The essence of travel is to go to a place unfamiliar, taste unfamiliar food, view unfamiliar scenery, listen to unfamiliar dialects, and meet unfamiliar people. But if you encounter a familiar face during this process, it can be quite delightful.
Two acquaintances who were apart for a long time, each having experienced perhaps interesting journeys, share their stories upon reuniting.
That's what travel is about, isn't it?
Li Younan recalled the junior student Jing Chaoyi he met back in university.
Li Younan met Jing Chaoyi on the sports field. At the time, she was learning how to rollerblade, having just mastered skating but not the braking technique. She screamed as she rushed from one direction, twisting and turning in front of Li Younan and fell flat on her face.
The young female student had her long, slender legs raised high, with the wheels of her rollerblades still spinning in the air.
Li Younan took Jing Chaoyi to the infirmary, and that's how they got acquainted.
Jing Chaoyi was two grades below him.
After graduation, the frequency of contact with former classmates and friends naturally decreased for Li Younan, and their relationships gradually regressed into mere likes on each other's posts on social media.
These past two years, Li Younan didn't even bother scrolling through his feed, as socializing seemed to have become an extravagance.
But while he was at school, Li Younan offered considerable care to Jing Chaoyi. Moreover, he knew Jing Chaoyi was studying Visual Communication and had been a photo editor for the campus newspaper.
Hence, knowing she did post-production work, Li Younan decided to send her a message.
Unexpectedly, even with so much time having passed without contact, Jing Chaoyi remained as enthusiastic as ever, which warmed Li Younan's heart.
Li Younan, laying on the hotel bed, messaged her: "Where are you working now?"
Jing Chaoyi replied: "I'm currently handling a foreign student project, essentially a foreign student agency. I frequently take private jobs too, such as writing and photo editing. Basically, I don't have a fixed workplace, which is nice and free, I can wake up any time I want."
Li Younan didn't plan to chat with Jing Chaoyi for too long on WeChat, thinking, if they chat too long, what if there's nothing left to say when they meet? Ha...
So, they agreed to meet at a park on the outskirts at noon tomorrow.
However, probably because that day's play was too exciting, or maybe because he took some high-quality photos.
In any case, Li Younan ended up having insomnia that night.
He tossed and turned, his mind cluttered with numerous thoughts. Memories from university, work affairs, and he couldn't help thinking about moments spent with Yang Ting.
In a daze, he was awake till late night. The last time he checked the time, it was already 2:00 am.
The next day, when he woke up, sure enough, he overslept, it was already 11:30 am.
Li Younan sat up, his head groggy, suddenly becoming clear, he hastily exited without much tidying up.
Today, things seemed not going smoothly. He drove his car toward the target park, even encountering a traffic jam along the way.
The car moved inch by inch through the traffic, as time went past noon, Li Younan inevitably grew a bit anxious.
He thought of Yang Ting again, the years spent with her had trained him to never be late.
Whenever a time was set with Yang Ting, being late would incur quite serious consequences.
This sense of insecurity permeated into this moment. He called Jing Chaoyi, apologized, saying he needed to come a bit later due to the traffic.
Jing Chaoyi, however, casually said: "It's okay, just come slowly, this road is indeed a bit jammed, did you drive yourself? Be careful on the road, I'll amuse myself in the park."
Li Younan was somewhat unaccustomed to being treated so tolerantly, repeatedly said: "I'm really sorry."
On the other end of the line, Jing Chaoyi paused slightly, then unexpectedly chuckled: "Senior, why do you seem a bit, hmm... a bit reserved now. Okay, drive slowly, I'm fine skating around here."
Hanging up, Li Younan gazed at the congested traffic ahead, briefly feeling absent-minded.
He suddenly stopped feeling anxious, realizing that apart from his mother, girls can also be gentle and accommodating.
His thoughts drifted to his mom again, a phrase she often says: "It's not a big deal, isn't a big matter."
"Being late isn't a big deal, as long as you're not intentionally late, the waiting person can quietly daydream a bit, which could also be soothing."
Li Younan imagined that perhaps, at this moment, Jing Chaoyi was proficiently rollerblading, gliding gracefully through the park.
If tired, she'd sit on a park bench, sipping soda through a straw, while daydreaming.
His mood brightened at that moment, observing the cars outside, no longer fussing over the moving speed, instead intrigued by each car's make, the drivers inside, and today's weather.
Li Younan lifted his head, the sun couldn't break through the clouds, today was an overcast day.
He played music, despite the car's expensive price, its sound system was nothing commendable.
Connecting to Bluetooth, Li Younan played "Summer of Kikujiro." Since mastering piano skills, he enjoyed listening to instrumental music accompanied by piano.
Fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel, gently beating tempo, he lowered the car window slowly, humming the tune quietly, music getting carried far by the breeze.
By the roadside was a huge billboard, inscribed with: You are free like the wind.
Li Younan casually took out his phone, snapped a photo of the billboard, posting it on social media, tagging the location, with the caption, I am free like the wind.
Seeing such a silly caption on social media, Li Younan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
At this moment, the accident in front seemed resolved, traffic resumed forward movement.
Moving ahead, the path was clear.
...
Li Younan was over an hour late.
He parked the car in the public parking lot beside the park, walked in, and called Jing Chaoyi on his phone.
The phone rang a few tones, until suddenly hearing behind a slightly surprised call: "Senior, I'm here!"
Li Younan quickly turned around, spotting a girl in shorts, standing in rollerblades.
Her legs, long and toned, had been tanned to a wheat color, smooth and shiny.
She was slightly bent, hands resting on her legs, her face bearing a smile brimming with vitality.
Her hairstyle differed from what Li Younan remembered, with short hair and bangs dyed in three colors: gray, grass green, and pink, looking bold and individualistic.
Li Younan suddenly felt a surge of impulses, wanting to know how familiar people in his life journey have transformed?
He smiled and said: "You won't fall now, right?"
Jing Chaoyi paused for a moment, adorably crinkled her brows, and teasingly said: "You still remember, senior!"
Folding her hands behind her back, she skated gracefully over, confidently saying: "I'm no longer the me from back then!"
While speaking, she raised one leg high, her whole body's balance dropping.
The next moment, her suspended leg swung out in a curve from top to bottom, then her whole person was lifted by that centrifugal force.
Soaring!
She spun gracefully twice in the air, like a figure skating maiden, this scene stunned Li Younan.
Then, amidst his stunned expression, Jing Chaoyi's foot slid, landing on her behind.