My Demon Friends-Chapter 686 - 647: Old Zhou and the Fishing Rod

The sun had moved westward, and the sunlight turned golden.

By now, Brother Nan had taken over the driving, and Lord Dumpling had moved onto Zhou Li's lap. Her hind paws were planted on Zhou Li's thighs as she clung to the edge of the car door. Given her height, she had to strain to poke even half her head above the window glass.

But she had maintained this position for quite a while; Zhou Li was certain that if he had been wearing shorts, his legs would already be covered in tiny paw-print marks.

Little Cousin, sitting in the backseat, was similarly engrossed, staring unblinkingly at the landscape outside the window.

"How much longer?" she asked without turning around.

"Two hours," Zhou Li answered.

"Oh."

"Feeling carsick?"

"No." Little Cousin hesitated. "This is my first time traveling this far."

"It's about the same distance as going to Meili."

"But we crossed a provincial boundary..."

"It's all pretty much the same. People in Yi Province can understand the Chunming dialect, and people in Chunming can understand the Yi Province dialect. The differences in food and other things aren't significant either. Yi Province has a lot of delicious food." Zhou Li turned to Little Cousin, unable to tell from her expression if she was anxious, so he decided to reassure her anyway.

"I just find it so amazing," Little Cousin said softly. "We were in Chunming this morning, and now we've traveled so far in the afternoon."

"I often feel that way too."

"Oh."

"We'll have dinner at my place tonight; I've already told Aunt Jiang."

"Oh."

"Are you scared of meeting new people?"

"No."

"You're braver than I am."

While talking, Zhou Li used a toothpick to pick up a piece of durian and held it out to Brother Nan. "Open up."

Brother Nan ate the durian without so much as a sidelong glance.

Lord Dumpling turned her head and gave them a penetrating look, her little nose twitching. "Zhou Ni, why do you guys eat this thing..."

Baozi heard the noise, turned back, and just caught Zhou Li feeding Brother Nan a second piece.

...

What terrible luck.

Quietly, she turned her head back again.

Ever since Brother Nan woke up, such scenes had been playing out in the car continuously. At first, Zhou Li was driving, and Brother Nan was giving instructions while forcibly feeding him. That was still tolerable since it was clear Zhou Li wasn't hungry and didn't really want to eat, so his expression was somewhat reluctant, which provided Baozi with some comfort. But when they switched seats, with Zhou Li feeding Brother Nan, the scene turned sweet, making Baozi feel uncomfortable and restless.

The landscape outside was much more pleasant to look at.

Zhou Li spoke gently, "I've told you, it's a fruit, very tasty. It just has a bad smell… How about trying a bit, Lord Dumpling?"

"No way!"

"Really. Look, Brother Nan is enjoying it."

"BOO HOO, keep it away, keep it away..."

"Alright then."

"OOH! Zhou Ni, look! Look over there! Such a long choo-choo!"

"That's a train."

"A train."

"Right."

"It's so long!"

Tuanzi turned back to glance at Zhou Li with excitement, then immediately spun her head back around to continue watching the train, her eyes filled with unadulterated curiosity. "OOH! It's going into a tunnel!"

A smile touched Zhou Li's lips.

Dusk was the time for returning home.

There was no traffic on the way, and Zhou Li arrived home with Huai Xu, Tuanzi, Brother Nan, and Little Cousin. Aunt Jiang had just begun cooking. She came out in an apron to greet everyone with a wide smile, repeatedly wiping her damp hands on her apron.

"You're all back!"

"Yes."

Zhou Li, tugging at Little Cousin's short sleeve, gently pulled her out from behind Brother Nan and introduced her to Aunt Jiang. "This is Baozi, the one I've told you about... And this is Aunt Jiang."

Baozi nodded politely. "Hello, Aunt Jiang."

"Hello, hello!"

Aunt Jiang greeted her warmly, and looking at Baozi's face, she sincerely complimented, "What a cute little girl you are!"

Afterward, she turned to Brother Nan—

Little Cousin paused for a moment. "My name is Ji Ran."

Brother Nan's eyes flickered, and he thoughtfully added, "Just call her Baozi."

...

At this moment, Baozi felt Brother Nan nudge her back. After another moment of silence, she hesitantly presented what she was holding, saying, "I, I bought some brown sugar from Qiaojia. It's, it's one of our Caiyun's specialties. It can be used to make a sweet drink, and it's good for your health..."

Then, with her other hand, "I also passed by the flower market and bought some flowers. Just, just picked them up casually. There are all kinds. In Chunming, flowers are sold by weight. They're, they're all local specialties, nothing valuable."

She was stuttering.

Why does this feel different from when I usually lie? Baozi wondered.

Aunt Jiang did not decline, nor did she offer any polite courtesies; her smile just became even more brilliant. "I love flowers the most. I really like them. Thank you, Baozi."

Baozi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

When accepting a gift, nothing could make the giver happier than hearing "I really like it."

Old Zhou was working late today and returned a while later. Zhou Li was still making introductions.

Old Zhou and Ms. Ji were already divorced. Baozi's visit was mainly because of her relationship with Zhou Li and Brother Nan. If it were someone else, they most likely would have felt awkward in front of Old Zhou. Fortunately, Baozi had a somewhat stoic and reserved personality. She wasn't quick to warm up to people, nor was she easily intimidated—much like her usually expressionless face.

Zhou Li guessed she probably had no idea what feeling uncomfortable even was.

Baozi found an opportunity, pulling out a long fishing rod case. "Uncle, I, I bought you a fishing rod. I heard Cousin say you liked this..."

Old Zhou was genuinely taken aback for a moment. He took the fishing rod, glanced at Baozi, and then at Zhou Li.

He didn't even know how to fish.

Zhou Li pursed his lips and spoke up, "Don't be embarrassed. Just take it."

"Erm..."

Old Zhou fell silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "You're the younger one; you shouldn't be bringing gifts. It should be us, the elders, giving you a welcome present..."

Zhou Li's mouth twitched upon hearing this. Old Zhou certainly doesn't choose his words as nicely as Aunt Jiang...

Old Zhou put the fishing rod aside, nodding. "That's true. I haven't prepared a welcome gift for you. How about I give you a red envelope?"

A red envelope?! I can't refuse... I definitely can't refuse...

Baozi bowed deeply. "No, no need."

"Don't be so polite." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Old Zhou's tone was still authoritative, making it hard to refuse. After he finished speaking, he took the fishing rod and headed into the house.

He was gone for several minutes.

Baozi remained outwardly calm, her head bowed, waiting patiently. Meanwhile, she secretly watched her cousin's expression out of the corner of her eye—the gift was bought by her cousin, and she hadn't spent a penny, yet she was about to get a red envelope. She was worried that her cousin might suddenly come over and say, "Give me the red envelope later," an outcome she couldn't refuse.

Whew... It seems Cousin has no such intention. Instead, he's exchanging looks with Huai Xu and Brother Nan.

Finally, Old Zhou came back.

Everyone else assumed he was taking so long inside to prepare the red envelope. But Zhou Li had heard clearly; for most of that time, the sounds coming from the room had been related to the fishing rod case. So, Old Zhou had used the excuse of preparing a red envelope to secretly unbox and examine the fishing rod.

"Here, take it."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"What's there to thank for..."

Old Zhou acted completely normal.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu exchanged another glance.

After looking away, Zhou Li pursed his lips and spoke up, "Aunt Jiang said you often secretly watch the people fishing from the balcony. You can buy the rest of the equipment tonight and start fishing tomorrow."

Old Zhou adopted a scornful expression, shifting his crossed legs. "She's always spouting nonsense."

"Say it louder."

"...I don't watch them *all the time*," Old Zhou insisted. "I just use the binoculars to look at the scenery when I'm bored, and she assumes I'm watching people fish." He didn't, in fact, watch the anglers every single time; sometimes there were people walking dogs by the river. But then his tone changed. "But you're right. Since I have the fishing rod now, it shouldn't go to waste. It could be a way to pass the time when I'm bored. I expect I'll have more free time next year... Ah, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Next year..."

Zhou Li's lips twitched; he understood perfectly. Old Zhou is both a father and the Head of the Family, the one who supports the household. His authoritative image can't be damaged, and his persona as an all-capable man can't collapse either—well, that's what Old Zhou himself believes. So, of course, he can't just grab the fishing rod and go fishing immediately; he's still a novice. If he doesn't catch anything, how embarrassing would that be? He plans to practice for a while. Yes, by next year, he'll probably be a fishing expert. That's when he'll announce his intention to start fishing. 'Hey! A huge catch right after starting! My technique improved by leaps and bounds in just a few days!' 'Tell me, isn't your Old Zhou a fishing prodigy?'