AaSoL 03

Chapter 3: Snowstorm Turns to Clear Skies (2)

It didn’t take long for the train to start moving before Meng Xiaotian had already covered his face with his coat and fallen asleep.

The ticket inspector walked from the back car to this one, checking tickets one by one. Yin Guo took the phone from Meng Xiaotian’s hand, found the electronic ticket, showed it to the inspector, and then slipped the phone back into his hand.

She sat up straight.

Just then, Lin Yiyang replied to her WeChat:

Lin: “No need to thank me.”

Just four short words. No receipt for the transfer either.

Yin Guo, not as naturally outgoing as Meng Xiaotian, stared at the phone for a while before putting it aside, resigning herself to the fact that she’d deal with it in person later. Not long after, the train stopped at a small station, with only a few passengers waiting on the platform. Yin Guo looked around the car; there weren’t many people to begin with, and two more passengers got off, leaving fewer than ten people in the car.

She figured she could go to the restroom. She nudged her cousin awake. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Meng Xiaotian groggily agreed.

Yin Guo put on her bag and pushed his backpack down under his legs.

She had barely stepped out when a Chinese man walked from the back car to this one. It was the man with glasses from the other day.

He had just boarded.

Since Meng Xiaotian’s face was covered with his coat, the man didn’t recognize him and walked past the car, following the directions on his phone, moving through two more cars until he spotted Lin Yiyang’s luggage.

Looking out the window, he saw him.

Lin Yiyang’s seat was empty, as the black woman with the child had just gotten off the train.

“Just made it,” Wu Wei pushed Lin Yiyang toward the window seat and sat down on the outer side, unzipping his coat and catching his breath. “Was afraid I wouldn’t catch up.”

Lin Yiyang, knowing exactly why he was there, didn’t say anything.

Wu Wei said, “Everyone else is here. If you run off, what kind of friend would that make you?”

Lin Yiyang pulled up the collar of his sports jacket, covering most of his face, trying to avoid Wu Wei’s chatter.

Wu Wei tried to tug on his jacket.

Lin Yiyang closed his eyes, resting his head against the window, and muttered softly, “I treated the kid to drinks that day, spent all my money, no cash left for the train ticket.”

“I’ll pay,” Wu Wei pulled out his wallet, showing him, “Look, we’ve got enough. We’ll split it—brothers for life.”

After a few more persistent shakes, Lin Yiyang reluctantly sat up and glanced at Wu Wei’s wallet.

Two broke guys, both equally poor.

…

The train arrived in Washington, D.C. just before dark.

The city had also been shut down for two days because of the snowstorm, but everything had just returned to normal yesterday.

As soon as they got off the train, Meng Xiaotian started looking for the burger chain Wu Wei had mentioned. They walked all the way to the exit and finally spotted the prominent sign, right next to Starbucks. Since they’d found it, they couldn’t just walk by. Yin Guo calculated the time, and seeing no issue, she led Meng Xiaotian into the burger joint.

Not long after, Wu Wei, pulling Lin Yiyang’s gym bag, came walking toward them. “Hurry, the bus is leaving.”

Lin Yiyang was being dragged forward.

Wu Wei didn’t have enough money to buy train tickets, so he had managed to get two discounted bus tickets. For the past hour, he had been talking non-stop in Lin Yiyang’s ear, telling him how he had spent all his money buying bus tickets. If Lin Yiyang didn’t go back to New York with him, it meant he wasn’t a good brother, unfeeling and heartless…

Lin Yiyang endured an hour of idioms.

Having known him for years, Lin Yiyang knew that Wu Wei was as persistent as they come—stubborn and relentless, if he wanted you to do something, you’d be doing it. Today was no exception. He knew he was going back to New York, whether he liked it or not.

Starving, Lin Yiyang stopped and looked around. He spotted the burger joint.

He thought about grabbing something to eat, but decided against it, thinking he’d check for a pizza on the way to the bus. If he was lucky, he might find one for a dollar a slice.

“Is there anything to eat in your bag?” he asked.

“There is, of course.”

Wu Wei opened his bag and rummaged for a while, finally pulling out a third of a chocolate bar and handing it to Lin Yiyang.

The chocolate was wrapped in foil, crumpled into a ball.

He unwrapped the foil and took a bite. If it wasn’t from Wu Wei, he wouldn’t have been able to eat it. He crumpled the foil into a ball and tossed it into the trash before following Wu Wei out of the station.

Two minutes later.

Meng Xiaotian came out of the burger shop with a burger in hand, and Yin Guo was looking down, booking a ride.

“What should we treat him to?” Meng Xiaotian asked. “Have you had any good food in Washington?”

“Not really,” Yin Guo replied. “It’s not known for its food. If you want something good, New York’s the place.”

Meng Xiaotian, confused, pulled out his phone to ask Lin Yiyang for his opinion.

Since they were planning to treat him, it was better to let him choose.

“Bad.”

“What’s wrong?”

Meng Xiaotian showed Yin Guo the chat.

Tian Tian: “My sister and I are in DC now. Let’s grab a meal tonight, Lin ge.”

Lin: “I’m going back to New York.”

??

Yin Guo and Meng Xiaotian exchanged glances for a full two seconds.

Yin Guo looked down at Uber; the car was almost there.

She was speechless.

“Where to?” Meng Xiaotian asked, completely lost.

“Let’s go to the hotel,” Yin Guo glanced outside. The weather in Washington was a bit better than New York. “We’ve already booked, so let’s just have fun.”

She kicked Meng Xiaotian in frustration, unable to hold it in. “Such a waste.”

Meng Xiaotian, realizing his mistake, apologized with a bow.

The siblings exchanged looks and couldn’t help but laugh. It really was a bizarre trip to Washington.

“Five minutes, take some pictures,” Yin Guo pointed around.

She knew that first-time tourists loved taking pictures, so she moved aside, eating her burger and waiting. After finishing, she was looking for a trash can when her cousin returned after making a loop. “Let’s go.”

Yin Guo hummed, realizing the trash can was right behind her. She had been blind for a moment. She crumpled the burger wrapper and threw it in the trash before leading her cousin out of the station.

Before leaving the station, Meng Xiaotian took a photo of the burger shop. Once in the car, he happily posted on his social media.

Tian Tian: “The most handsome guy I’ve ever seen, recommended by [heart emoji].”

Yin Guo loved to argue with him, so she naturally commented below.

Xiaoguo: [pouting emoji] Not that handsome, fooling the public.

Zheng Yi replied: “Do you have a photo? I’ve been hearing about your brother, haven’t seen him, getting curious.”

Tian Tian replied to Zheng Yi: “Of course, I wouldn’t lie to you. If I were a girl, I’d totally fall for him.”

Xiaoguo replied to Zheng Yi: “He’s okay, just an ordinary guy. My brother’s exaggerating.”

Tian Tian replied to Xiaoguo: “Can you be honest for once?”

Zheng Yi replied to Xiaoguo: “Yes, be honest, no personal feelings involved.”

Xiaoguo replied to Tian Tian: “Fine, I admit it, he’s not bad.”

Meng Xiaotian, sitting in the front seat, saw Yin Guo concede and turned back, giving her a wink.

Yin Guo made a funny face and pointed out the window, signaling him to hurry up and take the pictures.

As they drove through the streets, museums and government buildings appeared regularly on the roadside. The driver, a middle-aged white woman, noticed Meng Xiaotian raising his phone and slowed down. She kindly told him the names of each building, then, seeing they weren’t carrying luggage, guessed they weren’t tourists. She asked if they were students.

They ended up chatting, with the driver first mentioning Georgetown, commenting on how expensive the school was and how the international students were all wealthy.

“You hear that?” Meng Xiaotian asked quietly.

Yin Guo nodded. She remembered when Zheng Yi first came here, her tuition and living expenses, including ski vacations, cost a lot. But Zheng Yi was used to spending lavishly, so it wasn’t a standard.

She thought about Zheng Yi, while Meng Xiaotian thought about Lin Yiyang, concluding: The Lin brother must be wealthy.

The car drove for another twenty minutes, bringing them to the hotel.

Once inside, Yin Guo rushed to the front desk, eager to confirm the room. She handed the front desk staff their passports and credit cards, explaining the booking situation while waiting for the check-in process to be completed.

She checked her social media, and there was a new reply.

She clicked on it, and it was from the burger photo:

Lin: “There’s an OLD EBBITT GRILL near the White House, it’s good. Try it.”

…

Crap, she had totally forgotten he could see Meng Xiaotian’s posts.

Besides Zheng Yi’s reply, everything she and her cousin had said was visible to him, every word.

How embarrassing.

It was like discussing his looks right in front of him, even more awkward than the ID card incident that night.

She read her comment several times, mortified, not knowing what to do.

Why had she forgotten?

Meng Xiaotian, noticing her staring at the burger photo, realized what had happened when he saw Lin Yiyang’s comment. He couldn’t stop laughing. “Good thing you told the truth in the end, or it would’ve been worse.”

Yin Guo elbowed Meng Xiaotian in frustration.

The front desk staff finished the check-in process and placed the passports, room keys, and receipts in front of Yin Guo.

Yin Guo took the pen, still thinking about the comments, signed her name, and kept thinking about those messages.

Should she delete them? He’s already seen them. But if she doesn’t, they’ll stay there, staring at her.

“What’s the restaurant like? Have you been there?” Meng Xiaotian asked her.

Yin Guo, lost in thought, didn’t hear him.

Meng Xiaotian then asked the front desk staff, wondering if the restaurant was far and if it was worth going.

The brunette at the front desk immediately recommended it, explaining that the restaurant was a century-old establishment. It was popular because of its proximity to the White House, often visited by congressmen, so many people went there because of its reputation. The best part was, it was within walking distance from the hotel, just a ten-minute walk.

Meng Xiaotian was excited: “I’ll check the phone and make a reservation.”

“Let’s go tomorrow. I’m too lazy to move,” Yin Guo muttered, still immersed in the embarrassment from the comments, her interest completely gone.

She returned the receipt to the front desk staff, took the passports and credit cards, and looked at the room number on the key card.

Meng Xiaotian, who seemed to be chatting with someone, suddenly smiled at her as they entered the elevator. “Big Brother said he’s sorry for making us come all the way here. He’s treating us to dinner.”