The next day, Xiao Jun slept until eight or nine o'clock before getting up. His face was swollen from sleep, his eyes were narrowed, and his hair was sticking up.
Ding Sha laughed when she saw him, "Do you want to sleep some more?"
Xiao Jun shook his head and washed up, twisting and turning.
The cold water stimulated him and Xiao Jun came to with a fright.
Ding Sha wore an embroidered light blue cheongsam, her hair pinned up with a hairpin behind her head, looking very gentle.
Xiao Jun wore a white T-shirt and jeans. The two of them went out the door feeling fresh and cool.
First they ate two leek stuffed buns by the roadside, then drank a bowl of Emei tofu pudding before happily taking the subway to KuanZhai, satisfied.
There weren't too many people on the subway. Ding Sha and Xiao Jun found a seat. Everyone was leisurely scrolling through their phones. The girls were dressed beautifully with delicate makeup, chatting in groups of three or two as they went out to play.
Ding Sha unconsciously smiled, "It's really nice here."
"It feels like everyone is living a leisurely life without much pressure. When we get old, let's come back here, okay? I saw many grandpas and grandmas holding hands and taking a walk in the park yesterday."
"Okay, when we get old, we'll come back here and I'll take you on walks every day," said Xiao Jun, brushing aside the hair blowing onto her face.
They arrived at KuanZhai, walking through the long passageway. There were many locals wearing sun hats and holding maps shouting out directions at the subway exit.
Perhaps because it wasn't a holiday, there weren't as many people in KuanZhai as they expected. The people coming and going all spoke in the local accent, walking slowly with their hands behind their backs as they strolled around.
The chirping of birds was clear, the sky was azure blue.
Unconsciously, they also slowed down their pace, blending into the crowd.
Xiao Jun was still speaking broken Sichuanese, asking people how much a popsicle cost.
After walking up and down two alleyways without buying anything, they were heating up instead. They walked past Paulownia tree street, walked past streets shaded densely with trees, smelling the aroma of hot pot and skewers constantly drifting from the streets. Finally they squeezed into a small pub next to Paulownia tree street and ordered two glasses of yangzhi manlu.
The instant the icy drink entered their mouths, it felt like their whole bodies cooled down. The blazing hot summer days still tested one's patience. It was just that the moment they walked from the streets into an air-conditioned shop, there were only four words in their hearts ---- survived!
Ding Sha and Xiao Jun stayed in the shop until nearly two o'clock in the afternoon before dragging their empty stomachs out to find some lunch.
Although they sat for a long time and chatted for a long time, it seemed they didn't talk about anything important. They just sat there and slowly enjoyed life.
Walking up and down Kuixing Building Street, they finally decided to eat at a Spanish restaurant.
The reason was that Xiao Jun, who had trouble handling spicy food, had diarrhea that morning.
The restaurant had a quiet environment, with slow, tender music playing. A pretty girl came up to greet them, "A table for two? Sit wherever you'd like."
They sat at a window table and ordered a seafood rice dish, some small potatoes, and shrimps, while drinking lemon water.
They didn't order too much because they wanted to experience some snacks in the afternoon.
The flowers on the table were very beautiful. Xiao Jun took out his camera to take pictures of Ding Sha.
The girl who brought the food was stunned for a moment when she saw Ding Sha's face, then unrestrainedly praised, "Miss, you're so beautiful! Very lovely!"
Over the past few days, Ding Sha had heard such compliments many times. Chengdu people seemed to be like this, enthusiastic and generous with their praises of strangers' beauty.
At first Ding Sha was a little shy, but later she could happily say thank you with a smile. She also looked forward to dressing herself up, as if her long suppressed inner girl had been set free.
Xiao Jun smiled as he watched Ding Sha choosing outfits in front of the mirror, starting to pay attention to makeup and dressing up. Xiao Jun didn't find it annoying at all, only feeling happy.
He was happy to see such a cheerful and lively Ding Sha, as if she had never gone through life's hardships.
