Heart Flutter

Chapter 25

Tang Yan had a nightmare. She dreamed that the airplane she was on plummeted from the sky and landed her in the ocean. Since she could not swim, she ended up being swallowed by a giant shark.

“Yanyan, Yanyan, wake up.” A gentle hand nudged her back to consciousness.

Tang Yan blinked and saw Aunt Ji standing before her, speaking softly. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Tang Yan nodded. She reached down to unfasten the seat belt around her waist and stepped out of the front passenger seat. Ji Yuqing handed her a wet tissue and raised a hand to wipe her face and forehead. “Look at you, you are all sweaty.”

“I dreamed the plane fell from the sky,” Tang Yan mumbled.

Ji Yuqing, who was still wiping her face, could not help but laugh. “That would never happen. Come on, let’s go inside.”

During the National Day holiday, the airport lobby was more crowded than usual, bustling with people. This was about to be Tang Yan’s very first time on an airplane, and she felt both nervous and excited.

Their destination was a small coastal city in the south. After their flight arrived, they still needed to take a two-hour train ride. Aunt Ji mentioned that when she was younger, she had taken her very first solo trip there and wanted Tang Yan to see the place too.

Once they received their boarding passes and entered the lounge, they had about an hour before boarding. Since Aunt Ji had bought two business-class tickets, there was coffee and pastries available in the waiting area.

“Do you want something to drink?” Aunt Ji asked.

Tang Yan shook her head, indicating she did not need anything. She held her phone and searched online: “Does someone who gets carsick also get airsick?”

Some posts said yes, others said no—opinions varied. That only left Tang Yan more undecided. She felt so anxious that she kept shifting in her seat. Glancing at Aunt Ji, who sat across from her, Tang Yan noticed she was busy with a video meeting about work and had not even taken a sip of her coffee. Deciding not to disturb her, Tang Yan exited the web browser and started chatting with Xiao Yun to calm her nerves.

Tang Yan: Xiao Yun, I am a bit scared, and I am so nervous.

Zhao Xiaoyun replied right away: You have not boarded yet? I thought you were already on the plane.

Tang Yan: Not yet… I have not even boarded. What are you up to?

Zhao Xiaoyun: I had planned to go shopping with a coworker, but I got stood up. Now I am alone in my dorm, playing on my phone. You, on the other hand, are about to travel. Make sure you take plenty of nice photos for me.

Tang Yan: Xiao Yun, you flew before, right? Was it terrifying?

Zhao Xiaoyun: It was not too bad. Try not to think about it too much. The plane might feel a bit weightless when it goes up, and your ears might feel uncomfortable when it descends, but for most of the flight, it will be stable.

Tang Yan already knew a bit about Zhao Xiaoyun’s flying experience—it was full of twists and turns. She had told Tang Yan the story: back then, it was peak travel season around the Spring Festival, and train tickets were sold out. So Zhao Xiaoyun had no choice but to take the more expensive option of flying. She happened to catch a pickpocket in the act, and because she had helped, the grateful victim paid for her plane ticket. Every time she mentioned that story, she would say, “Good deeds get rewarded. Whether you are poor or rich, never forget to help others.”

After reading Xiaoyun’s comforting words, Tang Yan felt more at ease—she at least had a better idea of what to expect. Across from her, Aunt Ji was still busy working, and the coffee she had ordered was most likely cold by now.

Tang Yan, feeling a bit idle, propped her chin on one hand and used the lounge’s Wi-Fi to watch instructional videos on Taekwondo. She became so absorbed that she started mimicking the moves with her hands, unaware that at some point, Aunt Ji had finished up and put her laptop away. Aunt Ji rested her chin on her hand and watched Tang Yan with a bright smile in her eyes.

Only when Tang Yan became aware of the gaze did she freeze in place, completely flustered. “Aunt Ji…”

“I was wondering what you were doing over there, flailing around,” Aunt Ji said, laughing.

Mortified, Tang Yan showed her phone to Aunt Ji. “It is a basic Taekwondo tutorial.”

“If you really like it, we can sign you up for a class once we get back from vacation,” Aunt Ji suggested.

“No, no, no. That is not necessary, Aunt Ji,” Tang Yan insisted. “I joined the Taekwondo club at school, and that does not cost any money!” She emphasized the last part, as there was usually just a small fee for club activities—far cheaper than formal lessons.

Hearing that, Aunt Ji became curious. “Usually, girls join clubs for piano or dance. Why did you choose Taekwondo?”

“Because… I wanted to be stronger, to protect myself and to protect others,” Tang Yan answered earnestly.

Aunt Ji smiled and asked casually, “So you would protect me, too?”

Tang Yan blushed, scratching her head. “Of course I would.”

Perhaps Aunt Ji did not catch her reply. She continued with a laugh, “I was only teasing you. It is time to board now. Let’s go.”

Tang Yan was a step behind, pulling her suitcase along.

Once on the plane, Tang Yan struggled momentarily with the seat belt. It was different from a car seat belt, fastening around the waist. She finally located the latch after some searching. Seated next to her, Aunt Ji gave Tang Yan the window seat, saying the view of the clouds and sky was beautiful and worth seeing.

“Still scared?” Aunt Ji asked.

Tang Yan shook her head, trying to appear calm.

“You do not have to be afraid while I am here,” Aunt Ji said, patting Tang Yan’s shoulder gently to reassure her.

When the plane took off, Tang Yan could feel her body rising upward. She clutched the sides of her seat tightly and took deep, steadying breaths. Those moments dragged on, feeling so unbearably long—like an entire century had passed.

Suddenly, a hand reached over to cover her right hand, giving her fingers a firm, comforting squeeze. She heard Aunt Ji’s voice by her ear. “It will be over soon.”

With that reassurance, Tang Yan relaxed. Gradually, the plane leveled off, cruising steadily through the sky.

At some point, she realized that Aunt Ji had removed her hand from Tang Yan’s without Tang Yan even noticing. She looked out the window at the intensely blue sky, so different from the way it looked on the ground. The clouds drifted so close that it felt like she could reach out and touch them.

Tang Yan found herself completely spellbound by the scenery outside the window. She felt overwhelmed by the sight. In an instant, it struck her how small human beings really were—looking down, even the vast city below seemed like a mere drop in the ocean.

Click.

Startled by the sound, Tang Yan turned around. She realized Aunt Ji had just taken a photo of her with her phone. Reflexively, Tang Yan covered her face. “Aunt Ji, you took my picture without asking!”

Laughing, Aunt Ji opened the photo to show her. In it, Tang Yan’s face was turned slightly to the side, and even without a beauty filter, her skin looked flawless, with the faintest peach fuzz visible. On the other half of the frame were blue skies and fluffy clouds, making for a striking combination of subject and scenery.

Tang Yan actually thought the photo was quite nice and eagerly asked, “Could you send that to me? I want to use it as my profile picture.”

“Of course,” Aunt Ji replied. She took her phone back and fiddled with it for a while—so long that Tang Yan thought maybe her phone signal was poor.

“All set. Check your phone,” Aunt Ji said.

“Are we allowed to use our phones on the plane?” Tang Yan asked tentatively.

Smiling, Aunt Ji showed her own phone. “I am using mine, see? Just do not use it during takeoff and landing. You can use it in flight.”

Tang Yan nodded, turned on her phone, and changed her avatar to the new photo. Then, out of habit, she glanced at her Moments feed. She was surprised to see that Aunt Ji had just posted a status update. As usual, she had not included any text—just that same photo she had sent to Tang Yan.

Feeling unexpectedly honored to appear on Aunt Ji’s feed, Tang Yan blushed and gave the post a quiet like, hoping Aunt Ji would not notice.

Traveling by plane was so much faster than by train. In under two hours, they had traveled across a thousand miles. It was as if only one long lesson had passed at school, and they suddenly arrived in a completely different city.

By October, the weather was much cooler in Huadu, but here it still felt hot, as though summer lingered, unwilling to leave and seemingly fond of this region.

They took a car from the airport to the city’s main railway station, where they boarded a train. It happened to be one of those older green trains, passing vast fields of endless greenery.

Tang Yan and Aunt Ji sat facing each other, with a table between them. Partway through the ride, Aunt Ji’s phone started to ring with an incoming video call. Without hesitation, she hung up. The phone lay on the table.

A moment later, the caller tried again. Out of the corner of her eye, Tang Yan noticed the caller’s avatar—it appeared to be a man. Yet once again, Aunt Ji refused to answer and even switched her phone to silent, ignoring the persistent calls entirely.

“Um, Aunt Ji… what if it is something important?” Tang Yan asked quietly.

“Do not worry about it,” she replied. “He is just a client.” She paused, then changed the subject. “Look at that lovely view outside.” As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the window.

Tang Yan kept her attention on Aunt Ji. She no longer felt much interest in the scenery. She sensed that something weighed on Aunt Ji’s mind, but she did not know how to ask about it, and so she stayed silent.