At just past seven in the morning, Wang Dong’s car appeared outside Liu Chen’s apartment complex on time. Pushing a twenty-inch suitcase and carrying a small cloth bag from the system, Liu Chen was the first to get in.
“Chen Chen, sit in the back. Your aunt gets carsick easily, let her have the front passenger seat, okay? I bought you snacks for the back.”
Liu Chen silently closed the front passenger door he had just opened and moved to the back. Fine, it was for his aunt’s sake, so he’d let it slide.
Sitting in the back, drinking Wangzai milk, Liu Chen watched the road recede outside the window. Then it occurred to him, that wasn't right. The county where Wang Dong lived was in the direction of the city center, which was where his aunt’s dormitory was located.
“Ahem, I’ll pick you up first, then go pick up your aunt. This way, she can sleep a little longer.”
“…”
What could Liu Chen do? Liu Chen could only finish his Wangzai milk in one gulp and then open another bottle. He’d drink you dry!
After picking up his aunt, Wang Dong didn’t forget to have Liu Chen get a carton of milk and a pack of Haolilai bread from the pile of snacks in the back.
“I remember you like this shredded pork floss one. I bought it last night before I left. Eat up.”
Honestly, this was the first time Liu Chen had seen the way his aunt and Wang Dong interacted. How to put it, it felt like… love really existed?
Didn’t he see his aunt’s slightly upturned lips hadn’t dropped since getting in the car?
The three of them arrived at the airport, queued to collect their boarding passes, checked in their luggage, and entered the waiting area. Just as it was nearing boarding time, Ren Mo finally arrived, panting.
“Almost late. It was mainly packing the gifts my Mrs. Ren wanted me to bring that delayed me. Let’s go, let’s go~~ Let me see where you’re sitting. Huh? You bought first class? If I had known, I would have too…”
“First class? Let me see!” Hearing these three words, Hu Min also walked over to Ren Mo to look at Liu Chen’s ticket.
Hu Min looked enviously at the ticket and explained to Ren Mo, “I bought her tickets together, all economy class. Chen Chen, you’re so lucky. It must have been the airline that upgraded you. First class is much more comfortable than economy, I’m so envious, I’ve never flown first class before!”
When it was time to board, Hu Min was also fortunate enough to be upgraded on the spot, and her seat was next to Liu Chen. This made Hu Min incredibly happy. As they walked in after checking their tickets, she quietly whispered to Liu Chen,
“Wow, I’ve never flown first class. Will I make a fool of myself later?”
“Aunt, I haven’t either.”
In her previous life, although she had flown as a salesperson, it was always economy class on red-eye flights. At the cheapest, a ticket was only three to four hundred yuan. First class, for the same flight distance, cost several thousand yuan a ticket. The company was reluctant to reimburse her.
The plane from C City to Beijing was very large. After entering the cabin door, two well-proportioned flight attendants stood there, smiling as they gestured the approximate location of the seats to passengers holding their boarding passes.
“Hello, your seats are first class 2d and 2f. Please enter through this door on the left, and follow this aisle to the very front to find your seats.”
Liu Chen held his ticket, listening to the gentle voice of the beautiful flight attendant, and suddenly had an idea. For the National Day holiday, he wanted to bring Liu Fang to experience first class too!
Turning left, the first-class cabin came into view. The seats were arranged in a two-three-two configuration. There were movable partitions between the middle three seats that could be closed, creating a private space.
Moreover, the entire seat was half as spacious again as the economy class seats Liu Chen had sat in before, and could even be reclined flat without affecting the space for passengers behind.
Hu Min sat in her chair, experimenting with every button on the seat with Liu Chen, feeling like it was an adventure. Every time they discovered a new function, they would be happy for a long time.
Wei Wanyan, sitting on the far left, saw them acting like this and pursed her lips. It was clear they were flying first class for the first time. However…
Wei Wanyan scanned Hu Min, who was closer to her, from head to toe. Thinking that the first-class ticket her boyfriend had spent thousands of yuan on was to be shared with two country bumpkins who had only paid for economy class, she couldn’t help but snort coldly, turn her head, put on her eye mask, and pretend she was going to sleep.
At this moment, the flight attendant who had just introduced the seats had walked in from the door. She walked to the very front of the aisle, placed her hands together in front of her abdomen, and smiled at everyone in first class.
Then came a series of safety instructions, telling passengers that the life vests were under the seats, that pressing the button above would reveal the oxygen mask, and that the emergency exits were in the corresponding rows of seats. This was followed by an explanation in English.
Liu Chen diligently followed the flight attendant’s demonstration and took note of everything. Then the cabin lights dimmed, and the flight attendant who had given the emergency demonstration began checking seatbelts, starting from their first row.
Flight attendant Xu Ran carefully observed Hu Min, who was sitting in the first row of first class. She wasn’t a stunning beauty, just had good skin and a sweet smile. Yet, such a woman’s boyfriend had secretly approached their crew, paid the difference for the first-class ticket, and didn’t ask for credit, hoping the crew would tell her it was a lucky upgrade.
Thinking of this, Xu Ran couldn’t help but sigh, when would sweet love ever reach her?
“Once the aircraft is flying smoothly, lunch will be served. Today, there are three meal options and two dessert options. Please indicate your choice by marking the corresponding box.”
Liu Chen blinked. Hmm, could they pre-order in first class? Worried about eating too much and not being able to enjoy the dinner party tonight, Liu Chen and his aunt both chose the steak, which seemed to be the smallest portion, and the chocolate cake for dessert, because, as everyone knows, dessert and main course have separate stomachs!
After checking the seatbelts and inquiring about the meals, the flight attendants returned to their seats. The plane began to taxi, and the self-built houses on both sides of the runway quickly receded. The nose of the plane began to lift, and a sense of weightlessness began to wash over everyone.
Looking at the buildings of C City becoming smaller and smaller, the entire Third Ring Road of C City clearly came into view.
Gradually, even the Third Ring Road became indistinct. The plane soared above the clouds. The soft white clouds stretched out in layers. For a moment, without any reference points, one couldn’t feel how fast the plane was moving.
“Chen Chen, why do you seem so calm? The first time I flew, I was so excited, I took so many photos that my phone memory was full by the time we landed…”
Liu Chen looked at the white clouds outside the window, then turned to look at his aunt, who was full of curiosity. He thought for a moment:
“I’m curious too, but I want to use my own eyes and heart to record the feeling of this flight.”
Hu Min looked at the serious expression on Chen Chen’s face and felt for the first time that the child had grown up. Her words were much more mature now, no longer the little Chen Chen who used to cry and beg for egg custard.
Thinking of this, Hu Min cupped both hands around her face and squeezed Liu Chen’s cheeks.
“Aunt, you, what are you, doing?” Liu Chen’s eyes widened, and he stammered out a confused question.
“You’re still young. Don’t try to act mature like those old guys. Just be good. If you want to laugh, laugh. If you want to eat, eat. If anything happens, we adults are here!”