Xia Qingqing glanced at her watch and realized it was getting late: "Sister Qiu, Sister Huimin, Xiuxiu, I'm going home now. See you in the classroom tomorrow!"
"Okay, be careful on the road."
When Xia Qingqing arrived home on her bicycle, she found that the gate to the yard was unlocked, and knew that Gou Dan must be home.
After parking her bicycle, she knocked on Gou Dan's door: "Gou Dan, I'm back."
Upon hearing her knocking, Tian Hongjun, who was reading comic books with Gou Dan in the room, instinctively hid the comic books under the covers.
Only after hiding it did he realize something was wrong. Xia Jiale's sister didn't object to them reading comic books, so why was he so scared?
Seeing his guilty-looking behavior, Gou Dan chuckled and mocked, "Hongjun, it seems you've done this kind of thing quite a lot; it's become second nature to you."
"Ahem...ahem, it's just that my mom is quite strict," Tian Hongjun said, rubbing his nose somewhat embarrassedly.
Gou Dan winked at him, then called out towards the door, "Sis, the door's unlocked, you can come in."
The door was pushed open the next second, and Xia Qingqing came in and saw Tian Hongjun in the room. She greeted him gently.
Tian Hongjun immediately greeted her obediently, "Hello, Sister Qingqing."
"You're looking at comic books? Have you already read these?" Xia Qingqing walked over and took the comic book from Gou Dan's hand, flipping through it a few times.
Upon hearing this, Gou Dan immediately nodded: "Yes, I've already watched them all several times."
While watching it repeatedly is quite interesting, it can never compare to the appeal of watching it for the first time.
Xia Qingqing met Gou Dan's expectant gaze and said with a smile, "Then shall I take you to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few new ones?"
"Great! Great! Long live Sister!!!" Gou Dan cheered loudly.
Tian Hongjun glanced at Gou Dan with envy, and once again regretted why his mother hadn't given him a sister.
"Red Army, come with us," Gou Dan invited Tian Hongjun.
Tian Hongjun did not agree directly, but glanced at Xia Qingqing, as if asking for her opinion.
Xia Qingqing gave him a gentle smile: "Let's go together, I'll ride my bicycle and give you and Lele a ride."
"Okay," Tian Hongjun readily agreed this time.
Riding a bicycle with two 10-year-old boys was a breeze for Xia Qingqing. Gou Dan sat on the front bar, and Tian Hongjun sat behind. They arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative in no time.
"Sis, can I pick out a few?" Gou Dan asked expectantly, looking at the new comic books displayed in the cabinet.
Xia Qingqing thought for a moment and made a three-point gesture: "Let's buy 3 books this time. If you do well on the midterm exam, I'll give you a few more as a reward. If you're in the top ten in the class, I'll give you 5 books, and if you're in the top three, I'll give you 10 books. How about that?"
Dog Egg's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Yes, yes, absolutely! You're so great, sister, you're the best sister in the whole world!"
After saying that, Gou Dan immediately turned around and chattered with Tian Hongjun about which comic books to buy.
Xia Qingqing leaned against the counter and looked at the comic books quietly. Most of them were stories about ancient classics, folk tales, battle victories, and personal exemplary deeds.
In later generations, with their diverse array of toys, these comic books would never be as popular with children as they are now. However, children today have so few entertainment options, and illustrated comic books like these are a source of spiritual nourishment for them.
However, most parents oppose their children reading comic books. Some are unwilling to spend money to buy such useless things for their children, while others feel that reading comic books is a waste of time and a lack of ambition.
Xia Qingqing herself had been a child and knew that learning should be balanced with rest. Moreover, these comic books were indeed very good as extracurricular reading books for children. The published comic books generally had positive values, so there was no need to worry about them teaching children bad things.
While Xia Qingqing was lost in thought, Gou Dan had already chosen the three comic books he wanted: "Sister, I've picked them out, I want these three."
After saying that, Gou Dan glanced at the other comic books with lingering reluctance: Just wait, I'll take you home sooner or later.
Xia Qingqing nodded and readily paid for it: "Do you need to buy pencils and erasers?"
Dog Egg shook his head while holding the comic book: "We have plenty at home, no need to buy more."
His school supplies were all prepared by his older sister. Xia Qingqing would always buy him a huge pile, which would take him a long time to use up.
"Okay, let's have one more ice cream and then head back. Hongjun, you go with Lele to pick out your favorite flavors."
Upon hearing Xia Qingqing's words, Tian Hongjun waved his hand in refusal: "Sister Qingqing, you don't need to buy me ice cream. I don't like ice cream."
Xia Qingqing patted his short hair and said softly with a smile, "What child doesn't like ice cream? You can go pick some with Lele without worry. When Gou Dan comes to your house, you treat him to good food and drinks. So when you come to my house, you can't be polite with your sister, or your sister will get angry."
Gou Dan chimed in, "Yeah, Hongjun, just eat it without worry. Otherwise, I'll be too embarrassed to eat the snacks your mom buys next time I visit your house."
"I'll tell you a secret, my sister is really rich. One ice cream won't bankrupt her," Gou Dan whispered in Tian Hongjun's ear.
Tian Hongjun finally couldn't resist the persuasion and followed Gou Dan to the freezer.
Dog Egg directly asked the salesperson for two cream ice creams and a mung bean popsicle.
Tian Hongjun assumed the mung bean popsicle was for him, so he didn't say anything. However, after Gou Dan received the ice cream, he handed him one of the cream ice creams directly.
Tian Hongjun was momentarily at a loss and did not reach out to take it: "Jiale, I'll just have the mung bean popsicle. You and Qingqing can have the cream."
You know, a single cream ice cream costs 10 cents, so how could Tian Hongjun possibly eat something so expensive?
"You can have this. My sister doesn't like creamy ice cream; she prefers mung bean popsicles," Gou Dan forcefully shoved the ice cream into Tian Hongjun's hand, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Because Gou Dan knew that his older sister genuinely loved eating mung bean popsicles, and that she wasn't just reluctant to spend a few extra cents. He would believe anyone who said they were reluctant to spend money, but he just couldn't believe that his sister would be reluctant to spend money.
Gou Dan often heard Zhang Hongyan nagging at home that Xia Qingqing was a "spendthrift," which gave him a clear understanding of his sister's spending habits at a young age.
After paying, Xia Qingqing smiled and accepted the mung bean popsicle that Gou Dan handed her: "You two eat quickly, we're going home after we finish."
Having learned from the previous experience of Gou Dan dropping an ice pop on her clothes, she was determined not to ride her bicycle with two children eating ice pops on the back, otherwise she might suffer a double blow.
"Okay," Gou Dan said, taking a bite of his ice cream and then squinting his eyes happily, as if he had tasted some unparalleled delicacy.
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