「May 22nd, early morning.」

Zhou Li was woken up by an alarm clock, but not his own. The sound came from his bedroom. The alarm clock rang for a long time before it stopped.

Zhou Li propped himself up, looking bleary-eyed toward the bedroom. He saw Brother Nan wearing ultra-short shorts and a tank top. Brother Nan seemed even more dazed than he was. She was rubbing her eyes, which had faint dark circles under them; she clearly hadn't slept well. The stubborn tuft of hair on top of her head couldn't even stand up straight.

Zhou Li's eyes quickly cleared. Looking at Brother Nan standing at the door, he asked, "Why are you up so early?"

Brother Nan leaned against the door frame, looking as if she could barely stand. "Let's go… let's go buy groceries…" Her voice was also groggy and incredibly soft, with a trailing tone that, if one wasn't paying attention, sounded like she was trying to be cute.

"Hmm?"

"Mhmm…"

"Buy groceries for what?"

"I want to show off my cooking skills to you all."

"Ah? Oh, okay…"

Zhou Li grabbed Tuanzi off his chest with one hand, set the creature aside, and quickly got up. He put on his slippers and started washing up. He had already planned his meals for the next few days. The previous night, he had spent a good while browsing nearby group deals and takeout options, thinking he would have to rely on takeout for most of his food. Now, it seemed there might be a change of plans.

Soon, he finished washing up and sat on the sofa. After a short wait, Brother Nan slowly shuffled out of the bedroom. She was like a sleepy kitten, her eyes half-open, walking so unsteadily she almost stumbled. As she approached Zhou Li, she immediately reached out and grabbed his arm, using him for support. Dazed yet adorable.

"Let's go later. You should go back to sleep for a bit," Zhou Li said, patting her head.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Just because."

Zhou Li was speechless. He then dragged her out the door.

There wasn't a large wet market nearby, so they decided to go to the commercial plaza in First City, which had a big supermarket in the basement. Zhou Li had to drive.

Once in the car, Brother Nan gradually woke up.

Zhou Li glanced at her and asked, "What time did you go to bed last night?"

"Five."

"Xiao Ai, what time is it now?"

"The current time is 8:01 AM."

Zhou Li was silent.

"I didn't mean to; I just got carried away playing," Brother Nan said, her voice still a little groggy, but only a tiny bit.

"And that was it?"

"It got late."

"Oh."

Zhou Li decided to cherish Brother Nan's current sleepy voice and talk with her more. He thought for a moment, then asked, "What were you playing?"

"Scrolling through Zhihu."

"Was it fun?"

"Pretty good. I was reading some satisfying stories."

"There are satisfying stories on Zhihu?"

"Yeah," Brother Nan tilted her head, combing her hair with her fingers. "Some questions have nothing but satisfying stories in the answers. They're great to read, even better than those goofy novels on Qidian. You can't stop once you start."

"For example?"

"Like…" Brother Nan thought for a moment but couldn't recall anything specific. She pulled out her phone, opened Zhihu, and read aloud, "'How did you handle it after your mother-in-law set rules for you?'"

Zhou Li had no reply.

After parking, Zhou Li and a now fully awake Brother Nan walked side-by-side into the supermarket. Brother Nan casually grabbed a small shopping cart. The vegetables were very fresh in the morning, and the supermarket was crowded, mostly with elderly people.

Zhou Li saw an old couple ahead of them. Their temples were already white, and they were likely past seventy, yet they strolled leisurely, hand in hand, stopping at a fruit stall to pick out grapefruits.

It was truly beautiful.

Thinking about it, he decided he wanted to hold Brother Nan's hand, but he needed to figure out how to do it naturally.

Before he could come up with a plan, he suddenly felt his hand being grabbed. The hand that held his was delicate and soft, and a gentle force pulled him closer to its owner.

Brother Nan leaned in close, pointed to the old couple, and said, "Look—"

"I see them."

"Do you think we'll be like that when we're old?"

"I don't know."

"True. The future is so long; who knows," Brother Nan nodded. "You might end up carousing and womanizing, but even if you do, I'll still visit your grave every Qingming Festival."

"Ummm… what vegetables are we buying?"

"What do you feel like eating? How about some tofu? I'll impress you with my Mapo Tofu."

"But I thought you couldn't make that?"

"I learned from my dad a few days ago."

"Oh."

Zhou Li fell silent, but he was also a bit touched.

For the rest of the time, Brother Nan dragged him around, and the little cart gradually filled up. There were meats, vegetables, and seasonings, as well as snacks and drinks. They even bought star anise and bay leaves. Zhou Li already had other kitchenware and non-perishable seasonings at home from a time when he had planned to practice his cooking.

「Back home.」

A figure was moving about in the kitchen. Zhou Li went closer and saw Huai Xu taking a few crucian carp he had been raising in a tank, preparing to scale and gut them.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Li asked, puzzled.

"Brother Nan told me to. She said she's planning to make spicy crucian carp for lunch."

"Hmmm…" Zhou Li pondered for a moment, then leaned against the doorframe. "These fish… you stole them from the botanical garden, didn't you?"

Huai Xu turned, an expression of mock indignation on his face. "How can you call it stealing? An open pond full of plants and flowers—what does that remind you of?"

"The lotus pond in the botanical garden."

"Nature! Nature!" Huai Xu repeated emphatically. "How can taking things from nature be called stealing?"

"They aren't some rare species, are they?"

"That's a botanical garden, not a zoo."

"Didn't you just say it was nature?"

"Well, yeah," Huai Xu quickly recovered. "Are we part of nature or not? See, you agree. So, this is taking from nature and using it for nature—specifically, for a nature-loving demon like me."

"Didn't you say yesterday that raising fish was for self-cultivation and improving one's temperament?"

"Yeah, well, I've changed my mind."

"Oh?"

"It's for strengthening the body."

Zhou Li was silent once more. He never expected that in just one year, he would be losing a battle of wits against this old monster.

Brother Nan chuckled in the background.

Past ten o'clock, she rolled up her sleeves, walked into the kitchen, and called Zhou Li over to be her assistant. Zhou Li obediently did as he was told.

Somehow, this scene felt familiar—as if it mirrored what his dad, Old Zhou, and Aunt Jiang used to do at home.

Zhou Li felt a bit awkward. He bowed his head deeply and diligently followed Brother Nan's instructions. From time to time, Brother Nan would call him clumsy. He pretended not to hear.

「At noon.」

Brother Nan made fish-fragrant eggplant, Mapo Tofu, spicy crucian carp, and a batch of cola chicken wings from a recipe she had just learned. She also cooked a pot of cucumber and preserved egg soup, along with a full rice cooker of rice.

The food might not have been perfect, but it wasn't bad either. To Zhou Li, it had a special taste that made his heart feel warm and sweet.

After some thought, he figured it might be called the taste of home.

Aunt Jiang's cooking also had the taste of home, but this was different.

This was their own small home.

「The 23rd.」

Zhou Li, accompanied by Huai Xu, took the Ladybug Monster from the rooftop. They flew across Dian Lake to Hong Ran's place. Passing through the Bamboo Courtyard, they went straight to the backyard.

Hong Ran was still dressed in modernized traditional attire, sitting languidly in a chair, looking relaxed yet captivating. There was a hint of weariness between her brows, but instead of diminishing her charm, it seemed to enhance it.

Upon seeing Zhou Li, she smiled and stood up promptly. "It's been so long! Have you missed me?"

"Yes."

"Really? Or are you just saying that?" She looked at him with a playful smile, seeming expectant.

"Really."

"Then I'm really… Huh?" Hong Ran suddenly moved closer to Zhou Li, staring intently at his shoulder. She reached out her finger and, a moment later, plucked a hair about a foot long from his clothes.

The smile on Hong Ran's face grew more teasing. "Looks like things with your little girlfriend are progressing well! Hmm, now I'm starting to doubt the truthfulness of what you just said…"

"No, there's nothing…" Zhou Li was extremely embarrassed.

Seeing this, Hong Ran laughed even more joyously and reached out to pinch Zhou Li's cheek. "Looks like I need to pinch you more often. Who knows, it might not be long before you belong entirely to another woman. She won't let me pinch you then."

Zhou Li's face turned red, and he could only let her do as she wished.

Nearby, Huai Xu felt somewhat awkward. It suddenly struck him that the meal he was about to eat seemed like… payment for Zhou Li selling himself?

Huai Xu sucked in a breath, quickly shaking his head to banish such thoughts. He found a spot to sit down and continued to watch Zhou Li being teased. He really shouldn't overthink things when it came to food. He even crossed his legs and began to swing his foot.

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