"Next stop: Chang'an..."
Li Chunmei patted her daughter, "Xiaomin, wake up, we're here."
A small number of tourists in the carriage had already stood up to pack their bags. Their movements were somewhat clumsy, and their squatting movements were extremely slow.
"Have we arrived yet?" Xia Minmin, who had just woken up, looked out the train window and could already see the platform.
As the train came to a stop, eager passengers began to line up, waiting to get off as soon as the doors opened.
Li Qing stood up slowly and stiffly, her expression serious, her entire face contorting when she touched a sore spot.
Grandpa Xia scoffed, "Tsk tsk tsk, Xiao Qing's health is really bad. Now her stamina is even worse than an old man like me." At least he wasn't the most shameful one; he had someone to take the fall. Maybe tomorrow everyone would forget his undignified behavior.
Li Qing forced a smile, saying nothing and daring not to say anything, only internally screaming, "Can climbing the mountain and taking a cable car be the same?" Even her own grandfather could only accept it.
Xia Minmin said in a light voice, "We're going back to Shenzhen tomorrow. How about we buy some souvenirs after we get off the train?"
"Sure! No objections."
Only Li Qing said slowly, "You guys go ahead! I'll take a car back to the hotel first, just bring me dinner when you come back."
Sun Erni frowned. "Do you want us to take you back to your hotel?"
Li Qing shook her head. "I can do it."
Li Zhonghua couldn't stand it anymore, "She's not a child anymore, you should let go."
"A worm on the train, a dragon off the train" perfectly describes Xia Minmin. She fell fast asleep as soon as she boarded the train, but was full of energy after getting off, as if she wasn't the one who went hiking that day.
"Should I buy some Baiji buns to take back?" Xia Minmin saw the Baiji bun shop and wanted to buy some to take back, since they didn't sell this kind of bun in Shenzhen.
Xia Minmin held up a baiji bun in one hand and pouted, "Buy some! Please, please!"
Li Chunmei rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. Last time she went, she brought back a bunch of steamed buns, and this time she was planning to bring back baiji buns from Chang'an. It was simply outrageous. "Fine... you buy them!"
This was the first time Wang Aimin had ever seen his goddaughter act so cute; she was incredibly adorable, completely different from her usual mature demeanor.
After receiving Li Chunmei's approval, Xia Minmin packed more than twenty Baiji buns.
Li Chunmei's face grew increasingly dark. "That's enough, that's enough. The suitcase is already full, and we still need to buy other local specialties."
Xia Minmin awkwardly withdrew her hand, "Actually, I think that's enough too."
Xia Minmin also wanted to buy fresh walnuts whenever she saw them, because there were no fresh walnuts in Shenzhen. With Wang Aimin's indulgence, she bought a large bag to take back to Shenzhen, since the bag of walnuts was to be put in Wang Aimin's suitcase to be taken back to Shenzhen.
Xia Minmin pointed to the souvenirs Li Chunmei was carrying, "I've already bought mung bean cakes, plum powder, and cured beef. What else do you want to buy?"
"Could you buy some thick rice wine to take back with you?" Grandpa Xia couldn't stop thinking about the thick rice wine he drank yesterday.
Li Zhonghua recalled his past experiences, "Dad, mail it! Last time I brought alcohol on the train and it was confiscated."
The postage was more expensive than the four two-liter bottles of thick liquor that Grandpa Xia bought.
Xia Minmin returned to the room with the packaged cold noodles. Li Qing had already taken a shower, changed into her pajamas, and was leaning against the bed watching TV and eating snacks. There were several packages of snacks and soda on the bedside table.
Hearing the door open, Li Qing looked up from the TV. "Xiao Min, you're back? What delicious food did you bring me?"
Xia Minmin handed her the cold noodles, saying, "Your favorite cold noodles."
Li Qing's eyes lit up. "You really know me! I love Chang'an's spicy oil, but it's a pity I have to go back soon. I don't know if I'll have another chance to come here next time."
As Xia Minmin tidied up the textbooks on the table, she said, "It's okay. When you get back, go to my house and get a jar of chili oil. My mom bought a whole case and sent it back to Shenzhen."
Li Qing paused in stirring the cold noodles, her voice rising, "A whole box!"
"Yes, my parents love it. It's fragrant but not spicy! It's suitable for both noodles and braised dishes. After we go home, we can share it among our families without much left."
In the evening, Xia Minmin took a shower and lay in bed listening to English.
After watching the TV series, Li Qing got out of bed to brush her teeth. Xia Minmin was already asleep with her eyes closed. "Xiao Min! Xiao Min!"
After calling her name a few times and gently patting her a few times, seeing that Xia Minmin still didn't respond, Li Qing took off her earphones, turned off the Walkman and put it on the bedside table, then tiptoed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Ring ring...
The alarm clock rang precisely at seven o'clock, but the person who set it was still fast asleep.
Xia Minmin turned off the alarm, took off her headphones and turned off her Walkman. She glanced at Li Qing, who was fast asleep in the next bed, lifted the covers, put on her slippers, walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked at the sun in the distance. Today was another beautiful day.
The sudden light made Li Qing uncomfortable, and she groaned as she pulled the blanket up to cover her entire face.
Xia Minmin did a few stretching exercises in the open space of the room. The long-term high-intensity exercise had no effect on her mountain climbing yesterday.
However, Li Qing's reaction was quite different. "Ouch... this hurts so much." Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge. She struggled to reach the washroom while holding onto the wall.
Li Qing glanced at her younger cousin, who was struggling with her hair, and said, "Xiao Min! Help me up."
Xia Minmin put down the comb and went over to support Li Qing. "Sister Qing, are you alright?"
Li Qing looked miserable. "I'm not feeling well! My whole body aches, it feels like my whole body was smashed and then reassembled."
Xia Minmin felt terrible just thinking about it.
Li Zhonghua handed the bag to Sun Erni outside Xia Minmin's room, saying, "Erni, use safflower oil to massage Xiao Qing properly. The effect will be better if you massaged her last night."
"Okay, you can go back to your room now!"
thump thump thump...
"Xiaomin, are you there? Open the door for your aunt."
He helped Li Qing sit on the toilet and handed her a toothbrush and a water cup.
Xia Minmin, with her hair all messy, opened the door for Sun Erni. "Auntie, why are you here so early?"
Sun Erni stood neatly dressed at the door, waving the plastic bag in her hand, and whispered, "Your uncle went to the pharmacy early this morning to buy safflower oil. I'm planning to rub it on your sister. Where's your sister?"
Xia Minmin pointed to the half-open bathroom, "She's brushing her teeth! Sister Qing should really massage her teeth, she felt really tired walking today."
Sitting in the washroom, Li Qing heard Sun Erni's voice, "What brings you here, Comrade Erni?"
"Let me give you some safflower oil to help you relax!"
A moment later, the sounds of pigs being slaughtered echoed through the room. "Comrade Erni, go easy on me, you're going to kill me!"
Xia Minmin frowned as she watched the two of them move. Every time Li Qing howled, Xia Minmin would subconsciously close her eyes.
Half an hour later, Li Qing and Sun Erni were covered in sweat, one from exhaustion and the other from pain.
Sun Erni patted Li Qing's back and said, "Massaging your shinbone will help it open up a bit. It's okay, your dad and I will go back and pack our luggage. There are a lot of things we haven't packed yet."
To be fair, Li Qing felt much better after being tormented by Sun Erni. Although she was practically a walking safflower oil, at least she could move around normally.
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