The next day, the whole family overslept.
Although they had been traveling in sleeper berths for the past two days, the cramped space and limited movement on the train made sitting for such a long time quite uncomfortable, and their backs ached from sleeping on the train beds.
Xia Qingqing was the last to get up. She yawned as she walked out of her room and saw Song Ze sitting in the main room drinking tea. She immediately woke up and asked with wide eyes, "Ze, when did you get here? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Song Ze smiled and put down his teacup: "I've been here for a while, and I didn't want to disturb you since you were sleeping."
"Wait a minute, I'll go wash up and be right back," Xia Qingqing said before running off.
When Zhang Hongyan saw her daughter get up, she took the pot of warm porridge out and placed it on the stove: "Qingqing, remember to drink the porridge after you brush your teeth."
Hearing this, Xia Qingqing, with her mouth full of toothpaste foam, replied, "Okay~".
When Xia Qing returned to the main room after washing up, she saw Gou Dan chatting with Song Ze, talking about what happened during their trip back to their hometown.
Finally, Gou Dan didn't forget to invite, "Brother Song, you can come back with us next time. You haven't been back to Shihe Brigade for a long time, have you?"
Upon hearing this, Song Ze smiled, patted Gou Dan's head, and said, "Okay, I also really want to go back with you guys."
Xia Qingqing, holding a bowl of porridge, looked at Song Ze and asked, "Aze, have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, I ate breakfast before coming," Song Ze replied with a smile.
"Qingqing, Axin said a while ago that a new outdoor swimming pool opened in Dongcheng, and it's pretty good. Do you want to go play there together?"
The outdoor swimming pool had been open for almost half a month, and on the second day after its opening, Yuan Xin invited Song Ze and Ning Zhiyuan to go play together.
Song Ze went to play with Yuan Xin and the others once and thought it was pretty good. There were not only swimming facilities but also some open-air cinemas and other entertainment projects.
At that time, he was thinking that he would definitely take Xia Qingqing out for a trip after she returned to Beijing.
"swimming pool!!!"
Gou Dan gasped in surprise, then looked at Song Ze expectantly and said, "Brother Song, I want to go too. Can you take me with you?"
Song Ze didn't answer Gou Dan, but instead looked at Xia Qingqing and asked, "Qingqing, what do you think?"
“Sure,” Xia Qingqing said, quite interested in the swimming pool Song Ze mentioned. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had swum.
"I want to go too! Sisters, take me with you! I've never been to a swimming pool before!" Gou Dan said, tugging at Xia Qingqing's hand and acting coquettishly.
Xia Qingqing almost spilled the porridge in her bowl because he shook it so much. She quickly nodded and said, "Okay, okay, I'll take you there. Stop shaking my hand and let me finish my porridge first, okay?"
Dog Egg let go of her hand, looking slightly embarrassed: "Hehe, sis, hurry up and drink your porridge. I'll bring you a bowl after you're done."
After Xia Qingqing finished her porridge, Song Ze looked at her and asked, "Qingqing, do you have a swimsuit? Do you want me to go to the department store with you this afternoon to buy one?"
Xia Qingqing then realized that she didn't have a swimsuit, so she readily nodded in agreement.
This was the first time Gou Dan had ever heard of needing a special swimsuit for swimming. Back in his hometown, he and his friends would just wear shorts and go swimming in the river. City people are really particular.
"Brother Song, do I need to buy a swimsuit too?" Gou Dan asked curiously.
Upon hearing this question, Song Ze smiled and replied, "You don't need to buy a swimsuit. Just wear a pair of shorts. But you can buy a new pair if you want."
"Then forget it, I won't buy it, let's save some money," Gou Dan said with a simple smile.
Song Ze stayed at Xia's house for lunch, and Gou Dan told Zhang Hongyan that he and his sister were going to go swimming at the newly opened swimming pool in Dongcheng with Song Ze the next day.
Song Ze then invited Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping to go out and have fun together.
Zhang Hongyan quickly waved her hand: "No, no, that sounds like a place you young people like to go. You guys have fun."
Even if she could swim, she wouldn't go out with young people like them.
The children were having a great time, but the moment their elders stood there, they became uninhibited.
In the afternoon, Song Ze and Xia Qingqing went to the department store together. Although Gou Dan didn't plan to buy new swim trunks, he still went along to join in the fun.
By the way, you can also snag some snacks.
Upon arriving at the department store, Xia Qingqing found a swimsuit counter in a secluded corner.
From a distance, you can see all sorts of colorful swimsuits displayed inside the counter, including pink, orange, blue, green, and so on—they're incredibly vibrant.
Song Ze, being a grown man, felt it inappropriate to go to the swimsuit counter, so he suggested, "Qingqing, I'll take Gou Dan to buy some candy first, and we'll come back to find you after you've bought it."
"Okay, no need to look for me. I'll find you at the candy counter later," Xia Qingqing waved to him cheerfully.
The saleswoman selling swimsuits was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties. Upon seeing Xia Qingqing approach, she immediately struck up a conversation with her very enthusiastically.
"Comrade, you're here to buy a swimsuit, right? The weather's been so hot lately, lots of people are coming to buy swimsuits to go swimming. This bubble swimsuit is a very popular style right now, it's only 3 yuan apiece. What color do you like? I'll get it for you."
Xia Qingqing rarely encountered such an enthusiastic salesperson in a department store, and subconsciously returned a bright smile: "Excuse me, besides these bubble swimsuits, do you have any other styles?"
Forgive her for not appreciating these trendy bubble swimsuits; she prefers simpler designs.
If she can't find anything suitable here, she plans to ask Zhou Wei to help her buy a few items as soon as she gets home.
The saleswoman was surprised that someone would dislike the bubble swimsuit. The swimsuit was clearly very pretty and popular with customers; she and her friends had also bought it.
Although she didn't quite understand, she still pulled out a few ordinary-looking swimsuits from under the counter: "There are a few more here, comrade, see if there's anything you like?"
Actually, the swimsuits she brought out were all unsold stock that had been sitting in her drawer. Ever since this batch of bubble swimsuits arrived, people have stopped liking the old-fashioned styles of the previous swimsuits.
Even the saleswoman herself thought that once Xia Qingqing had a comparison, she would definitely choose the pretty bubble swimsuit.
Xia Qingqing looked much more normal, and with a smile, she picked up a very ordinary black one-piece swimsuit and asked, "Comrade, how much is this one?"
The saleswoman looked at Xia Qingqing in disbelief: "Ah, you really plan to buy this?"
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