The Avitannis sounded its whistle and merged with the ship to prepare for docking.
Passengers in the cabin gathered on the deck, waving hats or handkerchiefs to the crowd on the harbor shore.
"Welcome to Queen's Harbor" - a banner held in the air at the bustling port.
"Sister Mary! We are here!"
Qiaoqiao grabbed the guardrail and waved to the unknown people on the shore while shouting. After more than half a month of sailing, they finally arrived at their destination: the Lennon Islands.
"Child, you have to call me Aunt Mary." Mary corrected helplessly.
"Sister Mary doesn't look that old."
Qiaoqiao followed Aunt Mary off the side of the ship, crowded past the passengers and walked towards the cabin. Suddenly she grabbed a dirty hand that was reaching for Aunt Mary.
"We are all coming to the Lennon Islands to start a new life, and you actually want to steal our things?"
Qiao Qiao looked at the owner of that hand, a thin and frail young man, let go of his hand and whispered: "There won't be a next time."
The silent pickpocket squeezed into the crowd, and Qiaoqiao followed Aunt Mary, returned to the cabin, picked up her packed luggage, put on her coat and wide-brimmed hat, and joined the team leaving the ship.
Aunt Mary stood in the noisy and bustling port holding her wide-brimmed hat, and Qiao Qiao followed behind carrying a suitcase. They squeezed through the bustling port, stepped onto the bridge and came to the crowded coastal streets.
The prosperity of the Lennon Islands is completely different from that of Belfast. Belfast is full of passers-by walking in a hurry. People are either on the way to make money or looking for a way to make money.
On the Lennon Islands, the hustle and bustle is present: passengers disembarking from the ship merge into the city, bringing with them the customs and customs of different regions.
There is also a lazy atmosphere: people wearing fashionable and expensive clothes lie in front of the guardrail, admiring the soft beach where children play, the sky surrounded by seagulls, and the bustling port.
and enthusiastic salespeople.
This sight is unseen in Belfast.
Anyway, Jojo liked it here, and she thought Oliver would like it too.
The young man holding the poster followed Aunt Mary and Qiao Qiao step by step, chatting and saying, "Where are the guests coming from? I don't smell the sand in the deserted land. You must be from the Main Continent."
"Do you have any ideas about buying real estate in the Lennon Islands? Shoal Island, Broken Sun Island, Golden Beach Town? Or Plancaner Town? Or do you need a place to stay temporarily..."
Aunt Mary declined the young man's sales pitch, and the salesman who followed was blocked by Qiao Qiao and followed Aunt Mary into the carriage.
"14 Sanning Street."
The slightly bumpy carriage drove slowly and took them to Shanin Street on the outskirts of Tambur City.
It is not as bustling and crowded as the city where Her Majesty the Queen lives. The courtyard of the independent house makes the place look quiet and comfortable. You need to pass through a forest to get to the beach.
Qiaoqiao jumped off the carriage first, turned around and helped Aunt Mary down, then took off her luggage and followed her into the yard.
Dong dong dong——
After waiting for a while, an old woman opened the door.
"Dear Mary, you are finally here..."
The old woman on the porch happily kissed Mary.
"It's been delayed for a while because of some things, Aunt Roxanne." Mary said with a smile.
Aunt Roxanne looked at Qiaoqiao behind Mary and walked out of the room: "Oh, is this Anna? She has become...much healthier than when she was a child."
Qiao Qiao, who has a healthy wheat complexion, smiles unnaturally.
"She is Qiao Qiao, Anna's friend. Qiao Qiao, Aunt Roxanne is my elder." Aunt Mary came to her rescue.
"Aunt Roseanne."
Qiao Qiao greets you honestly.
"Hello Qiaoqiao, come in quickly, you must be very tired after sitting on the boat for so long..."
Aunt Luo Shan quickly welcomed them in.
Walking into the warm and dark living room, food is cooking in the kitchen, and the aroma of pumpkin wafts out.
"The food will be waiting for a while. I'll take you to your room first."
Aunt Rosanne walked upstairs with her hand in hand and asked Mary and Qiaoqiao to move into two adjacent guest rooms. The window faced the woods, and it seemed that the vast ocean could be vaguely seen through the dead branches. And the roar blown by the wind
I don't know if the roaring sound was the wind blowing through the treetops or coming from the coast.
Qiaoqiao put away her luggage and wanted to go downstairs to help, but Aunt Mary refused her: "You have been busy on the boat. Go back to your room and rest first. I will call you when the food is ready."
"Thank you, Sister Mary."
"Call Auntie."
Helpless Mary returned downstairs. Jojo closed the door, opened the suitcase and took out the contents. Toys that sealed memories, certificates from the academy, recreational books, and some men's clothes.
Occasionally, Qiao Qiao would sway, as if it were a swaying ship plank under its feet.
Put the clothes on the empty hangers, put the toys on the bed, put the certificates and books on the desk by the window, opened the drawer, put the diary inside, and sat in the wooden chair.
The dead branches outside the window looked like strange claws, and the wooden chair and floor beneath him seemed to be shaking slightly, as if he was still in a second-class suite on a cruise ship.
Knock knock——
The unclosed door was knocked open. Qiao Qiao sat in the chair and turned around, seeing Aunt Luo Shan standing outside the door: "Qiao Qiao, what do you want to eat later?"
Qiaoqiao stood up quickly: "Just be normal, thank you Aunt Luo Shan."
"Xiao Qiaoqiao, treat this as your own home."
"Then...just some porridge."
"How about pumpkin porridge?"
"OK."
Aunt Roshan's slow footsteps came back downstairs, and soon Aunt Mary came outside the room again: "I'm going to write a letter to Anna and Lu Li later. Do you have anything to say to them?"
"Hmm...let me think about it."
"No rush, it will take dozens of days to send it from here to Belfast. You can tell me after you think about it."
"Um."
Qiao Qiao opened the window, sat back on the wooden chair, opened the drawer and took out the diary. She turned to the latest page in the breeze, then unscrewed the ink bottle, filled the pen's ink holder, and wrote on the blank page:
【September 19th】
After twenty-one days of sailing, we finally arrived at Tambur City.
I heard that the queen is in the palace, but we haven't had time to see it yet.
Aunt Mary... took us to No. 14 Shanin Street, where an aunt named Luo Shan took us in. The environment here is very good, quiet, and far away from the hustle and bustle.
Aunt Luo Shan is very good. We may live here next. The neighbors should not be bad people. After tomorrow's break, Aunt Mary will take me to visit the neighbors.
Just like the rumors, the people here all have faces that have never been bullied by weird people, and they are full of smiles.
I wonder how Lu Li and Anna are doing? Aunt Mary is going to write a letter back, but I don’t know what to say yet, um... How about inviting them over? We are all together, except for my brother...
Brother, I miss you very much...
The stagnant pen tip blurred on the page, until a strange breeze blew into the room, and the books placed at the corner of the desk turned automatically.
"The Making of Humphrey", that is Oliver's favorite book.