I was completely jolted awake by the alarm. We had an early morning flight, and I was afraid of missing it, so I set the alarm.
Lan Ya blinked her sleepy eyes open, with no intention of getting up. She still held onto my neck, pressing her head against my face.
I gently patted her and leaned close to her ear, "We should get up. It wouldn't be good to keep Brother Bao waiting for us."
Actually, I had set the alarm a little earlier, just in case we were rushed and fell behind Brother Bao.
Lan Ya reluctantly let go of me, got up, tidied her pajamas, and took her discarded clothes back to her room.
Brother Qing was already waiting downstairs with the car, and Teng Ji came along. He brought the contract documents. Several of us signed the agreement in the small conference room on the second floor. Brother Bao had Lan Ya transfer him a deposit of a hundred thousand US dollars. The first batch of goods would be shipped three months later.
After signing, everyone shook hands and said goodbye. Brother Qing and Teng Ji weren't going to the airport. He had his business car and four bodyguards follow us in another car.
Having learned from yesterday's lesson, no one dared to be careless.
It wasn't until the plane landed smoothly at Mangshi Airport that we all truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Brother Bao and Lan Ya's cars were parked at the exit. Brother Bao had to arrange for the goods to be received. We said goodbye at the airport, and I went with Lan Ya.
Even though we were only gone for three days, it felt as long as half a century.
I was worried about Xiao Hong, wondering how her injuries were healing. I had Lan Ya drop me off at the entrance of the inn, and I would go to the club later.
At the front desk, I asked the receptionist if she had seen Xiao Hong come downstairs. She said she hadn't seen her come down in the last two days. According to the cleaning lady, she had gotten out of bed and was moving around in her room.
I felt a little relieved. Perhaps she wasn't coming downstairs because she was afraid of being seen injured. I just didn't know how she had managed these past few days or if she had eaten.
The door to her room was closed. I knocked twice. Xiao Hong came and opened the door. Seeing me, she hugged me in surprise, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up again.
I quickly said, "Aren't I back now? Let me see how you've recovered. Have you eaten anything?"
She nodded, let go of me, and stepped back a few paces, turning around for me to see.
She said, "I'm all better now. I can come to work today. You can tell President Lan, I'm fine."
After only a few days apart, she had lost a lot of weight. She must not have eaten well these past few days. Also, the blow from her stepfather and mother was devastating to her. It was a miracle that she had managed to get through it.
I said, "Let's go downstairs to eat. You haven't been downstairs, you must be starving."
She said, "I'm not starving, I just don't have an appetite. But seeing you, I suddenly feel hungry. I'll tidy myself up, and we'll go downstairs to eat."
While she was freshening up in the bathroom, I opened my phone and called Jing Lei. I still had the cut stone in my bag. I would give it to her later.
Our phones couldn't be used in Myanmar, so we hadn't turned them on.
Jing Lei was overjoyed to hear my voice. She said the apartment was ready and I could move in anytime.
After sorting out Xiao Hong's work today, we would check out of our current rooms tomorrow and move into the apartment Jing Lei found.
It was just a pity for Xiao Hong. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to come with me.
It would be better to save enough money to buy our own place, then we could have more freedom.
Xiao Hong finished her grooming and came out. The two of us went downstairs to find something to eat.
There was a Hunan cuisine restaurant nearby. It was packed every day, so the taste was likely good. Let's try it today.
We had already passed the lunch hour, so there weren't many people when we entered. The two of us found a seat by the window. The tables here were small rectangular ones that could seat four or five people.
I took the menu and handed it to Xiao Hong, letting her pick what she liked.
Xiao Hong looked at me blankly and shook her head, saying she couldn't order.
Right, Xiao Hong probably rarely ate out, so asking her to order was a bit difficult for her.
I called the waiter over and asked her to recommend a few dishes, some specialties.
The waiter said, "There are just the two of you?"
I nodded, and she said, "For just two people, I recommend you order one chopped chili fish head, one stir-fried pork, and a vegetable dish. If you want soup, a serving of rock sugar lotus root is good. These are all our signature dishes. What do you two think?"
I said, "Serve it according to this first. We can order more if it's not enough."
The waiter poured us two cups of tea and then helped us set the bowls and chopsticks.
Xiao Hong's condition had improved considerably. Although she was still a bit gaunt, she was much better than the other day.
She looked at me affectionately and asked, "Did the business go smoothly? Did you encounter any trouble? I heard that place isn't very peaceful. People living near the border can always hear the sound of gunfire."
I didn't dare tell her about our experiences, saying, "We had dedicated people to receive us and escorts, so we didn't encounter any trouble. The conflict is near our areas. Yangon is the capital, it's very safe."
Xiao Hong hummed, lowered her head, and drank her tea.
If she knew we had experienced war, she wouldn't be able to sleep.
Fortunately, we all returned safely. That scene had become a thing of the past. Looking back now, it was just a thrilling memory.
Being alive is more important than anything else. Life must go on.
A plate of stir-fried pork and a plate of greens arrived. I handed the chopsticks to Xiao Hong and urged her to eat quickly.
Hunan cuisine is a bit spicy, but we grew up eating chili, so we had no aversion to it.
Xiao Hong held her chopsticks and insisted on waiting for me to start eating before she would.
Actually, I wasn't very hungry, but seeing Xiao Hong's insistence, I had no choice but to pick up the food and eat.
The waiter brought us two small bowls of rice. I said, "I'll just eat some dishes. You eat more rice."
Xiao Hong, perhaps genuinely hungry, didn't stand on ceremony this time and ate as soon as she got it.
I said, "No rush, the fish head hasn't arrived yet. Eat slowly."
At this point, the fish head and soup were also served. The fish head was covered with a thick layer of bright red chopped chili, which looked very appetizing.
I pushed the fish head towards Xiao Hong, telling her to eat the vegetables first.
I tasted it. Their chopped chili fish head was authentic and very delicious.
I watched Xiao Hong eat. She hadn't eaten properly these past few days. Fortunately, I was only away for three days. If it had been any longer, her health would have suffered from hunger.
Just then, my phone rang. I saw it was Jing Lei calling. She asked why I hadn't come over yet and if she should come to pick me up.
I told her to wait a moment and that I would be at the inn entrance in about an hour.
Xiao Hong said, "If you have something urgent, you can go ahead and leave after eating. I still have money in my pocket, I can pay the bill."
I said, "No matter how urgent it is, we have to eat first. Eat steadily, and we'll go back to the room together when you're done."
I didn't know when that large stone we bet on would arrive. I was full of questions about that stone. A raw stone weighing over ten tons couldn't just fail like that.