The waxing moon hung obliquely in the sky, its faint light outlining the contours of the mountains. The small village was mostly made up of tiled-roof houses, the tiles smoothed by years of rain. From a bird's-eye view, this cluster of buildings, dilapidated during the day, now reflected the cold moonlight.

Crows cawed in the moonlit night.

Brother Nan pushed open the door, the old hinges creaking.

Zheng Zhilan was already lying in bed.

Seeing her wearing over-ear headphones, semi-reclined with her eyes open and staring straight ahead as if intently listening to something, Brother Nan immediately lightened her steps and tiptoed over.

However, Zheng Zhilan noticed her in advance and tilted her head slightly. Her eyes weren't particularly bright, yet they seemed to convey her thoughts. This immediately made Brother Nan, who felt like a thief caught red-handed, somewhat embarrassed.

"What are you doing?" Brother Nan asked.

"Hm?"

Zheng Zhilan removed her headphones, still tilting her head to look at her.

Brother Nan repeated the question.

"Listening to a novel."

"An online novel?"

"Yes."

"...Did Zhou Li teach you this?"

"Yes."

"Don't let him corrupt you."

"It's actually quite good."

Zheng Zhilan smiled shyly. Indeed, she had come across novels with somewhat skewed values, which were not uncommon on the internet. However, she possessed a certain aesthetic sense and the ability to discern. This was also one of the few channels through which she could familiarize herself with the youth of the outside world. Previously, she had been practically out of touch with her peers, sometimes not even understanding what people were saying.

Seeing her smile, Brother Nan grinned too. Standing by the bed, she lunged forward and hugged Miss Zheng. She had been planning to do just that: sneak up on Little Zheng when she wasn't paying attention and give her a scare. Alas, she had been spotted.

"So soft! What novel are you reading? Let me see, I often read them too."

"This..."

"Oh..."

Brother Nan realized they weren't reading the same type of novels.

She liked ones with fights and battles, with demons, immortals, and wars, so eighty percent of the books she read were male-oriented. Little Zheng evidently had different tastes.

Soon, Brother Nan noticed the headphones around Zheng Zhilan's neck. "Wow, it's Sony, no less!"

Zheng Zhilan felt a bit embarrassed and simply hummed in acknowledgment.

She paused the novel and hung the earphones around her neck without putting them back on, as a matter of courtesy and respect. The room became so quiet that she could hear Brother Nan's breathing.

"There's a crow cawing," Brother Nan remarked.

"It's my neighbor."

"Huh? Is it a demon too?"

"Not really. It was just an ordinary crow, but it gained some special abilities under the influence of the Evil God."

"Doesn't that mean it's become a demon?"

"Well..." Zheng Zhilan was unsure how to explain; the demons they talked about were different from those in cultural works.

"What kind of special abilities?" Brother Nan asked again.

"It's particularly smart," Zheng Zhilan said after a moment's thought, "and sometimes it can see demons."

"Crows are already pretty smart."

"It understands human speech, likes to tease dogs, chickens, and ducks for fun, and often comes here to steal food," Zheng Zhilan said with a smile.

"What do crows eat?"

"They eat everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes," Zheng Zhilan nodded. "Wheat, millet, corn, meat—whatever people eat, it eats."

"If it were me, I'd use a slingshot to shoot it dead."

No sooner had she spoken than the flapping of wings suddenly sounded outside the window.

Zheng Zhilan shook her head and said, "Let it steal. It can only eat a little bit."

"That makes sense."

"Besides, it's friends with Steamed Bun."

"Which one is Steamed Bun?"

"The smartest one."

"Oh, the Border Collie."

"Right. Steamed Bun doesn't like to play with other dogs, perhaps finding them too dull. However, it gets along well with the crow. They often go up the mountain together to steal wild chicken eggs. The crow knows where the eggs are but can't beat the wild hens. Sometimes Steamed Bun brings other dogs along as a treat for its friends. The crow gets unhappy then because its share is smaller. Zheng Zhilan hadn't known this expression before."

"That's incredible!" Brother Nan exclaimed, captivated by the story. "And what about their spoils of war?"

"They split it evenly."

"What if there's an odd number?"

"I don't know..."

Zheng Zhilan's head bobbed slightly, her composure increasingly faltering.

At that moment, Brother Nan and she were crammed into the same quilt, and Brother Nan had been hugging her since shortly after they lay down. She had never been so close to anyone before. However, she'd heard in novels that girls from down the mountain—especially good friends—often did this. Some even playfully groped each other while sleeping together… Fortunately, Brother Nan didn't grope around.

...

Huai Xu shut the door with his backside. His demeanor and aura instantly shifted—before, he was Zhou Li; now, he was the Free Little Demon.

He even hummed a song softly to himself.

The feeling of being able to eat and drink without working for it is just fantastic.

In his left hand was a plate of pomelos, in his right a plate of dried yak meat, all laid out on the desk.

Tuanzi lay at the corner of the desk licking its paw, then looked up and said meekly, "Give Lord Dumpling a piece of the dried yak, a flat one, not all twisted. Lord Dumpling can't chew those."

"Can't you get it yourself..."

Huai Xu grumbled but still bent down to pick one out for her.

Taking a small piece of the dried meat, Tuanzi remained at the desk corner, her fluffy paws cupping the meat, yet she didn't hurry to eat. Instead, she looked curiously at Huai Xu and suddenly asked, "Huai Xu, aren't you tired of pretending to be Zhou Li?"

"Not at all! Why do you ask?" Huai Xu looked at Tuanzi quizzically and saw a pair of shining eyes.

"Lord Dumpling is curious."

"That's my talent; I'm used to it," he replied.

"Oh!"

Tuanzi nodded and casually licked the dried meat, then lifted her head again. "Do you still remember what you originally looked like?"

Huai Xu paused at the question.

"I don't remember anymore."

"Oh~~"

Tuanzi still nodded, thought for a bit, and then said with a hint of defiance in her voice, "Lord Dumpling is also very capable. Lord Dumpling pretends to be a little kitty every day, and Lord Dumpling isn't tired at all."

Huai Xu grinned. "That's because you actually are a dumb cat!"

"MEOW!"

Tuanzi was so angry she even put down her beef jerky. One moment, she claimed to be an impressive Great Demon, and the next, she said she was a Close Attendant to Your Highness. She even claimed that if it weren't for Hong Ran, she would have risen to the highest official rank by now. The joyful atmosphere made Huai Xu forget the brief moment he had zoned out.

He had initially planned to play video games, but he hadn't gotten around to turning on his computer.

Until his phone pinged—

Zhou Li: Homework check.

Huai Xu: /spacing out

Zhou Li: Send me a screenshot.

Huai Xu: ...

Huai Xu: [Image]

Zhou Li: Where's the copied text?

Huai Xu: /spacing out

Zhou Li: The text, idioms, words, where did they go?

Huai Xu: /spacing out

Zhou Li: Don't play dumb.

Huai Xu (glancing at Tuanzi beside him): Tuanzi isn't letting me copy.

Huai Xu: I'm pretending to be you; I don't have time.

(Two messages in a row.)

Zhou Li: Do you remember what you said you'd do if you didn't manage?

Huai Xu: I don't remember anymore.

Zhou Li: PFFT

Huai Xu: Isn't this all for you?! You, on the other hand, are having a great time over at Little Zheng's place with good food and fun. You even have Li Daimao to play with! I'm working so hard pretending to be you every day; I'm worn out.

Zhou Li: ...Thanks for your hard work.

Huai Xu: [Emoji]

Zhou Li: Brother Nan is sleeping next to Little Zheng tonight.

Huai Xu: Uh, do you know what two girls usually do when they sleep together?

Zhou Li: What do they do?

Huai Xu: When two guys go out shopping, they don't hold hands, but two girls might. Two guys won't kiss in a photo, but two girls might. Two guys typically won't sleep in the same bed; if they occasionally do, it would be awkward. But it's not like that for two girls. Let me tell you, girls...

Zhou Li: What about girls?

Huai Xu: I'm sleepy, going to sleep now.

Zhou Li: But you don't even get sleepy...

Zhou Li: ?

Zhou Li: You there?

Zhou Li: ...

...

「On the eighth day of the first lunar month, in the early morning.」

Zhou Li was placing pinecones in the stove, the fire burning bright red. He looked up at Zheng Zhilan. "Brother Nan still isn't up?"

"No."

"What time did she go to sleep last night? Pretty late, right?"

"Around midnight."

"She didn't disturb you, did she?"

"No..." Zheng Zhilan shook her head as she spoke. Yet, she clearly looked like she hadn't slept well; just a moment ago, Zhou Li had seen her secretly yawn.

"We talked for quite a long time last night," she said.

"About what?"

"Lots of things. We talked about everything."

"Oh." Zhou Li nodded. "That's just how she is. She loves to talk, has a lot to say, and is curious about everything. She can grab onto any topic and chat about it for ages. When you're with her, you'll never run out of things to talk about."

"Mhm."

Breakfast was simple: just a pot of porridge and some scrambled eggs, along with pickled vegetables and preserved vegetables with minced meat that Zheng Zhilan had made. It was actually quite substantial.

Brother Nan yawned, washed up quickly, and started eating as soon as she sat at the table.

Just one bite seemed to lift her spirits.

"These eggs are cooked perfectly," Brother Nan said, her eyes shining. "Better than the ones I make."

"Maybe you're using rooster eggs, and Zheng Zhilan is using hen eggs," Zhou Li theorized.

"How would I know if they're rooster eggs or..." Brother Nan hadn't finished speaking when she realized she had once again fallen for his nonsense. He's infuriating!

THUMP!

The lovely morning began with a smack.

After breakfast, Brother Nan and Zheng Zhilan decided to wash their hair. Fortunately, Zheng Zhilan's house had a water heater, so they didn't need to boil water.

Zhou Li then sat in the yard. He watched the sea of clouds churn in the distant valleys and played fetch with a few dogs using a small wooden disc. It wasn't long before he heard the footsteps and voices of the two women behind him.

"How do you usually cut your hair?"

"I always cut it myself."

"By yourself? That's pretty impressive! I've cut my own hair too, but only my bangs."

"I just snip away randomly," Miss Zheng said, deflecting the compliment.

"My hair has gotten a bit long, and my bangs sometimes get in my eyes. I was planning to get a haircut during the New Year, but then the epidemic happened, and all the barbershops closed," Brother Nan complained.

"I'll cut it for you," Zheng Zhilan offered.

"Really?"

"But I'm not very good at it, so please don't mind."

"No, no, it's fine..."

...

Zhou Li couldn't help but touch his own hair. My last haircut was about two months ago as well. It's not that I like long hair, but I have this quirk—every time I go for a haircut, I have to go through quite an internal struggle. Mine has gotten a bit long too.

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