The next morning at seven o'clock, after having breakfast, Bai Yu and the other two got into Bai's father's car with their luggage.
Their first stop was the county town, where they would pick up Li Xue and then go to the airport together.
When they arrived in the county town, they met not only Li Xue, but also Li Xue's parents, who were Bai Yu's godparents.
After a long exchange of pleasantries, and seeing that it was almost time to board, Bai Yu finally pulled Li Xue into the car and headed straight for the airport.
By the time they arrived at Phoenix Airport, it was already past eight o'clock, less than two hours before their flight was scheduled to take off.
With the help of airport staff, Bai Yu and his three companions completed a series of procedures, including check-in, baggage check-in, and the plane took off on time at around 10:00 AM.
The flight from Sanya to Harbin takes more than five hours, which is Bai Yu's first time flying, and for such a long time at that.
To be honest, airplane food is really bad. Although Bai Yu ate two servings, it was still really unpalatable.
Around 3 p.m., the plane landed at Taiping Airport in Harbin.
However, before the plane landed, one action by the passengers puzzled Bai Yu and the others: they started putting on their coats!
Furthermore, the flight attendants were reminding passengers that the temperature in Harbin was low, and that they should wear jackets to avoid catching a cold.
This action left Bai Yu and his companions dumbfounded, because when they boarded the plane, they were only wearing long-sleeved shirts, and not even fleece-lined ones, since the temperature in Sanya was in the twenties.
As for their luggage, it's in the airplane's overhead bins; they don't even have a coat right now.
"Bro, what do we do? Everyone else is already wearing down jackets, and we don't even have a coat. Are we going to freeze like popsicles after we get off the plane?!"
Seeing others wearing down jackets, even though the cabin temperature was still quite warm, Bai Yue felt a chill for some reason, and then she started to sway her arms around her brother's.
"Serves you right! I told you to change your suitcases to smaller sizes, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what happened, all your luggage is in the checked baggage compartment. You're going to freeze now!"
Luckily, I was prepared; I brought my suitcase. But I only have two down jackets. You and Xue'er can each wear one, and Ahai and I will wear fleece-lined undershirts.
Bai Yu chuckled as he looked at the anxious Bai Yue, then took his suitcase down from the overhead luggage rack.
The suitcase was very small, only about 20 inches, which was in full compliance with the airline's regulations, so Bai Yu was able to bring it on the plane without having to check it in.
Bai Yu had researched the airline's regulations before buying this suitcase. It only contained two sets of clothes; there was no room for anything else.
As the suitcase was opened, two down jackets that had been crumpled inside immediately popped out. One was long and the other was short, one thin and the other thick. They were the ones Bai Yu bought to wear indoors and outdoors respectively.
Bai Yue and Li Xue each wore a down jacket, while Bai Yu and Wang Hai could only wear a fleece-lined undershirt outside the school.
Then, a bizarre scene unfolded at Taiping Airport when passengers disembarked from a flight from Sanya to Harbin. More than a dozen passengers got off the plane, some dressed disheveled, others wearing down jackets on top and shorts or short skirts on the bottom.
After inquiring, it was discovered that these dozen or so people, dressed in various styles, were all visiting Harbin for the first time during this season. They had flown directly from Sanya to Harbin, and their clothes were all in their suitcases, which is how they ended up looking like this.
Rumors suggest that some of these people are actually locals from Harbin, but it's unclear whether this is true or not.
Anyway, by the time Bai Yu and the other three were dressed and walked out of the airport, more than half an hour had passed.
During this time, Wang Hai and his two companions retrieved their luggage and changed their clothes in the bathroom, wearing whatever they had on hand, such as thermal underwear and long underwear.
To be honest, this was the most clothes Bai Yu had worn in the nineteen years since she came to this world. She wore three layers of clothing under her down jacket, and she still felt a little cold.
"Brother, this place is no fun at all, it's too cold, I want to go home."
As soon as she stepped out of the airport, before even meeting Li Xue's classmate Xia Jing, Bai Yue began to have second thoughts in the cold wind.
It's not that Bai Yue is being pretentious, but the sudden change in environment was too drastic. Going from a climate of around 20 degrees Celsius to a minus 20 degrees Celsius environment would be unbearable for anyone.
"Yueyue, don't worry. There are so many fun places in Harbin. Putting everything else aside, look over there, what's that?"
"Snow, snow we've never seen before! You said you wanted to have a snowball fight, right? There's snow right here. Let's have a snowball fight after we put our luggage in the hotel."
Bai Yu didn't even need to personally deal with Bai Yue; Li Xue calmed her down on her own.
"Xue'er, here! I'm here! Look this way!!!"
Just as Bai Yu and the others were looking around, not far from them, a woman dressed in a white down jacket, wrapped up tightly, was jumping and waving her arms.
"Xue'er, is that Xia Jing?"
"I don't know, they're dressed so conservatively, not even their eyes are showing, let alone their face. I can't tell."
Bai Yu and the other three looked at the figure not far away, but no matter how hard they tried to identify it, they really couldn't tell who it was. In addition, the person was wearing a mask and a scarf, and the voice was a bit muffled, which didn't sound like Xia Jing's voice.
However, the four of them still walked towards each other, since they didn't know anyone in Harbin. The only person who knew them was Xia Jing, and the other person was most likely Xia Jing.
Sure enough, as Bai Yu and the other three approached, the man took off his sunglasses, scarf, and mask, revealing Xia Jing's face.
"Jingjing, it really is you! Why are you all bundled up? Aren't you from Northeast China? You should be used to this kind of weather by now!"
Looking at Xia Jing, who was wrapped up even more tightly than them, Li Xue asked a profound question.
Although this was their first time in Northeast China, they had seen videos online. The locals were already used to the environment; they had even seen people eating ice cream in the snow at night.
Why is Xia Jing's ability to adapt so poor now that it's her turn?
Xia Jing answered this question with complete confidence, and immediately retorted, "Why do you think I chose Ocean University?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yu and the other three were stunned!
Yes, why did Xia Jing choose Ocean University? It's because Harbin is too cold.
Finally, led by Xia Jing, they took two taxis to the hotel, and after putting their luggage away, they went straight to Central Street, the most bustling street in Harbin, and strolled around there.
First, Bai Yu and his friends went to a jewelry store. Inside, each of the four of them bought a pair of sunglasses, a scarf, a pair of woolen gloves, and a woolen hat with small pom-poms.
Wearing sunglasses isn't about looking cool; it's because Harbin has had snow recently, and the city's green coverage is limited in winter, so when it snows, it's all white.
It's common knowledge that the weather after snowfall isn't good for the eyes; looking at snow scenes for too long can even cause some kind of blindness.
Therefore, wearing sunglasses is essential to protect their eyes, and then they strolled around Central Street.
In 2016, Harbin had transformed into a winter tourist city, but its popularity was still limited, and most of the tourists who came here in winter were from northern China.
People like Bai Yu, who come to Harbin from Sanya for tourism, are extremely rare. You can hardly see many of them, since people from the south may not be able to adapt to the climate here.
Just like Bai Yu and his three companions at this moment, even though they had wrapped themselves up tightly, they still felt a cold wind seeping into their bodies, the kind that they couldn't block no matter what they did.
After strolling around Central Street until seven o'clock, Xia Jing waved her hand and said she would take Bai Yu and the others to broaden their horizons.
Ten minutes later, Bai Yu and his three companions looked up at the sign for the venue, their foreheads filled with countless question marks.
"Jingjing, didn't you just say you were going to show me the world? What, are you taking us to a bathhouse to show us the world?"
"Isn't this supposed to be dinner time? Let's go eat first, and then take a bath. We're getting a little hungry; let's go eat the braised goose in an iron pot that you told me about."
That's right, the place Xia Jing brought them to was a bathhouse, a bathhouse that looked lavishly decorated from the outside.
Judging from the decor alone, Bai Yu and his companions were truly amazed. This bathhouse was beautifully decorated, the most luxurious they had ever seen.
Unfortunately, Hainan Province doesn't have any bathhouses, but it does have quite a few foot massage parlors.
"Xue'er, let me tell you, you guys are so ignorant. Our bathhouse is more than just a bathhouse. It has everything, from food and drinks to entertainment. You can't go wrong following us."
Come on, everyone, follow me inside. I've already bought the tickets, and I'll make sure you all have everything arranged perfectly today.
"Hey beautiful, there are five of us in total. Here's the group-buying code."
As Xia Jing spoke, she led the way into the bathhouse and then showed the front desk staff the QR code of the tickets she had purchased through a group-buying platform.
To be honest, this bathhouse is not only luxurious in the center, but it also has heating. As soon as you enter, a wave of heat hits you, making you want to unzip your down jacket because it's so hot!
"Alright, two male guests and three female guests, we're going upstairs to receive you!"
After the receptionist scanned Xia Jing's QR code, she took out her walkie-talkie and made a call. Then a young man who was about 1.8 meters tall came over and led them up to the second floor.
On the second floor, the group separated. Xia Jing and Li Xue went to the women's area, while Bai Yu and Wang Hai went to the men's area.
When the five of them met again, it was an hour later.
They met in the self-service area. Bai Yu and Wang Hai had been there for half an hour and had been eating for half an hour, enjoying their meal immensely.
There's nothing they can do; boys take baths much faster than girls. Half an hour was already the longest Bai Yu and Wang Hai had ever taken a bath together.
It was here that Bai Yu witnessed what Northeast bathing culture truly is. He realized that bathing culture is not just about washing, but a fusion of multiple elements.
The key is that it's not expensive either. For just over two hundred yuan per person, you can take a bath, soak in the tub, get a scrub, enjoy a sauna, eat, sleep, sing, and more. You can stay all day without any problem.
In fact, they did spend the night at the bathhouse, which made Bai Yu sigh that the hotel they stayed at on the first day was a waste. He should have just stayed at the bathhouse.
While spending the night at the bathhouse, Bai Yu made a video call to his mother, showing her what they were going through and promising to bring his parents to Harbin for a trip next time.
...............
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