My Demon Friends-Chapter 649 - 615 After the Festival

The wood used for carving the Thunder Pill was quite hard, and the carving knife made a clicking sound when slicing through it.

Before long, he heard a meow that could melt one's heart. Turning his head, he saw Tuanzi had woken up, stretching her four fluffy little short legs and then licking her paws and rubbing her face. After washing her face, still a bit groggy, she looked at the bed and then surveyed the room.

"Meow!"

She jumped down from the nightstand, walked toward Zhou Li, then lightly leaped onto the desk. "Zhou Ni, what are you doing?"

"Carving."

"Oh..."

Tuanzi sat down quietly and watched him carve. She didn't cause much disturbance, only occasionally whispering a question or saying a few words to him.

Since venturing out into the world, she seemed to have matured a lot.

Zhou Li's heart gradually calmed down.

Only when he heard Brother Nan turning over in bed behind him, followed by a lazy, soft moan, did both he and the cat turn to look.

Brother Nan slightly propped up her upper body. A blanket covered her chest, one hand holding it in place, but a large expanse of snowy white skin was still visible below her neck. Her other hand was randomly tousling her hair while she looked at them with groggy eyes, yawning ungracefully.

Hearing something, her yawning paused. Her head tilted to the side, and her antenna-like cowlick flopped in that direction too.

Then she pulled away the blanket and looked down.

Seeing this, Tuanzi also tilted her head, looking at her, confused.

Zhou Li felt a bit guilty and squeezed out a smile.

"Good morning."

Tuanzi echoed, "Good morning."

"Morning..."

After Brother Nan said this, she grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at them.

However, sitting down made it difficult to exert force, especially since she had to keep one hand on the blanket, so her aim naturally suffered. Zhou Li just slightly tilted his head, and the pillow grazed past his cheek, bounced off the full-length mirror, and then rebounded to strike Lord Dumpling from behind.

Lord Dumpling was so small; how could she withstand the impact of a pillow? She was, of course, knocked over without a fight.

She quickly got up, looking bewildered.

Brother Nan said sternly, "Turn around! Don't peek! And don't look in the mirror!"

Zhou Li obediently did so, and Tuanzi, still dazed, instinctively turned around as well.

Brother Nan quickly got dressed, clumsily slipped into her slippers, grabbed some clothes to change into, and staggered toward the bathroom, punching Zhou Li lightly as she passed.

Hilarious, it didn't hurt at all.

When she came out of the bathroom, she gave him another light punch.

Zhou Li feigned pain, but his eyes sneakily glanced at her neck and collarbone area.

The marks were very faint, just hickeys, but I had none. That was probably why Brother Nan felt it was unfair and got so angry.

It wasn't my fault.

Zhou Li silently felt aggrieved and tentatively said, "If you wear your cycling suit, they won't be visible..."

"Shut up! It's so hot today, and you want me to stay in a cycling suit?"

"Just a suggestion..."

"Not taking it!"

"Okay."

"What time is it?"

"It's ten o'clock."

"When did you get up?"

"Around seven."

"Oh, so you've been waiting that long!" Brother Nan raised an eyebrow.

"It wasn't boring."

"Pack up, let's check out. Call Huai Xu and tell him to join us for lunch. After eating, we'll head straight to Yuanyang." Brother Nan sat on the edge of the bed to put on her shoes. She liked wearing outdoor work boots; paired with her tall figure and long legs, they gave her a very commanding, almost boyish, aura. "I'm starving."

"Oh..."

Zhou Li first packed up the Thunder Pill prototype and carving knife, then swept the wood shavings from the desk into the trash can. Some shavings had fallen onto the carpet, and he had to pick those up too.

Notably, when Tuanzi saw him picking up the wood shavings, she actually jumped down to help. When she first jumped down, Zhou Li thought she was coming to cause trouble. But then he saw her seriously gathering the shavings into a pile with her little paws. He was unexpectedly moved and even felt for a moment as if he were seeing this little creature in a new light.

Of course, he was also aware—this was most likely because Brother Nan was present.

After cleaning up, he messaged Huai Xu, asking him to join them for lunch.

The Old Monster replied instantly—

Huai Xu: Wait, I'm still on the highway on my motorcycle. I'll be there in about an hour.

Zhou Li: Why didn't you just teleport the motorcycle over?

Huai Xu: ?

Huai Xu: Then what would be the point of me buying a motorcycle?

Hey, he actually has a point!

Zhou Li felt a bit embarrassed and quickly found another point to argue: You're texting while riding on the highway? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Huai Xu: Idiot.

Zhou Li: …

An hour later, they met at the restaurant entrance. The Old Monster had such keen eyes that he immediately spotted the interesting detail. He broke into a radiant smile, and although he didn't tease Zhou Li aloud, he kept winking and making suggestive faces at him.

Zhou Li pretended not to notice.

For lunch that day, they still had the local "Eight Bowls" dish, but it was at a different restaurant than the previous day, and not as tasty.

They reached the terraced fields scenic area at four in the afternoon. They wandered around casually and, by six o'clock, arrived at Tiger's Mouth to watch the sunset. However, they didn't join the crowd on the viewing platform. Based on their leisurely stroll over the past two hours, they had found another spot to avoid the May Day holiday tourists and the old men who had staked out the best positions with their tripods hours earlier.

Tonight's sunset was especially perfect. The brilliant colors, combined with the spectacular terraced fields in front of them, created a scene like a vivid oil painting.

It was a pity it wasn't the right season. They should have come after the autumn harvest and before the spring planting, when the fields would be filled with water. The water would have reflected the sunset and evening glow, and the field ridges would have divided the reflection into little squares. With weather like today's, they could probably have taken photos worthy of the scenic area's promotional brochures.

When the afterglow faded and darkness fell, Brother Nan called them back to the inn; they had dinner along the way.

Zhou Li was full of anticipation for the night.

But life is unpredictable...

Lord Dumpling hadn't had to work that day, hadn't walked much, and had mostly been carried by him, so she was still nearly fully charged.

So, he couldn't really do anything too bold with Brother Nan. At most, he could hold her hand under the blanket, touch her leg, or steal a kiss, only to then get hit by Brother Nan, pushed to the edge of the bed, shoulder-checked, and have his lips bitten because Brother Nan was telling Lord Dumpling stories about the criminal underworld, and he was interrupting her train of thought.

「The next day.」

The scenic area was vast, set on a continuous range of mountains dotted with terraced fields, villages, and small towns. It had roads, paths, and fields, offering great scope for exploration.

One could drive in, making it especially friendly for self-drive tours and cyclists.

Huai Xu and Brother Nan were cycling, and Zhou Li alternated between riding on Brother Nan's bike and Huai Xu's bike.

They mainly meandered along the paved mountain roads. Below them lay the terraced fields, offering a commanding view for photography.

Sometimes they would ride down a section of steep dirt track, the incline of which looked quite daunting.

Sometimes they would park their bikes by the roadside and follow a small path into the terraced fields, heading downhill. Laughing and chatting, they ventured deep into the mist-filled mountain gullies, eager to see what local customs and scenery were hidden within. They reveled in the joy of exploration.

Brother Nan was truly an exceptionally wild and unconventional woman. If she spotted a uniquely shaped solitary tree on a distant mountain, a house on the edge of the mist, or an obscure little road winding into the mountain forest above, leading to who-knows-where, her curiosity alone would compel her to go and see it, no matter how far, tiring, or time-consuming the journey.

As a result, they explored very thoroughly, spending more time and energy than planned.

Of course, Zhou Li was very happy to do so, because the process was incredibly fun. Being with Brother Nan and Huai Xu, everything they did was interesting. And he greatly admired Brother Nan's adventurous personality.

They didn't leave the scenic area until the afternoon of the 4th, after which they went to Jianshui Ancient City to stay overnight.

This ancient city was quiet and sparsely populated, yet retained a lively atmosphere. With low prices, it was the origin of "burned tofu," and its rice noodles were said to be as good as Mengzi's chrysanthemum rice noodles.

「Thus, the five-day mini-break passed.」

「The evening of the 5th.」

Zhou Li and Brother Nan rushed back to school for a class meeting, nearly arriving late.

Brother Nan was still in her cycling gear, and Zhou Li was holding his 43 helmet. This sight greatly distressed the single students present; even Zhou Qianqian couldn't help teasing them, asking where they had been.

Zhou Li was very familiar with Zhou Qianqian's personality. Although it was time for the class meeting to start, he chatted with her without any reservations. Other classmates also freely joined in, until Zhou Qianqian realized they had delayed too much, hindering her plans to go home and improve her game ranking. Only then did she stop.

"The class meeting has officially begun.

"First, we'll go through the usual formalities, covering everything the leadership has mandated we discuss. Those who don't want to listen can play on their phones...

"The first thing to talk about, of course, is safety...

"Alright, now that we've covered the topics we discuss every time, I'll address the issues some students are having with failing courses and accumulating quality credits, both of which are essential for graduation.

"Certain students have failed too many courses and haven't taken the makeup exams seriously. Now they have a pile of courses to retake and haven't even started on them. I really don't know what you're thinking. Frankly, as long as your attitude is right, the school won't make graduation too difficult for you...

"Next, let's talk about the quality credits issue."

Zhou Qianqian sighed. She was a bit tired from talking so much, so she stood at the podium and took a brief rest before continuing, "Quality credits are mandatory. If you don't earn enough, you won't be able to graduate smoothly. Some of you students aren't key class officers, nor do you hold positions in the student council, nor do you actively participate in various activities...

"This semester is already half over. Starting next semester, you'll be juniors. Then, as seniors, you'll leave for internships. You only have one more year...

"Those who are lacking need to hurry up."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li glanced sideways at his Little Cousin.

Little Cousin was resting her chin on the desk, her cheeks squished adorably. Her gaze was unfocused as she stared blankly at the tabletop. During the May Day holiday, she had only gone home for a brief visit and then stayed at school to try and sell things from her stall. With many classmates away and her cousin traveling with Brother Nan, not many people at school recognized her. She had purposely borrowed Qian Qian's JK uniform, thinking she could attract customers without being ridiculed, much like the upperclassman in Hanfu. She had even been quietly pleased with her own cleverness for half a day.

However, without Lord Dumpling, she had no business at all. She had manned her stall in vain for four lonely days. In those four days, she could have been lazing in bed or going out to take photos of spring scenery. Instead, she had toiled for four whole days trying to make money, all for nothing. She was so upset that her chest felt tight, right until someone poked her shoulder.

"Huh?" Baozi quickly came to her senses, looking left and right, almost instinctively starting to stand up to answer a question. Confident that the class advisor hadn't noticed her, she turned her head toward Zhou Li. "What's up, Cousin?"

"Do you have enough quality credits?"

"Enough... I think?"

Baozi's role as a mental health committee member didn't earn quality credits, only quantifiable credits. These were completely different and less valuable. Fortunately, the Volunteer Association she had joined was the only association that granted quality credits to ordinary members. Baozi frequently participated in its activities, although her main purpose was to take photos documenting local life and culture at the nursing home. The credits earned this way fell under the social and public welfare category.

Additionally, she often participated in the school's photography competitions and had won many awards. Generally, first and second-place prizes included quality credits, categorized under humanities and arts. Then there were professional skill certificates; she had a driver's license. Finally, Brother Nan had helped her enter sports competitions, which could earn quality credits in the sports and cultural activities competition category.

There were quite a few categories, but each awarded only a small number of credits. Baozi thought she probably had enough, but hearing her cousin's question and reflecting on her own tendency to slack off, she suddenly felt less confident.