Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

After getting his passport sorted, Lin Yanzhou was tidying up in the living room when his phone rang. The screen displayed an unfamiliar landline number. He answered, and the person on the other end first stated their organization, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone: "Mr. Lin, we are from the National Security System Liaison Group. We noticed you have plans to travel abroad soon and would like to confirm the specific time and destination with you."

"Big Goose, we're planning to set off today."

There was a pause on the other end, as if someone was taking notes: "Considering your current registration status within the research collaboration system, the higher-ups are somewhat concerned about your travel. We suggest that three staff members accompany you, primarily responsible for handling and coordinating any unforeseen circumstances. They will not interfere with your freedom of movement, nor will you need to provide any additional travel arrangements. All travel expenses will be covered by us."

Lin Yanzhou stood by the window, a cloud passing through the sunlight outside the balcony: "I have someone traveling with me here."

"It's already been noted. Ms. Lin's information has been synchronized in the system. The car will arrive this afternoon, first taking the child to school, then taking you two to the airport."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yanzhou stood in the living room for a while. He really had no secrets left. Since they valued him, he would gladly accept it.

Xiaoya came out of the bedroom: "Whose call was that?"

"The National Security Bureau said they would send someone to accompany him, reimburse the expenses, and provide a private car to take him to the airport."

Xiaoya was folding a coat, her hands still moving: "Why did you send someone to follow us?"

"Haha, your husband is a big shot now, probably afraid I'll run away and never come back."

She glanced at him, put her folded coat into her suitcase, and closed the lid. "So, what time are we leaving?"

"Just wait for the call, haha, I don't even need to book my own plane ticket. Although I'm not short of money now, it's still pretty cool to travel for free."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, a black minivan pulled up in front of the villa. The car was dark-colored, the windows were closed, and the engine was running. After a while, a man in a dark gray jacket got out of the driver's seat, walked to the door, and rang the doorbell. When Lin Yanzhou opened the door, the man was standing at the bottom of the steps: "Mr. Lin, the car has arrived. We'll go to the school first, then to the airport."

Xiaozhou's pink suitcase, with an old bear keychain hanging from the zipper pull, was already placed by the entryway. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, pulled the suitcase handle, and went out the door.

Xiaoya followed behind her, carrying a small bag. She stood on the steps, glanced back at the villa door, locked it, and got into the car. Lin Yanzhou walked last, closing the car door behind him. The car drove out of the villa area, merged onto the main road, and headed towards the school.

Upon arriving at the school gate, Xiaozhou took her suitcase from the trunk, took the backpack Xiaoya handed her, and slung it over her shoulder. "Just send me photos when you get there," she said, turning and walking away. She dragged her suitcase through the school gate, took a few steps, turned back, waved towards the car, and continued walking inside. Xiaoya watched her go in until she turned the corner of the teaching building and disappeared from sight, then turned back and sat down.

After the car got back on the road, Xiaoya leaned back in her seat and turned her head to look out the window. The car had been driving on the airport expressway for almost forty minutes, and the outline of the terminal building in the distance was gradually getting bigger.

The terminal building at Daxing Airport is brightly lit. Sunlight streams down from the glass curtain wall at the top, spreading a uniform white light across the light-colored floor.

They didn't go through the regular security checkpoint. Ground staff led them into a separate corridor, at the end of which was a separate security gate with two uniformed staff members standing beside it. They stepped aside as they approached.

After security, the ground staff led them to the rest area near the boarding gate. Xiaoya sat down, put her bag on her lap, glanced at the trucks loading and unloading luggage outside the floor-to-ceiling window, then looked down at the glass of water beside her. The world changes so fast! Yanzhou has changed so much too!

The boarding aisle they used was some distance from the main gate. The jet bridge was enclosed, and the floor was covered with dark gray non-slip mats, offering only a slight resistance when stepped on. At the end of the jet bridge was the aircraft door, where a flight attendant stood holding a tablet computer. She stepped aside to let them through.

The entrance to business class is narrower than that of economy class, but once you step inside, the view opens up dramatically. The entire area is warmly lit, with curved light strips cascading down from the ceiling and casting a soft, even glow on the leather seats. The seats are light gray and significantly wider than those on regular airplanes, so two people sitting down at the same time won't bump into each other's elbows.

The partition between the seats is dark gray with a matte texture and a small reading light embedded in it. The outer shell is made of frosted material with thin edges. There is a row of function buttons on the side of the armrest, and next to it is a cover that can be flipped open, under which are hidden a power socket and a USB port.

Each seat has an individual screen embedded in the backrest, with the edges almost flush with the seat surface, showing no noticeable protrusion. Next to each seat is a cup holder with a non-slip pad on the inside to secure the cup. The control buttons above the armrests are neatly arranged. When the backrest adjustment button is pressed, the seat cushion moves continuously with the pressure applied, and the angle changes of both the seat cushion and backrest are smooth without any noticeable abrupt stops.

After sitting down, Xiaoya first pressed the seat cushion with her palm to feel its rebound, then ran her hand along the surface of the row of buttons on the side of the armrest, without pressing any. She pulled out the folding table and examined it; the table opened and closed almost silently, and the gap between the metal clips on the edge and the table was very even.

She adjusted the backrest, feeling it moving backward at a steady pace, while a small support pad rose below her ankles, just enough to support the back of her knees. She held this position for about ten seconds, then returned to the original position, as if to confirm that the feature was indeed within her reach.

"This seat is wider than any I've ever sat in before," she said, placing her hand on the armrest, her palm against the leather surface. "During my years studying abroad, I flew long-haul flights many times, always in economy class, and my feet would be swollen after more than ten hours." She paused here, looking down at the ground beside her feet. "Back then, flying was just about getting somewhere, thinking I'd sleep on the plane and get off when I arrived. I've never felt like this before, that flying itself is a time that should be cherished."

When the flight attendant brought hot towels and welcome drinks, Xiaoya took the hot towel, unfolded it to warm her fingers, and then folded it and placed it on the edge of the tray table. Turning her head, she looked out the window and saw a plane unloading cargo. An orange ground vehicle moved back and forth along the side of the aircraft, and her own silhouette was reflected in the edge of the window.

As the plane began taxiing, the ground outside the window slowly receded. Xiaoya rested her hand on the armrest of her seat, feeling the cabin tilt forward more and more, the horizon begin to tilt, and the buildings outside the window begin to shrink into neatly arranged squares. She turned back to look at Lin Yanzhou: "I never felt that takeoff was anything special when I flew before. Takeoff is just takeoff." She turned back to look out the window again, "This time is different."

When dinner was served, it was on white ceramic plates with two thin, dark gold lines along the rim. The food was arranged in a small square: a main course, a side dish, a small bowl of soup, and a plate of cut fruit beside it. Xiaoya picked up her fork and ate her first bite very slowly. After chewing, she took a sip of soup.

"When we get to Moscow," she put down her fork, "I want to go to Red Square."

"and then?"

"Then let's see if we can find the angle of that photo in the catalog," she said, taking a sip of her drink. "When I used to look at catalogs, I always felt that place was very far away. Now that I'm going with you, maybe because we're going together, it doesn't feel like it's been that long."