Going to Tokyo

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Mingfei rode to the airport with his uncle and aunt. They had arranged to meet Section Chief Chen's family in the airport lobby.

Their weeklong trip to Japan fit perfectly into the schedule. By the time they returned, it would be time for Lu Mingfei and the others to go back to school.

Lu Mingfei helped his aunt carry their bags, packed with changes of clothes and the things his uncle and aunt considered important.

When they arrived at the airport, they joined the line and passed through security. His uncle checked the time. Their flight wouldn't take off for about another hour, so there was no need to rush.

They looked around near the boarding gate and finally spotted Section Chief Chen's family.

"Old Lu, we were just wondering when you'd get here, and then you showed up. What a coincidence!" Section Chief Chen stood up and greeted his uncle warmly.

His uncle greeted him just as enthusiastically, and they exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Come, let me introduce everyone. This is my wife," Section Chief Chen said, introducing her.

Mrs. Chen stood up and greeted them.

Lu Gucheng introduced his wife as well. Everyone had met before, but they hadn't talked much. The main point was to let the younger generation get to know each other.

"Jiajia, why don't you introduce yourself?" Section Chief Chen said to his daughter.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Chen Jiawei. You can just call me Jiajia," said a well-mannered-looking girl in a soft voice.

His aunt gave Lu Mingfei and Lu Mingze a look, signaling that it was their turn to show what they could do.

Lu Mingfei caught on at once. He stepped forward, stood up straight, and smiled. "I'm Lu Mingfei. I hope everyone has a good time on the trip."

Jiajia's eyes lit up as she looked at the handsome young man. "Are you Senior Lu?"

Lu Mingfei nodded.

"Senior Lu? What does that mean?" Mrs. Chen asked.

"He's the Senior Lu I told you about—the top scorer in the province on this mock exam. He's every bit as good as Senior Chu Zihang was."

Jiajia gazed at Lu Mingfei with admiration. She had started looking up to him after hearing that he'd helped the girls at his school chase off some punks. She never imagined she'd get to travel with him.

Section Chief Chen's family stared in astonishment. They hadn't realized the Lu family had such an impressive talent hidden away.

Mrs. Chen immediately smiled and said, "Jiajia, you should learn from Senior Lu and talk with him more."

Jiajia nodded firmly.

Hearing them praise him so much made Lu Mingfei feel a little embarrassed. He knew he was pretty impressive, but being talked about like this still felt strange.

Watching the scene, his aunt thought, I can't let Lu Mingfei steal the spotlight from Mingze. She hurriedly said, "My Mingze is pretty good too. He's just not quite as good as his brother. Mingze, go on and introduce yourself."

Lu Mingze only ambled forward and said, "My name is Lu Mingze," then stopped there.

His aunt was furious. Now Mingze had ended up a whole step below Mingfei.

She no longer held any real prejudice against Lu Mingfei, but she couldn't help feeling that if Lu Mingze was overshadowed, then she had been overshadowed by Qiaoweini too.

Just thinking about Lu Mingfei's dazzling mother made her feel miserable.

Lu Mingfei, meanwhile, didn't notice what his aunt was thinking at all. He just fielded Section Chief Chen's family's questions now and then.

When they learned that Lu Mingfei's parents were archaeologists, they became even more convinced that he was destined for great things and urged Jiajia to learn from him.

Jiajia was only in her first year of high school, but they felt a child's education had to start early. They hoped she would get into a good school someday.

Lu Mingze sat in his seat, staring off into space without even glancing at Jiajia.

The melancholy, sentimental person behind the QQ username "Scar of the Sunset" suited him much better.

Once they boarded the plane, Lu Mingfei, Lu Mingze, and Jiajia sat together, with Jiajia in the middle. The flight to Tokyo would take about four hours, so it would probably be evening when they arrived.

Lu Mingfei sat on the aisle. Even though they were in economy class, the flight attendants kept coming by to ask if he needed anything.

With Jiajia beside him, constantly calling him "Senior Lu" and asking about him, Lu Mingfei began to wonder if he'd come on the wrong trip.

All he wanted was to rush off to Akihabara as soon as they reached Tokyo and find his springtime romance. He couldn't be bothered with anything else.

About an hour later, Lu Mingfei decided to pretend to sleep. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. Sure enough, once everyone thought he was asleep, no one bothered him.

Seeing this, a flight attendant thoughtfully brought Lu Mingfei a blanket and gently draped it over him, as if she were afraid the young man might get cold.

Before long, Lu Mingfei really did fall asleep. By the time he woke up, they were getting ready to leave the plane.

Lu Mingfei helped everyone carry their luggage off the plane. It was already evening. Following the instructions on the prize coupon, they made their way to the hotel where they would be staying.

Their accommodations were free. The seven-day tour coupon had made that clear, and it also mentioned that they would receive other special services during their stay.

His uncle's coupon came with two suites: one had two bedrooms and a living room, while the other was a single room with a king-sized bed. His uncle's family marveled at the generosity of their workplace. They hadn't expected the hotel to be so luxurious.

Lu Mingfei chose the single room and let Lu Mingze stay with their uncle and aunt in the two-bedroom suite.

After putting away his luggage, Lu Mingfei went out to meet the others. Both families needed to have dinner together that evening.

They went to a nearby restaurant. Once inside, they realized they had no idea how to order. None of them spoke Japanese, and they exchanged awkward looks.

Seeing this, Lu Mingfei stepped forward and spoke fluently with the restaurant staff in Japanese, then explained the dishes to his uncle and aunt.

"Lu Mingfei, you're impressive for someone so young. Your Japanese is excellent," Section Chief Chen praised him.

His uncle and aunt were just as amazed. Then they gave Lu Mingze a pointed look, as if to say, Why can't you learn from your brother?

Lu Mingze was on the verge of tears. He had no idea when Lu Mingfei had learned Japanese. Had he picked it up on his own while watching anime?

If Lu Mingfei had known what Lu Mingze was thinking, he would have told him, "You have no idea how hard your brother worked. Learning this damn language put him through hell."

Section Chief Chen's family liked Lu Mingfei more and more. Whenever a dish was served, the waiter explained its origins and how it was made.

Lu Mingfei served as the interpreter, helping explain each dish.

"Senior Lu is so reliable!" Jiajia said admiringly. She really admired people like him.

After dinner, Lu Mingfei went back to his room. When he opened the door, he found a card under it. It said that presenting the card at a shop in Akihabara that sold all kinds of anime merchandise would get him a thirty percent discount.

It might come in handy. After all, he didn't have much money, so Lu Mingfei put the card away.