Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

With Director Li’s encouragement and his own concerns for his sister weighing on his mind, An Guoming climbed into the truck and sat down beside An Ning.

"What are you smiling about, Second Brother?"

"My director is a great guy. He said he’d reimburse me for the trip."

"That’s great."

An Guoming nodded in agreement and said no more.

The two of them settled into the back of the truck, beginning their journey to Beijing.

The truck left in the afternoon. It didn’t stop when night fell; they just swapped drivers.

An Guoming gave An Ning his bag to use as a pillow. He leaned against the window, trying to give her as much space as possible.

The truck jostled along, its engine chugging ceaselessly. Before long, An Ning was able to sleep soundly to the rhythm of its rumble.

Night passed. As the first rays of dawn streamed through the window, An Ning shielded her eyes and blinked them open.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost. Sit up and have some water and a bite to eat."

An Ning removed the jacket she’d been using as a blanket. Her throat felt a little dry.

She sat up and took the canteen An Guoming offered her, taking a long drink of water. It helped immensely.

An Ning yawned and looked out the window.

Fields still dominated the landscape, but the road here was wide and smooth, and the truck’s ride was much steadier.

Now fully awake, An Ning opened the food containers Yin Xuemei had packed. There was a box of beef and a box of pastries. She and An Guoming had some, then passed the rest to the two drivers up front. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Everyone ate, praising the food nonstop.

"This is even better than that famous restaurant I tried in Beijing."

"Seriously. People line up for hours to eat at that place in Beijing. Whoever made this has some incredible talent. They’d make a killing if they opened a shop."

An Ning agreed. ’Yin Xuemei is already making good money.’

The two containers of food were quickly devoured.

An hour later, the truck finally entered the city proper.

An Ning and An Guoming got out at a designated spot, ready to catch another ride from there.

After saying their goodbyes, the two stood on a street corner, looking at the surrounding buildings.

"They only seem a little bit taller, huh."

In this era, Beijing had few tall buildings or skyscrapers.

The city was full of streets, but they were lined mostly with single-story residential homes.

The people, however, were another story.

They seemed more vibrant, their faces lit with brighter smiles.

"The train station is downtown. Master Liu said we could catch a bus there."

Following Master Liu the driver’s instructions, An Guoming started looking for a bus stop sign.

They couldn’t find it right away, but fortunately, the locals were very friendly. Before they even had to ask, someone approached them and pointed the way.

They thanked the person profusely and, following the directions, quickly found the bus stop.

After about a twenty-minute wait, the bus finally arrived.

It was already packed, with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder. A conductor stood at the door, yelling, "Move to the back! Squeeze in, everyone!"

"Hurry up and get on! What’re you waiting for?!"

An Ning and An Guoming boarded the bus. Since they didn’t have a monthly pass, they had to pay for their fares separately.

"Where to?"

"The train station."

"The train station is the last stop. Twenty cents per person."

An Guoming pulled out forty cents and received two small, rectangular tickets, each about two fingers wide.

An Guoming did his best to shield An Ning from the crush of the crowd.

The bus groaned and squealed, feeling as if it might fall apart at any moment.

It rumbled along, incredibly noisy. At every stop, more people got on than got off.

The bus grew more and more crowded.

"They’re all heading to work. It should clear out in a bit."

With a surprising burst of strength from An Ning, she and An Guoming managed to squeeze their way to the back of the bus.

Three stops later, the bus came to a halt.

There must have been a large factory nearby, as two-thirds of the passengers got off.

An Ning and An Guoming even managed to find a seat.

An Guoming had An Ning take the seat while he stood beside her, holding onto a handrail.

"You sit, Second Brother. I’m not tired."

"No. You sit."

An Guoming wouldn’t dare let her stand up again. The bus was too crowded, and you never knew whose hands might start to wander.

An Ning obediently sat down. The bus gradually emptied out, and by the time they reached the train station, even An Guoming had found a seat.

But just then, it was their stop.

After getting off the bus, the two of them felt a bit lost for a moment.

They found a less crowded spot to stand. An Guoming asked, "Little Sis, where do you want to go now?"

"I don’t know. Let’s find a map."

"We don’t need to. I’ve got one."

An Guoming took out a map and gave it to An Ning.

An Ning studied it for a moment before her finger landed on Yangcheng.

"Second Brother, let’s go here."

An Ning had read her history books. She knew that Hong Kong, the city closest to Yangcheng, was supposed to be a bustling metropolis.

Since the two cities were so close, they would receive news and information much faster than other places.

"Alright, then let’s go there."

An Guoming glanced around. The Beijing train station was located right in the city, and the buildings here were noticeably taller.

He thought about the item in his backpack. ’Should I sell it here, or would it be better to sell it in Yangcheng?’

"Little Sis, why did you pick this place?"

After folding the map, An Ning explained her reasoning to her brother.

"Is something on your mind, Second Brother?"

An Ning felt that An Guoming had something he wasn’t saying.

An Guoming didn’t want to hide it from her anyway. The main reason was that he wasn’t much of a fighter; the item would be much safer with her.

"Come here, Little Sis."

An Guoming tugged on An Ning’s sleeve, leading her to a more secluded corner.

’This must be serious,’ An Ning thought.

She followed An Guoming and spread out her spiritual power. After confirming they were alone, she said, "It’s safe, Second Brother. Go ahead."

"Heh heh, it’s nothing major. Before Dad left, he slipped me something and told me to find a chance to sell it."

As soon as An Ning heard, she knew what it was.

"Little Sis, once we sell it, lend me a thousand. You can keep the rest for yourself."

"Second Brother, it belongs to both of us. You don’t need to borrow anything."

But An Guoming just shook his head.

"You don’t worry about that. The question now is, do we sell it here, or in Yangcheng?"

An Ning thought about it very seriously.

"Yangcheng. It’s right next to Hong Kong. The wealthier people are, the more they value things like this. Or rather, there’s a higher demand."

Once An Ning made her decision, An Guoming accepted it without a doubt.

He furtively passed a small package to An Ning.

"You take it. I can’t even sleep with it on me."

An Ning didn’t refuse. She took the small package, and both siblings felt a sense of relief.

They left the corner. An Guoming went to buy some food while An Ning went to get the train tickets.

They couldn’t find any seats in the waiting hall, so they simply put their bags on the floor and sat on them.

"Little Sis, have a fried dough twist."

"Thanks."

An Ning took the large fried dough twist. It had a savory, oily fragrance and was soft on the inside with a subtle sweetness.

They each ate two of the large dough twists and drank a bottle of orange soda, then gathered their things to get ready for boarding.

At that same moment, Jiang Xia was also carrying their luggage, preparing to board a train heading south.

On the station platform, An Ning and An Guoming each wore a backpack and carried a tote bag. Canteens were slung over their shoulders, and an enamel mug was tied to one of the bags with a piece of string.

WHOOOOOOO—

The train pulled into the station.