Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

The woman took out four bright orange oranges and, in a gesture that brooked no refusal, stuffed them into An Ning’s hands and onto the children’s laps.

”Eat up. They’re very sweet.”

”Don’t be shy with me.”

The woman watched An Ning with a simple, honest gaze, but An Ning was unmoved. She placed the oranges she was holding onto the small table between them.

Seeing this, the children copied An Ning and placed their oranges on the table as well.

The four oranges sat neatly in a row. The woman, with a look on her face that said, ’What’s all this unnecessary politeness about,’ pulled another one from her pocket and stuffed it into her own daughter’s hand.

”Hua’er, you give these to them. Honestly, you’re all just kids. Go on and eat, it’s fine.”

The woman was insistent. The girl named Xiao Hua had a timid look in her eyes, but she obediently took an orange and offered it to Sunny first.

”Mister... you eat it. It’s sweet.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, tinged with a bit of fear and a little anticipation.

The onlookers, enjoying the spectacle, all started chiming in.

”Go on and eat. What’s the big deal? I’ve got sunflower seeds here, everyone have some.”

”Exactly! She’s giving them in good faith. It’s fine, just eat it.”

Xiao Hua’er gave Sunny a shy smile, looking up at him. ’He really is the best-looking boy I’ve ever seen.’

”I’m allergic to oranges.”

At Sunny’s words, Xiao Hua lowered her head in disappointment. Her mother chimed in, ”What allergy? That’s all a bunch of nonsense. You must’ve just had some bad oranges before.”

”Mine are different. We grow them ourselves, no chemical fertilizers at all. They’re delicious, and they won’t give you any allergies.”

”Right, right. For a problem like allergies, you just have to eat more of it and you’ll get better.”

Another bystander chimed in with encouragement. Just as An Ning was about to step in, Sunny spoke up himself. ”An allergy is a real medical condition. If it’s severe, a person can die.”

”If you’ve never heard of anyone dying from an allergy, it’s only because you just call it ’dying young’.”

Sunny’s words made the comments catch in a few people’s throats. Suddenly, the spectacle wasn’t so fun anymore. This kid’s remarks were really cutting.

”Oh my, look at this mess. If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t. I shouldn’t have insisted.”

”Hua’er, let’s just put them away. It seems they’re too good for our oranges.”

The girl across from them, Xiao Hua, squeezed the orange in her hand, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at Sunny.

”Mister... my hands are very clean.”

The worldly-wise Sunny, a flash of impatience in his eyes, simply ignored Xiao Hua.

”Mister—”

”Hey, how come you’re not calling *me* Mister?!”

Hei Dan’er suddenly stood up, blocking Sunny from view and facing Xiao Hua directly.

Xiao Hua looked at the darker-skinned Hei Dan, a flash of disgust in her eyes.

Hei Dan might be mischievous and restless, but he wasn’t stupid.

”Heh, you little brat, you’re two-faced, aren’t you? Are you looking down on me because I’m dark?”

Hei Dan’er stuck his hands in his pockets and snorted. ”You’re definitely just fawning over my Brother Xiao Zhou ’cause he’s good-looking. Let me tell you, my Brother Xiao Zhou isn’t looking for a child bride!”

The moment those two words, ”child bride,” came out, An Ning couldn’t take it anymore. Even Sunny’s eyes flew open in shock.

’You seem to know a little too much, Hei Dan’er!’

”Hei Dan’er, sit down.”

Once An Ning gave the order, Hei Dan’er sat down, even though he didn’t want to.

’He understood all too well. In the An family, and even in all of Shili Gou, what Aunt An Ning said, went. To borrow a phrase from their circle of kids, she was the boss!’

Seeing Hei Dan’er seated properly, An Ning picked up one of the oranges from the table, peeled it, and offered it to the woman and Xiao Hua’er.

”You eat first.”

”It’s fine, it’s fine! We have our own right here.”

The woman held up the orange in her hand, only to see An Ning shake her head. An Ning’s eyes were as deep and dark as black holes, and a chill went down the woman’s spine.

”No. Eat this one. The one you just gave me.”

Panic flashed in the woman’s eyes, but she was experienced and said smoothly, ”They’re all the same. I have more in my bag, I’ll just peel one of my own.”

As the woman made a move to grab an orange and peel it, An Ning seized her by the wrist.

”Sunny, call the police.”

”Right away!”

Sunny had been waiting for this moment. From the second this fake mother and daughter sat down next to them, he knew they were up to no good.

”What are you doing?! Help! They’re bullying a poor widow and her orphan! I just kindly offered you some oranges, what is this?!”

”Is there no justice in this world?! What did we do wrong to have the police called on us? You just like to bully people like us who have no power or connections!”

The woman gave a perfect performance of throwing a tantrum and playing the victim.

The girl, Xiao Hua, clung to the woman’s arm, glaring at An Ning with hatred. As if summoning all her strength for the first time, she shrieked.

”Don’t bully my mother!”

”I won’t let you bully my mother!”

The mother and daughter, now slumped pitifully on the floor, looked utterly wretched, the very picture of being bullied.

The surrounding passengers indeed began to take their side.

”What are you young people doing?”

”What did that mother and daughter ever do to you? If you don’t want to eat the oranges, then don’t! What’s all this for?!”

”Dressed all high and mighty like that, their family must be powerful. I’d advise everyone to be careful not to get on their bad side.”

The supportive voices of the crowd seemed to give the mother and daughter strength. They helped each other up, grabbed their bags, and made to leave.

”You’re talking nonsense! Our family isn’t powerful or connected! My dad raises pigs!”

Hei Dan’er, indignant, stood up on his chair and retorted sharply to everyone who spoke against them.

If the timing hadn’t been so inappropriate, An Ning would have wanted to give Hei Dan’er a huge reward.

’As expected of someone from the An Family,’ she thought, ’he’s perfectly inherited one of our key traits—fiercely protecting our own!’

’Right or wrong, protect your people first and ask questions later.’

”Teacher, the conductors are here.”

Sunny, who had slipped away at some point, returned with two train conductors.

”It was them. I suspect these oranges have been injected with some kind of drug.”

The conductors didn’t dismiss the claim. Their vigilance was high, as all sorts of tricks were used on trains to scam people out of their money and belongings.

One conductor took out a syringe, picked up an orange, and injected a solution into it.

The next second, the entire orange turned a bluish-green.

”Knockout drugs!”

”You’re coming with us!”

”We’ve been framed! I don’t know anything! What’s going on?!”

”Hua’er, tell them! Tell them we really don’t know anything about how it changed color!”

Xiao Hua looked at the conductors, flustered and crying, insisting they were innocent.

The conductors were unmoved. The bystanders who had spoken up for them now fell silent. No matter what, something about this situation was clearly not right.

”Innocent or not, you’ll have to come with us to find out.”

The woman and Xiao Hua looked at each other, knowing they couldn’t escape. They were led away by the conductors, still shouting that they were innocent and knew nothing.

Hei Dan’er’s mouth hung open as he stared in shock at the mother-daughter pair being led away.

”Oh my god! They were bad guys!”

”Oh no. They must have been after me.”

Hei Dan’er’s comment earned him a nod of affirmation from An Ning.

”You’re right, Hei Dan’er. That’s why when you’re out, you should never accept food from strangers. People who really understand boundaries won’t keep insisting.”

”More often than not, they’re either scammers or human traffickers.”