A massive silver-grey wall loomed tall, its top veiled by clouds. Beyond it, skyscrapers rose in neat rows, hinting at the prosperity of the enormous city within. Occasionally, helicopters buzzed overhead.
This was the second time Zhao Linong had gazed at the Central Base from afar.
The last time she was sitting on the train and looking into the distance, but this time Zhao Linong got off the train.
Tong Tong looked up at the imposing wall and sighed. “The walls here are taller than at the other bases.”
“Of course,” He Yuesheng replied matter-of-factly. “There are too many people in the Central Base. If anything happens here, the consequences would be catastrophic.”
“Junior sister!” Wei Li called out, running toward them as she stepped out of a first-class carriage. “Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal!”
“She should focus on her review,” came the stern voice of Yan Jingshui, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere “The assessment for planting officers is at the end of the month.”
Wei Li turned to her and said speechlessly “It’s just one meal!”
But Zhao Linong shook her head, declining Wei Li’s enthusiastic invitation. “Senior sister, I need to go home first.”
“Okay, I’ll treat Tong Tong and He Yuesheng to a meal first.” Wei Li said regretfully, stepping back. “But we’re celebrating after you pass the assessment!”
After entering the gate of the Central Base, the group separated.
Wei Li and Yan Jingshui each had cars waiting to pick them up, while He Yuesheng and Tong Tong followed Wei Li into an off-road vehicle.
Zhao Linong was the last to leave. She joined the steady flow of people heading into the Central Base on foot.
The streets felt both familiar and strange. The layout resembled that of a modern city, but the people bustling about carried a different air—something she couldn’t quite place, a mix of resilience and cautious optimism.
After about twenty minutes of walking, she found a bus stop by the street.
Zhao Linong stood under the bus stop for a long time, reading the place names on the sign one by one, and finally saw Bus no 802 with a stop to Xiacheng District on the route.
After waiting for over ten minutes, the 802 bus arrived.
Zhao Linong got on the bus and followed the example of the people in front of her. She raised her hand and put the silver ring on her left hand on the bus screen. With a “beep” sound, 20 points were deducted from her account.
There were too many people on the bus and there were no empty seats. She held the ring in her hand and stood in the middle of the aisle. People were chatting around her, but most of them were silent.
“The assessment for plantation officers is coming soon, and my son will take the exam this year.”
“Really? Once he passes the exam for plantation officers, good things will come to your family.”
“What blessing? The real benefit is his safety. Once he’s a planting officer, he’ll have the guards’ protection.”
Zhao Linong tilted his head and saw two elderly people in their sixties talking loudly. The people around them were also attracted, and their eyes revealed more or less envy.
Who wouldn’t envy that they could take the assessment for plantation officers and be planters themselves, and their families could get discounts on food purchases?
Along the way, the two of them kept talking.
Zhao Linong stood in the aisle and listened quietly, a little distracted. If her parents were here, they would probably think the same.
Their ideas had always been simple, hoping that she could stand out and not be looked down upon, but unfortunately… she hadn’t realized it.
As the bus moved through the city, stopping and starting, more passengers got on and off. The bustling scenery outside the windows gradually shifted—gleaming skyscrapers gave way to a darker, more dilapidated neighborhood.
“We’ve arrived at the Lower City District. Please alight at your stop,” the automated announcement declared as the bus came to a halt.
Stepping off the bus, Zhao Linong heard the doors slam shut behind her. She turned instinctively but saw only the fading exhaust fumes as the vehicle drove away.
There were tall buildings around, but there was a sense of grayness, garbage everywhere, waste paper and flyers were flying everywhere in the wind, and the signs on the road were blurry… unclear.
A large LED sign mounted on a telephone pole displayed the words “Xiacheng District,” though it flickered constantly, the left half of the word “City” never lighting up.
Zhao Linong pulled the suitcase and walked forward, but as soon as she stepped into the territory of Xiacheng District, she could instantly sense that several eyes were looking at her in the dark.
Some gazes seemed merely curious, but others carried a sharp edge of malice.
Zhao Linong pretended not to know, but one hand in her pocket tightly grasped her saber.
The most eye-catching thing about the Lower City District was the densely packed high-rise buildings, which are lined up one after another, with almost no light-gathering range, like the building Zhao Linong had seen before. But it was denser and larger.
Zhao Linong had only walked a short distance when these two words appeared in her mind.
Building 6, Building 7… Building 9.
Zhao Linong stopped in front of Building 9. She looked up at the building with at least 50 floors and remembered seeing the address on the express delivery bill.
She remembered that Feng He lived on the 21st floor underground.
Pushing open the door to the lobby, Zhao Linong was greeted by a space that was old, dirty, and covered in all manner of marks. Bloodstains were visible in some places, faded but unmistakable. The lobby, though shabby, was surprisingly large, with eight elevators lined up, all crowded with people queuing.
“Which floor are you going to?”
The voice was deep and gruff. A tall, strong man was looking directly at her.
Zhao Linong glanced around, confirming he was addressing her. “The negative 21st floor,” she replied.
“The negative 21st floor?” His gaze scanned her face and hands before he finally pointed to an elevator tucked into the corner. “Only that one goes down.”
“Thank you,” she said, pulling her suitcase as she made her way to the indicated elevator.
But the man didn’t stop there. Stepping out of his line, he followed her, his tone turning curious. “What’s your job?”
“Agricultural student,” Zhao Linong answered calmly.
Her words immediately shifted the atmosphere. The curious and sometimes invasive glances from those nearby became more restrained.
“How many years have you been at the Ninth Agricultural Base? Will you become a planter after graduating?” His tone softened noticeably.
Zhao Linong glanced at the elevator. Before it reached the first floor, she said, “Almost.”
The man seemed to consider something before speaking again. “Is it hard to study there? I’ve heard… many students don’t survive the Ninth Agricultural Base.”
It was true—each year, hopefuls from districts like this one attempted to join the Ninth Agricultural Base, but many either died there or never returned.
“You’re thinking of sending someone there?” Zhao Linong asked, glancing up at him. He looked to be around thirty years old.
The tall man waved his hands and explained, “I have a daughter. If she can become a planter in the future, she won’t have to live such a hard life in the future. I’m afraid that studying at the Ninth Agricultural Base is too difficult and too dangerous.”
Compared to a good life, surviving was the most important thing.
“In the future…” Zhao Linong suddenly smiled, “Maybe when your daughter grows up, it won’t be so difficult.”
“Yes, you are right, maybe, maybe it will be better in the future.” The tall and strong man murmured, with a faint hope in his eyes.
The elevator reached the first floor, and Zhao Linong followed everyone in. She reached out and pressed the button for the negative 21st floor.
When she reached the negative 21st floor, Zhao Linong was a little stunned. She didn’t expect that there would be so many households on one floor, and it was almost impossible to see the end.
Zhao Linong hesitated for a long time and still hadn’t figured out how to get the room number. Asking Feng He was impossible.
The owner of this body couldn’t possibly not know where her home was.
“Xiao Nong?”
A not particularly…familiar female voice came from behind.
Zhao Linong subconsciously turned around and looked back. It was Feng He.
She was sitting in a wheelchair, half of her body was sticking out, and one hand was holding a garbage bag, obviously going out to throw away the garbage.
Relief flooded through her. Keeping her expression neutral, she walked forward, took the garbage bag from Feng He’s hand, and discreetly glanced at the number on the door behind her: 2113.
“A few days ago, I was wondering if you’d come back,” Feng He said, her pale face lighting up with joy. She looked thinner than she had in the video calls, but there was a flush in her cheeks from seeing Zhao Linong. “And now here you are.”
“Xiao Nong, just throw the garbage in the trash can at the corner.” Feng He pulled Zhao Linong’s clothes, her eyes were a little moist and yearning, “Talk to your mother about your work at the Ninth Agricultural Base.”
“…Alright.”
Leaving her suitcase by the door, Zhao Linong walked to the corner and threw the garbage into a large bin. When she turned back, Feng He was still at the door, watching her with an expression of quiet yearning.
Zhao Linong’s eyes wandered for a moment. After all, she was her daughter. She couldn’t bear the heavy feelings, and she couldn’t even call Feng He “Mom”.
Feng He probably noticed something and asked Zhao Linong who came over: “Are you still angry with your mother?”
Zhao Linong shook her head and gently pushed the wheelchair inside. She pulled her suitcase in behind her and shut the door.
The apartment was small, about 50 square meters, consisting of a single bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. There were no windows, and the lights had to remain on year-round.
Despite its worn-down state, the place was spotless. The living room held a rickety wooden coffee table propped up by a stool, a heavily worn sofa, and an old table with two photo frames resting on top.
Zhao Linong’s gaze lingered on the photos. One was of Feng He holding a young Linong, already seated in a wheelchair but looking much healthier. The other was of Linong as a teenager, standing in front of what seemed to be this very building.
Zhao Linong thought to herself that these two photos of little Linong were almost the same as her appearance in her original world.
Perhaps this resemblance was why she had ended up in this body.
Feng He followed her gaze, coughed a few times, and sighed, “In the blink of an eye, Xiao Nong has grown up so much.”
Zhao Linong retracted her gaze and turned to look at Feng He, “This time I came back, there is something I want to tell you.”
Feng He was a little nervous: “What is it, Xiao Nong? Did something happen?”
“It’s a good thing.” Zhao Linong pushed her to the coffee table and sat opposite her. “Thanks to the book you gave me, I’ve been allowed to take the cross-level planting officer assessment at the end of the year.”
Feng He was stunned, and it took her a long time to react. She reached out and grabbed Zhao Linong’s hand, somewhat incredulous: “Really?”
Zhao Linong lowered his eyes and looked at the hands holding hers. They were very thin, almost skin and bones, and very cold. She could not feel any body temperature at all. When she looked up again, the other person’s eyes were filled with joy and excitement, and a little panic.
“Xiao Nong, can you take the exam? You didn’t lie to me?” Feng He asked suspiciously, “I heard that researcher Yan Shengbian prohibited everyone from taking the exam.”
“It was researcher Yan Shengbian who proposed it.” Zhao Linong pulled out her hand, patted Feng He’s hand soothingly, and briefly explained what happened before.
“So that’s how it is…” Feng He repeated it several times in a low voice, and then held Zhao Linong’s hand tightly, “I remember him. Yan Shengbian took the researcher assessment that year and his seat was behind me.”
“You took the researcher assessment?”
Feng He shook his head: “I went to see the examination room in advance on the day, and I met him once. But I didn’t go on the day of the assessment.”
Zhao Linong keenly noticed that Feng He didn’t want to talk about this matter, so she stopped asking, and only said: “Is the heating at home not turned on?”
When she came in just now, she saw the wall radiator.
Feng He hesitated. “I forgot to turn it on today.”
It was freezing. There was no way she had simply forgotten.
Zhao Linong did not say much, but lowered her head and transferred another sum of money to Feng He’s account: “I will be a planting officer in the future, and the money will not be less, so don’t be too frugal.”
Without waiting for Feng He to say anything, Zhao Linong reached out and picked up the blanket from the sofa on the coffee table, and draped it over her: “Don’t you want to see me become a researcher? You can only see it when you are in good health.”
“…Yes, Xiao Nong is right,” Feng He murmured, dazed.
Zhao Linong looked around the living room, found the heating switch, and turned it on directly.
“Xiao Nong… you’ve changed. You’re not the same as before.”
Feng He, who was sitting in a wheelchair, looked up at Zhao Linong who was standing there, a little absent-minded: “Xiao Nong, you are different from before.”
Zhao Linong turned her back to Feng He, her expression changed instantly, but she quickly restrained himself, turned around, and said: “I have grown up.”
