CHAPTER 170: 164 DAYS OF VISIONS, AND THE FRAGRANCE OF FLOWERS (2727 CHARACTERS)

Out of the wolf’s den and into the tiger’s lair. After stepping off the bus, the scorching heat at the station seemed to roast Tian Sangsang’s skin inch by inch.

Tian Sangsang held Meng Shuyan tightly in her arms, the little guy’s face just as flushed. Fortunately, she had planned ahead, preparing iced orange juice at home and hiding it in a black water bottle that wouldn’t draw attention.

Meng Shuyan took a sip from the bottle, curiosity and intensity gleaming in his jet-black eyes as he exclaimed, "Wow, Mom, the city is so big."

There were no cars constantly zipping around in their village, nor people bustling back and forth everywhere. Yes, he liked this vast place. It broadened his horizons all at once. So, the world could be this big after all.

"Indeed. From now on, we’re going to live here." Tian Sangsang gazed at the scene before her. It wasn’t exactly rivers of cars and crowds like dragons, but it carried a wholly new and unfamiliar vibe. Perhaps a change of environment wasn’t such a bad thing after all. She had never realized just how exhilarating exploring unknown territory could be.

Life could go on anywhere, as long as one’s heart let go of some unfounded attachments.

Sometimes, it’s not the body that needs more weight, but the heart that could stand to feel a little lighter. That makes life so much easier.

Tian Sangsang strolled around with Meng Shuyan, taking in the sights. In the early 80s, the streets of East Sea Province’s cities were pretty impressive—spacious and open. Vendors had already begun setting up small stalls along the roadsides, selling various goods, and shops like noodle houses, bun shops, grocery stores, and department stores dotted the area. Occasionally, fashionable young women with bright eyes, white teeth, and slender legs passed through the crowd, causing Tian Sangsang’s heart to leap with excitement.

Uh-oh. She suddenly wanted to shop for clothes.

After inquiring about the prices at some city stores, Tian Sangsang first headed to a bookstore to buy a newspaper. To get to know a place, reading the local papers was one way to start.

Then, she handed the newspaper casually to Meng Shuyan and took him up to the second floor of the department store to browse clothing. One outfit caught her eye—a floral short skirt paired with a lace top and classy little leather shoes. Refreshing yet stylish, it gave her the urge to change her entire style. Unfortunately, her current figure didn’t suit such attire at all.

"Mom." Suddenly, Meng Shuyan tugged gently at her pant leg.

The newspaper he was holding was as large as his upper body. With a stern little face, he stared intently at the page in his hands.

"What is it, son?" His serious focus and concentration made him look like a tiny prodigy.

"This person..." Meng Shuyan pointed at the newspaper, "I think I’ve seen him somewhere before."

"Which person?" Tian Sangsang rested her hand on his small shoulder, crouching down and leaning closer. Slowly, her expression turned grim. "It’s him... Chen Biao."

She took the newspaper and carefully read it. The photo on the paper showed a face, black and white and a bit blurry—but unmistakably, it was Chen Biao. There was a small news snippet: Police were searching for Chen Biao, a suspect who had stabbed a pedestrian three times on the street recently. The identity of the victim wasn’t specified, but Chen Biao was clearly a dangerous individual. The longer he remained at large, the greater the threat to public safety. Chen Biao had been eluding justice and was still on the run.

"Mom, is he Brother Biao?" Meng Shuyan frowned, as if recalling something.

"It’s okay, Yanyan. He’s a bad person, and the police are trying to catch him." Tian Sangsang no longer felt like shopping for clothes. She rolled up the newspaper, grabbed her son, and left the department store.

Outside, Tian Sangsang grew dazed, unsure of what to do next. It felt like something had slipped her mind!

Oh right, Zhao Chun! She hadn’t received a letter from Zhao Chun in ages!

She concentrated, mentally accessing the number he had once left for her and memorizing it. Then she found a public phone booth and dialed the number.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

"No luck, no one’s answering."

Heavily, Tian Sangsang replaced the receiver. She resolved to write him a letter when she got home to find out what was going on. Asking was always better than wallowing in worry—it gave her peace of mind. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Still, for some reason, every time she thought of Chen Biao, she also thought of Zhao Chun. Perhaps it was just her overthinking things.

By the time all this had happened, it was noon. Spotting a small restaurant nearby, Tian Sangsang remarked, "Yanyan, shall we have lunch outside today? Let’s try something made by someone else."

"Sure, Mom." Meng Shuyan’s eyes curved with excitement—it was his first time eating out, and he was clearly thrilled.

"Boss, two bowls of braised noodles, please." After entering, Tian Sangsang spoke as she helped Meng Shuyan up onto a chair.

"Coming right up!" the boss responded. About ten minutes later, he brought out two steaming, fragrant bowls of braised noodles in large ceramic bowls, filled to the brim. Tian Sangsang noted these seemed quite authentic—the ingredients were generous. The noodles were adorned with oysters, clams, scallops, razor clams, shiitake mushrooms, red mushrooms, fava beans, lean meat, bean sprouts, and chives. The combination of flavors unique to braised noodles was utterly appetizing.

"Yanyan, there are clams in these, so eat carefully. Don’t bite into any shells," Tian Sangsang advised, handing him his chopsticks. "Otherwise, like what happened to that Chun Zisu Susu—the shell getting stuck in your throat—wouldn’t that be unpleasant?"

Obediently, Meng Shuyan nodded but then suddenly pouted, "Mom, do you think Chun Zisu has forgotten about me?"

"Of course not." Tian Sangsang pinched his cheek and gently replied, "He’s just really busy. Next time we see him, I’ll help you teach him a lesson. A couple of slaps and a kick—it’ll serve him right for not writing back sooner."

Meng Shuyan giggled. "But if you do that, Chun Zisu might cry."

The memory of Zhao Chun’s younger, helpless self brought a laugh out of Tian Sangsang as well. Ah, that guy really was kind of adorable.

They enjoyed a satisfying meal. Since Meng Shuyan was so little, he couldn’t finish even half his bowl. But he hated the thought of wasting food. Inheriting her mother’s frugality, Tian Sangsang had no choice but to finish his leftovers.

In truth, Tian Sangsang had been craving food, too. Her recent heartbreak had dulled her appetite, but today, the braised noodles tempted her to eat her fill. Especially since this shop’s noodles were delicious.

"Mom." As they left, Meng Shuyan tilted his head up, his eyes sparkling as he whispered, "Theirs aren’t as good as yours."

Ruffling his fluffy hair, Tian Sangsang couldn’t help but feel delighted.

To reach the bus station, they had to cross a bridge spanning a large river. The water shimmered with ripples, lively and radiant, rushing along more aggressively than usual. Tian Sangsang’s curiosity piqued—she leaned closer to take a look. Suddenly, a cacophony of alarmed bird cries rang out. A flock of white egrets shot up into the sky, their wings flapping wildly as they flew away as if thoroughly spooked.

That group of startling egrets.

"What on earth..." Tian Sangsang muttered. For a brief moment, she thought a quake was about to hit. But an earthquake? That couldn’t be. Sure, she had read some time-travel and reincarnation novels before, and earthquakes almost never happened to the protagonists. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in earthquakes—it was just that these were natural disasters one would rather never encounter. Especially in this era, an earthquake would be catastrophic. However, at least the buildings of this time weren’t as densely packed or as towering as in the future, slightly mitigating the danger.

Moving a few steps aside, she seemed to brush past something green. Startled, Tian Sangsang quickly scooped up Meng Shuyan and hid behind one end of the bridge.

It was lucky they had already reached this spot. Had they been stuck in the middle of the bridge, they would’ve been left with nowhere to hide.

"Jinghuai, what are you looking at?" Fang Tongzhou followed Jiang Jinghuai’s gaze but saw nothing.

Jiang Jinghuai touched the jade thumb ring in his hand, his voice calm yet thoughtful: "Oh, nothing. Just something felt... odd." He caught a faint whiff of an unusual fragrance.

Fang Tongzhou didn’t notice anything out of place. Scratching his head, he peered into the distance. "There sure are a lot of white birds around here—they all flew off in the same direction."

Jiang Jinghuai let out a soft "Hmm." "The current’s fast, too."

Tian Sangsang remained frozen in place, clutching Meng Shuyan. She only dared to breathe easy after seeing the two figures walk far away.

"Mom, what’s going on?" Meng Shuyan asked, puzzled, wanting to wriggle out of her arms and crane his neck to look around.

The sound of rushing water didn’t let up. Staring at her son’s delicate little face, Tian Sangsang smiled. "We just shook off a big trouble, but everything’s fine now. Gosh, the water in this era is so clear... Wait, no... it’s murky."

She turned to face the river.

"Not good." Meng Shuyan furrowed his brows, staring at the water intently. "They’re not happy. They’re saying it’s too hot."

"They? Who’s ’they,’ son?"

"The fish," Meng Shuyan replied.

"Son." Tian Sangsang’s smile disappeared as she leaned in seriously. "It’s okay. Don’t stress yourself. If the fish are unhappy, it doesn’t mean you have to be."

"If they’re upset, then I’m upset, too," Meng Shuyan muttered.

"It’s fine, let’s go home." Tian Sangsang caressed his head, holding him close.