Chapter 73
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the large pet travel carrier that had been ordered online arrived.
The moment this large thing was taken out, Xin Xin consciously crawled in, just like it would crawl into its dog bed, with a very strong adaptability.
Cauliflower was a little disgusted. It just stood on the side with its little wings on its back, watching silently, as if it didn’t really want to be locked up in this kind of thing.
But in the end, when they set off, both little ones were stuffed in.
Jian Xin held this large carrier, carefully placed it on the right side of the seat.
The car started, and she gently patted the top of the carrier, and said to them in a light tone, “Let’s go, Xin Xin, Cauliflower, our family is going to Haicheng to see the sea!”
The journey from Nanjiang to Haicheng by car was very long. To prevent the two little ones from getting too bored, Yan Lu and Jian Xin decided to play along the way.
So the two of them took turns driving and resting, and with the two little ones, they would stop and go all the way, eating, drinking, and playing along the way, not in a hurry to get to the beach at all.
Yan Lu was not unfamiliar with this kind of life. After all, in the past, she would have rested on the road for even longer.
So, she was the one who arranged almost all the food and accommodation on this trip.
Jian Xin, who had not traveled outside for centuries, stood by her side, looking a little like a little fool.
Sometimes she had to sigh, the changes in these years were really big.
The Jian Xin who had once loved to play outside, and whose world was so big that it was hard for Yan Lu to adapt, had now become a dead homebody who barely went out except to walk the duck and dog.
And the Yan Lu who at that time only knew to hide in her room and write, had become a travel master who was at home in the vast world and could say a thing or two wherever she went.
Faced with this situation, although Jian Xin had some sighs, she also frankly admitted defeat in this aspect, and safely held on to Yan Lu’s thigh.
At the end of February, the two of them finally arrived in Haicheng after a long journey.
The guide that Lin Xiyu had arranged in advance met them at the designated place. He was a big brother who looked to be in his forties. After getting in the car and adjusting his seat a little, he drove towards the accommodation that had been booked in advance.
This big brother was very enthusiastic and introduced the delicious and fun places around them all the way.
Finally, he asked them how many days they were going to play. If the time was relatively short, he would first pick out a few of the most worthwhile places.
They were naturally not in a hurry. Anyway, they didn’t have anything to be busy with for the time being. If they had fun, it would be good to play for a few more days.
The person that Lin Xiyu had arranged was really reliable. On their first day in Haicheng, they were picked up and dropped off at a luxurious sea-view villa full of panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows.
The entrance was the front yard, and in the yard, there were two parking spaces, a small pond decorated with rockeries, and a set of stone tables and chairs.
Looking into the house, the living room on the first floor alone was almost bigger than their home.
The decoration inside was simple and bright, and every part of the house had been cleaned up. Not only was there a special gym, but there was also a very large and empty activity room.
The stairs were spiral. Jian Xin stood below and glanced up, and was just worrying that it would be inconvenient for Xin Xin with its short little legs to go upstairs, and was thinking about whether to pick it up, when she saw the big brother on the side take out a remote control and press it, and a door on the side instantly opened.
Jian Xin took a closer look—my goodness, it was an elevator!
It’s so good to be rich, you can even have an elevator for three floors!
With this thought, she took the elevator upstairs with the two little ones.
The space on the second floor was not small either. There were three bedrooms, a study, and a storage room.
Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and the bathtubs were all the kind that looked very high-end.
Continuing to go up, on the third floor, there was a tea room, and all kinds of tea sets were very complete. There was also a thing that burned agarwood like a small mountain.
The big brother demonstrated it for them. It was to put the kind of incense that would sink to the bottom in a fixed position and light it, and you would see a small mountain shrouded in smoke.
It is said that drinking tea in this atmosphere is very atmospheric.
—High-end, really high-end.
These were all areas that Jian Xin had not been involved in, so she could only widen her eyes and praise, “So amazing, so amazing!”
Across the corridor from the tea room was a piano room, and outside there was a large terrace of more than eighty square meters. On the terrace, there was a small swimming pool, and on the side were tatami mats and a swing chair for resting.
The housekeeper said that the sea water was a little cold at this time of year. If they really wanted to swim, the swimming pool at home had a temperature control, and they could go for a swim at any time.
Jian Xin opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word.
She felt that this was her dream villa, but on second thought, she felt that she probably wouldn’t even dare to dream of such a villa.
Finally, she and Yan Lu took the elevator back to the first floor, and followed the big brother to the backyard to take a look.
The backyard was not big. There was a plant sunroom with good lighting, and the flowers and plants inside were clearly well-cared for.
What was most amazing was that this backyard also had a door to go out.
From the backyard, the beach was in sight.
That’s right, the backyard of this villa was connected to the sea!
If you wanted to go to the beach, you just had to walk through a wooden corridor, and beyond the shallow green grass was a beach!
“Oh my god, am I worthy of living here?” Jian Xin was completely stunned. “Am I really awake now? Can I really live in a big villa with a beach right outside the door in my lifetime?!”
Not only was Jian Xin shocked by this, but Yan Lu’s expression was also very surprised.
She had indeed been to many places, but most of the time on the road, she had been very frugal. Later, when she had earned enough money, she had not traveled outside, so she had really never lived in such a house.
After looking at the house, Jian Xin stared at the distant horizon where the sea and the sky met for a while. The first thing she said when she came back to her senses was, “How much does this cost a day!”
She hadn’t eaten dinner today, and the big brother on the side had not yet completed his mission, so he hadn’t left yet.
At this moment, hearing Jian Xin ask such a question, he immediately replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, this is Miss Lin’s house. It’s been vacant for a long time, so it’s empty anyway. You can stay for as many days as you want, and you don’t have to pay—someone comes to clean here every day, so I guarantee that you two will have a comfortable stay!”
My goodness, Miss Lin’s house…
Is this some kind of rich young lady literature coming to life? This Miss Lin is really a fairy who has descended to the mortal world, to be able to let them stay in such a good house for free.
That afternoon, they changed into sandals that were not afraid of getting wet, and took the two little ones to the beach for a walk.
The clouds that day were thin, there was a sun overhead, and the temperature was in the twenties, not hot, but slightly cool.
The sky was so blue, and the deep blue was boundless, extending to the end of the line of sight, and silently meeting the sea.
The wind was so strong, and it had messed up their long hair.
The sea, under the sunlight, rolled up layers of waves with a hint of golden light, hitting the shore, and then leisurely retreating, leaving only layers of white foam.
Some were blown away by the wind and disappeared without a trace. Some were left on the ground, waiting for the next wave to come and decide their fate.
There was a salty and wet smell in the air, faint, and it was blown onto their bodies by the sea breeze, gently patting them one after another.
Xin Xin and Cauliflower were both on a small leash. When they wanted to play, they would hop and jump, and bark and quack, and pull their owner back and forth.
The small footprints on the ground were like the maple leaves and plum blossoms in her dream.
It was already past the holidays, and this was not a scenic spot. There was no one around, so it was quite quiet.
“So this is the sea!” Jian Xin couldn’t help but open her arms to the sea breeze and shout to the distance.
She gently stepped on the white foam on the ground, and just as she was about to, a wave came and hit the back of her foot, which scared her into jumping back a big step.
Even though she had swum many times when she was a duck, she was still a little afraid of water, and she was also afraid of this boundless sea.
Yan Lu smiled with her eyebrows arched on the side.
Xin Xin and Cauliflower, who were being held by her, had both run to the shore, and as if to compete with Jian Xin, they were chasing the waves back and forth.
Yan Lu quietly looked at the scene in front of her.
The sea breeze blew the waves, with a roar and a splash, accompanied by the playful cries of the little ones, and also Jian Xin’s sighs, all of which echoed leisurely in her ears.
The sea that they had once agreed to see together when they grew up, she had indeed already seen it by herself, and she had not felt anything special.
But at this moment, standing by the sea again, she had a completely different feeling in her heart.
Actually, there was nothing on the surface of the sea. It always looked empty, but she just felt that this was also very beautiful.
The sea breeze was fresh, and the waves were white.
This place only had them, as if this sea, this sky, and all the good things in this world were all occupied by them at this moment.
So she also followed her and them to the shore, and with the wind, she chased the waves, and gently stepped on them one after another.
They laughed, they shouted, and they played in this deserted world.
It wasn’t until their stomachs started to get hungry that they remembered that there was still a big brother in the villa waiting to take them out to eat, so they quickly pulled the two little ones away from the beach and walked back along the long corridor.
After they went back, the big brother drove them to a very famous seafood restaurant nearby.
There were a lot of people queuing at the entrance, but they didn’t even have to queue. With a dazed expression, they just followed the big brother to the private room that had been booked in advance.
The private room also had a floor-to-ceiling sea view. The big brother said that if they waited a little longer, they could just watch the sunset here.
After the big brother finished speaking, he started to flip through the menu and recommend delicious dishes to them. After he finished recommending, he said that he had to go, and that they should call him to pick them up when they were done eating.
Jian Xin wanted to eat everything she heard, but she was also afraid of ordering too much and not being able to finish it. At this moment, seeing the big brother get up to leave, she quickly opened her mouth to stop him.
“Big brother, don’t go,” she said very sincerely. “There’s so much delicious food, and two people can’t finish it. Let’s eat together, so we can order a little more.”
And so, the three of them ordered a table full of good dishes, and with the setting sun and the sea, they finished their first dinner after arriving in Haicheng.
Finally, the sky darkened, and the big brother took them back to the villa and left.
When they went back, Xin Xin and Cauliflower were pressed together, lying lazily in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, with a half-awake look.
The lights in the yard were a dim yellow, and they fell quietly on them.
The night grew deeper and deeper, and the moon also rose high from the sea.
It was not yet full, but it was bright.
They sat in the sunroom in the backyard, quietly looking at the moon.
Actually, it was looking at the moon, and also at the sea at night.
Jian Xin held her phone and waved it around, wanting to take a picture of the scenery in front of her, but no matter how she took it, she felt that she couldn’t get a very good effect.
After a long time of fussing, she turned her camera to Yan Lu.
The warm yellow light on the table reflected her quiet and slightly surprised face, and behind her were light blue flowers whose names she didn’t know.
This snapshot made Jian Xin feel very satisfied.
“Why are you taking a picture of me?”
“You’re beautiful.”
“…Let me see.”
Jian Xin smiled and came closer, and shoulder to shoulder, she shared the picture she had just taken.
“How is it, is it alright?”
“It’s alright,” Yan Lu said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. She reached out and swiped back a few times, looking at the few sea-view pictures Jian Xin had taken before.
Jian Xin let her flip through them as she pleased, and her eyes were also filled with a lot of smiles. “You don’t seem to ever take pictures of yourself. The last time I saw a picture of you was on Lin Xiyu’s Weibo.”
Yan Lu recalled for a moment and asked, “Are you talking about the Weibo post she made on your birthday two years ago?”
Jian Xin: “Yeah.”
Yan Lu: “So you went for a drink?”
Jian Xin: “…I did go for a drink, but it has nothing to do with you. I was celebrating!”
Yan Lu: “Celebrating what?”
Jian Xin patted her chest. “Of course it’s celebrating my birthday, and celebrating that I finally mustered up the courage to quit on my boss!”
She said, and seeing that Yan Lu was still looking at her, her voice unconsciously became a little smaller.
After a brief silence, Jian Xin pouted and muttered, “Yes, I admit, when I saw you that day, I suddenly felt very upset.”
“And then?”
“And then… I got drunk, and my head wasn’t clear. Yue Zi had clearly taken me home, but I still ran out by myself.”
Jian Xin said that it was so hot that night.
It was like a certain night in the Capital many years ago, when even the wind was stuffy.
She had walked under one streetlight after another, and she had always felt that she wanted to find something.
She said, and laughed, and looked up at the moon in the distance. “Do you think God heard my heart’s voice?”
—God must have heard it.
So, that night, she had followed the dim yellow streetlights and had found her, swaying.
This road was a little winding.
But it didn’t matter. If she had to choose again with her memory, she would still walk on that stuffy long street.
Because only by doing so could they meet again.
