Seeing that I had no intention of giving in, Baozi suddenly clutched her stomach and lay back on the sofa groaning. Although I knew she was probably faking it, I couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?" There was nothing I could do; Baozi was like the boy who cried wolf—even if she cried "wolf" a thousand times, I'd still believe her. It's like being prepared for the worst, because she was the one herding the sheep!
Baozi leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes, and hummed, "I'm depressed..."
I waved my hand and said, "Stop messing around, my dear. I've only ever heard of postpartum depression, never prenatal depression!" Besides, this is the first time I've ever seen someone so depressed that they have stomach pains.
Baozi suddenly opened her eyes and said, "If you just take me there, I promise I won't have postpartum depression, okay?"
I'm utterly speechless. Steamed buns and the word "depression"... why is it so hard for me to connect them? This is called... uh, using a young king to command an old one!
Seeing that I wouldn't budge, Baozi finally snapped, "If I weren't completely lost, I would have gone by myself already."
I stamped my foot and said, "I'm scared of you. It's a deal, we'll only stay for two days."
Baozi jumped out of the sofa with a "ha!", grabbed his travel bag, and dashed out the door in two strides, saying smugly, "No matter how clever you are, you can't escape my grasp!"
I stared blankly for a long time, still unable to figure out the connection between the three things. I have to say that Baozi has been subtly influencing me—her way of thinking is probably the source of my inspiration for "dreaming of being a guest in a dream, mistaking Hangzhou for Bianzhou"?
Chapter 187 General Dispatch
I helped Baozi into the car, glanced at her, and said, "Can't we just not go?" It's a 10-hour drive from here to Qin Dynasty. Although it won't be too bumpy, pregnant women are still a very special group. Even when we run a few steps, the lighter in our pockets will fall out, let alone when we're carrying someone in our belly.
Baozi didn't even glance at me, and patted the car window, saying, "Let's go."
Frustrated, I had no choice but to drive, shift gears, accelerate, shift again, and accelerate again. I quickly reached top speed, but this time, that light feeling of approaching the top speed was slow to come. Fortunately, our neighborhood is big enough, so I drove around like a rabbit shot by an arrow for a few laps, but it still didn't work.
Baozi asked anxiously, "What happened?"
"I don't know... By the way, did this happen last time too?" I remember the first time I took Baozi to the Qin Dynasty, it took me a long time to get it working. That was also the first time this kind of sign appeared. Once this car is in the timeline, it can go anywhere, such as from the Song Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty, without any problem. But it seems to have a spirit. As long as it's not on a mission and goes out to play, especially when it leaves home, it will make excuses and delays.
Baozi said, "How about we try going on the highway again?"
I glared at her, slowed down, and looked up. On the balcony of the villa across from our house, two old men were playing chess. One was slurping brick tea from an enamel mug, spitting tea foam onto the ground; the other was leisurely savoring a coffee from a gold-rimmed cup. Although there were few people around, they were dressed impeccably. It was Liu and He, those two old charlatans.
I stopped the car, stuck my head out the window, and shouted, "Hey!"
Both of them bowed their heads. He Tiandou waved elegantly at me but didn't speak; a gentleman must always maintain good manners, and this distance was clearly unsuitable for conversation unless you shouted. Liu Laoliu, however, knew I wouldn't be so bored as to greet him for no reason, so he rested his neck on the balcony railing and called out, "What is it?"
I shouted, "The car can't move!"
"Why did you come to me with this? Check if the carburetor is dirty yourself. I'm not a mechanic, how about I help you figure out what's wrong?"
I said, "Stop talking nonsense, we can't get into the timeline."
Liu Laoliu and He Tiandou exchanged a glance and hurriedly ran downstairs. Liu Laoliu was one step ahead and leaned out the window to ask me, "What happened?"
Baozi and Liu Laoliu nodded to each other. I said, "I'd like to take her to visit the Qin Dynasty."
Old Liu poked his head in and checked all the gauges; it turned out he really knew how to repair cars. As he looked, he asked, "Are the driving procedures correct?"
I said, "Of course, I've driven it for over 100,000 kilometers. Even if I can't read traffic lights, I can't be wrong."
Liu Laoliu looked back at He Tiandou, and the two whispered to each other. Liu Laoliu said to me with certainty, "This has to be considered a good thing!"
"how?"
Liu Laoliu said, "The fact that we can't enter the timeline means that the Heavenly Dao is slowly returning to calm."
I said, "How do you know?"
He Tiandou interjected, "The Wind Travel Technique we added to this car is actually based on the principles of the Heavenly Dao. You know, the Heavenly Dao monitors both the human and mortal realms not to cause trouble for anyone, but to ensure peace in both realms. So whenever something happens in the human realm, it also fluctuates. The Wind Travel Technique uses this fluctuation to push you along the timeline. In other words, your ability to travel through dynasties is because we and the Heavenly Dao are helping you. Now that the Heavenly Dao is gradually returning to calm, it's like your car battery has run out of power. Do you understand?"
I said to Baozi with a smug look on my face, "We can't go."
Baozi's face turned pale, and he asked anxiously, "What about the future? Will we never be able to get in again?" I turned to look at Liu Laoliu. Actually, I was also very concerned about this question. If the answer was yes, it was definitely not good news. In that case, if my clients' phones ran out of battery, it would mean we would lose contact forever, and Xiang Yu would probably only be able to settle in Northern Wei.
Liu Laoliu thought for a moment and said, "If the Heavenly Dao returns to complete calm, forcibly using the Wind Travel Technique will disturb it again. No one can stir up this hornet's nest."
Baozi feigned weakness and said, "I'm fucking depressed—what am I going to do?"
I tugged at Liu Laoliu and said, "Think of a way." Then I pointed to the steamed bun and said, "I can't afford to stir up this hornet's nest."
Liu Laoliu said, "The only way now is for me to open a military road for you to cross over, but you must return before the Heavenly Dao calms down, otherwise you will be stuck in the Qin Dynasty forever."
...Staying in the Qin Dynasty forever seems like too high a price to pay. You know, traveling and settling down are two different things. I also want my son to learn computers.
Baozi ignored everything and said, "Let's go first and talk about it later!"
Liu Laoliu said, "Then go ahead. I'll keep an eye on the movements of the Heavenly Dao and let you know when the time comes."
I said helplessly, "Then you can start driving."
Liu Laoliu and He Tiandou whispered a few words to each other and then said to me, "Then we'll go in first, and you can walk by yourself in a bit."
I thought for a moment and said, "If you drive it to the Han Dynasty and then back to the Qin Dynasty, we'll have to pick up Liu Bang." Liu Bang had no experience in military strategy, and I was worried something might happen to him.
Liu Laoliu said, "You can use your car again after 200 years. Go on your own." This is roughly equivalent to going abroad. You need a passport to go from China to another country, but once you get to Washington, no one will bother you when you go to New York.
I laughed and said, "Little brat, you're so arrogant with your monopoly. By the way, you can just open a separate branch for the period from the Northern Wei to the Qin Dynasty. I'll let Xiang Yu and the others handle it themselves."
Liu Laoliu said with a gloomy face, "You're more powerful than us. We're just ticket checkers at best, but you're the chief dispatcher."
Baozi clapped his hands and said, "Let's go, let's go!"
I glared at her and said, "If the gate to the military is not open, where are you going?"
"What is the military strategy like?" Baozi was also walking the military strategy for the first time.
I said, "There's a cloud of black smoke at the entrance."