Chapter 2, I want to go home
Mother Lu scolded for a long time, feeling thirsty and pouring herself some tea, only to find her daughter looking absent-minded, clearly not paying attention to her words. This made her somewhat angry, but then she thought she understood her daughter's concerns: "Are you sad about what Xi'er and Lianjie just said about you? Don't take it to heart. I have asked the doctor, and given how seriously ill you are, it is already a blessing that you haven't become a fool. Forgetting the past, what does it matter? The most important thing is to take care of your health." I have asked the doctor, and given how seriously ill you are, it is already a blessing that you haven't become a fool. Forgetting the past, what does it matter? The most important thing is to take care of your health.
Mother Lu felt that her words were somewhat awkward: "Why does it seem like you are being polite? You clearly still remember your parents, don't you?"
She analyzed and analyzed, yet found no clues, and it seemed her forehead was starting to ache again. As she sighed and rubbed her temples, she heard the soft laughter of a child
What on earth is going on? ... Today's parents look just like her parents did in their thirties, except one has an extra mole and the other has slimmed down a couple of sizes (Mom would be absolutely thrilled to know this), and now, even my younger brother has the same name...
Upon seeing this, Liu family's daughter, Xi'er, let out a cold laugh and called her younger brother and Sister Lian, saying, "I heard that the Wang family at the street corner has also invited a theater troupe today. Let's go watch a play." Sister Lian immediately brightened up, happily took Liu family's younger brother by the hand, and followed Xi'er out. When they reached the courtyard gate, they unexpectedly bumped into a young girl, and all three of them turned cold in expression, avoiding her as they passed.
She remembered that at that time, she had simply stepped onto the high heels that had not been placed properly earlier. For a moment, she lost her balance and bumped into the nearby cabinet. The items placed on top of the cabinet... were actually just her old university textbooks, perhaps one or two English dictionaries. But could something so securely placed really fall onto her head so easily? Even if it did fall on her head, how could she possibly wear it? Had her original body turned into a vegetative state? Or had the soul of her current body exchanged with the original soul of this body?
She has never had any sisters and even less so enjoys being considered siblings with the little firecracker
Her current name is Lu Chunying, with the nickname Chun'er, which is somewhat similar to her original name. She is eleven years old in terms of her virtual age, and her appearance and figure bear some resemblance to how she looked in her childhood, though she is a bit frail.
The children outside the door stopped laughing upon hearing this. One girl turned beet red but couldn't utter a word, while another girl glared at Aunt Lu and said, "Aunt Lu, who are you scolding? It was my brother and I who were laughing. Who are you calling a child with a father but no mother?"
Chunying sighed, glanced around, and couldn't help but feel a pang in her nose, throwing herself onto the bedding, overwhelmed by the urge to cry
Chun Ying's heart skipped a beat, and she dared not speak again. After a long pause, she said: "I am just worried about my mother. Please do not concern yourself with me; I am doing well."
She glanced at the daughter of the Cui family from a distance. She was quite pretty, but merely of middle school age; what schemes could a child possibly have? As for the widow Cui, she clearly had the appearance of a long-suffering woman who endures hardship, far removed from the image of a "seductive vixen" described by the old madam Lu. Old man Lu also said she was not that kind of person; it was likely just the old madam's prejudice.
Mother Lu entered the house, scolding and holding a bundle of items. Chunying hurriedly wiped the tears from her face, awkwardly climbed down from the kang, feeling somewhat at a loss. Unexpectedly, upon seeing her red eyes, which clearly indicated she had been crying, Mother Lu was taken aback: "What happened? Why are you crying for no reason?!"
She buried her head deeper into the blanket, feeling that the future was bleak.
Can she go back?
She misses her new computer, which she bought less than three months ago, and will no longer be usable in the future; it is truly a great loss
Mother Lu was half-convinced: "Today is the ninth day of the month, and the household is offering sacrifices to the God of Heaven. We invited people to perform a hall meeting, and the masters rewarded us with many things, everyone received a share. I snatched a piece of white meat and a few pieces of chicken, along with some pastries. Tonight, we will also have meat to eat." She spread the meat wrapped in oil paper on the table, and a rich aroma of meat wafted out. Chunying forced a smile and said, "That's great, Dad... when will Father come back?"
The young girl was quite beautiful; upon seeing the cold faces of the three children, she seemed to act as if she had not noticed them at all, gracefully returning to her own house.
Mother Lu checked her forehead again, felt her hands, and then felt relieved: "Alright, while it's still light out, I'll go to your grandmother's house to bring Xiao Hu back. You stay indoors, okay? I'll make you something delicious for dinner tonight." After saying this, she smiled as she put away the meat and walked out, carefully closing the door behind her
Raising her head, she saw two girls about twelve or thirteen years old across from her, and beside them stood a boy around eight or nine years old, looking about the same height as her cousin Xiao Hu. He was hiding behind the neighbor's door, watching her while stifling laughter and whispering.
Chunying felt a pang in her heart, as if she were seeing her mother again, as if she had not traveled through time but had merely returned to her childhood. In fact, this woman, although a bit younger, is still her mother, isn't she? She should not have any barriers between them, should she?
You are the one being foolish! Chunying slammed the door shut and crawled onto the kang, feeling somewhat depressed.
Chunying felt warmth seeping from the bedding into her hands and feet, gradually spreading throughout her body, and then rising to her heart... Watching her mother, Lu Mama, busily moving about for her, she couldn't help but feel her eyes redden, murmuring: "Mama..."
She misses her gorilla slippers, although they caused her to trip, they are still very warm in winter
In her current family, in addition to her father and mother, there is also an elder sister named Qiu Yu, who is said to serve in the old lady's quarters, as well as a younger brother who has just turned one year old. Coincidentally, this younger brother's nickname is Xiao Hu
Just now, Mother Lu only heard the laughter of Sister Lian from the Feng family in the same courtyard, completely unaware of the presence of the Liu siblings. Although Manager Liu was merely responsible for purchasing, he was already the most esteemed figure in this courtyard. How could she dare to offend his children? She could only grit her teeth and, with a loud clap, shut the door.
This house is both dark and cold, far inferior to the home I have lived in for over ten years. Although it is a housing reform apartment allocated by my parents' workplace, it is still a two-bedroom, two-living room unit with an area of 88 square meters, fully equipped with heating and air conditioning, and it was renovated ten years ago
She wants to go home
No need! Chunying hurriedly called out to her, "I'm not thirsty, really." She bit her lip and said, "It's cold outside, please don't go out. What if you get sick?"
Just as I was about to turn around, one of the little girls spoke up: "Lu Chun'er! I heard that you bumped your head and became silly. Is that true?" Another little girl nearby giggled.
Chunying ignored them and went straight through the door, still hearing them whispering behind her: "She seems just like before, has she really become foolish?"
If only she hadn't pursued Xiao Hu, the child is just playful, he merely wants to watch cartoons, so let him watch; if only she hadn't been lazy, it would have been better if she had covered herself with a blanket before falling asleep; if only when she fell, she hadn't fallen towards the cabinet, but rather to the other side...
She reached out to touch her daughter's cotton-padded jacket, finding it reasonably warm, and nodded in satisfaction. However, upon taking her hand, she felt as if it had been soaked in cold water. She hurriedly pulled her daughter onto the kang and took off her shoes, saying, "Quick, warm up! You can't catch a cold again!" While speaking, she pulled the quilt over Chunying's legs, tucking her hands in as well, and continued to murmur, "Tomorrow I will ask Aunt Wang to borrow her daughter's hand warmer, then you won't be afraid of the cold anymore, alright?"
Although it seems enjoyable for everyone to traverse into another world in online novels, she now only feels fear and anxiety. This is a world she completely does not understand, and the little knowledge in her head is far from sufficient. What should she do
She misses her television, having followed a drama series about books for a month, which is now preparing for its grand finale
She knew that they were not speaking well of her. Chunying secretly curled her lip and decided to get up and return to the house. After all, it was the first month of the lunar calendar, and it was quite cold outside. Her delicate little body needed to be taken care of.
Mother Lu peered through the crack in the door and spat quietly, "Such a black heart at such a young age, thinking you've climbed to high branches from now on? I will wait to see how you meet your end!" Turning back, she saw her daughter looking bewildered and sighed, "It's a pity you forgot, otherwise you could have reported it to the housekeeper's wife. What good is that Cui girl? Hmph, the two of them are always causing a stir, neither of them is any good!"
"After changing shifts, I came back." Mother Lu was happily fiddling with the meat when she suddenly caught sight of a wet patch on the bedding on the kang. Just a moment ago, she had clearly seen her youngest daughter lying there, so her expression immediately changed. "You were clearly crying, why are you hiding it from me? Is it a severe headache? Or did someone upset you?"
A sound came from the door; someone entered the room: "Damn that Wu woman! Isn’t it just because she raised a good daughter to serve the second young master? She hasn’t even earned the status of a concubine, so what is there to be proud of?! How dare she get ahead of me!" It turned out to be the younger version of Mama Lu, known to outsiders as a member of the Lu family.
Why did heaven allow her to travel through time
I am your elder sister from the Cui family, Chun'er. I have come to see you
How can one explain the reason? Chunying had no choice but to change the subject: "When did I cry? It was just the wind that blurred my eyes—what are you holding?"
Since I have already worn it, what is the point of blaming others?
Unfortunately, this little brother has now been taken to his grandmother's house; otherwise, she would definitely want to see if he looks exactly like that little bomb
Chunying squatted on the steps in front of the door, holding a branch and aimlessly gesturing on the ground, her eyes vacant, while her mind was occupied with very serious questions
There is also the rogue rabbit pillow on the bedside, the pink pig alarm clock, the wool gloves knitted by my mother, and the thermos that has been used for eight years
Chunying opened her mouth, but before she could brush it off, Mama Lu had already heard the laughter of girls outside the door, faintly saying, "Lu Chun'er has become a fool." Her face immediately darkened: "I knew it was her!" She turned around, opened the door, stepped over the threshold, hands on her hips, and shouted: "Where did this heartless little brat come from?! A child born of a father but raised without a mother! Who are you laughing at?!"
Chunying listened in a daze, lacking any real interest. She had heard Mama Lu complain countless times before that her predecessor, Lu Chunying, had fallen ill because of the widow Cui and her daughter living in the west room, and that the daughter of the Cui family had even taken away the good job that originally belonged to Chunying. She was unclear about the details, as Mama Lu was only focused on cursing and did not allow her husband to defend the Cui mother and daughter, thus she was only half-convinced by Mama Lu's words
She wiped her eyes, feeling that the tears could not be stopped. She had to look for a handkerchief, but then she heard a light knock on the door and asked, "Who is it?"
She has been here for some time, and it is unclear whether she fell ill before arriving or became ill after her arrival. In any case, she fainted on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, and when she awoke, it was already the third day of the new year, a full ten days had passed, and she had regressed by several hundred years
She is also unsure of which dynasty she is in. Nowadays, parents hardly mention emperors or the court, and she has her reservations, not daring to ask too much. She can only infer from the style of the armor on her mother that it is likely from the Ming Dynasty. However, upon seeing the glass wine cup used for offerings in front of the shrine, she becomes uncertain again. Perhaps... the Ming Dynasty already had glass?
She still misses the flush toilet at home
Mother Lu was pouring hot tea for her daughter when she heard this and smiled: "You can't be serious, can you? Others call me 'Mom'!" She touched the cup and frowned: "The water has gone cold. Just wait, I will boil some right away."
Although today's parents resemble their own parents, they are not her true parents after all