The food provided on the train never tasted any good. So, when it was dinner time, most of Niles' coworkers chose to eat the instant noodles which they had packed for the journey. They also shared their snacks with each other.
Blair was not used to taking this kind of long trips on the train. She hadn't thought of bringing any snacks with her. So, while everybody else was getting ready to eat their dinner, she remained busy on her computer.
Niles put away the poker cards and asked, "Blair, aren't you hungry?"
She smiled awkwardly. "I didn't bring any food. I don't know where to buy dinner either." A lady with a food tram had just passed through the aisle with all kinds of snacks and drinks. But she was nowhere in sight anymore. There was only one cart that was selling dinner. Blair didn't want it.
"Hold on," Niles said. He took a box of instant hot pot and another box of self-heating rice from his backpack. "Which one would you like to have?"
A young man sitting next to Niles snatched the instant hot pot from his hand and joked, "I didn't bring dinner either. I'll take this one."
"Hey! What would my sister-in-law eat if you take it? My brother will kill me if I let her go hungry. Will you take the blows for me? Or should I just tell him that you took away his wife's food?" Niles looked at his friend slyly.
The young man was well aware that Niles' brother was Wesley Li. His eyes went wide in fear and shook his head violently as he handed the instant hot pot to Blair with both his hands. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Li. Please enjoy your meal."
The rest of the party were amused by their childish conversation and laughed out loud.
Blair took the instant hot pot from him with a shy smile and started eating. The others shared their snacks with her too. She felt self-conscious about taking their share. She had nothing to share with them after all. Niles sensed her worries. He said, "Blair, don't worry about it. Once we're back in Y City, I'll ask Wesley for some money to treat them to a big dinner on the fifth floor of the Alioth Building."
One of the girls' eyes went wide in surprise. "Niles, did you just say the fifth floor of the Alioth Building? The one in the Shining International Plaza?"
"Uh-huh. Is there another Alioth Building?" Niles replied casually, biting into a cucumber as he looked at the girl.
Before she could grace him with a reply, the others scrambled to give their snacks to Blair. "Blair, here. Have mine. I have a lot," one said.
"I have bread, some sweet potatoes, and chips. What do you want?" another offered.
"Blair, are you thirsty? I have drinks. Would you like to have some milk? Or how about some juice or coke? If you're hungry, I also have some eight-treasure porridge," someone else cut in.
Blair was startled by their enthusiasm. They were all like Niles—warm and vigorous.
Niles pulled them away from her as he scolded, "Leave her alone. You're scaring her. Go sit down!"
"Yes, you guys, relax. Or we will lose the big dinner on the fifth floor of the Alioth Building," someone echoed.
"That's right. You! Niles asked you to behave. What are you doing? Sit down! Who're you looking at, man? I'm talking to you," another man bantered with one of his coworkers.
As soon as they were back in their seats, they started joking. Blair laughed so hard her belly ached.
She felt that she had made the right decision in taking this trip.
Night descended. While everyone else was in their berths playing on their phones, Niles snuck into the toilet and made a phone call. "Grandpa, can you find out Wesley's schedule for tomorrow?"
"Why are you asking about your brother's schedule in the middle of the night? You do know that his work is highly classified, don't you? There is a high chance that you're breaking the law when you nose around like this and ask suspicious questions."
"I know, I know. But Grandpa, I'm taking Blair to see him. We're already on the way to the border. If she doesn't get to meet him while we are there, she will be terribly disappointed."
"The border is very far from the city. Why are you taking her all the way out there?"
Niles lowered his voice. "I'm not sure if Blair has gotten over the mental trauma she had suffered during that incident with Wesley. It's possible that she is still in depression. She has seemed unhappy ever since. But every time she sees him, her eyes light up like Christmas. But Wesley is hardly around. A few days ago, my coworkers decided to take a trip to the border. I gathered this was a good opportunity for their reunion. Don't you think so, Grandpa?"
Keith grunted. "Finally, you have done something right. I'll ask around tomorrow and figure out a way to help them meet."
"That's what I'm talking about! Thank you, Grandpa. Good night!"
Keith added, "Regardless of whether they are able to meet, you should take good care of Blair. You can act childish at home, but when you're outside, you're a grown man. The border is a backward and rough place for a lady. Make sure that she is safe. Blair is the treasure of our family."
Niles pursed his lips secretly. "No problemo. But Grandpa, I hope you won't play favorites when I get married. You should treat my wife as the treasure of our family too."
"Get back to me about this when you get yourself a girlfriend."
Keith hung up without waiting for Niles' reply.
Niles looked out the window, and his mind wandered. With a sigh, he returned to his compartment.
The next morning, Blair was still sound asleep when she heard someone saying, "Look! Sunrise! It's so beautiful!"
"Wow! Breathtaking!"
"Blair! Blair! Wake up!" Half sleep, Blair heard someone calling her. She opened her eyes and saw Ingrid.
The woman urged excitedly, "The sunrise looks so beautiful. You can't miss it. Get up!"
Blair sat up in her berth and looked where Ingrid was pointing. The marvelous work of nature caught her eye immediately.
A streak of gold was inlaid through the denim blue sky. Even the clouds were coated in gold. The sun had risen above the horizon, glowing generously and embracing everything with its radiance.
From where they sat, the land stretching in front of them looked like it was being engulfed by clouds and sunlight. All this constituted a majestic visual feast for the travelers in the train.
Blair rushed to take out her single-lens reflex camera from her suitcase. She leaned out the window and started taking pictures.
When she was done, she turned around and saw Niles walking towards the next car. "Where are you going?" she asked.
Niles hadn't expected her to notice him. Surprised, he stammered, "Er… I was bored. Thought I'd take a walk."
'A walk?' Blair looked at the path ahead of him. The car in front of theirs was the head of the train. How could he possibly take a walk there?
But, she didn't dwell on it. She put her camera on her berth and decided to freshen up.
They had spent nearly twenty hours on the train by now.
And they had also gotten to see the beautiful sunrise. It was indeed heavenly. They also witnessed the continuous snow-capped mountains, the prairie, the herds of yaks and sheep grazing on the rich grass, and the gurgling brooks. Whatever they laid their eyes on, was a spectacle.
As they got closer and closer to Wesley, Blair couldn't control her excitement. She had been able to work the day before, but today, she could hardly concentrate on anything for a minute.
Niles had been acting conspiratorial the whole morning. He kept going to the head of the train, where he made suspicious phone calls.
Blair was too focused on Wesley to spare any heed to him.
After twenty-three long hours of travelling, they were finally about to reach their destination. Niles walked back, grabbed Blair by the wrist and led her close to the window. "Look! We're almost there!"
