Chen Linyun was inside his service car which was constantly moving along the rough roads of Fujian. He was just returning from Quanzhou, which he added in his itinerary out of interest and self-resolve a while back, when he first learned about the pirate attack in the area.He was seated at the back seat of the car. He was with his team, and his subordinate, Jin Yuan was driving. He was looking at the picturesque landscape quickly flying by the car"s window, but never really appreciating the view.
It was because he was deep in concentration with his thoughts. He was contemplating something which seemed of immense importance. He even appeared troubled.
"Boss, are you alright?" Jin Yuan asked, while glancing at the rear view mirror towards him.
"Huh? Yeah." He answered while blinking. His train of thoughts was disrupted. But regardless, it still returned to the source: a man which he met in Quanzhou.
There was nothing extraordinary about the man. He was a common villager like the others. When mixed with a crowd, the possibility of him standing out was quite slim. If he did stood out, it"s probably because of his height, which was relatively higher than the average at around 178 cm. Chen Linyun"s height was 175cm.
No, there wasn"t extraordinary about the man, except that his face was quite too familiar for Chen Linyun. The man"s face was tanned, and it had a white scar across his nose bridge, yet the features were too familiar.
The man was called Bai An, which had a literal meaning of a person of purity and someone who was tranquil. Whether it was his real name, no one knew.
The village that Chen Linyun visited in Quanzhou was unlike the neighboring prosperous communities around the area. The village where the pirate attack happened was desolate, as if it was already dead beyond revival. The soil was barren, that any plant had no chance of survival. Along the sh.o.r.eline, there were fis.h.i.+ng boats tied on buoys, without any business from fis.h.i.+ng. The villagers reported that for quite some time already, the fish kept on floating on the surface of the water, already dead. Villagers who tried to eat those before suffered severe cases of food poisoning. Some who ate it even died – both young and old, children and adults alike.
Therefore, with no agriculture, no poultry, and no fis.h.i.+ng business, the village had been left with no hope, and no future. Forget about the future, because what the villagers only cared about was how to survive the present – one day at a time. Families worried about the food that they need to feed to their young, the medicine that their sick had to take in, and even the medical attention that they all need. Thankfully there were medical volunteers who visit the area and who, once in a while, supply them with basic medicine. However there were no hospitals, only a small-time clinic no larger than around forty square meters, which was most of the time, closed. It was only opened when the medical volunteers were around.
The village"s case was frustrating. There was no external help aside from some volunteers. Even if they did not admit it, Chen Linyun could have deduced and understood completely if they had resorted into piracy. They were in dire need. They were dying each pa.s.sing day.
"I need to help that community no matter what. They need immediate help." Being a person from the government, and with a family like his who"s directly related to government agencies and officials, extending their case and acquiring help would be something that is doable for him. "I"ll use all my connections." He clenched his fists. Life could not be fair everywhere. While they were enjoying the luxuries of a good and sustainable life in Beijing, some people in the outskirts, at the farther corners of the nation were in desperate circ.u.mstances. Chen Linyun believed that those who were blessed should share and extend a helping hand to those who were not, and in it will result some sort of balance from the world"s injustice. It"s the concept of Yin and Yang.
Time flew by while he was in his deep thoughts. By dusk they had reached Fujian.
"Let"s retire to our chambers first. Let"s rest for around an hour then let"s have dinner. It"s our last dinner here. Tomorrow, we"ll head early towards Fujian International airport." Chen Linyun oriented his staff.
The team"s last night was spent merrily over dinner with sumptuous native delicacies and booze. Their trip was a success, and what better way to wrap it up than to share a good hearty meal with comrades. Such was how Chen Linyun led his team. Consequently, his staffs revered and respected him, and were quite happy with his leaders.h.i.+p.
The next day they flew out of Fujian and into Beijing. Chen Linyun went straight home to the wife at Aparment 301. It was a Sunday.
Upon reaching, he did not ring the doorbell. He simply entered using his keys. It was around three in the afternoon. The apartment was extremely silent, and dark. It seemed empty.
The sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling window seeped through the curtains. The rays danced as the curtains moved, animating the otherwise still afternoon atmosphere.
Chen Linyun left his luggage at the living room and went straight towards the bedroom. The wife was taking her afternoon nap. Xue Guangxi was not there anymore. He probably left that morning.
He ever so slowly inched himself towards her. With a hint of a smile on his lips, he whispered on her ear. "I"m home, love." Then he planted a gentle kiss on her sleeping face.
Xue Jinxu moved a little. She grunted while getting woken up from her slumber. Eyes opening slowly, the world revealed the man, the main character in her dreams. Her lips voluntarily broke into a huge welcoming smile.
"Chen Linyun!" She wrapped her arms across his neck. She giggled first, then gave her husband such warm, soft kiss. It was short, but after ending the kiss, the wife rested her right cheek on his own. They stayed like that for a while.
"I missed you, dear." Xue Jinxu exhaled reverently. "Welcome back."
They were apart for only two weeks but those two weeks seemed like forever. It was so much harder to be separated now that they were married, than when they were still on the early stage of their relations.h.i.+p.
After freshening up from his trip, Chen Linyun shared the details of his adventure, except the part of the community in Quanzhou. "I"ll share it to her at a later time."
Mostly, he shared only the good side of the story. "There"s no credit to make her worry over it. I"ll solve it first." He thought, while cuddling the wife he missed so dearly.