Chapter 414: Pressing Forward Under the Weight

Time quickly moved into January 1, 2014, and at Wuhan Tianhe Airport the streams of people coming and going were thick as a weave, all wearing bulky padded jackets and down coats.

The reason this day was chosen was that Liu Tianxian's dad happened to be off duty and on holiday, so he had time to come back to the country.

They had to fit in with everyone else's schedule too!

Among the crowd walked a group of three — a man dragging two big suitcases, and two women arm in arm, traveling light.

Liu Tianxian wore a black baseball cap on her head, wide sunglasses on her face, a khaki trench coat, a mask, and a thick scarf wrapped around her neck that covered more than half her face.

A belt cinched at her waist, black skinny base-layer pants on her lower body, black tube boots on her feet, a tall and slender figure, and a bag slung diagonally across her — she looked especially trendy and avant-garde.

She was dressed so puffy you couldn't tell her figure, but everything she wore cost several thousand to over ten thousand yuan — the texture and quality were there.

Throw any random passerby into clothes costing a thousand yuan and they'd look very fashionable — the price tag does the talking.

After so many years, Liu Tianxian felt a sense of things remaining while people changed as she returned here: "It's been so many years since I've been back. Coming back this time, I still feel a kind of familiarity."

"You were originally from here. The water and soil here raised you — it's in your blood — of course you'd feel a kind of familiarity," Xu Liyun said kindly.

"Mm, it's just too cold. I checked the weather forecast and it said zero degrees — how can it be this cold?" Liu Tianxian shrank into herself, freezing.

"The south is different from the north. The south is a damp cold — you need to wear more," Xu Liyun said with concern.

She too was wearing a thick, high-end down coat that covered half her face — very warm.

"I'm already wearing a lot," Liu Tianxian said.

As the two chatted, they had already come out of the terminal building. Outside lay a covering of snow and ice — the snow wasn't thick, but the ground was very slippery, because when snow falls it melts, and what it melts into isn't water but ice.

Even the trees had frozen clumps of ice clinging to them, looking as if they were about to fall — quite dangerous.

Liu Tianxian looked back: "Hey, do you need a hand?"

"Oh wow, I'm so touched — the young lady still remembers me, hasn't forgotten about me." Fang Hong put on a touched expression.

"Can you talk properly for once?" Liu Tianxian patted his shoulder.

The pat didn't hurt either — Fang Hong was also dressed very thickly, wrapped in a scarf, wearing a mask; you couldn't recognize him unless you looked closely.

Xu Liyun watched and smiled too. Whenever these two were together, it never felt boring — they were great fun.

"You said your dad was coming to pick us up — where is he?" Fang Hong asked.

"He's almost here. Let's go wait at the parking lot." Liu Tianxian also dragged a suitcase.

Everything inside it was hers.

Just as the two were chatting, an old man in tattered clothes came along pulling a small cart, speaking in Wuhan dialect: "Need your luggage dragged?"

"How much?"

Liu Tianxian's little milky voice was very recognizable.

But the old man didn't chase stars and had no idea who 'Liu Yifei' was. He asked, "Where are you headed?"

"Just to the parking lot," Liu Tianxian said.

"Ten kuai."

The old man made a "ten" hand gesture — the parking lot wasn't far.

In the local dialect, outsiders generally can't tell ten and four apart, so a hand gesture is needed to make it clear.

"Then please help us drag them." Liu Tianxian pulled out a hundred-yuan note from her bag and handed it to the old man: "I don't have change — take this."

"I'll make change for you." The old man pulled out a pile of small change from his inner pocket — all fives and tens — you basically never saw any red bills.

"No need for change. Just help us cart it to the spot and that'll be fine," Liu Tianxian declined.

"No change?" the old man asked blankly to confirm.

"No change," Liu Tianxian confirmed.

The old man said nothing, carefully tucked away the hundred-yuan note, and went to haul those two big suitcases — each one was about as tall as an adult's waist.

Fang Hong said nothing. Xu Liyun watched, and felt very gratified too — this daughter-in-law of hers was just too kind-hearted; she'd struck gold.

Seeing the old man was very thin, Liu Tianxian said with concern: "Do you need a hand?"

"No need, I can manage."

The old man finished speaking, hoisted one big suitcase up onto the cart in one go, then hoisted the second — not even breathing hard.

His strength was great; clearly he did this kind of work often, and people like him were plentiful here — you could see them everywhere.

"Look at how much strength other people have, and then look at you." Liu Tianxian sidled up to Fang Hong.

"If I were carrying you, my strength would be plenty too — I could pick you up in one go," Fang Hong said.

"Then carry me — here's your chance to show off." Liu Tianxian teased, wanting to see how strong he really was.

Without a moment's hesitation, Fang Hong bent down, one hand at the crook of her knee, the other arm around her waist, about to lift her up.

Liu Tianxian let out an "aiya," but only one leg was lifted — the other was still hopping on the ground, the posture unsteady.

She clung tightly around Fang Hong's neck: "Hold both legs!"

"It's hard to hold — you have to jump up yourself," Fang Hong indicated.

"I'm scared — just let me go!" Liu Tianxian didn't dare jump; if he didn't catch her, she'd land flat on her backside on the ground.

"Trust me — I can hold you," Fang Hong said with great conviction.

"If you don't catch me, you're dead." Liu Tianxian lightly patted his head.

Watching the two of them roughhousing, Xu Liyun laughed and shook her head: "I'll wait for you at the parking lot."

"Okay," Liu Tianxian replied.

Xu Liyun went off with the old man. The two were still where they were. Liu Tianxian gathered her strength in a one-two-three, then pushed hard — that leg took off.

Fang Hong rushed to catch her too, but whether it was because the cold had sapped his strength or what, he not only failed to catch her, he also tumbled forward together with Liu Tianxian and crashed to the ground.

He was fine — he'd fallen onto Liu Tianxian, a soft, fleshy cushion. Liu Tianxian let out a wail as her backside had an intimate scrape with the ground; the ground was hard and still had snow and ice.

Passersby around them saw it but couldn't make out who they were — they glanced once and moved on.

And didn't offer to help them up. "Did you do it on purpose? Did you do it on purpose?" Liu Tianxian said angrily, patting Fang Hong's back twice in a row, then fixed her sunglasses — her sunglasses had even been knocked off in the fall.

Fang Hong scrambled up and argued, "You can't blame me for this — you're too fat."

"Fat my foot, pull me up quick." Liu Tianxian punched him twice more, loving his bragging.

Fang Hong pulled her up; Liu Tianxian staggered, barely steady on her feet, feeling a sharp pain in her backside.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Fang Hong brushed the snow and ice off her back and backside for her.

"What do you think? If I threw you down on this ground, let's see if it hurts you or not." Liu Tianxian was annoyed — of course it hurt, the colder it is the harder the ground feels.

"You couldn't bear to." Fang Hong said.

"Who says I couldn't bear to? If I weren't injured, I'd throw you on the ground right now." Liu Tianxian gritted her teeth and rubbed her backside.

Of course it was through her clothes — she was already wearing a long windbreaker.

"You don't need to throw me yourself — just give the order." Fang Hong said.

"Get lost!" Liu Tianxian roared.

"Yes, ma'am."

Fang Hong was very obedient, lying on the ground looking as if he really meant to roll, and Liu Tianxian yanked him back up again.

"Still can't bear to part with me." Fang Hong grinned.

Seeing his cheeky look, Liu Tianxian couldn't swallow her anger and pounded his back a few more times. Fang Hong didn't fight back, letting her hit him — he was wearing thick clothes anyway.

"Carry me." Liu Tianxian said.

"You want me to carry you for this too?" Fang Hong wasn't too willing.

"Forget it then, if you don't want to." Liu Tianxian felt wronged, dragging one leg as she limped forward, looking rather pitiful.

"Fine, fine, I'll carry you."

Fang Hong gave in, walked in front of her and crouched down, motioning for her to climb on.

Liu Tianxian flung herself onto his back in one motion.

As for carrying her, Fang Hong could still manage it, and could walk forward steadily.

Liu Tianxian's anger faded a little. She hugged him tight and whispered in his ear, "Hey, are you willing to carry me like this forever, never putting me down?"

"You want to wear me out to death?" Fang Hong said.

"If carrying someone can wear you to death, then you're way too fragile." Liu Tianxian said.

"As long as it doesn't kill me, I'm willing to shoulder the load for you, willing for a whole lifetime — but being worked to death is a no." Fang Hong said.

"Why?"

"I haven't had enough of you yet, haven't even started our happy life together — if I just worked myself to death like that, it'd be too much of a loss for me."

"True enough." Liu Tianxian smiled.

She was quite satisfied with that answer, and her heart felt warm. As for her backside taking that fall, she hadn't minded — it barely hurt anymore.

Thick padding, strong buffering.

The two chatted as they went and soon reached the parking lot — it wasn't far. Liu Tianxian saw her dad in the distance beside a car, while Xu Liyun guarded the luggage.

The two women weren't far apart, yet they seemed not to have noticed each other at all.

That old man had already left — his mission complete.

"Auntie Xu, that's my dad, here to pick us up." Liu Tianxian, on Fang Hong's back, pointed at the person standing by the car not far away.

Xu Liyun was surprised — they'd been standing there for ages, staring at each other, and it turned out they were in-laws.

An Shaokang was also quite taken aback.

"Put me down." Liu Tianxian patted Fang Hong's shoulder.

"Can you manage?" Fang Hong said.

"Much better, I'm fine."

Liu Tianxian hopped off his back, walked forward, and introduced, "Dad, that's Auntie Xu, she's also Fang Hong's mom. We came together."

"Hello, hello." An Shaokang nodded in greeting.

"Hello, I didn't recognize you just now, sorry about that." Xu Liyun felt a bit ashamed and inferior — Liu Tianxian's dad had such a scholarly air about him, clearly no ordinary man at first glance.

"It's fine — we just hadn't met before."

An Shaokang said politely, "Get in the car, I'll handle the luggage."

"Uncle, let me." Fang Hong, very perceptive, stepped forward to grab the luggage, and Liu Tianxian helped too.

With the two youngsters speaking up, An Shaokang didn't stand on ceremony anymore.

After stowing the luggage and a brief exchange of pleasantries, the four got in the car — Liu Tianxian and Xu Liyun in the back, Fang Hong and An Shaokang in front.

An Shaokang was driving — it was his car, after all.

"Dad, let's go out for dinner tonight. Auntie Xu is heading back to her hometown tomorrow morning." Liu Tianxian leaned forward.

An Shaokang glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, "Have you arranged where you'll be staying?"

"It's arranged." What Liu Tianxian didn't mention was the hotel they were staying at.

Her dad was remarried — he had his own family!

Which meant there was a whole big family in that house, and she had her own little family here. If she'd come alone, she could still stay.

With Xu Liyun and Fang Hong there, there was no need to go stay — better not cause trouble.

(End of chapter)