrow? I’d like to introduce you to a few people.”

Director Zhao continued, ”Barring any surprises, I will be your direct contact starting today. You can reach out to me for any needs you might have.”

”Also, regarding the men outside, if you want to keep any of them, you can. If not, that’s fine too. It’s entirely up to you.”

An Ning and Director Zhao walked out of a building. The warm, yellow lights added a touch of warmth to the slightly chilly Beijing night.

”Director Zhao, here’s to a pleasant collaboration.”

”As for the men, I’ll think about it.”

”I have time tomorrow.”

An Ning had addressed all three points. She shook hands with Director Zhao, and they shared a knowing smile.

Director Zhao saw An Ning to Yu Zheng’s car. They drove away from this place, mysterious and inaccessible to most, and headed into the night.

”Yu Zheng, take me back to the house near the university.”

It was late; the dorms would be locked by now.

”Yes, ma’am.”

Yu Zheng drove, expertly navigating the familiar route back to An Ning’s house near Beijing University.

The house was neither large nor small, just a simple two-story building that Yu Zheng kept impeccably clean.

Yu Zheng stood at the gate, waiting until he saw An Ning go inside before he left.

That night, An Ning sat by the window for a long time. She didn’t do much, only wrote a letter home to be transmitted back to the interstellar world, along with the seeds and seedlings she had accumulated recently.

An Ning had wanted to try transmitting seedlings for a long time. The evening’s events had likely been the catalyst that finally pushed her to try.

Early the next morning, Yu Zheng came to pick up An Ning.

”KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!”

”An Ning!”

”An Ning!”

After calling out a few times with no response from inside, Yu Zheng started to get anxious.

Yu Zheng waited for a long while before deciding to climb the wall. He was halfway over when An Ning came out.

”An Ning, what’s wrong with you?”

Yu Zheng jumped down from the wall and rushed forward a few steps to support An Ning, whose face was as pale as paper.

’It’s only been one night. How could she end up like this?’ he wondered.

”Yu Zheng, do you know if there are any crops nearby?”

”Huh?”

Yu Zheng let out a sound of surprise, his brain automatically calculating. ”Half an hour by car.”

”Take me there. I dreamed of Mister last night.”

Yu Zheng understood a little of what was going on, but with no time to think too much, he helped An Ning into the car and drove toward the nearby farmland.

When An Ning arrived, she saw that much of the earth was bare, leaving only fields of yellow soil.

’That’s right, the autumn harvest is already done back home.’

She looked for a farmer who hadn’t finished harvesting yet and explained that she was a student from a nearby university doing a social practice project.

The villager didn’t know what a ”social practice project” was, only that they had an extra hand to help with the work, so An Ning was able to join in smoothly.

After helping with the work for three hours, An Ning’s spiritual power had somewhat recovered, and she left with Yu Zheng.

On the way back, An Ning kept her eyes closed, resting.

”An Ning, is your offer from yesterday still open?”

”It is.”

”Then I accept.”

An Ning opened her eyes. After a moment of silence, she said, ”Thank you, Yu Zheng.”

”I genuinely want to. I don’t have any other motives,” he said.

An Ning hummed softly in acknowledgment. ”Then the first order of business is to find a plot of empty land and build a few greenhouses. I’m going to grow vegetables.”

”Okay.”

Yu Zheng agreed readily, without any questions.

An Ning smiled, satisfied. ’Not bad,’ she thought. ’It feels like half the weight has been lifted from my shoulders.’

The two of them returned from the suburbs to the entrance of Beijing University. It was the same spot, with the same people waiting.

An Ning instructed Yu Zheng to go handle his task and told him he didn’t need to pick her up.

Understanding, Yu Zheng left first. An Ning, meanwhile, got into a car with Director Zhao and headed off in an unknown direction.

And right then, at the entrance to Beijing University, An Ning’s behavior of repeatedly switching cars was seen by someone who recognized her.

A rumor that no one could have ever expected began to spread.