Upon returning to the rented apartment, the four waited for death.
"Come in, I chose this place specifically, it's enough for the four of us," Tang Siran smiled as she welcomed them in.
"I've also prepared some of your essentials in advance, make yourselves at home."
As soon as they entered, Tang Siran handed each of them the house slippers they had prepared for the trip.
Once the three had put away their belongings and sat down, they finally relaxed.
"You guys are really something, you know. You set a date and didn't even tell me, you had to wait until the last minute to say something!"
"What if I had something else going on or couldn't wake up?"
Tang Siran gently complained while pouring water for the three. Although she was happy, she was also a little annoyed thinking about the possibility of them arriving and her being unreachable.
Seeing Tang Siran bustling around, the three immediately took the water from her hands and pulled her over.
"Tangtang, don't fuss so much. We haven't seen each other in ages, just sit down and chat with us."
"And about that thing you're complaining about, we've already thought it through!"
It wasn't for nothing that they had gathered information through casual conversations. Besides, if they really couldn't reach her for a while, they weren't stupid; they had plenty of other places to go.
Looking at their smiling faces, Tang Siran's annoyance melted away.
"Fine,"
"I really can't win against you!" With a helpless smile, Tang Siran sat down beside them.
"Thankfully, I haven't been too busy lately, otherwise you really would have come for nothing!"
"Of course! We haven't forgotten what you said before."
Tang Siran smiled and nodded, "It really seems that way now."
"Exactly!"
"Alright, I forgive you."
"Hehe~" Hua Linglong grinned shamelessly, "I knew it. Tangtang might look even more beautiful, but her temper is still as gentle as ever."
"I wonder which lucky guy will get to benefit from that in the future..."
"You're so glib!" Tang Siran's words made her laugh uncontrollably.
Qiu Xi and Ni Xue watched from the side, their lips curved in smiles. This scene felt so familiar...
...
After a good while of laughter and joking, the four finally settled down.
"Are you three hungry?" Tang Siran looked at them.
"You didn't tell me you were coming, so I don't have anything stocked up!"
"Besides the bread I had for breakfast, there's nothing else!"
At this, Tang Siran felt a bit helpless again. She rarely cooked for herself, and when she did, it was on impulse, so she never kept groceries at home.
"Hehe~"
"Tangtang~"
Tang Siran looked at the suddenly dark smiles and expressions on their faces, feeling a little helpless.
"You three are so childish!" Did she look like someone who was afraid of such things?
"Come on, tell me what you want to eat."
"Let's have hot pot."
"Sure, lamb hot pot or what? Once you've rested, I'll take you out."
"If not, I can take you to try the local specialty barbecue..."
Tang Siran mumbled, planning various dining routes in her mind.
"Tangtang, we don't need to go out. We can eat here in your rented apartment."
"Not go out?" Tang Siran immediately shook her head, "That won't work. I don't have anything here, except a pot, nothing else..."
"Look, we brought this!"
"Hot pot base? How did you think of that?"
Tang Siran's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the bags the three took out.
"I haven't had this in years, I really miss it."
While online shopping abroad was possible, this was sold in their hometown, and she couldn't get it at all.
"Remember when we had hot pot for New Year's and video chatted with you? We remembered it when we were coming out, so we brought it."
"We can go out and buy some meat and vegetables later."
"Tangtang, let me tell you, besides this, the three of us also brought quite a few other hometown specialties. You can eat for a long time..."
Looking at her whispering friends, Tang Siran felt a surge of emotion, her eyes tearing up.
"Okay,"
"Then we'll have our first meal here. Afterwards, I'll take you out again, and we'll play and eat to our hearts' content!"
"Okay, we'll do whatever you say."
And so, the first meal in Country Y was a homemade hot pot prepared by the four of them.
...
At night,
The four squeezed onto a large bed, chatting.
"..."
Tang Siran still felt a little dazed. But undeniably, she was happily dazed.
"Let's get some rest soon. We need to wake up early tomorrow to go out and play."
Yes, after a day, Tang Siran had already sketched out their itinerary for the next few days.
"Okay~"
"Sleep, sleep."
"Goodnight~"
Their first night in a foreign land, sleeping beside her sisters, was dreamless and exceptionally comfortable.
...
The next day,
"Are you guys ready?"
"We're ready to go."
Tang Siran got up early to prepare.
"Tangtang, we're all ready, let's go."
"But where are you taking us?"
Not only Hua Linglong, but Qiu Xi was also curious. When they asked yesterday, Tangtang had said she hadn't decided yet. Now that they were about to leave, they still didn't know.
"You'll know when we get there. Linglong, remember to bring your gear!"
"I've already packed it..." Hua Linglong nodded blankly. Tangtang had reminded her of this several times. Her "gear" was her camera and computer. Since her computer was too heavy to carry, only her camera remained.
"Then let's get going."
Saying that, Tang Siran closed the door and led the three out.
...
Initially confused, the group, after passing through the bustling city, saw large expanses of green, which evoked a sense of wonder in them.
"Tangtang, is this the countryside?" Hua Linglong asked, looking at the scenery outside.
Tang Siran smiled and nodded, "Yes!"
"The pastoral scenery in Country Y is truly beautiful. I thought you would like it, so I brought you here."
"We'll get off here and take a ride in a vintage car, then go to a small town. That's our destination for today."
"This sounds great!"
"This kind of place is perfect for photos. Today, I'll be your professional photographer for the three of you, and I'll make sure you all look beautiful."
Hearing Tang Siran talk, Hua Linglong became excited. The scenery was beautiful, and her sisters were also stunning. They were perfect models! Thinking this, Hua Linglong could already envision the finished photos, and a silly smile never left her lips.
"Let's go, we need to get down now."
"Okay."
...
After getting out of the car, the four walked along.
A path paved with bricks, with clean green grass on either side. Walking past brick houses, red, gray, and black, some with ivy crawling up the walls and low shrubs planted outside, they looked particularly vibrant. Not far away, brightly colored flowers bloomed, looking exceptionally beautiful. On the somewhat ancient-looking stone paths, small blades of grass occasionally sprouted, complementing the slightly scarred stones, creating a charming atmosphere. Under the blue sky, walking in such a pastoral town, one's heart felt at peace. On the quiet road, exquisite small horse-drawn carriages occasionally passed by, along with some animals pulling carts, giving a fairytale-like impression.
"It looks so beautiful~"
"Tangtang, can we ride in a horse carriage later?" Hua Linglong's eyes lit up at the sight of a horse galloping past.
Tang Siran smiled and nodded, "Of course, but maybe after we finish exploring over there..."
"That's fine, we have plenty of time today."
"Okay~"
"Let's go, we'll head inside first."
"Okay~"
...
Walking on the cobblestone paths of the pastoral town, Qiu Xi and the others stopped and started as they explored.
"Okay, this is it!"
"Come, stand properly."
"Xiao Xi, you look..."
Throughout the walk, it was mostly Hua Linglong's voice that was heard. Either finding a spot or directing people to pose... In short, Hua Linglong hadn't stopped moving. The entire morning was spent admiring the scenery and taking photos. Even for lunch, they ate the hard bread and sandwiches they had prepared that morning. It was filling, just a little tiring.
"After we rest, we'll continue walking. We'll head back after we've had our fill of fun."
"Okay."
Their "lunch break" consisted of the four of them sitting and chatting.
...
In the afternoon,
The group continued their exploration for a while longer. Finally, as they were preparing to leave, they got to ride in the horse carriage they had been longing for all day.
"I finally got to ride in a carriage like the White Horse Princess in Disney." Hua Linglong sighed on the way back. It had been a tiring yet happy day.
"Tangtang, are we going to walk all day tomorrow too?" Back in the rented apartment, all four were silently rubbing their slightly tired calves.
"How could we!"
"Tomorrow, I'll take you shopping and for a meal."
"That's good~" After a day of walking, they definitely didn't want to walk any further tomorrow.
"Hehe~"
"I know you all walked a lot today, so we definitely won't be walking this much tomorrow." Tang Siran herself was also quite tired, but happy nonetheless.
"Good!"
"Then I'm looking forward to tomorrow~"
"You can count on it!"