Rebirth: Illuminating a Brilliant Life

Su Xuan plunged into the archaeological site in the remote mountainous area, spending her days with broken walls and ancient artifacts.

The wind and sand of a thousand years have worn away the edges of cultural relics, and it seems to have also erased the heavy memory in her mind—the two pandemics that swept the world at the end of 2019 in her previous life. The COVID-19 pandemic was like a surging undercurrent, while African swine fever was like a heavy hammer hitting the foundation of agriculture.

The excavation work was in full swing, with the team members constantly exchanging messages over the walkie-talkie. The newly unearthed pottery jars had mysterious patterns and ancient colors. Su Xuan was so focused on these treasures that had traveled through time that she was completely unaware of the subtle but dangerous changes happening around her.

It wasn't until the team members who had returned to the city for supplies hurriedly came back, their faces pale, and told her that many people outside were inexplicably feverish and coughing, and that the hospitals were overcrowded, that Su Xuan was jolted awake as if struck by lightning.

Looking at the fragile artifact in her hands, Su Xuan instantly realized that the archaeological project would most likely be forced to stop. Sure enough, the higher-ups quickly issued a stop-work order, requiring all personnel to stay on site and minimize movement.

The camp had limited resources, and staple foods were consumed very quickly, not to mention fresh pork, which had long since disappeared from the menu. Everyone could only eat steamed buns with pickled vegetables for each meal. Thinking that African swine fever would drastically reduce the number of pigs and that even high-priced meat would be hard to find in the future, Su Xuan secretly blamed herself for her negligence.

After sending the message, Su Xuan's fingers were still trembling slightly. The words in the message box seemed to still be burning hot, carrying her heart full of anxiety and regret.

Her grandfather's reply was delayed, and her thoughts had already drifted back to the chaotic scene of her past life—the village was under lockdown, swine fever was rampant, and the farmers looked at the sick and weak pigs in the pigsty with helpless and desperate expressions. They could only obey the arrangements and watch helplessly as the pigs they had painstakingly raised were disposed of harmlessly, and all their hard work throughout the year went down the drain.

She dared not delay any longer, her fingers flying across the shopping app. She wanted N95 masks, choosing several thick and highly protective models. She also stocked up on hundreds of disposable medical masks. Cold medicine, fever reducers, anti-inflammatory drugs, cough syrup—everything she could think of was added to her shopping cart, and the quantity was maximized.

When checking out, the page displayed a message indicating that some items had purchase limits. Su Xuan's heart clenched. She gritted her teeth, switched accounts, and continued to place orders. It took several attempts to finally buy everything she wanted.

A moment later, Grandpa's voice popped up, his voice tinged with doubt: "Daughter, why are you killing this pig? It's still a long way from being ready for market."

Su Xuan's eyes reddened, and she quickly dialed a video call. When the call connected and she saw her grandfather's familiar yet weathered face, tears welled up in her eyes and almost rolled down her cheeks. "Grandpa, please believe me this time. African swine fever is coming. If the pigs get infected, they'll all die. If we slaughter them early, we can still store the meat, and we won't lose out."

Grandpa was skeptical, but seeing his granddaughter's eyes redden with worry, he agreed: "Alright, sweetie, Grandpa will listen to you. Take good care of yourself in the city. Why buy so much medicine? Don't worry unnecessarily."

Su Xuan nodded repeatedly and carefully instructed her grandfather to disinfect the pig after slaughtering it, and to marinate and freeze the meat according to her method.

In the days that followed, Su Xuan kept a close eye on the logistics information. Medicines and masks arrived one after another, and she packed them up and sent them home as soon as possible.

During this period, she also collected various epidemic prevention and swine fever prevention materials and sent them to her family, explaining in detail the frequency of disinfection and the key points of personal protection.

Although others might think her anxiety was an overreaction, only Su Xuan knew that if she could do it all over again, even if she was seen as worrying unnecessarily, she would build a strong safety net for her family and keep all the regrets and pains of her past life out.

The moment the call connected, Su Xuan's heart finally settled down a little. Cheng Ran's clear voice came through the receiver, familiar and warm, yet it couldn't hide his fatigue: "Xuan, why are you calling so early? What happened?"

Su Xuan's eyes welled up with tears, but she steadied herself before speaking: "Ran, listen to me this time, don't take it lightly. The epidemic is about to break out, with COVID-19 and African swine fever coming at the same time. You need to stock up on supplies quickly, don't forget about masks, medicines, and the like."

Cheng Ran was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting these words. After a brief silence, he joked, "You weren't having a nightmare because you were too tired from work, were you? What a coincidence..."

Su Xuan raised her voice anxiously, "I'm not joking! Have you forgotten that I never talk about this kind of thing?" Cheng Ran was taken aback by her seriousness and replied softly, "Okay, I believe you."

After hanging up the phone, Su Xuan didn't dare to delay and immediately opened a shopping website, selecting items one by one according to the list. Medical surgical masks, alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer, fever reducers, cough medicine, vitamin C tablets—she added everything she thought was useful to her shopping cart.

When placing the order, she specifically noted that it was expedited and paid a considerable amount of extra shipping fees, hoping that it could be delivered to Cheng Ran as soon as possible.

Even after the package was shipped, Su Xuan was still worried and would check the tracking information from time to time.

While waiting, she sent Cheng Ran a series of voice messages, carefully instructing him on how to take the medicine, how to wear the mask correctly, and the frequency of daily disinfection.

At first, Cheng Ran thought she was being long-winded, but he obediently did as she said. As the situation outside became more and more severe, more coughs were heard on the streets, and long queues formed in front of pharmacies. Only then did he realize Su Xuan's foresight and felt deeply moved and fortunate.

A few days later, Cheng Ran received the package, the cardboard box crammed full of supplies, almost bursting at the seams. He took a picture and sent it to Su Xuan, adding the message: "Baby, I received the stuff. Thanks to you, otherwise I'd be completely lost right now. Once this storm passes, you'll be the first person I come to see."

Su Xuan smiled as she read the message, but her eyes welled up with tears. She murmured softly, "We'll definitely get through this storm safely." She knew that in the days to come, with each other's support and protection, even if the road ahead was difficult, they could support each other and overcome the challenges together.

Days passed by in unease and busyness, the atmosphere on the streets grew increasingly tense, rumors spread like wildfire, and panic, like an invisible tide, quietly crept into everyone's hearts.

Su Xuan stayed glued to the TV and her phone, keeping a close eye on the latest developments of the epidemic, not missing a single detail. She knew that every second was precious before the storm truly arrived.

Cheng Ran didn't take it too seriously at first. Young people always have a fearless spirit and feel that no matter how fierce the virus is, it is far away from them.

It wasn't until his colleagues started getting fevers and taking sick leave, and the neighborhood was cordoned off, that he finally gave up any wishful thinking.

When he received the supplies sent by Su Xuan, he was filled with remorse, blaming himself for not listening to her sooner. He quickly and carefully put on a mask and neatly arranged the medicine in a prominent position by his bedside.

"Xuan, thanks to you, all the pharmacies near the neighborhood are empty. There's nowhere to buy anything." Cheng Ran video-called Su Xuan, his dark circles under his eyes clearly visible, showing a hint of fatigue.

Su Xuan felt extremely sorry for him and said softly, "You stay at home and don't run around. If you need anything, just tell me and I'll figure something out."

To put Cheng Ran at ease, Su Xuan would find different topics to talk about every day, sharing simple exercises she found online so that he wouldn't miss out on exercising even while staying at home; she would also search for all sorts of novel recipes and teach him how to make delicious dishes with limited ingredients; and at night, she would hum lullabies softly through the screen to lull him to sleep.

Cheng Ran's condition gradually stabilized, but the situation outside took a sharp turn for the worse, with work stoppages and production shutdowns spreading, travel restrictions imposed, and prices soaring.