Chapter 109 (2/2)
“Of course, everyone’s going together.” Lin ShuYi responded.
Bouncing with joy, Xiao Wan exclaimed, “You’re the best, I’ve never been abroad before!!”
Xiao Wan’s grandma, however, was a bit more reserved. “It’s too much money if we all go together, but your grandpa should go, it’s alright if we don’t tag along as well.”
After all, they didn’t have any genetic relationships with Lin ShuYi, nor were they as close to him as Old Man Yang.
“Grandma, what kind of words are those?” Lin ShuYi smiled. “Putting aside the fact that I’ve considered you my family for a long time now, just the fact that you’re grandpa Yang’s partner means you’re supposed to go. What’s more, I consider grandpa Yang my real grandfather, and for an event as important as this, I wish for all of you to be by my side.”
Old Man Yang’s eyes started to get a little teary, his hands a bit shaky, as he reached out to grab Lin ShuYi’s hand and said, “We’ll go! Of course we’ll go! Such an important date, the money doesn’t matter, we all have to go.”
In the beginning, he was really just being kind, taking pity on a child who seemed to be all alone. How could he have ever thought that one day, this child would bring him such solace? Just like Lin ShuYi said, he considered this child to be his own grandson.
Once the event dates were set, the days inbetween passed exceptionally fast. The original plan was for Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi to head over first, after all, they still had a lot of matters to settle. But then, Shen Fu decided that everyone should go together, and treat the days before the wedding as a vacation. Los Angeles’s temperatures were even all year round (3), and with July being particularly hot in China, everyone taking a trip together was just the right opportunity to relieve some of the pressure on Lin ShuYi’s heart.
The visas applications were processed quickly, but before applying for anything, Lin ShuYi made sure to first go around consulting a multitude of doctors. He ordered TaoTao a detailed full body examination to see if flying would have any adverse effects on his illness, and if they really couldn’t take a plane, then they had to come up with another plan.
Fortunately, the doctor’s medical report very clearly stated that TaoTao’s illness didn’t have any signs of distress on his heart, so there shouldn’t be adverse effects from boarding a plane. Only then was Lin ShuYi relieved enough to apply for the visas.
Aside from TaoTao, Aunt Shen was the only other point of concern.
Aunt Shen had been pregnant for six months already, and wasn’t well suited for long plane rides. But for an even like this, it was principal for her to attend, not to mention that she really wanted to go personally. Thus she became the center of attention for the entire family. Alan, upon hearing that his wife was returning to Los Angeles, was both worried and overjoyed at the same time. He called day after day, confirming time and confirming status.
Personally, Aunt Shen felt that everyone was being over-concerned. After all, the sixth month was the most stable month. There was still a while until the due date, but the first three risky months were already long over.
And so, on the last day of June, everyone packed up some simple luggage, and met up at H city’s airport before boarding the plane headed for Los Angeles. The flight from H city to Los Angeles was approximately twenty hours long (4). However TaoTao was very calm the entire way over, without any significant discomfort, which allowed Lin ShuYi a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yu was very curious about the plane, as this was his first time riding one, and he spent the entire flight looking at the sky outside the window, pointing anything interesting out for Lin ShuYi to see.
Lin ShuYi, however, had no such interests. Compared to the two children, he seemed to be the most nervous person on this flight.
Lin ShuYi had discovered this method of transportation that travelled through the sky only shortly after he arrived in this world, and while curious about what sorts of mechanisms allowed this craft to fly in the air, he also wondered when he could have the chance to ride one. But now, he finally managed to get on a plane, only to discover… he was airsick.
It wasn’t just that he felt like throwing up, but his entire body felt unwell. Everything was so uncomfortable all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Only while he was asleep was he slightly more comfortable.
Shen Fu really hadn’t expected that Lin ShuYi would turn out this airsick, and the motion sickness medication (dramamine) turned out to be not enough. The few that he had were taken were given to Old Man Yang and Xiao Wan’s grandma, leaving none for Lin ShuYi. Seeing Lin ShuYi this uncomfortable, Shen Fu’s heart hurt, and all he could do was lower Lin ShuYi’s chair, hand his an eye mask to wear as he slept, and take TaoTao back to Shen Mom’s seat. They he sat back down by Lin ShuYi’s side and lightly massaged his belly, hoping he would feel a bit better.
Seeing papa Lin in such discomfort, Xiao Yu didn’t speak anymore, and stayed silently by Lin ShuYi’s side. He fiddled with the miniature camera Shen Fu gave him, following the instructions Shen Fu taught him, and too pictures of all the interesting things he saw so he could show Lin ShuYi later when he wasn’t so airsick.
Lin ShuYi was sick for a long while, and it was all the way until dinner time before he recovered a little bit. Probably because of the food he ate, afterwards, Lin ShuYi felt much better. Still not very comfortable, but he didn’t need to keep sleeping. Leaning back against his seat, he looked at the pictures Xiao Yu took for him to see, their two heads huddled together to chat.
Shen Fu waved a flight attendant over, and ordered two cups of ice cream, placing them fight in front of Lin ShuYi and Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up immediately, and he asked, “Papa, do you want to eat any ice cream?”
Lin ShuYi hadn’t eaten much ice cream all winter, and now seeing ice cream again, he realised that he craved some quite a bit. So, with one cup per person, he had the cup clean with Xiao Yu, making such TaoTao didn’t notice and thus didn’t want to eat any.
After spending a night on the plane, at ten in the morning the next day, they finally arrived in Los Angeles. And getting off the plane, Lin ShuYi finally fully recovered.
The sunlight outside was bright and sunny but not too hot, just like how Shen Fu described. Los Angeles was a city very suited for habitation, with an even temperature all year round.
Alan had long since prepared cars to wait for them outside the airport, and upon receiving the news that they plane had landed, he went to personally wait for them at the exit ramp. He could see their large group coming out from a mile away. The people in front of the group were exceptionally eye-catching, even compared to the high attractiveness index of Los Angeles. Four handsome men walking together, wearing a variety of brand name sunglasses, they looked like models who had just stepped off T station.
If it weren’t for two people—one held a child, the other holding the hand of another child—they would have resembled models even more.
TaoTao held on to Shen Fu’s neck, wearing a light yellow short sleeved T-shirt paired with dark blue shorts, his skin as pale and tender as lotus roots.
Xiao Yu wore a light pink shirt with a decorative bow around his neck, looking just like a little gentleman.
On another side, Jiang Cheng reached out an arm to sling around Shen Brother’s shoulders, only to have it picked up and thrown down. Jiang Cheng grinned, and switched places, wrapping the arm around Shen Brother’s waist instead. With endless patience, Shen Brother didn’t bother anymore, and in the end took Jiang Cheng’s hand, not letting him move around anymore. Jiang Cheng was satisfied with this compromise. Holding hands with Shen Brother, he was so satisfied he picked up his pack.
Everyone finally spotted Alan standing not too far away. Shen Fu sniled, and waved his hand.
Los Angeles vacation, begin!
Addis note: (1) It is not that easy to get a green card in the USA. My friend’s sister in law had to live in the US for 5 years before they allowed her to get her green card. The rest of the time it was considered a work Visa. To learn more, check out HERE.
(2) Los Angeles isn’t really all that. Lol. It’s just a super crowded city with a bunch of rich people, a bunch of homeless and a beach.
(3) Weather being even all year round is also not true. It ranges from 50 F to 112 F (10 C to 37.5 C). There are areas around there that do get snow. July in LA (like right now) ranges from 63 F to 87F (19 C to 30C).
(4) This is also wrong. A flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles can be as short as 12 hours but with switching to 3 different planes along the way, that’s when it hits 21 hours. And assuming they don’t care about money, they probably are taking a 13 hour flight.