Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

”Mama—”

The long-awaited, childlike voice made Anna drop to her knees in excitement. She steadied herself against the rocking chair, her eyes filled with anticipation, not daring to blink as she watched Baby open his eyes.

”Baby...”

On the rocking chair, Baby’s eyes had regained their usual clarity. His dark, sparkling eyes seemed to smile, and the paper-white pallor of his lips was replaced by a rosy red. His small mouth opened, and his sweet voice called out for his mother once more.

”Mama.”

”Yes! Mama’s here, Mama’s here, Mama’s right here.”

Anna sniffled, fighting the stinging in her nose, and gently hugged Baby’s upper body. Feeling the warmth of his small frame, Anna could no longer hold back her tears. They dripped, PITTER-PATTER, onto the wicker chair.

”Mama, are you crying? Did Baby make you sad?”

Baby’s little hand tried to pull at Anna. Wiping her tears away with one hand, Anna pulled back from the hug to look at him. ”No,” she said. ”Baby was a very good, very strong boy.”

Hearing Anna’s words, Baby’s eyes sparkled. ”Then can I have some candy?”

Anna’s tears turned to laughter. She nodded vigorously. ”Yes.”

”Yay! Yay! I want the orange-slice candies!”

Baby cheered and jumped a couple of times before his strength gave out and he collapsed back into the wicker chair.

Anna looked at An Ning anxiously. An Ning made a calming gesture and said softly, ”His vital energy has been drained. He’ll need to rest quietly for a while.”

Anna couldn’t help but worry, but she also knew that Baby waking up at all was a blessing in this unfortunate situation.

Lying in the wicker chair, Baby panted heavily and asked in confusion, ”Mama, what’s wrong with Baby? Can I still have candy?”

Baby’s innocent words made Anna laugh. Still, she glanced at An Ning. After An Ning nodded, Anna answered him, ”Yes, you can.”

As expected, even physical weakness couldn’t dampen Baby’s happiness.

In a child’s world, candy really can cure anything.

The adorable Baby won everyone’s affection. Master Tang, the perennial bachelor, turned to make some food to help Baby recover his energy. Meanwhile, Lin Cuihua found the orange-slice candies Baby had been yearning for and gave them to him.

Baby continued to bask in the sun in the courtyard, surrounded by several elderly people who teased and chatted with him as he ate his candy. Every few sentences were punctuated by everyone’s heartfelt laughter.

Meanwhile, Anna followed An Ning into the living room. The two sat on the sofa, and Anna explained the reason for everything that had happened to Baby.

It turned out that after Anna returned to Beijing with Baby, she first held a funeral for her husband.

At the funeral, Baby’s paternal grandmother had invited a ”master.” This man probably knew a little about Mysticism, but he wasn’t an expert.

But even an amateur could see one thing: the Jade Pendant An Ning had given Baby was of exquisite quality.

Unbeknownst to Anna, the Feng Shui Master had persuaded Baby’s grandmother that the Jade Pendant on her grandson was ominous.

After the funeral, the grandmother demanded the Jade Pendant from Baby. When Anna refused, they had a falling out, and she left with her son alone.

Anna’s insistence left the grandmother’s side with no good options. The two sides were at a stalemate for a month.

A month later, the grandmother’s side took the initiative to visit, apologize, and make amends.

Since they were her elders, Anna didn’t make things too difficult for them, and the two sides reconciled.

After reconciling, they resumed normal contact. As time passed, Anna put the incident out of her mind.

After the semester started at Beijing University, Anna had to go to work. Baby attended the kindergarten affiliated with the university. But sometimes Anna had to work overtime or had other matters to attend to, so she would ask Baby’s maternal grandmother to watch him.

As it happened, Baby’s maternal grandmother sprained her back during those two days, which coincided with Anna being busy. In the end, she had to ask Baby’s paternal grandmother to watch him.

When Anna went to pick up her son after work, she found the paternal grandmother’s home locked tight. After asking the neighbors, she learned that the grandparents had taken Baby out.

Anna began a frantic search for her son, asking every relative in Beijing, but to no avail.

Two elderly people and one child had simply vanished into thin air.

Anna resorted to using connections she was most reluctant to use—those of her late husband.

With everyone’s help, she learned that they had taken her son on a train headed south.

Anna tracked them all the way there. By the time she found Baby, he was in the state An Ning had first seen him.

Inside the room, Anna was still fuming as she recounted the story, her chest heaving. ”They took him to that Feng Shui Master. They originally intended to snatch Baby’s Jade Pendant, but it was as if the pendant had a spirit of its own; the Feng Shui Master couldn’t take it.”

”During the struggle, all they saw was a flash of red light strike Baby’s body. After that, he became... like that.”

Anna’s whole body was trembling. She grabbed An Ning’s arm and said, ”Thank you. I don’t know what Mysticism is, but I know that Jade Pendant protected Baby.”

”That’s right.”

An Ning’s direct admission made Anna thank her again with sincere gratitude.

Anna calmed herself, wiped her tears, and looked at An Ning. ”Is there something... strange about Baby? No, not strange, but...”

”I understand what you mean. Baby is a prime candidate for studying Mysticism. That red light was actually the yin soul of an animal, raised by that half-baked Feng Shui Master to attack people or for other insidious purposes.”

”My guess is that the Feng Shui Master had long since lost control of this yin soul. He desperately needed a powerful Magic Artifact to suppress it, which is why he targeted Baby’s Jade Pendant. However, a Magic Artifact recognizes its owner. While he was trying to seize it, the yin soul discovered that Baby’s constitution was pure and special, so it tried to possess his body. You could call it a form of resurrection.”

An Ning’s words made Anna’s heart twist in knots again. She had come so close to losing her baby.

”Will... will this kind of thing happen again in the future?”

Anna’s eyes pleaded for a negative answer, but unfortunately, An Ning nodded. ”It will. In the eyes of these yin souls, Baby’s constitution is like the flesh of Tang Sanzang.”

”Aaaah...”

Anna sagged listlessly onto the sofa, her eyes vacant. She truly had no idea what to do.

”Anna?”

”Hm?”

Anna snapped back to reality. The moment she looked at An Ning, she found a glimmer of hope. ”You have a solution, don’t you?” she asked.

An Ning nodded.

”Anna, the best choice for Baby is to become a part of the world of Mysticism. Once he understands it, knows it, and becomes strong, he will no longer be afraid and will be able to protect himself.”

”Okay, I agree. I’m willing to have Baby become your disciple. As long as he can live, I’m willing to do anything.”

Anna agreed without a moment’s hesitation, but An Ning shook her head. ”I cannot accept Baby as my disciple.”

”Don’t be nervous. What I mean is, I can teach Baby, but in name, I would only be accepting a disciple on behalf of someone else. Baby is to inherit another lineage.”