Chapter 8 Dreamland (11)
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“Wife, how about we go to the beach and clear our minds?”
Since he had given up on writing, he couldn’t use the excuse of seeking inspiration anymore. Anyway, the plan was just to check out the city again — a little trip down memory lane.
“Sure! Our daughter is about to have summer vacation, so let’s all go together!”
“Alright.”
Wang Xue quickly booked round-trip tickets. She generally took care of these things, which made Lin Nan feel really comfortable.
At the same time, after that so-called divination masterpiece hit the shelves,
Sales couldn’t compare to his previous novels, but it garnered plenty of support from professionals.
In particular, many divination enthusiasts treated it as a reference book, and their results were surprisingly positive. It definitely reinforced its status as a divination masterpiece.
There were dozens of analytical and explanatory books on the original work available in the market.
Suddenly, Lin Nan was dubbed the father of mysticism and divination.
So when news of his writing halt spread online, people mourned, as if the world was ending, even writing petitions begging him to reconsider.
Lin Nan remained indifferent.
Because he knew that no matter what he typed in the document, it would be overanalyzed.
He didn’t want to go through that comedic repeat.
Temporarily halting was the best decision; it gave him time to think about whether his seemingly charmed life had any issues.
Like the bizarre little wooden sculpture and Shiyuan, who knew his writing was junk.
A week later, Lin Xiao was on vacation.
Needless to say, she aced her exams again. He didn’t have to worry about her academics, the only thing he had to handle was his daughter’s various clingy behaviors.
Even on the way to the airport, she was tightly clutching Lin Nan’s arm.
The family of three really turned heads with their good looks.
But Lin Nan knew why he was heading to the beach city.
If you were local, you’d probably know about that promotional video, considering all those extras who nearly took over the whole town.
To prevent Wang Xue and their daughter from discovering the little wooden sculpture, he kept it inside the inner pocket of his bag.
The trip went smoothly, and upon landing, the sky, much bluer than back home, greeted him, and with a refreshing sea breeze, it seemed like a vacation mode instantly kicked in.
They checked into that same hotel as last time.
Since it was a family trip, Wang Xue booked a big suite, with two adjoining rooms both having king-sized beds.
At first, he didn’t notice anything missing after landing, but once they got to the hotel and he rummaged through his pockets, the little wooden sculpture had vanished once again.
Thanks to the last time’s experience, Lin Nan felt no emotional turmoil because he knew the little wooden sculpture would eventually return to him.
For now, he just needed to focus on his set goals.
While enjoying the holiday with his wife and daughter, Lin Nan looked for chances to chat with the locals.
He explained to his wife and daughter that this behavior was called a writer’s occupational hazard; he always wanted to hear interesting stories from others that he didn’t know. Even if he might not use them right away, they’d be stored in his mind, ready to pop out someday and become part of his writing.
Wang Xue and Lin Xiao naturally didn’t mind his behavior at all.
In fact, watching him clumsily trying to pry open conversations with strangers, only to fail repeatedly, made them chuckle.
Lin Nan knew he wasn’t very skilled at interacting with strangers.
But to solve the riddle, he had to keep pushing forward.
The seven-day vacation zipped by, and Wang Xue enrolled Lin Xiao in some summer classes that would start soon, so they had to rush home before that.
“Does she really need classes? She’s already so talented!”
Lin Xiao jumped in, “I want to be as skilled as Dad!”
Her flattery was always appreciated, and as Wang Xue said Lin Xiao requested these summer classes herself, Lin Nan shrugged and decided it was time to head back.
A month after returning home,
When the little wooden sculpture, which he thought would vanish for another few years, appeared in his study again, Lin Nan felt as if he were seeing an old friend.
In this slightly surreal world, only the little wooden sculpture made him feel a bit of reality.
Yes, during those seven days in the beach city, he hardly gleaned any clues about that video. People might have heard of the city’s promo video, and some well-meaning folks even found links to send him.
But like most promotional videos from cities back home, the beach city’s video followed the same “loving, hospitable” formula, not offering anything new. It was merely brightened up with a tropical theme, which was refreshing.
Besides that, whenever he brought up the idea of still images, people gave him blank stares.
So, he could confidently conclude that the thirty-minute video broadcasted by the little wooden sculpture had never appeared online, and nobody had heard of such a thing.
Could it be that it was created by the little sculpture itself?
But it was just a hunk of wood! Even if it was internally modified, it could at most be a wooden device capable of playing videos.
What power did it have to create content?
Thus, when the little wooden sculpture appeared once more, Lin Nan’s first question was, “Can I record or copy that video you played earlier?”
The little wooden sculpture didn’t speak but showed a sulky expression.
Clearly, it didn’t agree with Lin Nan’s suggestion.
Lin Nan decided to drop the matter.
“Why do you disappear every time we reach the beach city? What were you up to during that time?”
Those were his second and third questions.
The surface of the little wooden sculpture slowly became enveloped in a white light, and Lin Nan understood that it was preparing to play a video again.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t just transcribe it without its permission; doing so might alienate the little wooden sculpture and ruin their trust.
He didn’t want to lose this friend.
The projected picture was clearer than last time, as Lin Nan leaned over the table, scrutinizing the projection.
He was curious about what the little wooden sculpture would present this time.
Wait, isn’t this the airport of the beach city?
Just like last time, the airport was completely frozen in time; whether it was passengers in the terminal or staff in the control tower, they stood motionless like statues.
There were even planes hanging in the air, and as the camera panned over the passengers, they posed in various stances, detailed expressions as if about to spring back into action at any moment.
And just then, out of the clouds, a passenger plane suddenly appeared.
As it did, the whole airport seemed to thaw as if spring had arrived, restoring normal operations.
Planes took off and landed, buses whisked passengers and cargo around, and the terminal buzzed with noise.
Lin Nan frowned slightly,
Because the lens quickly pivoted to the interior of the plane that had just landed, where he and his wife and daughter were packing up to disembark.
What was this video trying to say?
Lin Nan fell into complete confusion.
……
ps: Three updates today. Dear reader, do you have any tickets left? Toss one my way…
