Bai Congming rarely went out. The farthest he had gone lately was Ding Ding's company from before he went bankrupt.
To be precise, ever since his mother was gone, Bai Congming's life had been confined to Hongfang Street. Two trips a day between the Flower Nursery and home added up to no more than five thousand steps.
When he was little, his mother would take him downtown and spend a coin on a kiddie ride.
When he was a little older, Bai Congming started school. His mother picked him up and dropped him off at first, then let him walk home with his classmates.
When he grew older still, his mother would give him tasks, like buying a bottle of soy sauce from a supermarket far from home, or buying a piece of clothing at a mall he had never visited.
Bai Congming had been afraid at first. Once outside, he could not tell directions or left from right. But one time, he looked back and found his mother quietly accompanying him from behind. Only then did he feel reassured, and a great deal of courage sprang up out of nowhere.
Whenever he really could not find his way, Bai Congming did as his mother had taught him and asked a passing grandmother or auntie for directions.
Bai Congming had completed many such tasks. By now, he felt he could go anywhere on his own and get home safely.
But clearly, "anywhere" did not include another province.
"S City?"
In the minivan, Bai Congming took a sip of soy milk. "Is it really far?"
"A little," Ding Ding said. "We have to fly there."
"A plane!"
Bai Congming had never been on a plane, but he knew what one was, and his heart was full of longing.
The airport was