Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 2: From Unconsciousness to Unconsciousness

Mu Dong felt as if he were floating in boundless darkness; everything around him was pitch black, and he could see nothing. There was no sound either; boundless silence enveloped everything. He drifted quietly like this, as if he were a speck of dust suspended in the vast universe. A faint breeze seemed to stir; Mu Dong felt himself being gently caressed by it, drifting slowly in a certain direction. Gradually, the wind seemed to pick up; Mu Dong felt himself dancing lightly, his body stretching out—it felt comfortable and pleasant. For a moment—whether it was an instant or a long time, he couldn’t tell—the wind grew even stronger, lashing fiercely at the floating Mu Dong. He felt himself tumbling violently up and down, his body crashing uncontrollably in all directions. In the distance, a faint glimmer of light seemed to flicker. The wind grew even stronger, and Mu Dong felt a tremendous force propelling him toward that faint glimmer. As he drew closer, the light grew larger, transforming first into a sliver, then into a mass, and finally into a vast opening. A boundless suction emanated from the opening; the gale behind him, combined with the suction from the opening, violently hurled Mu Dong toward the luminous entrance, and then he felt himself suddenly sucked inside. The roar of the wind filled his ears. Mu Dong felt himself hurtling rapidly through a hazy mass of light, then suddenly collided with something hard and came to a halt with a “boom.” It was as if he had fallen from a towering cliff and suddenly landed at the bottom of a valley. His head felt heavy and dizzy; his body felt as if it were being pressed underwater by a massive boulder, unable to break free no matter what. A suffocating sensation tightened around every pore of his body, sealing him off from everything. Yet inside, it felt as if a fire had been lit, burning fiercely. A surge of energy surged wildly from side to side, desperately trying to break out, but could only continue to collide futilely in all directions. This wasn’t right. Just a moment ago, I’d felt perfectly fine—so why did I feel so miserable now? Every part of my body ached, and my eyelids felt incredibly heavy. I could feel my eyeballs turning heavily in their sockets, dry and gritty, but I just couldn’t pry my eyelids open. My throat felt like it was on fire—dry and painful. After persistent effort, his eyes finally opened a tiny slit. A blinding white light flooded in all at once, and his eyes snapped shut again. After a long while, he finally managed to open them slowly once more. It was the light from a fluorescent bulb—still just as glaring, but now bearable. Mu Dong slowly turned his head and looked around; it appeared to be a hospital room. White walls, white sheets, and some simple medical equipment by the bed. “I must be in a hospital—it looks like a hospital room,” Mu Dong thought to himself. He glanced at the window; it was pitch black outside, so it must be nighttime. “Xiao Xiao isn’t here—I guess I didn’t have time to notify her yet,” A sharp pain flared up in his throat again, and he was dying of thirst. Spotting the emergency call button by the bed, Mu Dong strained to reach out and pressed it. As he pulled his hand back, he couldn’t help but look at his hands in confusion. Something wasn’t right—if he were injured and in the hospital, he should be on an IV or something. Why were both his hands empty, with no IV needles, and why didn’t he see an IV stand or an IV bag by the bed? There was a soft knock at the door, and a round-faced, slightly plump nurse pushed the door open and asked Mu Dong softly, “Are you awake?” Mu Dong spoke to the nurse in a hoarse voice: “Yeah, nurse, my throat really hurts, and I’m so thirsty. Could you give me some water?” “You were admitted to the ER last night. Your condition wasn’t too serious, so we haven’t notified your family yet. We have hot water here, but we don’t have any spare cups. Hmm—let me see. I’ll find you a clean saline bottle, fill it with some hot water, and you can make do with that.” “Okay, thank you so much! Nurse, may I ask what time it is?” The nurse replied, “It’s 3:00 a. m. After you drink some water, you can sleep a little longer. Get some rest.” With that, the round-faced nurse turned and left. Mu Dong thought about what she’d just said and muttered to himself: “Admitted to the ER last night? The car accident must have happened in the afternoon—so why wasn’t I brought to the hospital until tonight? That’s way too long! Even if the injuries weren’t serious, they shouldn’t have waited until tonight to treat me after I was injured in the afternoon. What kind of hospital is this?” A few minutes later, the nurse returned, holding a glass bottle wrapped in a towel, which she gently placed on the nightstand. She said softly, “This is hot water. It’s very hot, so let it sit for a while and drink it once it cools down.” With that, she removed the towel from the bottle and turned to leave. Mu Dong felt a burning sensation in his throat—he couldn’t wait any longer. He reached out with his right hand and grabbed for the glass bottle, then quickly pulled it back. It really was too hot. Frantic, Mu Dong sat up abruptly, grabbed a pillow from the bed, ripped off the pillowcase, wrapped the glass bottle in it, and slowly tilted the bottle toward his mouth. He puffed out his cheeks and blew hard on the opening a few times, then sipped a small mouthful, sipping slowly and carefully. It was very hot, but still bearable. He repeated this process—blowing a few times, taking a small sip, blowing a few more times, and taking another small sip—over and over again. In no time at all, the large bottle of water was empty. He felt the burning sensation in his throat subside a bit; he felt much better. Mu Dong set the water bottle down and let out a soft sigh. He slowly leaned back against the headboard. Then, suddenly, he froze! Wait a minute—I’m sitting up!!! I just sat myself up just now!!! As Mu Dong tried to piece things together, a series of images flashed rapidly through his mind. The car crash, the injuries—he remembered bleeding from his head. Mu Dong touched his head; there was no bandage, though his face felt a little swollen. He remembered the excruciating pain in his chest at the time. He lifted his shirt to check—his chest was fine, his abdomen was fine, and his legs were fine too. The only thing was, one side of his buttocks felt like it was on fire. Huh, his clothes were wrong, too—not those striped hospital gowns, nor his own clothes. He thought about it for a while but couldn’t figure it out. His head started to feel dizzy again, so Mu Dong curled up a bit, lay back on the hospital bed, and drifted back into a deep sleep. He didn’t know how long he’d slept when Mu Dong was awakened by a commotion. It sounded like a new patient had arrived and was being treated in the emergency room in the next room. Glancing out the window, he realized it must be dawn. Mu Dong felt thirsty again, so he pressed the call button once more. It was the same round-faced nurse again. Mu Dong told her he was still very thirsty. The nurse picked up the glass bottle from the bedside table, went to fill it with hot water, and brought it back. Then she said to Mu Dong, “You lost quite a bit of blood last night, which is why you’re feeling so thirsty. But don’t worry—it’s nothing serious. You just have a few stitches on your buttock. We’ll keep an eye on you today, and you’ll be able to go home this afternoon. I’ll prescribe some anti-inflammatory medication; just be careful not to get an infection and keep the area dry. Just come back in a few days to have the stitches removed. You have some minor abrasions on your face, but the skin isn’t broken, so they don’t need any treatment.” After saying this, the round-faced nurse turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, she paused, turned back, and said, “The doctor who treated your wounds last night has gone off duty. He’ll be back on duty at 3:00 p. m. today. You’ll need to wait for him before you leave—I think he has some instructions to give you. Also, you haven’t paid your bill yet. What do you think…” Mu Dong said, “I’ll call someone to come pay the bill. Could I borrow your cell phone or use the hospital phone?” The nurse said, “Your phone is on you. Why don’t you look for it? Check under your pillow. Oh, by the way, this is the Emergency Department at Quancheng First People’s Hospital.” With that, she turned and left again. Mu Dong searched around and actually found a cell phone under his pillow. But this wasn’t his phone! He used a Huawei P8, yet the phone in his hand was an old-fashioned flip phone—a senior-friendly model. How did it end up on him? Could the paramedics have picked it up at the crash site? Never mind that for now; he needed to call Xiao Xiao first. He tried dialing Xiao Xiao’s number. As soon as the call connected, he heard her exclaim, “Mu Dong, why couldn’t I reach you? Where are you? Are you okay?” Mu Dong paused for a moment, thinking to himself, How did Xiao Xiao know it was me? She must have been waiting for my call until she was nearly driven mad. He quickly said, “I’m fine. I’m at the hospital—just a few minor injuries. Come over—I’m in the emergency room at Quancheng First People’s Hospital. Bring some money; there are some bills to take care of. And bring me something to eat—I’m a little hungry.” Half an hour later, Xiao Xiao rushed in, her face filled with anxiety and concern. As soon as she saw Mu Dong, tears streamed down her face. She took two quick steps toward him, threw her arms around him, and cried out, “What happened to you? How did you end up like this? Why is your face so swollen? I almost didn’t recognize you, Mu Dong. What happened?” Mu Dong patted Xiao Xiao gently on the back and whispered, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m fine, aren’t I? It’s like I’ve had a narrow escape—that’s actually a good thing.” “You call that a good thing? Mu Dong, you scared the life out of me!” “All right, all right, stop crying. I’m a little sore, so get up quickly.” Xiao Xiao jumped to her feet and said through her tears, “I’m not crying anymore, I’m not crying anymore. Aren’t you hungry? I brought you some food—you should eat something.” With that, she took out the lunchbox she was holding and laid out the congee, pickles, and steamed buns one by one. She helped Mu Dong eat slowly. As Mu Dong ate, he wondered: Why did Xiao Xiao cut her hair? She’d been wearing a ponytail for the past few years—why did she cut it into a short, ear-length style? While they were eating, Mu Dong asked Xiao Xiao, “Where’s the car?” Xiao Xiao replied, “It’s downstairs. We’ll take a cab back this afternoon, so we’ll just leave the car here for now.” Downstairs? Just leave it here? Mu Dong was confused. What on earth was going on? A car involved in an accident—and they’d even towed it all the way to the hospital? After finishing their meal, Xiao Xiao went to the lobby to pay the bill. Mu Dong sat half-reclined on the hospital bed, thinking about how he’d have to wait until after his doctor’s appointment this afternoon to leave, and he felt a bit bored. Spotting a TV in the room, he casually picked up the remote and turned it on. The TV was showing the news. As he watched, Mu Dong’s mouth slowly dropped open wider and wider, and he gradually went completely dumbfounded!!! “Good morning, viewers. Today is Wednesday, August 13, 2008—the thirteenth day of the seventh lunar month. Welcome to the Morning News.” “Ladies and gentlemen, we now continue with our coverage of the Olympic Games. In yesterday’s men’s individual épée competition, Chinese athlete Zhong Man won the gold medal. This marks the first time the Chinese fencing team has won an Olympic gold medal since 1984, and it is also the first time an Asian athlete has won an Olympic medal in the épée event.” “In yesterday’s men’s artistic gymnastics team competition, the Chinese men’s gymnastics team won the gold medal.” “Our athletes Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin won the gold medal in yesterday’s women’s synchronized platform diving event.” “American swimming star Michael Phelps won the gold medal in yesterday’s 200-meter freestyle event, his third gold medal at these Olympic Games.” It was like a bolt of lightning striking Mu Dong’s dazed mind; in an instant, his thoughts became both incredibly chaotic and incredibly clear. Memories surged back, with images flashing rapidly through his mind only to vanish just as quickly. He finally began to understand. I’ve… traveled through time!!! 2008? Have I gone back in time from age 33 to age 25? Finally, it all clicked! The clothes he was wearing were from several years ago. That strange old man’s cell phone was actually his own old phone. Xiao Xiao had shouted his name when she answered the call because they’d never changed their phone numbers. Xiao Xiao’s hairstyle had changed because, when she first started working, she’d always worn her hair cut short, just past her ears. As for what Xiao Xiao had just said about the vehicle downstairs—she must have been referring to the electric scooter they both owned! As for the injuries on her body, they were indeed caused by an incident that happened in August 2008. At the time, Mu Dong was still working at a telecommunications company. Because the company had completed a cell phone procurement project in collaboration with China Unicom in Ludong Province, the company organized a dinner for the marketing department staff to celebrate after work that day. As the company’s marketing manager, Mu Dong was the primary person in charge of this order. Naturally, everyone made him drink quite a bit. After dinner, the company president and vice president left first. The remaining group consisted entirely of colleagues from the marketing department. Someone then suggested going to a KTV to sing, and Mu Dong didn’t want to dampen everyone’s spirits, so a few of them headed there to continue drinking and singing. After all that, by the time the event ended, it was already past 11:00 p. m. Several colleagues left one by one in taxis. Since the KTV was very close to his home, and he’d spent the whole evening cooped up in a room, Mu Dong felt a bit stifled, so he decided to walk home. He’d had quite a bit of baijiu and beer that night, and as he walked with the wind blowing against his face, Mu Dong felt his head suddenly grow much heavier. Just as Mu Dong was staggering through a narrow alley about 50 meters long, an incident occurred. Three young men in their twenties—two in front and one behind—surrounded Mu Dong. In front were a stocky, short man with a fleshy face and a tall, skinny man with a messy, spiky hairstyle. Mu Dong turned to look behind him and saw a man with a short, flat-top haircut wearing a jacket. The stocky, short man said, “Hey, buddy, I’m a little short on cash. Can I borrow some change?” As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly took a step forward and reached for the shoulder bag hanging from Mu Dong’s left arm. The bag was slung over Mu Dong’s left shoulder and contained his wallet, ID, and a new card-style digital camera he’d just bought. Mu Dong wasn’t about to let it go without a fight. He dodged to the left and swung his right fist to block the stocky man’s reaching hand. “Get lost!” he shouted. All three of them immediately closed in on him. One grabbed the shoulder bag and yanked at it with all his might, while the other two rained punches and kicks down on Mu Dong. Mu Dong felt that, being tall and burly—and having had a few drinks—he was quite bold. So he fought back fiercely, even knocking the skinny guy with the spiky hair to the ground at one point, before breaking free and running for his life. The other two robbers gave chase and once again surrounded Mu Dong. Amid the chaotic brawl, the guy with the spiky hair—who had caught up again—pulled out a dagger and stabbed Mu Dong twice in the buttocks. The sudden pain caused Mu Dong to collapse onto the ground. The short, stocky man and the guy with the crew cut rushed over and delivered several fierce blows to Mu Dong’s head and face. Next, the guy with the spiky hair cut the strap of the bag Mu Dong was clutching tightly, snatched the shoulder bag from him, and the three robbers fled in a rush. Fortunately, his cell phone was in his pants pocket and hadn’t been stolen. Mu Dong, enduring the excruciating pain, managed to walk a short distance to a streetlight, where he slumped against the pole and sat down. He fished out his phone, forced himself to dial 110 and 120, and then passed out. “So, it turns out I went from being unconscious after a car crash to being transported back in time to when I was mugged and stabbed into unconsciousness a few years ago!” Mu Dong thought to himself. Could this really be the reward for a single act of kindness on my part? Time travel—such a melodramatic scenario—and it actually happened to me! It’s terrifying! So unexpected—and such a surprise! His mind was in a complete jumble; so many things were flooding into his thoughts all at once. Mu Dong needed a quiet environment to slowly sort through his chaotic thoughts. With that in mind, he took out his “senior phone”—which now looked much more appealing to him—and dialed Xiao Xiao. “Xiao Xiao, did you pay the bill? Okay, that’s good. Did you pick up the anti-inflammatory medication? It’ll be ready soon, right? Come back to my room as soon as you get the medicine. I want to be discharged—I don’t want to stay here anymore. Yeah, yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry. Hurry up and come up here. “Oh, and stop by the hospital’s little convenience store and pick up a change of clothes for me—just some beach shorts and a T-shirt will do. Also, get a hat and a medical mask. Yeah, a sun hat, and a disposable mask.” A short while later, Xiao Xiao returned. Mu Dong first changed out of the blood-stained clothes he was wearing, then said the hospital was too stuffy and he wanted to go home first. As for the doctor, if anything came up, he’d call the on-call number that night—the number was available at the nurses’ station. Xiao Xiao tried to talk him out of it, but seeing that Mu Dong was adamant, she went along with his decision. Mu Dong put on the sun hat and mask Xiao Xiao had bought, covering the bruises on his face. The two of them gathered their things, said goodbye to the nurses’ station, hailed a taxi, and left the hospital. Xiao Xiao had no idea what the doctor was going to tell Mu Dong, but Mu Dong knew exactly what was going on.