My Demon Friends-Chapter 523 - 502 You Can Always Trust Brother Nan
「9th, afternoon.」
A car arrived at the foot of Mingjiu Mountain.
At this time, the flow of people was indeed quite scarce. New Year’s Day had just passed a week ago, and most students’ winter vacations had not yet begun. There was still more than a month before the Spring Festival. As a result, Zhou Li and his companions drove there without encountering another vehicle on the road or seeing anyone. Adding to that the thick mountain fog, Brother Nan kept saying they had entered a disaster movie.
"You can’t even hear a chicken or a dog barking. It must have been taken over by zombies or some kind of monster," Brother Nan said with a frown, dead serious.
"The mountain looks so cold," Zhou Li said, turning to stare at the fog midway up the mountain.
"Did it snow on the mountain?"
"I heard it snowed a few days ago, but it’s cleared up these last two days. Still, it’s very cold," Zhou Li said, pausing for a moment. "Zhu Shuang is starting to like tagging along more and more. A few days ago, when I said I wanted to go to Qingjiang for fun, he said he wanted to come with me. That was fine, but today he wanted to join me too."
"You haven’t seen him for a semester; he must be missing you!" Brother Nan said with a grin.
"He surely thought you were going to Brother Nan’s home," Huai Xu chimed in from the back seat. "Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang thought the same."
"Have we arrived?"
Zhou Li saw the scenic area parking lot. It was actually just an open space with parking spots marked out with white paint, not very neatly at that. There was no automatic barrier, nor was there a fee; you could park wherever.
Parking spots in the countryside aren’t worth much.
In the vast parking lot, only three vehicles were parked: a van and a three-wheeled car—likely belonging to the villagers living nearby—and a black sedan, the same brand as Brother Nan’s car. This visit to Mingjiu Mountain was quieter than any of Zhou Li’s previous visits. Even in winter, there were usually at least a few cars, as Yan City didn’t really have any other scenic spots to speak of.
Brother Nan drove straight into a parking space to avoid the trouble of reversing, then clamored, "We’ve arrived! We’ve arrived! Get out, get out..."
Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, was the first to open the door and get out.
The cold, damp air seeped slowly into his clothes. In stark contrast to the warmth inside the car, it made his brain momentarily more alert.
He turned his head to look around. "There are so few people."
By then, Brother Nan had also gotten out of the car. She had been enjoying the car’s heater, so she was only wearing a yellow sweater that hugged her figure, showcasing the curves of her youthful body. Then, she bent down to grab a white, fluffy, and voluminous down jacket from the car. She shook it out, draped it over her shoulders, and slipped her hands into the sleeves.
Zhou Li blinked as he watched.
As Brother Nan zipped up her jacket, her curves were concealed. Only then did she raise her head to say to Zhou Li, "It’s so cold these days, and it’s been a hard year. Who’s in the mood to travel? Besides, what’s there to see at Mingjiu Mountain? It’s just a little taller than your average hill."
Zhou Li averted his gaze without showing any reaction and looked elsewhere. "You’re right."
Brother Nan didn’t notice anything odd and continued as she locked the car, "But if you keep climbing up to Little Zheng’s place, the sea of clouds is really beautiful."
"You’re right..."
"Right, my ass! Go buy the tickets!"
"Ummm... Don’t swear."
"I’ll swear!"
"..."
Huai Xu stood by the car. Though he wasn’t afraid of the cold, he obediently put on his thick coat and zipped it up. Hearing their exchange, he cracked a smile, casting Zhou Li a ’kind’ smirk.
The ticket office was just a small room.
The attendant, a lady, was warming herself with a ’little sun’ electric heater, watching a TV drama, and knitting, clearly bored out of her mind.
Brother Nan, who was quite talkative, chatted with her for a bit. She learned that the lady was knitting a pair of woolen pants for her daughter in a brioche stitch pattern, that her daughter didn’t like to wear thick clothes, that the wool cost a few yuan per liang (50g), that she earned tens to a hundred yuan a day from ticket sales, that the ’little sun’ heater cost ninety-nine yuan from a town store, and that it used several kilowatt-hours of electricity per day—all utterly needless information—until Zhou Li pulled her away.
"Since it’s so cold on the mountain, why doesn’t Little Zheng buy a ’little sun’ heater to keep warm?"
"She has a stove."
"A ’little sun’ heater is so convenient. Just plug it in and use it, no smoke or anything."
"A real fire is so much more fun."
"TCH!"
Climbing the mountain took some effort, especially with Brother Nan bouncing and hopping around. She would occasionally break into a run and then stop to laugh at how slow Zhou Li was. Bundled up in warm clothing, it didn’t take long for her to feel hot. She unzipped her jacket and stood with her hands on her hips, gasping for air, her collar sliding down to her shoulders. Her face had turned a rosy red, looking utterly adorable.
Zhou Li calmly followed behind with his hands tucked into his pockets, proceeding at a leisurely pace like an old man.
That’s right, his hands were tucked away. And he wasn’t carrying Tuanzi. It was truly aggravating.
In the past, forget climbing mountains, even for short walks, the spoiled Little Trash Cat would demand he carry her. After just a little walking, she would claim that Lord Dumpling was tired. But now, she was scampering all over the place after Brother Nan. Whenever Brother Nan stopped, Tuanzi stopped too. The moment Brother Nan ran, she would immediately chase after her, her four little legs churning rapidly. She was bursting with energy—where was the slightest sign of weariness?
Zhou Li felt a complex mix of emotions. Indeed, what they say on the internet is true: girls always fall hard for those who treat them with indifference.
「Zhihong Guan.」
During his last winter visit, Zhou Li had noticed that the elder of the observatory’s clothes were somewhat shabby. Since the mountain was quite cold, the elder of the observatory had to layer many pieces of clothing, none of which were particularly warm.
As the saying goes, ten layers of unpadded cloth aren’t as warm as one layer of cotton.
So, Zhou Li bought a dirt-resistant down jacket and a pair of cotton-padded trousers. Considering that the elder of the observatory might not wear the down jacket because he needed to wear a Taoist robe, Zhou Li also got him a set of thermal underwear that could be worn underneath. Cotton-padded shoes were an inexpensive necessity, so he bought two pairs right away. He had also wanted to buy a hat, but since the elder of the observatory always wore either a formal cap or a kerchief, he didn’t get one.
The sizes were provided by Old monster and were undoubtedly correct.
One could say he had thought everything through.
And he had put so much effort into it, which was quite remarkable considering Zhou Li hadn’t bought any clothes for himself this year and didn’t even like shopping for clothes.
Carrying several large packages, he arrived before Zhihong Guan. Faced with the smiling elder of the observatory who came out to welcome him, Zhou Li didn’t immediately hand over the gifts. Instead, after entering the temple, he placed them beside a table.
But he didn’t know what to say and was too shy, so he quietly reached out, poked Brother Nan in the waist, and gestured with his eyes.
Brother Nan scratched her head and said, "We’ve come here so many times, and almost every visit we arrive empty-handed, always imposing on the elder of the observatory to treat us. As juniors, we feel truly embarrassed, especially this thin-skinned young man here. Last night, he heard I bought clothes for my paternal grandparents and maternal grandmother, so this morning he dragged me out early to buy a set for you as well."
After hearing this, Zhou Li felt it wasn’t quite enough, not entirely right, so he glanced at Brother Nan again.
Brother Nan scratched her head again. "It’s mainly because he’s known you for so long and has grown fond of you. He wanted to show his care for you."
Zhou Li nodded, his face flushed.
For some reason, he felt very embarrassed. For someone like him, ’caring for someone’ seemed to be an act that required a great deal of courage.
The elder of the observatory was quite surprised and began to refuse repeatedly, "There’s no need for this. I shouldn’t accept this. You really shouldn’t have..."
The elder of the observatory wasn’t highly educated and didn’t know the right words to say.
Zhou Li was more educated but was just as much at a loss for words.
Brother Nan scratched her head again. "We’ve bought them already; there’s nothing to be done about it now. All of his grandparents have passed away. If we take them back, there’s no one to wear them. Besides, dragging such a big bundle up here was exhausting. You wouldn’t make us carry them back down the mountain, would you? It really wasn’t much money; we bought inexpensive things..."
The elder of the observatory didn’t know what to say anymore.
Zhou Li didn’t know what to say either, so he surreptitiously watched Tuanzi, who was curiously scampering around the Daoist temple, sniffing here and there.
Then Brother Nan spoke up again, quite naturally, "Grandpa Master, do you have any hot water? I’m really thirsty."
"Oh, yes, yes, I do..."
The elder of the observatory kept repeating and stood up. "Let me get some for you..."
Brother Nan’s gaze slid slyly towards Zhou Li.
Zhou Li frowned and smiled at her.
Brother Nan immediately showed a look of disgust.
