Chapter 14 Awakening has never left...

When Ning Yanzhao was hit by the car, her mind went completely blank. No matter how hard she tried to break free, she couldn't open her eyes...

"It hurts so much, it really hurts so much."

"Help……"

It's unclear how much time passed in this inescapable predicament, but Ning Yanzhao finally opened her eyes.

Unexpectedly, when Ning Yanzhao opened her eyes again, she found herself suddenly back in the real world where she should be living. She looked around and saw that she was still standing at the same bus stop, with the endless stream of vehicles in front of her. The bag hanging on her body felt very real, and she saw that the eye drops she had "just" wiped with paper were still in the bag.

Although it seems that this is the case now, and she has never "left" this bus stop, the way that bus drove by last night felt so real. She had never felt such a life-threatening moment before, and her heart rate soared to an unprecedented level. Even after calming down for a few minutes, her heart was still pounding.

Ning Yanzhao quickly checked the time on her phone, and it was indeed "that day" morning. She then checked the recent news and the funeral home's recent work schedule, and found that An Nianyu's death was still a fact.

So, not only did Ning Yanzhao not "time travel," but did her "time travel" to the past not change reality at all? Were the events that happened before just dreams she'd had these past few days due to her mental confusion? But she'd never had a dream spanning several weeks before; this was truly strange.

Regarding Xu Yongqing, assuming that the truth about Xu Yongqing that Ning Yanzhao learned through her dream is true, and that car is also real, Ning Yanzhao doesn't know whether, after she was hit by the oncoming car, another car would hit Xu Yongqing at some other time, just like back then, or whether she would replace the car that was originally going to hit Xu Yongqing.

Meanwhile, Ning Yanzhao didn't know whether Xu Yongqing's fate had changed in the end, or whether Xu Yongqing was finally safe, because after the car drove by, she knew nothing more. In short, there were just too many questions now.

After clearing her mind, Ning Yanzhao searched online for keywords such as "2016 M City female high school student car accident". There were a few news articles, but she didn't know if they were about Xu Yongqing.

So many years have passed, and the only person Ning Yanzhao still keeps in touch with from her high school class is her longtime best friend Jing Yiran. So she decided to ask Jing Yiran. However, when Ning Yanzhao called Jing Yiran, the mechanical female voice on the phone said, "The other party's phone is switched off..." Normally, Jing Yiran would be glued to her phone, so she was probably away on a business trip again.

Although Ning Yanzhao did not get the answer she wanted, she realized that now that she was back, her task was to go to work.

After waiting for a while, Ning Yanzhao saw the bus that usually took her to the funeral home arrive again. However, it didn't emit any strange light like "just now," and there was no "time travel." She even felt a little "disappointed." After scanning her phone's QR code to board the bus, she stood on the bus watching the city street scenery flash by, wondering how to deal with the mystery before her.

In the following two days, when Ning Yanzhao tried to contact Jing Yiran, Jing Yiran kept saying that she was very busy and would contact her again in a few days. Since she said that, Ning Yanzhao could only wait for her.

However, the burdens of life didn't leave Ning Yanzhao much time to think about other things. She was also extremely busy at work these past few days, and every day when she got home, she would just collapse into bed and sleep.

Since Ning Yanzhao returned to nine years later, several days have passed, and her life continues unsurprisingly, filled with work, without any waves.

Frequently reversing your day and night cycle can cause extreme fatigue.

One day after Ning Yanzhao got off work, she felt incredibly heavy on her way home. So when she got home, she didn't even have the energy to play on her phone. In the end, she simply took a shower and went to bed. She didn't know how long she had slept before a phone call woke her up.

"Hello?" Ning Yanzhao, due to long-standing habits, can accurately answer phone calls without opening her eyes, relying solely on her sense of touch.

"Yan Zhao, are you off work today? Did I disturb your rest?" Ning's mother, Wen Huiquan, asked with concern when she heard Ning Yan Zhao's voice sound a little different from usual.

Because Ning Yanzhao's work at the funeral home is very special, and sometimes she has to work night shifts, Ning's mother usually calls when Ning Yanzhao should be awake. Unfortunately, she just got off work today and fell asleep before her usual bedtime.

"I don't have a mom. I'm off work, so I won't bother her."

"That's good, that's good. Do you have time to go home soon?"

"Is there something you need?"

"I'd like to take the kebab to the hospital for a full check-up. If you have time, let's take it to the hospital together. It's been a long time since I've seen you."

That said, Kao Chuan is quite old now. It's normal for both people and pets to have some health problems when they get older, so it's really quite remarkable that it's healthy now. Plus, Ning Yanzhao hadn't seen Kao Chuan in nine years since then, so she immediately agreed: "Okay, I happen to have a day off this Saturday, so let's meet at the M City Pet Center Hospital."

"Okay, then you get some rest. I'll bring some kebabs. See you on Saturday, Yan Zhao. Goodnight."

Goodnight, Mom.

To sum up the work at a funeral home using a phrase that was once popular on online platforms, it's very easy.

While it may seem like there's less communication in the secular sense and the workload isn't huge, it's not as simple as people say. There are many specialized positions in a funeral home, such as morticians, crematorium workers, and embalmers.

Ning Yanzhao and her colleagues in the office were in charge of funeral planning, specializing in creating plans for those who wanted customized funeral services. The funeral home's external exam included several planning questions based on different scenarios.

Although both are planning positions, there are substantial differences between planning positions in funeral homes and television stations. The former is relatively "low-key," but the common point is that this position also requires everyone to continuously learn in order to better adapt to the needs of those in need. Since Ning Yanzhao was going to the pet hospital in the city center this Saturday, she thought she might as well go to the city center library to borrow a few books to read.

Perhaps due to excessive sleepiness, Ning Yanzhao fell asleep again soon after hanging up the phone.

Saturday arrived quickly. Ning Yanzhao took a bus to the M City Pet Center Hospital with a backpack that could hold several books. As soon as she got off the bus, she saw her mother, Wen Huiquan, holding a skewer of barbecue.

Because Kaochuan is a small dog, and the family loves it very much, apart from letting Kaochuan roam freely, Ning Yanzhao's family often holds it tightly when they are outside. Of course, they are also worried that there are too many cars outside and that Kaochuan might run around and get hurt.

"Mom, barbecue skewers, have you been here for a long time? I told you not to come and wait for me so early."

"Yan Zhao, you're here. What's the rush?"

It was an hour earlier than the time Ning Yanzhao and her mother had agreed upon. She hadn't expected her mother to still be here so early with skewers, waiting for her.

Ning Yanzhao had told her mother that the pet hospital didn't open as early as she imagined, and that she didn't need to come so early, but she still found it impossible to "argue" with her elders about these kinds of issues. Just like how her parents used to always wait for her at the school gate long before school ended, in reality, school ends later than earlier in 99% of the time.

The elders all have their own principles, which is something that is difficult to change and there is nothing that can be done. Sometimes, the only way to make the relationship more harmonious is to let the elders do what they want. Ning Yanzhao chose not to insist and said anything more. She just shook her head and silently expressed her helplessness, pretending to be strong for the last time.

After greeting her mother, Ning Yanzhao squatted down and patted the kebab's head. "Kebab, long time no see!" The kebab squinted with joy and rubbed against her palm, still as cute as ever.

"Kuai Chuan, are you happy to see your sister?" Ning Yanzhao's mother, Wen Huiquan, gently shook the front paw of the kebab.

The skewers made a few soft noises to express their delight.

"Good boy, good boy."

"Yan Zhao, was your journey here smooth?"

"Hmm, how have you been lately? What's Dad doing today?"

"We're all fine. Your dad went to play chess with his friends today."

"So, how have you been lately, Kaochuan?" Ning Yanzhao said, shaking Kaochuan's two front paws. Kaochuan was very happy to see its little master whom it hadn't seen in a long time, and its eyes shone with unusual brilliance.

"Tell your sister that you're doing well." Wen Huiquan was filled with emotion as she watched her daughter and their pet dog, Kaochuan, interact just like when they were children.

"Mom, what's this about barbecue skewers you mentioned on the phone?"

"It's nothing, we just wanted to bring it in for a full check-up. It's been a long time since it had one, and we're a little worried about it."

"Mom, to be honest, you don't seem to care about your own health this much. Did you go for a full checkup with Dad last time I asked you to?"

"Got it, went it. Why have you become so long-winded?" Wen Huiquan felt a sudden pang of guilt upon hearing Ning Yanzhao's question and quickly tried to change the subject. However, she couldn't help but marvel at how much her daughter had grown up; she had never been so perceptive before.

Ning Yanzhao also knew that it wasn't good for elders to be asked too many questions, so she appropriately changed the subject: "Haha, it's good that you went. Come on, let's take some barbecue skewers to get a full-body checkup."

"Okay, let's go."

"The puppy is very healthy for its age. It's clear you've taken good care of it. There's nothing wrong with the puppy; just pay more attention to its diet. You can go home now."

"Thank you, doctor."

After Ning Yanzhao and her mother Wen Huiquan heard the veterinarian's diagnosis and left the veterinary hospital, the two of them went back to the home where Ning Yanzhao used to live during her student days.

Because Ning Yanzhao works in a relatively remote area of ​​the funeral home, commuting to work from there is not very convenient. In addition, Wen Huiquan and Ning Yanzhao's father have been living in the countryside for a long time since they retired so that they can take care of their grandmother. Since she was going to live alone anyway, she chose to rent a house near the funeral home for convenience. Therefore, the house has actually been uninhabited for a long time.

Anyone who owns both a new home and an old home knows that a house will decay faster if no one lives there. So, to keep a house alive, even if no one wants to live there, someone needs to come and clean it regularly.

Ning Yanzhao's family usually cleaned their house once every six months. Although it wasn't time to go home to clean yet, since everyone was out, they decided to go back to their home in the city early to check on things.

It's only been less than two months since Mingming last returned to this home, but it seems like a lot has changed at the entrance of the alley.

Previously, the various shop signs, which were diverse, independent, and unique, have been uniformly renovated into the same template with government funding. Some former neighbors have opened small shops supported by the government, and a new kindergarten has opened across the street from the alley, so people no longer need to walk a long way to send their children to school...

The two of them were filled with emotion as they looked at the changing scenes inside and outside the alley. With the support of the government, everyone's lives were obviously getting better and better.

As the two walked toward their home deep in the alley, they pointed out the scenery of the narrow lane and reminisced about the past.

Although Ning Yanzhao's house is located in a small alley, its layout is actually more complex than that of a typical alley. It is not a simple straight road, but rather a series of small paths branching off in places that outsiders might not notice, leading to houses and residents.

Although the alley is small, it has everything you need, including a supermarket, a small "park", and various smart parcel collection points that adapt to the changing times.

"Yanzhao, look, that's Aunt Zhang's house. They've renovated it again. This is the umpteenth time they've renovated it. It's really impressive."

"Yes, back then I thought Aunt Zhang's family was at the forefront of fashion. I never thought that after so many years, her family would still be the most impressive and wealthy."

“Look at those two big trees. When you were little, there was a swing between the two trees. You and the neighbor’s sister used to play on the swing together often. You would often play until midnight and not come back, so your dad and I had to come out to pick you up. You were really naughty when you were little. But the swing was still there when we left. I just don’t know when it was taken down in the last two months. It was perfectly fine.”

"Mom, please don't make fun of me. I never played on the swings until midnight and didn't come back. Don't spread rumors about me. But I realized that I was really brave back then. Last time I went to ride another swing, even though it wasn't as big as the one I had when I was little, I was too scared to ride it. As for why the swing was taken down, I don't know if they're going to replace it with a new one."

"And this little pond, you used to catch tadpoles with your friends. I remember once you almost fell into the pond, but Uncle Li from next door saw you and pulled you out. I was so scared at the time."

"Compared to being scared when I fell into the small pond, I feel that you, Mom, are scarier. But when you scolded me, I was terrified. I still feel lingering fear whenever I think about it."

“If I don’t speak to you so harshly, you won’t learn your lesson next time and will sneak off to catch tadpoles again. If you fall in again, no one will save you. Do you know how serious the consequences will be? Your father and I only have you as our daughter.”

"..."

As Wen Huiquan spoke, she became increasingly sentimental. Not only did Ning Yanzhao keep responding to her questions, but the skewers also seemed to be reminiscing about the past, excitedly moving forward beside her, led by Ning Yanzhao.

"Speaking of kebabs, do you remember? When we lived in this alley, kebabs was still young. There were few cars back then, so kebabs often went around visiting other people's homes. Because the neighbors all liked this little guy, it often came back with a full stomach."

"I remember, not only that, I also remember once it accidentally got into a fight and hurt its leg. Luckily, someone took it to the vet. My classmate happened to be passing by then, and that's when I saw him carrying a box full of kebabs..."

As Ning Yanzhao spoke, she vaguely saw a boy in a black school uniform cotton-padded jacket carrying a cardboard box passing by her under the dim streetlights. She felt as if the surprising experience that day had happened just yesterday, and even the slightly chilly wind of that day seemed to be blowing in her mind's eye.

But it should be summer now, so she didn't realize until she finished speaking that this had never happened in real life. In her memory, the kebabs had never been on her legs, and she had never met An Nianyu carrying a cardboard box of kebabs on any night in her first year of high school. But her mother didn't have any reaction to refute her.

"I..." Just as Ning Yanzhao was about to say something, Wen Huiquan also spoke up.

"Yes, I remember you mentioned this classmate of yours."