Chapter 2

November 28, 2025 | Author: Song Buliuchun That day, he was playing mahjong. Who knows how it happened, but he managed to draw a winning hand right off a tile quad—a Kong meld—winning on a lucky draw. Forgotten in the excitement was the simple fact that he was a corporate wage slave who had been pulling all-nighters for a week straight. Before the money could even hit his pocket, his heart surged, and he kicked the bucket right then and there. When he woke up again, it was summer. The summer of fifteen years ago. He was only fifteen years old. In the mirror, two stubborn pimples sat squarely on his face. No matter, they did nothing to diminish his good looks. He smiled at his reflection with absolute confidence, a grin so bright it felt like a lifetime ago. And fifteen years, in all honesty, truly was a lifetime ago. Talk about a realistic dream. Why does it feel a little bittersweet, though? Thirty-year-old Zhang Luo hadn't seen his younger self in a dream for a long time. Sunlight poured through the window, warm and cozy. It was the kind of sunlight that existed only in the summer of his memories. It seemed to be a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Waking up to an empty house, a quiet tranquility filled the air. His mom was probably out on the mahjong table battling it out, while his dad was either off fishing or shooting the breeze with someone. Half-awake, eyelids heavy and drowsy, he couldn't help but sigh with relief—thankfully, he was young here. Otherwise, his eyelids would be drooping like a basset hound’s. He rubbed his face. Tsk, tsk. So smooth. Still, after staring at the mirror long enough, the novelty wore off. He wasn't a girl; he couldn't just stand there gazing at his own face until the end of time. In the summer fifteen years ago, smartphones didn't exist, and personal computers hadn't yet swept across every household with such fierce momentum. It wasn't that his family couldn't afford a computer. Rather, back then, most parents viewed computers as a absolute plague— Afraid he would turn into an internet-addicted youth, his parents had firmly boycotted the idea. So, no surfing the web. Fortunately, even without a computer, there was still Coke in the fridge. At this point in time, his mother hadn't yet heard the myth that "Coke kills sperm," so she was willing to indulge her son's shallow pleasures within reason. Unlike fifteen years later, when Coke became a strictly forbidden substance under Ms. Liang Fengying's regime. Is it just my imagination? Why does Coke from fifteen years ago taste so much better? Zhang Luo let out a burp. In his dream, every single detail of the house was strikingly clear. Things that had long faded or been forgotten floated vividly back to life right before his eyes. Even the calendar hanging on the wall. It was one of those old-fashioned calendars—clearly something his mom had dragged home from work, stamped with the words: Xuyang Municipal Bureau of Health. —Ah, hold on, that might cause some misunderstanding. To clarify: his mother wasn't a civil servant at the Bureau of Health. She merely ran the cafeteria there, a modest small-business owner. It was a good gig, though. She got the same two-day weekend as the civil servants, enjoying steady income regardless of the weather. Which meant that on weekends, she could hold her ground at the mahjong table— Either crushing her opponents to pieces, or losing like a defeated fighting rooster. Clearly, today was a day of total victory. When she walked through the door, she was humming a little tune, her face beaming with joy. "Mom, how much did you win?" Zhang Luo asked, watching Ms. Liang Fengying swap her shoes at the entryway. When Ms. Liang turned around, her back-lit face suddenly snapped into crystal-clear focus. Zhang Luo froze. This was his mother from fifteen years ago. She was so young. Her face was smooth, free of wrinkles, wearing a light touch of makeup. She radiated the energy and spirited charm of her youth. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" his mother asked cheerfully. "KFC or McDonald's?" Zhang Luo: "...How about you make me some dumplings instead?" He hadn't gone to college in Xuyang. He had gone to Yuming. After graduation, he stayed in Yuming. If he wanted a taste of his mother's homemade dumplings, he basically had to wait until he returned home for the holidays, or until she came to visit him in Yuming—occasions that could be counted on one hand in a given year. Every time his mom visited, she would wrap over a hundred dumplings for him, stuffing his fridge to the brim. Because he loved them. He loved them back when he could eat them all the time, and the less accessible they became, the more he craved them. Ms. Liang Fengying had no idea what was going through Zhang Luo's mind at this moment. She rolled her eyes and said, "Why are you trying to save me money right now? You can't just hoard money won at the mahjong table; you have to spend it! Otherwise, you'll just lose it all next time. Don't you get it?" Listening to his mom's animated chatter, Zhang Luo couldn't help but laugh out loud. Yes, this was the Liang Fengying of his memory. Not the Liang Fengying of fifteen years later—who, despite remaining bossy and unyielding, would start reading his facial expressions, checking to see if he looked tired or upset, carefully trying to cheer him up. "Mom, why don't you take me out then? Take me wherever you think serves the best food." This dream was totally worth it. He genuinely hoped it would last a little longer, allowing him to enjoy a proper meal with Ms. Liang Fengying in this summer from fifteen years ago. "By the way, where's Dad?" Zhang Luo asked. "Your dad went fishing, where else?" Ms. Liang rolled her eyes again. "I have no idea what's so great about those stupid fish." Zhang Luo thought to himself: Figures. His dad was so obsessed with fishing that their fridge was never short of fish, and the dinner table constantly featured them. The lasting side-effect was that after moving out for college, Zhang Luo almost never ate fish again. He was simply sick of it. "Is he coming back to have dinner with us tonight?" "When has he ever come back for dinner when he goes out fishing?" Ms. Liang said crossly. "You know your father. He might as well just plant himself by the pond and live as a tree." "Ah, well, it's his only little hobby. Still better than you going off to catch him cheating every few days," Zhang Luo blurted out. It was the kind of offhand remark thirty-year-old Zhang Luo would make without thinking. Sure enough, Ms. Liang stared at him in utter disbelief and bellowed, "Zhang Luo!" Zhang Luo hadn't even processed what he'd said before the roar sent a sudden shudder through his entire body. Ah, long-lost physical muscle memory. Zhang Luo: "Mom, why are you yelling out of nowhere? You almost scared the soul right out of me!" Wait, why didn't that yell wake me up from the dream? Ms. Liang rushed up to Zhang Luo. "Did you secretly find out something?! What do you mean 'better than going to catch him cheating every few days'? Which fox spirit did your father lay eyes on?! Huh?!" Zhang Luo was completely bewildered. "Huh?" Ms. Liang: "Where did a kid your age hear talk like that?! Answer me!" Zhang Luo: "...Mom, I'm fifteen. Do I really need to hear that kind of thing from someone else?" "You caught him yourself?!" A flash of murderous intent crossed Ms. Liang's eyes, her aura becoming downright menacing. "When? Where? Speak up!" "What 'when' and 'where'? What are you even talking about? Dad's been clean as a whistle his whole life—don't go slandering him," Zhang Luo said, utterly speechless. "He just has a harmless little fishing hobby. I was talking about Uncle Wang upstairs!" "Wang Futian?" The lethal aura vanished from Ms. Liang's face, instantly replaced by a look of juicy curiosity. "What happened to him?" To clear his father's name, Zhang Luo had no choice but to spill: "He hooked up with Auntie He from downstairs." Ms. Liang's eyes widened in disbelief. "For real? Who told you that?" Zhang Luo thought: A year from now, Uncle Wang's wife is going to march down to Auntie He's place wielding two kitchen knives, making a scene that the entire neighborhood will know about. Obviously, he couldn't say that right now. He could only improvise: "I... stumbled upon it by accident once." Ms. Liang immediately let out a scoff. "I knew it! The way she dresses every day—" Ms. Liang's eyes darted over, suddenly landing back on her son. She slammed the emergency brakes on the inappropriate gossip, gave a quick cough, tucked away her youthful gossipy nature, and decided to maintain her maternal image. She began to nag solemnly: "Look at you! If you applied even a fraction of that sharp observation to your studies, your grades wouldn't be stuck where they are now. Sigh, can't you just place in the top 100 of your grade once and let your mom hold her head up high for a change?" Zhang Luo said, "Mom, with my current grades, I can still get into a university in Yuming in the future, okay?" "Luo, my son, your mom wants you to get into Yuming University, not just a university in Yuming," Ms. Liang urged with earnest, painstaking concern. "Your grades represent my pride!" "Education experts say parents shouldn't pin their own honor or shame on their kids." "They can say whatever they want, what the hell does that have to do with me? I never agreed to that!" Ms. Liang sneered. "The happiness of my remaining years is pinned on you. What's wrong with pinning my dignity on your college entrance exams?" "That's a lot of pressure." "If you had even a single ounce of pressure, I wouldn't be saying this," Ms. Liang reached out and poked Zhang Luo's forehead. "Hurry up and change your clothes, we're going out to eat!" "Got it!" Zhang Luo immediately turned around and headed back to his room. The moment the door closed, the smile on his face faltered. He turned back in a daze, staring at the wooden door panel. Through the door, he could still hear his mother humming her upbeat little tune. What a pity. It's just a dream. Author's Note: The new book is here! It shares the same geographical worldbuilding as "Famous Overnight," but features a brand-new entertainment and cultural background. For example, Yuming and Zhenhua University still exist, but Lu Yanhe and the others aren't here. My previous book "Famous Overnight" grew from 375 launch subscriptions to over 10,000 average subscriptions—whether you've read it or not, go check it out!