Lu Wanqing woke up in a warm embrace of blankets, her consciousness hazy and disoriented.
But soon, she came to her senses and quickly turned her head, looking at her surroundings.
The duckling-yellow blankets, and the adorably egg-yolk colored room decor. This... wasn't this her childhood room?
Lu Wanqing was shocked. She raised her hands, looking down at them. What met her gaze were a pair of small, soft baby hands.
Time travel, had it really worked?
Had she returned?
Lu Wanqing felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. She quickly threw off the blankets, got out of bed, and with her short legs, scrambled onto a stool to reach for the dressing table mirror.
Through the mirror, she finally saw her current appearance. Soft and adorable, she looked like she wasn't even three years old yet.
It felt like a dream. She couldn't believe it was real and couldn't help but pinch herself. Ouch... it hurt!
Lu Wanqing finally confirmed it. She had indeed traveled back, to the ancient Earth era over three thousand years ago.
What about Third Brother?
Had Third Brother returned?
Lu Wanqing thought anxiously. With a little hop, she jumped off the stool and, her short legs a blur, dashed out.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she saw her mother, whom she hadn't seen in many years. Her footsteps froze abruptly, and her eyes welled up.
In the living room, her mother Jiang Yu heard the movement and turned her head towards the staircase.
Jiang Yu was momentarily stunned when she suddenly saw her precious daughter. She was a bit confused. Why had her daughter woken up so soon? Didn't her darling daughter usually take her afternoon nap at this hour?
But soon, Jiang Yu noticed something was wrong with her daughter. Her precious darling was crying!
Jiang Yu was worried. She quickly put down her teacup and hurried upstairs. She crouched down, scooped her daughter into her arms, and gently wiped the tears from her eyes.
"What's wrong, Qingqing? Did you have a nightmare?"
"Don't be scared, don't be scared. Mommy is here. Mommy will chase away the bad guys and protect Qingqing!"
Jiang Yu hugged her daughter tightly, comforting her gently.
Lu Wanqing dared not move. Her gaze never left her mother. She was truly afraid this was a dream, and when she woke up, her mother would be gone.
Seeing her precious daughter's state, Jiang Yu became even more convinced that her daughter had a nightmare and was quite frightened.
Jiang Yu carried Lu Wanqing to the sofa in the living room downstairs. She sat down carefully and held her daughter in her arms.
"Are you scared, Qingqing?" Jiang Yu asked.
Lu Wanqing didn't want to cry, but looking at her mother's gentle face, her tears couldn't be held back any longer, falling in big drops.
Jiang Yu's heart ached. She quickly pulled her good daughter into her embrace, patting her daughter's back gently. "Don't cry, don't cry. Qingqing isn't afraid. Our Qingqing is the strongest. She's not afraid of monsters and ghosts. Whatever nightmare you had, it's all fake. They can't defeat our Qingqing!"
Lu Wanqing cried intensely, eventually sobbing like a real child, crying uncontrollably in her mother's arms.
Fortunately, her reason was still intact. After crying for a while, Lu Wanqing asked her mother, her voice still a little childish with a hint of tears, "Mommy, can I borrow your phone to take a look?"
"Phone?" Jiang Yu was puzzled.
But meeting her precious daughter's tear-filled eyes, Jiang Yu quickly relented and nodded. "Okay, okay, Mommy will let you look."
Saying this, Jiang Yu hurried to find her phone. She took it out and handed it to her good daughter.
Lu Wanqing took the phone, but hesitated to touch the screen. Everything was too unbelievable. She was truly afraid this was a dream.
After a moment, she mustered her courage and turned on the phone.
The instant the screen lit up, she saw the time on her mother's phone: December 4, 2001.
The year two thousand and one. So, at this age, she was really only three years old. And...
She seemed to recall that it was in this year that Third Brother was brought home by their father.
Lu Wanqing grew anxious thinking about it. How was Third Brother now? Had Third Brother also traveled back?
Jiang Yu watched her daughter staring blankly at the phone. She was a little curious. After observing quietly for a while, she couldn't help but gently stroke her daughter's head and asked in a soft voice, "Are you feeling better, Qingqing?"
Lu Wanqing calmed down a bit. She looked at the phone, then back up at her mother. Finally, she suppressed the nervousness and worry in her heart and nodded at her mother. "Mmm."
Jiang Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She lowered her head, kissed her daughter's rosy cheek, and smiled. "My darling is the best!"
Lu Wanqing's eyes were still moist, but at this moment, looking at her mother's gentle features, she couldn't help but smile. Mommy was so good.
"Mommy, Third Brother... the older brother that Daddy brought home?" Lu Wanqing thought, and finally couldn't help but ask.
She desperately wanted to know Third Brother's situation now. She wanted to know where he was, had he successfully traveled back like her?
"Third Brother?" Jiang Yu asked, puzzled. "Where did a Third Brother come from?"
"Qingqing, you only have two older brothers. Did you have a nightmare and your mind is confused?" Jiang Yu was startled. She reached out to feel Lu Wanqing's forehead, asking with a worried expression.
Lu Wanqing was also stunned. Her mind went blank, and she looked at her mother in confusion. No Third Brother? What did that mean?
But soon, her mother's phone rang. The caller ID displayed their father's name – Lu Yizhi.
Lu Wanqing froze for a moment, then became excited again. She held the phone out to her mother.
Jiang Yu also saw her husband's call. She paused, then reached out and took the phone from her daughter's hand, and answered it.
Lu Wanqing looked up at her mother, watching her. The phones from this era were still old-fashioned brick phones, ugly with just a few buttons, almost no functions other than making calls.
"A child? What child?"
"Okay, I'll pick you up."
Jiang Yu held the phone, talking to her husband. Lu Wanqing only heard her reply with these few sentences.
But just these few sentences made Lu Wanqing suddenly remember. Many years ago, Third Brother... hadn't he come like this?
Could the child her mother just mentioned be Third Brother?
In her memory, Third Brother had come to their home around this time?
"Qingqing, let's go change clothes. Daddy is bringing a child home, shall we go pick them up at the station?" Jiang Yu looked down at her daughter, saying with doting affection.
Lu Wanqing quickly nodded, her little voice responding with a childish, "Mmm!"
Jiang Yu instantly smiled. The next moment, she carried her daughter upstairs.
Mother and daughter returned to the room together and then looked for clothes to change into.
While Jiang Yu was getting dressed, Lu Wanqing also opened her small wardrobe, reached her short hands into the full cabinet of little clothes, and carefully selected.
If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the scene of her first meeting with Third Brother when she was little. She had to choose the most beautiful outfit and dress up prettily!