SWNOVELS Chapter Ben Jianao
Ben Jianao
Block 7,927,936
The daylight is beginning to break into the bedroom. Huifen rolls out of bed. Han turns to her and opens his eyes when he feels her stir. Before standing up, she bends over to shake her long black hair. Han watches her and smiles. He can barely see her panties but knows they are black. After she stands, she throws her hair back over her shoulder.
“Your beautiful, my Lǎopó.”
Her dark silhouette turns towards him. She gets on all fours and crawls toward Han. “I love you, dear.” She says. She kisses him on the lips and twists away to roll out of bed. She stands again, and her form contrasts with the light coming through the window. She’s wearing a short white silk t-shirt.
She walks around the bed, and Han watches her the whole time. She gives him a coy look as she walks toward the bathroom. She enters and shuts the door. Han hears the shower start. Her fragrance fills the air.
Han gets up and walks to the bathroom, and opens the door. The lights are off, but the faint glow of the morning is beginning to fill the bathroom as well. He walks to the shower and opens the door, and steps in. Huifen turns around to embrace him. They kiss.
“Today, my dear, you will see my favorite place.” He caresses her.
“I can’t wait. I didn’t need to purchase any special apparel, but I did. So I will show you a surprise later tonight.”
“But right now, you have all I need.”
“Yes, my dear, you will get that too, but I thought I’d surprise you with something else tonight.”
“What?” Huifen caresses Han. They kiss.
“You are going to have to wait and see.”
He pulls her closer in.
“Now, my dear, we had plenty of that last night. You will need to wait to see my surprise tonight. And if you like, you can undress me.”
Huifen pushes him away and smiles.
“Yes, my dear. You are worth waiting for.” He smiles back. “Can I at least shower with you? I’ll make sure you get extra clean.”
“Ha, I’m sure you will. Yes, my dear.”
They shower together, kissing and caressing each other. Finally, Huifen finishes and leaves the door open for Han to watch. She bends down, gathers her hair, and throws it back as she wraps it with a towel. The morning light is coming through the windows, and Han watches as she walks toward the closet.
Han steps out of the shower and dries off. He joins Huifen in the closet as she dresses for the day. She puts on a light pink dress straight at the hips that stops below her knees and slips on gray flats.
“It’s going to be chilly out there.”
“Yes, I know, but I know you like this dress. So I’ve packed some warmer clothes.”
“I love you.”
“Haven’t you said that already today?”
“Can I say it enough, Lǎopó?”
“No, you can’t. I love you too!”
“Ok, my dear, I will leave soon to get everything done before you get there later today.”
“Yes, Ok. The kids are still asleep but give them a nice little kiss for their travel today.”
“Of course.”
Han gets ready to leave the house, walks into each child’s room, and kisses them on the forehead.
The Han Tech AAPD is ready when he walks out the front door. He’s got his satchel with the mystery device, notebook, and pencil, and he also carries the Beta console, which he won’t be using but takes anyway.
“AI, call Min.”
“Hello?”
“Min, are you ready on your end?”
“Yes, I’ve alerted EMC to the consensus feature. No problems so far. All of the extension ports are ready. We added one extra feature since these are all outside and exposed to the elements. Each one is enclosed in a waterproof rubber case. It should be self-explanatory when you see it on-site. As you recall from the installation photos, the extension ports are attached to the AI antenna adjacent to the node center weather station.”
“Yes, I remember. Once I arrive and connect, I will call you, and we can review the data and initial progress. Based on your calculations, the data should be loaded later today into the Han Tech AI at the node center, correct?”
“Yes, sir, based on my calculations, that’s correct.”
“Ok, I’ll call if there are any issues.”
“Yes, sir.”
Han’s never flown to Ben Jianao or easterly in SO-Lands on this route. He’s always headed due south first and then follows the coast in a counterclockwise fashion. He enjoys the new sights from the AAPD. The flight path takes him directly over Poyang Lake. The weather appears to be perfect for flying today. He’s glad as he imagines the children will be pretty excited about all the sights they see.
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“Come on, children, let’s get ready. We need to eat, pack, and get ready to go and see daddy’s special place.”
“Yeah!” They all screamed.
Huifen prepares the kids, and they have breakfast together and do some final preparations. She figures they will be in Quanzhou by late afternoon. After that, the drone will take them straight to the hotel, and Han will meet them there.
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Han arrives at Ben Jianao just before noon. On arrival, he smiles. The thought of watching the sunrise with Huifen in the morning delights him.
He scans the weather station and antenna array as he descends. The installation crew has made it easy to identify the new addition. He sees a little orange flag directing his eyes to the new hardware. The AAPD sets down.
Han exits the AAPD with his satchel and walks to the port. It’s a bit cold outside, and there’s a brisk wind coming off the ocean. “I’m glad this won’t take long.” He thinks to himself.
Han opens the casing to the port and inserts the mystery device.
“AI, call Min.”
“Hello?”
“Ok, Min. I just installed the device. What are you seeing on your side?”
“Well, as expected, I saw an energy bump after we turned on the consensus feature. So I’m starting to see a slight energy bump at your location, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“All right, I’m leaving the device connected and will get into the node center to review the incoming feed.”
“Ok, sounds good. Call me again once inside.”