After Christmas, there was logically only one day left of the holiday: December 26th, the Catholic Carnival Night.
On this day, people who had been stuck indoors for the past two days finally took to the streets to get some fresh air.
Today, the town was unusually lively because the dinner event was about to begin.
The auditorium prepared for the dinner was at the town's school. In the United States, virtually every school has an auditorium.
Every year, when students enter or graduate, ceremonies and meetings are held here—and Winthrop was no exception.
Winthrop used to be a very large town. Back when fishing was a major industry and the West was still largely wilderness, the eastern region near Boston was home to many wealthy residents. According to Mayor Wallis, when he was young, Winthrop's population peaked at nearly 10,000 people. Fishing boats filled the rivers, and cod were abundant.
People even joked that you could walk to Europe on the backs of cod. Of course, this was nonsense—and those who believed it were crazy.
But it was undeniable that before the fishing industry became highly liberalized, Winthrop had a bustling population.
This was also linked to U.S. national policies at the time. Starting around 1960, America entered a stage of rapid development.
The new generation that grew up after World War II experienced a different world. The U.S. had emerged as the world's largest power, and Americans, once overshadowed by Europeans, now indulged their potential. This new generation faced little international pressure, leading to a wild social climate that lasted from the 1960s through the early 1990s.
During that period, industry boomed, and social morals were constantly redefined.
Statistics show that American youth were quite unruly then—arguably more so than in China today. Drugs that were strictly prohibited, and forbidden liaisons between men and women, were shockingly common.
Scholars now call that era one of "American nature's liberation," but it was also when AIDS rates in the U.S. soared.
If you follow the NBA, you know the private lives of players were chaotic too. First, there was Ervin "Magic" Johnson, who shocked the world with his HIV announcement. People were living wild lifestyles.
Because of this social upheaval, there was a baby boom. By 1980, these babies had grown up and were ready to work. At the time, the western U.S. wasn't as developed as today, so many workers migrated east.
Although Winthrop was never a large city, it was at least better off than many western towns.
Thus, a large influx of laborers came in, but with the west's development, fish stocks in the Atlantic dwindled, and pollution worsened.
Entering the new century, Winthrop grew quieter. After 2005, a somber mood settled over the town. The population, once in the tens of thousands, dropped below 3,000 by 2000 and dwindled further to just over 1,000 today.
Still, with the growth of the town's tourism industry, the population is gradually rebounding. After all, people follow money.
Wherever there's profit to be made, people will come—inevitably.
I've said all this just to make one point: today's dinner venue was the elementary school auditorium.
This auditorium was built in 1987, when Winthrop was still a bustling place.
It easily accommodated thousands of people. The auditorium was divided into two sections: the main hall, where performances were held, and a buffet area for socializing afterward.
That morning, Jiang Hai and his friends had already arrived to prepare their programs.
Jiang Hai and Bernice's performances were relatively small, but Jiang Hai's was more important. Darlene and her friends' act was the grand finale, scheduled at the end. The program officially began at 4 p.m.
One after another, acts took the stage following the announcer's introduction. Jiang Hai's performance was third, arranged early to avoid any delays.
Once onstage, he launched into a vigorous boxing routine, energizing the audience who cheered loudly despite not fully understanding the moves. No matter where you were, impressive displays always drew applause.
In the excitement, Jiang Hai even performed a flying wall walk. Of course, it wasn't like in the movies.
He had excellent physical fitness but no real internal strength, so he simply walked along a wooden board and flipped over a seven-meter-high plank. If those planks had been prepared with bells, it might have been impossible—but to the audience, it seemed magical.
When Jiang Hai left the stage, thunderous applause greeted him. He bowed happily to express his gratitude.
Then he took his seat in the front row, between Mayor Wallis and Morris Smith, watching the rest of the performances. The three talked not just about the show, but also about the new wave of the Winthrop Raiders after spring.
The success of last fall's first quarter had both men feeling optimistic about Winthrop's future.
They believed the town's economy would improve next year. With Jiang Hai expected to pay tens of millions in taxes come April, the town's finances would be greatly relieved. They looked forward to having more money in their pockets and less cause for panic.
After a while, it was Bernice's turn to sing solo.
She had spent many days choosing her song and finally settled on a popular hit from that year—the theme from Fast and Furious 7, created to commemorate Paul Walker, the film's second male lead. Though the song felt slightly out of place for a carnival night, the atmosphere was lively.
After her performance, Bernice took a seat behind Jiang Hai, naturally placing her hand on his shoulder.
Since that night, though Bernice and Jiang Hai outwardly maintained their usual behavior—and Bernice didn't consider herself his girlfriend—their affectionate gestures became more frequent.
Those in the villa noticed Bernice's changes, but outsiders didn't react much.
To people like Mayor Wallis, Bernice and her friends were simply Jiang Hai's women.
Otherwise, why would Jiang Hai support them so openly?
In the U.S., there's no such thing as "support" in the traditional sense.
Men and women are equal in many ways. Both make money; marriage doesn't mean men are obligated to financially support women. That idea doesn't exist here. Housewives are considered a profession—they work hard at home and earn their keep, quite unlike in China.
For boyfriends and girlfriends, the idea of financial support is even less relevant.
So to outsiders, Bernice and her friends living with Jiang Hai seemed normal. They were part of his group, and occasional intimacy was nothing unusual.
As conversations flowed, the final show, Frozen, began.
Although Jiang Hai had seen the movie version, it was still interesting to watch Cindy Clive and her friends perform.
When Xiaoya appeared, it was truly impressive, drawing exclamations from the crowd.
Most importantly, Xiaoya's voice was excellent. When she sang Riley Dog, many in the audience sang along.
As the show ended, the crowd cheered enthusiastically. The main performers came on stage and bowed, and Mayor Wallis announced that the dinner was officially open.
With cheers filling the air, everyone entered the auditorium to enjoy their meal.
They had eaten only half when a sudden blizzard swept in outside.
Snowfall on Christmas wasn't unusual, but this was more severe. Seeing the worsening weather, some attendees who lived far away prepared to leave early. If the blizzard intensified, traveling home would be dangerous.
Jiang Hai, however, was unfazed.
Most of his manor's people were at the dinner, so he had brought several vehicles.
Between his armored battle shield and three pickup trucks, they had four cars—enough to get home even in the worst conditions.
So they continued eating, laughing, and chatting.
Suddenly, alarm bells rang outside.
A police car sped up to the auditorium and stopped abruptly at the door.
A young police officer burst in, visibly flustered. Many noticed him immediately.
As chief of police, Morris Smith reacted first, stepping forward.
"What's going on?" he asked anxiously.
"Huff… huff… there's news from Boston. Deer in the Appalachian Mountains are rioting—and one herd is moving toward Winthrop," the young officer said, catching his breath.
"Deer riot?" Morris Smith wiped sweat from his brow. This was bad luck indeed.
"How can deer riot? I thought there hadn't been any such incidents in over ten years!" Mayor Wallis joined them anxiously. To them, a deer riot was serious business.
"In recent years, the local government has focused heavily on environmental protection. The vegetation in the Appalachians should be intact—deer shouldn't riot!" Morris Smith said hesitantly.
"I heard it's because of the Canadians. There was a village destroyed by deer on their side, so they formed hunting parties that drove deer from the Canadian side of the Appalachians into the U.S. The environment here can't support so many deer. Plus, heavy snow this year has closed the mountains—deer have nothing to eat, so they're forced to come down," the young officer explained helplessly. Many in the room showed anger at this news.
"Those Canadian country bumpkins!" Even Morris Smith cursed under his breath.
Though Canada is America's "little brother" and backyard, Americans and Canadians often dislike each other.
Canadians, mostly descendants of Britain and France, view Americans as rude and reckless. Americans see Canadians as pretentious and lacking spirit. It's a one-sided rivalry, but in small towns like Winthrop, it causes real friction.
"Wallis, looks like our dinner's over for tonight…" Morris Smith shrugged at Mayor Wallis, signaling the event would have to end early. Though reluctant, he began making arrangements.
"I know the deer herd coming down the mountain isn't a joke. Everyone, we may have to end tonight's event early. Please pack up and go home. Unless absolutely necessary, don't go out," Morris Smith said firmly. Mayor Wallis raised his hands to quiet the crowd.
Most people nodded and started leaving, but some young attendees, including Jiang Hai, looked confused.
(To be continued.)