A piece of Japanese incense

The wind blew the grass, making a rustling sound. Nanyin slowly opened her eyes. It was still light in the sky, and the hazy dream was still lingering between her eyebrows, like an abstract painting...

She felt as if she was being carried forward. She was lying on someone's shoulders. They seemed to have walked through a large deserted open space, and then entered a forest. In the morning sunshine, in the misty forest, birds were singing one after another. She actually saw a group of deer strolling gracefully, monkeys swinging leisurely among the trees, and everywhere was full of vitality.

"Have I been caught? Or am I still dreaming..."

Her consciousness flickered, gradually becoming unclear, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep. She felt her thoughts becoming dull and heavy...

"Ah He, your father is going to marry the princess, so he can no longer live with us in your grandparents' house." "Why? Isn't mother your father's wife?"

"Mother, I heard from Grandma Wang who sells melons that the princess gave birth to a boy and that Daddy will never come again. Is this true? Why doesn't Daddy want to be with my son now that he has a younger brother..."

"Yutuan, I haven't seen my father for several days. My mother cries every night. I feel so sad. Can you and Yuyi accompany me to find my father tomorrow?"

"Who are you and why did you tie me up?" "It's your fault that you and your mother are so redundant! Seal her mouth and don't let anyone find her before you leave the city!"

……

Gradually coming back to her senses from the long dream, she poked her fingers out of the quilt, and the sunlight shone through the window onto Nan Yin's face. She frowned slightly, slowly opened her eyes and blinked, and only opened her eyes completely after adapting to the light.

I was met with a pair of big, round eyes, pointed ears, snow-white fur, a pink tongue sticking out from under a round, black nose, and a tail that kept wagging.

"Is it a puppy?"

"Girl, you're awake!"

Nan Yin looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman who was about thirty years old. She was wearing an old dark red coarse cloth dress with homemade cuffs on her sleeves that could not be washed out. She was sewing a patched dress on the only simple table in the room.

Nan Yin looked around the dilapidated house. The roof was a little peeling off. There was only a kang in the empty room with a mosquito net over it. There was an altar in the corner with traces of burning incense and candles.

"Where is this? Who are you?"

The woman said, "This is Que Mountain. My son and I live on this mountain. You fainted beside the well, and my son carried you back."

Nan Yin's body slightly turned sideways, and she felt a dull pain in her wounds. She slowly sat up and saw that her wounds had been bandaged one by one. She felt much more relaxed and said, "Thank you, sister!"

"Sister? You're so sweet, haha! My son is older than you, so just call me Aunt Hong~"

The puppy was spinning around at her feet, sticking out its tongue. Nanyin looked down at it. Aunt Hong continued, "Its name is Fuguier. It was the one who found you first. How did a little girl like you end up in this desolate mountain? Where is your home? I'll ask my son to tell your family so they can take you home."

Nan Yin was still thinking about how to introduce himself when a young man came in. He looked about eight or nine years old, with a straight nose and lips tightly pressed into a line, which showed his determination and stubbornness. His clothes were a little worn but clean. He had a bow and arrow on his back and a knife on his waist. When the puppy saw him, it immediately ran towards him and rubbed against his feet. He bent down and touched the puppy's head, then stood up and said, "You finally woke up. You've been sleeping for a whole day. I just shot a pheasant. Let's have chicken soup tonight!"

Aunt Hong said, "This is my son, Yu Nian."

Aunt Hong handed the sewn clothes to Nan Yin as she spoke: "Wear them for now and wait for your family to pick you up... Oh, by the way, how do I contact them?"

Nan Yin thought: "Do I have to live as this little girl from now on?" She quickly recalled all the experiences of the girl: her maternal grandfather was an imperial physician, her maternal grandmother ran a chain of drug stores, her father was originally a son-in-law, but he became a prince consort after passing the imperial examination. My goodness, he is just like Chen Shimei. Maybe she was kidnapped because her father wanted to kill her to silence her and eliminate future troubles. So her maternal grandfather's family must be more reliable~

He sorted out his thoughts and replied, "Well, my name is Zhi Yihe, and my family runs a clinic. They kidnapped me and threatened my family to pay money to redeem me. I ran away, and they must still be looking for me. I don't know if there is a 'San Sheng Tang' here. You can tell them I'm here, and someone will come to pick me up. When my family comes, I will make sure they repay you for saving my life!" After saying this, he bowed solemnly.

Yu Nian patted his chest and said, "It's okay, don't worry. I'll go down the mountain to give you a message as soon as tomorrow morning comes. I can shoot arrows, so I'm not afraid of thieves! I'll protect you! You can just stay at my house!"

Nan Yin looked at the light dancing in his eyes, clean and clear, and felt relieved. She finally smiled, "Thank you, brother!"

The sun sets in the west, and the scattered sunlight shines through the gaps between the branches and leaves. The room is a little stuffy, and the fragrance of flowers is overflowing, with a mellow taste. Nanyin walked out of the door. They lived in a house with blue bricks and black tiles. There were a few green bamboos and colorful flowers planted in front of the door. The clothes hanging out to dry swayed gently in the wind. Behind the house was a large vegetable garden. The charcoal fire in the stove was crackling. Aunt Hong and Yu Nian were busy in the kitchen, the two of them talking to each other, and they were very happy.

Nanyin suddenly felt a little sad. She missed her grandma...

"Mom! What's wrong with you? Mom!"

Yu Nian called anxiously from the kitchen. Nan Yin immediately threw away all thoughts and ran into the kitchen. She saw Aunt Hong lying on the ground, her chest heaving, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, and her face as pale as paper. Yu Nian kept shaking Aunt Hong's shoulders, panicking.

Nan Yin was so troubled by the sudden situation that she couldn't react for a moment. She looked around in confusion, rubbing her hands constantly, her lips trembling slightly, not knowing how to speak. She felt extremely hot and stuffy, there was not a breath of wind, and the thick air seemed to be frozen. At this moment, a picture suddenly flashed through her mind:

"Grandma, look at this man, lying on the street, foaming at the mouth!"

An old woman came out of the house quickly, squatted down, touched the patient's head and stomach, and took his pulse. She said calmly, "It's okay, just a heat stroke. Quickly give him some Patchouli and Perilla to smell, and when he wakes up, he can drink a dose of 'Liuyi Powder'."

Nan Yin immediately reacted: "Is this heat stroke?"

"Brother, it's stuffy in the room. Let's carry Aunt Hong to the yard to get some fresh air first!" Yu Nian nodded immediately and was about to pick up Aunt Hong. However, she was still young, and she let go as soon as she raised her shoulders. Nan Yin saw this and stepped forward immediately. The two of them half carried and half dragged Aunt Hong to the grass in the yard.

Nan Yin decided to give it a try using her own real-life method, so she pinched Aunt Hong's philtrum and said to Yu Nian, "Brother, do you have any salt? Make a bowl of salt water and bring something that can fan Aunt Hong."

Yu Nian paused, then quickly rushed into the kitchen, brought out a bowl of salt water, then went into the house, took out a palm-leaf fan, and squatted down to fan Aunt Hong. After a while, Aunt Hong woke up. Yu Nian helped her into the house and lay down, and continued to fan Aunt Hong...

As dusk gradually faded, the quiet courtyard was illuminated by the moonlight. Nanyin walked to the steps at the door and sat down. Fuguier lay beside him. Fireflies chased each other with lanterns in their hands. Stars twinkled in the deep sky. The cicadas were no longer as anxious and urgent as they were at noon. The crickets chirped intermittently. The breeze blew gently in gusts...

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and suddenly she was overwhelmed with thoughts. She couldn't figure out how she could have traveled through time. She could take the college entrance examination the next day. As long as she was admitted to a university near her home, she could go home often to accompany her grandmother.

This world is so strange to her.