Shen Nian'an also enjoyed the food very much, saying as she ate, "Dad, this cream popsicle is so delicious, much sweeter than a white sugar popsicle."
After finishing their popsicles, they walked along the park path. Tall trees lined both sides of the path, their dense foliage like open green umbrellas, shielding them from the scorching sun and making the area feel exceptionally cool. The flowerbeds along the path were filled with all sorts of flowers: roses, peonies, herbaceous peonies, and some wildflowers whose names they didn't know, all blooming in vibrant colors and emitting a sweet fragrance.
"Mom, look at those flowers, they're so pretty!" Shen Nian'an exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the roses in the flowerbed. Lin Wanqiu knelt down, picked a red rose, and handed it to Nian'an. "These are roses. They come in many colors—red, pink, and yellow—and they're all very beautiful. Be careful not to prick your hand on the thorns."
Shen Nian'an carefully took the rose, held it to her nose and smelled it. "It smells so good! Mom, can I put it in my notebook? That way, when I see my notebook in the future, I'll remember the flower I saw in the park today."
"Of course," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile.
They continued walking and came to the edge of an artificial lake. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the trees on the shore and the white clouds in the sky, like a giant mirror. Many people were fishing by the lake, while others sat on the stone benches, resting and chatting. Several boats glided slowly across the lake, their passengers laughing and joking, enjoying their leisurely time.
"Dad, can we go boating?" Shen Nian'an asked expectantly, pointing to the boats on the lake. Shen Tingzhou smiled and nodded, "Of course, let's go buy tickets now."
They arrived at the boat ticket office and bought a ticket. Shen Tingzhou led Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an onto a small boat. The boatman helped them untie the rope, and the boat slowly moved away from the shore, heading towards the center of the lake. Shen Nian'an sat at the bow, excitedly watching the lake water, occasionally reaching out to touch the surface and feel its coolness.
"Mom, look, there are little fish in the water!" Shen Nian'an exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the little fish swimming in the water. Lin Wanqiu looked in the direction he was pointing and saw several little fish swimming freely in the water, occasionally jumping out of the water and splashing up tiny water droplets.
Shen Tingzhou sat at the stern, watching his wife and children's happy faces, his heart filled with contentment. He thought back to his time in the army, when he rarely had time to spend with his family. Now, being able to travel and enjoy family time with them like this, he felt it was all worthwhile.
The small boat rowed on the lake for about an hour before slowly returning to shore. They disembarked and continued to play in the park. Next, they went to the children's playground, where Shen Nian'an played on the carousel, slides, and swings, laughing heartily with each ride. Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou watched him from the side, their faces full of doting smiles.
Before they knew it, it was getting dark. The streetlights in the park lit up one by one, their orange glow illuminating the paths and adding a warm atmosphere to the park. Shen Tingzhou checked his watch and said to Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an, "It's getting late, we should go back to the guesthouse. We still need to go to the bookstore and the department store tomorrow."
Although Shen Nian'an was still not quite done, she knew it was getting late, so she nodded and said, "Okay, how about we come back to see the fountain and take a boat ride tomorrow?"
"Okay, let's come again tomorrow," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile.
They left the park and walked along the road towards the guesthouse. On the way, Shen Tingzhou remembered the longing look in Nian'an's eyes when she saw the toy store at noon, so he said, "Nian'an, let's go to that toy store we just saw and buy you a toy car, okay?"
Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "Really? That's great! Thank you, Dad!"
They arrived at the toy store, where a dazzling array of toys awaited them: toy cars, airplanes, dolls, and building blocks. Chen Nian'an was overwhelmed by the sheer variety. He circled the toy shelves several times before finally choosing a red toy car. Its body was made of shiny metal and had four swivel wheels.
Shen Tingzhou paid and handed the car to Nian An, asking, "Do you like it?"
"I love it! I love it so much!" Shen Nian'an hugged the toy car tightly, her face full of joy. "Thank you, Dad. I will definitely take good care of it."
Back at the guesthouse, Shen Nian'an was still excitedly playing with her toy car, sometimes making it run on the table, and sometimes showing it to Lin Wanqiu, "Mom, look at my toy car, it runs so fast!"
Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, "It's so cute! Nian'an has a new toy, she'll definitely get a good night's sleep tonight."
After washing up, Chen Nian'an lay on the bed, still tightly clutching his toy car, and soon fell asleep with a sweet smile on his face. Lin Wanqiu sat by the bed, watching her son sleep soundly, and gently covered him with the blanket.
Shen Tingzhou walked to her side and gently took her hand. "Did you have fun today?"
Lin Wanqiu nodded, "I'm happy. Seeing Nian'an so happy makes me feel especially blessed. Tingzhou, thank you for bringing us to the city."
"Silly girl, why are you thanking me?" Shen Tingzhou pulled her into his arms. "We'll go to more places in the future, to Beijing, to Shanghai, so you and Nian'an can see a wider world."
Lin Wanqiu leaned against Shen Tingzhou's chest, feeling his warm embrace, her heart filled with happiness. She recalled the difficult situation she faced when she first transmigrated, and looking at her current blissful life, it all felt like a dream. She knew that all of this was inseparable from her own efforts, and even more so from Shen Tingzhou's support and companionship.
The next morning, after breakfast, they went to the bookstore in the city center as planned. The bookstore was large, with three floors, filled with all kinds of books, including literature, history, science and technology, education, as well as many children's books and comic books. As soon as Shen Nian'an entered the bookstore, he was stunned by the sight before him. He excitedly ran to the mathematics bookshelf and carefully selected his favorite books.
Lin Wanqiu watched him from the side, her face full of satisfaction. She went to the children's book section and picked out a few extracurricular books suitable for Nian'an, including comic books of "Journey to the West" and "Water Margin," as well as some popular science books—she felt that Nian'an should not only study mathematics well, but also learn more about other subjects to broaden his horizons.
Shen Tingzhou then went to the science and technology book section and selected several books on food processing and management. He knew that the food workshop needed to continue to develop and learn more advanced technologies and management experience in order to go further.
They browsed the bookstore for about two hours. Shen Nian'an chose three math problem sets and one math competition preparation book, Lin Wanqiu picked out several children's books and popular science books, and Shen Tingzhou also chose several science and technology books. After paying, Shen Nian'an hugged the books she had chosen, her face full of joy. "Mom, these books are great! I'll definitely study them carefully when I get home and try my best to win first prize in the next math competition!"
Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "Okay, Mom believes in you. As long as you work hard, you can definitely do it."
After leaving the bookstore, they went to the department store in the city center. The department store had five floors, and the goods inside were dazzling and overwhelming. The first floor was the food and daily necessities section, the second floor was the clothing section, the third floor was the home appliance section, the fourth floor was the furniture section, and the fifth floor was the stationery and toy section.
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