With Director Li's encouragement and his own concerns for his sister weighing on his mind, An Guoming climbed into the truck and sat down beside An Ning.
"What are you smiling about, Second Brother?"
"My director is a great guy. He said he'd reimburse me for the trip."
"That's great."
An Guoming nodded in agreement and said no more.
The two of them settled into the back of the truck, beginning their journey to Beijing.
The truck left in the afternoon. It didn't stop when night fell; they just swapped drivers.
An Guoming gave An Ning his bag to use as a pillow. He leaned against the window, trying to give her as much space as possible.
The truck jostled along, its engine chugging ceaselessly. Before long, An Ning was able to sleep soundly to the rhythm of its rumble.
Night passed. As the first rays of dawn streamed through the window, An Ning shielded her eyes and blinked them open.
"Are we there yet?"
"Almost. Sit up and have some water and a bite to eat."
