"What's going on? What happened?" The cabin erupted into chaos.
Even Ouyang Hai stopped pretending to sleep. He opened his eyes and looked out the window in alarm, only to find a blanket of white outside. He couldn't see a thing.
Suddenly, bang! A huge chunk of hail struck the window, making Ouyang Hai jump.
Then a barrage of bang, bang, bang filled the cabin. Through the windows, countless egg-sized hailstones could be seen pelting the plane's fuselage.
Just then, an announcement came over the plane's speakers. "Emergency announcement: the aircraft has encountered an extremely cold air mass. Please remain calm."
The announcement had barely gotten that far when the fuselage suddenly shuddered. Everyone felt weightless as the plane plunged.
"Aaah!" Almost everyone screamed in panic, while some of the more timid passengers began sobbing.
Fortunately, a few seconds later, the plane stabilized again. Its nose lifted, and it began climbing rapidly.
Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the plane began shaking violently again, accompanied by another barrage of hail.
At that moment, another announcement came over the speakers. "Turbulence is normal. Passengers seated beside the windows, please close your window shades. Then place both hands over your head and press your head against the seat back in front of you..."
Following the announcement's instructions, the panicked passengers quickly closed their window shades, then held their heads and curled tightly into their seats.
Ouyang Hai turned to Li Yichen and whispered anxiously, "What should we do? The plane isn't really going to crash, is it?"
"Uncle Ouyang, don't worry. Nothing will happen while I'm here," Li Yichen said confidently.
"That's good." With Li Yichen's assurance, he felt considerably more at ease.
Under the violent turbulence, the plane began making cracking sounds, as though it could no longer withstand