The Road Home

Chapter 19

Leaving Beijing, the vehicle headed in the direction of the steppe lands. After passing Zhangjiakou, there were fewer cars on the expressway. The expressway was very flat and also open, so the view through the front windshield was one of a straight stretch of road, blue sky, and white clouds.

After another few hours, they drove onto the national highway. Before long, Lu Yanchen pulled the car over to the side to have a short rest.

Lu Yanchen took out a map and verified the route to Sanggendalai and then to Xilinhot[1]. His fingers would tap against the map, with a pause between each tap. It was like he was in the midst of carrying out an assignment, and he searched back in his memory for the road conditions along this route. A few years ago, he had taken it once. What approximately would be seen along the way, in which locations was the asphalt surface of the road broken and falling apart, in what places were there ruts made by large vehicles that had passed over—he still had an impression in his memory of almost all of it.

A pork floss bun, still partially sheathed in plastic wrap, was held up in front of his eyes.

Bringing his eyes down, he took a bite from it.

"I thought of something." Gui Xiao also ate a bite, then said, "Do you remember that man you saw in the airport that day? His name is Xu Yao."

Seeing her take another bite, Lu Yanchen mused that she must really like this type of bun, and so he selected a plain bun from the plastic bag on her lap, opened the sealed wrap himself, and began to eat it.

"You don't like pork floss?"

Lu Yanchen wagged the bun that he was holding, the meaning of that being that he was fine with eating this one.

With a nod, Gui Xiao continued, "Xu Yao's wife is seriously ill. The hospitals in the country diagnosed that she would need her spine operated on. I think it's a spot somewhere at the back of her neck. With this type of surgery, after its done, there are just endless aftereffects and long-term consequences. He doesn't dare just casually let anyone do it, and he wants to bring his wife somewhere outside the country to look into it some more. If they can have a certain probability in the diagnosis that it's actually another type of tumour, then she won't need to go for surgery and can just do radiation therapy."

Gui Xiao was unable to give a technical explanation either, so she simply briefly described the circumstance. "They've been going to see doctors for this illness of his wife for quite a few years already and he doesn't have much left for savings, so he came to find me. I set aside a little bit of my savings for myself, enough for my and Qin Xiaonan's day-to-day expenses, and then all the rest I gave to him."

Lu Yanchen finished his bun off in two or three bites, then took a couple of swigs of water.

That pair of eyes that seemed as if they see could through and understand everything were locked on her. After gazing at her for some time, he still did not express any sort of comment.

He had heard and grasped the meaning that Gui Xiao had tried to express in that roundabout way: I know you won't let me help you. I happen to be helping someone else with saving a life right now anyway, so I can't put in any efforts into helping you... So just entrust the child to me.

The vehicle was back on the road. Nonchalantly, Gui Xiao spoke up again. "Xu Yao and his wife have known each other since they were kids. Their relationship was on-again-off-again for many years."

Lu Yanchen decided simply not to say anything, waiting for her to completely pour out all the words that were in her heart.

"It was around the year before last that his wife got sick, and since then she's been constantly seeing doctors. The girl refused to register a marriage with him because she didn't want to be a burden on him. So, he threw a wedding. He was going to marry her, come hell or high water." Looking out the window, Gui Xiao took a drink of water to moisten her throat. "Life is so unpredictable. A year ago you may have been riding on a crest of success and good times, and then the next year you've fallen into the mire. His wife got sick; is Xu Yao going to just not want her anymore? And what about all those people who are married; if, after getting married, one person faces a crisis in his or her career, don't they still have to get through it together?"