Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

”Brother Tai,” he said, in a thick, local accent.

An Ning and Zhao Pandi, who understood him perfectly, played dumb and stared at Brother Hu, their expressions blank.

Their clueless looks made Brother Hu swell with pride, and he unconsciously stretched his neck a little.

”It’s an English name. I’m only telling you because you girls seem nice. I wouldn’t bother with the others.”

Brother Hu’s method of acting overly familiar worked as intended, earning him what appeared to be Zhao Pandi’s tearful gratitude.

”It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” Brother Hu waved his hand dismissively and proceeded to give Zhao Pandi and An Ning two ”English” names.

Zhao Pandi was ”Apple,” and An Ning was ”Grape.”

Having been unexpectedly given fruit names, the two couldn’t help but feel they sounded like aliases for a certain kind of profession.

After christening them, Brother Hu took a small step forward, beckoned them to a less crowded spot, and spoke in a hushed, conspiratorial tone. ”I... you know what, never mind. I shouldn’t say. It wouldn’t be fair to the others.”

”I can’t play favorites.”

He trailed off, the bait perfectly dangled. Most people would have pressed him for more, especially two stowaways desperate to make money.

However, Zhao Pandi and An Ning were surprisingly in sync. They feigned ignorance. Zhao Pandi even gave Brother Hu an understanding look and said, ”Then don’t say it. We can’t put Brother Tai in a difficult position. We’re not those kind of girls.”

With that, Zhao Pandi took An Ning’s hand and turned to leave, her posture conveying both a firm refusal and a sense of magnanimity.

For a fleeting moment, an ugly, impatient look crossed Brother Hu’s face before he called out to stop them.

”Wait, don’t be like that. You’re hurting my feelings.”

His performance seamless, Brother Hu called Zhao Pandi and An Ning back. He still feigned hesitation, but his words came out much faster now.

”Let me tell you something. The decision is up to you. Just hear me out and see what you think.”

Brother Hu made it seem like he was giving Zhao Pandi and An Ning the choice, but his subsequent description left them with no real options.

”The jobs here are the lowest of the low—cleaning sewers, handling filth, or waiting on people hand and foot. You have no idea. The people who’ve made it... they don’t even treat us like we’re human.”

Brother Hu spoke with such genuine emotion that a few tears even welled up in his eyes. An Ning couldn’t help but admire his acting. ’When life corners you,’ she thought, ’everyone becomes a master thespian.’

”But I know another way. It’s not a path just anyone can take. It requires pretty, smart girls.”

Brother Hu was slowly getting to his real purpose.

”At this place, a nightclub, you meet all sorts of rich men. If you can just capture the heart of one or two of them, you’ll be set for life. Marry into a wealthy family, become a tycoon’s wife, isn’t that the dream?”

”Then, you’ll be the ones ordering others around, and your old Brother Hu will have to ask you to look out for him.”

In just a few sentences, Brother Hu painted them a perfect picture. A life of luxury, a step above everyone else—who wouldn’t want that?

Many people might start out with principles, but after staring down a dead-end path for long enough, how many could truly resist such a temptation?

Unfortunately for him, Brother Hu had run into Zhao Pandi and An Ning, two pros playing the part of amateurs.

After hearing Brother Hu out, Zhao Pandi’s immediate reaction was to refuse—the typical response.

”Brother Hu... my sister and I are from good families. We don’t want to— Thank you, Brother Hu, but we’d rather just get to work.”

Zhao Pandi pulled An Ning to leave again, but Brother Hu didn’t get angry. ’It’s always like this at first,’ he thought. ’After a few days of hard labor, I’ll give them another nudge.’

”It’s fine. Didn’t I say it’s your choice? Brother Hu isn’t the type to force anyone.”

Brother Hu caught up, still playing the part of a caring big brother, and personally introduced them to their first job: cleaning.

Zhao Pandi pulled An Ning onto a streetcar, following the foreman to some unknown location for the cleaning job. As they trailed at the back of the group, she whispered to An Ning, ”This is definitely going to be the worst job.”

An Ning nodded slightly.

An Ning understood Brother Hu’s ploy perfectly. ’He’ll pretend to care, give us the most exhausting work possible, and then, after a few days, when we’re at our breaking point and see no other way out, he’ll reappear to ”rescue” us.’

’By then, we’ll be the ones begging him. The whole dynamic will have shifted.’

In the scorching heat, the two women had their heads wrapped in scarves and their faces covered with masks, leaving only their eyes exposed.

The rickety vehicle rattled to a stop in front of a tall building, and everyone got out.

”Alright, we’re here.”

”Listen up and remember this: the client will inspect everything when we’re finished. If anyone does a sloppy job, not only will I dock your pay, but I won’t be bringing you back for the next one.”

Just as the group assumed they would be entering the building, the foreman called a few people over to help him lift a manhole cover on the street.

”What are you all gawking at? Pair up! Lift the manhole covers yourselves and clean out the sewers. And be careful not to get the street dirty. I want the inside of those sewers spotless.”

Ugly expressions spread across everyone’s faces, but at the foreman’s urging, they quickly paired up and got to work.

Zhao Pandi and An Ning naturally formed a team. Besides, no one else wanted to partner with them, as they were the only two women in the group.

”Let’s go,” Zhao Pandi said. ”I’m pretty strong, I’ll get the cover.”

An Ning, playing the part of a mute, didn’t reply. She just walked to the manhole and, with no apparent difficulty, lifted the hundred-pound cover.

Her gaze toward Zhao Pandi seemed to say, ’I’m not just strong, I’m fierce.’

She had real strength, and real ferocity to match.

Cleaning sewers was a disgusting job, no two ways about it.

Down in the sewer, sludge was the cleanest thing they came across.

The acrid smell and the feel of unidentified objects under their hands were almost unbearable.

While the other teams complained as they worked, Zhao Pandi and An Ning simply put their heads down and got on with it.

They both just wanted to finish as quickly as possible, so they worked without a word.

Zhao Pandi, ever-prepared, handed An Ning a pair of nose plugs before they started.

After they finished one section of the sewer, the foreman came over to inspect, muttering, ”If you do a bad job, you’ll have to do it all over again. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

”The hardest part of this job is this inspection. Since it’s your first time, there’s a good chance—”

The foreman’s words trailed off.

He crouched down and stared at the clear water flowing through the sewer. For a second, he was bewildered. ’Is that tap water?’

”Did you two clean this?”

”Yes.”

Zhao Pandi answered dutifully.

The foreman had been instructed by Brother Hu to deliberately find fault with their work, but looking at it now, that was going to be difficult.

”Well... uh... alright. I guess it’ll pass, just barely. I’m only letting it slide because of Brother Hu. He specifically told me to look out for you two.”

The foreman quickly changed tactics, using Brother Hu’s name to make it seem like a personal favor. Just as he’d hoped, Zhao Pandi thanked him with a deeply moved expression.

”It’s nothing. Now get back to it. We’ve got this whole street to do today. The more you work, the more you earn.”

”Yes, sir! We’ll get right on it.”