"Is Huai Xu at home too?"
"Yes."
"Huai Xu is so handsome! Does he need a girlfriend? I've always wanted to find a super handsome boyfriend! He has to be at least as handsome as you..." Ji Xuan spread her hands, showing a look of regret. "It's a pity we're siblings."
"You're only thirteen years old."
"I am thirteen already."
"...He doesn't want one."
"Does he have a girlfriend already?"
"No."
"Then why doesn't he want a girlfriend?"
"..."
Zhou Li looked at the little girl in silence, watching her expression gradually change from confusion to astonishment...
Are foreign girls that precocious?
Glancing at Baozi next to her, who would be twenty next year, she spent her days either wandering around with a thermos or a camera on her back or racking her brain on how to make enough money to buy whatever camera lenses she wanted. Let alone finding a boyfriend; she didn't even have many friends.
The gap between people really is huge.
Just as they reached the door, Baozi suddenly turned her head and asked Zhou Li, "Is Lord Dumpling also at home?"
Oh right, she's still obsessed with cat-sniffing.
No hope left...
Zhou Li knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly, and Brother Nan, who had a tall figure, was standing inside.
When Zhou Li left, she hadn't woken up yet. It was only now that he realized Brother Nan was wearing a crop top, something she rarely wore. And it was a strappy camisole with very little fabric. Blue, simple in design; if it were cut open, the fabric area might only be slightly more than Zhou Li's boxer shorts.
And Brother Nan had very white skin. Girls from Yi Province generally have good skin, and Brother Nan's was exceptionally good—both white and delicate, especially in areas not exposed to the sun.
With her tall stature, good figure, and clearly visible abdominal lines, this camisole might have looked ethereal or sweet on other girls. However, Brother Nan wore it with a kind of stoic coolness, making it look rather chic. In short, Zhou Li found himself scanning her several times in just 0.2 seconds.
"Hi, Brother Nan!"
Ji Xuan greeted Brother Nan first, finally pronouncing her name correctly. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Brother Nan. "Wow, you have such a great body! I knew you must have abs, so cool!!"
Baozi also sneaked a peek at Brother Nan's abdomen and then looked up at her face... Suddenly feeling as if she'd been facing the Great Devil King all along.
"Come in, come in," Brother Nan said repeatedly.
"Should we change into slippers?" asked Ji Xuan.
"No need, no need! There's no need for that. Zhou Li bought a new robot vacuum that also mops a couple of days ago, mainly for playing with that cat, and it's been running around the house all the time," Brother Nan said, shuffling in a pair of flip-flops that were obviously too big for her feet—they were Zhou Li's.
"Does your mom usually teach you Chinese in the Yi Province dialect?" Zhou Li couldn't help asking.
"It's 'our' mom!" the little girl corrected earnestly.
"Oh."
"What she speaks is Chinese!"
"That's true."
Ms. Ji's Mandarin wasn't that great either; at most, it could pass a Level 2, Grade B proficiency test. The little girl, influenced by her, spoke with traces of a Yi Province Mandarin accent.
It was the same kinds of mistakes Tuanzi often made.
Distinguishing 'h' and 'f' sounds was a small problem; 'n' and 'l' were big ones.
Once everyone was seated on the sofa, Brother Nan went to the fridge and asked them, "What would you two like to drink? Coke? Sprite? Classmate Xiaoming? Lemon C100, or yogurt? Zhou Li drinks Sprite."
"Yogurt."
"I want Coke! Happy Water!"
"There's only Sprite left."
"Then..."
"Doesn't this just show how many drinks Zhou Li's house has!" Brother Nan shrugged her shoulders, her collarbone looking extremely attractive. "What if you happened to choose Sprite? Sprite is so tasty!"
"But we didn't."
"That just shows my sense of humor," Brother Nan tossed them cans of Sprite. "And it also shows your taste isn't very refined."
"..."
Little Cousin quietly pulled open the Sprite tab.
Zhou Li also opened his and took a sip. Seeing Brother Nan sit down beside him, bringing a faint, pleasant scent, he instinctively held his breath. "When did you buy this shirt?"
"What's up?"
"Haven't seen you wear it before."
"I bought it right after the college entrance exams last year. I only wore it at home for a couple of days. I can't wear it to the construction site, and over here the UV rays are strong and it's not hot, so I didn't wear it." Brother Nan smacked her lips, eyeing Zhou Li's expression, and asked nonchalantly, "Does it look good?"
"Looks good."
"Sensible."
"Tomorrow we're headed back to Yi Province," Zhou Li said to Baozi and Ji Xuan, trying to change the subject to avoid the discomfort he felt.
"You're leaving tomorrow?" Ji Xuan's eyes widened. "Stay and show me around for a few days!"
"My little brother is taking his college entrance exams; I need to go back and cheer him on," Zhou Li maintained, but as soon as he finished speaking, he caught Brother Nan's knowing look from the corner of his eye.
He couldn't help but fall silent.
Had his lying skills really become this bad?
The young girl, however, believed him. Her expression somewhat forlorn, she sighed and said, "Then it'll be at least a year before we see each other again."
Zhou Li: "Oh."
Ji Xuan: ...
Then Baozi's voice chimed in, "Cousin, make us a pot of milk tea before you go."
Zhou Li: ...
This Little Cousin is heartless.
The only consolation was that, as he walked into the kitchen, Tuanzi, who had been ignoring Baozi's teasing, immediately hopped off the couch and followed him in. Baozi had no choice but to sit quietly on the couch and watch, helpless.
「The next morning.」
Amidst Tuanzi's mischief, the two humans and one demon tidied up the house, put the bicycle away, and then left with their luggage.
Brother Nan was truly audacious. Certain there would be no police checkpoints on the highway, she had installed an ETC device early and drove directly onto the expressway. This way, they could drive from Chunming back to Yan City in one day—about eight hundred kilometers, a ten-hour journey.
She and Huai Xu took turns driving.
Zhou Li was responsible for looking after Tuanzi and doling out fruits and snacks.
Of course, if Huai Xu was driving, there was no need to feed him; the old monster possessed heaven-defying abilities, able to free his hands to eat so quickly it was imperceptible.
It was highway all the way, and the scenery was actually quite nice.
「When they arrived in Yan City, it was already evening.」
Unable to resist Aunt Jiang's persistent urging, Zhou Li brought Brother Nan home for dinner, along with Huai Xu.
After dinner, Brother Nan left, but Huai Xu was persuaded by Aunt Jiang to stay over. She said that Zhou Li's bed was a bunk bed and suggested Huai Xu sleep on the top bunk. Aunt Jiang also thoughtfully prepared them a late-night snack, bringing them slices of watermelon.
"Back again!" Huai Xu exclaimed, swaying on the top bunk, making the old wooden bed frame creak. "Let's get up early tomorrow for breakfast!"
"Please help me find Lord Xing Hui. Thank you."
"I want fried dumplings and scallion pancakes in the morning."
"Mm."
"I'll get it sorted for you tonight!"
"There's no rush."
"Okay, then when are we going to see Little Zheng?"
"After the college entrance exams, I guess."
Zhou Li felt that the matter wasn't urgent, mainly because he and Brother Nan had just returned today, and it wouldn't be good to leave again tomorrow. It was fine for him, but if Brother Nan barely settled down and then left home for a few days, her family might think differently.
After all, Brother Nan was a girl.
And boys, after all, wouldn't wear navel-baring strappy camisoles.
Zhou Li closed his eyes.
The house was very quiet. The bed was a bit smaller; it was a different feeling from Chunming, but equally familiar and comforting.
He quickly drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, Brother Nan was again wearing the strappy camisole, paired with very short shorts. Aside from being small-chested, her figure had no flaws and was even quite provocative. Then, he and Brother Nan began a discussion and study regarding the symmetry of her abs.
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