Impulsive journey
When Chen Wang received the leave approval email from the institute, he was staring at Lin Weixi's circle of friends on the computer screen. The Norwegian aurora forecast map, like a soft feather, stirred ripples in his heart.
Without hesitation, he opened the airline's website. Fingers tapped away at the keyboard, selecting the next flight to Oslo. Payment, confirmation, printing the itinerary—the whole process was quick and smooth, as if any slower action would have been enough to cause regret.
The economy class seat was uncomfortable for the fifteen-hour flight. He couldn't sleep. It was pitch black outside the cabin window, with only the occasional flicker of lights on the wings. He pulled out his phone, a photo album containing a few diary photos. The screen's light illuminated his face in the darkness. Those beautiful handwriting replayed over and over in his mind.
It was snowing lightly in Oslo when the plane landed. The chilly air gave him a shiver, instantly sobering him up. Following the map on his phone, he took a bus, then a local train, heading towards the small town called Stat.
Outside the car window was an unfamiliar Nordic landscape: snow-covered pine forests and a frozen lake. He leaned against the window, feeling a bit lost, unsure of why he had come all this way. He just had a strong urge to see where she lived.
The town was small, so quiet that you could hear the sound of falling snow. He found the aurora observatory, a small wooden house built on the edge of the fjord. He didn't dare get too close, but stood far away in the shadow of a pine forest.
The observatory's glass curtain wall was bright, allowing him to clearly see what was going on inside. Lin Weixi was there, wearing thick winter clothing, debugging an instrument with several colleagues. She held a tablet in her hand, occasionally looking up to say something, directing others to adjust the angle. Her movements were very neat, unlike the girl he remembered, who was always a little quiet and hiding behind the camera.
After an unknown amount of time, the observatory door opened. She emerged, chatting and laughing with her colleagues, presumably finishing her workday. She didn't notice him. After waving goodbye to her companions, she walked alone toward a small wooden house not far away, which must have been her residence.
She pushed open the door of the cabin, and the light from inside poured in, outlining her figure. She stamped the snow on the doorway, then walked in and closed the door.
Chen Wang stood there, snowflakes falling on his shoulders. He saw the warm lights on in the cabin's windows, and occasionally saw her shadow moving around.
He suddenly felt that this was enough.
It is enough to see that everything is going well for her and that she is still full of energy doing what she loves in this distant place.
He stood there for a long time, until his hands and feet were frozen, then he slowly turned and left. A lonely line of footprints was left on the snow, which was soon covered by new snow.
On the bus back home, he received a work email about his next research project. He replied and then watched the snowy landscape pass by outside the window.
After the impulse subsided, a strange peace settled in his heart. He did not disturb her life, but just like a distant audience, he quietly took a look at the other life she starred in, without him.
Back at Oslo Airport, with some time left before takeoff, he sat in the waiting area, opened his phone, and looked at the aurora forecast map again. Then, he sent her a message with just a few words:
"The aurora is beautiful, I wish you a smooth shooting."
After clicking send, he turned off his phone. Outside the huge glass window, another plane took off, flying towards an unknown distance. His journey ended, but hers continued.
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