Han Jin looked at Xia Xiaolan.

The other two exchange students, both male, also watched Xia Xiaolan expectantly.

Xia Xiaolan had been unwell since Hong Kong and hadn’t recovered, the long flight leaving her slightly haggard. This weariness didn’t diminish her beauty much, instead adding a touch of vulnerability.

Male students had been competing to help her with her luggage when boarding and disembarking.

“Will Miss Xia join us? All five of us are in New York State. As Miss Han suggested, we could meet up regularly.”

“Yes, Miss Xia—”

Xia Xiaolan smiled apologetically: “I don’t know the school situation yet, so I can’t accept your kind offer for now. Ithaca, where Cornell University is located, is five to six hours away from New York City…”

One male student exclaimed:

“That far!”

Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Yes, that far. As the group leader mentioned, America is vast with a sparse population.”

So she regretfully couldn’t join Han Jin’s weekend gatherings.

Xia Xiaolan’s reason was perfectly reasonable, and Han Jin didn’t press further, though she felt sorry for Xia Xiaolan: “I didn’t realize Cornell University was so remote.”

Xia Xiaolan remained silent.

New York University was good too, though its world ranking was slightly below Cornell’s. She was satisfied with Cornell University – she’d come to study, not for entertainment, so why need all that excitement?

Though it was far from New York City, this was why Americans needed cars – it was too inconvenient without one.

Student cars weren’t expensive, often being second-hand, with few driving luxury vehicles.

While Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to join weekend gatherings, she would need to buy a car after settling in.

Nothing expensive, just like how she’d ridden an old bicycle at Huaqing for over a year.

Before boarding the New York flight, they had to check luggage and declare any meat, seeds, or plants. None of the five had brought such items, so they could quickly enter the waiting area. Even Han Jin marveled that American airports had Black porters helping with luggage and offering free coffee!

The flight from Chicago to New York was short. At New York airport, the two male students tried to help, concerned about how Xia Xiaolan would reach Ithaca, but she wanted to flee:

“Someone’s coming to pick me up, don’t worry, thank you for your concern!”

She wasn’t lying; someone was indeed coming. An old friend of Mao Kangshan had arranged it early, hoping someone could look after Xia Xiaolan traveling alone to America.

Given Mao Kangshan’s age, his old friend was naturally not young. The person picking up Xia Xiaolan was his daughter, a Chinese-American woman in her forties.

“Xia Xiaolan?”

“You must be Aunt Wen, I’m Xia Xiaolan.”

Aunt Wen disliked the title, “I’m Wen Manni, you can call me Connie.”

When Manni’s style was very American, preferring Xia Xiaolan to use her name rather than add “Aunt.”

Women dislike being called old, so Xia Xiaolan adapted smoothly.

“Connie, thank you for picking me up.”

Wen Manni was a lawyer whose parents still lived in Ithaca while she worked in New York. She came at her father’s request but hadn’t expected Xia Xiaolan to be part of a group of five. Her five-seater car couldn’t accommodate everyone, and she frowned:

“Are they also going to Ithaca? American traffic laws are very strict…”

“No, Connie, they’re not going to Cornell University.”

Wen Manni immediately loaded Xia Xiaolan’s luggage into the trunk, and the car sped away as soon as the door closed.

Xia Xiaolan only managed a quick wave to her companions before disappearing with the car.

This efficiency caught Han Jin and others off guard.

Han Jin hadn’t expected Xia Xiaolan to have such connections in America, with someone picking her up right after landing.

Seeing the other two students’ expressions, Han Jin smiled: “It’s not about Miss Xia, Americans are just quite detached. Wait a bit though, I also have someone coming. When they arrive, I’ll see if they can help you two reach your destinations, or at least find out about transportation.”

Both thanked Han Jin.

Though their English was good, they were still nervous about actually conversing with foreigners in unfamiliar America.

Soon, a car came for Han Jin. She said it was someone her family knew. Unlike Wen Manni, they were very enthusiastic, answering Han Jin’s questions and taking the two male students to their destinations.

Finally, they took Han Jin and Chen Qing to their school, helping with various procedures.

Before leaving, they handed Han Jin an envelope:

“This is from your father. If you have any difficulties at school, you can tell me.”

“Thank you, Uncle Qin!”

These “difficulties” clearly meant running short of money.

The envelope Uncle Qin gave Han Jin contained $2,000 in colorful American bills.

Even for American students, this wasn’t a small sum, with many relying on loans for college! Han Jin and Chen Qing were government-sponsored, with the state covering tuition, airfare, and some living expenses. If they were frugal, they could manage.

For Chen Qing’s trip abroad, his uncle who had taken over Xia Xiaolan’s pork crackling business had sponsored 3,000 yuan, Chen Wangda gave 1,000, and his parents contributed 2,000, totaling 6,000 yuan.

This money, exchanged on the black market, couldn’t even reach $1,000.

Yet this was all the extra money Chen Qing had for America.

Compared to the $2,000 Han Jin’s father sent, the gap between Chen Qing and Han Jin’s family circumstances was evident—moreover, it was the Han family’s influence that secured their government-sponsored spots at the prestigious New York University. Chen Qing owed them greatly, which explained why he couldn’t speak firmly in front of Han Jin!

Han Jin tucked away the envelope and surveyed the campus with satisfaction.

She linked arms with Chen Qing, who stiffened. Han Jin turned him towards her:

“What’s wrong? This isn’t like back home, it’s normal for couples to be intimate here!”

Linking arms was nothing – couples on campus were even more intimate.

Campus couples lay on the lawn, occasionally sharing passionate kisses, with no one saying anything.

Chen Qing lowered her hand, “This is America, but we’re still Chinese.”

Han Jin’s smile vanished: “You must be angry because I asked Xia Xiaolan a few questions. I was just curious about her. Chen Qing, don’t forget I’m your girlfriend.”

Han Jin linked arms again, and this time Chen Qing didn’t pull away.

Han Jin knew when to stop and toured the campus with Chen Qing.

While Han Jin and Chen Qing completed their procedures, Wen Manni drove Xia Xiaolan along the highway with Ithaca in the distance. Romantic poet Xu Zhimo called Ithaca “Yi’s Home,” adjacent to Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes – this would be Xia Xiaolan’s home for study and life in the coming year…