Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

An Ning nodded in confirmation. Jiang Xia stood up, his mouth agape and his eyes filled with deep disgust.

”How could they...”

Jiang Xia trailed off. Understanding, An Ning shook her head. ”I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”

Jiang Xia nodded in agreement, tapping a book against his palm as he contemplated their next move.

”What do you think? Does Xiao Xian know that that Jiang Xia is his son? Xiao Yan definitely knows, but would she tell Xiao Xian?”

An Ning didn’t have an answer for Jiang Xia. She simply asked, ”How big of a blow would this be to Xiao Xian?”

”Huge. People in his line of work aren’t allowed to have the slightest stain on their record, let alone something like incest between siblings.”

A thought suddenly struck Jiang Xia. He looked at An Ning and asked, ”Are Xiao Xian and Xiao Yan really brother and sister?”

An Ning froze. They had assumed from the very beginning that the two were actual siblings.

”Wait a second.”

An Ning picked up the phone and called Luo Li’s number again. Fortunately, the samples had been preserved.

After hanging up, An Ning looked at Jiang Xia and said, ”We’ll know tomorrow.”

”Right.”

Jiang Xia’s lips curled into a menacing smile. ’Regardless,’ he thought, ’even if they’re only siblings in name, it’s enough to nail Xiao Xian. It would only force Xiao Xian out of his current job, though. It wouldn’t affect him too much in other areas.’

”Regardless of the result, I want to talk to Xiao Xian’s wife.”

Jiang Xia’s words caught An Ning’s attention. ”Why?”

”The person who shares his bed knows him best. She’ll also be the one to deliver the fatal blow.”

”Besides, Xiao Xian’s wife, Qiu Yue, is no simple woman.”

Jiang Xia told An Ning that he had met Qiu Yue twice.

On the surface, Qiu Yue was the image of a perfect wife and mother, but she was actually swift and ruthless in her dealings. She was currently in charge of a department at a major corporation.

A woman who clawed her way to the top in a male-dominated environment would only be that much tougher.

「Night fell.」

Under Xiao Lang’s care, An Ning went to bed early and slept soundly.

In the other room, Jiang Xia was wrestling with an indescribable emotion and went to bed late.

Seeing the light still on in Jiang Xia’s room, Uncle Jiang knocked on the door to have a little chat.

Jiang Xia didn’t hide much from Uncle Jiang, telling him everything he could.

To Uncle Jiang, Jiang Xia was like his own son, even though he had no children of his own.

They talked for a long time. Just as Uncle Jiang was about to leave, he suddenly turned back. ”You have to be patient when you’re pursuing a girl.”

”Huh?”

Jiang Xia froze for a second before it dawned on him. ”You know who I like?”

”An Ning.”

”Shhh—”

Looking as guilty as if he’d been caught red-handed, Jiang Xia clapped a hand over Uncle Jiang’s mouth. He glanced nervously outside before quietly lowering his hand and whispering, ”Don’t say that! She’ll hear you.”

”You have no idea how incredible she is.”

As he said this, a proud smile spread across Jiang Xia’s face. He didn’t even realize how happy he looked.

Uncle Jiang averted his eyes. ”You might want to reel that grin in a bit.”

Jiang Xia immediately clamped his hand over his mouth and asked sheepishly, ”Does it look that bad?”

With a serious expression, Uncle Jiang gave his frank assessment. ”Not bad, just goofy.”

At a loss for words, Jiang Xia had no comeback.

Uncle Jiang didn’t press the matter. He was no expert on love himself; it was best to let the younger generation handle their own affairs.

Before Uncle Jiang left, he offered one last piece of advice. ”You must respect a girl. No getting handsy, understand?”

Jiang Xia held up both hands, a look of mock terror and innocence on his face. ”I wouldn’t dare! She could snap... any part of me... with just one hand.”

Seeing Jiang Xia’s reaction, Uncle Jiang gave him a disdainful look. ’No wonder he hasn’t won her over yet, the big goof.’

After Uncle Jiang left, Jiang Xia’s mind ran wild. He dreamed of marrying An Ning, only to have his bones broken daily and be forced to kneel on a washboard.

「The next morning.」

Jiang Xia shuffled out of his room, yawning. The moment he opened the door, he came face-to-face with a dog.

”What the—!”

Jiang Xia stumbled back a couple of steps before he saw Da Huang standing on a stool with a leash in his mouth.

”Seriously, we can just go for a walk. No need to scare me half to death.”

Grumbling to himself, Jiang Xia resignedly took the leash. Da Huang strutted ahead, chest puffed out, while a listless Jiang Xia trailed behind, muttering, ”I’m not sure who’s walking who here,” as he let the dog lead the way.

When the other pet at home saw Da Huang leave, it couldn’t hold back either and went to find Lin Cuihua.

Lin Cuihua and An Sancheng took Xiao Lang out for a walk together.

With nothing to do, An Ning watched from the side as Grandpa Jiang and Uncle Jiang exercised.

A few minutes later, the phone rang. Anxious to get back to her room, An Ning jumped straight out of her wheelchair.

”An Ning—”

”You little brat!”

Uncle Jiang cried out An Ning’s name, while Master Tang yelled, ”You little brat!” Dropping the vegetables in his hands, he rushed to help her.

But An Ning was surprisingly steady hopping on one foot. When she came to an obstacle, she cleared it with an easy leap.

Master Tang’s wet hands were of no use. He glanced down at the vegetables on the ground and muttered, ”Looks like a six-meal day today.”

Hopping away in a flurry, An Ning glanced back over her shoulder and pleaded, ”My bad, Master Tang! I’ll glue myself to the wheelchair later, I promise!”

Master Tang picked up the vegetables and waved dismissively at her. ’As if,’ he thought.

Having already hopped into her room, An Ning answered the phone. It was Mrs. Luo on the other end.

”Okay, thank you. Please thank everyone for their hard work.”

”Yes, don’t worry, I’m doing fine. I’ll visit when I have time.”

An Ning hung up, thinking about what Mrs. Luo had said. ’The results show they are siblings.’

’So they really are full-blooded siblings. This... this is really...’

An Ning couldn’t find the words to describe it. All she knew was that hearing the news made her feel deeply uncomfortable, almost nauseous.

Soon, Da Huang returned from walking Jiang Xia.

The moment he was inside, Da Huang abandoned Jiang Xia and trotted to the kitchen door, waiting for a treat from Master Tang.

Jiang Xia, who hadn’t even washed his face or hair, had just been on a walk like that.

”Morning, Jiang Xia.”

An Ning came out to say hello. Jiang Xia quickly turned away, rubbing the sleep from the corner of his eye.

”What’s wrong with your eye?”

An Ning asked with concern. Jiang Xia turned back, feigning nonchalance. ”It’s nothing. Just got some wind in my eye.”

”Oh... You’ve got some sleep on your face. You should probably wipe it off.”

An Ning walked past the petrified Jiang Xia, a conspicuous, smug little smile playing on her lips.

With his back to her, Jiang Xia quickly wiped his face and even went back into his room to look in the mirror.

”An Ning!”

Inside, Jiang Xia saw his perfectly clean face. He stormed out of the room and said to An Ning, ”You’re something else.”

”It was just okay. I wasn’t at my best today.”

The two frenemies exchanged a smile. An Ning was the first to speak, her tone turning serious. ”The call came. It’s true. They’re full-blooded siblings.”