Jiang Hao's taxi was parked at the airport drop-off area, waiting in line. Passengers from the vehicles in front of him were carrying their luggage and walking towards the airport gate.

Xia Jianguo turned to look at the mother and daughter in the back seat and asked, "Shall we get off here?"

"good."

Jiang Hao looked at the family of three who were about to get off the bus and said, "Those who get off now still have to walk a kilometer. Wait a little longer, it will be our turn soon."

Xia Minmin said, "Uncle Jiang, no need. Walking around will help us wake up, and besides, we can also enjoy the scenery around the airport."

Li Chunmei tidied up the two shopping bags she was carrying and opened the right-hand car door.

Xia Jianguo took the suitcase out of the trunk, stood in the passenger seat, and handed the fare to Jiang Hao through the open window.

Jiang Hao took the fare and said, "Okay, you and your family should be careful."

This was Xia Minmin's first time visiting Shenzhen Airport in the 1990s, and the airport's overall operation was not much different from that of later years.

Xia Minmin and her group followed the flow of people into the airport terminal. The terminal was crowded, with most people moving quickly. A small group of people, like the Xia family, were visiting the airport for the first time and kept looking around, examining the various signs.

Airport staff approached the Xia family upon seeing them and asked, "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello, I'd like to ask where I can exchange my plane ticket?"

An airport staff member gestured with their hands to indicate the approximate direction, asking, "Have you remembered it?"

Following the staff's instructions, Xia Minmin and her companions found the corresponding airline's check-in counter, exchanged their tickets, checked their luggage, and went through security to reach the waiting room.

There are many restaurants around the waiting area, including McDonald's, KFC, steamed bun shops, Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and of course, tea restaurants.

Li Chunmei looked at her daughter, who was swallowing hard, and asked, "Xiaomin, are you hungry? Let's go eat first. I don't know if it was worth it to come all the way to the airport to eat?"

Xia Jianguo asked, "What do you want to eat? There's nothing special to eat. Xiaomin, what do you want to eat?"

"KFC, the food at the airport must be expensive, just like the convenience store at our school, and it's not necessarily good."

Li Chunmei complained, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have just bought two steamed buns for dinner. I thought the airport would have some special food."

Compared to other restaurants, McDonald's and KFC at the airport had particularly long queues.

"Hello, would you like to eat in or take away?"

Xia Jianguo glanced at the time and realized they were running late. "Pack your things, we're about to board the plane."

"Please wait a moment, we will do our best."

Li Chunmei asked, "Jianguo, are we about to board the plane?"

Just then, the airport announcement came on.

"Passengers Xia Jianguo, Li Chunmei, and Xia Minmin, please proceed to Gate 5 as soon as possible. Boarding for your flight is about to close!"

Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei's expressions changed drastically.

"Take Xiaomin to the boarding gate first, I'll come right over as soon as I get my dinner!"

Xia Jianguo turned around and urged the restaurant staff.

Airport restaurant staff are used to it; this kind of thing happens every day, so they speed up the packing process.

"Hello, your..."

Before the KFC staff could finish speaking, Xia Jianguo grabbed the plastic bag and ran away.

Li Chunmei, carrying two bags of down jackets, stood with Xia Minmin on the covered bridge with Xia Jianguo.

Upon seeing Xia Jianguo, Li Chunmei finally smiled and quickly waved.

When the flight attendants saw the three of them coming over, they helped them to their seats and put the shopping bag containing their down jackets on the overhead luggage rack.

"Hello, please fasten your seatbelt. Please eat your dinner after the plane has reached a stable altitude. It is not safe to eat dinner during takeoff due to turbulence."

"Okay, thanks for reminding me."

As the plane began taxiing and was about to take off, Li Chunmei gripped the handrails on both sides tightly.

Xia Jianguo and Xia Minmin both noticed her unusual behavior. Xia Jianguo hugged Li Chunmei and kept stroking her back.

"It's okay, take a deep breath."

Xia Minmin said, "Mom, follow my rhythm, inhale... exhale..."

After several rounds, Li Chunmei's tension finally eased.

The plane gradually stabilized, and Xia Jianguo handed her the water.

Li Chunmei took a sip of water. "Airplanes are really a nightmare! Just thinking about having to take a plane back gives me a headache."

Xia Jianguo said, "How about we come back and take the train?"

Xia Minmin said, "I have no objection."

Li Chunmei shook her head. "Compared to taking a train for a whole day and night, it's better to take a plane. The discomfort only lasts for a few minutes and then it's over quickly."

As the plane settled, flight attendants pushed trolleys and distributed meals.

Xia Minmin and the others also took out the hamburgers they had packed and started eating their belated dinner.

The group wolfed down their hamburgers; they were starving. They usually eat dinner around 5 p.m., but today they didn't eat until almost 7 p.m.

When the flight attendants served dinner, they ate a portion as well, and that's when they felt full.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they leaned back in their seats and went to sleep. Xia Minmin had to go to sleep early because they arrived in the capital very late.

"...We are about to arrive in Beijing. Please fasten your seatbelts. The plane is about to land."

Xia Minmin and the others were awakened by the airplane's announcement, and there were rustling sounds coming from the cabin.

The flight attendants walked around checking each passenger's seatbelt and sun visor.

Before the plane even landed, Li Chunmei's nervousness returned. She had experience in relieving tension, so she kept taking deep breaths.

After the plane came to a stop, Xia Minmin pulled open the sunshade. The snow on the tarmac had been cleared away, and snow could still be seen on the rooftops in the distance.

As soon as the cabin door opened, a blast of cold air hit the passengers, who all took out their warm clothes and put them on.

Stepping out of the cabin, Xia Minmin was still adjusting to the temperature difference between the two places and was shivering from the cold.

Li Chunmei zipped her down jacket up to the highest position, pulled up the hood, and got fully armed to retrieve her luggage.

After collecting their luggage, they followed the airport signs to the taxi stand. It was already late, the buses had stopped running, and there were many people waiting for taxis. They waited for twenty minutes before it was their turn.

Snowflakes were falling in the capital at night, and the temperature was four or five degrees lower than during the day. Except for her eyes, Xia Minmin's nose and mouth were tucked inside the collar of her down jacket.

After getting into the taxi, Xia Jianguo told the driver the name of the five-star hotel he had stayed at before.

Once in the taxi, Xia Minmin fell asleep again; the night flight was too disruptive to her biological clock.

It was almost midnight when Xia Jianguo arrived at the hotel, and he checked in alone at the front desk.

Xia Minmin and Li Chunmei stood at the hotel's hot air vent, rubbing their frozen faces.

Xia Jianguo waved to the mother and daughter, holding the room key, "Let's go!"

The room was a standard double room with two 1.5-meter beds, and Li Chunmei and Xia Minmin slept in one bed.

Drinking a cup of hot water and taking a hot bath makes me feel like I've come back to life.