In the spring of 1945, at the port dock, a ship dropped anchor and set sail under the moonlight.
The crowd of people seeing him off on the shore blurred into a mass. In the cabin on the second floor, Shen Ruozhen took off his suit jacket and relaxed to the sound of the whistle.
The war was merciless. My mother and sister had already been sent overseas for refuge, and many relatives were properly settled thanks to the Shen family. Last autumn, my father died of an acute illness. The funeral was simple, and the old housekeeper escorted the body back to Ningbo for burial.
The once illustrious Shen Mansion was deserted, and Shen Ruozhen claimed to be returning to his hometown to mourn for his father, but in fact he was transferring to a safe place. He had made the choice when he took over the position of president because he was both loyal and filial.
The room was stuffy. Shen Ruozhen unbuttoned a button of his white shirt, laid the suitcase flat at the end of the bed and opened it. The small suitcase was half empty, and inside it were a toiletry bag, two suits, and a box of gilded crystal wax seals, which were the official seals of the bank president.
Shen Ruozhen pulled out the interlayer, revealing several unpublished anti-Japanese coins. Under his supervision, a batch of them had been secretly manufactured and successfully shipped a month ago, and he kept them as souvenirs.
There was also a newspaper under the anti-currency movement. In the middle of the page, a prominent article was published: "Notice to the People - Fuhua Bank Closure Notice."
Written by Shen Ruozhen himself, a few words cannot express all the painstaking efforts behind it. After reading it again, I still have a myriad of emotions that are difficult to express.
He lay flat on the narrow bed, the back of his hand resting on his forehead. The agate ring between his index finger was hard in texture, like a syringe injecting a sedative into his skin.
Shen Ruozhen was extremely tired and fell into a deep sleep.
After a long time, the ship began to shake violently, and the small table in the room slid on the floor and hit the wall with a "bang".
Shen Ruozhen woke up and looked through the small porthole. The sky was gloomy. A flash of lightning flashed across the dark sky and waves were rolling on the sea.
People kept passing by in the corridor, and the noise grew louder with the turbulence.
Shen Ruozhen put on his clothes and went out, and was shocked to find that the weather was terribly bad. The sea breeze was howling, and dark clouds were almost hanging over the sea.
Soon, all the crew members who were on shift came out, and it was obvious that the situation was dangerous.
The deck was crowded with uneasy passengers, thunder roared, heavy rain came in, and in the chaos, a huge wave swept in, and people fled back to the cabin in panic, their unbalanced and fallen bodies like curled up shrimps.
Suddenly, a loud thunder came down, breaking the dark sky, and the mast of the ship was split apart!
In an instant, countless people were crying and wailing in fear. Some crew members gave up and collapsed.
The freezing sea water kept hitting the deck, and the waves were like raging dragons, swallowing up the damaged hull in big mouthfuls.
There are screams, cries for help, and cries all around, but what awaits you are convulsions, casualties, and helplessness.
Shen Ruozhen grabbed the railing, his hair flying, his whole body wet, and the salty sea water slid down his calm face.
He shook himself and smiled silently.
Thinking of his short life, he grew up in a wealthy family, shouldered high hopes, experienced happiness and sorrow, and did not expect to leave his name in history books, but unexpectedly ended up being buried at sea.
Fortunately, he has lived up to his country and family, but it is a pity that he could not wait for the wounds to heal.
A huge wave rose to the sky and fell vertically. With a "bang", a crack was instantly created on the deck.
Shen Ruozhen had a brief tinnitus, and the railing was slippery and he could not hold on to it. He loosened his hand and took out the pocket watch he had been wearing since childhood from his chest pocket. He rubbed the watch cover with his fingertips, which was engraved with the "卍" character symbolizing the compassion of Buddhism.
The moment the boat sank, the white shirt fluttered gently, and Shen Ruozhen was like a solitary blooming ephemeral cereus in the dark night, suddenly swallowed up by the world.
The sea water was too cold, and the chill enveloped my internal organs, and my breath was gradually drained away.
Shen Ruozhen's consciousness became chaotic until it was annihilated.
The floating feeling seemed to disappear.
Shen Ruozhen felt a sense of warmth and security. The harsh sound stopped and it became quiet. Later, he vaguely heard the sound of footsteps.
Did someone rescue him
The footsteps came closer and closer and stopped beside him, and Shen Ruozhen felt it becoming more and more real.
He is not dead, he is still alive.
Suddenly, he heard someone talking in a low voice, right next to him.
who is it…
Shen Ruozhen finally opened his eyes.
There were several circles of light flashing before his eyes. He was dazed for a moment, then his vision gradually became clear and his gaze focused - he saw a strange man.
He was so tall and handsome, and the other person was staring at him, with a cold expression mixed with undisguised surprise.
Xiang Mingzhang did not expect that just after he finished reading the elegy, the dying Chu Shichen woke up.
The pair of eyes stared at him steadily, the pupils were bright and clear as water, without any of the lethargy of being drunk or dying. After a long time, he blinked hesitantly, his long eyelashes fluttering, and when he looked at him again, his gaze became serious.
Shen Ruozhen didn't speak for a long time, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Who are you?"
Xiang Mingzhang regained his composure and his arrogance. He asked, "Don't you remember me?"
Shen Ruozhen was more defensive than suspicious and answered, "I don't know you."
Xiang Mingzhang didn't even bother to mock him with a sentence like "Noble people tend to forget things easily". Xiang Yue and five other people were all lying in the ward, and it was unknown how many more people were injured. He didn't have even a minute of patience to play Tai Chi with a idiot.
Xiang Mingzhang leaned forward slightly, and couldn't help but maliciously speculate about this Master Chu, and said: "Chu Shichen, it's useless to pretend to have lost memory after such a big accident."
Shen Ruozhen: "I—"
Without waiting for a denial, Xiang Mingzhang turned and left the treatment room.
There were a few more female relatives outside the room, they were here to accompany Mrs. Chu. Xiang Mingzhang didn't want to stay any longer, so before leaving he said, "Aunt, go in and take a look, he's awake."
Mrs. Chu was startled, and her weak body jumped up from the sofa and immediately rushed into the treatment room, followed by Chu Shihui and others.
Shen Ruozhen was startled by the sudden influx of people.
Mrs. Chu threw herself on the bed and looked at "Chu Shichen" carefully, she was so excited that she couldn't help herself: "Xiaochen, you finally woke up! Mom knew you were blessed with a good life!"
Shen Ruozhen was stunned, and then he noticed the strangeness of the surroundings - the appearance of the ward, the sophisticated instruments, the clothes of these strangers...
Mrs. Chu held his hand and asked, "Xiaochen, how do you feel? Are you cold? Is there any pain?"
Chu Shihui muttered on the other side: "It can't be a last gasp."
Mrs. Chu: "Oh, don't curse your brother!"
"Hey," Chu Shihui called, "Chu Shichen, are you okay?"
Mrs. Chu smiled gently: "What nonsense are you talking about."
Shen Ruozhen repeated for the second time: "You have the wrong person. My last name is not Chu."
"Okay, okay." Mrs. Chu said dotingly, "From now on, you can take mom's surname Yang. As long as you are safe and sound, everything is fine."
Shen Ruozhen pulled his hand away, suppressing the panic in his heart. He said almost solemnly: "Madam, I don't know you, and I am not your son."
Everyone hesitated for a moment and began to discuss quietly. Mrs. Chu was dumbfounded and her joy turned to worry. Li Zangqiu went to invite the doctor over, and everyone gathered around the bed waiting for the latest diagnosis results.
After the examination, the doctor tried to ask some routine questions, but the answers he got were either "I don't know" or "I don't remember."
Finally, the doctor asked in a sedative way: "You are not Chu Shichen, then what is your name?"
Shen Ruozhen was clear-headed, so he was very cautious. He didn't know which side or force these people, including the doctor, obeyed, and what risks he would face if he revealed his true identity.
Shen Ruozhen shook his head and chose to remain silent.
The doctor told the family: "It is very likely amnesia. As for the exact cause and extent of the injury, a detailed examination will be needed tomorrow."
Mrs. Chu didn't want to believe it: "Amnesia... Can people really lose their memory?"
The doctor said, "Well, there was a very similar case in our hospital in 2018, and the patient also remembered nothing after waking up."
Shen Ruozhen's heart moved, and he asked, "Excuse me, is it 1918?"
"Uh." The doctor was speechless and answered him seriously, "That was the 20th century. Now it's the 21st century."
Shen Ruozhen was stunned. He was so shocked that he couldn't make any expression. He couldn't even react to what the concept of "21st century" was.
How is this possible
He drowned and fell into a coma, and when he woke up he accidentally arrived in several decades later
It was so absurd, was it a dream? He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and yet all the people and objects around him seemed so real.
Beyond reality, it is so strange.
Shen Ruozhen habitually covered his forehead with the back of his hand and raised his hand to the air. The blue agate between his fingers flashed with a faint light. If it weren't for this ring, he would have doubted who he really was.
Seeing that he was weak, the doctor asked everyone to leave the treatment room and talked to the family members alone about some precautions.
Everyone had left. Shen Ruozhen half-sat on the bed. There were a few magazines and a City Evening News on the bedside table. He unfolded them and saw that they were filled with densely packed simplified Chinese characters.
He found the publication date with a glimmer of hope, and the numbers proved that the doctor was not lying.
Then… Shen Ruozhen eagerly turned to the military and current affairs pages, reading the news of the day without missing a single word. He saw some key words… leadership, policy, the more he read, the clearer they became, his eyes were fixed on this page and he couldn't move away.
The newspaper fell from his trembling fingers. Shen Ruozhen no longer cared whether he had lost his composure or not. He just sat there motionless, letting his emotions run wild.
The war is won, things change.
More than half a century really flew by between one person's life and death.
He was in a trance when Mrs. Chu quietly walked in. This night was too exhausting for her, and she had no energy to deal with anything else. She sent everyone away and just wanted to be alone with her son.
"Hurry up and lie down." Mrs. Chu helped Shen Ruozhen lie down, sat on the edge of the bed, and reached out to comb Shen Ruozhen's hair. "Oriental people look better with black hair, and you are white, so I will do as you wish."
Perhaps she was too tired, Mrs. Chu spoke so softly that Shen Ruozhen couldn't bear to interrupt her.
Mrs. Chu then confided in him, "You've been overseas for more than a year, but you didn't even call me. Every time you tried to contact me, you thought I was annoying. This time when I came back, you had a blast hanging out with your friends and didn't even go home. You're so heartless. Mom agreed to sell her shares, but you didn't even have a meal with me."
"The yacht exploded. I was so scared when I received the call. Maybe being a mother means living in fear and suffering for the rest of your life."
Mrs. Chu sniffed and sighed, "The doctor said there is a chance of recovery. I'm not worried. I'll be satisfied if you wake up. Now remember that I'm your mother, okay?"
Shen Ruozhen listened in silence, feeling sad. Did his mother, who was across the ocean, also miss him so much? But by now, his mother and sister were probably no longer alive.
Shen Ruozhen's eyes suddenly turned red and he clenched his teeth.
"I can't even remember how old you were the last time you were so well behaved." Mrs. Chu shed tears, "Your father is gone, and I only have you and Xiao Hui. If you don't make it tonight, how can I live?"
Shen Ruozhen was unable to utter a word. He was afraid of upsetting the mother. He knew that she would not believe his denial and would only be sad.
How could he explain his own existence? He was from 1945 and was a person from the last century. He had no way to prove it and was afraid that he would be regarded as a madman.
Mrs. Chu tucked in the quilt for him and said before leaving, "Xiaochen, go to sleep a little longer."
How could Shen Ruozhen sleep
The sun shone in from the window, it was daybreak, he dragged his sick body out of bed, stepped barefoot on the hard and solid floor, and walked to the window step by step.
Opening the window, you can see the scenery below the tall buildings. The long street in the distance is bustling with traffic, the buildings are densely packed like a forest, and the pedestrians have no trace of hardship from the old days.
Only the morning glow remains the same, the rest has truly changed.
The country has healed its wounds and is now upright and bright.
But what about home
Have the father who has not yet been worshipped and the mother and sister who have not been reunited with for a long time all disappeared in time
Who is he
Coming here out of nowhere, the past cannot be explained, the present is unknown, and where will the future go
What is he, Shen Ruozhen? !
Fortunately, God did not kill him and let him survive.
In order to survive, he needs to learn how to survive. To survive, he must first adapt to everything here. Before that, he must have a place to settle down.
Shen Ruozhen thought that he must look very similar to "Chu Shichen", and even their family relationships and experiences were extremely similar. Could his appearance in this ward, in the Chu family, be an arrangement by God
Perhaps, God was helping him and lending him a new identity.
Shen Ruozhen's heart began to beat rapidly, and he felt anxious and ashamed for such a bad decision.
He looked up at the sky, the dark clouds had dispersed and the moon was setting. He somehow reached his hand out of the window and caught a glimpse of the fresh breeze.
No, it's not borrowing, it's stealing.
(End of this chapter)