Chapter 001: Artificial Respiration

She was cold.

Until a wave of warmth drew near, a breath of heat passed invisibly into her mouth, and out of instinct, without even thinking, Lu Jiaor leaned closer...

The next moment, that moist warmth seemed to pause, then quietly continued blowing breath.

"Ah..."

"Ah, ah, this method..."

"Isn't that just mouth-to-mouth?!"

"Shows what you know. What's it called again... some kind of breathing?"

"No matter what it's called, no one will want Lu Jiaor now."

"Even if it was to save a life, to do this in broad daylight, in public like that, tsk tsk tsk..."

"When a life is at stake, who has time to care about such things?!"

"Shouldn't they take her to the clinic? Aren't there doctors there?!"

"No time! It's so cold, she barely has a pulse left—had to use what they could."

"Better alive than dead. If that soldier hadn’t found her, she’d have floated up by now. But how did she even fall in the water, in the middle of winter?!"

"Who knows?! Heard it was two girls taking a walk?!"

"Why not just stay home by the fire in winter?! Why insist on going out—"

"Well?! Is she breathing yet?!"

"Can this method really save someone?!"

...

The noisy hum of voices buzzed in Lu Jiaor's ears, making her groan softly in protest. With effort, she opened her eyes, only to see a man's face looming close—sharp-featured, sun-darkened, with deep, resolute eyes—and then... she fainted again.

She had no idea how much time passed...

"Jiaor's father, did that soldier agree?!"

"He did. And even if he hadn't, he would have had to. How could he deny it now, with so many people watching?!"

"Our Jiaor's reputation is ruined. Now he has to take responsibility."

"Sigh, it's not that we're unreasonable, forcing this on him—what choice do we have?"

"But if we force him like this, will he really treat Jiaor well?! I heard that soldier’s family is well-off, living in the capital. If Jiaor marries him, will she be bullied? Will people look down on her?"

"Well... Jiaor's mother, at this point we can't worry about that. After all this, Jiaor won't be able to marry well here anyway."

"You're right. We'll just have to take things as they come."

"By the way, has Jiaor woken up yet?!"

"Not yet!? But the doctor says she'll be fine, should wake up soon."

"That's good, that's good."

...

As the worried, resigned voices of her parents began their conversation, Lu Jiaor quietly woke up, though her mind was still clouded and her body uncomfortable.

But the things they said left her utterly bewildered.

Wait a minute—hadn't she just entered the secret realm of the Immortal Daoist? Wasn't she still being transported through the portal? Where was she now?!

Could it be...? Had the secret realm sent her back to her original world after all?!

While she was still reeling from confusion and doubt, her parents' voices drifted to her again.

"Jiaor's father, you stay here with her. I'll go home and kill a chicken to make her some broth."

"Alright, you go. I'll keep watch outside the door."

Two sets of footsteps left her bedside; one faded away, while the other stopped just outside the door.

Lu Jiaor waited a while before quietly opening her eyes. She saw a ceiling, not exactly white, with a fan hanging from it. She turned her head slightly to observe the room.

It was small. Beside her was a single iron-framed bed, currently empty.

The door and window frames were painted green, the floor was cement. On the wall hung a framed chart—a list of hospital rules for the Mountain Town Clinic, with about ten lines of regulations and instructions.

She was lying on another iron-framed bed, a straight bamboo pole tied beside the headboard, clearly for hanging IV drips.

The room felt oddly familiar, as if she’d seen something like it in her childhood.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a sudden sharp pain stabbed through her head. She didn’t know how long it lasted, but when she finally opened her eyes again, she understood her situation.

She had crossed over again.

This time, she was in the year 1980, in the province of Gui, in a small town less than two hundred kilometers from the border. It was a turbulent time, with many military units stationed nearby.

Her new body bore the same name as her own—Lu Jiaor. She had just graduated high school, had turned nineteen, and lived in Mountain Town. Though they lived in town, her family were ordinary farmers. Just last month, when land was redistributed to households, they received fifteen mu of fields.

Fifteen mu in Gui province wasn't much, especially in these mountainous, land-scarce areas. Apart from her parents, Lu Jiaor had four younger siblings. Their family was short on labor and naturally quite poor.

Still, as the firstborn, her parents cared for her differently. She was sensible, obedient, and capable, handling all the chores inside and outside the house, so her parents were willing to support her through high school.

Her grades were only above average, but in this impoverished, backward town, the quality of education was poor. Forget university—fewer than five students each year even made it into vocational or technical schools. For someone like Lu Jiaor, further study wasn't really an option.

But back to the point—why was she here, lying in the Mountain Town Clinic?! It turned out that yesterday at noon, she had fallen into a large pond of over ten mu in the town, and had been rescued by a passing soldier.

When Lu Jiaor was pulled from the water, not only did dozens of people witness the whole rescue, but it was also the dead of winter; she was bundled up, soaking wet, and, having been in the water too long, barely breathing. The soldier, desperate, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation...

What should have been a praiseworthy act of heroism was complicated by the mouth-to-mouth—performed in view of dozens of onlookers, no less. It was the kind of scandal that could never be washed away.

Everyone knew it was to save a life, but the customs and morals of this time and place were not those of later decades. So, as Lu Jiaor regained consciousness, her parents, panicked, rushed over and immediately brought her to the clinic.

Author's note:

Fangzi's new book has launched!

It's tough starting a new story—please, dear readers, tap those lucky little hands, urge for updates, add to your bookshelves, and leave a comment or two.

Lastly, may you all become more beautiful and happier with each day.