Chapter 123: First Watch (Revised)

Chapter 123: First Watch (Revised)

The scene before Fu Mingze completely overturned his materialistic worldview. He was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Shen Moer, hesitatingly asking, "Is this a mirage, or... have you learned magic?"

Shen Moer: "..."

She was momentarily speechless, then quickly shook her head. "No, this is an actual door. Behind this door is a room filled with gold, silver, and treasures."

She continued, "You must have been wondering all day where I got over ten thousand dollars and so much gold, right? It all came from the room behind this door. Not just gold and silver, but also rare fabrics, medicinal herbs, and wine... basically, anything you can think of is in there."

Fu Mingze thought of Shen Shaoyuan's seemingly endless supply of wine, and the occasional mysterious items that appeared at home, like the salted meat during the New Year, the faint ginseng flavor in the chicken soup during the autumn harvest, and the special pajamas made from fabric his wife had crafted herself...

All these previously overlooked details now served as evidence for the bizarre scene before him.

Fu Mingze frowned, deep in thought, and asked, "Did this appear after you passed out from hunger in the fields that time?"

Many people in Yangliu Brigade had noticed that both father and daughter had changed drastically after that incident. If it was because they had acquired such a house afterward... the drastic change in temperament seemed reasonable.

Shen Moer was silent for a few seconds, then said, "You could say so. Do you want to go in and take a look?"

Fu Mingze shook his head. "No, thanks."

He looked at Shen Moer. "Moer, no matter what's behind this door, it doesn't matter. I can understand why you kept this strange thing a secret. It's not something you should tell others, and I'll act like I don't know about it. You shouldn't tell anyone else in the future either."

He thought for a moment, then added, "In 1895, the British writer H.G. Wells wrote a novel called *The Time Machine*, you know. It's about a time traveler who creates a machine that can travel freely between the past and the future in the dimension of time. This writer wrote many similar science fiction works, even ones about interstellar wars."

"If time can be traveled freely, then space might also be possible. This door is probably something similar. This space might come from another dimension of time or another space dimension, and it just happened to form some kind of connection with you."

"You didn't dare tell anyone before, probably because you thought this thing appeared out of nowhere, and it seemed supernatural, easily linked to superstition. But in reality, it's likely just a supernatural phenomenon that our current level of knowledge can't yet explain."

Fu Mingze quickly used his extensive knowledge to provide a scientific and reasonable explanation for the situation, comforting Shen Moer. "This seems unbelievable, and of course, it is. But it can be explained by science. It's just that my current knowledge isn't sufficient yet, so you don't need to be afraid."

Shen Moer hadn't expected Fu Mingze to react like this.

Whether from the stories she had read or the environment she had lived in before, the saying "Men die for wealth, and birds die for food" had always been an unchanging truth.

But in her husband Fu Zhiqing's eyes, there wasn't the slightest hint of desire for the treasures. Instead, his first reaction was concern and fear.

In fact, there had been a moment earlier when she questioned their marriage.

Perhaps they had both been forced by circumstances, but they had pretended to be poor for their own purposes, deceiving each other, or even using each other... The years they had lived together were filled with lies and mistrust. Their marriage was like the moon reflected in water—a castle in the air.

Shen Moer felt somewhat irrationally that since your secret had been exposed,

my secret no longer needed to be hinted at indirectly. I'll lay everything out before you, and let's see together how this marriage, seemingly glamorous on the surface, is actually full of holes.

In fact, the moment she decided to reveal the treasure room to Fu Mingze, her entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

Her emotions at that moment were indescribable.

Chaos, confusion, and a sense of throwing caution to the wind.

But at the same time, she was acutely aware that she couldn't blame Fu Mingze. Both of them shared responsibility for this.

They had their considerations, their hesitations, their excuses... but in the end, it all came down to the fact that they didn't fully trust each other.

Perhaps it was this realization that had caused her emotions to spiral out of control.

But Fu Mingze's calm and logical words had somehow soothed her turbulent emotions.

The conflicting emotions—unease, fear, and loss—that had lingered in her heart since their sudden encounter... those emotions she couldn't even untangle herself, receded silently like the tide.

"Put this away first," Fu Mingze said, glancing back at the closed courtyard gate. Even though he believed science could explain this, it was still unnerving. If others saw it, it would likely cause untold trouble.

"Okay."

At Shen Moer's slightest thought, the door vanished.

Fu Mingze stared at the empty space in silence for a few seconds, murmuring, "Remember, don't tell anyone else."

He walked up to Shen Moer, took her hand, and said in a serious tone, "Moer, I didn't dare to say it when we got married. As time went on, I didn't know how to bring it up. But no matter what, it was my fault for hiding it from you all this time."

He then shifted his tone, "But I don't deserve to be condemned for it, right? We've been through so much together, building a deep emotional foundation. We also have little Liang Liang, who's still so young and needs both parents to care for her."

"I promise, I won't hide anything from you ever again."

*

Shen Moer asked Auntie Ai to help her find a few masons and carpenters to fix up the small courtyard. The kang in the house was also rebuilt, and she bought some furniture from a second-hand store. She managed to fix up the yard before school started.

The same masons and carpenters also repaired Liu Yingshuang's house. The two courtyards were separated by an alley, very close to each other.

After visiting Shen Moer's courtyard, Liu Yingshuang proudly declared to Shen Moer that she would never regret buying this house, as it would surely appreciate in value. This made Fu Mingze, standing nearby, glance at her repeatedly.

Fu Mingze had heard Liu Yingshuang talk about rebirth and past lives many years ago. As a staunch materialist, he had never believed in Liu Yingshuang's far-fetched stories. Even when her predictions occasionally proved accurate, he dismissed them as mere coincidences.

But Fu Zhiqing was no longer the same man he used to be.

Since seeing the door Shen Moer had made appear out of nowhere, even though Fu Mingze still firmly analyzed and explained it scientifically, his once unshakable materialist worldview had inevitably begun to crack.

At the very least, he had to admit that some things in this world were beyond his understanding.

Thus, he couldn't rule out the possibility that what Liu Yingshuang said might also be true.

Perhaps rebirth was just another form of time travel.

Unknowingly, Fu Mingze had stepped into a new world.

Oblivious to all this, Liu Yingshuang happily fixed up her own courtyard, planning to occasionally set up a small stall at the entrance to sell some trinkets.

Her furniture was also bought from a second-hand store, but since she wasn't well-off, she only bought a table and a few chairs.

She planned to add more items once her stall started earning.

After both courtyards were fixed up, they moved out of the guesthouse.

Liu Yingshuang had nothing in her place. Having died once before, she didn't care much about warming the stove, so she simply joined Shen Moer's housewarming feast, treating it as her own.

Besides the few of them, Fu Mingze was also at the housewarming feast.

Fu Mingze had been arriving at the guesthouse early every morning and leaving on the last bus at night, making even the carefree Liu Yingshuang feel embarrassed, as if she was intruding on the couple's time together by sharing a room with Shen Moer.

Even someone as oblivious as Liu Yingshuang could tell the couple seemed to be at odds.

Although they didn't argue, they rarely spoke to each other. Fu Mingze, already a devoted husband, had become even more so, constantly hovering around Shen Moer with a cautious and somewhat guilty demeanor.

Liu Yingshuang remembered her first impression of Fu Mingze as a cold, aloof figure, but now he was completely wrapped around his wife's finger.

But it wasn't surprising, given how beautiful and capable Director Shen was.

Since Shen Moer signed the order for woven rattan boxes at the Canton Fair and later spearheaded the establishment of the rattan weaving cooperative in Liuqiao Commune, giving Old Liu a proper job, Liu Yingshuang had become Shen Moer's "unconditional fan."

"Factory Manager, I have to give you the money for shipping the luggage. You helped me ship my luggage, and I can't let you cover the cost. Even though I, Liu Yingshuang, have thick skin, it's not *that* thick."

Liu Yingshuang's cheeks were flushed, and her speech was slightly slurred, clearly indicating she had had too much to drink.

Shen Moer, holding the little one who was staring wide-eyed at the dishes on the table, glanced at Zhou Pingan: "Switch her drink to water."

Liu Yingshuang's voice immediately rose: "Switch who, me? I'm not drunk, I want to have two more drinks, no, three more!"

Shen Moer: "...For Fu Mingze, he doesn’t handle alcohol well."

Liu Yingshuang slapped the table, pointing at Fu Mingze: "Fu Zhiqing, you're such a lightweight! Huh, why are you glaring at me? Oh, I get it, men can't be said to be no good, right?"

Fu Mingze: "..."

Others: "..."

Zhou Pingan took the opportunity to pour the wine from her cup into his own and filled hers with water from a nearby kettle.

Shen Shaoyuan took a sip of wine and sighed: "This girl really speaks her mind."

Liu Yingshuang, still hung up on the postage fee, fumbled around her pockets: "I have to give you the money, the shipping fees from Jiangbei County to the capital aren’t cheap."

Shen Moer: "..."

Not really.

After all, it was just a matter of using the treasure vault.

Seeing Liu Yingshuang pull out a handful of crumpled bills from her pocket, Shen Moer sighed and said, "No need for the shipping fees, you've moved to a new house, think of it as my gift to you."

Liu Yingshuang thought for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Factory Manager, who gives shipping fees as a housewarming gift? You should at least give me a quilt cover or a thermos, right?"

Shen Moer: "..."

If she weren’t enjoying her water-filled cup like it was wine, one might suspect she wasn’t drunk at all.

When the meal was almost over, Zhou Pingan offered to take Liu Yingshuang home. Shen Moer carried little Liang Liang back to the room to put her to sleep, while Shen Shaoyuan and Fu Mingze cleared the table and washed the dishes.

Shen Shaoyuan had long noticed the tension between his daughter and son-in-law, and over the past few days, he hadn’t seen his daughter mention going to her in-laws. However, he wasn’t one to meddle, always leaving marital matters to the couple themselves. So after soaking his feet, he shuffled off to his room to sleep.

When Fu Mingze was reheating water, Zhou Pingan returned, took off his hat and scarf, and sighed: "The capital is freezing, back home, I wouldn’t even need a scarf or hat in this weather."

From inside the room came Shen Moer's voice: "Yes, if it warms up, you might even sneak into the stream to eavesdrop again."

Zhou Pingan: "...Moer, let’s not talk about the good old days."

He hurried off to wash up and went back to his room.

Shen Moer carefully placed the sleeping child on the kang, turned around to see Fu Mingze coming in with a basin of water: "Soak your feet; it'll help you sleep better."

Shen Moer sat on the edge of the bed, took off her socks, and dipped her feet into the hot water, asking him: "Aren’t you heading home today?"

Fu Mingze glanced at her, didn’t say a word, and walked out.

After soaking her feet, Shen Moer slid on her slippers, dumped the water, and quickly stripped off her outer pants and got into bed.

Zhou Pingan was right, the capital was indeed much colder than Jiangbei County, but the northern kang was really warm.

Shen Moer reached over to feel little Liang Liang’s tiny hand; kids run hot, and her hand was toasty from sleeping on the kang.

With a soft click, the lights suddenly went out.

In the darkness, Shen Moer heard the door being bolted, followed by steady and light footsteps. Shen Moer turned around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark, and vaguely saw Fu Mingze's figure. He lifted the blanket and slipped in, bringing a slight chill with him.

Shen Moer instinctively scooted inward, but her body was caught by the man's arm.

His hand wasn’t as cold as she’d expected; instead, it was warm.

Fu Mingze hugged her and sighed, saying, "This is my home. Where else would I go?"

Shen Moer was stunned for a moment before realizing he was answering her earlier question.

She was about to speak when suddenly her waist tightened, and she was forcefully pulled into his embrace. In the darkness, he found her lips with precision and gently kissed them.

"Fu Ming, mmm..."

She mumbled in frustration, but he firmly pressed his lips to hers, deepening the kiss.

In the darkness, soft, breathy gasps gradually filled the air.

After what felt like forever, Fu Mingze released Shen Moer, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of her lips. His low, husky voice carried a wave of suppressed emotions: "Darling, I missed you."

Shen Moer didn’t respond, clenching her fist and lightly hitting him.

Fu Mingze caught her hand and whispered, "It’s been days. Are you still mad at me? Be good, let’s sleep. If you’re still upset, we’ll talk tomorrow."

But his arms showed no sign of letting go.

Shen Moer was torn between annoyance and amusement. Thinking about the early morning ahead, she drifted off to sleep amidst the familiar scent of the person beside her.

The next morning, Shen Moer woke up to find the bed empty. Not only was Fu Mingze gone, but even little Liang Liang was nowhere to be found.

Squinting at the clock, the position of the hour hand jolted her groggy mind awake.

It was nearly ten o’clock!

She hadn’t slept this late in ages!

Shen Moer threw on her clothes and rushed out of the room. She spotted Fu Mingze in a slightly worn cotton-padded jacket, playing with their daughter in the hall. Hearing her, both turned their heads, and when they saw her, their strikingly similar faces lit up with identical smiles.

"You're awake? Breakfast is still warm on the stove. Go wash up and eat."

Shen Moer, feeling a headache coming on, grabbed her toothbrush and basin to wash up, complaining, "Why didn't you wake me?"

"There’s nothing urgent. It’s good to catch a little extra sleep."

Shen Moer shot him a glare: "Aren't we supposed to report the day after tomorrow?"

Fu Mingze, playing with their daughter, casually replied, "Yeah, so we should take advantage of the chance to sleep in while we can."

Shen Moer glared at him: "Shouldn't we visit your family before reporting?"

Fu Mingze paused, turning to ask, "Today?"

Shen Moer ignored him and quickly finished washing up.

Fu Mingze, holding their daughter, cautiously approached her: "Are we going right away? Should I go home first to let them know?"

After a pause, he asked guiltily, "Should I go apologize to your dad first? He doesn’t know about what’s happening at my place yet!"