The Magical Backpack
While reading the book, it didn’t feel like much—after all, the male supporting character was just a stepping stone on the path to the protagonists’ love story. Since he was rarely at home and had little presence, it was easy to focus on the sweet moments between the male and female leads and ignore Lin Chuan, almost forgetting this seemingly insignificant character.
But now, having been saved by the male supporting character, her feelings had shifted.
She had actually been awake for over a minute, listening to Lin Chuan as he cooked porridge for her, and feeling touched as his parents prepared a room for her, intending to let her stay. Although she didn’t know how she had ended up in the book, the kindness she received at such a time brought her a sense of warmth.
Pretending to just wake up, she took in the condition of the house and was silently taken aback by their poverty.
The first thing she saw was a row of small framed windows. Some had glass, while others were covered with oiled paper, making a rustling noise in the wind. Below the windows were two red-lacquered cabinets, their paint mostly worn off, with only a few spots of red left. The cabinets had a split down the middle, but they were still in use.
On top of the cabinets sat a half-broken mirror, its frame damaged and precariously placed, ready to fall at the slightest touch. Beside it were two large enamel mugs, looking quite old.
The house appeared to be made of adobe bricks, with dirt walls that could easily crumble if touched. The kang was low, with her lying on one side and a pile of quilts on the other, which seemed to be only two or three layers thick.
The small quilt covering her was patched in multiple places, making her afraid to move lest she tear it. Thankfully, the kang was warm, bringing some comfort to her cold heart.
A woman in her forties sat across from her, her hands appearing older than her years as she gently touched Su Su’s forehead and asked tenderly, “Girl, what happened to you?” Su Su’s big, watery eyes looked around in confusion, as if she was about to cry.
Lin’s mother had never had a daughter, and seeing such a delicate and pitiable girl, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of compassion.
“Where am I?” Su Su asked, trying to stay calm. She knew she couldn’t go back, but her mind was blank, unsure of what to do next. She clutched the corner of the quilt, feeling lost.
At that moment, Lin Chuan, the man who had saved her, walked in. Perhaps out of a fledgling attachment, seeing him made her burst into tears. Crawling over to him, she grabbed his hand and asked, “Are you Lin Chuan?”
“Yes,” he replied.
Lin Chuan looked at the small hand gripping his and frowned slightly, but considering that the young woman was probably in shock, he remained silent.
Oh no, it really was a time-travel situation. After confirming this once again, Su Su sat weakly on the kang, wishing she could leap back into the mountains and return home.
However, Lin Chuan walked over to the large backpack and said, “My name is Lin Chuan. I serve in the XX Provincial Military District. I opened your backpack to confirm your identity. Is that okay?”
Su Su, now wrapped in a quilt by Lin’s mother and feeling somewhat comforted, nodded. But then she remembered that her ID and other items were from many years in the future. Could this really be okay?
Startled, she glanced at Lin Chuan and saw him holding a file folder with her name on it.
The handwriting was indeed hers, but she distinctly remembered using a very elegant bag for her belongings. How did it become a file folder?
Lin Chuan unfolded a piece of paper and read aloud, “Su Su, eighteen years old, graduated from XX Provincial Normal University, just graduated this year?”
The age was wrong, but the graduation school seemed about right. She nodded slightly, not daring to say much.
Lin Chuan then opened an introduction letter and said, “The organization has arranged for you to come to our village to teach literacy for a year, correct?”
What?
“Can I see that?” Su Su hadn’t participated in any literacy program, let alone come to a village to teach.
However, when she took the letter, it indeed was an introduction letter explaining her identity and everything about her in detail. How was this possible? Not only had she travelled through time, but she also came with an identity? Such a miraculous thing?
While she was thinking, Lin Chuan pulled out an orphan certificate, a grain book, a household registration book, an ID certificate, and even an income certificate. Everything was so complete.
In short, she wasn’t an undocumented person here.
“Oh my, a college student. We don’t have any college students in our village,” Lin’s mother said, looking at the girl with growing fondness. However, she noticed for the first time that the girl’s hair had curls. When she had been lying down, it wasn’t apparent, but now she saw the long hair with curly ends, looking both stylish and beautiful.
After muddling through Lin Chuan’s questioning, Su Su was designated as a female college student sent to the village for a literacy program. She had excellent academic performance, knew a foreign language, and had experience as a translator.
“It’s late today, so rest here tonight. Tomorrow, you can go to the village to report,” Lin Chuan said, putting everything back into the file folder. He thought this girl was incredibly impressive. At such a young age, she had achieved so much academically and professionally, certainly a result of great effort, especially since she was an orphan.
As an orphan, Su Su could only reluctantly accept this identity. Otherwise, she might indeed be taken away for questioning by the male supporting character. Lightly touching her head, she sighed inwardly… what a headache…
“Ah!”
Her head hurt a little at the back. She reached out and found some blood there.
Lin’s mother quickly stood up from the kang and walked behind her. She removed the hat Su Su was wearing, parted her hair, and exclaimed, “That’s a big bump. No wonder you were so dazed. Did you hit your head?”
No, she wasn’t dazed. This must be the excuse for her time travel?
“Dear, do you remember how you fell off the mountain? Do you remember anything?” Lin’s mother asked, moving to face her.
“I remember, I think?” Su Su replied uncertainly.
“Do you remember what kind of vehicle you fell from?” Lin Chuan asked. He recalled she had mentioned a bus earlier, but their village didn’t have bus service, nor did the surrounding villages.
Su Su quickly remembered that in the book, this small mountain village was very poor and had no bus service. The bus service would only start after the heroine got into college. Normally, villagers used donkey carts or horse-drawn carriages, as ox carts were too slow and would leave people freezing on the way out.
“It seemed like a horse-drawn carriage,” she answered instinctively.
“Alright, wife, stop asking her questions. Let her eat something and rest. We’ll talk to Donghe tomorrow and see what to do,” Lin’s father concluded, setting the matter for now.
Lin Chuan then placed a small table and served her a bowl of porridge.
Su Su was indeed hungry, so she and Lin Chuan shared a bowl of porridge. Then, she was directed to a small room at the back to rest. The small kang inside was just big enough for two people, but it was well-heated.
“Thank you,” she said politely, still a bit dazed, to Lin Chuan.
He merely nodded and left, but soon returned with her large backpack, saying, “If your head bothers you, just call out.”
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