wanqin

Listen, tell him this, and don't you change a single word this time—

Your homework is not my problem!

You've got a brain, so use it for your own research!

If you don't have one, go home and eat some walnuts!

—Former Nongye Tianshi (author of 'A New Technological Prospect for Increasing Soybean Yield')

You again? Oh my... Is it already this late?!

He Sheng wipes his sweat and realizes that he was so occupied with plowing that he hardly thought about the meaning behind the elder Tianshi's advice.

Like a student who forgot his homework, he wishes he could hide inside his Tianshi apparatus.

Ahem... the Xian, he says...

Your homework is... er...

Homework? So he knows why I'm here. But I'm not sure I understood the hint.

I know that research isn't about working for its own sake. I need to think deeper about it.

('Your homework is not my problem!'... 'Go home and eat some walnuts!'... How am I supposed to tell him that?!)

He says that... um, one must learn to be independent... and, uh, don't just stay on the farms, it's time to leave and get some nutrition.

Nutrition.

No, no, the first part is the important one. Leave.

Leave and get some nutrition.

Ah, I understand now! I'll be going!

What? You're really going?

Yeah, no better time than now!

The mountain is covered in clouds and the curtain of night. The forests are silent, except for soft footsteps.

Slowly, the sound of liquid sloshing and splashing spreads in the mist and cloud, along with a peculiar odor.

Hm... *sniff*... uh...

What's that sound... and smell...?

Oh... whoa... AAAHHHH!

Th-That guy came back with fertilizer! He's dissolving it in water and spraying it on the field!

What's going on... Is that what he thought was 'nutrition'?

What nutrition?

Ah! N-Nothing! Absolutely nothing at all.

Well, maybe it's slightly my fault... A-Anyways, what do you want to say to him this time? I'll definitely, absolutely pass it on word for word.

Just give this to him. No need to say anything.

This... It's from your farm...

Good morning. Do you bring new instructions?

This is... three soybean seeds?

He Sheng looks back and forth between the soybeans in the fields and the seeds in his hand, then at the field beside him. His furrowed brow gradually begins to relax.

I see. All is revealed. I completely understand what he means now!

It began when I removed the weeds in the fields by chance. He saw and guided me to plow the field and fertilize it, all in preparation for this moment—planting these three seeds.

He's encouraging me to continue!

I must thank him for his guidance, and grow these seeds with all the knowledge I possess!

The fog's getting thicker? W-Well, I won't give up.

He Sheng sits down and opens his bag, taking out various items, including a portable soil analyzer, drone, experiment logbook, labels, and beakers.

After the preparations, he grabs a bunch of soil and sniffs it, silently saying 'hello' to it.

The next day...

I've finished planting, sir. Here is the data collected today.

It's foggy and wet today, which may be hard on one's joints. I've made some ginger tea for you to keep you warm. I'll put it here.

Two days later...

Today is the second day after planting. I've come to report the data.

I made porridge with some grains from Dahuang. I didn't add any sugar and let it cook until the grains were nice and soft. It should be easy on your teeth and blood sugar.

Six days later...

Tomorrow, we will know if the seeds will sprout.

To be honest, I'm not expecting much, considering that I've failed for the past six months.

Maybe I was going down the wrong path. My seeds require too much sunlight, and they don't grow tall enough to be harvested by machine.

I wanted to ask how you planted them. I saw a few on the farm that were the ideal height. I was hoping there would be more, so that I could take a few seeds back...

Do you mean there's no need to overthink it? Right. I will focus on my work then.

Yes?

Uh... let me repeat the Xian's message, word by word—

'Is farming the only thing rattling around in that head of yours? If you love sitting in a field and munching on a diet of wind, you might as well become a weed!'

Umm?

Ahem... I'll add my explanation just in case you don't understand: Haven't you forgotten something important?

Data? Let me check.

Put down the data. Think about it. At first, you were still bringing food to the Xian...

Oh no! Is the Xian—

Stop. What I mean is—have you eaten in the past two days?

Oh, you're right!

Seven days later...

The soybeans are entering their sprouting period, but there's no sign of sprouting.

Eight days later...

Nine days later...

He's been quiet these past few days.

Pretty evil of you to give him seeds that won't sprout.

Academia loves serious people like him. But there's one thing that he doesn't see—

The brick wall.

If you want him to learn to give up, why are you still pacing like that? You're making me dizzy. If you're worried, I'll go check on him.

No need. Once he hits that brick wall, he'll go home on his own.

Though with his stubborn attitude, that wall could be the death of him. Can't have that happening in my fields.

He Sheng is lying down on the bare fields, his palms against the soil, gazing silently up at the sky.

He feels an odd sense that the hut he can never reach seems even further away now, disappearing into the fog and out of sight.

Not just the hut, but everything around him. The fences are gone, the forest is gone. All that is left is this farmland and the sky above his head.

The soil and the sky—the two most important things to a farmer.

He seems to hear a tiny sound from the soil...

Bang!

The sound of a wooden door being kicked open snaps him back. He Sheng turns from where he is lying and sees an unfamiliar young man emerging from the fog—

He Sheng narrows his eyes in confusion.

What is WRONG with you?! How are you still planting those seedings?

When my master had me plant the second seed, I already knew that it was a dud and that it was time to change direction.

You, though, just don't get it even after so many days. I had to come out and actually say it to your face—

You hoped there would be more beanstalks in my field? Well, have you stopped to think why there are so few even after so many years?!

If it takes hitting a brick wall for you to turn around, then you're just not cut out for research...

The tirade comes to a sudden stop when he sees the field beside He Sheng.

He Sheng stares in disbelief at the surprisingly young man whom he thought would be an elderly Tianshi.

The young man, however, stares in greater disbelief at the beanstalk next to He Sheng. The sprout is green and crooked, but it has, indeed, sprouted.

He Sheng looks upward to see the fog has dispersed, revealing a clear blue sky.

I, er, was trying to be a weed, though I'm not sure how it should feel...

What?! I meant you were dumb as a weed, not that you should BECOME a weed!

But if I listen carefully, it's as if I can hear—

The sound of the sprout breaking through the seed shell and growing outwards.

You're hallucinating because of hunger! Get up!

No, I really do hear...

The Xian slaps him back and forth.

Get up! Get up, you!