I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Zhang Wanqing stood in the ancient books section of the library, clutching a worn copy of "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature," her eyes carefully searching the yellowed pages. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow on her delicate features. Curious about time travel, she sought to uncover more records of rifts in space and time to better understand the secrets of time travel.

Zhang Wanqing's gaze wandered through "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature." She remembered reading about the power of thunder in an ancient tome. She began flipping through it one by one, from "Huainanzi" to "Zhouyi Cantongqi" to "Baopuzi," searching for any clue. Her eyes darted between the lines, trying to find the secret that would allow her to travel back in time.

"Thunder is the might of heaven and earth. If one can harness the power of thunder, perhaps one can tear through time and space and return to the Tang Dynasty."

Her gaze finally settled on a worn copy of the Taiping Yulan. The pages were yellowed and the edges a little worn, but the contents were remarkably clear. She flipped open the book, and lines of ancient Chinese text came into view. Her heartbeat quickened as she came across a description of thunder.

"Thunder is the command of heaven. Its sound is deafening and its light is brilliant. It can break through yin and yang and travel through the past and present." She murmured to herself, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

She continued to read and found more records:

The "Thunder God and Lightning Mother" in "Huainanzi" describes the magical power of thunder and lightning, which can break the heaven and earth, and may be related to time and space travel.

"Zhen means thunder" in "Zhouyi Cantongqi". The Zhen hexagram symbolizes vibration and excitement, perhaps implying the vibration and travel of time and space.

The "thunder tribulation" in "Baopuzi" describes the lightning strikes encountered by practitioners when they are undergoing tribulation, which may be a test of time and space.

Zhang Wanqing wrote down these records one by one, knowing that these might be the key for her to return to the Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Wanqing decided to experiment with the power of thunder herself. She began to collect information about thunder and lightning, from ancient books to modern scientific papers, trying to find a way to safely harness its power.

"The power of thunder is so strong and dangerous. I must be careful, otherwise not only will I not be able to cross it, but I may also lose my life."

Her gaze wandered through modern scientific papers, finally settling on an experiment on artificial lightning induction. She decided to imitate this experiment and create a device that could guide lightning.

She began to prepare the materials needed for the experiment, from copper wire to insulators to conductive fluid. She knew it would be a dangerous experiment, but her determination was firm.

According to the weather forecast, there would be thunderstorms tonight. Zhang Wanqing chose such a thunderstorm night and went to an open field in the suburbs. She laid out a huge copper wire grid on the ground. At the center of the grid was a tall insulator pole, with a thin copper wire connected to the top of the pole.

"Power of Thunder, here I come. Tang Dynasty, I'm back." Her inner excitement reached its climax at this moment.

She stood beside the insulator pole, holding the copper wire in her hand. The dark clouds in the sky grew denser and the thunder grew louder. She took a deep breath and slowly let go of the wire.

Suddenly, a dazzling bolt of lightning struck the copper wire. The force of the lightning traveled along the wire, converging on the insulator column. Zhang Wanqing felt a powerful force envelop her.

"Time and space rift, here I come. Tang Dynasty, I'm coming back."

The lightning on the insulator pillars began to form a huge ball of light, flickering with a strange light. Zhang Wanqing felt her body become lighter, as if she were floating. She closed her eyes and felt the guidance of this force.

Suddenly, a dazzling light flashed, and Zhang Wanqing felt herself being pulled by a powerful force. She thought she could easily travel back, but the force seemed to be intermittent, sometimes pulling her hard, and then disappearing, almost throwing her to the ground. This went on for several times. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself no longer in the suburbs, but lying in a familiar yet unfamiliar place.

She looked around and saw a street that seemed very familiar and heard familiar hawking sounds.

"Big and delicious buns are out of the oven!"

Her heart was filled with excitement and joy, she thought she had finally returned to the Tang Dynasty. But when she stood up to look, she almost fell. She was actually in front of her own bun shop. It turned out to be her mother's cries.

"Little Baozi, what's wrong with you? Did you fall down?" said the mother.

"I... I... seem to have fainted..." Zhang Wanqing said hesitantly.

"Look at you, you are so old, but you are still not careful when walking. Come, sit here and rest for a while. Mom will get you some buns and some hot red bean porridge, which you like best." As the mother said this, she took the buns from the steamer.

Zhang Wanqing didn't know why, one moment, she was on a thunderstorm, in an open field in the suburbs, being pulled by lightning. And the next, she was lying in front of her own bun shop, the sky clear. Had her time travel failed? Or had something irresistible happened during the journey, preventing her from crossing over this time? Zhang Yuqing fell into deep thought.

"I remember staring at the sky, waiting for that decisive moment. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, striking my copper wire. I felt the current flowing through it, and the entire device vibrated. I held the wire tightly, bracing myself for the powerful force. Just as the lightning was about to strike me, a gust of wind blew, slightly shifting the wire. The lightning grazed my device and struck the ground next to me. With a loud bang, a large crater was created, and dirt and rocks flew everywhere."

Could it be that the lightning shifted its position and didn't hit me completely, which led to the failure of the time travel? Zhang Wanqing remembered being knocked to the ground by the blast, her ears buzzing, and her vision blurring. Then she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself lying in front of her own bun shop.

At this time, her mother had already placed her favorite red bean porridge and buns in front of her. Never mind, just fill your stomach first.

Zhang Wanqing ate while pondering her next steps. She hadn't given up on traveling back because of this failure; her desire to return home remained strong. She remembered she could look up information online or ask for help.

"Oh, this bun is so delicious!" She started eating it in big mouthfuls.