National Tide 1980

The United Airlines flight arrived at the Capital Airport in the evening.

As first-class guests, the old lady from New York and her son certainly had the right to leave the plane first.

So while most of the passengers were waiting, the stewardess not only diligently helped the mother and son pack their clothes and inventory their things.

And he didn't forget to remind them that the temperature outside is now very low, reaching minus 8 degrees Celsius.

Of course it was very cold in Beijing on New Year’s Eve.

So when she walked down the gangway, the lady, who was not sure what she would encounter in her homeland, put on the black mink coat and stood in the wind, shivering somewhat hesitantly.

With her son's support, she looked around for a few seconds before walking down slowly and tremblingly.

On the passage leading to the departure hall, her steps were still very slow.

It wasn’t that she was cold, it wasn’t that her legs and feet were weak, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to get out of the airport quickly, it was just that she wasn’t familiar with how to get there.

Even after getting off the plane, you can see Chinese everywhere.

However, it was not the traditional Chinese characters she was familiar with, but a simplified Chinese character that looked a bit unfamiliar.

Especially looking at the well-disciplined and armed Republic soldiers at the airport, patrolling despite the severe cold.

This made her even more uncertain, not knowing which line to take, and wondering when she would be severely interrogated.

This reaction is shared by many foreigners arriving in the Republic for the first time.

Because the Capital Airport in this era does have a lot of special things compared to foreign airports.

For example, there is no people's police here, and the troops stationed here are responsible for security work.

Even the staff here give people a slightly military feel.

After all, early civil aviation units were organized into troops.

Even after the restructuring, the special nature of the work still made work at the airport as forbidden as in the military, and it still retains that slightly cold style.

Not to mention anything else, if a foreigner is lucky enough to encounter such an occasion as "the third squadron of flight attendants gathers".

You may hold your head and lament that the Republic is indeed a great country, and here even beauties are dispatched according to the military structure...

Fortunately, the great emotional pressure did not last long. The change came precisely when the mother and son walked through a long stretch of road that President Nixon walked when he arrived, and when the cold wind blew up the loess.

It has to be said that although such wind and sand are a bad feeling, it will make those foreign guests who are not familiar with the capital feel troubled and unconsciously lower their heads and speed up.

Even the middle-aged son who accompanied the lady's mother was no exception and choked because of it.

But for this old lady who was born and raised here and returned to her hometown, she undoubtedly found the most familiar taste in her life.

She still clearly remembers that in the 1930s, when she was a bright-eyed and white-toothed girl, she and her friends rode bicycles around the capital, or ran to the Wanchun Pavilion at the highest point of Jingshan Mountain to look at the scenery. This is the loess in your mouth.

This smell is so nostalgic.

This is what she has wanted for decades, this is what she is looking for, this is what she is looking forward to, this local flavor.

For her, she felt energetic.

As a result, her waist stopped bending and she walked smoothly. She shook off her son's arm that was supporting her, completely restored her usual graceful demeanor, and walked forward at the lead.

She even walked wider and wider, and actually quickly passed the few foreigners who were originally walking in front.

And he still had the courage. Before his son could catch up, he walked towards the gate where the guards were standing guard without changing his expression.

However, what was even more unexpected was that there was no harsh or difficult interrogation at all, and she actually passed it extremely smoothly.

The soldiers kept their eyes fixed and motionless.

This not only amazed her, but it turned out that the news she heard over there were all lies, and she was trying to scare herself.

So when she walked to the warmth of the hall to wait for her son, the middle-aged man finally caught up.

Seeing her son who still had a itchy throat, his nose was a little red from the cold, and he was rubbing his hands from the cold, the old lady couldn't help but feel happy.

"Look, what did I say? The capital is my home, how could I not feel comfortable here? It's you who go to exercise and keep fit every day. Why does it look like you are going to be affected by this little wind? Do you have a cold? What's this called? It's like the soil and water support a person. I'll go back to the residence after we meet, and I have to get you a bowl of ginger soup to help you sweat."

"Mom, there's no need for ginger soup. I may be allergic to dust because I'm not used to the strong wind carrying the loess. It should be fine with some warmth. But you just left in a bit too hasty. Don't blame your son for complaining about you. No matter how happy you are, you still have to wait for me. Let’s walk slowly. How can you do without me in this unfamiliar place? If you get lost, how can I find you? ?”

What a filial son, I must say he is really considerate.

But the old lady was not moved and instead said that her son was worrying too much.

"What are you talking about? You are not familiar with this place, but I am going home. How can I throw it away? If you want to throw it away, you will throw it away. Don't believe it. Don't say anything for a while. Just pick up your luggage and follow Mom. You will see if Mom will be confused when she arrives in the capital, and whether she will be able to find Bei."

Then he gave instructions enthusiastically.

"Hey, by the way, don't forget to take out that little thing for taking video tapes. When you get in the car, you have to take a good picture of the streets of Beijing..."

…………

Unlike the mother and son who were walking in front of them, as economy class guests, Mi Xiaoran and Zhao Hanyu undoubtedly had to wait until all the first class and business class guests left before they could get off the plane.

In addition, they tried their best to bring a lot of things into the country this time.

In addition to the three large pieces of checked luggage, carry-on luggage is also carried to the highest standards.

So when they left the plane, they spent a long time just packing their things, which seemed extremely cumbersome.

The queue to get off the plane is even behind most passengers.

Especially when they were tired and tired, as soon as they stepped out of the plane, they were immediately hit by a unique cold wave in the capital covered with wind and sand.

At that time, I was in a state of shock and freezing.

This made them feel even worse.

I have to say here that the coldness in Beijing and the coldness in New York are completely different things.

If you don't wear enough clothes, you will suffer a lot if you wear cold or dry cold methods like this.

Zhao Hanyu's down jacket was quite manageable, but Mi Xiaoran, who only cared about his style and didn't care about the temperature, was in trouble.

Because a material coat on top of her sweater simply couldn't carry it, even if it was a famous brand bought on Fifth Avenue in the United States.

Especially the Capital Airport in this era cannot compare with what it will be thirty years later in terms of infrastructure.

At present, only two terminals, Terminal 0 and Terminal 1, have been completed and put into use.

Due to insufficient equipment and facilities, several different flights often arrive one after another, but there is only one exit and one passage.

As a result, when Mi Xiaoran and Zhao Hanyu walked to the door of the hall, they were a step too late and encountered a peak flow of people.

That's called chaos and crowding.

They were wrapped in the chaotic flow of people and could not move at all. They could only squeeze in the middle of the crowd and move forward slowly.

It felt like swimming in a sea of ​​people. If my feet were off the ground, I would have wanted to be carried forward by others, not to mention how uncomfortable it was.

One can imagine how Mi Xiaoran would feel when these negative factors were added together.

To be honest, that was terrible.

So even though he was born here and grew up here, Mi Xiaoran set foot on his homeland again.

She didn't feel much joy in her heart, but her mood was severely damaged.

She felt that she was really ashamed of her husband Zhao Hanyu.

Not only was she ashamed of having him suffer such a crime in order to let him accompany her back to the capital, but she also felt the collapse of her old beliefs and self-confidence.

Because compared with the orderliness and complete facilities of JFK Airport, she found that the United States is indeed the most prosperous and powerful country in the world.

If nothing else, let’s just talk about the shock I felt when I flew to New York for the first time.

The plane was about to land and night was falling, so she looked down from the porthole.

She still remembered that moment when suddenly her heart was beating fast.

Why?

Because she saw the sea of ​​lights in New York.

There is always talk about the sea of ​​lanterns in literature, and she could never forget looking down at New York from the air. It was really a broad, bright light like the sea.

However, her motherland is too backward, and the airport in Beijing is completely different from that in the United States.

Just like when I flew over the capital today, there was just a glimmer of light, concise and to the point.

Do you want to compare a yellow light with a sea of ​​lights that can really be called a sea?

Just because of this, Mi Xiaoran felt an indescribable frustration.

If you don't be there, you will never know how developed this country has become, let alone how high the living standards of Americans have become.

The gap is too big, and the Republic may never reach its current level.

So she didn't have the leisure and elegance to hang around at the airport. She just wanted to get her luggage and find her relatives and go home quickly.

Fortunately, one thing was not bad. Before going home, she made a phone call with her family. They promised to pick him up at the airport and said that they had even arranged a car.

In fact, this was indeed the case. After she and Zhao Hanyu walked out of the airport, they didn't look around much.

A ridiculously small Fiat suddenly drove over and stopped in front of them.

Then a man and a woman opened the car door almost at the same time, got out of the driver's seat and the passenger seat, and greeted them warmly.

"Xiao Ran, it's really you! Welcome home!"

"Sister, sister! You're back, you've finally arrived!"

Mi Xiaoran turned around and saw that one was his neighbor Luo Guangliang and the other was his sister.

Now, when she was reunited with her family and friends, she finally showed her first smile before getting off the plane.

"Ouch, have you been waiting for us for a long time? The plane is delayed."

"No, no, it's only half an hour. It's not long."

"Not long yet? How cold is the weather..."

"It's okay, we're in the car. You guys don't have much to wear. Come on, give me all your stuff and get in the car."

Luo Guangliang and Mi Xiaoran said a few polite words, then stepped forward and held Zhao Hanyu's hand.

Because they had not met before, Luo Guangliang repeatedly expressed his warm welcome.

Then they took the things, moved their luggage one by one, and loaded it into the car. At this time, Mi Xiaoran couldn't care about anything else. He went up and hugged his biological sister who had grown into a big girl and almost didn't recognize her.

"Are you Xiaohui? Oops, I almost didn't recognize you. Look at this boss, he's really big."

"Oh, I guess you have to say this when you see me. It's only been four or five years. As for that."

"Why not? When I left, you were still acting like a child. I don't know, but I thought you were a boy. Look at you now, you are so beautiful. You will be almost 18 soon."

"Oh, sister, please stop talking about me. You have changed a lot. You have lost weight..."

"It's not that she's lost weight, she's getting older. Hey, is there anyone else?"

"No, third brother and I are here today. Who told you to fly so early? Your parents are waiting for you at home. Let's go quickly."

"Okay...then how do you sit in this car? Your brother-in-law and I sit in the back?"

"Sister, it's better for us to sit in the back and let my brother-in-law sit in the front. It'll be more comfortable that way. We can also talk for a while."

…………

Regardless of whether they all got off the same plane or whether they were all returning to their hometown.

But the old lady in mink fur was not as lucky as Mi Xiaoran. No one came to pick her and her son up, and no one was waiting for them.

If you want to go to their residence from the airport, you can only find a taxi yourself.

The old lady's son hailed a taxi and had to show his foreign currency before the taxi driver would leave.

However, the noble lady was also moved by the noble lady. As soon as she got into the car, the driver seemed to be casually asking about her.

And her pure Beijing dialect made her extremely friendly.

"Old lady, are you two back from the United States?"

"Yeah, how do you know?"

"How many years have we guys been working together? I can tell it when I look at your outfit and don't open your mouth."

"What's wrong with my outfit?"

"You're rich, don't talk about it. People who come back from the United States are generous and wear loose clothes."

That's right, as the driver said, the lady's mink is indeed the Oversized (loose style) that is popular in the United States today.

And this driver is really unambiguous. He is extremely familiar with the roads in the capital. Not only is he familiar with them, but he also knows the allusions.

What is the central axis? What do you mean, inside, nine and outside, seven imperial cities and four? Which one is called Nine Gates at eight o'clock?

Which streets do three horizontal and six vertical refer to? Got it all.

This time it can be considered that he has fallen in love with this noble lady.

The old lady was also interested, but she asked the driver about something she cared about.

For example, in which year did the city walls of the capital disappear?

Is the Fox Tower with the Fox Fairy near the armor factory still there?

At this point, are all the shops open early?

Well, the old lady and the driver really started chatting about "old things in the south of the city", and the old lady's son couldn't find a way to interrupt even if he wanted to.

It turned out that just because of this conversation, the driver was really suitable.

What was originally a forty-minute drive turned into an hour and a half.

For no other reason than because today had a special meaning, the old lady decided to give up the shortest route and was willing to go the long way around.

She is not afraid of spending money. She has to take Beixinqiao, Shitiao, Dongsi, Dengshikou, then pass Jingshan and Drum Tower, to Xisi, pass Xidan, Liubukou, Tiananmen, and then to the Jingcheng Hotel where she is staying.

These were places she was familiar with when she was a child, and she wanted to tell them that she was back! (End of chapter)