109 The Flower’s Heart

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May 14, 2012. 08:13:21 AM.
Earth, United States, Los Angeles.
The Egg Diner.
A briefcase was placed onto the counter.
"Welcome, Marcus. What can I get for you today?"
The waitress picked up a carafe and poured a glass of water for her customer.
"Morning, Shirley..." Marcus replied listlessly. He casually flipped through the menu spread out before him, then looked up at the small blackboard labeled "Today's Specials": "...A sandwich, two eggs... make that one egg."
"Coming right up."
The waitress turned around, switched on the grill and the egg cooker, and glanced back at the customer she hadn't seen in days. "Marcus, I haven't seen you for a few days. Did something happen?"
"Who's having a good time these days?" the customer sighed. "That damn Wu Qingchen is hanging up in the sky, my damn boss shut down the company, and here I am, the damn me, forced to scramble everywhere looking for a damn new job."
"Relax, Marcus. You'll find something new."
"Maybe..." Marcus was deeply despondent. "I'm running out of money... Damn celestial event! Damn apartment rent! Damn credit cards! Why can't they just go out of business too?"
Just then, a familiar melody chimed. The television screen hanging on the right side of the diner displayed the BBC breaking news icon.
"This is Julie Candler reporting for BBC News.
Fifteen minutes ago, Earth's representative, Mr. Wu Qingchen, completed the critical 'beehive relocation' step of the 'Mill Strategy' in the medieval village of Aiculi.
This step is consolidation-oriented. Mr. Wu Qingchen will further assist the inhabitants of the medieval world in overcoming the challenges of famine and resource scarcity.
It is foreseeable that this move, which benefits the lords, freemen, and serfs of Aiculi alike, will significantly boost Mr. Wu Qingchen's prestige in the medieval world, especially among the impoverished classes.
According to think-tank analysis, once the effects of this step become apparent, it is highly likely that Mr. Wu Qingchen will utilize this impressive method to enter the field of vision of the realm's higher-ranking rulers."
"Beehive relocation... critical step... rulers..."

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The waitress frowned as she listened to the report while preparing the sandwich.
The news ended.
Setting the plate with the sandwich in front of Marcus, the waitress pointed at the TV and asked, troubled, "Hey, Mr. Marcus, do you know what this news means?"
"Who knows? Who knows what that son-of-a-bitch kidnapper is up to now?"
While waiting for his breakfast, Marcus had been intently studying job listings on his phone, not even glancing at the television.
"Well..." Shirley tried to explain to Marcus. "Mr. Wu Qingchen moved a beehive."
"The accurate phrasing is... Mr. Wu Qingchen has completed the critical step of beehive relocation, laying a solid foundation for the launch of the 'Mill Strategy' and the subsequent collection of supplies."
A strange voice drifted in from near the glass door that had just been pushed open.
It was a middle-aged man in glasses, wearing a sharp suit and looking full of energy.
"Welcome, sir."
The middle-aged man sat down and immediately ordered the items at the top of the menu: "Citrus banana French toast, coddled eggs, and salmon benedict potato pancakes, thank you."
"Whoa, buddy, you're eating well." Hearing the price of that breakfast—over fifty dollars—Marcus turned his head.
"When there's good news, why not eat well?"
"Good news? What good news?"
"Isn't it on your phone?" The middle-aged man gestured toward Marcus's device.
"This is just a job search platform."
"An hour ago, the White House released the full documentation for the 'Mill Strategy' across all telecommunications providers, websites, platforms, broadcasts, and advertising screens. Didn't you see it when you opened your phone?"
"I usually open my phone when I'm on the toilet, and when the pop-up appeared, I was at a critical moment!"
"Hey, hey, Marcus!" Shirley quickly cut off his rambling, pointing to the side of the counter. "Sir, are you talking about these things?"

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The middle-aged man tilted his head. Where Shirley was pointing, three thick stacks of promotional brochures were piled higher than a person.
"What is this..." Marcus grabbed one and, sure enough, saw a cover identical to the one he had seen on his phone screen while on the toilet and on the subway ads just minutes ago. "Seems like this is it. Where did this come from?"
"Police cars dropped them off half an hour ago, with orders that every shop must distribute one to every customer... Never mind that." Shirley pointed at the TV. "Sir, could you please tell us what the news is about?"
"It's all explained very clearly in here..." The middle-aged man shook the brochure in his hand. "Much clearer than on the news."
"Go ahead, tell poor Shirley..." Marcus tapped the table. "She's been getting C-minus grades since middle school."
"Alright, for the sake of an even better breakfast." The middle-aged man gestured toward the kitchen counter. Seeing Shirley nod vigorously, he continued: "Do you know what honey is?"
"I know!" Marcus took a bite of his sandwich and pointed at the viscous liquid inside. "That sweet stuff."
"Sir, I know what honey is... and I also know that this fool is pointing at the ketchup right now... the red stuff next to it is the honey!" Shirley said, looking annoyed. "Hey, Marcus... stop joking around. Please, sir, tell us why he needs to move a beehive."
"Sorry..." Marcus looked a bit embarrassed. "Sir, please don't mind me; I'm just in a bad mood."
"It's alright. There are too few people in a good mood these days..." The middle-aged man didn't mind, sighing slightly. "I hope the good news makes you feel a bit better."
"Sir..." Seeing that Marcus had apologized, Shirley pressed again. "Why did Mr. Wu Qingchen have to move the beehive? Doesn't he already have his own hives..."
"Please, look here." The middle-aged man spread out the brochure, flipped a few pages, and placed it in front of Shirley. "Look at this: the three most important animals to humans in ancient agricultural history."
Shirley looked down. Drawn on the page were a cow, a sheep, and a swarm of bees.
"Look at these three little cuties..." The middle-aged man traced them one by one. "The plow ox—we've been hearing about this for days, as you should know, this is the most important source of labor for agricultural activity before the advent of machinery."
The man and woman nodded repeatedly. In the corner of the Egg Diner, there were other thick stacks of brochures, part of the massive publicity campaign from the past few days.
"Sheep—in areas where agricultural land is scarce or where conditions are unfavorable for fiber crops and silkworms, wool is the primary source of clothing."