'SEE YOU MORNING' 136 Afternoon Walk

In the scorching midday sun, Li Haojun held Malaya Malaya’s hand and walked under the shade of the sidewalk trees. The exhibition was no longer accessible, it had been cordoned off, and so was the hotel. He didn’t care anyway,
“Where are we going?” Li Haojun asked her. Not because he couldn’t make decisions himself, but because he enjoyed interacting with her,
Malaya checked her wristwatch as she spoke,
“Right now the wind is south by west, and it may turn north tonight. We are currently northeast of the accident site. If we move a few more miles east, we can sleep peacefully tonight no matter which way the wind blows.”
“Alright,”
“The bad news is there are no taxis left, they’ve all been requisitioned. We’ll have to walk.”
“That’s fine too,” Li Haojun replied in the same tone.
Malaya didn’t understand for a moment and looked at him in confusion. Li Haojun had already taken her hand again,
“Come on,” he said, pulling her forward. It seemed that the terrifying moment they had just experienced had brought him closer to Malaya in his heart,
He admired the young woman he was pulling along—the rhythm of her steps, the sway of her hips. Malaya had grown taller, and a little heavier too. Though still slender, the lines from her waist and hips to her thighs and calves were more sensual now, lacking only the lightness of her former girlhood.
“Why did you take the field training? Do you like adventure?” Li Haojun asked curiously,
“Because the pay is better,”
Li Haojun was somewhat surprised by this answer, and couldn’t help feeling ashamed and remorseful. He had never cared about her financial situation when he first knew her. She was a younger sister who had also grown up without parents, even younger than him. He should have given her more care, but instead he had been drawn to her sister’s romantic advances and ignored her.
What had prevented him from giving her more care? Li Haojun replayed their first meeting in his mind. Was it because she was smarter and more quick-witted than her sister that he had overlooked the care she deserved? Or was it because her sister’s proactive advances had made him ignore this somewhat withdrawn and eccentric child? Was it the hypocritical morality in his heart that forbade him from approaching her when she was so young, or was it the ethical constraints of his relationship with her sister that prevented him from coveting this little sister?
Lost in his self-reproachful reflection, Li Haojun ignored everything around him and completely immersed himself in his own world.
“What? Are you depressed?” Malaya said, tugging at his arm,
Li Haojun snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Malaya pressing her lips together, trying not to laugh,
Then she suddenly burst out laughing and said,
“Haha, I was lying to you. You took it seriously again,”
But Li Haojun hadn’t emerged from his earlier mood. He knew Malaya could sense what he was thinking. His sincere treatment and remorse this time were at least a small compensation for the debt he owed her for so long. He hoped she could feel a little more warmth from the world.
“Actually, I was just curious,” Seeing that Li Haojun still looked serious, Malaya went on to tell him about her experience,
“My internship at the time was arranging your schedule, so my career path could have been secretary or field agent. But with field training certification, I can drive vehicles myself. Isn’t flying exciting?”
“It is,” Looking at Malaya’s enthusiastic expression, Li Haojun naturally wanted to encourage the young girl, pushing aside his worries about the dangers involved. He then asked her,
“Yes, flying a jet is really exciting. Are you good at it?”
“Yes, I passed the assessment on the first try,” Talking about her proud achievement, Malaya’s face lit up with excitement. Li Haojun seemed to see that bright, spirited little girl again in her eyes.
“You’re very good at piloting aircraft. Tell me more about what aspects you excel at, and what it feels like.”
“Well, I have a good sense of space and speed, and I don’t get dizzy from all kinds of rolls. Controlling the plane feels like an extension of my own body,”
“Like you’re a bird soaring through the sky, not just flying a plane, right?”
“Yes, exactly that feeling,”
Li Haojun looked at her happy expression and silently understood that this was perhaps how different risk preferences shaped different understandings of life. He was extremely risk-averse, while she was a risk-taker. Maybe it was because of their age or personal experiences? Both of them were living out what they considered wonderful lives according to their own philosophies, experiencing the happiness of stable routine and the excitement of exploring the unknown in their own ways. But he really couldn’t bear to see the people he cared about putting themselves in danger.
“What else did you learn?” Li Haojun asked with a smile, wanting to keep her happy memories going,
“Vehicle driving too, not just normal driving. There are high-speed handling requirements,”
Hearing this, Li Haojun thought of Lily’s vintage Jaguar,
“I’ve only driven electric cars, hehe. I’ve never tried a traditional gasoline-powered one. They’re rare now, you barely see them on the streets,”
Malaya obviously knew what he was thinking, and Li Haojun quickly added,
“I actually have a gasoline sports car. You can try it when we get back to Kalispell,” he said, sending her a photo of the car,
“Oh, it’s beautiful,”
“Do you like it? Your sister has already ridden in it. You weren’t back then. Now that you’re living with her, you can take it and drive it whenever you want,”
“Really?” Malaya gave Li Haojun an excited hug,
“Yes, what’s mine is yours,”
“Oh? I can’t afford that,” Malaya said, narrowing her eyes and drawing out her words as she looked at him. Then she deliberately pulled his hand to slow him down, walking in a playful, coquettish way as she let down her hair from its bun, letting it fall over her shoulders, and changed the subject,
“Ugh, it’s so hot,” she said, fanning her flushed cheeks with her palm.
Li Haojun chuckled, seemingly infected by her youthful playfulness,
“Heat is easy to fix. Let’s order some cold drinks,” he said, wanting one himself,
Although passenger drones had been requisitioned, delivery drones were still in service,
Malaya chose iced mint lemonade. Li Haojun thought for a moment and ordered one without ice, but being practical, he also ordered two bottles of purified water and stuffed them in his pants pockets.
The long, slanting shadows of the palm trees stretched across the sidewalk from behind them. The two had walked slowly through the afternoon together, their hand-in-hand shadow also growing long and slanted.
Their work instructions were to stay in the area and wait for further arrangements, so Malaya booked another hotel. But this side of town was a slum, so the hotel looked old and shabby. There was no other choice.
Walking into the first-floor front desk area, there was a large lobby filled with lots of interactive arcade game machines for real players. It seemed that the accommodation business in this area was poor, so they had to diversify to increase revenue. But now even these game machines were sitting idle, perhaps because they had gone out of fashion. Curious, Li Haojun asked the front desk attendant,
“I saw an award ceremony for local game winners at noon today. Was it using these interactive machines?” he said, pointing to the idle equipment,
“Oh? What game?” The attendant was quite elderly and seemed a bit slow. Li Haojun thought he might be the owner of the small hotel, because he knew every room key in his hand like the back of his hand.
“It’s called Johnny the Brawler,”
“Ah, that game has had many versions. A lot of kids used to play here, but now there are only old people around here, hehe, just like me.”
Li Haojun hadn’t expected to touch a sore spot for the local residents, so he tried to downplay it,
“Things will get better, they will,” he said, then took the key and went upstairs.