Qiu Yun finally believed that there truly was an eye in the heavens looking down upon all living beings, showing mercy for her regrets by allowing her to meet her biological mother in this era.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that the hollow name and cold tombstone in her memory would suddenly transform into a vivid, living person by her side—someone so three-dimensional, direct, warm, and touchable. To be fair, her stepmother, Chen Liping, hadn't been unkind to her. In Qiu Yun’s memory, if Chen Liping hadn't eventually betrayed the family, she would have been essentially the same as a mother. But in any person's life, who doesn't possess an innate longing and affinity for their biological mother? It was a human instinct. The yearning and regret that had lingered in the depths of her heart were finally made whole. Qiu Yun had seen her father, found her mother, and discovered where her roots lay.
When Qiu Yun had first arrived in this time, she had seen the shy couples at school and secretly wondered: *This is my parents' youth. At this age, did they ever play the guitar under someone's window, or quietly steal glances at someone's back?* Now she knew. It was exactly like this—exactly like Sima Feng and Wang Chen. She really was able to witness it.
She thanked the heavens for this stroke of luck.
Qiu Yun forgot how she walked back. She only remembered pushing open the door to find Wang Chen leaning against the bedside, drenched in sweat as she tried to practice walking. Seeing Qiu Yun, Wang Chen grumbled, "What took you so long? Come over and help me."
Qiu Yun walked over dazed. Under the light of the kerosene lamp, Wang Chen’s forehead was smooth and full, her nose small and elegant. How had she not noticed before? From these angles, she looked exactly like the Sima Qiu Yun of the 21st century!
She slowly took hold of Wang Chen’s hand, a strange sensation welling up in her heart. These hands must have held Sima Qiu Yun when she was a baby, right?
That feeling must have been so warm.
Qiu Yun felt like crying.
"Look, isn't my foot healing pretty fast?" Wang Chen said happily.
"Mhm," Qiu Yun murmured in response. The brace had been removed from Wang Chen’s foot, but it was still wrapped in bandages. Qiu Yun helped wipe away her sweat and asked, "Are you tired? Do you want to rest?"
"I'm about done. Have you washed up?"
"Mhm."
"Then let's sleep."
Just as Wang Chen turned around, she heard Qiu Yun speak again.
"Da Chen?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I give you a hug?"
Wang Chen found it strange. "Hug me?"
Qiu Yun feigned a spoiled pout. "I'm a bit tired today. I need an affectionate hug."
Wang Chen gave a helpless, yielding smile. "Are you really treating me like Teacher Liang? Fine, fine."
She opened her arms.
The moment they embraced, Qiu Yun’s nose stung sharply.
This was the first time in Sima Qiu Yun’s life that she was held in her biological mother’s arms, even though she couldn't call her "Mom" out loud, and even though Wang Chen knew nothing about the future Sima Qiu Yun.
Qiu Yun leaned into Wang Chen’s embrace, her arms circling her waist as she involuntarily closed her eyes. There was a unique scent to Wang Chen. Qiu Yun finally understood why she felt such a special, unfamiliar fondness for her; it was the pull of soul and blood.
Wang Chen patted her back and asked gently, "Xiao Yun, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting a bit strange these past few days."
"Nothing..." Qiu Yun said.
"Did you... have a fight with Teacher Liang?"
Qiu Yun remained silent.
Thinking she had guessed correctly, Wang Chen said with a hint of a smile, "Teacher Liang is such a good person, yet you’re still sulking with him? How can you bear it? Even though we’re your 'maiden family,' speaking objectively, you shouldn't be too stubborn sometimes..."
Familiar, heartwarming words. If Qiu Yun had really been bullied while dating in the 21st century, and if her biological mother were still alive, this is exactly how she would have comforted her. Qiu Yun could no longer hold it back; large tears began to fall into Wang Chen’s embrace.
"Oh... what is this?" Wang Chen pulled Qiu Yun back to look at her, seeing her face streaked with tears. "What on earth happened between you two?"
"It's nothing..." Qiu Yun sobbed. "It's nothing..."
"This..." Wang Chen hurriedly wiped her tears, her tone suddenly hardening. "...Did Liang He bully you? He might be our lead teacher, but he can't use his position to pick on people. If he's bullying you, you must tell me..."
"No, it's not that, it's not that," Qiu Yun said, wanting to both cry and laugh at her serious tone. "I... I'm just too tired, and my period is coming... I'm just emotional. It has nothing to do with Teacher Liang..."
Wang Chen observed Qiu Yun’s expression closely. Only after confirming she wasn't lying did she breathe a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death. I thought something had happened. Why cry over nothing?"
"..." Qiu Yun finally stopped crying and broke into a smile through her tears, making up a silly excuse. "Crying properly helps detox the body."
Wang Chen gave her a playful shove and said crossly, "Crying one minute and laughing the next, you're like a silly little puppy."
"Da Chen, I want to sleep with you tonight," Qiu Yun clung to her like a puppy wagging its tail.
Wang Chen gave her a sidelong glance. "Which night have we *not* slept together? Geez, hearing you say it like that makes even me feel embarrassed."
Qiu Yun replied nonsensically, "Hehe, Da Chen, you're the best." Then she looked up and blurted out out of nowhere, "Da Chen, can I call you Mom?"
"Get out of here!" Wang Chen swatted her head without a second thought, looking at her as if she were insane. "I'm still a maiden awaiting marriage!"
***
After this incident, Qiu Yun felt the dark clouds that had been hovering in her heart for days vanish completely. Looking up, the sky seemed so blue and pure.
It was so pure she couldn't help but recite poetry: "Ah! The sky is so blue..."
Wang Chen interrupted her impatiently, "Just focus on your drawing. It isn't easy for a disabled person like me to be your model..."
Qiu Yun laughed and quickly added a few more strokes to the paper, not forgetting to continue: "Ah! You two are such a perfect match..."
Indeed, early that morning, Qiu Yun had been struck by a sudden whim and asked Wang Chen and Sima Feng if they had any photos together. Both shook their heads; in this era, going to a photo studio was an extreme luxury. Qiu Yun slapped her thigh and lamented with mock grief, "How can this be? Come, come, I'll draw one for you."
Qiu Yun thought that the artistic skills she had honed over two lifetimes were perhaps meant for this very moment. Sima Feng had never had his portrait drawn before; his posture was stiff and his expression solemn. He didn't even dare wipe the sweat from his brow. Wang Chen was much more relaxed, wiping the sweat for him while constantly urging Qiu Yun to hurry up.
Qiu Yun, naturally, ignored her. She had never drawn a sketch as seriously as she did today. She carefully outlined the contours of Sima Feng and Wang Chen, accurately capturing the expressions on their faces, using small, soft strokes to shade the image. She only regretted that she couldn't be in two places at once; otherwise, she would have sat between them and drawn a perfect family of three.
At that thought, her eyes flicked to He Ying, who was watching from the side.
"Xiao He," she beckoned to He Ying. "Come here, help me draw something."
"Me?" He Ying walked over, confused. "I don't know how to draw."
"It's fine, it's fine." Qiu Yun held the pencil upright to demonstrate. "In a moment, I'll sit between them, and you draw me in. It doesn't have to be accurate; just draw my outline. I'll draw the facial features myself in front of a mirror later."
Wang Chen burst out laughing. "Xiao Yun, what are you up to now?"
Qiu Yun pointed the pencil at Wang Chen and said with mock sternness, "Don't move, just hold it a bit longer."
Then she patiently said to He Ying, "Look, like this." Qiu Yun had He Ying grip the pencil, then held her hand, demonstrating a couple of strokes on the paper.
He Ying’s heart began to race wildly. She didn't even dare to look into Qiu Yun’s eyes.
"Got it?" Qiu Yun asked.
Aside from her own heartbeat, He Ying hadn't heard a word. Qiu Yun was so close to her, and her right hand, which had been held by Qiu Yun, was trembling slightly.
"No, I... I can't..." He Ying wanted to flee. "I won't draw it. I'll just ruin it..."
"It's okay." Seeing her nervous state, Qiu Yun laughed and took her hand again, demonstrating twice more. "Just draw a human shape and it'll be okay. Like a simple children's drawing—easy and fun. You have to believe in yourself."
With that, Qiu Yun moved her small stool and sat down between Wang Chen and Sima Feng.
He Ying had no choice but to brace herself, hold up the drawing board, and attempt to add Qiu Yun’s outline. It wasn't that she had never drawn before; the primary school teachers in Yunma Village had always worn many hats, and that naturally included being the art teacher. She took a deep breath, summoned her courage, stared at Qiu Yun for ten seconds, and then quickly sketched an outline on the board.
Qiu Yun waited for her to finish, then walked over to look. She burst into laughter. "So this is what I look like in your eyes!"
In the middle of a vivid, realistic double portrait, there was now a jarring human silhouette with two crooked eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The styles were completely mismatched.
Qiu Yun showed the drawing to Wang Chen and Sima Feng, and everyone laughed.
He Ying’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.
"It's okay, it's okay," Qiu Yun comforted her. "We're not laughing at you. It's quite good; I'll just touch it up when I get back."
He Ying’s face grew even redder. "I told you I couldn't draw well."
"It's really fine." Qiu Yun took her arm and winked at Wang Chen and Sima Feng. "Come on, let's go knead some mantou. Let's not disturb their 'world for two'."
***
In the evening, the B University research team’s vehicle arrived.
Qiu Yun knew the research team would be staying in Yunma Village, and she knew Liang He would return with them, but she hadn't known Lu Xialan would come too.
So, when she saw Lu Xialan appearing beside Liang He in the sunset, she was truly stunned.
Lu Xialan, of course, hadn't expected Qiu Yun to still be in Datong. She had heard that Liang He stayed behind to look after a student named Wang, but she hadn't anticipated that this student also had a best friend named Qiu Yun.
Their eyes met, both of them startled.
Qiu Yun shifted her gaze toward Liang He in confusion, only to find that he was unusually quiet. His gaze flickered over her briefly before silently moving to Sima Feng.
In those few seconds, the gazes of several people had already exchanged multiple rounds of unspoken words.
Sima Feng felt the atmosphere turn inexplicably eerie and was the first to break the silence. "Teacher Liang, you're back..." He then turned to Lu Xialan. "And this is..."
"Hello," Lu Xialan quickly greeted Sima Feng with a smile. "I'm Lu Xialan from B University."
"Oh, Teacher Lu, hello, hello." Sima Feng introduced himself warmly. "I'm Wang Chen’s... family member. Since she injured her foot..."
"I know," Lu Xialan gave him an understanding smile, then turned back to Qiu Yun, greeting her with her usual poised and graceful smile. "Qiu Yun, we meet again."
