She looked like it was her first time seeing the newest model of the flying car. Instead of making fun of her, the man kindly comforted her, "Don't be afraid. This is my dad's new car from last month. It is much safer than the earlier versions. You'll feel how comfortable it is once you get inside."
Seeing the two whispering by the car, the man smiled a little. He walked around them and prepared to start the car.
Fifi kept watching the man from the corner of her eye. After confirming he had gotten into the car, she tiptoed close to the little boy and quietly asked, "Do you know what date it is today?"
The boy turned his face in a hurry, his ears slightly red. No girl had ever been so close to him before.
"July 20th."
She smiled a little. The kid really had a thin skin, which was cute. "Which year of July 20th?"
The boy was stunned. It seemed to be the first time he met such a question. Seeing Fifi's rosy apple face looking at him with expectation, his confusion quickly disappeared. He hurried to answer, "The year 4014."
Fifi couldn't help cursing silently inside. Although she had prepared herself mentally, hearing that she had traveled two thousand years into the future by plane was still shocking.
What should she do? How could she survive in such an unfamiliar world? Feeling stunned, she obediently followed the boy into the flying car, her mind a mess.
Where were her family and friends? After two thousand years, probably nothing but dust remained. Besides, was this even Earth? Two thousand years ago, the population was booming and resources were scarce. Maybe humans had already moved to other planets.
"I'll help you fasten the seatbelt..." The boy's voice pulled Fifi back from her thoughts. She realized she was already sitting inside the car.
Since she knew it was two thousand years later, no matter how strange the things were, she could barely keep her calm. The car looked small outside but was surprisingly spacious inside. Three people sat in two rows, with plenty of room left.
The "seatbelt" was like a beam of light, no physical strap, just a light that stuck to the body. If she leaned forward too much, she could clearly feel a strong force pulling her back.
This was actually quite fun. Fifi forced herself to enjoy it and tried a few more times.
The boy giggled nearby. "It's interesting, right? I like doing this too."
She stopped awkwardly, thinking what the heck. She was a grown adult in her twenties but had the same childish interest as a seven or eight-year-old.
To distract herself from embarrassment, she made small talk. "By the way, I still don't know your name!"
"My name is Ashen." He said this while sneaking a glance at the man driving through the rearview mirror. Seeing his dad did not object, he excitedly added, "It comes from a very old phrase."
Fifi thought he was testing her and answered without hesitation, "Is it from 'one life, one world, one couple'?"
Ashen froze for a moment, then looked at her with a bit of grievance. "Yes..." He wanted to show off a little in front of this new girl. After all, few people had names coming from ancient Chinese three thousand years ago.
He regretted not just saying it directly and felt a bit embarrassed.
Fifi felt guilty for ruining his chance to show off. To make up, she asked, "My name is Fifi. Do you know which poem it comes from?"
At first, the boy was excited, but his expression became more tangled. His big eyes slowly dimmed. He tightly grabbed the hem of his clothes, feeling like he messed up badly.
Just when the atmosphere became awkward, the man driving suddenly interrupted, "Is it from 'Red face leaves the mirror, flowers leave the tree'?"
Fifi relaxed and nodded quickly. Otherwise, she would not know how to comfort the disappointed Ashen.
Ashen admired his dad and then turned back to Fifi proudly, "My dad is super smart. He knows a lot about old Chinese writings."
She nodded along, thinking Gu's dad must be a top expert on oracle bone script from two thousand years ago. Actually, even better than that. No cultural expert would casually name their child after oracle bone script sources or easily recall the origin of such an ancient phrase.
While Fifi talked with Ashen, she did not notice Ashen's dad watching her through the rearview mirror. His expression was mixed with sadness and joy. He whispered quietly, "The most beautiful things never stay, red face leaves the mirror, flowers leave the tree."
The car moved quickly but steadily, without any bumps. More strangely, though there were no windows, she could clearly see the scenery outside. It wasn't just the sides like in normal cars—it seemed the car was covered with a 360-degree transparent glass dome. From outside, it looked like a round metal shell.
After about twenty minutes, the car stopped.
Ashen quickly jumped out, ran around the car, and opened the door for Fifi like a little gentleman.
Of course, ignoring his small body and his hand only reaching halfway up the door no matter how hard he tried.
Fifi held back laughter and gracefully stepped down with one short leg first, then turned her body to get out.
Ashen quickly lowered his hand, his face turning a bit red. Luckily, he almost lost his balance.
He took a deep breath and walked over to hold Fifi's hand.
Ashen's dad had already opened the door and waited for them, his eyes full of love. From just a few steps away, he watched his son excitedly talking to the girl beside him. It reminded him of himself thirty years ago.
He had lost the girl who walked with him all those years. Now, he hoped Ashen would not repeat his mistakes. His gaze fell on Fifi. She looked like a pure noble family child, speaking with a northern accent. Well-educated, but without a trace of spoiled temper.
How could someone like her be left alone in the wild mountains?
He hid his doubts deep inside and smiled, letting Ashen take Fifi to his room to play.
The decoration and facilities in the house amazed Fifi. She was destined to be a country bumpkin. Meanwhile, Father Gu entered the study with a serious expression.
He tapped a few times on the desk, and an embedded electronic display screen appeared immediately.
He opened the contacts and chose to call Director Chen, the director of Yuezhou First Hospital.
A minute later, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white coat appeared on the screen.
"Hey, Jiakang, long time no see. How have you been lately?" Director Chen was a man with a gentle temperament. When he smiled, two small dimples showed faintly.
"Pretty good. How about you?" Father Gu replied.
"I guess you've been busy with important matters. You never come to gatherings. Poor me probably looks like a stranger now," Director Chen half-joked, half-complained.
"Maybe next time," Father Gu stayed calm. "I have an urgent matter today."
Director Chen snorted coldly. "Only now you think of me when there's an emergency? You really have the nerve." Joking aside, he asked seriously, "What's the urgent matter?"
"I need you to help me create a new identity for a child. A completely new household registration."
"Boy or girl?"
"Girl."
"Impossible!" Director Chen refused immediately without a second thought.
"Why not?" Father Gu remained unshaken, confident.
Seeing he was serious, Director Chen stopped joking.
"Jiakang, you know how hard it is to make a perfect identity in Huaxia. We need parents' ID, paternity tests, vaccination records for all ages, and so on. Honestly, if it were a boy, it would be doable. Given our friendship, it would just cost more money. But you said it's a girl. You do know the current president is Zhang Yuan, a hardliner on gender ratio issues. She's pushed the national male-to-female ratio from 12:1 to 15:1 in seven years. Every woman must be registered. There is even a department that checks the real status of women nationwide every year. With such tight controls, where am I supposed to get an identity for a little girl for you?"
Father Gu didn't react. He slowly said, "I remember you owe me a promise."
Director Chen's expression froze for a moment. Father Gu continued, "If you forgot, I don't mind reminding you when my younger brother's wife was pregnant."
"Alright, alright. I promised you, didn't I?" Director Chen quickly interrupted. Even though he was alone in the office, he nervously glanced around the room. "Didn't you say not to bring this up again?"
Father Gu felt relieved after getting the promise. He leisurely said, "If you agreed earlier, I wouldn't have to mention it."
"So it's still my fault?" Director Chen chuckled bitterly. "Since you want an identity, at least bring the little girl here for me to see."
Thinking of Fifi's striking appearance, Father Gu hesitated. "Is your hospital crowded at night?"
Director Chen couldn't help but roll his eyes at his good friend. "What kind of trouble have you gotten into that you can't even meet people?"