Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

As Qiu Yue left, Jiang Xia murmured after her, ”They will.”

Jiang Xia didn’t walk Qiu Yue back. He had only come to deliver a message: the scandal involving Xiao Xian and Xiao Yan would not spread from him.

He didn’t need some moralistic story to plunge the already-defeated Xiao Family into an even deeper hell, nor did he want to get involved in something so disgusting.

As for whether Qiu Yue would spread it, that was beyond Jiang Xia’s control.

But as Jiang Xia watched her retreating figure, he had a feeling she wouldn’t.

He didn’t know what had happened inside, but Qiu Yue’s aversion to Xiao Yan seemed to have lessened somewhat.

However, Jiang Xia would ensure that Xiao Xian and Xiao Yan’s days inside would be a living hell for the rest of their lives.

「The matter of the Xiao Family was settled.」

Nearly everyone with the Xiao surname was locked up. The remaining family members moved out of their original homes; some chose to move far away, while others went abroad.

Qiu Yue was credited for her role in reporting them, and her child was not implicated in the slightest. Since she had her own money and capabilities, she simply quit her job and moved south, far away from the gossip.

Before leaving, on a strange whim, Qiu Yue went to see Xiao Yan. For the first time, the two of them had a calm and peaceful conversation.

All of Qiu Yue’s words boiled down to a single question: ”Do you regret it?”

She received Xiao Yan’s incredibly firm answer: she didn’t.

After leaving the detention center, Qiu Yue learned that Xiao Yan had shouldered almost all the blame she possibly could, just to lessen Xiao Xian’s punishment.

It was just a pity that, unbeknownst to her, the high-ranking and powerful Xiao Xian had used his authority to do many things he shouldn’t have.

From beginning to end, Xiao Yan never showed a single shred of concern for Jiang Xia. In that moment, Qiu Yue finally understood that Xiao Yan only loved Xiao Xian—loved him to the point of madness.

Qiu Yue didn’t shatter Xiao Yan’s fantasy that Xiao Xian loved her. It was the only thing that woman had left for the rest of her life.

Qiu Yue’s departure had no impact on Jiang Xia, An Ning, or the others.

On the day he was at the detention center, after meeting with Qiu Yue, Jiang Xia returned to the place where An Ning and the others were staying.

Today, everyone was going to have a get-together.

Not to celebrate the Xiao Family’s end, but simply to give a farewell to Grandpa Jiang, Master Tang, Uncle Jiang, Lin Cuihua, and An Sancheng.

They had all been here for almost a month. Jiang Xia and An Ning were recovering well. Although their casts hadn’t been removed, neither of them was sitting idle.

Jiang Xia, whose legs were fine, was out and about every day. An Ning, with her injured leg, didn’t run around, but she had audited nearly every course at Beijing University.

All sorts of languages, all sorts of subjects—if An Ning was interested, she had to go learn about it and listen in.

Most importantly, she always managed to leave a deep impression on the professors, landing her classmates with piles of homework they shouldn’t have had.

After gaining a reputation for her frailty, she was given a new nickname by the students: the Homework God.

The great god who delivered homework.

At this very moment, this ”Homework God” was writing furiously at her desk.

Beside An Ning was Zhou Xiaoshan, writing just as furiously.

Zhou Xiaoshan was finishing the fifth notebook of homework An Ning had assigned him. Tonight was the deadline.

”PHEW— I’m done, Master.”

Zhou Xiaoshan timidly handed the notebook to An Ning, his hesitation prompting her to say, ”Are you going to let go?”

Zhou Xiaoshan’s hand didn’t loosen; he kept clutching the notebook and pleaded, ”Master, please go easy on me.”

”You should know that I’m someone who keeps business and personal matters strictly separate.”

An Ning tugged, pulling the notebook away from him as a somewhat despairing look crossed Zhou Xiaoshan’s face.

”An Ning—”

Yin Xuemei, holding a book, knocked on the door. An Ning looked up and said, ”Come in.”

Yin Xuemei walked in with her textbook and asked, ”Am I interrupting?”

”Not at all. Xiao Shan just finished his homework.”

Yin Xuemei sat down next to An Ning with her book, opened it, and pointed at the content. ”I don’t quite understand this part. I wanted to ask you about it.”

”No problem, I’ll explain it to you.”

An Ning eagerly and warmly began explaining the problem to Yin Xuemei. Beside them, Zhou Xiaoshan pouted and muttered silently, ’So much for keeping things separate. Looks more like she favors girls over guys to me.’

Zhou Xiaoshan gathered his things to leave. Before he even made it out the door, he heard An Ning say from behind him, ”I heard that.”

”Master— I was wrong.”

THUD. Zhou Xiaoshan knelt down naturally, his repentance flowing smoothly.

An Ning glanced at him. ”Get up. Get out.”

”Yes, ma’am.”

Zhou Xiaoshan shot to his feet and ran out with a sigh of relief, ready to enjoy his limited free time.

Inside, Yin Xuemei asked with a suppressed smile, ”You’re much stricter with Xiao Shan.”

”I am, but he can take it. He’s also capable.”

Yin Xuemei said with understanding, ”You have high expectations for Xiao Shan. He knows that.”

An Ning nodded and continued her explanation for Yin Xuemei.

Ten minutes later, Yang Jianguo came to ask An Ning about a computer science problem.

An Ning again spent quite a while explaining it to him, and Yang Jianguo benefited greatly.

If he didn’t ask An Ning questions from time to time, Yang Jianguo felt he might not even be able to keep up with his professor’s lectures.

The tutoring session in the room continued for a while longer, only ending when Lin Cuihua came to call them.

”An Ning, hurry and come out! Everyone’s back.”

An Ning, sitting in her wheelchair, was pushed out by Yang Jianguo. Seeing the courtyard full of people and all the things laid out, she broke into a brilliant smile.

In the small courtyard, everyone was gathered in a circle. They sat in groups of three or four in front of a half-meter-long barbecue grill filled with pre-lit fruitwood charcoal. On a nearby table were tons and tons of meat skewers.

All the meat skewers came from Shili Gou; An Guoming had specially brought them for everyone when he came to Beijing.

Master Tang had prepared all the skewers, threading the meat onto fruit tree branches, ready to meet their flame-grilled fate.

Yin Xuemei made room for An Ning. Yang Jianguo went to sit with An Guoping, Zhou Xiaoshan, and Li Chengze. Yu the Elder, Yu Zheng, Grandpa Jiang, and Uncle Jiang sat together. Jiang Xia, who had returned, sat next to An Sancheng and Lin Cuihua, eagerly getting ready to work the grill.

On An Ning’s side, there was of course the master chef, Master Tang, as well as a hidden culinary talent, Yin Xuemei.

Unconsciously, everyone’s gaze fell upon An Ning.

The people gathered here were, to some extent, all here because of her.

An Ning wasn’t shy. She raised her glass and said, ”May our lives be blessed with smooth sailing, and may our country be prosperous and strong.”

”Hear, hear! Cheers!”

”Cheers!”

Everyone raised their glasses, looking at each other from across the circle.

After a round of drinks, the great undertaking of grilling skewers began.

The unique aroma of barbecue filled the courtyard, making the neighbors want to peek over the wall to see what was happening.

Inside the courtyard, everyone chatted and laughed, clinking glasses and drinking merrily. Sizzling skewers and free spirits.

An hour into the barbecue, Grandpa Jiang and the other elders retired for the night, leaving the young people behind.

They gathered the grills together and started playing games.

The young people ate, sang, and played slowly under the moonlight, not stopping until after eleven o’clock at night.

The fall of the Xiao Family allowed the lives of Jiang Xia, An Ning, and the others to truly return to normal.

「The next morning」, Jiang Xia and An Ning each headed off to their respective classes.

Those who could get together for lunch did so, but no one forced it if they couldn’t.

「Two days later」, Lin Cuihua and the others prepared to leave.

An Ning was forced to stay home; she wasn’t needed for the send-off. An Guoming once again delivered fresh ingredients and picked up the elders.

Before he left, An Ning had a brief chat with An Guoming and learned that he would be back soon. He was planning to open a Green Land in Beijing and was preparing to lease some land near the city to save on costs.

An Ning was naturally supportive. To show her support, she directly handed An Guoming a property deed.

An Guoming took the deed and looked back at An Ning.

”When did you buy this? Such a good location, and it’s so big.”

An Ning spread her hands. ”Do you want more? I have others.”

An Ning pulled a peach-colored wooden chest out from under her bed and casually lifted the lid.

”They’re all in here. Take a look. Besides Beijing, where else do you need one?”

”Take your pick. Whichever one you like, it’s yours.”