It was warmer than last time. Between 1.1° and 1.3° warmer, granted, but it was technically warmer.
Shanjiaoxia was exactly as beautiful as Foxen remembered, but undeniably less vibrant in the absence of Home. Still, it did have a charm of its own, and some nooks and crannies that they hadn’t had a chance to examine last time. Textiles, in particular, seemed to be nearly as prolific in this place as food.
Of course, business came first. Meihua had said she’d found the perfect place to stash F²’s growing pile of things coming from the planet—particularly Flyndt’s favourite ✨produce✨ options. She’d been vague about exactly that place entailed, though, only promising to say more when he arrived.
When Foxen did arrive, Meihua displayed her usual brand of hospitality, carrying a bag of the fluffy barbecue pork buns she’d fed to F² on their first trip. She’d assured him she wouldn’t need a meeting spot, and sure enough, waved him down at the Shanjiaoxia spaceport.
“Wai, laoban!”
Through their communications, Foxen would know that laoban meant something like “manager” or “boss"—the same honorific she’d used for Longshun at the restaurant.
"Bao?” Meihua held out the bag of pastries. After a moment, she looked around. “Where’s Da Nie?” The term meant Big Bird, and was a nickname for Flyndt, being the biggest bird she’d ever seen.