December 22, 2026, Yuhan Country
The car had long been parked, the gear lever already in the parking position. Ma Dan's hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, his right foot still firmly pressing the brake pedal.
He was extremely nervous; after all, it was his first time making contact. He knew the fate of spies from Lvzhi Country if caught in Yuhan Country.
Ma Dan mentally reviewed the mission details: At 5:30 PM, park the car in the alley, next to the utility pole opposite the grocery store, and do not turn off the engine.
A man from Yuhan Country would come out of the grocery store, wearing blue-gray work pants and a light brown cotton jacket.
Take the transparent plastic bag containing a lunch box that he hands over, without speaking, then drive away.
The target man came out of the grocery store, matching the description. He was carrying a black cloth bag and a transparent plastic bag.
Ma Dan took a deep breath and pressed the button to lower the car window.
The man approached from the rear side, clearly having noted Ma Dan's license plate number.
As he reached the car, the man nonchalantly transferred the black bag to his left hand and shoved the plastic bag into the car window with his right hand, continuing forward without pause.
Ma Dan reversed and drove back onto the main road. After driving normally for a while, he pulled over.
He reached into the back seat for his black backpack, moved the paper bag containing pomegranates, placed the empty lunch box inside, zipped it up, and exhaled deeply.
Ma Dan pressed the accelerator, gradually picking up speed, heading towards Kamila's farm where he worked and stayed in Yuhan Country.
Today was the winter solstice, also known as the Dawn Festival in Yuhan Country, or Gubo Winter Solstice Night.
After this long night, the days would start getting longer. In Gubo culture, the winter solstice night was a turning point, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun god Mithra, who had triumphed over darkness.
Ma Dan returned to his residence, tidied up briefly, and went to Bashir and Kamila's spacious living room.
Dinner was already set. The couple had used a table and chairs to accommodate Ma Dan's habits, and the three of them sat around the table, enjoying the feast.
"I just went out and bought some pomegranates. Should I break them open and put them on a plate now?" Ma Dan asked Kamila with a smile.
Kamila smiled back and said, "Ma Dan, my friend, the dinner is not the main event during the Dawn Festival in Yuhan Country. We don't eat fruit during the meal. Fruits and nuts are served during the night vigil after dinner."
Bashir urged Ma Dan to try the roast meat and enthusiastically said, "Ma Dan, you are truly our benefactor. The water-retaining agent you developed has allowed us to produce high-quality watermelons in the high-altitude sandy greenhouses of Yuhan Country. Today is the day our watermelons hit the market in large quantities. Cheers to our cooperation!"
Ma Dan, slightly shy but proud, said, "Cheers to our cooperation. I just found out on the street today that almost every shopping housewife was buying watermelons, even in winter! Yuhan Country truly is a major producer and consumer of watermelons."
"Because watermelons and pomegranates are red, representing the warmth of the sun, they are considered the most suitable foods for the Dawn Festival by the people of Yuhan," Kamila explained.
The three of them chatted and ate, raising their cups in celebration, with their cups filled with fragrant saffron fruit tea.
When they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, Bashir said to Kamila, "Kamila, bring out the most precious food for our most distinguished guest."
Kamila smiled, stood up, walked to the large refrigerator by the wall, and carefully took out a small flat glass jar, placing it on the dining table.
"Seahorse sturgeon caviar, please enjoy, esteemed guest!"
"Wow! I know this; Yuhan Country's caviar is the best and most expensive in the world," Ma Dan said excitedly, mimicking the couple's actions. He placed a thin cracker-like piece of naan on his plate and used a specially prepared shell spoon to scoop a small amount of caviar onto it.
He put it in his mouth, and with a slight press of his upper palate and tongue, the caviar burst, filling his mouth with its unique fresh flavor.
"Amazing, truly a delicacy!" Ma Dan exclaimed.
"I knew you would like it. I have an uncle who works at the seahorse sturgeon farm. His specialty is grading the caviar and determining the salt ratio. He sent me some this morning," Kamila said proudly.
"We have three small jars in total. We'll eat one tonight, keep one, and you can take one with you back to F Country tomorrow to share with your family."
"I don't know what to say; I'm so grateful. For my mom, caviar is the best Christmas gift!" Ma Dan said, overwhelmed with gratitude.
Ma Dan stared at the caviar and asked somewhat sheepishly, "I've only ever had branded canned caviar, which is black. Why is this one a bit whitish?"
Kamila seemed momentarily stunned by the question, then quickly explained, "I'm not quite sure, maybe it's due to a different salt ratio. Anyway, whatever my uncle gives me, I eat. Doesn't it taste good?"
"More than good, it's delicious!" Ma Dan replied.
Bashir asked the guest to finish the last few caviar eggs and signaled Kamila to clean up the table. Then the three of them began placing the fruits on the table one by one, including the red-skinned pomegranates Ma Dan had bought, which were broken open to reveal the red seeds inside.
Kamila carefully selected a watermelon grown on their farm, cut it open, and placed it in the center of the table.
Kamila adjusted her headscarf and made a barely noticeable gesture of prayer towards the red watermelon, silently reciting, "Sun god Mithra, from today, may you be reborn."
Bashir took out a book of Hafez's poems and said to Ma Dan, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Let's take turns reading Hafez's poetry."
The three of them, amidst laughter, began the ancient game.
Perhaps due to staying up late, Ma Dan didn't wake up until after eight the next morning. Once he was fully awake, he immediately became tense.
Don't make any mistakes! Pack your luggage according to the mission requirements; today you have to go through customs and security! Ma Dan mentally repeated, "When entering the country, bring an empty transparent plastic lunch box, slightly smaller than the sample lunch box, so they won't get mixed up. Don't check these two lunch boxes; keep them in your carry-on backpack. Put some food in the smaller lunch box. If inspected, the officers will open the one with items in it, making it less likely they'll ask to open the empty sample lunch box."
Ma Dan took the dry ice pack and the caviar jar from the fridge, placed them in the smaller lunch box, packed his luggage, and after bidding farewell to the couple, headed to the airport.
"Sir, please open this lunch box," said the border officer, dressed in a thick uniform with a bushy beard, in a stern voice.
Ma Dan appeared calm as he opened the lunch box containing the caviar. The bearded officer called over another official who seemed to be a supervisor. The supervisor unscrewed the caviar jar's lid, carefully examined it, and then escorted Ma Dan and his hand luggage to a small room.
"Sir, in Yuhan Country, sturgeon caviar is a government monopoly. Smuggling caviar is illegal, especially since you are smuggling top-grade caviar," the official said, staring intently at Ma Dan.
Ma Dan slumped into a chair and said, "I'm sorry, I really didn't know it was illegal to carry caviar. Besides, how do you know this is top-grade caviar? Even the friend who gave it to me didn't know."
"It is indeed top-grade caviar. Look, these eggs aren't black; they're somewhat whitish. Only wild sturgeon over 60 years old from Seahorse Sea produce such eggs. This small jar you have is worth over thirty thousand dollars on the market!"
Ma Dan felt as if he'd been struck by lightning and pleaded, "I really didn't know. You can confiscate the caviar; I just need to get back to F Country to spend the holidays with my family."
The official sternly said, "Mr. Ma Dan, you are being detained on suspicion of smuggling!"
Ma Dan helplessly watched as the bearded officer repacked his belongings into his backpack, including the lunch box containing the air sample, which had remained unnoticed and unopened.