After returning from the winter camp and finishing the final exams, winter vacation officially began.
Jiang Lai had long wanted to take Jiang Shan to Sanya for the New Year.
The city they lived in was always overcast in winter, with strong winds and a damp cold that seeped into the bones.
Back when they lived in the old house, Jiang Shan would say every winter that once they had money, they should go south for the New Year—it was warm there, and they wouldn’t need to wear down jackets. She said this for several years, but after Jiang Wei ran off, she never mentioned it again.
Now Jiang Lai had money. With a System Balance of over 400,000, she could take her mother anywhere for the New Year. But saying directly, “Mom, I’ll pay for us to go to Sanya,” wouldn’t work. Jiang Shan would ask how much the plane tickets cost, how much the hotel was, and where she got so much money, then lie awake worrying.
On the last day of final exams, Zhang Yue gloomily mentioned in the cafeteria that she’d be spending the New Year alone this year.
Her parents had invested the compensation money from the demolition into a business and had to travel out of town during the Spring Festival to oversee a big order, so they couldn’t return.
Jiang Lai put down her chopsticks. She had been thinking about how to reasonably repay the favor from the Nordic dorm stay. Zhang Yue didn’t mind, but friendships were built on mutual effort—she couldn’t just ignore it.
“Come with me and my mom to Sanya for the New Year. I’ll cover the accommodation this time.”
Zhang Yue was taken aback. “Huh?”
“I stayed at your place during the winter camp,” Jiang Lai picked up her chopsticks and continued eating, her tone matter-of-fact. “I wrote a travelogue about the Nordic trip and submitted it to the school magazine. The payment was quite high. It’s my turn to treat you.”
She used the same story about the travelogue payment with Zhang Yue. Zhang Yue’s sensitivity to money only extended to the demolition compensation—she had no idea about typical writing fees.
After a brief moment of thought, Zhang Yue said, “I’d love to! But would your mom feel uncomfortable?”
Jiang Lai waved a hand. “We’ve known each other for years, and my mom knows you too. We’re all girls—what’s there to be uncomfortable about? Having one more person for the New Year will make it livelier. She’ll definitely be happy.”
Jiang Lai told Jiang Shan a different version at home.
“Mom, let’s go to Sanya for the New Year.”
Jiang Shan was using the massage chair in the living room and opened her eyes. “Sanya? The plane tickets must be so expensive—”
“They’re free,” Jiang Lai sat on the arm of the sofa. “Zhang Yue’s dad invested in a homestay in Sanya—three bedrooms, two living rooms, with a sea-view balcony. It was just renovated this year and hasn’t been booked yet. Her parents are doing business out of town this year, leaving Zhang Yue alone for the New Year. They know how close we are and wanted to ask if you could look after her while we’re there.”
“Is… is that appropriate?” Jiang Shan sounded a little worried.
“Of course it is. Zhang Yue is really looking forward to it because I’ve always told her how amazing your cooking is.” Jiang Lai kept a straight face. “The accommodation is free, but we’ll cover the daily expenses for groceries and meals. Her parents will feel more at ease that way. It’s perfectly fair.”
Jiang Shan thought for a few seconds. Just then, the massage chair’s kneading mode shifted to her shoulders and neck, and her brow relaxed. With the New Year approaching—the first since Jiang Wei left—she had been feeling somewhat anxious. But with this opportunity to go to Sanya for the New Year and see the ocean, why not?
“Alright,” Jiang Shan leaned back into the massage chair. “I’ve never spent the New Year in the south before.”
On the day of their departure, Jiang Shan was still muttering at the airport security checkpoint about whether the plane tickets were expensive.
“They’re free,” Jiang Lai handed her the boarding pass. “I accumulated a lot of points from my trip to the Nordic countries last time. These were all redeemed with miles.”
Jiang Shan stepped out of the arrival hall at Sanya Phoenix Airport and was hit by a temperature difference of over twenty degrees. She took off her down jacket and draped it over her arm, standing by the roadside to gaze at the coconut trees and blue sky. Squinting her eyes, she was speechless for several seconds. Holding onto her suitcase handle, she turned in a circle, staring intently at a row of palm trees in the distance.
“These trees are real, Mom.”
“I know they’re real,” Jiang Shan said, adjusting her down jacket on her arm. “It’s just that when you actually see them, they’re taller than you imagined.”
Jiang Lai stood beside her, dragging her suitcase, letting her quietly take it all in.
The homestay she had booked was in Sanya Bay, with three bedrooms—one for each of them. Pushing open the floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a wide ocean view, and two lounge chairs were placed side by side on the balcony. The garden downstairs was planted with bougainvillea and frangipani. Jiang Shan walked through each room, wiping the dust off the balcony railing with the back of her hand—it was spotless.
“This Zhang Yue’s dad is too kind,” Jiang Shan said, standing on the balcony. “Lai Lai, do you think this counts as a vacation?”
“Of course it does,” Jiang Lai replied, opening her suitcase and pulling out sunscreen and sun hats one by one. “That’s exactly what it’s called.”
Zhang Yue couldn’t get up early in the morning and arrived on a flight that afternoon. She wore a backless floral dress and large sunglasses. The first thing she did upon entering was rush to the balcony, spread her arms, and take a deep breath. Then, she pulled a mango out of her bag and started munching on it while sitting on the lounge chair.
Zhang Yue leaned halfway into the room from the balcony, her expression shifting from the self-assured air of a nouveau riche daughter to something more genuinely moved. “Lai Lai, thank you for inviting me.”
“What’s there to thank?” Jiang Lai said, folding the last T-shirt and placing it in the drawer. “Just don’t slip up when my mom’s around. Tell her this is your family’s homestay. She’s too frugal, so I didn’t tell her.”
On the evening of New Year’s Eve, Jiang Lai had reserved a table at a seafood restaurant by the sea.
The outdoor seating featured wooden tables and chairs, with thatched roofs and warm yellow string lights overhead, facing the beach directly. The sunset was sinking below the horizon, the sky fading from orange-red to pink-purple, while the sound of waves crashed rhythmically, like breathing.
Zhang Yue ordered a table full of dishes: king crab, steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli, and salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp. The plates were so large they took up half the table. She first helped herself to a scallop, but as soon as her chopsticks touched the shell, she put them down and pulled out her phone.
“I have to video call my parents.”
The call was answered instantly. Zhang Yue’s father’s face appeared on the screen, the background showing a private room in some hotel. Their New Year’s Eve dinner was also laid out, but it was a traditional Chinese round table with cold and hot dishes neatly arranged. Zhang Yue switched the camera to the rear lens, panning over the plate of king crab on their table. “Dad! Mom! I’m celebrating New Year in Sanya with Lai Lai and her mom! Look at this crab! It’s ten thousand times better than your business banquet!”
“Eating seafood on New Year’s Eve? Aren’t you afraid of getting diarrhea!” Zhang Yue’s mother’s voice exploded from the speaker, with someone in the background shouting, “Old Zhang, your daughter’s calling!”
Jiang Shan leaned in with a smile, waving at the camera. “Happy New Year, Zhang Yue’s mom! Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on the kids.”
Zhang Yue’s mother’s face moved closer to the camera. Seeing Jiang Shan, her tone immediately switched from scolding her daughter to grateful. “Oh, Jiang Shan’s mom! Happy New Year! Is that troublemaker Zhang Yue causing you any trouble?”
“No, not at all. She’s been very well-behaved.”
Jiang Shan was about to praise Zhang Yue’s parents’ homestay, but Zhang Yue and Jiang Lai quickly changed the subject and took away her phone.