Chapter 172: The Golden Ocean
Fourth Production Escort Ship Spaceport.
Before departure, Xiang Chuan was still thinking if there might be some magnetic field turbulence or gravity interference or other unexpected events on the road, but the fact is, modern people 30,000 years later can already prevent these minor accidents proficiently before they happen.
At exactly seven in the morning, first-year and second-year high school students from Nongda Affiliated High School arrived at the Production Escort Ship simultaneously.
Xiang Chuan walked with the large troop in the spaceport and didn’t feel any difference; it was just a bit smaller than the main ship’s port.
But when they walked out of the spaceport, the cool breeze coming head-on made her shudder.
Outside the spaceport, the trees along the street were adorned with fiery red leaves, with a thick layer fallen at their bases, and ornamental chrysanthemums blooming near the benches for resting outside the spaceport.
Fiery red and golden yellow filled everyone’s view, which instantly attracted many drowsy first-year high school students to the surrounding scenery, waking them up completely.
After all, the main ship was in spring, and although the weather was gradually warming up, there was still the unstoppable phenomenon of spring sleepiness. The autumn breeze and scenery of the Fourth Production Escort Ship were just right to dispel the drowsiness of spring sleepiness.
Even Chou Manman, who had been uninterested in the Production Escort Ship on the shuttle, now opened the camera on her terminal and started snapping photos nonstop.
Noticing Xiang Chuan’s hesitant gaze toward her, Chou Manman stubbornly said: “I’m just not interested in the space on the route; I didn’t say I’m not interested in the inside of the escort ship.”
Heh, the true fragrance law never goes out of style. Xiang Chuan gave her a “you don’t need to say anything, I understand everything” look and clumsily operated the camera on her own terminal to take a few shots as well.
After the students perked up, the grade director and the homeroom teachers’ efficiency in leading the group also improved.
Even boarding the transport ships for the Production Escort Ship was much faster than at the school gate.
The Production Escort Ship wasn’t just for production work; the area near the port was planned by the escort ship captain as the warehouse district due to convenient transportation, looking like giant square iron blocks on the outside.
At this time of day, the workers hadn’t started work yet, but the transport robots had already begun packaging and storing the ingredients harvested and simply processed inside the escort ship.
After leaving the warehouse district and traveling two or three kilometers, the scenery outside the window turned into the residential area style familiar to Xiang Chuan, and a few minutes later, they saw buildings resembling the commercial district.
For commuting convenience and to share the population pressure of the main ship, the major fleets have been actively encouraging residents engaged in production industry or military industry to relocate to production escort ships or military escort ships since 5,000 years ago, so they specially designated several areas as residential areas and commercial districts.
Residents of the Production Escort Ship work at the port, or in transportation, or in different departments of the agriculture industry, with greatly varying commute times and demands, so compared to gradually, the residential areas inside the escort ship are more dispersed, which is rather like the style of 21st century cities.
It wasn’t yet business hours for the commercial district, so most shops were closed, and plus the students had seen more luxurious and unique shops on the main ship, they had no interest in the small shops inside the escort ship.
Just as the group’s newly roused spirits were about to flag again, the transport ship had already driven out of the commercial district.
Wow——!!!
Cries of astonishment rose one after another inside the four transport ships.
Even Xiang Chuan, this “ancient person” who had already seen the “great sights of the 21st century,” couldn’t help wanting to press her whole body against the window, but luckily Chou Manman held her back.
As soon as they left the commercial district, the surrounding scenery changed completely, like teleporting from one map to another in a game.
Before their eyes stretched endless golden rice paddies heavy with autumn harvest!
The autumn rice paddies seemed enveloped in a layer of golden glow. A gentle breeze passed over, making the rice ears sway lightly, producing a rustling sound like a harvest symphony echoing in the fields. Sunlight sprinkled on the paddies, each grain of rice as if coated in gold foil, dazzling and warm. The golden rice ears connected into a vast expanse in the fields, like an endless golden ocean stretching beyond sight.
Xiang Chuan had seen harvest scenes in her 21st century hometown, but her hometown had karst landforms with few plains, so the “golden ocean” described in Chinese language class textbooks was mostly aerial footage from TV screens for her. Through the screen, her thought was only “pretty,” but she had never felt the shock of vast connected harvest rice paddies like now.
“Class President! Outdoor camera! Quick, apply for the outdoor camera!”
Chou Manman could no longer sit still; she waved her hands and shouted toward Class President Lu Daiqing. If not for the seatbelt, she would probably have rushed to the front row to excitedly shake the class president’s shoulders.
[The homeroom teachers have already applied for the outdoor camera, Chou Manman, calm down.]
Class President Lu Daiqing’s voice came faintly from the terminal, but sharp-eared classmates still detected the unconcealed excitement in his tone.
Indeed! As children of residents from the Third Fleet, which values agriculture the most, how could they remain unmoved by these golden rice paddies?
They arrived at the destination ten minutes later.
In these ten minutes, the first-year high school students from Nongda Affiliated High School not only saw vast golden rice paddies from the transport ship, but also vegetable plots heavy with fruit; it was now the harvest season for pumpkins and carrots, with the pumpkins fallen in the fields looking large and full, extremely appetizing.
Once the transport ship landed steadily, everyone eagerly ran off the ship and snapped photos furiously at the surrounding scenery and rice paddies.
The air was filled with the fragrance of ripe rice; every grain was plump and heavy, as if telling of this season’s harvest and joy, carrying the warmth of the earth and the sun, making one feel utmost satisfaction and peace.
When getting off the transport ship, Xiang Chuan even went right up to the edge of the rice paddy and zoomed in the camera lens to snap away madly.
Rice! Plump rice! Harvest-fresh fragrant rice!!
If Ouyang Yating and Ainuo hadn’t noticed Xiang Chuan’s unusual emotions while getting off the transport ship and stuck tightly to her sides, ready at any moment to hold down their club president who might go berserk from excessive excitement, she really would have charged into the rice paddy to cut a bundle of rice to process into rice.
Who knows how she, as an old Central Plains person, endured these past few months without rice to eat!
She’s a southerner, after all!
Damn it!
“Alright, alright, time to assemble.” Ouyang Yating and Ainuo flanked Xiang Chuan, one on each arm, dragging her toward the class assembly point.
When they returned to the class, they suddenly discovered a problem: Liang Gong was missing.
Ouyang Yating and Ainuo looked at each other, both seeing the surprise on the other’s face.
Because in their impression, Liang Gong was the most obedient and well-behaved student in their entire club, no, the entire class; sneaking off without a word was something only their own club president or Nancy would do!
Ouyang Yating and Nancy: Having you two as club members/childhood friends is truly our honor.
