Just as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and a man in his forties came in. His face was weathered, and his clothes and trousers were covered in dirt. This was probably Song Qi's father, Song Yongjun.
Song Yongjun pushed the door open and came in. When he looked up and saw the scene before him, he froze. His hands trembled with excitement, and his eyes instantly reddened.
Shen Moxi stood up at the sight of him and greeted him with a smile. "Uncle Song."
Song Yongjun came back to his senses and was just about to answer when Huang Yushan's panicked voice came from outside. "Honey, something's wrong! Moxi's gone!"
Shen Moxi: ...
Shen Moxi scratched her head awkwardly and walked to the doorway. Seeing Huang Yushan running toward them in a panic, she waved. "Aunt Shan, I'm in here! Brother Song's awake!"
Huang Yushan stopped short and looked at her in disbelief, then at Song Yongjun. "Yongjun, what did Moxi say?"
Seeing that Song Qi had woken up inside the room, Song Yongjun's eyes reddened. He wiped away his tears, turned, and went outside to help Huang Yushan slowly walk over. "She said the boy's awake. She's not lying. I just saw him myself."
"Really? That's wonderful! Heaven bless us! Buddha bless us!" Huang Yushan burst into tears of excitement and turned to hug Shen Moxi. "My dear, thank you. Thank you so much."
Shen Moxi was a little unaccustomed to the sudden embrace, but she did not pull away. She reached out and patted her back. "Aunt Shan, Brother Song's awake, but he's lost his memory. When I spoke to him just now, there were a lot of things he couldn't remember. He doesn't remember you two either."
Hearing this, Huang Yushan abruptly raised her head and looked over. "What? Qi's damaged his head? He's even forgotten his parents? Why is my life so bitter?"
Song Yongjun was deeply saddened to hear this too, but having him wake up was already the best outcome. It was all right if he remembered nothing; they could take their time. He sighed, walked over, and patted Huang Yushan's shoulder. "All right, it's already a blessing from heaven that our boy woke up. So he doesn't remember anything. We'll take it slowly."
Huang Yushan wiped away her tears and nodded, then sat beside the kang and looked at Song Qi. "Son, do you really not remember your mom and dad?"
Song Qi looked at them with indifferent eyes, paused for two seconds, and nodded.
That cold gaze nearly made Huang Yushan cry again.
Shen Moxi sighed silently and walked over. "Aunt Shan, Brother Song waking up is a much better outcome than him staying unconscious in a vegetative state. Losing his memory doesn't matter. He'll remember someday. Besides, you still have me. I'll take good care of Brother Song."
Huang Yushan took her hand and sighed. "My dear, this has really been unfair to you. Aunt Shan and her family have let you down, making you suffer along with us."
Shen Moxi shook her head. "I remember all the kindness you've shown me, Aunt Shan. Besides, Brother Song and I were childhood sweethearts, so how is this unfair to me? Last night, I just couldn't think straight for a moment and got caught up in my troubles. That was why I wanted to go home to my parents. I never expected to fall into the water and cause you trouble."
"All right, it's all in the past. Let's not talk about those unhappy things anymore. My dear, what I told you before the wedding still stands. I said that if our boy woke up and you wanted to leave, we'd let you go. After all, you only have a marriage contract. You haven't even had your marriage certificate photo taken. Staying here really has been unfair to you," Song Yongjun said with a sigh.
"Uncle, Aunt Shan, I've thought it through. I'm not leaving. I'll stay with you from now on. With Brother Song in this condition, I can't leave either. I'll take good care of you all," Shen Moxi said, smiling and shaking her head.
The couple were stunned for quite a while by Shen Moxi's words before they reacted, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
"All right, Moxi, just make yourself at home. Your uncle and I won't treat you poorly. If that brat ever dares upset you, I'll have your uncle break his legs," Huang Yushan said with a smile, wiping her tears.
"Let's go make lunch and let the two of them spend a little more time alone. It's noon, and they've only just woken up. They must both be hungry." Song Yongjun wiped his reddened eyes too, patted Huang Yushan's shoulder, and opened the door to leave.
"Right, look at me, so happy I forgot the most important thing. My dear, you two rest here. I'll cook something nourishing for you." Huang Yushan turned back and patted Song Qi's hand. "Qi, have a good chat with Moxi. Mom will go make you two something nice."
Song Qi nodded. "Thank you... Mom." He struggled to say that last word, yet a strange feeling spread within him.
"Yes, dear." Only when she heard him call her Mom did Huang Yushan feel that her son had truly woken up. She would not have to bury her own child in her old age.
Shen Moxi also smiled and nodded. "Thank you both for the trouble."
Shen Moxi did not try to be so industrious as to offer to help, since this body was still a little weak. Besides, she had only just arrived in this place, so she would stay out of the way.
"It's no trouble at all. You haven't fully recovered either, my dear. Get some rest. Once the food's ready, I'll bring it in for you."
After the couple left, Shen Moxi finally went over and sat beside the kang.
"Could you tell me about this continent?" Song Qi asked Shen Moxi with a smile.
"Sure." Shen Moxi nodded. "Hmm, I'll just tell you about the current era. I won't get into what came before or what comes after. China has five thousand years of history. If I really started talking about it, there'd be far too much."
"Sure, just tell me about the current period so I can get an understanding of it and be prepared once I recover," Song Qi said with a cough.
"Well, the year we're in right now is 1980, the very beginning of what we call the eighties. Reform and opening-up only began recently, so things are still relatively poor and backward, nowhere near as developed as the later era I came from."
"On this continent, people used kerosene lamps or candles for lighting in the past too. But now, after the reforms, Western technology has been introduced, and people use electric lights, like this bulb overhead."
After saying that, Shen Moxi pulled the cord beside Song Qi's pillow. With a click, the bulb overhead lit up. It was not particularly bright, but it would do. After all, light bulbs in this era had very low wattage and gave off a yellow light.
Song Qi looked at the light bulb with curiosity. "This thing you call a light bulb isn't very bright. It's not as bright as the night pearls where we come from, but it is convenient."
"The light bulbs used in this era have very low wattage. Just wait another ten-odd years. The bulbs then will be especially bright, and every household will be able to install plenty of them. There'll be all kinds of light bulbs, making the night as bright as day." Shen Moxi looked at Song Qi after she finished. "I've only seen those night pearls you mentioned on television. I don't even know what a real one looks like. We don't have night pearls on this continent."
Song Qi looked at her and thought for a while, then held out his hand. A night pearl appeared before them.
"Here, take a look. This is a night pearl. Where we come from, these are only used for lighting, but they aren't that easy to find, and ordinary families can't afford them. Families that use night pearls are either extremely wealthy or powerful and influential. Then there are immortal cultivators like us."