In the cramped room, Chen Shuning, who had been lying there in a daze for an unknown amount of time, tried once again to open her eyes, but ultimately failed.
During her coma, she could feel pain, hear sounds, and even sense the concern and worry of those around her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes.
She didn't know what was wrong with her, or where she was right now.
The reason she had this thought was because during this period, she heard all sorts of strange things, such as the neighbor borrowing a coal briquette from the neighbor, the third son of the Zhang family stealing the second son of the Li family's soda candy, the supply and marketing cooperative getting new styles of Dacron fabric for 56 cents a foot, the neighbor's aunt buying a few feet to make a new dress for her daughter who was about to go to the countryside, and news that the match factory in the west of the city was about to recruit workers.
She genuinely had no idea what any of these things were; after all, matches hadn't been seen in ordinary people's homes for many years.
And what about coal briquettes? The country is currently making great efforts to address environmental issues. Just a few days before her accident, she saw a news report that government leaders were delivering electric heaters and other heating supplies to rural families.
It's all about addressing environmental issues and getting rural residents to stop using earthen stoves for heating. As for that Dacron fabric, that's utter nonsense. Nowadays, people use pure cotton or silk; who would still use that kind of fabric to make clothes?
What's the scariest thing? Going to the countryside. That only happened in the 1960s or 70s, right? What's wrong with her? Why is she dreaming about these strange conversations?
But no matter how hard she tried to open her eyes and see what was around her, she just couldn't.
She lived like this, unaware of the passage of time, for an unknown period of time, until she mistakenly believed it to be an eternity.
Finally, as another intense pain struck the back of her head, the last image of her life flashed into Chen Shuning's mind: the raging flames and the thick smoke that choked her to the point of being unable to breathe.
As the images flashed through her mind, Chen Shuning felt pain all over her body, and even breathing became difficult.
Just when Chen Shuning felt she was about to suffocate and die, she mustered the last bit of strength in her body and suddenly sat up.
However, what came into view next left Chen Shuning, who had just survived a deadly ordeal, stunned on the spot.
What was going on? In the cramped room, the pungent smell of smoke made Chen Shuning, who had just opened her eyes, tear up and cough repeatedly.
The violent coughing inside the house startled Qin Yalan, who was washing rice in the yard. She dropped the basin in her hand and rushed into the west wing of her house.
I lifted the curtain of my daughter's cubicle and saw her, who had been asleep all night, clutching her chest and coughing repeatedly. I quickly went over and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath.
With eyes full of anxiety and worry, she asked softly, "What's wrong? Tell Mom where it hurts." Qin Yalan touched Chen Shuning's forehead as she spoke, then spoke as if to herself and to the stunned Chen Shuning.
"No, it's still a bit hot here. We should go to the hospital quickly. Come on, get up and get dressed. Mom will take you to the hospital." As she spoke, Qin Yalan picked up a white shirt from the cabinet and tried to put it on Chen Shuning.
At this moment, Chen Shuning was so shocked that she forgot to cough. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had heard that gentle voice; it was her mother's voice.
Looking up at the person in disbelief, Chen Shuning's tears, which she had just stopped, started flowing down her cheeks again like beads from a broken string.
The difference is that the tears just now were from the smoke, while now they are from genuine emotion, because the face in front of her is actually her mother who passed away many years ago.
This face that appeared countless times in her dreams—no, this face should be described as her mother when she was young.
What's going on? Didn't her parents die in a car accident the year she took the college entrance exam? How? How come she's seeing her mother here?
She must be dreaming again. Reaching out, she gently stroked the woman's face and cautiously called out, "Mom..."
Feeling the warm touch on her fingers, Chen Shuning could no longer hold back her sobs. She reached out and hugged Qin Yalan, who was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) trying to dress her, greedily savoring the warmth of her mother's body.
Over the years, her parents have appeared in her dreams countless times. Although only her mother came to see her this time, it was the most real visit she had made in all these years.
Qin Yalan, who had been worried about her daughter's injuries, was completely bewildered by her daughter's actions. Therefore, she did not pay attention to Chen Shuning's somewhat strange behavior, and only thought that her daughter was frightened. She quickly reached out and gently patted her daughter's back to comfort her softly.
"It's okay, it's okay, Mommy's here, don't be afraid." Hearing her daughter's weak voice, Qin Yalan felt very sad. However, she didn't know that her simple words of comfort would make Chen Shuning burst into tears.
"Mom, I... I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime, Mom."
Holding this person, who was both familiar and unfamiliar, tightly, Chen Shuning's heart trembled with excitement.
Chen Shuning's actions didn't make Qin Yalan think much of it. She just assumed that her daughter was frightened by the injury, so she quickly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. The doctor said that the injury on your head will be fine after a few days of rest. The wound is in your hair, so it's not a big deal if it leaves a scar. You're all grown up now, why are you still crying? Aren't you ashamed?"
"I'm not ashamed. No matter how old I am, I'm still my mother's daughter." At this moment, Chen Shuning didn't care whether the scene in front of her was a dream or not. She missed her parents so much, and all she wanted to do was snuggle in her mother's arms and act spoiled.
Whether it was because she hadn't seen her daughter like this in a long time, or because she felt that her daughter was wronged because of her injury, Qin Yalan did not push Chen Shuning away, even though she knew there was still a lot of work to be done outside. She just quietly hugged her daughter, who rarely acted like a spoiled child, and gently patted her back to comfort her.
After crying in her mother's arms for a long time before calming down a little, Chen Shuning inadvertently raised her head and saw the scene in front of her over Qin Yalan's shoulder. Chen Shuning was instantly dumbfounded.
What exactly is going on? Suddenly, I remembered the words I had vaguely heard in my mind, wait... coal briquettes, soft drinks and candy, supply and marketing cooperatives, Dacron fabric, match factories, these seem to be things that only existed in China in the 1960s and 70s.
And this room, a small room partitioned off with wooden planks, without even a door, only a white curtain embroidered with magpies perched on branches, the only decoration seems to be the portrait of a great man hanging on the wall.
What's going on? Did I time travel? Did I travel back to when my mother was young?
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