On Kyoto's busiest street, Su Niannian, Si Lili, and Xibao, two adults and one child, each held an ice cream and ate it as they walked.
Today is Friday. Si Lijue had important business to attend to in the afternoon and was not at the company. He gave Su Niannian the afternoon off and asked her to pick up Xibao from kindergarten.
So, Su Niannian and Si Lili agreed to take Xibao to the city center for shopping, dining, and watching movies.
Back when they were in a foreign country, they would go out together every weekend and spend many wonderful and unforgettable times together.
However, since returning to their home country, due to the strict control imposed by Si Lijue, they have not been able to go out and stroll around freely like this for a long time.
For Si Lili and Su Niannian, this is the place where they have lived since childhood and they are very familiar with it. Even if they don't go out shopping, they don't seem to feel particularly lost or uncomfortable.
But for the young and innocent Xi Bao, it was a completely different story! After all, Kyoto was a mysterious and unfamiliar city to him.
Here, countless novelties await his exploration, and all sorts of delicious food awaits his tasting.
So, during this time, the little guy kept pestering his mother, begging her to find an opportunity to take him out for a stroll so that his curious heart could be satisfied.
Taking advantage of the rare opportunity this afternoon, Su Niannian brought her son over to play, and also invited Si Lili along, so that if things went wrong, someone would be there to share the punishment.
Xi Bao pointed to a shop on the roadside, where there was an advertisement on the wall, and asked curiously, "Mom, what is this? It looks delicious."
Su Niannian looked in the direction Xibao was pointing and saw pictures of all kinds of candied hawthorns. She smiled and explained, "These are all candied hawthorns."
The round and flat ones are made from hawthorn; the apple, orange, cherry, and banana ones are all made from fruit, and they're sweet and sour and really delicious.
Xi Bao stretched out her chubby little hand and pointed steadily to a string of brightly colored, crystal-clear candied hawthorns. She blinked her big, watery eyes and asked with a puzzled look, "What is the outermost layer?"
He has always been a child with an extremely strong sense of curiosity, and he always has an endless desire to explore new things.
No matter what new and interesting things he encounters, he is eager to find out the secrets behind them, as if he has discovered a new continent.
Moreover, once she starts asking questions, Xibao is like a small flame that has been lit, determined to understand the problem thoroughly, showing no sign of giving up until she gets to the bottom of it.
"That's syrup, it's made by boiling white sugar into a liquid and coating it on the outside," Si Lili took over and explained first.
"Oh, it's syrup! No wonder it looks so good." Xi Bao stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, swallowed twice, and her eyes gleamed.
He has a special fondness for sweets. When they were abroad, Su Niannian and Si Lili always liked to take him to dessert shops, and he always ate to his heart's content.
This time was no exception. As soon as Su Niannian said that candied hawthorns were sweet and sour, Xibao's cravings were instantly awakened, and the ice cream in her hand suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.
Looking at the little girl's greedy expression, Si Lili couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Xibao, do you want some candied hawthorns?"
"Yes!" Xi Bao nodded seriously, "I want to eat!"
"Come on, Auntie will buy you some." Si Lili took the ice cream from Xibao's hand and handed it to Su Niannian. "Help us finish these ice creams." With that, she took Xibao's little hand and walked straight into the store.
"I'll go with you too." Su Niannian was holding three ice creams in her hands. She watched the aunt and niece walk into the candied hawthorn shop and was about to follow them when Si Lili stopped her.
"No need, just wait for us outside, we'll be right back."
She didn't want Su Niannian to come along, especially when buying sweets for Xiaobao. Niannian always tried to stop her, afraid that Xibao would eat too much.
Xi Bao blinked her bright eyes and said to Su Niannian, "Mom, why don't you wait for me and Auntie outside?"
If you come in with us, and the owner sees you holding so many ice creams, he'll definitely feel very sad and upset.
After all, we didn't buy these ice creams from their store; we bought them from another store.
"Well... okay! I'll wait for you here." Su Niannian looked at the ice cream in her hand, then at the shop's signboard and advertisement. Ice cream was indeed for sale. She felt that her son was right. After hesitating for a moment, she finally agreed.
Then, still worried, she added, "Lili, buy him a skewer so he can just taste it. Eating too many will cause cavities and toothaches."
Si Lili winked mischievously and assured him confidently, "Yes, ma'am! Sister-in-law, I'll only buy one for Xibao."
Su Niannian watched helplessly as Si Lili and Xibao walked into the store, looking at the ice cream in her hand with a dilemma.
She wanted to throw it in the trash can, but she was afraid that Xi Bao would find out and say she was wasting food. But if she didn't throw it in the trash can, the ice cream in her hand would melt, making her hands sticky.
Finally, she threw the ice cream in her hand into the trash can and ran to the nearby restroom to wash her hands.
Si Lili led Xibao into the candied hawthorn shop. Looking at the dazzling array of candied hawthorns on the counter, the two of them kept swallowing their saliva.
When the owner saw customers enter, he warmly greeted them: "Welcome! What would you like to order?"
Xi Bao blinked her big, bright eyes and looked at the shopkeeper expectantly. She said in a clear voice, "Shopkeeper, we'd like to buy a few skewers of candied hawthorns. How much is one skewer?"
The shop owner, with a warm smile on his face, replied in a loud voice, "Young man, these hawthorn candied hawthorns are only five yuan a skewer; if they're made of fruit, they'll be ten yuan a skewer!"
Upon hearing the price, Xi Bao's round eyes widened in disbelief.
He stared at the shop owner in astonishment, his mouth agape, and stammered, "Wow, it's so cheap? I thought it would be very expensive!"
Upon hearing this, the shop owner laughed heartily, nodded confidently, and then earnestly explained, "Haha~ We sell things in our shop with a clear conscience, and we would never cheat anyone."
Whether you're a senior citizen or a child, the price is the same. We're honest and fair!
"Okay, I believe you are a trustworthy and good boss." Xi Bao gave the boss a bright smile and a thumbs up.
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