My Demon Friends-Chapter 697 - 658

「An hour later.」

In Miss Zheng's family hall.

Baozi sat on a high stool expressionlessly, her feet hanging down naturally without swinging. A severely damaged drone lay on the table in front of her.

All her hard work for over half a year had gone back to square one overnight.

The ceiling fan above still whirred. Her cousin sat beside her, munching on the wild strawberries she had spent half the day picking.

In response to Brother Nan and Miss Zheng's concern, her cousin answered for her, "Because there's a significant change in elevation here, and it's a valley, the air currents are uneven, which can easily lead to crashes. I've heard that even experienced pilots are cautious when flying drones in such places."

Baozi nodded silently.

BUZZ!

Her phone vibrated.

Baozi quietly picked it up and opened WeChat.

Zhou Li: Don't be sad

Zhou Li: I'll buy you a new one

Baozi turned off her phone and glanced at her cousin sitting beside her, her melancholy undiminished.

It's so expensive, how could I accept it...

Maybe it can be fixed?

Seeing that her cousin, Brother Nan, and Huai Xu were about to finish the strawberries she had picked, and thinking of how long she had squatted there, she finally couldn't resist. She quickly reached out, grabbed the last few small strawberries from the bottom of the bowl before Brother Nan could, and stuffed them into her mouth.

After being washed with well water, the strawberries became icy cool and even more refreshing. Then, they were soaked in saltwater, which enhanced their sweetness, making them taste much better than when freshly picked.

Good thing I ate a few, or I wouldn't have known.

"Sigh..."

Baozi felt much better.

Then she reopened her phone, stubbornly sent a "No" to her cousin, and started searching for repair methods and related costs.

There was an article on a popular Q&A website specifically discussing how to assess repair costs and the value of repairing after a crash.

Baozi looked at the drone, now barely recognizable as one—

Hmm! It's worth repairing!

Following the article's instructions, she first made a preliminary assessment of the external damage: front arm damaged, rear arm damaged, upper cover damaged, middle frame damaged, bottom case damaged, front vision components damaged...

In short, it was pretty much wrecked.

The internal damage was unknown; anyway, it wouldn't power up.

Then she opened the official website, found the repair parts price inquiry, and carefully compared the costs...

She closed the webpage in silence, her fists clenched.

It can be fixed!

It can be fixed!

Thankfully, her cousin had helped her save a lot of gift money. With that, the red envelope money from Old Zhou, and the travel expenses her parents sponsored when she left home, she had more than enough to buy a new drone body... It was just that the joy of saving money, which had felt like earning it, now seemed all for nothing.

Baozi was deeply disheartened.

...

Human joys and sorrows do not intersect. While Baozi was very upset, her cousin had already run into the kitchen, happily starting a fire.

Today, Miss Zheng was stewing beef.

Zhou Li loved stewed beef, and it needed to cook for two hours.

Moreover, it only required burning firewood, which was easy and allowed one to space out while watching the fire—perfect for those who were lazy yet loved making fires.

Zhou Li arranged two pieces of wood inside the stove into parallel lines. After a moment's hesitation, he rearranged them into an X shape. Only then did he turn to Miss Zheng, who stood quietly by the stove, and said with a smile, "I saw the mint we planted last year when I was out this afternoon. It's grown really well."

"Qinghe likes mint a lot," Miss Zheng said softly. "He's picked a lot already; otherwise, it would have grown even better."

"He likes it that much?" Zhou Li asked.

"Mhm," Miss Zheng nodded. "Besides mushrooms, mint is now Qinghe's favorite thing to eat. He can eat just mint, and a lot of it."

"Just mint?" Zhou Li's eyes widened. "Can that actually taste good?"

"Mhm..." Miss Zheng pondered for a moment. "Whether boiled in soup like a vegetable or blanched with hot water and made into a salad, he finds it delicious. It doesn't grow fast enough for how much he picks. If he weren't worried that picking too many leaves would kill the seedling, he'd eat it every day."

"I was worried before that the mint would grow too fast and become invasive," Zhou Li laughed again. "It seems I worried for nothing."

"It won't."

Zhou Li focused on tending the fire again for a while, then suddenly looked up. "If one day Lord Evil God leaves, would you still stay here?"

"Hm?"

Zheng Zhilan tilted her head to look at him.

She liked looking at Zhou Li and Brother Nan when they spoke because it wasn't polite to stare otherwise.

After thinking carefully, she said quietly, "If Lord Evil God leaves this place, where would he go? He has a bad temper. The human world can't accommodate him, nor is the Demon world suitable for him. If anyone even slightly offends him, he'll fly into a rage and might hurt other Demons. Then, he would be pursued again."

"And what about you?"

"Me..." Miss Zheng thought for a moment. "I don't know."

"Have you thought about it?" Zhou Li asked.

"I haven't found an answer," Miss Zheng replied honestly.

"I see." Zhou Li rearranged the two pieces of nearly burnt-out firewood. "I guess you like life here. If it were me, I'd like it too. Growing your own vegetables, grains, fruit trees, and flowers; being self-sufficient, free, and easygoing; without disturbances; quiet and beautiful. And it's the place where you grew up..."

Miss Zheng hummed in acknowledgment, staring at her hands.

Zhou Li continued to speculate, "Life at the foot of the mountain isn't as carefree as life on it. There are more troubles, but it's also more convenient, with more of the world's hustle and bustle. Since you've thought about it too, you must be thinking the same, right?"

Miss Zheng hummed again.

It was all correct, yet not entirely.

There were also friends at the foot of the mountain.

Zhou Li tended the fire for a while longer before speaking again, "I heard that the Demons might relocate the Old Land World to another place. When that time comes, many Demons will follow, but of course, many might also choose to stay behind. They hope to take away those Demons who lack the intelligence or ability to make sound decisions."

"Relocate to where?"

"To the heavens, somewhere among the myriad stars."

"Is that so..."

Miss Zheng was momentarily lost in thought.

If the Old Land World were to leave, would staying here or leaving with it be the better choice for Lord Evil God?

That was a very difficult question.

Zhou Li hugged his knees, staring at the roaring flames, and said softly, "Brother Nan once told me it would be great if you came down the mountain. He said we could get a courtyard with a small plot of land on the outskirts of the city, or just outside it. We could grow flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees, and also go into the city to watch movies and eat out. We could be neighbors. Back then, Brother Nan saw a video on TikTok about some people from overseas who were friends for life, supporting each other and growing old together. He found that very interesting, even more comfortable than marriage.

"But I told him you might not come down the mountain, because I wasn't sure if you'd like or get used to life at the foot of it.

"And you also have Lord Evil God to consider.

"Actually, I think whatever decision you make is fine. But perhaps it would be better if you considered yourself a bit more, instead of being bound by anything."

Miss Zheng hummed in acknowledgment but didn't speak.

Tuanzi came running in with a CLATTER, as if wearing shoes, lacking the usual stealth of an ordinary cat, and interrupted their conversation. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

She jumped beside Zhou Li with a small, unripe plum in her mouth, tilting her head up towards him.

Zhou Li took the plum. "Hm... for me?"

"Yes, oh!"

Only then did Tuanzi nod, licking her lips, her eyes shining as she stared at him. "Lord Dumpling and Baozi went out to pick fruit! We picked a lot! Zhou Ni, you should eat it quickly!"

Zhou Li held the plum. "Thank you, Lord Dumpling."

"You're welcome, oh! Eat quickly!"

"Is it washed?"

"It's clean, oh! Eat quickly!"

"It looks a bit sour."

"It's not sour, oh! Eat it now!"

"Oh."

Zhou Li put it to his mouth and carefully took a bite.

Before he tasted sourness, bitterness hit him first. Then, an intense, astringent sourness shocked the nerves in his teeth, making his face instantly contort in pain.

"So sour!"

Zhou Li knew it. The same old trick.

Tuanzi's eyes were still sparkling, now with a triumphant smirk.

But seeing Zhou Li genuinely suffering from the sourness, she felt a bit guilty. She extended a small paw, pressed it on Zhou Li's arm, and comforted him, "It's okay, oh! Lord Dumpling, Baozi, and Brother Lan have all been tricked by the sourness too! That's why I brought it for you to eat!"

Indeed—

The best way to comfort someone who's suffering is to tell them: I've been through the same thing.

There is no other way.

Zhou Li felt much better.

Glancing over, he noticed Miss Zheng standing quietly by the stove watching them. He fell silent for a moment, then said, "You know, it's sour at first, but after the sourness passes, the aftertaste isn't bad... Such delicious plums! Shouldn't Lord Dumpling give one to Little Zheng too?"

Miss Zheng paused, taken aback.

Lord Dumpling was also startled. "Really, meow?"

"Really!"

"Oh..."

Lord Dumpling turned to look at Miss Zheng, pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Zhou Li. "Lord Dumpling will go get one for Little Zheng right away! Zhou Ni, you finish that one first. Lord Dumpling will stand right here and watch you eat it all up."

"..."

"Eat quickly!"

Tuanzi nudged him with her small paw, gently urging him.

Miss Zheng smiled.