Chapter 5 A Glimmer of Dawn and the City That Never Sleeps
The plane flew smoothly at an altitude of 10,000 meters, with an endless sea of clouds outside the window.
Xu Nian glanced at the flight map on Flightradar24; the journey was only halfway over.
Normally, a flight to a domestic city takes only two or three hours, but a flight to Xinjiang takes a full five hours.
She clicked her tongue in amazement, a direct sense of the vastness of her motherland washing over her.
No wonder online shopping for Xinjiang and Tibet is never free.
This somewhat comical realization gave her an initial sense of reality about the vast land she was about to set foot on.
It was already afternoon when we arrived at Urumqi Tianshan Airport.
The cabin door opened, and a blast of cold air rushed out.
Xu Nian checked the weather on her phone; it showed -14 degrees Celsius, a full ten degrees lower than in Haicheng.
She wrapped her down jacket tighter, bracing herself for the cold, but strangely, apart from a slight stinging sensation on her exposed cheeks, she didn't feel particularly cold.
The air is dry, so the cold here is a physical attack; you can resist it as long as you're wrapped up tightly.
Unlike the humid south, the damp cold there is a magical attack that can penetrate clothing and seep into your bones.
Outside the airport arrival hall, taxis lined up in a long queue.
Tan Chen remained a man of few words, but his actions were reassuringly efficient.
He once again demonstrated his amazing boyfriend skills, deftly stuffing her two bulging, almost bursting suitcases, weighing a total of 46kg, into the not-so-spacious trunk of the taxi.
He then stuffed his light-looking black suitcase and travel bag, which seemed to contain only a few changes of clothes, into the passenger seat.
Xu Nianyi watched from the side, silently adding another point to her temporary travel companion's score.
"This partner is definitely worth finding!" she thought to herself with a quiet joy.
The taxi drove away from the airport and merged into the traffic flow of Urumqi.
They are now heading to a hotel, a boutique hotel in the city center, which they had booked. They had already reached a consensus when discussing the itinerary online: no budget travel, no compromising themselves; but also no extravagance or pursuit of empty luxury.
Reject those expensive five-star hotels and choose mid-range hotels that have good reputations, are clean and comfortable, and preferably have local characteristics.
Perhaps it was the five hours they spent sitting side by side on the plane, occasionally chatting in hushed tones, that unconsciously broke down the initial awkwardness and distance. Now, as they squeezed together in the narrow back seat of the taxi, sharing the air in this small space, Xu Nianyi felt no embarrassment or discomfort. Instead, she felt a natural familiarity with him.
She took out her phone, turned to Tan Chen who was looking out the window beside her, and said, "Tan Chen, I'm sending you a QR code for Alipay's 'Little Wallet.' You can scan it to join. This is a shared wallet I set up for this trip. Let's each transfer 10,000 yuan into it first. After that, apart from personal expenses, we'll use it to pay for public expenses such as accommodation, meals, gas, tolls, and attraction tickets, so we don't have to worry about keeping track of the bills every day."
This is a must-have tool that she was recommended to when she was planning her trip. It's very convenient and transparent for friends and couples to split the bill when traveling together, effectively avoiding financial disputes and maintaining a harmonious trip.
Tan Chen listened, his handsome brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
Going out with a girl, especially...
He subconsciously felt that it was inappropriate to let girls pay, and this clear-cut splitting of expenses sounded even more outrageous.
And if his friends found out, they would definitely laugh at him for being stingy and petty.
Ten thousand yuan? In his bar, sometimes you can't even open a decent bottle of wine.
But he knew Xu Nianyi well. This girl seemed easygoing, but in some ways she had her own stubbornness and principles.
If he refuses at this moment, she will either immediately pull out a small notebook she always carries with her and start recording every expense in detail, and then settle the total bill with him. Just thinking about that scene gives me a headache.
Alternatively, she might simply refuse to travel with him again, which would truly be a loss.
He sighed helplessly to himself, resignedly took out his phone, opened Alipay, and scanned the QR code that Xu Nianyi had sent him.
The page redirects, loading a clear interface. In the upper left corner, the name Xu Nianyi gave to this shared little treasury is prominently displayed: "A Little Pouch of Morning Light".
Xu Nian leaned closer to look at his phone screen, her slender fingertips lightly tapping the screen as she instructed, "Yes, right here. Just tap this to transfer, and then enter 10000. My 10000 has already been transferred."
Tan Chen did as instructed and completed the transfer.
Xu Nianyi continued operating his phone with satisfaction, exited the Xiaohubao interface, returned to the Alipay homepage, and gave him a detailed demonstration.
"Look, when we pay later, it's just like when we buy something ourselves—we scan the merchant's QR code." She scanned the payment code on the passenger headrest and pointed to the screen. "You enter the amount, click pay, and switch from your bank card to our Yi Nian Chen Guang Little Pocket! Isn't that super convenient?"
Just then, the taxi driver seemed to be distracted and almost missed an elevated highway exit.
At the last moment, the driver suddenly turned the steering wheel to the right, causing the car to tilt violently.
Xu Nianyi, who was not sitting properly and was facing Tan Chen sideways, was caught off guard and let out a short cry of surprise. She lost her balance and fell uncontrollably, crashing solidly into Tan Chen's strong arms.
In an instant, the world seemed to be muted.
Both of them froze.
Even through the thick down jackets, you could almost feel the heart pounding in each other's chests with unprecedented force and speed.
A subtle atmosphere, a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and a faint sweetness, filled the carriage; even the driver's apology sounded distant.
Tan Chen was the first to recover from the brief physical contact. He held Xu Nianyi's shoulders and helped her sit up straight. His tone carried a tension and concern that he himself was unaware of as he whispered, "Sit tight, and make sure you fasten your seatbelt in the back too. They're strict about traffic rules here; if you're caught not wearing one, it's twenty yuan."
Xu Nian's cheeks flushed red, like a child caught doing something wrong. She gave a low, slightly embarrassed "Oh," hurriedly pulled on her seatbelt, fastened it with a "click," and then sat up straight, staring straight ahead, not daring to move again.
Upon arriving at the booked hotel, Xu Nianyi watched Tan Chen diligently unload her two enormous suitcases from the trunk, feeling a little embarrassed. She scratched her head and explained, "Because I'm planning a long trip this time, maybe a year or two, I brought clothes and shoes for all four seasons, as well as various small items and medicines that I might need. Um, it's just... a bit too much..."
She pointed to the blue suitcase, "But I have a plan! I've packed all the clothes I definitely won't be wearing anytime soon into this blue suitcase, and I'll just put it at the bottom of the trunk. I'll just use this purple one all the time!"
As she walked towards the front desk to check in, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "But you, why do you have so little luggage? Are you planning to go back after skiing?"
Tan Chen pushed two suitcases behind him, his tone calm, "I didn't bring many clothes. I figured if I didn't have enough, I could buy more along the way."
“Okay,” Xu Nian muttered under her breath, “The world of the rich is indeed carefree.”
The two rooms are opposite each other.
We agreed to rest for an hour each, and then meet in the hotel lobby at 7 p.m. sharp to go out for dinner.
Compared to the eastern city where I've always lived, the nights here seem to start later and the pace of life is more leisurely.
They took a taxi to the renowned Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar.
From afar, the architectural complex, with its distinctive local style, appears under the dazzling lights like a dreamlike scene transported from One Thousand and One Nights, exuding a rich and mysterious exotic charm.
On the roof of one of the buildings, a large statue of Nasreddin and a donkey lies quietly, silently watching the flow of people and vehicles.
As soon as you get off the bus, the noisy crowds, cheerful folk music, and the enticing aroma of various spices and foods envelop you like a tide.
"Look! That naan is huge! It's like a wheel!" Xu Nianyi was immediately attracted by a naan-making stall at the entrance. Pointing to the naan, which was bigger than a washbasin, she excitedly took out her phone and took pictures.
They followed the flow of people and were soon drawn to a stall selling baked buns with a long queue and a wonderfully fragrant aroma.
Freshly baked buns have a golden-brown, crispy crust and a caramelized aroma.
Xu Nianyi couldn't wait and bought four. She carefully bit open a small hole, and the scalding hot mutton filling, mixed with onions and black pepper, almost splashed out, making her gasp. But because of the delicious taste, she couldn't help but chew it heartily, praising it indistinctly! "Delicious! It's just too hot!"
Then, their gazes were firmly fixed on the enormous mutton skewers skewered on red willow branches.
Chunks of lamb, marbled with fat and lean meat, sizzle over glowing charcoal, dripping fat and sending up plumes of fragrant smoke and sparks. The heat intensifies the aroma of cumin and chili powder.
Tan Chen went to queue up and bought two skewers, handing one to Xu Nian. Xu Nian took it, bit off a big piece, the mutton was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, full of juice, and mixed with the unique faint fragrance of red willow wood.
They stopped in front of a century-old handmade ice cream shop.
Unlike the soft and smooth ice cream we usually eat, the ice cream here has an exceptionally firm and chewy texture, and there are many dried fruit toppings that you can add yourself. Xu Nianyi picked up a piece with a wooden stick and put it in her mouth. The rich milky aroma instantly filled her mouth, and the texture was thick and chewy.
"It looks like there's a song and dance performance over there!" Xu Nian pointed to a small circular square in the center of the Grand Bazaar.
The two squeezed into the crowd and saw several Uyghur girls dressed in brightly colored Atlas silk skirts and delicate little hats, along with several young men in similar traditional attire, dancing gracefully to cheerful and lively folk music.
The girls' slight movements of their necks, the flips of their wrists, and the shifts in their eyes were full of grace and charm;
The young men's movements were powerful and vigorous, with agile steps. They would occasionally perform a difficult spin and jump, which drew cheers from the onlookers.
In front of a stall filled with all kinds of exquisite handicrafts, Xu Nianyi's steps were stuck to the dazzling array of refrigerator magnets.
She picked up this and put down that, loving each one dearly.
Finally, after a difficult decision, she chose a Uyghur girl in a red Atlas silk dress and a refrigerator magnet with a large naan pattern. Satisfied, she paid for it and stuffed it into her backpack like a treasure.
"I want to collect refrigerator magnets from all over the country," she said to Tan Chen with a smile.
They wandered aimlessly through the Grand Bazaar, eating as they went, and before they knew it, they had been there for more than three hours.
"My God! It's almost 10:30!" Xu Nianyi exclaimed in surprise, looking at the still dusky sky, with no sign of nightfall. "This is amazing! It feels like we've stolen a few hours of time!"
Tan Chen remained calm about this, explaining, "Xinjiang is located in the westernmost part of the country, and there is a time difference of about two or three hours with Beijing time. It's usually not completely dark here until around 11 p.m.
"That's fantastic!" Xu Nianyi exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "If it gets dark this late, we'll have so much time during the day! We can sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, and then set off. After all, the days are long!"
"Yes, I support it." Tan Chen nodded in agreement, a faint smile playing on his lips. After all, as someone who runs a bar and is used to nightlife, his biological clock is naturally nocturnal, so he wholeheartedly approves of this leisurely travel mode of sleeping late and waking up late.
Back at the hotel, Xu Nianyi collapsed onto the soft, white bed and sighed contentedly.
The fatigue from a long day was washed away by immense excitement.
She took out her phone and eagerly began organizing the massive amount of footage she had shot that day—the magnificent sea of clouds outside the airplane window, the cityscape of Urumqi, mouthwatering close-ups of various delicacies, and that wonderful ethnic song and dance performance...
Outside the window, the night in Urumqi is just beginning.
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