Blair was confused by Niles' dramatic reaction. She was fully aware that they were almost at their destination. But Niles seemed to be overreacting. "Calm down, pal," she told him with a small laugh.
But Niles couldn't stop himself. He was on his toes with excitement. "You're asking me to calm down now, but very soon, you will not be able to calm down either."
Blair thought that he was talking about the time when she would meet Wesley, so she asked, "You said we might not be able to see Wesley. Why do you sound so certain now?"
"That's not what I meant. Just sit here and wait. Do what I say, okay? You're about to find out."
He was acting very weird. But she did what she was told. Blair sat by the window and stared out.
Within two minutes, the train began to suddenly slow down.
But since it was nothing unusual, Blair didn't pay much attention to it.
By now, the previously fast-passing scenery outside had become quite clear. That was when Blair spotted a figure standing on the platform ahead.
When she saw the firm expression on the man's face, her heart thumped in her chest. 'Wesley?' she thought, unable to believe her eyes.
The train was moving slow enough for her to get a better look. As she came closer to the man, Blair was sure that the man in the green uniform was indeed Wesley. She lurched to her feet in excitement.
Wesley, who was gazing into the distance, suddenly turned his head towards her as if by some power of telekinesis.
Their eyes met, and neither of them could look away.
As Blair tried her best to contain her emotions, Wesley slowly lifted his right hand, kept his fingers together and saluted her.
Despite all her efforts, tears streamed down her cheeks defiantly.
'Wesley, you're amazing! I love you with all my heart and soul.'
At that moment, someone in their car played a song on their phone. "For you, I would rather turn into a stone by the end of the world, with your name engraved in my heart. For you, I would rather be a butterfly, trapped in my own cocoon, like my never-ending longing for you, even after so many lives have passed. I keep seeking and reincarnating. Flowers bloom and wither. Waves rise and fall. Another life comes and goes. I still remember our vows. But when I open my mouth, why is it so hard to get the words out? You stand in front of me, without even recognizing me. Since when have I been no longer a part of your memory?"
Blair covered her mouth, trying not to cry out loud. She didn't want the others to see her tears. Yet, sobbing sounds came from the window next to hers. Niles was having an emotional moment in all senses. "This is so touching and all. But that's my brother, you know. He didn't even look at me after seeing his wife."
The others roared with laughter.
But Wesley was the only thing on Blair's mind at that moment. She didn't even hear what Niles was crying about. The meeting threw her off guard. She was still dumbstruck.
Wesley's eyes were fixed on her as the train moved forward slowly.
However, as soon as the train passed Wesley, it started to pick up pace once again.
Blair wiped her tears and ran back a few cars, but the train was going so fast that he could no longer be seen anymore.
Niles caught up to her, his phone in his hand. "Blair!"
Blair looked out the window with a lost expression on her face. Her vision was blurry again. After a long while, she brushed her tears away and asked in a hoarse voice, "You knew that he would be here?"
"Yes," he admitted with a tinge of embarrassment. "Grandpa knew as well. He heard that Wesley would be working somewhere close by. So, he asked him to wait for us here. We figured that if you couldn't see him after coming all this way, this trip would have been a complete waste of time for you."
'So Grandpa and Niles arranged all this for me, ' she thought, as her heart filled with genuine gratitude.
"Thank you, Niles. And Grandpa too. I'm so grateful to you both." Everyone in the Li family was nice to her.
Niles snickered as he swung his phone before her, "Look here. I took a picture of Wesley at the platform. Do you want me to send it to you?"
Blair grabbed his phone and looked at the screen. It was the picture of him saluting her. His straight frame and standard posture said enough about what an outstanding soldier he was.
Niles sent her the picture. And Blair immediately made it her wallpaper. Afterwards, she would look at this picture whenever she missed him.
It was already afternoon when they reached XH City. The journey was tiring. So, they checked into a hotel first to get some rest and agreed to go out and have some fun in the evening.
Niles talked to Ingrid beforehand so that Blair would have a room to herself. The others shared their rooms, with two or three people in one room.
The evening was freezing cold. Blair put on a thick coat and went out with the others to have a late supper. But she came back to the hotel soon after dinner.
The living conditions in the border were not satisfactory. And the hotels were pricey too. Their rooms, which cost over 1, 000 dollars a night, were far more expensive than their counterpart in the Central Plains.
But they were traveling. She couldn't compare a hotel room to her own home. She had to put up with it.
Blair lay in bed, and pulled the covers tightly around her. She thought of Wesley again. He had stayed in this cold place for a few months. And his living conditions were even harsher.
She hoped she could see him the next day.
In the morning, the group decided to visit the salt lake in XH City. At noon, the UV rays were stronger than ever. Blair applied a thick layer of sun cream and put on her sunglasses and hat before going out.
The view was astonishing. It was the biggest salt lake in H Country; the spot where the sky and the water kissed was white, like pure snow.
A small train took them to the island located in the center of the lake. As soon as they hopped onto the train, ten-odd young men and women started singing.
Blair hummed along with them as she busied herself taking pictures. She was having a good time so far.
They reached the center of the lake very soon. They were pretty early, so there were very few tourists on the island. Most of them in their group wanted to take pictures. To get a better view, they decided to get off the train and walk into the water. The water was not too deep, so Blair tagged along and walked towards the lake too.
Soon, everybody was either taking selfies or taking pictures of others. Niles sat by the lakeside. He said to Blair, "Give me your bag. I'll watch it for you."
"You are not coming?" she asked.
"Nope. It looks boring. I prefer playing games on my phone."
Blair didn't know what to say to that. 'Traveling over two thousand miles to play games? Seriously?'
She put her backpack beside him. Clutching her phone and her camera, she said, "Okay. I'm off."
Since everyone else was taking pictures, he asked her, "Do you want me to take pictures of you?" Blair shook her head.
"I only enjoy taking pictures of the view."
"All right. Have fun," he said.
Blair took off her shoes and socks and went into the water.
The water felt cold. It only reached her shin. On the bottom of the lake was a crude salt mine.