"TAP, TAP, TAP..."

Qinghe sat at the very corner of the table, silently observing the others bustling about. His hook-like claws tapped lightly on the tabletop, the almost inaudible rhythm seemingly narrating his boredom.

Another wooden board was placed on the table.

Huai Xu claimed he had years of experience watching others make naan, so he eagerly volunteered to knead the dough.

Zheng Zhilan guided him by the side.

And believe it or not, the old demon was quite adept at this manual labor. He quickly kneaded the dough into what they called the 'three-shines' state: clean hands, no residual flour in the bowl, and a smooth surface on the dough.

"All set," Qinghe said from the side.

Zheng Zhilan leaned in for a closer look, then gently pressed the dough with her fingertip. Satisfied, she nodded, fetched some plastic wrap, covered the bowl with it, and had Qinghe slice the wrap neatly with a swipe of his claw. Thus, Qinghe also contributed to the dumpling-making.

"Really convenient," Zhou Li remarked.

"I'm planning to make three kinds: cabbage and pork, mushroom and pork, and chives and egg. Do you have any other preferences?" Zheng Zhilan asked. "I'll check if I have the ingredients here."

"No more."

"No more."

"Do you have any beef or lamb?" Huai Xu asked. "Or shrimp? I saw crab roe at the supermarket once; it was so expensive."

"I don't have shrimp or crab roe, nor do I have any minced beef or lamb. Can I make those tomorrow?" Zheng Zhilan asked weakly.

"Don't mind him," Zhou Li said. "He's nuts."

"Blah blah blah~~"

"..."

Two thousand years old and still so childish, truly nauseating.

Zhou Li thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "For the chives and egg filling, do you need to cook the eggs first?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll take care of the fire."

"Okay."

The meat was already minced. Only the eggs needed to be cooked and chopped, but that also didn't take much time. Once all the fillings were ready and the dough had proofed, Zheng Zhilan put on an apron and stepped into the main room to start rolling out the dumpling wrappers.

Her movements were practiced, almost automatic. Her hands deftly rolled out perfectly round wrappers, thin at the edges and thicker in the middle, relying almost entirely on touch.

Zhou Li, Brother Nan, and Huai Xu were in charge of filling them.

Outside, the cold wind carried flurries of snow. Inside, lamplight cast the shadows of figures.

The old monster worked quickly, his dumplings looking as if they were machine-made. Brother Nan also had plenty of experience making dumplings and Sichuan wontons. Zhou Li had made dumplings at home before and was quite good at it, but today he ended up being the least skilled among them.

So what? Zhou Li was already used to it.

"The pandemic seems to be getting worse these last few days. It's safer for Little Zheng here," Brother Nan said during a break. "I parked my car in the scenic area's parking lot. Tomorrow, I'll have my dad come pick me up from the scenic area; I won't drive. You can take my car back; don't take the bus."

"Oh."

"You should also try to come down the mountain as little as possible..." Brother Nan added, turning to Zheng Zhilan.

"I've been listening to the news."

The conversation in the room continued intermittently. Occasionally, a roar that seemed to shatter the heavens echoed from outside.

There were also the occasional whinnies of horses.

The stable was a converted small building behind the main house, part of the same structure as the cowshed. It was some distance from the courtyard, which helped keep any smells away.

After they finished making dumplings, Zheng Zhilan tidied up the rooms for Zhou Li and Brother Nan. Before they knew it, it was already ten o'clock. After washing up, it was nearly Zhou Li's old bedtime, although he usually went to bed quite late these days.

But given the poor network connection here, he could only go to bed.

Faintly, Zhou Li heard Huai Xu complaining about the poor signal, then muttering something about "Infinite Brawl," followed by the sound of rummaging. Zhou Li guessed he was searching for his ID. Then there was a THUMP.

...Hopeless.

「On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, early in the morning.」

Zhou Li came downstairs feeling refreshed and limber, as if he'd been fully energized the moment he opened his eyes.

From downstairs came the faint sounds of someone brushing their teeth:

"GURGLE, GURGLE~~"

"PTOO!"

This was followed by the sound of a toothbrush clinking against a plastic cup.

Zhou Li reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Brother Nan walking inside, shaking water from her rinsing cup. He was somewhat surprised.

"You're up this early?"

"What?"

"Nothing..."

"Not going to say good morning to Brother Nan?" Brother Nan asked, wiping the corner of her mouth.

"Good morning, Brother Nan," Zhou Li said obediently, then asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

"Super well. It's so quiet here. Every time I go back to my old home, I sleep really well too," Brother Nan said. "I even had a dream."

"What did you dream about?"

"I dreamed that a monk was killed by bandits, and I led a troop to wipe out the bandits. Then a huge animal flew over in the sky; it kind of looked like a Western legendary flying lizard, but not quite," Brother Nan described, gesticulating enthusiastically.

"I see..."

"Hurry up and wash your face and brush your teeth. Do you need a cup? It's new, but I just used it."

"I'll just use a bowl."

"Go on, shoo..."

Zhou Li ladled a bowl of water and went outside. He crouched in the same spot in the yard where Brother Nan had just been; the ground was still damp with white foam.

He usually brushed his teeth meticulously, but today he rushed a little. When he'd ladled the water, he had seen Zheng Zhilan already filling a pot with water to cook dumplings. Now, Qinghe was sitting by the stove.

Two minutes later, Zhou Li had successfully taken over from Qinghe.

A beautiful morning started with stoking the fire.

Once the dumplings were cooked, Zheng Zhilan served large bowls to Brother Nan, Zhou Li, and Huai Xu. Then, she patiently selected the mushroom and pork dumplings for Qinghe. The three humans carried their bowls out to the courtyard, pacing around as they ate.

The morning air was crisp and cold, steam rising from the bowls.

The bottoms of the bowls were hot to the touch.

In the distant valley, a sea of clouds churned. Overhead, the blue sky was visible, and the sunlight slanted down, hitting their faces without any warmth.

"It's good weather today," Brother Nan said.

"Yeah."

"This is also a good place."

"Let's go for a walk in the mountains later," Zhou Li suggested.

"Great, I want to ride a horse."

"How much do you weigh?"

"What?"

"How much do you weigh?"

"Why do you ask?" Brother Nan frowned.

"Just wondering."

"More than a hundred pounds."

"Oh."

"What's up?"

"Nothing..."

Brother Nan was tall and well-built with low body fat. She was muscular and indeed heavier than other girls of similar height and physique. Zhou Li didn't press for the exact figure beyond 'more than a hundred.' That would be a bit dangerous.

Southwest Horses are small. For long distances, they can carry sixty to seventy kilograms—enough for an adult rider. For short distances, their load capacity increases to one hundred kilograms.

Zhou Li and Brother Nan together clearly exceeded one hundred kilograms.

Brother Nan could ride with Zheng Zhilan... but that probably wouldn't work either. Firstly, the path here involved many uphill climbs and uneven stretches. Secondly, while Zheng Zhilan looked light, she was actually carrying gold worth at least a million yuan.

After breakfast, the three humans and two demons went for a walk in the mountains.

The mountain behind the small village was very tall. When the weather was clear, its peak was visible, but if there were clouds and mist, only the mid-slopes could be seen, and it was very difficult to climb. The Evil God enjoyed staying on the mountaintop, and His Excellency had quite a formidable temper.

The surrounding hills were easier to climb. However, since they hadn't been traversed by people for a long time, the original small paths were now overgrown with weeds and badly trampled by sheep.

"Do you let your sheep graze over here?" Brother Nan asked.

"Mhm," Zheng Zhilan nodded lightly and explained, "This slope is steep, and I find it too troublesome to climb, so I didn't use it for farming. But I did scatter some pasture grass seeds here."

"Is this alfalfa?"

"There's alfalfa, dandelion, and another type of pasture grass I bought from down the mountain. I forgot its name, but it grows quickly, and the sheep love it."

"Where do you plant your crops?"

"On the opposite side."

"That's a bit far, but it's flat," Brother Nan said, craning her neck as she stood on tiptoe to peer into the distance. She could only see clouds and mist. "And it's south-facing."

"The soil over there is good too. It used to be where the villagers planted their vegetables, and each family was only allocated one plot of land there," Zheng Zhilan explained. "But now no one wants it anymore."

"It's all yours now."

"Right."

"Wider than any landlord's estate!" Brother Nan, who had grown up in the countryside, clicked her tongue in amazement. "Hey, you should raise a couple of dairy cows too. Then you could have fresh milk."

"That's a good idea."

Before they knew it, they had reached the top of a small hill. Brother Nan shouted loudly towards the sea of clouds accumulated in the valley below, then yelled at the sheep. She also fearlessly provoked the working dogs and took out her phone to snap photos all around.

Zhou Li silently looked at Zheng Zhilan, exchanging a glance.

Zheng Zhilan just smiled without speaking.

They had hotpot for lunch. In the afternoon, they went to the valley on the opposite side, deep within the sea of clouds, for a barbecue. While there, Brother Nan received a call from her father.

"I have to go," Brother Nan told Zheng Zhilan. "Next year, let's come back earlier. You can come to my place for New Year's Eve dinner. My dad's a chef. Although his skills aren't fully mastered, they're still quite solid. I'll have you try his cooking."

"Okay."

"I'm serious," Brother Nan said. She was quite a bit taller than Zheng Zhilan, so draping an arm over Zheng Zhilan's shoulders felt natural as they walked back.

"Okay." Zheng Zhilan nodded again.

"Then it's a deal. I'm heading back. You guys have fun," Brother Nan said.

"I'll see you off," Zheng Zhilan offered.

"No need. You're too lazy to walk. Just have Zhou Li take me down on horseback. He can ride the horse back up, hahaha..."

"Okay."

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