Gentle Miscellany
(This miscellany is a record of a Nongye Tianshi's achievements. The power of Si's painting probably made it feel rough and grainy. You brush your hand against it, and feel the labor of sowing and harvesting.)
"Tianshi Cereal". Cereal is not her last name, but an abbreviation of her honorary title: "Tianshi of the Five Cereal Grains". This title is only awarded by the HAS to the most outstanding of Nongye Tianshi, and Tianshi Cereal achieved it by successfully breeding the first generation of crops completely acclimatized to Talos-II. However, Tianshi Cereal refused to turn up to the commendation ceremony. HAS quickly notified her and made her attendance necessary. Instead, she sent a new gourd variant with a label that read: "Dumbokin". One of the senior Tianshi in the panel of judges was so angered by this act that he split the gourd in half during the ceremony and declared that he would prepare a "feast" with it and stuff every piece of the "roasted dumbokin" into Tianshi Cereal's mouth.
Many crop variants bred by Tianshi Cereal were widely grown throughout the Civilization Band. Ironically, nobody knew the location of Tianshi Cereal's testing farms. Every piece of information regarding her whereabouts was also closely guarded by HAS.
A testing area reported how their farmers once saw a round, chubby house. When they approached it, they picked up the delicious smell of vegetables and fruits. Closer inspection revealed that the entire house was carved out of a massive gourd. The farmers were shocked and quickly reported this to the local watchguards.
When they returned to the house, it was already very much munched through by a herd of hungry burdenbeasts.
Many people wanted to get to the bottom of this strange event. However, none of the news agencies decided to follow up.
The testing area, however, reaped a bumper harvest that year.
I am just a farm worker. The only thing I could do is just to sow more seeds and harvest more crops.
But I know that a great burden is laid upon my shoulders.
There are still people starving in the Band. They'd do anything to get a bite.
If my research puts one more meal on the table or fills the stomach of a family, maybe evil will cease?
Indeed. I believe this, from the bottom of my soul.
In the foreseeable future, I shall continue to tackle the great problem that even Terra failed to solve.
May the seeds of kindness be fruitful.
— Excerpt from an interview with Tianshi Cereal
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