Li Mei opened her eyes, disoriented and confused.. As she glanced around, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The room was simple and sparsely furnished, with a low wooden table in the center and a few wooden stools surrounding it.
Li Mei slowly opened her eyes, squinting as the bright sunlight shone through the window. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her blurred vision. She was lying on a straw mat in a small, dimly lit room.
The last thing she remembered was working at the pharmacy, her exhaustion weighing heavily on her frail body. Looking around, she saw an unfamiliar room with simple furnishings.
"Where am I?" she muttered to herself.
Just then, the door creaked open, and in walked two children, a boy, and a girl. The boy was crying, and the girl looked worried.
"Mother, Doudou thought you had died!" the boy sobbed.
Li Mei's eyes widened in surprise. "What? I'm not your mother."
The girl spoke up. "Yes, you are. Wuwuwu~ Mother already forgot about me... I'm your daughter, Xiaoxiao."
Li Mei looked at the two children and started to feel a sense of familiarity. She noticed that they looked malnourished and their clothes were old and tattered.
"Who are you two?" she asked.
"I'm Doudou," the boy said, wiping his tears away. "I'm your son."
Li Mei looked at him and then at the girl. "And you said you're my daughter?"
The girl nodded. "Yes, my name is Xiaoxiao. Don't you remember us, Mother?"
Li Mei shook her head, feeling a pang of guilt. "This... I'm sorry, I don't remember anything. Can you tell me more about yourselves?"
The children proceeded to tell Li Mei about their family, including their father Zhang Wei, who worked in the military.
Li Mei took in all the information, feeling overwhelmed. "What year is it?" she asked suddenly.
"It's 1976, Mother," Xiaoxiao said.
Li Mei's heart sank. She had somehow traveled back in time, and she had no idea how to get back to the present.
Just then, a man walked into the room, looking tired and worried. "You're awake," he said, sounding relieved.
Li Mei looked at him with confusion and wariness. "Who are you?"
Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm your husband."
Li Mei's eyes widened in shock. "What? How can that be possible? I don't remember anything."
Zhang Wei looked at her with concern. "You had an accident while collecting wild vegetables in the mountains. You lost a lot of blood and you've been unconscious for two days."
Li Mei touched her head, feeling the bandage wrapped around it. "I don't remember any of that," she said softly.
Zhang Wei walked over to her and helped her sit up. "Don't worry, we'll get you to a doctor tomorrow," he said.
Li Mei looked at him, feeling a mixture of confusion and fear. "I don't know what's going on," she said, her voice shaking.
Zhang Wei put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, we'll figure this out together," he said reassuringly.
Li Mei took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She knew she needed to understand her current situation before she could figure out what to do next.
"I need to know more," she said to Zhang Wei. "Who are the other people in this house? Where are we exactly?"
Zhang Wei nodded. "I'll answer all your questions," he said. "But first, you should rest. You've been through a lot."
Li Mei hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll try to sleep," she said.
As Zhang Wei left the room, Li Mei lay down on the bed.
Zhang Mei comes back a moment later with a bowl of porridge in his hands and gives it to Li Mei.
"Eat it. You haven't eaten for two days..."
Li Mei thanks Zhang Mei takes a sip of the porridge. Even though the porridge was bland and was too watery, she still savors its warmth. It feels good to have something to eat for this body after being unconscious for so long.
As she eats, she looks around the room again and takes in the sights of the countryside outside the window. She can't believe she's in the 1970s.
After she finishes eating, Zhang Wei takes the bowl from her and gives her a cloth to wipe her face. Li Mei thanks him and asks him who he is.
"I am your husband," he says with a hint of frustration in his voice.
Li Mei's eyes widen in shock. She can't believe she's married, let alone to this man she's never met before. She quickly asks him for proof and he comes back to show her their marriage certificate.
Li Mei is taken aback by the proof of her marriage, but her mind is still foggy from the accident. She takes a deep breath and tries to gather her thoughts.
"Who are the kids?" she asks, looking at the twins.
"They are our children," Zhang Wei replies.
Li Mei looks at the twins in disbelief. They don't look like her, but they must be her children if Zhang Wei says so.
She turns to Zhang Wei and asks, "What's the date today?"
"It's July 5, 1976," he answers.
Li Mei's eyes widen once again. She can't believe she's in a different time period. She's from the modern times, and now she's here in the past with a husband and two children.
As Zhang Wei sets up a bed for her, he informs her that they will be going to the doctor the next day. Li Mei nods in agreement, still in a state of shock.
Later that night, as they settle into bed, Li Mei places the twins between herself and Zhang Wei. She's still not sure if she can trust him, but the twins seem to trust him implicitly.
Zhang Wei lies stiffly beside the twins, staring at the ceiling. Li Mei can feel his unease and tries to make conversation to ease the tension.
"What do you do for a living?" she asks.
"I'm in the military," he replies curtly.
Li Mei feels lost and confused. She still can't believe she's in a different time period, and that she's responsible for these two children. She thinks about her own life back in the modern times and wonders if she'll ever be able to go back.
"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Sleep, you need to rest now."
Li Mei nods, feeling grateful for his support. She was still wary of this man but she has no choice.
Li Mei decides not to push any further fell asleep.
Seeing Li Mei asleep, Zhang Mei sighs in his heart. He'll need to work harder for this family and especially take care of his wife now that she is injured and doesn't remember anything.
YOU ARE READING
From Modern Struggles to Timeless Love: A Pharmacist's Tale
Historical Fiction"From Modern Struggles to Timeless Love: A Pharmacist's Tale" follows the captivating journey of a young girl who, after dying from overwork in modern China, is reincarnated into the 1970s. Thrust into an impoverished family with a cold but warm-hea...
