Chapter 17
Dave managed to organize for him and Peng a one-stop flight with the destination Sichuan and their goal location Kathmandu, which is in Nepal, where they're then closer to the Himalayas.
Dave sat with Peng together in the terminal waiting for the boarding call of the receptionist of their gate.
"I barely have had any sleep last night" Peng complained as he yawned out of tiredness while Dave sat next to the boy staring holes in the air and drinking a cup of hot coffee.
"I know how you feel" Dave agreed taking a sip from the drink. "But this flight at 6:15 was the shortest one we could get. And it wasn't cheap"
"Well, I'll be hopefully sleeping the whole flight,"
"If you don't, there are still movies or series airing during the flight to entertain you"
"Finally, the train rides were so boring. If I knew it would have been that boring I would have brought my portable console, my board games, card games, everything just to make the trip pass quicker"
"Just pray for good entertainment in the plane" Dave commented. "Otherwise stretch your legs and walk a few lines back and forth in the plane to keep your legs well"
"One thing I've got to admit Dave. I've never been so sick of sitting the whole time, than these last few days" Peng ranted earning a nod from the raven-haired man.
"Before we're called for boarding, why don't we go take a look at the plane, we're going to board in soon?" The adult questioned the boy, which looked at the door of the gate and on both side tall windows were. On the right side, the gate corridor blocked the sight to the plane and on the other side, there was a free space, where they had a great view of the field of the airport. Peng got up from the seat, then walked at the large window and looked out at the airfield to see a few small jets parked far in front of the ground of the airfield. Peng leaned his face against the window to look at the plane, that stood on his side. He could see a part of the gate attached to the front door of the airplane and from behind the gate on the plane up to the tail it had a long horizontal red line, which got wider and the tail of it was fully red and had the symbol of the company of their first destination. Over the line, the airline name was tagged on it, including its Chinese variant. Another boy near Peng's age approached the window to stare in awe at the sight of the plane he saw.
"Dad, dad, is that our plane?" The boy asked jumping up and down, then the father, which resembled an older version of the boy appeared and gazed at the airbus on the outside.
"Yeah, that's our plane," The father answered placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. Peng smiled and walked back at Dave, which had just finished his coffee and squashed the cup.
"Our airplane is really big" Peng mentioned earning a nod from Dave.
"Hmm must be your impression. For the people, that are standing here to board I don't think we'll need a big one"
"Well I thought it was a big one"
"Well from the outside most of them look the same, if you want me to be honest. If you want, I can show you which magazine, that you find in all seats have a list of airplanes of this company and we can from there figure out how tall ours is"
"Awesome"
"Ladies and Gentleman, Flight SA146 with the destination Chengdu is now open for boarding. Please hold your boarding cards and passports or ID's ready. Thank you"
"So keep your ID ready, I'll be taking out your boarding card," Dave said taking from the pocket of the back of his trousers two folded boarding cards, then handed the boy out one of the cards, which was tagged with Peng's name.
"You just have to pass the code over the scanner and hand your ID and the boarding pass to one of the staff members, which will control like the securities before your identity"
"Okay" The child responded walking together with the man to a line, that started to queue behind the gate, that had been opened and the two staff men, that stood behind the gate started to let the first passengers pass through the turnstile with the help of their boarding cards codes.
Jin and Yi were on the other side of the city together in a gas station passing by the shelf with various snack bags on it and other types of food, that can be stored dry.
"Hey what about these butter cookies with chocolate chips?" Jin asked looking at the package. "They sure sound delicious," Jin said looking to Yi, which had took out from the shelf a small bag with a variety of nuts in it.
"Hmm take two" Yi mentioned earning a nod from Jin, which took a second pack down and passed beside Yi to look on her side.
"I know this sounds a little weird, but I kind of enjoyed sleeping on your belly last night" Jin mentioned looking at Yi. "I thought that….you should know it. You did offer it to me after all,"
"It's alright Jin, it was my pleasure" Yi answered a little abashed from the boy's attention on her. "It also was very kind of you to sleep on the floor too, so that I wouldn't be there alone and you on the bed"
"I did so because I would feel a bit bad if I had to," Jin said passing his hand behind his neck. "I know you told me it didn't matter for you, but….I just couldn't"
"It's alright" Yi answered with a smile, which Jin copied but a little lovelier. Yi passed beside Jin walking to the drinking section, where various sizes and types of drinks were sorted in the refrigerators. Jin sank his head down a little disappointed at Yi having moved further, then Jin crossed the corridor back passing by the car utensils and looked at the scent trees for the cars and saw a light blue one entitled with Aftershave.
"There really is one for aftershave?" Jin questioned himself while chuckling. "I've seen it all"
Jin walked up to the pastry corner to a coffee machine, then picked out a middle-sized paper cup and placed it in on a dark red circle, which is the point, where he has to place his cup for the machine to be able to fill correctly. He pressed on the green button on the display and pressed on the milk coffee option to start the process.
Yi had picked up two large water bottles and placed them into the shopping basket and walked further to see Jin watch the cup being filled. Jin turned around while having his arms crossed, then he smiled at Yi, which smiled back at him, afterward, Jin turned around to take his cup away as it was finished.
Yi held her hand in front of her forehead sighing low.
"How is this possible after all this time?" Yi mumbled to herself, then a man with gray trousers and a similar shirt to Jin's passed by the girl walking to the coffee machine taking a large coffee cup and let the machine fill his cup too with coffee.
"Nice shirt" Jin complimented earning a smile from the man, then the boy walked towards Yi, then he gazed into the basket with the nutriments they had chosen to buy. "Do you want to let out a coffee or tea?" Jin offered Yi, who shook her head.
"I'm fine, thank you" Yi answered watching along with Jin the man taking the coffee out, then the receptionist of the gas station passed by the man and gave the man with the shirt a handshake.
"Hey Wang, I haven't seen you since last month, where have you been?" The staff asked the man.
"Vacation, but now I'm back in business and need to deliver a few cars down to Hotan" The man with the plaid shirt explained. "It will be only seven hours If I go before midday,"
"Great did you already have your lunch or do you want to buy here anything?"
"One salad would be not bad" The man answered. "I've managed to get the mini-fridge fixed in my truck"
"That's great, I'll show you some salads, that are new in our store," The man said walking to the refrigerators along with the trucker.
Yi went to the cashier, then waited for the man to get back. Jin appeared with a pack with baby wet tissues and put it into the basket, Yi was carrying and the girl furrowed her eyebrows confused about it.
"For what do you need them?" Yi asked.
"In case we get dirty and we don't have water to wash our hands" Jin answered.
"Oh, nice thinking Jin" Yi agreed placing the basket on a sill in front of then took the wet tissues pack out along with the cookies, followed by Jin placing his coffee on it, followed by the mixed nuts and the water bottles. "Oh thank you"
"No problem" Jin said watching Yi store the basket on the ground on top of a cart, that is specified to collect the shopping baskets. Jin looked around and spotted on the side three rows with different cloth bags with a zip on it and Jin picked the middle one and placed it on the desk in front of Yi.
"My mom uses them at shopping, when she walks from the store instead,"
"Yes for the water bottles they're better…..and hey maybe we could take a third water bottle….you know, just in case" Yi mentioned earning a nod from the raven-haired boy.
"I can get it, if you want to?" The boy offered the girl earning a nod from the girl, then he ran off to the refrigerator.
The trucker appeared standing behind the girl with only a large red water bottle and two small packs with pasta salad followed by the staff walk to the other side of the cash register. Yi noticed the man only had two articles and shoved hers to the side.
"Sir you can go first, I have to wait for my friend to bring something" Yi offered watching the man nod.
"Thanks, that was not necessary" The man thanked handing his bottle out to the man and the salad. "Oh, and I used gas pump 4" The man mentioned earning a nod from the man.
"That will be 1393,33 Yuan" The man asked and he handed out his bank card and introduced it into the card reader to pay. "You think one water bottle will be enough until you're in Hotan?"
"I've got another one, don't worry" The trucker commented, then Yi looked up at the TV screen above the cash register local and saw on the third corner of the surveillance camera a large flat nose truck standing with a car on top of the vehicle's roof. Yi watched over the window of the gas station to see the large trailer carrying a few cars, which gave Yi an idea.
"Have a nice trip" The staff wished, then started to scan the articles of Yi, while Yi collected them into the bag Jin handed her out moments before. Jin appeared with two water bottles and placed them on the counter and ran back again, leaving Yi questioningly back.
"Where are you going Jin?" Yi barked then saw Jin come back with three rolled-up blankets two red and the third one in yellow and he added them to Yi's list and added a second bag on it. "Why are you taking them?"
"I can take one of them free if I pay for the first two" Jin explained. "They're so fluffy"
"Alright, help me pack. I found us a ride to catch" Yi mentioned watching Jin help her.
"That will be 374,33 Yuan" The cashier announced, then Yi took out from her wallet, she had on the back of her pants and took out a few green bills and a red one and handed it out to the man, which afterward gave her a bill and a couple of coins as the exchange. "25.67 you get back, Have a lovely day"
"Thanks," Yi said letting everything fall into the pocket for the cash, then she placed it back taking the bags, then she ran off, followed by Jin.
"Hey wait!" Jin exclaimed, then got thrown on his arms one of the bags. "Where are you going?"
"You see that trailer with the many cars on it?" Yi asked looking along with Jin at the two-leveled trailer with various vehicles fastened on it. "That's our ride to Hotan"
"What?! Are you crazy?" Jin hissed at Yi's idea unpleased about the idea.
"We take the ladder there behind the entrance to the cabin" Yi pointed to the end of the trailer, that was attached to the truck, making Jin gulp. Yi reached along with the boy the ladder, then the put the bag over her shoulder and climbed the ladder up to the top, while Jin looked around for any witnesses, afterward he saw Yi on the top leaning with her back against the car moving to the back of it and hide in front of it. "Get up Jin" Yi ordered the boy, which swallowed hard and climbed up at Yi, then he threw the bag at Yi and Yi reached her hand to the boy to help him up and to hide behind the onyx-colored sedan.
"See, it wasn't that bad" Yi commented earning a nod from Jin, then she stepped on an open gap from the trailer nearly falling off the truck, but Jin pulled her back at him, which bumped into his chest. "Whoa!" Yi cried, but then sighed in relief as Jin helped her. "Thanks Jin" Yi thanked embracing him for short.
"I knew it was dangerous" The boy joked, then Yi placed her hand in front of his chest shoving him back shrieking the boy. "No, no, no, no, no!" Jin cried, then Yi grabbed him on the lapels of his shirt watching him in fright with his eyes closed, then he opened his left eye and groaned at Yi's deed. "Yi..."
"You didn't think I would do that, didn't you?"
"Sorry I panicked" Jin wailed watching the girl shake her head playfully.
"Okay, we've got here a good space to sit, the bad part is just this gap here"
"A metal board or a wood board to cover it would be helpful, but we don't have one" Jin mentioned sitting on the side of it while Yi sat vice versa to the friend. "My hair is starting to look like that time I ran all over the forest to look for you and Peng," Jin mentioned trying to adjust his hairstyle by looking at his reflection on the car bumper.
"Why don't you let your hair like it is and avoid using hair gel?" Yi asked the boy.
"I don't know, after joining school I had to keep my hair up and I started to use the gel again" Jin explained. "Why are you asking?"
"I had just remembered it" Yi answered. "You still look great in both ways thought" Yi commented making the boy smile.
"Out of the two styles, which do you like to see more on me? With gelled hair or natural?"
"Well it's funny to admit, but for me you turn out really handsome if you keep your hair like that"
"You mean without the gel?" Asked the Chinese boy earning a nod from the girl. "Thanks"
"Mostly I adore it, when your hair strands look over your eyebrow like this" Yi explained helping Jin with his hair putting it slightly over his eyebrow and Jin looked at the reflection again, then smiled angelically. Yi crossed her arms over her shoulders gazing at her childhood friend, then she felt the trailer shake a little as the trucker had turned on the engine of the truck.
"We're going to be what…..seven hours on this?" Jin asked watching Yi shrug her shoulders.
"That's what I heard before" Yi answered watching Jin take out one of the blankets and remove the band from it.
"I think it was a good idea from me to buy these. I think the ride is going to be a little windy for us" Jin said giving the girl the red-colored blanket, therefore he took one out for him and repeated the same task he did on the previous blanket.
"I hope I won't get sick from the ride. We don't really have the nicest view" Mentioned the Chinese girl, making Jin chuckle.
"Well I've got a nice view here at a pretty girl" Jin jested with a wink, making Yi smile bashfully and look away from the boy. Jin leaned back on the cooler of the car behind him to observe the truck leave carefully the gas station entering the road heading to the national highway.