Time Travel and Love

Chu Qingmeng twitched his lips as he fell down. Ignoring Feiying's puzzled look, he immediately took out a military shovel and tied a rope, then threw it directly into the hole above. He then began to climb up. After Chu Qingmeng climbed up, he called out to him, "Come up!"

Feiying was puzzled, "Miss, aren't you going to check it again?"

Chu Qingmeng pointed behind him and said, "What are you looking for? Are you going to look in a pile of snakes?!"

Feiying, seeing the scene behind him, quickly grabbed the rope and used it to reach the cave entrance, no longer having to scramble up like Chu Qingmeng. Chu Qingmeng retracted the rope and reluctantly walked into the passage. As they neared the point where they had exited, the front had collapsed, forcing them to dig a new hole.

He took out the ordnance shovel and started digging. After a few moves, he was stopped by Feiying, "Girl, let me do it."

Before long, Feiying had dug a passage upwards, letting Chu Qingmeng climb on his shoulders. Then, with some luck, he climbed up as well. Not long after the two of them ascended, the entire tomb collapsed. Chu Qingmeng smiled bitterly, completely blocking his way back.

"Girl?" Feiying couldn't help but feel worried when he saw that she was laughing like she was about to cry.

"It's okay!" Chu Qingmeng wiped away her tears and stood up, saying, "Let's go! Let's travel with me! Since we can't go back, let's stay here and live a life of freedom!"

…………

Chu Qingmeng didn't know where to go, so she wandered aimlessly. On the way, she came across a child poking at a cotton flower. Chu Qingmeng's eyes lit up. In those days, there was no cotton, so winters were limited to charcoal braziers and extra clothes. Now there was cotton? Chu Qingmeng offered to buy cotton seeds. The child asked for some food, and she took three large bags home. They didn't know what they were for yet; they were wild seeds they'd gathered in the mountains, and they'd just thought of them as a child's plaything.

After getting the cotton seeds, Chu Qingmeng decided to go to Jiuzhou. She wanted to deliver the seeds to Mu Lingxue!

It was already April and the weather was getting warmer. Chu Qingmeng only coughed occasionally, and his coughing was not to the point of being unable to breathe.

After a dozen days of walking, they arrived at Li County in Jiuzhou. Chu Qingmeng deliberately avoided the county town and went directly to Mujia Village, where Mu Lingxue lived. Mu Lingxue was very happy to see her and Feiying, and was even more delighted when she heard that she had brought cotton seeds. She kept complaining about how she almost froze to death in the winter, but this time she went to her home and it had become a magnificent blue brick and tile house. Mu Lingxue embarrassedly said that she built it with the money Chu Qingmeng left her last time.

After some greetings, Chu Qingmeng settled down and began to work from sunrise to sunset. When they had free time, they rode horses together, drank and sang. They lived a happy life. On weekdays, Feiying would disguise himself and take the eldest brother of the Mu family to the county town in an ox cart. Their life was very peaceful until one day Feiying brought back some very bad news. Large-scale plague and famine broke out in several nearby counties, with Zhu County as the main outbreak point.

Chu Qingmeng's legs gave way upon hearing this, and she nearly fell. Luckily, Feiying was quick and caught Chu Qingmeng. However, she noticed her hands were shaking. After drinking several glasses of water, Chu Qingmeng managed to calm down and asked, "Do you know what the symptoms of the plague are over there? Has the court sent anyone there? How severe is the famine?"

"I heard that those who were sick were vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, then falling into coma and convulsing until they died. The court has sent imperial physicians, but to no avail. The emperor has also issued a decree for disaster relief. But since the heavy snow a year ago, there hasn't been a drop of rain in any of the counties."

Chu Qingmeng took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He looked up at Mu Lingxue and said, "Why do I feel that these symptoms are so similar to cholera?"

Mu Lingxue said awkwardly, "I'm just an agricultural student, I don't really know much about epidemics."

Chu Qingmeng lowered his head and thought for a while before saying, "Lingxue, please help me. I need to go to Zhu County. Can you sell me some of your grain?"

"Take it. We won't discuss whether to sell it or not." Mu Lingxue shook her head. "But there's no need to go to Zhu County, right? You're not a medical student, so I'm afraid it would be useless if you went."

Chu Qingmeng shook his head. "Sell it to me. I want too much. Please ask the villagers if they have any extra food. I will take it all. No matter what it is, as long as it is food, I will take it! Can you keep enough for me to eat and sell the rest to me?"

"Qing Meng?" Mu Lingxue was shocked. "What are you doing?"

"A very important person is in Zhu County." Chu Qingmeng closed his eyes and smiled bitterly. He thought that they would never have any intersection again.

"Lingxue! Lingxue!" As soon as the carriage stopped outside the door, a man jumped out. After entering the door, he looked at Mu Lingxue and said, "Lingxue! Can you sell me your food?!"

Mu Lingxue held her forehead with her hand. "Do you think I'm a wealthy man? You all are asking me for food one by one?"

The visitor was stunned. All? Who else? Following Mu Lingxue's gaze, Mo Liuyuan saw Fei Ying standing nearby, and Chu Qingmeng, who had her eyes closed with a look of forbearance. He couldn't help but smile, "Sister?! Is it really you?!"