C40 – Shock

As a revered professor at the University of Everbreach, Old Mr. Hu held considerable prestige in the agricultural sector. He had developed numerous new varieties that were highly valued by the nation, and he had a collection of Science and Technology Advancement Awards to his name.

Nationally, his status was just slightly below that of Old Mr. Gao.

Just a notch.

After all, hybrid rice had significantly addressed the issue of food security.

Other varieties, however, didn’t quite match the impact of staple foods.

Take, for example, the artificial meat he and his students had developed.

Though it’s poised to be a trend of the future,

its impact still doesn’t rival that of high-yield rice.

“Old Mr. Su, you wouldn’t dust off your two-century-old wine collection just to summon me without good reason,” Old Mr. Hu remarked.

“Bihu Wen, can’t I simply enjoy a drink with you when there’s nothing amiss?” Old Mr. Su retorted.

Old Mr. Hu bristled at the response, “Su Daqiang, I’m holding back because of the younger folks present, to save you some face.”

“Ha, let’s drop the jest. This is my granddaughter, Ma Yabei,” Old Mr. Su introduced, nodding at her. Ma Yabei rose gracefully.

“Pleased to meet you, Grandfather Wen.”

“Very well, I’ve brought some of the new artificial meat I’ve been researching. Let’s all try it,” Old Mr. Hu offered.

Ma Yabei, though a food enthusiast, felt a twinge of reluctance. What could artificial meat possibly taste like? Yet, curiosity got the better of her, and she found herself intrigued.

Old Mr. Su then got to the point, “The reason I’ve asked you here is my granddaughter. She’s been duped by some youngster claiming his new variety of sunflower seeds could yield six times the oil from a single acre.”

“I was hoping you could enlighten her with some knowledge.”

Old Mr. Hu’s frown eased. “It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but such things are typically confined to the lab. The cultivation conditions are stringent and not widely applicable.”

“Let’s take a look at those sunflower seeds you mentioned, shall we?” Old Mr. Hu said, foregoing any pretense of formality. His generation was accustomed to direct action, not pleasantries.

He slipped on his reading glasses and grasped a handful of the seeds, examining them closely.

“These seeds are unusually large and plump—a rare variety indeed.”

Next, he inhaled their scent.

“The aroma is genuine, indicative of exceptional quality.”

Finally, he popped one into his mouth for a taste.

“Huh?”

“There’s an earthiness to it—not the mark of a lab creation.”

Spitting out the seed, he picked up another for a closer look.

“Judging by this, the oil content in these seeds is significant, surely yielding a higher extraction rate than standard seeds.”nove(l)bi(n.)com

Ma Yabei beamed with satisfaction.

“Exactly. I witnessed it myself: a hundred catties of seeds producing fifty-eight catties of oil.”

Old Mr. Hu inhaled sharply.

“Don’t fool an old man like me.”

“With such an abundance of seeds, Grandpa Wen, you could certainly give it a try!”

Old Mr. Ma’s brow furrowed at the scene.

“Perhaps the youngster wasn’t fibbing after all.”

“Of course.”

But as Ma Yabei made to leave, she halted, a look of distress washing over her face.

“I’ve forgotten the way there.”

Old Mr. Ma massaged his temples. “Don’t you have a phone?”

“Oh, right.”

Ma Yabei quickly dialed Zhao Yuegu’s number on speakerphone.

“Beep… Beep…”

“The number you have dialed is not answering. Please try again later.”

“No answer.”

“Do you have the address?” Old Mr. Hu inquired, unable to contain his impatience.

“It’s in Zeffari County, a place called Walden Village.”

“Let’s set out immediately!”

“That won’t do. Without him to guide us, nobody can find their way into that village.”

“I’ll call the county leaders in Zeffari. They can escort us.”

“They’re just as clueless about Walden Village’s location…”

Ma Yabei’s revelation only deepened Old Mr. Hu’s curiosity.

A place that exists yet remains unfound?

How could that be?

“We’ll head to Zeffari County first and figure out our next steps upon arrival.”

Old Mr. Hu was adamant about departing and made sure to bring his students along.

Old Mr. Ma followed suit.

“I might as well come too. I can’t rest easy thinking about that girl on her own.”

“Last time, she nearly met her end getting lost in those godforsaken mountains.”

Together, they hopped into a cab and sped off to Zeffari County, rousing all the local officials who had long since finished their workday.

With a crowd in tow, they eventually located the road construction site.

Little did they know, Zhao Yuegu hadn’t returned at all but was instead fast asleep in a Hangzhou hotel.

The hotel was quite nice, though the beds were too soft for his liking.

He found himself missing the firmness of his bed back home.

Nevertheless, Zhao Yuegu rose early, ready to set off for Walden Village at the break of dawn.

The thought of Xueman alone at home still troubled him.

He knocked on Sun Ying’s door for ages, but the girl didn’t stir in the slightest!

“It’s seven already! How can she sleep so deeply?”

Left with no other option, Zhao Yuegu obtained a spare room key from the front desk to let himself into Sun Ying’s room, intent on waking her.

He was no stranger to this routine from his days in the countryside.

But upon entering and catching sight of what awaited him on the bed, he found himself caught in a dilemma.

Why on earth wasn’t this girl wearing any clothes while she slept?