54: Chapter 54 Flying to Vietnam

The flight from Vientiane to Da Nang was at ten in the morning.

Li Xin was up by seven. The bed frame at the hostel was hard, the pillow smelled musty, and he tossed and turned all night without getting a good sleep. When he washed up, he looked in the mirror and saw dark circles under his eyes.

After checking out, he bought a baguette sandwich on the street and hailed a taxi while eating. The morning in Laos was already starting to get hot; the sun had just come out, and the ground was already radiating heat.

"Airport," he said in English.

The driver nodded and stepped on the gas.

Arriving at the airport, he checked in and went through security. It wasn't crowded, and the whole process took less than twenty minutes. The air conditioning in the waiting lounge was strong, so he found a corner to sit and took out his phone.

The message Chen Hu sent last night was still there: "Boss, I've made contact in Vietnam. The guide's name is A-Jun, a local from Nghe An. Give him a call when you arrive."

Li Xin replied with a "Good," then opened the map to review the route to Nghe An Province again. From Da Nang to Nghe An, it was over four hundred kilometers, taking seven or eight hours by car. Once there, he still had to find A-Jun, go into the mountains, and it would take at least three or four days round trip.

The announcement played. Boarding.

The plane was an Airbus A320, packed full. Most were tourists; there were a few European and American faces with large hiking backpacks, who also looked like they were going trekking. Li Xin's seat was by the window, with a Vietnamese woman sitting next to him wearing sunglasses; she started sleeping as soon as she sat down.

The flight of over an hour went by quickly. As the plane landed, Li Xin saw the coastline of Da Nang through the porthole, the blue sea sparkling in the sunlight.

Stepping out of the airport, a wave of heat hit him. Vietnam was even hotter than Laos, the air humid and stifling, like crawling into a giant steamer. Fortunately, he had the system's temperature control, keeping his body temperature at a comfortable twenty-six or twenty-seven degrees.

He took out his phone and called A-Jun. It rang three times before being answered.

"A-Jun?"

"It's me. Are you Li Xin?"

"Yes. Did Chen Hu tell you?"

"He did. Have you arrived in Da Nang?"

"Just arrived. I'm going to rent a car now and drive towards your side. Where in Nghe An are you?"

"I'm in Vinh. Call me when you get here, and I'll come pick you up."

"Okay."

Li Xin hung up and found the car rental counter in the airport lobby. The paperwork was handled quickly, and twenty minutes later, he had the keys to a Toyota SUV.

The car was white, in good condition, and the air conditioning was cold enough. He threw his backpack into the back seat, started the engine, and set the navigation.

From Da Nang to Vinh, four hundred kilometers, estimated at seven and a half hours.

He stepped on the gas and merged into traffic.

Leaving the city, he got on the highway. The scenery outside the window changed from city to farmland, and from farmland to hills. The mountains in central Vietnam were different from those in Northern Thailand or Laos—steeper, balder, with many peaks having only sparse trees, revealing yellow soil.

After driving for over two hours, his stomach growled... a gurgling sound—he was that hungry. He found a service area to stop and bought a boxed meal and a bottle of water at a convenience store. The boxed meal was cold, the rice was hard, the vegetables were salty, and the taste was indescribable, but he swallowed it down in a few bites with his eyes closed—who told him to forget to put food in his space.

Back on the road.

Currently, there were still over two hundred kilometers to Vinh. The road conditions began to deteriorate, full of potholes. The car bumped violently, and the steering wheel was shaking.

Li Xin slowed down, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

At four in the afternoon, he arrived in Vinh.

It was a small city with narrow streets, many motorcycles, and the sound of horns everywhere. Li Xin parked the car near the bus station and called A-Jun.

"I'm here. Where are you?"

"I'm at the station entrance, wearing a blue T-shirt."

Li Xin got out of the car and walked over. People were coming and going at the station entrance. He scanned the area and saw The Tall Thin Man with dark skin, wearing a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts, and mud-covered rubber shoes. He was in his early thirties, with small but bright eyes, and when he smiled, he revealed a row of white teeth.

"A-Jun?"

"Li Xin?" A-Jun reached out and shook his hand. His palm was rough and covered in calluses.

"Thanks for the hard work. It's not a short drive from Da Nang, is it?"

"It's fine. The car is parked over there." Li Xin pointed to the SUV. "You lead the way, I'll drive. Where to first?"

"First to my place. We'll head into the mountains early tomorrow morning."

"Get in."

A-Jun sat in the passenger seat and gave directions. The car drove through the streets of Vinh, heading west. The road grew narrower, and the houses on both sides changed from buildings to bungalows, and from bungalows to wooden houses.

After driving for about forty minutes, they arrived at a village. It wasn't big, with thirty or forty households, all stilt houses with roofs thatched with palm leaves. Chickens ran by the roadside, dogs lay on the ground sunbathing, and a few children were kicking a deflated soccer ball.

"We're here," A-Jun said. "Stay at my place tonight."

Li Xin parked the car under a large tree and followed A-Jun into a wooden house. The house wasn't big; the ground floor was empty, piled with some farm tools and firewood, and the second floor was the living area. The stairs were made of wood, creaking when stepped on.

A-Juns wife was cooking, in her thirties, thin, dark-skinned, and when she smiled, she revealed white teeth just like A-Jun. She nodded at Li Xin and said something in Vietnamese.

"She says welcome," A-Jun translated.

"Thank you." Li Xin smiled.

Dinner was rice, grilled fish, stir-fried green vegetables, and a pot of chicken soup. The fish had just been caught from the river, grilled to a golden brown, and drizzled with lemon juice and fish sauce; it tasted good. Li Xin ate two bowls of rice and drank two bowls of soup.

After dinner, A-Jun sat at the doorway smoking. Li Xin walked over and sat down next to him.

"Is the road in the mountains easy to walk?" Li Xin asked.

"Not easy." A-Jun exhaled a puff of smoke. "It's tropical rainforest over there, dense trees, lots of mosquitoes, and snakes. But I've walked the area you want to go to a few times, it's alright."

"Have you been to that abandoned gold mine?"

"I have. The French dug it, long abandoned. It's pitch black inside, nothing worth seeing."

"I'm not going in. Just looking from the outside."

A-Jun glanced at him and flicked the cigarette ash: "You came all the way from China alone, just to look at an abandoned mine?"

"I do photography, I like shooting these abandoned places," Li Xin said. "It's original, has a vibe. And while I'm at it, I collect some nice stones."

A-Jun didn't ask further and stubbed out the cigarette butt on his shoe sole: "We leave at five tomorrow. Leave early, it's cooler."

"Alright."

Li Xin went upstairs and lay on the straw mat A-Jun had laid out for him. The mat was hard and uncomfortable, but he was too tired, and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.