Hanoi, the 3rd day of the 6th lunar month in the Year of Quy Ty, 2013, or July 10, 2013.
Today, he was going out for a drink with a new female friend. He had eagerly awaited this day, hoping to escape his 23 years of being alone. But little did he know, this day would be the one where his life took a 180-degree turn... No, wait, 18,000 degrees would be more accurate...
— Where am I?
His head throbbed as if struck by a hammer, and his vision flickered between light and dark. His hands were clutching something soft; though he couldn't feel much, his instinct, honed over 23 years of solitary survival, screamed at him not to let go of it. He struggled to open his large, round eyes, as black as two longan seeds. What met his eyes was a captivating expanse of pinkish-white, along with a strange sensation from his own body – he couldn't pinpoint what was different, yet it felt both familiar and utterly alien. Suddenly, a clear voice spoke up:
— Vũ nhi, be a good boy, Mother will nurse you now, don't cry anymore, Mother loves you...
That voice, so sweet, how it evoked the maternal love he had lost 15 years ago. He wanted to cry, truly cry, remembering his deceased mother.
— Wait a minute. Nurse???
His mind exploded. He raised his tiny hand to his line of sight – a truly white and pink hand. He looked around. "What the hell is this place?" Looking up, a face of breathtaking beauty, seemingly smiling but bearing signs of weariness and hardship, met his gaze.
— This isn't my mother, why is this happening? Why are my limbs so shrunken? Why isn't my whole body responding to my will? And who's standing next to her? Why does he have a flickering fireball dancing in his hand...?
Innumerable questions flooded his mind, causing a sudden headache and making him burst into tears once more...
— Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!
******
Two days later, he lay quietly on a simple bed, trying to piece together everything that had happened.
He was Cao Thiên Vũ, twenty-three years old, living in downtown Hanoi. His family circumstances were tragic: he lost his mother when he was young, and his father suffered from chronic illness, making their family life extremely difficult. This had instilled in him the virtues of self-reliance and resilience from a young age.
He had arranged to meet a girl for coffee and was struck by lightning, transmigrating and reincarnating into a two-month-old baby boy. The cause of this event was an encounter with a mysterious old woman...
On that fateful day:
He went to school in the morning, worked part-time in the afternoon, and bathed in the evening. He borrowed a white shirt from a friend and a pair of trousers from his father, dressed up smartly, and leisurely stepped out of the house with his father's parting words: "Go for it, son. You're 23 and still don't know how to flirt. Am I supposed to follow you around and teach you a crash course in wooing girls?" His father was ill, but very resilient, and his own character was largely influenced by him.
Thinking of this, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as if in a smile, but his eyes were filled with sorrow and worry, on the verge of tears. If that 'mother' saw his expression right now, she would surely call an exorcist to perform a ritual for her child on the spot, because this was absolutely not the face of a two-month-old baby.
After leaving the house, riding his inherited Cub motorcycle, he rode for a while before encountering an old woman sitting by the roadside. She was very thin, sitting on an old cardboard box, her face gaunt, wrinkles weighing down her brows, yet unable to conceal her jet-black eyes, eyes that shone with an unusual brightness. Those eyes seemed to have seen through the human condition, the joys and sorrows of this life.
He only glanced at her, but his heart ached. Perhaps it was his own dog-shit fate that stirred his empathy. He turned his bike around and handed her a 50,000 dong note.
"Here, Grandma, please take this to buy some food. I'm sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so please go on your way..."
The old woman was surprised. She looked up at him and replied:
"Aiyoh... This old woman thanks you so much. You truly have a generous heart. I know a little about fortune-telling; could you let me see your left hand for a moment? I'll read your fortune as a way to repay your kindness."
He was no less surprised by this unexpected offer, but looking into those deep, hollow eyes, he found it awkward to refuse and extended his left hand.
The old woman reached out her thin, somewhat dirty hands, took his left hand, and pulled it towards herself. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she seemed very pleased that he hadn't flinched away from her dirty, bony hands. With her other hand, she slowly took two chipped copper coins and placed them into his left palm. Once the coins settled in his palm, she gently flicked the left coin so it rested on top of the right one. He watched, utterly curious. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she continued:
"My boy, your fate is a difficult one. The burden on your shoulders is greater than anyone else's in both realms. I have a piece of advice for you. Remember this well: never chase 'heaven'..."
The old woman smiled and closed her eyes. This time, he was truly scared. Could he have run into a madwoman? He quickly mumbled a thank you and hurried to his motorbike. Those bright yet profound eyes slowly opened, watching him ride away until he was out of sight.
As he rode along, the old woman's words had long since vanished from his mind. His right hand twisted the throttle, his left hand occasionally touched his pocket, while his mind continuously performed some simple calculations: "100 – 50 = 50,000 dong. If I just drink plain water, it'll probably only be 10,000 dong. I hope she doesn't order anything over 30,000 dong."
The rain poured down... After a short distance, the sky opened up with heavy rain. He sped up to 40 km/h, as he was almost at the cafe. Suddenly, a flash of blue light flared in front of him, accompanied by a deafening, ear-splitting explosion. Perhaps he only felt both of those things for about 0.0000001 seconds, because that lightning bolt struck directly into the head of the unfortunate young man named Cao Thien Vu. And that was his last memory before seeing that mesmerizing pinkish-white expanse...
Waaah, waaah, waaah... A child's body is truly troublesome. When hungry, it only knows how to cry for "Mommy"...
From the doorway, the mysterious young man appeared again. This time, in his hand was a tiny ice cube, like a longan fruit, floating in mid-air...