Shen Jingchu was tired. Without eating a bite of dinner, he fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning.
A bright beam of sunlight fell across his face.
Woken up by the blinding light, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock hanging on the wall in front of him.
It was already eight o'clock in the morning.
Shen Jingchu got up and slowly made his way to the bathroom.
"Ning Ning, why did it take you so long to come back?" He thought Shi Ning had returned home, and as he walked toward the bathroom, he mumbled to himself.
Seeing that there was no response, he changed directions, checking the master bedroom, study, and the other three guest rooms.
"Ning Ning?"
"Ning Ning, are you there?"
Still, there was no reply.
The only sound in the house was his own echo.
Shen Jingchu went to the living room and picked up his phone. He opened the WeChat page but still hadn't received a reply from Shi Ning.
Why hadn't she come back yet?
Why wasn't she replying?
He sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.
"… Yesterday, Southern Airlines flight SU2365 crashed, causing a forest fire that destroyed nearby bamboo groves and trees. Following the incident, authorities sent a team to the site and confirmed a total of 132 deaths, including 9 crew members and 123 passengers."
Hearing this news made Shen Jingchu feel a sudden unease.
SU2365… Wasn't that Shi Ning's flight?
Could it be…?
Ning Ning was in trouble!
Was it because she came to see him that something happened?
He didn't want to accept this reality.
He would never, ever see her again.
Shen Jingchu looked at the photo in his album that Shi Ning had sent before boarding.
Ning Ning's smile was so beautiful.
They were so excited to see each other then.
But in the end, he felt responsible for her death.
He had been wrong; he shouldn't have asked her to come alone.
Ning Ning, I know I was wrong.
Please, come back.
March 23, 2021, was a day Shen Jingchu would never forget.
Since Shi Ning's passing, every day he opened their chat history to listen to her brief voice messages and looked at her photos over and over.
That was his only connection to her now.
October 7, 2016, Friday.
Xuan Lion Apartments, K City.
"Jingchu, Jingchu?" That familiar voice woke Shen Jingchu from his dream.
He opened his eyes groggily and saw a familiar face.
"Ning… Ning Ning?" He instinctively called her name.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"Ning Ning, is it really you?" Shen Jingchu held her tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Is it really you…?"
Shi Ning hugged him back and patted his back, joking, "Besides me, who else would be your Ning Ning?"
"It's really you…"
"You know, I missed you so much…"
"We see each other every day. Why are you suddenly missing me today?" Shi Ning said with a smile.
"Because I don't want to lose you, I don't want you to leave."
"All right, go freshen up. If you don't, we'll be late for the trip."
"Where are we going today?"
Shi Ning, busy packing, responded, "To M City, remember?"
It turned out he had traveled back
Shen Jingchu felt a bit sleepy. Without even touching his dinner, he fell asleep, only to wake up at dawn.
A bright ray of sunlight hit his face.
Woken by the blinding light, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall in front of him.
It was already 8 a.m.
Shen Jingchu stood up with difficulty and slowly made his way to the bathroom.
"Ning Ning, why did it take you so long to come back?" he mumbled, thinking that Shi Ning had already returned home as he walked toward the bathroom.
Seeing no response, Shen Jingchu changed direction, checking the master bedroom, study, and the other three rooms.
"Ning Ning?"
"Ning Ning, are you there?"
Still, no one answered.
Only his own echo remained in the house.
Shen Jingchu went to the living room and picked up his phone. He opened WeChat, but there was still no reply from Shi Ning.
Why hadn't she come back?
Why hadn't she responded to his messages?
Shen Jingchu sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.
"Yesterday, South Airlines flight SU2365 crashed, causing a wildfire. The surrounding bamboo forests and trees were completely burned. After the incident, authorities dispatched a team to handle the site, discovering that 132 people had died, including 9 crew members and 123 passengers."
Shen Jingchu felt a sudden unease.
SU2365—wasn't that the flight Shi Ning was on?
Could it be…?
Ning Ning, his Ning Ning had met with disaster!
Had she gotten into trouble because she came to see him?
He wished so badly not to face this reality.
He would never, ever see her again.
Shen Jingchu looked at the photo Shi Ning had sent him before boarding.
His Ning Ning looked so beautiful smiling.
They had been so excited to see each other.
In the end, though, his actions had led to her death.
He was wrong; he shouldn't have let her fly alone to see him.
Ning Ning, I know I was wrong.
Please, come back.
March 23, 2021—a day Shen Jingchu would never forget.
Since Shi Ning's death, Shen Jingchu had been listening daily to the short voice messages she'd sent and looking through her photos again and again.
This was the only connection he had left with her.
October 7, 2016. Friday.
Xuan Shi Apartment, K City.
"Jingchu, Jingchu?" A familiar voice pulled Shen Jingchu from his sleep.
Drowsily, he opened his eyes and saw a familiar face.
"Ning…Ning Ning?" he instinctively called her name.
"Yes? What's wrong?"
"Ning Ning, is it really you?" Shen Jingchu held Shi Ning in his arms, tears streaming down his face. "Is it really you…?"
Shi Ning hugged him back, patting his back, and joked, "Besides me, which other Ning Ning do you know?"
"Thank goodness, it's really you..."
"You know, I missed you so much..."
"But we see each other every day. Why did you suddenly miss me so much today?" Shi Ning laughed.
"Because I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to leave."
"Okay, now go wash up. If you don't hurry, we'll be late when we get there."
"Where are we going today?"
Shi Ning packed her bags and answered, "To M City, remember?"
It turned out he had somehow traveled back to the day they were supposed to go to M City.
He walked to the mirror and saw his young, vibrant face before his disfigurement. His right hand, previously shattered, and his left leg, which had been amputated, were both whole again.
Since he had returned to the past and knew what was about to happen, he had to prevent it all.
---
In this era, although many had achieved wealth, there were always a few left in poverty.
During that time, Shen Jingchu had a wish.
He knew that, in real life, money was essential for survival.
He had once been poor himself, so he understood the struggles of those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who were forced to abandon their dreams and work in the fields, tending to sheep, and so on.
For them, dreams felt especially far away.
The most pressing issue was money—there was no money for tuition, no money for education.
So, he wanted to support children who wished to study.
Two hours later, they finally arrived in M City.
M City was a picturesque countryside town. It was autumn, with a cool climate that was refreshing and pleasant.
Shen Jingchu stretched, "Finally, we're here!"
Shi Ning exclaimed, "The scenery here is so beautiful."
In Shen Jingchu's view, he couldn't see the beauty that Shi Ning described. All he saw was the black-and-white trees and lake. But if his Ning Ning found it beautiful, then he did too.
After admiring the scenery, they arrived at a long wooden house in the village.
Before the entrance was a wooden plaque hanging between two pillars, with the words "Qizheng Elementary School" written on it.
Principal Qi of Qizheng Elementary saw the couple standing at the door and immediately recognized them as Shi Ning and Shen Jingchu.
Principal Qi walked outside, warmly welcoming them. "Are you Mr. Shen and Miss Shi?"
Shen Jingchu nodded, "Yes."
"Come on in; the students have been waiting for you for a long time."
The two of them entered the long wooden building.
Although it was a bit rudimentary and small, it was adequately equipped with basic essentials like a blackboard, desks, and chairs.
After some questioning from Shi Ning, she and Shen Jingchu learned that the school had only 30 students and seven teachers.
Principal Qi explained that the teachers were all local villagers who had never studied in the city. They had learned basic knowledge by reading books during their spare time when they were younger.
Teaching in the village wasn't profitable, with salaries lower than those from farming, so few villagers wanted to be teachers, feeling it wasted time with little reward.
Many village children wanted to study here. Each year, there were many applicants, but with limited space, enrollment was decided by a lottery.
Some lucky children could study for several years, while those less fortunate could only attend for a year, so for them, education was a matter of luck.
Principal Qi added that the area was prone to earthquakes; several larger schools had been destroyed by tremors, leading to huge financial losses. To avoid further losses, he built a smaller school instead, allowing more children to receive some education.
"Students, these two people here will be teaching at our school for a few days. Make sure you behave and don't give them trouble, okay?" Principal Qi said as he entered the classroom.
"Okay!"
"Hello, everyone. I'm Shi Ning."
"And I'm Shen Jingchu."
They smiled, introducing themselves to the students.
Principal Qi said, "Alright, I'll leave it to you two," and then exited the classroom.
Shi Ning asked the students, "Who wants to share their dreams with us?"
All the students began sharing their dreams.
"I don't know."
"I want to study in the city!"
"I want to be a reporter!"
Most of the students answered with uncertainty, while only a few expressed their aspirations.
Shen Jingchu thought that their lack of formal education and financial constraints might have caused them to give up on their dreams.
Suddenly, a student's response caught Shen Jingchu and Shi Ning's attention.
"I want to be an artist! To create works like Master Jing's!"
Shen Jingchu walked over to the boy's desk and saw the name "Xiao Yu" written on his notebook.
So, the boy's name was Xiao Yu.
"Xiao Yu, do you know Master Jing?"
"Yes! I have a pen pal in the city who told me that Jing is a famous artist. He even sent me photos of Master Jing's works!"
"Why do you like his work?"
"Because every painting tells a story."
Shen Jingchu was surprised by Xiao Yu's answer.
He hadn't expected anyone to truly understand his art.
"And if you met Master Jing, what would you say?"
Xiao Yu replied, "I'd tell him that one day, I'll surpass him and meet him at the top!"
"You'll definitely succeed," Shen Jingchu said, patting Xiao Yu's head with a smile.