53: Chapter 53: Going Home 53: Chapter 53: Going Home Gao Yang registered his name and place of origin on the airplane because the evacuation required precise data on the number of people, to make the greatest effort to avoid leaving any Huaxia people stranded in Libya.
However, the name Gao Yang gave was Cui Bo’s and the information on his passport, not because Gao Yang didn’t want to hide his identity, but because he didn’t want the embassy to think there were still people lingering in Libya.
After registering, Gao Yang had a good sleep.
Although the Il-76 was not as comfortable as a real airliner, it was the most solid sleep Gao Yang had in three years.
The plane finally landed at the capital’s airport.
When it did, the cabin was filled with tears, for those in the cabin, the terror they experienced in Libya was now over, and they were completely safe.
As an injured person, Gao Yang received preferential treatment.
He was the first to disembark from the plane, and he was helped down.
As he passed through the people inside the cabin, everyone in the cabin stood up and applauded him.
“Brother, I wish you a speedy recovery.”
“Young man, we’re home now, everything’s over, go home and heal.”
“Big brother, you’ve suffered a lot this time, but now that you’re back in our spot, you’ll have good food and drink, and in a few days, you’ll be fine.
We’re all fated to be together, say hello to your parents for the rest of us, will you?”
Gao Yang’s face turned red with embarrassment.
He was excited, but the redness was mainly due to being mortified.
The warmer these strangers were, the more embarrassed he felt, because he had cheated his way onto the military plane that was primarily intended for women, children, the elderly, and the weak.
All Gao Yang could do was continuously bow to everyone while thanking them loudly, and he walked down the plane to the sound of applause and well-wishes.
The plane took off from Libya around eleven o’clock in the morning, and considering the six-hour time difference between Libya and the capital, after more than ten hours of flying, Gao Yang arrived in the capital at around four in the morning.
It was still completely dark, but still, many people had come to receive him, including a few carrying cameras.
Gao Yang proudly became the representative of all the passengers on the plane.
As soon as he disembarked, a middle-aged man presented Gao Yang with a bouquet of flowers and said in a serious tone, “On behalf of all the people of our nation, I welcome you home.
You have suffered.”
Gao Yang took the flowers, wanting to say something, but tears uncontrollably started to flow.
However, he didn’t feel ashamed, because his journey home had gone through too many hardships.
Waiting for this day, Gao Yang had waited for more than three whole years.
Gao Yang was filled with gratitude in his heart.
He bowed deeply to the middle-aged man in front of him and said in a deep voice, “Thank you, thank you for everything the country has done for us, thank you for all your efforts.”
The middle-aged man did not say much else.
After expressing his welcome to Gao Yang and the others, he stepped aside.
A female reporter had intended to interview Gao Yang, but his injury helped him out of the situation, allowing him to make a smooth exit from the airport.
Gao Yang left the airport on his own.
The personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted to take him to the hospital for treatment first and then give him a set of clothes, as his clothes were not only torn but also soaked with blood.
They also offered to provide him with travel expenses home if he had no money, but Gao Yang absolutely did not have the face to accept their offer; he had several thousand US dollars on him.
Gao Yang exchanged more than two thousand yuan at the airport’s foreign currency exchange service and bought a change of clothes from the airport before hailing a taxi straight to the train station.
After arriving at the train station, Gao Yang easily purchased a high-speed train ticket.
Taking the high-speed train from the capital to his home took just over two hours.
It seemed that after going through numerous difficulties to get home, Gao Yang’s journey back now was surprisingly smooth.
Without further ado, at ten o’clock sharp in the morning, Gao Yang returned to the city where he grew up.
Gao Yang, struggling to suppress his excitement, hailed a taxi and went straight to his neighborhood’s residential complex.
Seeing the familiar complex, Gao Yang couldn’t understand why, but his heart grew more and more anxious.
As the taxi entered the complex and arrived beneath his family’s building, Gao Yang found himself almost unable to catch his breath.
Gao Yang handed the taxi driver a one hundred yuan note and said, “Keep the change” before his body began to tremble.
He almost tripped over as he stepped out, stumbling into the elevator and pressing the button for his family’s floor.
Gao Yang’s family lived in what could be considered a high-end complex.
The house was spacious, and the floor was high, with a total of twenty-six floors—Gao Yang’s home was on the top floor.
It didn’t take long to get from the first floor to the top, but that short ride seemed endless to him.
His mind was overrun by wild thoughts, fearing that the elevator might break down and drop, or trap him inside.
When the elevator finally reached the twenty-sixth floor, Gao Yang stepped out and, after catching his breath at the door, rang the doorbell with trembling fingers.
Gao Yang’s mind was a blank slate; he just stood dumbly at the door.
But when the door opened, it was someone he didn’t recognize at all.
The door was answered by a woman in her forties, who, upon seeing Gao Yang, had an impatient look on her face.
She said, “Who are you looking for?”
Gao Yang was completely stunned.
Looking at the unfamiliar woman in front of him, he thought he had come to the wrong place and asked dazedly, “Is this Gao Wu’s home?”
The woman at the door looked unsurprised and said impatiently, “This used to be his home, but we’ve bought the house now.
If you’re looking for Gao Wu, go to his old place.”
Before Gao Yang could say anything else, the woman slammed the door shut, leaving him utterly confused.
After a brief pause, Gao Yang abandoned the idea of seeking clarification and immediately turned around to take the elevator down.
He quickly found another taxi and headed for his old home.
Gao Yang’s old neighborhood was an aged one, not far from his new house—a ten-minute taxi ride away.
During those ten minutes in the car, Gao Yang was in a state of complete turmoil, wondering why his parents had sold their new house.
Upon reaching the old neighborhood, Gao Yang jumped out of the car and ran to his family’s building, panting heavily after racing up to the third floor.
Standing at the door, he gasped for air and wanted to knock but, for some reason, hesitated to reach out.
Gao Yang forced himself not to overthink and knocked on the door with shaky hands.
Soon, he heard a voice he had heard countless times in his dreams.
“Who is it?”
Upon hearing his mother’s voice, the tight grip around Gao Yang’s heart finally eased, and with a choked-up voice, he said, “Mom, it’s me, I’ve returned.”
His mother didn’t wait for Gao Yang’s response before she started opening the door.
As the door opened, Gao Yang’s mother’s voice rang out again, filled with anxiety for some reason.
“How is it?
Is there any news?”
Gao Yang’s mother opened the door and, after one glance at him, froze on the spot.
She looked him up and down, and tears immediately blurred her vision.
Gao Yang’s mother shook her head vigorously, wiped her eyes, and then with a trembling voice, timidly asked, “Is that you, Yangyang?”
Gao Yang had imagined countless times what he would say when he saw his mother, but all the words he had prepared disappeared from his mind, leaving only one sentence.
“Mom, it’s me, I’ve returned.”