Thinking that I still needed to rely on Zhou Dezhong and her second sister to get the discount, I held back and finally didn't say anything unpleasant.
"Hello! My name is Zhou Rulian, you can just call me A-Lian." This woman's smile was unique, unlike the professional smiles of those fake dishes plastered with varnish in Japanese restaurant windows. It was more like winter sunlight piercing through the clouds, a warm and comforting feeling. Dai Jun's famous song "A-Lian" immediately started playing in my head like background music. I liked her—even if she couldn't give me a discount.
"Ah, hello, my name is Li Hao, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"No, no, Ah Zhong rarely brings friends. Besides, it's the off-season now, and we're actually happy to have guests. Let's go to the front desk to check in now." Ah Lian's attitude was both professional and personal, very proper, not at all like a fisherwoman who had never seen the world.
Zhou Dezhong wasn't lying to me. A-Lian's intervention actually got me a 70% discount, which was much lower than my budget! And I got a room right by the beach, which means I can sleep to the sound of the waves!
Seeing my surprise, Zhou Dezhong became even more smug, his scalp turning red. If A-Lian hadn't pulled him home, I probably would have had to use a lot of persuasion to shut him up and let me go to my room to rest.
The room was very clean and beautiful, exactly the standard of a four-star single room, which surprised me greatly. After putting down my luggage, I went to the bathroom to wash my face, and when I looked at myself, I was shocked: my face in the mirror was sallow, my eyes were dull like dead fish with dark circles under my eyes, and my hair was dry, yellow and messy like straw. It was enough to frighten a child under five years old.
I picked up the comb and combed my hair twice, then slumped down and put it down again—what does it matter if I'm neither human nor ghost? I had already unknowingly exiled myself in private.
From that day on, I slept fitfully from dawn till dusk, ate whatever I could find, and then went to the beach to watch the waves, panting and foaming, crashing onto the sand; to watch the fishermen go out to sea and return; to watch the sun struggle weakly on the dim horizon… No one knew me, and no one bothered me. Discovering that I could live such a decadent life felt incredibly good. Although a piercing pain would still strike unexpectedly at certain moments, making me pale, I could feel my nerves gradually hardening and dulling in the pain. Whether it was truly healed or just temporarily scabbed over, as long as the pain was gone, that was enough for me.
But the insomnia that has plagued me since the day I left Willson hasn't let me go, and I'm still losing clumps of hair. Every time I manage to feel even a hint of sleepiness, I collapse into bed, but I always wake up as soon as I wake up, spending the rest of the time staring wide-eyed, exhausted, and helplessly at the ceiling, swallowing hard and counting sheep. It seems I can never again sleep like I used to, like I'd been knocked unconscious and the world seemed to change color.
However, this freedom to be a stranger, the only thing that could console my increasingly depleted wallet, was ruthlessly taken away from me on the third day of my enjoyment.
Part Two, Chapter Four
That day, I finally managed to snooze for about ten minutes, a rare treat, and was happily counting dollars in my dream when I was woken up by the sound of firecrackers going off in and out of the distance. When I heard the first firecracker, I held onto a sliver of hope, thinking maybe someone was getting married and it was just a short burst; I could bear it for ten seconds. But it seemed like the whole world had conspired to get married at the same time—the firecrackers went on and on. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and pulled the pillow over my head. But then my phone, as if it had come specifically to join the fun, started ringing deafeningly beside my pillow. Only my family knew this number, so I had no choice but to get up and weakly say "Hello." Immediately, I heard my mother's angry shouts on the other end: "Li Hao, are you still sleeping? It's New Year's Eve! If you don't come home, I'll have to cook myself! A whole family's New Year's Eve dinner—it's exhausting! I don't care, you absolutely have to come back and cook next year! I'll pay you overtime!"
Before I could say anything, my brother snatched the phone away: "Sis, I'm not as easily fooled as Mom. Tell the truth, do you have a boyfriend over there and don't want to come back?" This was my brother's signature joke, but this time it felt like a knife to the heart. Luckily, my sister-in-law took the phone away: "Sis, don't listen to your brother's nonsense. But a few days ago, some long-distance calls came from Guangzhou. They said they were your former colleagues, both men and women. I remember the woman's surname was Xia. They said you should contact her when you have time. The men only said they were your former colleagues, but they didn't say their surnames."
"Oh," I replied somewhat blankly, thinking to myself that the home phone number must have been changed.
My mom clearly snatched the phone away again: "But we did as you said, we didn't give them your new number. Honey, tell me honestly, do you owe someone money?" Oh, my genius mom!
"No, don't make wild guesses. If I owed them money, would they be so polite to you on the phone? Our house was vandalized with red paint this morning!"
"That's true. Or maybe they owe you money?" My mom's breathing became noticeably rapid on the phone—like mother, like daughter. I swear, from now on, no matter what happens, I will never doubt whether I am my mom's biological child again—even when I was little, every time I asked her where I came from, she would tell me that she picked me up from the toilet.
"What nonsense are you talking about? So many people are looking for you because I, your daughter, have been successful in life. Even after I left, there are still a lot of people who miss your daughter's voice and smile just like they miss Premier Zhou. Unlike you, you only remember that you have a daughter outside when no one is cooking for you. Humph!"
"Pah! I've already said it again, comparing a dead person to something during the New Year, don't you know how to be discreet? Working overtime is fine, but you need to take care of your health, otherwise you won't live to enjoy all that money you've earned."
"Pah!" My mom and I both spat at the same time on the other end of the phone!
I had just hung up the phone when I heard someone knocking on the door. What day is it today?
"Didn't it say there was a sign that said 'No need to clean'?!" I opened the door with a grimace, only to find Ah Lian standing there with a smile on her face, which made me feel embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. Please come in."
"I should be saying sorry, did I disturb your rest?"
"No, no, I woke up a long time ago."
It turned out that Ah Lian had come to invite me to their house for New Year's Eve dinner and to stay up late on New Year's Eve. I shook my head vigorously. I'm not so tactless as to disrupt someone's annual New Year's Eve dinner.
"Come on, my parents wanted to thank you for saving Ah Zhong in the car. He told us everything when he got home. We originally wanted to treat you to a meal to express our gratitude, but we heard you weren't feeling well, so we wanted to wait until you'd rested. It just so happens that it's New Year's Eve today, and you're alone. My parents originally said that it would be more sincere for them to invite you, but I assured them that I could definitely get you to come, so they didn't make a big fuss to avoid being too abrupt. So please give me this face, otherwise I won't be able to explain it to them and they might bother me again. Besides, you wouldn't look down on our fishermen's country food, would you?"
My face immediately scrunched up like a bitter melon, and it seemed like I had no choice but to raise my hands in surrender.
Not knowing what to buy for delivery, I reluctantly bought a jar of cookies and two bags of red envelopes before going with Ah Lian.
A-Lian's home wasn't too far from the resort; it only took about ten minutes to walk there. It was a three-story house, and the family seemed quite well-off. Her parents were clearly very simple and honest people, like the fishermen you often see in magazines—a little shy but extremely kind. Zhou Dezhong was cleaning a large, strangely shaped fish that I had never seen before. When he saw me, he happily stretched out his hands to invite me in. The fishy smell startled me, and I quickly said, "Come on in, come on in."
The meal was unforgettable; it would have been perfect if Zhou Dezhong hadn't been at the table—I could sense his eyes constantly glancing my way—what was that guy up to? Thanks to A-Lian's understanding and persuasive manner, I quickly became acquainted with the family, which included A-Lian's eldest sister and brother-in-law. The long-lost feeling of home washed over me in the fragrant smoked fish, the tender mantis shrimp, and the passionate embrace of my taste buds, amidst everyone's heartfelt smiles and blessings. I even had a couple of cups of their homemade rice wine, slightly tipsy, until midnight when the New Year arrived. The entire fishing village was immediately engulfed by firecrackers and fireworks, with sparks flying everywhere and incense smoke swirling around. I was ignited by the atmosphere, my nerves were on fire, and I jumped up and down, shouting at Ah Lian across from me, "Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity! May you have a son soon! May your business flourish! May you achieve great things!" Ah Lian laughed and shouted back, but it was completely drowned out by the firecrackers. I could only see her mouth opening and closing, but I couldn't hear what she was saying at all. But who cares, as long as I'm happy! Like an idiot, I laughed and continued shouting, "WILLSON is a big jerk! Lin Yingshuo is a big fool! Hahaha... I love big fools!" It felt so good, my face was a little wet. Was it raining? No, were they tears? No wonder people say happiness is heavy, it turns out joy can be watery too.
After that, things became blurry in my memory. Later, Ah Lian told me that she and Ah Zhong took me back to the hotel. I mumbled some language the whole way, which I couldn't understand. So I knew that I was drunk that night.
Part Two, Chapter Five
I slept until the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year before slowly waking up, and surprisingly, I didn't have a severe headache. The sound of firecrackers was intermittent. I lay quietly in bed, unable to recall any dreams I had last night, which was unusual for me. This meant I slept soundly last night, feeling an unprecedented peace and tranquility, which I considered a good omen.
"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked on the door. Opening it, I saw Ah Lian, holding a box and standing there smiling: "Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity!"
This is exactly what I wanted. I don't even need to look in the mirror to know that my face is beaming with joy right now.
Upon opening the box, I found freshly fried handmade rice cakes and water chestnut cakes. Having slept all day, I was starving, so I grabbed a piece of rice cake and stuffed it into my mouth. Seeing how hungry I was, A-Lian quickly got up and poured me a glass of water.
"Thank you," I said, my words slurred.
After wolfing down my food for about ten minutes, I finally caught my breath and said, "Please thank your aunt for me. The rice cake and water chestnut cake are delicious."
"Why are you calling me auntie?" Ah Lian said, amused.
"What? You did this?" I exclaimed incredulously.
"Don't look down on people."
This girl is amazing.
"Ah Lian, don't blame me for being blunt, but you really don't seem like a girl born and raised on this island. You're not angry, are you?" I ate while tightly gripping the food box to prevent her from taking it away in a fit of anger.
"What, do you think all the girls on our island should be silly and only know how to weave nets and dry salted fish?" Fortunately, she didn't seem really angry.