What happens when the velocity of the lower surface of the airfoil is lower than the velocity of the free stream?
Local pressure will rise above the freestream pressure. Speed and pressure are linked, as expressed in Bernouilli's principle. Also the local temperature will rise, as expressed in the ideal gas law.

Note that at all angles of attack there is one point where the local flow speed will decrease to zero in 2D flow: This is the stagnation point. On wings in three dimensional flow this becomes a stagnation line, and swept stagnation lines still have some residual flow speed, but in all cases the local speed is below the free flow speed at and around the stagnation line.

Since lift is proportional to the pressure difference between the upper and lower side of the wing, this slowing down is welcome. Another beneficial effect is the lower wall friction of the slower flow. However, the thicker an airfoil is, the higher will be the flow speed on both sides, due to the displacement effect of the thicker airfoil. Thinner airfoils are structurally less efficient, so a compromise needs to be found which allows enough internal structure while keeping thickness reasonably low.