Chapter 32

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The last time Xiang ChangKong walked down these stairs with Xu Lian, he had shrunk to the side and clutched at the handrails for fear that he would accidentally bump into Xu Lian. Now, as he walked through the same narrow stairs with her, Xiang ChangKong felt much more relaxed and less restrained.

He turned towards Xu Lian beside him and said: “Sorry, my mother’s like this with everyone. I hope you don’t mind.”

Xu Lian shook her head. “When I visited your home last time, Xiang Nuan already mentioned that auntie wasn’t in good health.” At the time, Xu Lian thought it would be impolite to inquire about other people’s illnesses, so she didn’t ask. But now that her relationship with Xiang ChangKong had changed, even if she didn’t ask, he would still take the initiative to tell her.

As they exited the building, Xiang ChangKong wondered where he should take Xu Lian. His neighborhood had all the necessary things to facilitate a passable living environment, but if we’re talking about a place worth strolling around in…

After a while, Xiang ChangKong asked her: “Where did you park your car?”

“Over there.” Xu Lian pointed towards the open court, and sure enough, her car was parked on the painted concrete.

“Do you want to drive somewhere else, or do you want to walk around here?”

Xu Lian rarely came into this neighborhood and wasn’t very familiar with it. “Is there someplace we can walk around in?”

“There’s a small park out front, but there’s not much in it.” Xiang ChangKong replied. The park only had a few simple fitness equipment which was mostly used by the elderly and sometimes children.

Xu Lian didn’t mind. The weather today was lovely, and sitting in a park to chat and bask in the sun sounded nice. “Let’s go there. I don’t feel like going far.”

So the two set off towards the direction of the park. On the way, they happened to pass by a tea shop, so the couple ended up buying two cups of milk tea.

Half-way through their milk tea, they arrived at the small park. The park really was quite tiny; you could see the end of the park at a glance. But there was still a good amount of people in the park. The bright sun made everyone feel warm and happy.

“There’s a place we can sit. Let’s go.” Xu Lian pointed towards an empty bench nearby and beckoned Xiang ChangKong to follow. As they neared, Xu Lian noticed a small rabbit-shaped decoration beside the bench. It was lovely. Xu Lian admired the small rabbit and was about to sit down when Xiang ChangKong stopped her. “Wait, wipe the bench down first. You’re wearing a white sweater, don’t get it dirty.”

Xiang ChangKong wiped the bench seat with his hand and found no dirt. It seems that someone had sat on the bench just moments before.

“Use this.” Xu Lian felt for a tissue from her bag. She took Xiang ChangKong’s hand, wiped it for him, then bent down to wipe the bench seat. “Alright, you can sit down now.”

Xiang ChangKong’s face had turned a little red when Xu Lian wiped his hands. He took the tissues Xu Lian had used and went to a nearby garbage can to throw it away. When he turned back, Xu Lian was already sitting down on the bench, the milk tea straw in her mouth. Noticing that Xiang ChangKong was looking at her, she smiled.

Xiang ChangKong felt his ears turn red. He walked towards the bench and sat down next to Xu Lian. He coughed awkwardly. “Cough, you’re dressed differently today.”

Xu Lian replied: “Well, I was going to meet with the elders. I thought it’d be better to dress a bit more properly.”

Xiang ChangKong coughed again and said: “You look good in whatever style you wear.”

Xu Lian’s mouth lifted. She wanted to tease Xiang ChangKong but noticed a little boy running over with a remote control plane. He cheerfully yelled at the man behind him: “Dad, shall we fly it here?”

“Alright.” The man came up towards the boy and touched his head with a smile. “Do you know how to operate it?”

The boy nodded his head. “Un! I remember what you taught me!”

The boy ran down the lawn, put down the plane, then started fiddling with the remote control in his hands. His father was standing next to him, giving him a few pointers from time to time. Soon the plane’s propellor turned faster and faster, and the toy lifted off the ground with a wobble.

“Woah, it’s flying, it’s flying!” The little boy happily shouted. His father reminded him to pay attention and not let the plane fall down.

With the help of his father, the little boy controlled the plane competently enough to make it fly smoothly. The little boy smiled at his father. “Dad, I want to fly a real plane when I grow up, just like you!”

Xiang ChangKong watched the father-son pair. His lashes trembled ever so slightly, and he had to close his eyes to prevent the sudden surge of emotion from spilling out.

Xu Lian tilted her head and glanced at him. She finished the rest of her milk tea, then looked at the father and son. “Xiang ChangKong, where’s your father?”

The hand Xiang ChangKong had placed on the bench clenched, then slowly loosened. He pursed his lips and looked up at the plane as it flew under the blue sky. “My dad’s an aircraft designer. He knew all sorts of things, and when I was a kid, I liked to pester him and ask a thousand questions about planes.”

“Un.” Xu Lian gave him a faint response.

“You saw the model plane on my desk the last time you visited. That was a birthday gift from my dad. He made it himself.”

Of course, Xu Lian remembered the model. Although the workmanship wasn’t the most delicate, it obviously contained the strong love of its maker.

“But as I got older, my father became busier and busier with his work. My mom used to complain about it sometimes.”

Xu Lian understood this. “My mother does the same. When my dad gets stuck in a construction site for more than half a year, she complains incessantly. But after complaining, she would pack a bag and go and follow my dad around.”

Xiang ChangKong smiled at her. “My mother couldn’t afford to be that free. There was still my sister and me at home. She couldn’t just leave us. Besides, my dad’s job is inherently different from yours.”

He continued: “My father worked in an aircraft courtyard, and the aviation industry often worked in a 611 work system. Sometimes even 711. It was common for him to work until late at night, and he was always tired. If it was a normal job, I’m sure other people would’ve quit already, but the aviation industry isn’t like that. In the end, no matter how hot-blooded or passionate someone is about their career, overwork will place a heavy burden on the body.”

(T/N: I’m not sure what the ‘611’ and ‘711’ means. I tried searching it up, but it’s such a broad term that I got nothing. I first thought it meant a ‘6 am to 11pm’ work schedule, but then 711 was added so…I got nothing. It might honestly just be a typo in the raws.)

Xu Lian frowned but didn’t say anything.

“Although my father never mentioned it, I knew. My Uncle Guo, who had visited our home countless times before for dinner, had a sudden myocardial infarction and collapsed at work. And my Uncle Sun, he had a heart attack and failed to recover. I had to read about his death in the newspaper. He was only forty to fifty years old.”

Long ago, Xiang ChangKong’s aunties and uncles had told him that ‘Even if one loved the sky, a person in aviation would always die early.’ They all knew what this high-intensity job would inevitably bring. But despite all this, they followed their passions and stubbornly held onto their jobs.

Xu Lian struggled to open her mouth. “Your father….”

“My dad thought he just caught a cold. He took some medicine himself, but he didn’t get better. One night, his condition suddenly worsened. My mother immediately sent him to the hospital, but in the end, he couldn’t be saved.” Xiang ChangKong still remembered that chaotic night. When he had rushed back home from school, he saw his heartbroken mother crying on the phone. He didn’t even see his father one last time.

Xiang Nuan was in her third year of middle school back then, so Xiang ChangKong didn’t even dare tell her the news. It was only later, when Xiang Nuan finished her exams that he had told her. As expected, Xiang Nuan shouted at him for a long time and cried when she realized she had missed her own father’s funeral.

Xu Lian took Xiang ChangKong’s hand and held it tight. Little by little, she transferred her warmth onto his cold hand.

Xiang ChangKong curled his fingers and gripped Xu Lian just as hard. His eyes followed the model plane as he continued: “In recent years, one of the planes independently developed in China successfully made its first ever flight. Photos have been published, and articles in major newspapers, magazines, and online forums had spread both here in China and abroad. Countless people have read the news.”

But despite all this, the unimaginable hardship and persistence countless aviation personnel experienced to get that plane to the sky….would inevitably remain unknown.

A breeze came, bringing the scent of sunshine and grass with it. Xu Lian and Xiang ChangKong had sat on this bench for a long while now.

The boy with the remote-controlled plane and his father were long gone. Xu Lian took a deep breath, then gently let it go. She looked at Xiang ChangKong. “Is your mother’s illness related to your father?”

Xiang ChangKong nodded. “My father’s death hit her too hard, and she collapsed. Although she used to complain about my father’s job before, she loved him very much.”

“Un….” Xu Lian found it similar to her own mother. Although she always complained about her father and always mentioned divorce, it was obvious that Mother Xu wouldn’t leave Father Xu for anything.

Xiang ChangKong looked at Xu Lian and thought back to the times his mother complained about his father. Xiang ChangKong’s smiled slowly disappeared. He understood his father’s passion for his career, but he also understood his mother, who Xiang ChangKong had secretly seen shed tears because of his father’s job. The thought that Xu Lian might have to experience the same things his mother did just because they fell in love made his heart ache.

Xiang ChangKong slowly tightened his grip on Xu Lian’s hand and asked her: “After I enter the Aircraft Institute, I’ll probably be busy…”

Xu Lian interrupted him: “I think it’s necessary for people to live well and contribute to their country, don’t you think so too?”

Xiang ChangKong froze for a moment, realizing that she had misunderstood his words. Xiang ChangKong lowered his head and smiled. “I’ll pay attention to my health. I’ll eat on time and exercise whenever I have the time.”

“You should also do physical examinations regularly.”

“Un, I’ll listen to you.” Xiang ChangKong’s eyes had become warm at her words. After a while, he remembered he hadn’t asked a particular question yet. His mouth sunk as he said: “I’ll be quite busy in the future and won’t have as much time to accompany you…you’ll probably get annoyed with me. And my work is often confidential. I won’t be able to tell you how I spend my days.”

Xu Lian had a small frown on her face, and she didn’t say anything for a while. Xiang ChangKong became nervous when he saw her expression. He knew that his career would inevitably make his partner bear a heavy weight…If she wasn’t willing…

All he wanted was for her to be happy.

After a long time, Xu Lian finally raised her head and looked at Xiang ChangKong in the eye. “I thought about it carefully, and I think I will probably end up getting annoyed. So when that time comes, you must coax me well.”