“Honestly!” Xia Qingyu rolled up her sleeves and began to meticulously pack for Xia Qingtian, while simultaneously complaining, “You leave your things everywhere. What’s the point of bringing all this stuff?
Why only bring a few long-sleeved shirts?
And this jacket is so thin?
The temperature difference between day and night here is huge, what if you catch a cold?!”
Looking at the chattering Xia Qingyu, Xia Qingtian couldn't help but sigh and mutter to herself, “I’m so curious, what kind of boyfriend will you find in the future…”
“What?” Xia Qingyu turned to look at Xia Qingtian, “I didn’t hear you clearly.”
“I said,” Xia Qingtian flashed a bright smile, “My Qingyu is the best~ What would I do without you?”
“Hmph… You chatterbox.” Xia Qingyu gave Xia Qingtian a somewhat haughty glare and turned her head, but couldn’t help but curl her lips, revealing a sweet smile.
The pastries here were prepared very well, and the tea was also delicious.
After the refreshments, it was just past noon.
Gu Yaoyang needed to stay in the room for a remote video conference to handle some work.
Aunt Liu hadn't slept well on the plane, so she wanted to stay in the room to catch up on sleep.
Bai Yuqi had said she had something to do early on and had slipped away without even touching the pastries.
Miao Tong followed Bai Yuqi to get a ride.
Left behind were the excited Shi Xingwu, the wanting to escape but unable to, Li Xiaozhong, and Xia Qingyu, who could finally be with her sister, along with Xia Qingtian, who had changed clothes and was ready to go exploring.
Since they had come all this way, no matter how busy they would be later, they had to have some fun today.
“Then let’s go here!” Xia Qingtian spread out a travel guide and said, “Helsinki’s largest open-air market.”
“It looks like there will be a lot of delicious food. I agree!” Shi Xingwu said excitedly, clasping his hands together.
“There’s an ancient Egyptian-style monument in the center of the square, which I’m quite interested in,” Li Xiaozhong nodded. “It’s not far from Helsinki Cathedral, so we can go and see it along the way.”
“I’ll listen to my sister,” Xia Qingyu looked at Xia Qingtian, her eyes sparkling. As long as she could be with Xia Qingtian, she was willing to go anywhere.
“Alright, then let’s take a car and set off~” Xia Qingtian waved her hand and led the three of them into a car, heading for their destination.
In the car, Xia Qingtian casually said as she looked at the reminders on her phone, “Shi Xingwu, haven’t your dad and the others arrived yet?”
“My dad and their flight arrives late tonight.” Shi Xingwu’s ticket was bought by Xia Qingtian and the others. At that time, Master Shi was too embarrassed to trouble Xia Qingtian and only said he would reimburse the tickets for Shi Xingwu and the other two.
After all, these three were also participating in the friendship match, so he could justify taking care of the tickets, but Xia Qingtian declined.
Xia Qingyu was her sister, and Shi Xingwu and Li Xiaozhong were Xia Qingyu’s friends. It was just a round-trip ticket, so there was no need to be so formal.
Master Shi didn’t say anything more. People of the martial world were straightforward and didn’t fuss over minor details. He would find an opportunity later to have Shi Xingwu treat them to meals a few more times, and then he would reduce Xia Qingyu’s tuition fees.
As for Master Shi’s students, because they were group tickets, they were directly arranged by the travel agency, so their round-trip times were fixed and happened to be different from theirs.
However, Master Shi’s old friend, Old Wen, would help book the hotel, and there would be a dedicated car to pick them up, so they didn’t need to worry about it.
Upon arriving at the open-air market, they could see neatly arranged stalls.
The vibrantly colored and enticing fruits, fresh fish, unfamiliar handicrafts, and various daily necessities, along with local specialty home-cooked foods, were displayed under colorful small tents.
Especially behind these stalls was a vast expanse of ocean. The weather was good today, and the sea was mysteriously and delightfully blue.
“Wow…” Shi Xingwu, with food in both hands, took a deep breath of the aroma and exclaimed again, “We really should have come in July. Last time, I was almost frozen to death, and my dad was too lazy to take us around, so I didn’t see anything. It’s much more interesting to come with Goddess Sister! Goddess Sister, I’m following you from now on!”
“Haha.” Xia Qingtian was amused by Shi Xingwu’s words. “The seagulls here are quite plump, and they fly quite low. Everyone be careful.”
“How did these seagulls get so fat?” Shi Xingwu followed Xia Qingtian’s gaze to a seagull and asked in surprise.
“Probably eating fries at the pier every day?” Xia Qingtian answered casually, “Deep-fried carbs, ultimate happiness, seagulls can’t resist.”
“I suddenly feel like being a seagull wouldn’t be so bad…” Shi Xingwu squinted slightly.
“Then you go be a seagull. We’re going to explore the central square.” Li Xiaozhong gave Shi Xingwu a look of disdain and walked forward.
“Hey! Wait for me!” Shi Xingwu quickly followed.
“Why should I wait for a seagull? Seagulls should stay at the pier waiting for fries.” Li Xiaozhong actually walked even faster.
Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu burst into laughter at the two of them, and the group walked further and further away, chatting and laughing.
Just as they left, a young couple strolled over.
“Miss Lei, this is Helsinki’s open-air market, a very typical Nordic-style open-air market,” the boy’s voice was gentle. “There’s an ancient Egyptian-style monument in the central square, and it’s not far from Helsinki Cathedral, so we can go and see it along the way.”
“Tarik, thank you for accompanying me.” The girl seemed a bit shy and embarrassed. “My third brother suddenly made such a request, you must have been troubled, right? You don’t have to worry about me, I… I can just wander around by myself.”
“Not at all.” Tarik chuckled softly. “I grew up here, and it’s actually rare for me to have opportunities to chat with people my age from my home country. I’m very happy to be able to accompany Miss Lei around.”
“Is that so.” The girl lowered her head and said, “Actually, my country has also developed quite well. If possible, it would be good for Tarik to go back and see.”
“Yes, thank you for your suggestion, Miss Lei. If I have the chance, I will go back.” Tarik’s gentle smile remained on his face, but that gentleness didn’t reach his eyes.
If the Lei family didn’t have something his adoptive father wanted, he wouldn’t have to waste his time like this.
He didn’t know why, but lately, he felt like things weren’t going smoothly.
Especially recently, he kept dreaming of the person he didn’t want to remember. After waking up, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. This feeling of being out of control made him very uncomfortable.
He was becoming unlike himself.
“Shall we go see that monument?” The girl seemed quite interested in the monument.
“Mhmm.” Coming back to his senses, Tarik realized he had zoned out again, and his annoyance grew even more.
If this continued, he might start having hallucinations soon.
This wouldn’t do.