Chapter 464 The Night Before Departure

Qin Huairu looked up, searching for the Big Dipper. After searching for a while, she traced her finger across the night sky. "That's the Big Dipper? Why does it look dimmer than last time?"

"There are more lights in the city. It's brighter over in Jiuquan, the light is spreading over here." He Yuzhu sat down next to her, the rattan chair creaking. He held a palm-leaf fan in his hand, but didn't use it.

"You really aren't getting on board?"

"No. I'll stay in control center."

Qin Huairu lowered her head, looking at the jade bracelet on her wrist. She twirled the bracelet with her other hand, making two circles. "What about during launch?"

"It was also in the control center. I watched it lift off the ground."

A gust of wind blew in through the doorway, causing the bundles of mugwort in the corner to sway. Qin Huairu moved her chair closer to He Yuzhu, her knees touching his.

"He Yuzhu, tell me the truth." She paused. "Are you afraid?"

He Yuzhu remained silent. He placed the palm-leaf fan on his lap, his fingers picking at the strips of cloth wrapped around the handle. The cloth frayed, and after a few tries, he tore off a strip.

"I'm scared," he said.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid it won't be able to fly up. I'm afraid the control center will miscalculate. I'm afraid I'll watch it fall on the screen."

Qin Huairu placed her hand on the back of his hand. His hand wasn't cold, but his palm was sweaty.

"I went to the launch site this afternoon," she said, her voice dropping a half-octave. "That ship is huge. Standing below, you can't see the end. Do you think it can actually fly up there?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer. He turned Qin Huairu's hand over and held it in his own. Her palms were also sweaty, and the two sweaty palms pressed together.

The lights were on inside. He Nianhua was hunched over the table, the desk lamp illuminating his notebook. He wrote slowly, the pen nib scratching on the paper, pausing every few words to look out the window. Through the glass, he could see the backs of He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu in the courtyard, sitting close together in chairs.

He lowered his head and continued writing.

"November 23, 1979. Tomorrow, Dad's spaceship will take off."

The pen tip touched the paper, leaving a small black dot. He lifted the pen, scribbled on the paper, and crossed out the dot.

"Today I asked Dad how fast the Kunlun can fly. He said it's a hundred times faster than an airplane. I said I want to fly it a thousand times faster in the future. He didn't say anything, but patted the back of my head."

He paused, then continued writing.

"I want to drive something even faster than that in the future. Faster than the Kunlun, and fly to places farther than the moon."

He closed his notebook and turned off the desk lamp. The room darkened, leaving only the moonlight streaming through the window. He tucked the notebook under his pillow, lay down, and kept his eyes open.

The sound of a baby crying came from the next room. He Yushui tried to soothe him, "Xinghai, be good, don't cry." The crying subsided, turning into soft whimpers. Chen Zhihong's voice was muffled, "Is he hungry?" He Yushui ignored him, and the crying stopped completely.

He Yuzhu stood up. Qin Huairu grabbed his wrist.

"Where to?"

"Going to the toilet."

She let go.

He Yuzhu walked through the main room. Water was boiling on the stove, the kettle lid clicking loudly from the steam. He went into the toilet, and when he came out, he stood in the main room for a while. There was a bowl of cold tea on the stove. He picked it up and took a sip; it was bitter.

Back in the courtyard, Qin Huairu was still sitting in the rattan chair, her body tucked into her military overcoat, only half of her face showing.

"Go inside if you get cold."

"I'm not cold." She pulled her military coat tighter around herself. "Sit down."

He Yuzhu sat down. The branches of the jujube tree swayed overhead, and a thin twig brushed against his hair. He raised his hand to brush it away.

"Huai Ru".

"Um."

"I'll come back to live here once the Kunlun returns."

Qin Huairu didn't reply. After a while, she said, "You said the same thing last time. The year before last."

He Yuzhu did not offer any explanation.

The water on the stove had boiled dry, and the kettle was hissing. He Yushui came out from the inner room, took the kettle down, and the sound stopped; all was quiet.

"Go in and see if Nianhua is asleep," Qin Huairu said.

He Yuzhu got up, walked to the door of He Nianhua's room, and pushed the door open a crack. He Nianhua was lying on her side, with only half of the blanket covering her, and one leg sticking out. He went over, pulled the blanket up, and covered her leg.

He Nianhua turned over, facing the wall, and breathed evenly.

He Yuzhu stood by the bed for a while, looking at the back of his son's head. He saw the corner of a notebook peeking out from under the pillow, but didn't move.

He closed the door and walked back into the yard.

Qin Huairu had already stood up and moved the rattan chair back under the eaves. She patted the dust off the chair and turned to go inside.

He Yuzhu followed him inside.

In the bedroom, Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the bed, unbuttoning and then buttoning her cotton-padded coat. She unbuttoned and then buttoned it again.

What are you going to wear tomorrow?

"A military overcoat. He wore a sweater underneath."

"Wear thick socks. It's cool in the control center."

"Know."

Qin Huairu stood up, rummaged through the closet and pulled out a pair of new cotton socks, gray with thick soles. She placed them at the foot of the bed, then unbuttoned her cotton-padded jacket, this time leaving it unbuttoned.

"Go to sleep."

She lay down, facing the wall.

He Yuzhu turned off the light and lay down next to her. The bed was cold, so he stretched out his leg and touched her feet; they were cold.

"Huai Ru".

"Going to sleep."

He didn't speak again. The jujube branches outside scraped against the glass, making a squeaking sound. He Yuzhu stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide open. He knew without looking at his watch that dawn was less than four hours away.

She turned over, facing the window. Moonlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a white line on the wall.

He closed his eyes.

The sound of Qin Huairu's breathing came from beside the pillow; it was uneven, sometimes long and sometimes short, not like she was asleep.

He Yuzhu reached out and touched the back of her hand. She neither pulled back nor shook it.

Their hands were clasped together like that.

In the next room, He Nianhua fumbled for her notebook under her pillow in the darkness and turned to the last page. The light was off; her fingers traced the indentations left by the pen tip on the paper.

He found the last line: "I want to drive one that's even faster than his someday."

His finger paused on that line of text for a moment, then he closed the notebook and tucked it back under his pillow.