Evening Stars Chapter 3 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 3.1
The next three hundred or so kilometers went unusually smoothly, and there was no traffic jam at the Kunlun Pass.
After crossing Damxung was Lhasa. Before the sun had set, Xu Nanheng was already sleepy.
The last time he had slept was back in Golmud. He really couldn't keep going now, especially after eating baked baozi and those crispy-bottomed flatbreads whose name he couldn't remember. The blood sugar spike from the carbs, combined with the rocking motion of the car, brought on an irresistible drowsiness.
By the time Xu Nanheng opened his eyes again, they had already reached Lhasa.
“It's dark already?” Xu Nanheng asked groggily while looking out the car window.
Seeing him awake, Fang Shiyou said, “No, it's not dark. It's overcast. That's how the weather in Lhasa is. One moment the sun is blinding, the next, heavy clouds press down on the city and the wind starts to howl.”
“Oh……” Xu Nanheng's voice was weak and hoarse, which was typical after waking up from an uncomfortable sleep.
He cleared his throat and reached toward the back seat for a bottle of mineral water.
The wind outside was strong. Perhaps it was the altitude, but Xu Nanheng felt like the clouds were hanging so low, as if they were truly pressing down on the city.
At an intersection, the plastic canopy beside the traffic police booth flapped violently in the wind, nearly blown across the crosswalk. A traffic officer rushed over to grab its pole, while plastic bags from the garbage cans were swept out, flying wildly everywhere.
Then Fang Shiyou said, “Look, the Potala Palace.”
“Hm?”
“From my side.” Fang Shiyou kept his eyes on the road ahead and pointed toward the driver's side window.
A glance toward the driver's side window was sure to bring the driver into view. So when Xu Nanheng turned his head, the first thing he saw was Dr. Fang's sharp jawline and the smooth line of his neck.
Dr. Fang was quite good-looking, somewhat like a handsome senior from university you'd pass in a hurry, leaving you with a fleeting glimpse you'd remember for years. Xu Nanheng was somewhat of a face-con, which was the only reason he had let him into the car in the first place. Picking up a stranger in the middle of the night had been risky, a bit like gambling with his life.
“Did you see it?” Fang Shiyou asked.
“Ah.”
He hadn't seen anything at all. He had been distracted. Xu Nanheng admitted honestly, “No.”
“It's fine. There'll be plenty of chances.”
Xu Nanheng frowned. “Why do you say that?”
Fang Shiyou said, “You're a teacher, and school will start soon. Since you came to Tibet at this time, you must be here for a volunteer teaching program, right? You'll have plenty of chances to see it then…… Teacher Xu, where should I stop? Your navigation's set to Potala Palace Square, but right now it'll be jammed if we go there, and I'm a little pressed for time. Can you drop me off somewhere else first?”
“Oh.” Xu Nanheng took a sip of water, sat up straighter, glanced at the parking spots along the side road, and said, “I just set the location randomly. You can stop right there.”
“Alright.” Fang Shiyou switched on the turn signal, changed lanes after waiting for the traffic to pass, and pulled into a public parking spot along the side road.
After steadying the car, he reached back to grab the cooler box from the floor of the back seat, then unbuckled his seat belt and took out his phone. “I'll transfer you the road fee.”
The mention of road fee suddenly reminded Xu Nanheng of the gas station. He asked, “You paid for the fuel earlier, didn't you?”
Fang Shiyou didn't answer.
Xu Nanheng reached over and pressed open the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat. Sure enough, he had remembered wrong. The fuel card wasn't tucked into the sun visor above the steering wheel, but had been left in the glove box the last time.
This Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon had a hundred-liter tank, and premium 98-octane gas was no less than nine yuan a liter. Leaning closer to check the dashboard, Xu Nanheng figured Fang Shiyou must have paid to fill the entire tank.
“Forget it, don't bother. You can go.”
“Teacher Xu,” Fang Shiyou said, “It was a dark and windy night, and I was a complete stranger you picked up on the highway. You were willing to take that risk for me, so wat's this bit of gas money? But in the future, you really should think twice about situations like this. So much information can be falsified these days.”
Xu Nanheng gave a small laugh. “Alright, I'll keep that in mind.”
Of course, he couldn't say it had been because he found Fang Shiyou good-looking. So he added, “Dr. Fang is right. Next time I'll be more careful.”
“Your payment code.” Fang Shiyou gestured with his phone, still open on the scan page.
Xu Nanheng shook his head. “No need. You already paid for the fuel.”
“That won't do.” Fang Shiyou insisted, “Road fees are road fees, gas money is gas money.”
“Really, it's fine,” Xu Nanheng said. “Aren't you in a hurry? Go on.”
As he spoke, he unbuckled his seat belt, opened the passenger door, and stepped out. The wind was fierce, whipping Xu Nanheng's unzipped lead-gray hoodie, making it billow behind him like a hero's cape.
Xu Nanheng walked straight around the front of the car, opened the driver's door from outside, and urged, “Dr. Fang, get out. If fate allows, we'll meet again.”
Dr. Fang had no choice. After all, Xu Nanheng's car wasn't a taxi, so it wouldn't have a payment code sticker inside. He put away his phone, the wind rushing into the car, making him squint against it.
The truth was, Fang Shiyou had been doing medical aid work in Tibet for nearly a year, and had been to many rural villages and counties, so he always carried cash. He pulled out his wallet from his jacket pocket, grabbed the whole stack of bills, shoved them into the glove compartment, and shut it firmly.
“Tsk, you……” Xu Nanheng really hadn't seen that coming.
Fang Shiyou put away his wallet, picked up the cooler box, and got out of the car. “Thank you for giving me a ride, Teacher Xu.”
“You're welcome, Dr. Fang.” Xu Nanheng shook his hand.
“Goodbye,” Fang Shiyou said.
“Mm.” Xu Nanheng nodded. “Goodbye.”
After that, Xu Nanheng slid into the driver's seat, adjusted the rearview mirror and his seat, switched on the turn signal, and prepared to merge into traffic. In the mirror, Dr. Fang's tall figure was quickly swallowed up by the strong wind and disappeared into the crowd.
Glancing at the glove compartment again, Xu Nanheng saw that Dr. Fang had stuffed twelve hundred yuan inside. He let out a quiet sigh and closed it.
After setting the navigation to his destination, Xu Nanheng had a sudden realization. After sharing a stretch of the journey together, Dr. Fang had not only filled his tank with 98-octane fuel but had also given him a tube of sunscreen, yet they hadn't even exchanged WeChat contacts.
Mostly it was because Fang Shiyou had left in such a hurry, and with the stormy wind and chaos, Xu Nanheng had forgotten himself. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush. If he had wanted someone's contact, he would have asked directly. But just now, he really had forgotten.
Forget it. Xu Nanheng drove toward the hotel. Although it was a bit regretful, it was only a little bit.
A handsome stranger might catch his eye for a moment, but he would never dwell on it for years.
After checking in, Xu Nanheng sprawled on the bed, arms and legs outstretched. Since leaving Golmud, the altitude had risen to over four thousand meters. But sitting in the car without moving much, he hadn't felt any altitude sickness, so he had thought himself lucky to be unaffected.
Yet just now, dragging two suitcases and carrying a backpack on that short walk from the parking lot to the hotel lobby had left him out of breath.
In high-altitude regions, a ‘short walk’ was nothing like a normal one. Hauling suitcases was one thing, but with a backpack weighing on his shoulders, it was even worse.
His laptop alone weighed nearly three kilograms, and by the time he walked into the hotel lobby he was panting as if he had trekked all the way from Beijing.
After lying down for a while and feeling a little better, Xu Nanheng reached for his phone and made a call. When the line connected, he said, “Mom, I've arrived in Lhasa.”
“Have you settled in?” his mother asked.
“Mhm, I'm resting at the hotel. Tomorrow I'll drive to Shannan.” Xu Nanheng turned onto his side.
“You must be exhausted,” his mother said. “You sound so drained.”
“Of course,” Xu Nanheng replied. “Over thirty-five hundred kilometers, and I drove more than half of it by myself.”
“Hm?” his mother asked on the other end. “And what about the less than half of it?”
Xu Nanheng had meant to gloss over that part, but with his brain fogged from the lack of oxygen, he blurted out, “Ah…… I picked someone up along the way.”
“What kind of someone! That's dangerous!” his mother's voice immediately rose. “How could you let a stranger in your car? What if he were a bad person? What if he knocked you out and dragged you away, stole your kidneys, or dug out your corneas? You can't be too careful, Xu Nanheng!”
He had expected her to react this way, and he understood it himself. So he said, “Alright~ it won't happen again. There won't be a next time.”
His mother lectured him a little more, and Xu Nanheng dutifully agreed. She had always been a little indulgent with him. Even before he set off, she told him that he could just turn back home if he regretted it halfway. They didn't have to worry about the volunteer teaching anymore.
Xu Nanheng had only considered turning back on the road out of sheer frustration. He knew very well his mother just doted on him too much, not wanting him to suffer.
She sighed and went on, “Then make sure to buy your daily necessities in the city. Oh, right, Nanheng, have you seen the Potala Palace yet? Have you gone up Yaowang Mountain? Take lots of photos!”
“……” Xu Nanheng couldn't help but laugh. “Mom, I'm not here on vacation.”
When he finally hung up, he felt it was better to talk less in high altitude. It was exhausting. After lying down for a few more minutes, Xu Nanheng forced himself up and went to shower.