Chen Kai directly stated that he wanted to return to Zining Mountain, thinking his parents would refuse, but Chen Ba rubbed his recently acquired beer belly and agreed, “It’s time to go back.”
This time, Chen Ma uncharacteristically didn’t object, nodding in agreement.
It was his grandparents on the side who were a bit reluctant.
Normally, his uncle was busy with work and often couldn’t be seen for days.
Chen Kai had only recently learned that his aunt, cousin, and older cousin all worked or studied in Hangcheng and only came back for the New Year, so the elderly couple were quite idle on weekdays.
Recently, the house had been bustling, even more joyful than New Year’s, and the old couple really didn’t want the lively atmosphere to end.
His grandmother couldn’t help but try to persuade them to stay, “Dafu, Xiaoli, you have enough money now, there’s no need to work so hard herding anymore.”
Chen Dafu took a deep breath and slowly said, “Dad, Mom, I know you mean well.
But staying in this city, I don’t feel at ease.
I grew up in the mountains, and herding, for me, isn’t just a job; it’s a way of life.
In the mountains, herding every day, watching Pokemon graze freely on the grass, breathing fresh air, listening to birds sing, that’s the life I love.
And, I don’t want to keep being idle like this.
People need something to do in life, otherwise, days pass without flavor.
Herding in the mountains, though hard, makes my heart feel at ease, and I feel like I still have value.”
He paused slightly, then continued, “I actually think, Xiaoli, you and Xiao Kai can stay in the Capital; I’ll come back to see you often.”
Bai Lijuan reached out and pinched the flesh on Chen Dafu’s waist, saying indignantly, “What kind of talk is that? If you go, we all go together.”
Chen Kai also quickly raised his hand in agreement, “I’m not used to staying in the city either.”
His grandfather, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted the conversation and asked Chen Kai, “Xiao Kai, when are you planning to use that Leaf Stone?”
Chen Kai pondered for a moment and replied, “I plan to let Exeggcute evolve as soon as we get back.”
His grandfather pressed further, “Aren’t you considering letting Exeggcute evolve into an Alolan Exeggutor?”
“Uh…” Chen Kai thought for a moment, “I hadn’t considered that before; I’ll discuss it with Exeggcute after we get back.”
“Hmm…” His grandfather was silent for a while, then suddenly changed the topic, “Actually, I’ve already bought your plane tickets a long time ago.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to his grandfather in unison, their faces full of surprise.
His grandfather continued, “I think my daughter and Dafu are in their prime; what kind of talk is it to just eat, drink, and play all day? People need a goal in life; they can’t just drift aimlessly.
Dafu wants to go back to the mountains to herd; this is a good thing, it shows he has ideas and aspirations, and he should do something useful for the country and the people.
And Lijuan must go too; if her husband and son are both working, and she’s idle at home every day, people will think our family has no manners.”
Bai Lijuan was displeased, “No, did I say I wasn’t going?”
Thus, Bai Lijuan and her grandfather, Bai Weimin, began to argue back and forth.
Chen Kai suddenly realized: so his mother’s personality is like his grandfather’s…
You couldn’t say these two had somewhat similar personalities; you could only say they were exactly alike.
It seemed to be the same on Earth; even though they didn’t live far apart before, his mother rarely went to see his grandfather; she mostly only saw his grandmother, and most other times, Chen Kai himself would visit.
However, his grandfather had always been very good to Chen Kai, but he always loved to say things that made his mother and uncle unhappy.
Just like his mother loved to lecture Chen Kai, exactly the same.
Amidst his mother and grandfather’s quarrel, everyone decided to take the plane tickets his grandfather bought and return to Sichuan Province the day after tomorrow.
But Chen Kai always felt something was off, and due to his mother and grandfather’s argument, he couldn’t remember what it was at the moment.
On the third day, sunlight streamed into the Capital airport hall, a bustling and busy place with people coming and going.
Chen Kai’s family dragged their brand-new suitcases, with a mix of excitement and nervousness on their faces.
His grandfather walked ahead, his steps steady, occasionally looking back at Chen Kai and the others, his eyes full of concern.
Chen Ma walked up to her grandmother, and the two embraced tightly.
His grandmother’s eyes were slightly red as she gently stroked her daughter’s back, softly admonishing, “Take good care of yourself there, and Dafu and Xiao Kai.
You’re not short on money now, so don’t shortchange yourselves.”
Chen Kai didn’t want to say that his parents had already bought an expensive SUV before even returning to Sichuan Province, so they probably wouldn’t shortchange themselves now.
Chen Ma suppressed her tears and smiled, nodding, “Mom, don’t worry, we have money, we’ll take good care of ourselves.”
After releasing the embrace, Chen Ma reached out and gently wiped away the tears from her grandmother’s eyes.
His grandfather clutched the boarding passes tightly in his hand, not letting Chen Kai or the others touch them the entire way.
Chen Ba and Chen Ma were immersed in the emotions of departure and didn’t notice this detail.
Chen Kai felt a bit confused, but seeing everyone’s state, he felt too awkward to ask.
The group slowly walked towards the boarding gate, surrounded by a bustling crowd, with various flight information constantly being broadcast over the intercom.
Finally, they arrived at the first-class boarding gate.
This time, his grandfather had spent a large sum to buy better tickets for Chen Kai’s family.
Only then did his grandfather hand the boarding passes to Chen Kai.
Chen Kai took the tickets and looked closely; they were all in English.
He couldn’t help but frown, muttering to himself, “Why is it all in English?”
He then looked at the signs and announcements near the boarding gate; most of them were in English, with small Chinese characters, which made Chen Kai even more puzzled.
Just as he was about to read the characters clearly, his grandfather stepped forward and gently pushed their family of three towards the boarding gate, saying, “Alright, it’s time to board.”
And it was precisely this push that put them right in front of the ticket agent.
The ticket agent smiled, took the tickets from their hands, and checked them carefully.
After a moment, the ticket agent nodded, indicating the tickets were fine and they could board.
Chen Kai’s family of three, full of questions, still followed the crowd into the boarding tunnel.
The lighting in the tunnel was soft, and people moved forward in an orderly fashion.
It was just strange that there seemed to be more blonde foreigners, and apart from Chen Kai’s family, everyone else in first class was foreign.
Chen Kai looked back at his grandfather standing outside the boarding gate; his grandfather was smiling and waving at them, a secret seemingly hidden in his smile.
Chen Kai scratched his head, thinking, “I’ll ask after we land.”
The plane soared through the clouds for a long time, and Chen Kai’s family spent a long time in the cramped cabin seats.
The roar of the engines was incessant, and the sea of clouds outside the window was like an undulating white mountain range, monotonous and boring.
Even Dracovish was getting restless in its Poké Ball.
“Does the flight to Sichuan Province take this long?” Chen Kai asked his parents.
“It seems… not this long,” Chen Ba replied, half-asleep.
Fortunately, at this moment, the sweet voice of a flight attendant came over the intercom, informing passengers in English and Chinese that the plane was about to land, and the airport was called Honolulu.
Chen Kai had never heard of this airport; neither Sichuan Province nor Mountain City seemed to have one.
Just as he was pondering, the plane had already landed.
Chen Kai’s family slowly disembarked with the crowd, and as soon as they exited the airport passage, a humid, slightly fishy air wafted over them.
The sunlight, like golden threads, fell on them without reservation, making them immediately feel the unique heat of the tropics.
The sight before them left Chen Kai’s family dumbfounded.
Outside the airport, in the clear blue sky, white clouds floated like cotton candy.
Chen Kai looked around and noticed that most of the people around were wearing light summer clothes, some with brightly colored sun hats, others in beach shorts and flip-flops, their faces beaming with relaxed and happy smiles.
Bai Lijuan quickly pulled a flight attendant aside to ask where they were.
The flight attendant was a bit surprised but still smiled and politely replied, “Welcome to Melemele Island, Alola!”
Only then did Bai Lijuan realize she had been tricked, and she couldn’t help but shout, “Bai! Wei! Min! You old rascal!”