'SEE YOU MORNING' 035 Wilderness

After a romantic stroll through the snowy night and his return from Spokane, Li Haojun received a notice for a business trip to Las Vegas. Yet the lingering affection from the night before became a hesitation for his journey today.
Li Haojun glanced at Qin Wenjing's figure in the bedroom, as if reliving the moment he had just woken up, along with that faint sense of unfamiliarity. Ever since he got a new assistant, he had rarely gone on business trips with her to handle company work, leaving her alone at home time and again. This time they were heading to a big city, so he decided to take her along to spend some time together and make up for his past neglect.
As usual, Malaya would accompany him on business-focused trips, but bringing Qin Wenjing along this time made him wonder if the two women would feel awkward meeting each other. After hesitating for a while, he sent a message to Malaya.
"Hello. I plan to take Qin Wenjing with me on this trip to Las Vegas. I've left her alone at home far too many times, and I feel truly guilty about it." After typing these words, he struggled over how to add an apology for not having her company this time. No matter what he wrote or explained, it never felt adequate. Deep down, he actually wanted to see Malaya too.
After sending the message, Li Haojun thought that Malaya would likely stay away to avoid disturbing them, just as she sometimes arranged work remotely when he was with Kesiya.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Malaya's slender figure seemed to flicker before his eyes.
"Sigh," Li Haojun let out a long sigh. That young girl had endured the cold rain with him not long ago, and now he had to leave her behind. His heart was heavy with regret. It was truly a sweet dilemma to care for so many people.
Once he finished packing his luggage, Li Haojun checked the screen. Sure enough, Malaya had already booked two airline tickets and a hotel room, without leaving a single word.
"Thank you for your trouble," Li Haojun messaged her promptly.
"I'm sorry that I can't..." He deleted the unfinished sentence, realizing nothing he said would sound right.
Qin Wenjing, who had gotten up late and was filled with excitement that morning, was now sitting beside Li Haojun in the cruising aircraft. The last time they traveled together like this was nearly half a year ago. Bright sunlight streamed outside the cabin, and the two of them grew even closer.
"Have you ever been to Las Vegas before?" Li Haojun asked, holding her hand.
"No," Qin Wenjing replied with a smile.
"I've lived here for a long time, but I've never been there."
"This trip is for an industry exhibition held at the end of the year. Haven't you attended such events before?"
"No, I suppose my position isn't high enough," she said with a bitter smile and a playful grimace.
"That's not necessarily the reason. Your work is much like mine. I feel I learned just as much from you when I first woke up as I do now," Li Haojun disagreed, partly to comfort her and partly speaking from uncertain speculation. Then a sudden thought struck him.
"Wenjing, I think I've recovered some memories over these past six months. Certain skills come to me instinctively, like reflexes."
"Oh, really? That's wonderful news." A look of joy appeared on Qin Wenjing's face, though she hesitated briefly. Li Haojun failed to notice and went on, brimming with excitement.
"When I arrived in Nevada and faced industrial facilities and system malfunctions, my knowledge of electricity, mechanics and fluid dynamics just surfaced naturally from deep within my mind."
"You have worked in technical fields for many years after all," Qin Wenjing said warmly, her eyes full of concern.
"I still can't recall what happened in the past, though."
"It's all right. Just focus on the present. Don't let it trouble you." Qin Wenjing took his hand and leaned gently against his shoulder.
The cabin fell quiet as the two nestled close. Only the steady hum of the aircraft engines could be heard, while clouds drifted slowly and silently past the windows.
The plane jolted slightly due to air turbulence. Li Haojun checked the radar on the dashboard and found no signs of severe weather or warnings, so he thought everything was fine.
Another stronger shake followed soon after. Sensing something was wrong, Li Haojun locked eyes with Qin Wenjing. In that instant, he fastened her seatbelt and then his own.
He scanned the display panels, and one red alert after another lit up. As he checked the readings, a deafening bang echoed from the rear fuselage alongside violent shaking, and every warning light on the dashboard turned red.
"Warning: Engine failure. Warning: Prepare for emergency landing."
"Warning: Engine failure. Warning: Prepare for emergency landing." The main autopilot system repeated the alert, displaying flight routes and designated landing zones on the screen.
Li Haojun assessed the aircraft's posture and comforted Qin Wenjing.
"Don't worry. The flight control system is still functional, and we can keep the plane steady. If worse comes to worst, we can jump. We still have plenty of altitude, and I brought parachutes."
He checked the current altitude and descent rate, intending to evaluate the extent of the damage, when the computer spoke again as the main screen flashed prompts.
"Please tap the screen to select glide landing or parachute landing. The system will make an automatic selection in thirty seconds."
"Please tap the screen to select glide landing or parachute landing. The system will make an automatic selection in thirty seconds."
Li Haojun chose the parachute landing option.
"Parachute deployment countdown: five, four, three, two, one." A loud pop rang out as the drogue chute deployed, followed immediately by the main parachute.
After a brief sway, the aircraft steadied and began a slow, uniform descent.
Li Haojun let out a breath of relief and held Qin Wenjing's cold hand in his.
"We're safe now. We'll land smoothly soon."
The screen and voice system continued to broadcast landing guidelines and rescue information, yet neither of them paid it any mind.
As the plane descended through the clouds, the land below came into view. The reddish earth was dotted with patches of ochre and dark green vegetation.
"Never trust capitalists. For the airline company, gliding to the nearest airport without power would cost the least. But we had no way to tell if the flight controls were damaged, so choosing to parachute was the safest call," Li Haojun explained his decision after the tension faded.
Qin Wenjing nodded with a smile, though her expression still looked stiff from fright. To Li Haojun, her pale complexion, bright red lips and wide eyes filled him with tenderness.
The aircraft finally touched down on a gentle valley covered with cornfields. The cornstalks had turned dry and yellow, waiting to be harvested. Scattered farmhouses, barns and cattle sheds dotted the hillsides in the distance.
Li Haojun downloaded navigation to the nearest roadside rescue meeting point, slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the cabin with Qin Wenjing. Despite the low latitude, a cold wind cut through the warm afternoon sunlight.
"Look. Follow this dirt road over the hill, and we'll reach the highway," Li Haojun said, pointing the way while holding her hand. He glanced around and joked, "We rarely get to enjoy nature. Let's treat this as our little hiking trip."
"True, and the airline is footing the bill," Qin Wenjing relaxed completely.
Li Haojun laughed heartily at her words.
"This area is a free territory. People here live entirely self-sufficient lives," he said, glancing toward a nearby farmhouse as they walked.
"There are no taxes or public services, and residents maintain order on their own. Violent crimes such as murder are almost unheard of here. Most of them are devout religious believers who live simple, peaceful lives away from the outside world."
"Shall we live a life like this too?" Qin Wenjing asked childishly.
"No way," Li Haojun answered firmly.
"I couldn't work the fields. Could you?"
"No, I couldn't," Qin Wenjing replied in a cute, timid tone.
"Look at those cattle sheds besides the farmland. Have you seen any farm machinery around here?"
"I see," Qin Wenjing said, slipping her arm through his.
"Farming and tending livestock take a lot of strength. You'd go from living like a lady to working as a farm woman overnight."
Qin Wenjing stuck out her tongue playfully.
They chatted and laughed as they moved forward. A farmhouse stood not far to their right, with a housewife standing at the doorway.
Li Haojun waved to greet her, but she made no response from afar.
When they drew near, he smiled and explained.
"Good day, madam. We apologize for our plane making an emergency landing in the field back there." He turned and pointed toward the landing site.
The woman still remained silent, staring coldly at the two strangers. Li Haojun kept talking to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"The airline will compensate you for any losses. We've had terrible luck today with the plane malfunctioning. This poor lady was terrified out of her wits." He glanced at Qin Wenjing as he spoke.
Even after all his explanations, the woman's expression never softened. Li Haojun wondered what caused her cold attitude — wariness of strangers for safety reasons, or xenophobia from living in such an isolated place.
Just then, a young boy around eight or nine years old ran out of the house, shouting excitedly.
"Are you from outside? Where did you come from? How did you get here?"
The boy ran up to them, and his mother did nothing to stop him from approaching strangers, which confused Li Haojun further given her earlier coldness.
The boy stood right in front of them, with big blue eyes and messy blond hair. His clothes and face were smudged with dirt, typical of an energetic young boy.
Li Haojun told him what had happened. The boy was clearly thrilled, likely because outsiders rarely came to this remote area. Remembering the paper map in his backpack, Li Haojun took it out and showed it to the boy, explaining the content before giving the map to him. The boy beamed with joy; the desire to explore and discover was clearly innate in him.
After bidding the mother and son farewell, Li Haojun remained lost in thought. Qin Wenjing spoke up beside him.
"Do you like children?"
"I'm not sure. Being around him makes me feel younger. Maybe I really am getting old."
"Then let me be your child," Qin Wenjing said, clinging to his arm and acting coquettishly.
"Don't be silly. You're all grown up."
"Hmph. Kesiya and Malaya are much younger, aren't they?" She pouted in feigned anger.
Li Haojun sighed. "I was just thinking that children here deserve a proper school education."
"You brought up that proposal before," Qin Wenjing said, her playful manner fading into a serious tone.
"You put it forward once, but it didn't work out well and was eventually set aside."
"What went wrong?" Li Haojun asked curiously.
"The people in the free territory are very closed off. Most of the children struggled to adapt to city life and keep up with their studies, so the project achieved little."
"I see. But for those talented children born here, they miss out on so many opportunities, and their paths in life will be far harder," Li Haojun said with regret.
They walked past the country road and stood atop a ridge. The highway connecting to the modern world stretched out ahead. Looking back, winding paths cut across the wilderness, leading to a secluded life. People there were free from endless rushing and painful partings, yet they also endured the toil of making a living, taking the joy of staying with family for granted.
The two stood gazing at the contrasting ways of life for a long time. Li Haojun finally looked away and found Qin Wenjing watching him. He gently pulled her into his arms.