They say that if you set the air conditioner to 16 degrees Celsius, light a candle, put an alarm clock in front of the candle, then sleep under a warm air conditioner blanket, and chant "Heaven and Earth are boundless, the cosmos is turned upside down," you can time travel?
Chen Fan came out of the bathroom after a drunken shower, remembering what his colleague, who was known for his mysterious ways and constantly mentioning the I Ching and esoteric arts (and nicknamed "Daoist"), had said during a drinking session.
Thinking about how he had been in an orphanage since he was 10 years old, and how he had only managed to get through college thanks to part-time jobs and his parents' inheritance, and how he had been working for years but still just a struggling wage earner renting a place in a suburban village, without any family support, it seemed like time traveling wouldn't be too bad. It wouldn't be worse than his current situation, right?
So, he first set the air conditioner to its lowest temperature, took out a birthday candle he had bought last year for a cake, lit it, dripped two drops of wax onto the table, placed the candle on it to secure it, set his phone to alarm mode, even setting it to a circular dial, before yawning and lying on the bed, pulling the blanket over him.
Ooh, so sleepy.
Chen Fan yawned, just about to fall asleep, when he vaguely remembered that he hadn't chanted the incantation. He mumbled unconsciously, "Heaven and Earth are boundless, the cosmos is turned upside down."
Then his head tilted and he fell into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how long it had been. It felt like he was getting cold, or maybe numb, but he couldn't move. There were also chaotic sounds coming from around him.
"Hurry, take his clothes off."
"Women, get out of the way, don't just stand there. Go boil some hot water and make some ginger sugar tea."
"Xiao Wuzi, go to the village committee and get Doctor Zhang."
"Lao San, take off your coat."
"Uncle, why do I have to take it off?"
"What do you mean, why? You're the only one wearing an extra sweater, and a long coat too. Who else would you want to take it off?"
"Yuejin, Weiguo, get a door panel and carry him back."
...
Listening to the noises, Chen Fan shivered, trying to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He only felt himself being carried and moved about, finally landing in a warm nest. He fell back into a deep sleep as the warmth seeped in.
He didn't know how long it had been when he woke up again, his head still aching.
Ugh, must have been from drinking too much at the company party last night.
The boss was bragging about his 1780 yuan bottle of Maotai, who doesn't know who's who these days? There are over 3,000 wineries in Maotai Town, and 547 of them are officially registered, each claiming to be the real Maotai. Scanning the code shows 1780, but it might actually be only 98, with a 60% discount for wholesale. Who knows if it's actually brewed or just mixed together. No wonder it gives you a hangover.
Chen Fan gently rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up. The boss doesn't care if you drink until what time last night, you're still expected to be at work on time in the morning, or you're late.
He forced himself to get up, ignoring the headache.
But the moment he opened his eyes, he was completely stunned.
His eyeballs darted left and right, "Am I still asleep?" he thought.
"If I'm asleep, how do I know I'm dreaming? Isn't it supposed to be that as soon as you realize you're dreaming, you wake up?"
Chen Fan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, "Wake up!" he commanded himself.
He opened his eyes again. Sadly, he was still not awake.
Close, open, close, open...
He blinked until his eyes were sore, but all he saw was a room with mud walls and a thatched roof.
Even the bed he was lying on was just a bed made of half a foot of straw, covered by a straw mat - that must be the sheet, right?
Thankfully, the blanket was real cotton, though. If it was another straw blanket, Chen Fan wondered if he would go crazy.
The slightly stiff cotton blanket, the prickly straw beneath him, everything told him that this was a real world, not a dream!
Then Chen Fan remembered what he had done before falling asleep. So, I've time-traveled?
Is the Daoist telling the truth? That a ridiculous time travel ritual can actually work?
As he was lost in thought, a young woman wearing a blue checkered cotton smock pushed open the door and walked in.
Chen Fan immediately turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and the young woman let out a surprised cry, turning around and running out.
"Captain Yang, he's awake!"
Chen Fan blinked, "Captain Yang? Where is this? What time is it?"
Since someone had appeared, he couldn't lie there any longer and prepared to get up, but as soon as he lifted the blanket, he quickly covered himself again.
Where are my clothes? Where did my nice cotton pajamas go?
Five minutes later, the young woman came back blushing, carrying clothes, and hurried out, closing the door behind her.
Chen Fan quickly put on his underwear and the wrinkled pajamas that had been dried, then wrapped himself in a half-worn, big cotton padded jacket that had a strange smell, and put on his worn cotton shoes with holes. He hadn't even noticed any changes in his own body before hurrying to open the door.
...
The room was neither too big nor too small, about thirty square meters. The door was in the middle, the common type of double door in rural areas, the kind that used a wooden latch.
There was a large square table against the wall directly opposite the door, with a portrait of the leader hanging above it. On the table sat a large teapot and a stack of teacups, an oil lamp, and several bamboo chairs beside it.
Two beds were placed against the wall on either side of the entrance. There were four wooden cabinets next to the bed in the back. This was clearly a dormitory for four people.
It was just that the other three beds were empty, not even a single piece of straw on them. He wondered if this room had always been vacant.
Chen Fan sat on a bamboo chair, surveying the environment. His gaze finally landed on Captain Yang, who was sitting at the other end of the table.
Captain Yang, Accountant Liu, and Keeper Huang were the only three sitting in the room. Everyone else was crowded around the doorway, some squatting, some standing, forming a black mass.
Even the four one-foot square windows were open, with a row of vertical wooden bars, and several heads peered inside, their eyes fixed on the room.
The ones in front were fine, but could the ones behind the windows even see?
Captain Yang coughed, "Young man, where are you from? Why don't you wear more clothes in this cold weather? You even fell into the river?"
Chen Fan looked at him, his face dazed, "Ah?"
Captain Yang turned to look at the other two members of the village committee, then turned back, "What's your name?"
Chen Fan continued to be dazed, "Ah?"
Captain Yang's face darkened, "Comrade, your attitude is unacceptable. If you don't come clean, we'll send you to the police!"
Chen Fan looked miserable, "I don't know!"
He didn't even know where he was or what year it was, how dare he talk nonsense.
From the sound of their speech, it sounded like the Jiangnan region where he was from, so there was no communication barrier. The other party didn't suspect anything either.
But looking at their clothes, they were mostly from the 70s or 80s, maybe even earlier.
Before the early 1980s, the rural environment in China had basically remained unchanged.
(End of Chapter)
New chapters will be released every Tuesday.
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