NOVPUBIn the following days, Xu Qingfan and the others visited the Forbidden City Museum, strolled the Badaling Great Wall, and explored the Shichahai Ancient Temple. They left their footprints at every famous historic site in Yanjing.
On January 14, after having lunch, the group of five drove to their final destination, Tiananmen Square.
"Ten seconds, ten seconds, strike a pose!" Xu Qingfan hurried back to the group after setting the timer on the camera.
The five of them stood in front of the majestic city gate that bore the sign "Long Live the Motherland, Long Live the People of the World," with Zhong Wenqing and Guan Biyue standing behind the three youngsters, Xu Qingfan squeezed between Wu Lingyu and Xia Xiaoxiao.
"Why aren’t you taking it yet?" Just as Xia Xiaoxiao spoke, the camera’s flash went off.
"There, it’s taken now," Xu Qingfan jogged back to retrieve the camera.
After rejoining the group, everyone huddled together to view the group photo they had just taken. "Not bad at all, Xiaoxiao, you look so cute with your mouth open," Guan Biyue said with a laugh, her head tucked into her scarf.
"All right, now that the photos are taken, let’s leave. I’ll drive you all to the airport," Zhong Wenqing said, rubbing the tops of their heads with a tone of reluctance.
"Mm."
The group cast one last glance at the grand and magnificent Tiananmen City Tower, reluctantly returning to the car.
Partings are always touched with a bit of sadness, making the atmosphere in the car rather subdued.
As the car once again passed the gate of Yanshi University, Zhong Wenqing joked, "Remember? On the day of our college graduation, I also drove you to the airport."
"I remember, you asked me then if we would see each other again, and I said we would. I didn’t expect it would be three years later," Guan Biyue recalled fondly, squinting her eyes.
"Enough now, dwelling on the past is like searching for a sword lost in the river of time; we need to stay grounded and focus on the future," Xu Qingfan interrupted the nostalgia.
"Pfft, wise beyond your years," Guan Biyue couldn’t help but laugh and gave Xu Qingfan a friendly tap on the head.
Zhong Wenqing also laughed before saying, "Everyone got everything, right? Don’t call me from Li City saying you need to come back to the hotel for your things, especially you, the one who even had their diploma mailed back because they forgot it."
"I think I’ve got everything, I checked," Guan Biyue, suddenly nervous from the remark, opened her bag and started checking her belongings.
"That was an accident!" She insisted defensively, once she confirmed nothing was left behind.
"Sure, sure!"
The car soon arrived at Nanyuan Airport. After getting out, Zhong Wenqing gave each of them a lingering hug.
Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu both had tears rimming their eyes, a look of reluctance on their faces. Knowing they would meet again after the New Year, Xu Qingfan felt less affected.
Zhong Wenqing walked them all the way to the security checkpoint. As they parted, Xu Qingfan turned back and shouted, "Sister Qingqing, remember to come to Li City after the New Year. We’ll stay grounded and go big!"
"Got it, see you after the New Year!"
"Bye, Sister Qingqing!"
Zhong Wenqing stood still, watching them disappear from sight, twirling her car keys before turning to leave.
After checking in their luggage, the group quickly boarded the plane following the signs.
The return tickets were still economy class, but having a ticket home during the Spring Festival travel season was fortunate enough—not to mention they were free.
Having flown before, this time Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu lacked the initial excitement, except for the endless sea of clouds outside the window, which was still quite captivating. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Why can’t we see clouds from the ground, but we can from an airplane?" Today in Yanjing, it was very overcast, but once the plane crossed the stratosphere, the sky cleared up beautifully, making Xia Xiaoxiao wonder at the sudden change in view.
Xu Qingfan recalled his high school physics, explaining, "It might be an issue with light reflection. The thick layer of clouds absorbs the light, making it look gloomy. Actually, there are always clouds, but you can’t see them from the ground."
"Xiaofan isn’t completely right, you know. Our sky is divided into layers just like a building. Usually, we see the troposphere, but when flying, the plane crosses the troposphere into the stratosphere. It’s like finding something on the third floor that you couldn’t find on the second!" Guan Biyue, a student of the humanities, vividly explained the geography knowledge to the group.
"Oh," Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu nodded, half understanding.
The plane took off at two in the afternoon and arrived on time at Hong Kong Baiyun Airport around five.
The various plane crash scenarios Xu Qingfan had imagined during the flight did not occur, and the journey was smooth without even minor turbulence. His bedtime fantasies of surviving a plane crash and unlocking an unbeatable system on a deserted island had to be postponed until later dreams.
Carrying their luggage, they exited the terminal and were greeted by a street filled with people in shorts and T-shirts. Xu Qingfan exclaimed, "Is this for real?!"
The onset of winter in Hong Kong was always mysterious. Perhaps it was still over thirty degrees the day before, requiring the air conditioner for a comfortable sleep. Then, waking up chilled, you’d first think the AC was set too low, only to find out after getting up that a cold spell had hit.
Then you’d rummage through your clothes, find the wrinkled, mothball-smelling winter clothes from last year, wear them for a few days, and realize it was just a false alarm as the temperature climbed back up.
"Just make do with what you’re wearing for now, the car has air conditioning," Guan Biyue said resignedly, hanging her sweater on her wrist.
