Today was a bright, sunny day.

Zhou Li stood on the balcony and looked outside. Normally, during the Spring Festival, the riverbanks would be lined with tables and chairs. The people of Yi Province loved comfort, so crowds sipping tea, chatting, or playing mahjong would clog both banks of the Tuo River. This year, however, it was exceptionally quiet, with only a few people moving about.

"The two pots of flowers you and Brother Nan are raising have bloomed. Do you want me to pick one for you?" Huai Xu asked. He had just returned from Chunming after watering the plants.

"No need."

"Oh, there were also bugs in the flowerpots. I chopped them all up," Huai Xu said. "I was wondering, your place is so high up, how did those little bugs even get into the flowerpots?"

"They probably came with the soil."

"Oh, right!" Huai Xu exclaimed, having not thought of that. "By the way, that small bamboo plant you're growing has shed a lot of leaves on the table. They all turned yellow before falling. They're so thin, like bee stingers, and they covered the table in a layer. I swept them all away for you."

"Oh, don't bother sweeping them. Just let them fall."

"Alright."

Huai Xu sat down at Zhou Li's desk, a small notebook appearing out of thin air in his hand. "I'm going to write yesterday's weekly journal entry."

Zhou Li also walked in from the balcony. "It's best to write in a diary at night," he said. "Write about the day's events on the same day. You won't have the same feeling for it the next day."

"Yes, I will," Huai Xu said stubbornly. "I insist on writing it in the morning."

"...Here, use this."

Zhou Li took out a new diary he had bought on his way back from his run. It had a hardcover and was very thick. The cover featured an embossed design of cartoon monsters and came with a practically useless combination lock. It had cost him a fair sum.

"This is for you," he said, handing the diary to Huai Xu.

"Wow? Oh? It's so pretty?" Huai Xu exclaimed, examining the diary with a series of amazed gasps.

"It even has a lock." Zhou Li watched him with a faint smile. "When I first started keeping a diary as a child, Aunt Jiang found out and gave me one just like this. Kids love new things. I always enjoyed writing whenever I got new notebooks and pens. That's how I slowly developed the habit of keeping a diary."

Huai Xu nodded repeatedly. Then, looking up at him, he asked, "Then why don't I get a new pen?"

Zhou Li was momentarily stunned.

Aunt Jiang hadn't bought him a new pen back then either!

After a moment's thought, he turned back, opened another drawer, and took out a small box. Inside lay a very beautiful, dark green fountain pen.

"Here, take this. It's brand new. I think it's from the Four Seasons Textile summer collection, called... 'Many Leaves,' or something? It's the color of lush summer trees. Zhu Shuang thought it was pretty and bought a whole set of four, then gave one to me. I tried writing with it but didn't like the feel of the nib, so I cleaned it and put it away. I haven't used it since."

"What's all this nonsense..."

Huai Xu took it and looked it up and down.

Zhou Li watched him and explained, "The name 'Huai Xu' signifies the beginning of summer, so it suits you quite well."

After a moment's thought, he added, "It's quite valuable and well-known. It's an entry-level model with a gold nib—that means the tip is made of gold."

Huai Xu understood these last two sentences. The first made him happy, but when he heard the second, his eyes lit up like tiny lightbulbs.

"A Gold Drop, huh? It really is gold-colored!"

"WHOOSH!" He blew on the nib, then held it to his ear, listening intently. Tilting his head, he asked Zhou Li, "Why doesn't it go JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE?"

"..."

Zhou Li decided not to bother with him anymore and just pulled the ink bottle out of a desk drawer.

He was in the habit of using a fountain pen. This Old Monster had seen him use it for so long; surely he knew how to fill it with ink. Besides, elementary school teachers usually taught students how to use fountain pens, right?

After that, Zhou Li paid him no more mind, picked up a book, and started reading, all while keeping an eye on his QQ messages.

Huai Xu had a bad habit when writing: he would subconsciously mumble the words aloud. So, even without looking, Zhou Li had a rough idea of what Huai Xu was writing in his diary. Honestly, it was utterly uninteresting. Zhou Li had no desire to listen and found it a distraction from his book.

It wasn't until after one in the afternoon that Brother Nan arrived in Yan City. She sent a message saying she was waiting for him downstairs from his apartment.

Zhou Li hurried downstairs. He saw a Honda parked by the roadside, a slender, pale arm extended from the driver's window, waving at them.

Zhou Li walked over and saw Brother Nan, her mask pulled down to her chin.

She wore a snow-white, puffy down jacket. Because the weather was warm and sunny, she hadn't zipped it up. This revealed a slightly coarse, seemingly homemade knitted sweater underneath, which accentuated the noticeable curves of her chest. Her hair was casually tied back, revealing a clean, delicate face. When the sunlight touched her, she smiled just as brightly, perfectly embodying youthful radiance.

Too bad there were no antennae on her head.

Zhou Li said nothing and quietly got into the car. With a soft POOF, Huai Xu also appeared inside.

Brother Nan still hadn't closed the car window. Resting her elbow on the sill, she turned to look at them and asked, "Huai Xu is wearing a mask too? Is this virus really so bad that it doesn't even spare demons?"

Zhou Li waved dismissively at her. "He's just a bit touched in the head. Don't mind him."

After glancing at Brother Nan's mask, Huai Xu squinted his eyes and grinned. "Your masks are nowhere near as good as mine!"

Brother Nan and Zhou Li exchanged a look, both thoroughly agreeing with his assessment. However, she just chuckled and said, "Masks are scarce resources right now. Our family is lucky enough to get surgical masks; there's no way we could find N95s."

"Same for our family," Zhou Li nodded.

He paused, then hesitated. He suddenly remembered something Old Zhou had mentioned at the dinner table a few days ago: their family's masks were freebies from a client during an advertising campaign Old Zhou's company ran last year, and they had received quite a lot. Back then, the masks weren't valuable. After the pandemic broke out, Old Zhou had mailed some to his company's employees, as well as to relatives, friends, and business partners. They still had a good number left.

At the time, Old Zhou had subtly implied that if any of their classmates or friends' families were short on masks, they could give them some.

"Does your family need masks?" Zhou Li asked Brother Nan.

"No, we're good," she replied.

"Oh."

Just then, Huai Xu sniffed the air and turned to look toward the back of the car. "Brother Nan, what did you bring? It smells amazing!"

"You've got a dog's nose!" Brother Nan grinned. "I brought some delicious food from my hometown," she continued. "All sorts of things: 'Eight Great Bowls' dishes, sausages, cured meats, braised chicken, braised rabbit... My family was afraid I'd starve after getting to Yan City, so they kept packing more and more."

She paused for a moment. "Come eat at my place tonight. We'll have a proper feast, and you can taste the authentic cooking of a traveling village master chef."

"Awesome!" Huai Xu exclaimed.

?

"Okay, I'll let Aunt Jiang know," Zhou Li agreed.

"Alright, sit tight." Brother Nan started the car. "And get this, I managed to snag a bottle of Maotai from my second uncle's stash, heh heh..."

"Aren't the roads supposed to be closed?" Zhou Li asked.

"They are."

"Then how did you manage to drive out?"

"You think that could stop me?" Brother Nan said smugly. "Those blockades are just set up by town officials. But there are so many little country roads, all tangled and interconnected. Their haphazard blockades? Who are they going to stop with those?"

Hmm?

"It's like a maze game, ever played one? You just weave your way around the dead ends, and eventually, you get out." Someone like Brother Nan had known all the roads within a radius of about ten miles around her home like the back of her hand, ever since her school days.

"Oh, no wonder it took you so long to get here."

"You bet."

"Impressive."

"Damn right! Who do you think Old Li is?" Brother Nan grew even more smug. "This is nothing! Back in the day, the Japanese devils' blockades were so tight, but didn't our revolutionary heroes still find ways through?"

"You're absolutely right!" Zhou Li said, his voice filled with mock solemnity. He then bowed his head deeply, feigning an inability to speak, and started messaging Aunt Jiang.

Zhou Li: Aunt Jiang, I'll be eating at a friend's place tonight. No need to make dinner for me.

Aunt Jiang: Is it a big group?

Zhou Li: Not many people. It's very safe.

Aunt Jiang: Where are you eating?

Zhou Li: At my friend's house.

Aunt Jiang: That's good. Be careful with the pandemic situation.

Zhou Li: I know.

Aunt Jiang: Will you be coming home tonight?

Zhou Li's expression instantly stiffened.

He instinctively glanced back. Sure enough, at times like these, the Old Monster was always peeking over his shoulder.

"KUKUKU..."

Zhou Li looked away and silently typed—

Zhou Li: Yes, I'll be back.

Aunt Jiang: Okay, be safe.

Zhou Li: Got it.

Brother Nan heard the chuckling. "Huai Xu, what are you laughing at?"

Zhou Li shot Huai Xu a glare.

Afraid Zhou Li would make him copy texts again as punishment, Huai Xu parroted Zhou Li's earlier kind of excuse: "I just remembered something happy."

"What happy thing?"

"That we're going to have a great dinner tonight."

"TSK!"

Brother Nan pursed her lips. This human and this demon, both full of nonsense.

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