Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Two people were talking on one side of a corner wall as An Ning approached from the other. She had no intention of eavesdropping.

But when she heard what they were saying, she stepped out in disbelief. "What are you two talking about?" she asked.

"An Ning!"

"An Ning!"

The two men who had been talking were startled by An Ning’s appearance. They stood there, flustered, like two children caught doing something wrong.

The thought that An Ning might have been eavesdropping didn’t even cross their minds.

In their eyes, this whole place owed its existence and operation to An Ning.

An Ning stepped forward and addressed them both by name.

"Zhang Qiang, Li Ming, is what you were just saying about your salaries true?"

"You know our names!"

"Teacher An Ning knows my name."

The two grown men, completely missing the point, stood there thrilled that An Ning knew their names.

After all, there were several hundred people in the entire compound, and they had only met An Ning once, briefly.

An Ning sensed their excitement and waited a moment for them to calm down before continuing her inquiry. "How much do you earn per month?"

Zhang Qiang and Li Ming finally calmed down, and they each answered.

"I make forty-seven eighty a month."

"I make fifty-three thirty a month."

An Ning listened, then continued to question them. "And what are your monthly expenses? Are there bonuses for research contributions?"

Their answers were beyond anything An Ning had anticipated.

Both men were the sole breadwinners of their large families. With elderly parents to care for and several children to raise, they were lucky if their paychecks even covered their monthly expenses.

As for bonuses for research contributions? They received honors.

The men’s faces lit up with pride when they spoke of the honors.

Having spent some time here, An Ning knew they valued honor above all else.

After learning about their situations, An Ning said no more. She simply took some money from her pocket and handed it to Zhang Qiang. "Take this. Consider it a loan."

Just moments before, Zhang Qiang had been trying to borrow money from Li Ming.

"No, no, no—please, you keep it for yourself."

Zhang Qiang didn’t want to take An Ning’s money and tried to hand it back, but she blocked him with one hand. Her eyes held a challenging look as she said, "What, are you not planning to pay it back?"

"Huh? No, of course not!"

Zhang Qiang denied it vehemently. An Ning’s expression turned serious. "If you intend to pay it back, then why can’t you borrow it? Or was your reason for borrowing money a lie? Is your child not sick?"

Zhang Qiang kept shaking his head. His child really was sick and in the hospital. They were just short on cash this month, which was why he was trying to borrow money.

"Then what’s more important, your child’s health or your pride? Since you know the answer, take the money."

An Ning pressed the money into his hand. Zhang Qiang staggered back. The nearly six-foot-tall man wiped away tears and choked out a "thank you."

"Don’t mention it."

An Ning turned and left. But instead of going back to her dorm to pack, she headed to where the others were working.

As she arrived at the various research and manufacturing workshops, everyone was surprised to see her.

It wasn’t that she never visited, but everyone knew she was supposed to be taking a break.

No one had any objections to her taking a break. For one, design and manufacturing had already reached a saturation point. Even if An Ning came up with new designs, they lacked the capacity and manpower to build them.

"An Ning, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on break?"

A workshop supervisor walked over, asking worriedly, "Is there a problem with something?"

"No, I’m just here to chat with some people."

"Huh?"

The workshop supervisor was completely baffled. He even wondered if An Ning was sick.

Throughout the project, everyone had grown accustomed to An Ning’s pace—her sharp, efficient style, her knack for explaining things in as few words as possible.

But now, this woman who never wasted a single word, who never made small talk, wanted to find people to... chat?

"Are you busy? If not, you can go first."

An Ning sat down, pulled a table over, and took out a notebook and pen. She looked up at the workshop supervisor standing before her.

The setup looked uncomfortably like a police interrogation.

The workshop supervisor shook his head. "Not busy. Just a little... nervous."

Feeling rather flustered, the workshop supervisor sat down, and An Ning began her inquiry.

"Name, age, years of service, salary?"

The four questions, delivered in a serious tone with her pen poised to write, compelled the workshop supervisor to answer truthfully.

Once An Ning had noted down the information she needed, she had the supervisor call over another person.

One by one, everyone in the workshop was called over by An Ning. Her notebook quickly filled up with several pages of notes.

After she was done with the first workshop, An Ning moved on to the second, and then the third, asking the same questions and taking the same notes.

Only after visiting every workshop did An Ning finally pack her belongings and leave the temporary research institute.

Outside the institute, Yu Zheng left with An Ning.

He was An Ning’s butler; wherever she went, he went.

Yu Zheng drove in silence, noticing that An Ning, in the back seat, was clearly deep in thought.

When An Ning’s gaze shifted from the distant scenery back to the road ahead, Yu Zheng finally spoke. "Where to?"

"Back to the dorm for now."

After a moment, An Ning asked, "Has anything happened lately?"

"Yes."

Yu Zheng informed An Ning about some of Jiang Xia’s recent activities, adding that Jiang Dongcheng and Xiao Yan were both recovering in the hospital.

"Uncle Jiang has arrived?"

An Ning already knew about this part of the plan. It’s just that Uncle Jiang hadn’t arrived by the time she entered the institute, so they hadn’t met.

"Yes. He’s already settled in at Shili Gou. They’re renovating the house, and Master Tang’s pond is nearly finished."

Yu Zheng’s news from Shili Gou brought a nostalgic smile to An Ning’s face.

’You only understand how precious home is after you leave it.’

"An Ning, the vegetable greenhouses you requested have been arranged. As per your instructions, we’ve also cleared a ten-mu plot of land near Beijing, ready for planting next year."

"Thank you for your hard work."

An Ning said gratefully. Having Yu Zheng around saved her a great deal of time and effort.

"It was no trouble. It’s part of my job."

They didn’t waste time on pleasantries. An Ning wouldn’t mistreat Yu Zheng; she was always very generous when it came to his salary.

This thought prompted An Ning to ask Yu Zheng about salaries.

"Yu Zheng, don’t you think the compensation for research personnel is a bit low?"

"Compared to current wage levels, it’s actually quite good."

An Ning nodded, then shook her head.

’Back in the interstellar era, researchers and military personnel had the highest salaries.’

’Because they deserved it.’

’But every nation is different; you can’t apply the same logic everywhere.’

An Ning felt she needed to think this over more carefully. Still, since she now had some free time, she figured she might as well go enjoy the show.

’Watching people you dislike fall into misfortune might not be noble, but it’s incredibly satisfying.’

’And An Ning had never been one to deny herself a little pleasure.’

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