Chapter 1: An Incident Occurred

"What did you say?" Old Wang, having not heard the latter half of the sentence, pushed up his glasses and shook the newspaper in his hand as he inquired

Where is this? Who are you? Cheng Lu felt dizzy and found it difficult to speak, but his mind was clear, and he was a bit nervous: Am I not time-traveling? Thank you, Lord, Amen! Please don't mess with me!

As Shufen, dressed in a tight-fitting bodysuit, entered the room, Cheng Lu finally came to his senses: "Yes, yes, Uncle Wang is right. The young girls of the new era all have figures like Shufen. So, I could just run every day without going to work, right?" Drool began to flow...

Old Wang was furious, and with a flick of his hand, he tossed aside the Xinmin Evening News (from yesterday) and said in Shaanxi dialect: "What's the matter? It's just a look, isn't it? Can't I even look? Then you can come find me at the square tonight. It's really infuriating, not even allowing a look... Yesterday when I was dancing, I even touched it, and still..."

"Running every day is actually good for the body. Young people should go to bed early and get up early, embodying the vitality of the new generation!" Old Wang would often say this when he saw Cheng Lu returning home after his morning run.

Ah... it hurts... hiss. Cheng Lu was just about to get up, but the pain throughout his body made him too weak to struggle and he collapsed back onto the bed, gasping for breath.

"This child, this is what your mother found today in the medicine jar at Doctor Wang's house in the village." After saying this, the old woman surprisingly displayed a shy expression on her face

Uncertain how long he had been in a stupor, Cheng Lu slowly regained consciousness. Upon opening his eyes, he found the room filled with a thick haze and dim light. "Where is this?" Just as he attempted to sit up for a clearer view, he felt a heaviness throughout his body, as if his head were heavy and his feet light, rendering him unable to rise or move. Gasping for breath, Cheng Lu began to recall some events from before his unconsciousness: he had been hit by a car!

Just after finishing speaking, I heard someone push the door open. An old man, thin and tall, in his forties or fifties, came in and asked: "Is this wretch awake? Hurry up and get up, stop pretending to be dead. You still have to do masonry work for the wealthy landlord of Linzhuang in three days. " The old man cursed as he entered the room, went to the only piece of furniture, a long bench, sat down, and slapped the dust off his feet, cursing: "You dare to defy me, trying to show off in front of your father, I won't let you off so easily, you ungrateful son!"

Xiuying stood at the door, watching her son leave: "Son, drive slowly on the road, and pay attention to safety! Mom will make braised pork with bamboo shoots for you tonight!"

A half-hour morning run every day is essential, not for the sake of exercising, but because he had agreed with the neighbor's daughter, Shufen, to run together every morning. Cheng Lu followed closely behind Shufen, watching the substantial roundness of her hips sway back and forth. Occasionally, when Shufen turned around and called out for him to catch up, the two swaying mounds made Cheng Lu gulp hard. As he thought about this, he nearly stumbled because he didn't see the steps clearly.

Is this a hospital? It is even worse than a garage piled with junk. It somewhat resembles the ancestral home of Cheng Lu from his childhood, with wooden window frames, earthen kang and walls, dark corners filled with cobwebs, and the only broken table displaying a chipped bowl. On the wall above the kang hangs a set of worn-out knives, while a few hoes and bamboo poles are propped up behind the door. Inside, something is burning in the earthen stove, and a mix of blue smoke and a musty, burnt odor wafts through the air.

Looking at the bowl filled with steaming black water, a strange odor wafted up, nearly causing Cheng Ku to vomit. In a panic, he exclaimed, "What is this? What have you made me drink? I need to go to the hospital!"

"What the heck, madam, I remember I was hit by a car. You are supposed to take me to the hospital, not let me lie in your house. Otherwise, if anything happens to me, my mother and the neighbor, Mr. Wang, will sue you. Hurry up!" Cheng Lu was negotiating with the old woman, holding onto a glimmer of hope.

"Hehe, I almost forgot, I left my lovingly prepared bento behind." Saying this, she picked up the lunchbox and gave Xiuying a kiss on the cheek, then with a graceful flick of her hand, she said: "Goodbye, my dear!"

Cheng Lu, who is twenty-four years old this year, has just graduated from university and works as a business manager at a small decoration company. The company is not large and does not have much business, but it is located in the city center. The commute is a bit long; he takes an electric bike to the No. 15 bus station, then transfers to the No. 7 bus and rides it to the end. After walking another two hundred and fifty meters, he arrives at the office located deep in a small alley. Having been on the job for almost six months, Cheng Lu initially found it difficult to adapt to the irregular bus schedule, but now he is beginning to slowly enjoy this journey. Life is like a strong force; when you cannot resist it, it is best to learn to find joy in hardship and to enjoy it.

This morning, it seemed that people were a bit clear-headed, as electric scooters sped along the sidewalk, with dynamic music playing in the headphones: "Yo yo ... ... @ # % * ... ... Halasayo ... ..." Following the rhythm, Cheng Lu, wearing sunglasses, rode the electric scooter at full speed, reaching 50 miles per hour

Why are you blushing while getting medicine? This old lady has quite a few strange tones. Cheng Lu, disregarding his inner confusion, spoke up: "Auntie, I will say it again, my name is Cheng Lu, I live at No. 245, Huazhongli, Chengping Street, Handan City, my mother is Cheng Xiuying, I am not your son! Please take me to the hospital, or you can take me home!"

The pain was like being torn apart, as if all the internal organs were shattered, and there was a feeling of suffocation in the chest. I could only hear the people around me starting to shout, with someone calling out: "Quick, call 120, report to the police, someone has been hit by a truck!" "Young man, are you okay... hang in there..." Everything went dark before my eyes, and Cheng Lu fainted from the pain.

The old woman raised her hand, seemingly wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, which were now a bit wet. "Child, if you continue to talk nonsense, your father will come back and beat you again! Quickly lie down, and I will go fetch the medicine for you. After taking the medicine, your mind will be clear again, sigh," said the old woman as she went to the earthen stove.

"Son, you are awake!" Suddenly, a woman in her forties with a face full of wrinkles stood up by the earthen stove. She was dressed in a brown cloth garment that was covered in patches, and on her head was a dark, greasy scarf, with her hair haphazardly stuffed inside. Her hands, which had just gathered firewood, were rubbed vigorously on her apron as she walked over to Cheng Lu, saying, "The medicine your mother is preparing for you will be ready soon, just wait a moment."

"Son, wait a moment, your lunch..." Mother Xiuying chased out from the kitchen, holding a lunch box in her hand

"Quick, take your hand away, old lady! What do you want to do?" Cheng Lu was completely panicked: "I want to go home, let me go quickly!" Struggling, he began to shake.

Is this child made foolish by your father? I am your biological mother, and this is your home, poor child!" As she spoke, the old woman shook her head and wiped the corners of her eyes, but there were no tears!

It's nothing, it's nothing, Uncle Wang, I've had breakfast, and I have two important meetings today, bye...!" Saying this, Cheng Lu quickly dashed into his own house

Cheng Lu used the remote key to open the garage door downstairs, and the door slowly opened, revealing the clutter inside, all of which were the masterpieces of his mother, Xiu Ying. For decades, she had been reluctant to throw away even the smallest of items, and everything was piled up in the garage. Cheng Lu unplugged the charger of the electric bike, inserted the key, turned it, and pushed it out, setting off! Behind him, the garage door slowly closed.

At 6:30 in the morning, the alarm clock rang incessantly. With sleepy eyes, Cheng Lu rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, stretching his feet to the ground and searching for the slippers he had carelessly discarded the night before.

As soon as the old woman saw the old man return, she was like a mouse spotting a cat, not daring to utter another word. She spoke softly to Cheng Lu, saying: "Son, get up quickly, your father is back, we are going to eat, I will serve you, hurry up and get up." Saying this, she firmly helped the dizzy Cheng Lu to sit up.

While passing by the intersection of Xinhua Road and Mingzhong Street, two foreign blonde, long-legged beauties greeted Cheng Lu with a flying kiss. Indeed, Cheng Lu has fair skin and a tall stature, dressed in a formal suit with a scarf and sunglasses, his clean and flowing long hair dancing in the wind, exuding a distinctly artistic vibe. (He bears quite a resemblance to Takashi Sorimachi)

"Hi, this old man," Shufen said as she watched Old Wang walk into the bedroom, ignoring him, and then turned around to pick up her briefcase before leaving.

What the hell, what is going on? I remember leaving home in the morning, everything was normal, how did a car accident lead to this? Even my family background has changed, going from a well-off family to the proletariat in an instant, and not only has my mother changed into someone else, but my dead father is actually alive? Damn it, oh! My head hurts so much, Cheng Lu closed his eyes to rest, his mind filled with memories of everything that happened in the morning, trying to figure out where things went wrong

Dad, what are you mumbling about at the door all by yourself? Did Aunt Cheng give you a hard time again today?" Shufen asked Old Wang at the door while tidying up her clothes. Old Wang replied irritably, "It's nothing, just hurry up and finish your meal so you can go to work; you might miss your No. 2 bus.

"What is wrong with you, child? Your father merely hit you with a stick, and he didn't even strike your head. Why are you speaking nonsense?" After saying this, he placed his dirty hand on Cheng Lu's forehead. Cheng Lu lacked the strength to evade that filthy hand and could only watch in terror as it rubbed against his forehead like a razor.

The young man, showing off, turned around to blow a kiss to a foreign girl, when suddenly a horn blared from the side, and the people around screamed, "Bang! Boom!" ... Cheng Lu felt as if he had taken flight, everything felt so slow ...! ... So exhilarating! But just as the thrill lasted for less than 2 seconds, he crashed heavily into a small car that had darted out from the side, it was a double collision! Damn it!

Cheng Lu looked bewildered, wondering what was going on. Is this old man my deceased father? How does he look completely different from the person in the photo!

Old Wang next door, who is neither dead nor alive, is staring at Cheng Lu's mother at the door. Xiu Ying shot him an angry glare and said, "What are you looking at, you shameless one!" After saying that, she slammed the door shut.

"Xiao Liuzi, when your father comes back, don't argue with him. You see, the other night you had a quarrel with him, and he almost beat you to death. Your mother felt heartbroken just watching. Silly boy, no matter what, he is still your father. How can you lay hands on him?" The old woman chattered on as she slowly approached with a broken porcelain bowl. "Here, drink this medicine, and your illness will be cured."

Having changed into a suit and tied his tie, Cheng Lu was satisfied as he looked at himself in the mirror. He tidied his hair, turned around, picked up the briefcase from the shoe rack by the door, and opened the door, preparing to leave. "Mom, I'm leaving!"