My Demon Friends-Chapter 533 - 512

"Ehehehe~~"

"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Li turned his head and asked. "You laugh like Shin-chan."

"That kid got spanked."

"What's so funny about that..."

"It's most entertaining to see a kid cry after being hit," Brother Nan explained. "This kid is so naughty. He talks like a little adult and even talks back to his parents. Kids like him deserve to be spanked."

"Hitting children is wrong."

"Well, it depends on the situation. Look at this kid, he was so stubborn just now, but after being spanked, he obediently walked away. See? It works, doesn't it?" Brother Nan said.

"No, it doesn't," Zhou Li continued. "He didn't understand why he shouldn't throw tantrums and insist on staying or taking you with him. He only knows that he'll get beaten if he does it. So he doesn't refrain from doing it because he understands the reasoning; he's just afraid of the violence. Moreover, this is a lesson taught by the parents through their words and actions, teaching him that violence can solve problems. Look, his parents just used violence to efficiently solve a problem."

"But hitting you always works!"

"I'm different. I'm grown up now and have a mature worldview," Zhou Li calmly replied, though your hitting me never changed a thing, he secretly thought.

"I can't be bothered with you!"

"Me neither."

"?"

"Sorry."

"Hmph..."

This was the second time Zhou Li and Brother Nan had discussed the topic of 'child education'.

Still, neither had convinced the other.

By this time, the sun on the mountain was already quite fierce, its heat making one's whole body burn, reminiscent of Chunming.

Brother Nan turned her head to look at Zheng Zhilan, only to see the girl still standing by the yard, slightly turned, looking in the direction where her little uncle and aunt had left. But they were long gone from sight. So Brother Nan walked over and playfully ruffled Zheng Zhilan's hair. Finding it amusing, she grinned.

"Why not keep them for a few more days?"

"They just came for a visit."

"'Just for a visit? What else could it be?'" Brother Nan said, puzzled. "This isn't a TV drama; she felt that real life didn't have so many overflowing emotions. Most things were mundane—relationships, getting along, most of it was plain. Her little uncle and aunt probably just missed their niece after a long time and came to see her, that's all," she mused, then added, "But they still could have stayed a couple more days."

"They have to work and go to school."

"That's true... They don't have winter and summer breaks like we do, and their winter break starts so early," Brother Nan nodded. "So when will they come next?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Maybe next year, I don't know."

"Next year, huh..."

"There will be others coming."

Miss Zheng let out a soft sigh. She both looked forward to their visits and found them overwhelming.

It was a relentless cycle for her.

Zhou Li came up beside her. "The weather's really nice today. Aren't we running low on firewood at home? Let's take advantage of the sunshine and go chop some wood across the way, shall we?"

"It's going to be tiring," Zheng Zhilan said softly.

"Brother Nan thrives on hard work," Zhou Li said, turning to Brother Nan. "Isn't that right, Brother Nan?"

"Are you an idiot?" Brother Nan asked.

"She didn't object," Zhou Li said to Zheng Zhilan.

"Alright then."

Miss Zheng nodded in agreement, then carefully looked around, discerning the direction before pointing toward the depths of the cloud-covered mountains to the right. "Let's not chop across the way this time. The trees over there have just started to grow. Did you pass by a pine forest on your way here? Qinghe mentioned that there are a lot of dead trees. I've been wanting to bring them back for a while."

Zhou Li reached out and took hold of her small arm, gently moving it a bit further to the right. "You're a little off."

"Sorry."

Miss Zheng's face turned slightly red, but she quickly looked up again and said, "There are cypress trees over there too. Let's also get some cypress branches to smoke the bacon and sausages."

"Why not use pine or poplar?" Huai Xu asked.

"Cypress branches are better," Zheng Zhilan answered quietly.

"Why is that?" Huai Xu curiously pressed on.

"I don't know..." Zheng Zhilan weakly shook her head. "Everyone uses cypress branches."

"Oh, I see. So you're a fool too," Huai Xu nodded, satisfied with the answer he received, and didn't dwell on the issue any further, continuing to gaze into the distance.

"..."

"Huai Xu can be a bit strange; don't mind him," Zhou Li said.

"..." Zheng Zhilan peeked at Huai Xu cautiously. Seeing that he was still looking into the distance as if he hadn't heard Zhou Li at all, but fearing Huai Xu would notice, she quickly diverted her gaze. "Then let's go now. We should take some water in case we get thirsty."

"With Huai Xu around, there's no need to," Zhou Li said.

"I forgot..."

"Let's go."

The group grabbed some ropes and set out.

Along the way, they encountered Lao Hui and Xiao Yuan, and then Xing Hui and Ji Bai. Everyone asked what they were off to do. When they heard it was chopping firewood, Lao Hui and Xiao Yuan patted their chests, offering help, while Xing Hui and Ji Bai, being seasoned wanderers of the Jianghu, simply had nothing better to do and wanted to join in the fun. And so, the group grew larger and more capable.

"Your axes are all quite dull," Xiao Yuan said, walking briskly to keep up with Zhou Li's pace. He couldn't help but show concern when he saw the axe heads. "Can you even chop with these?"

"These are just for show, tools for entertainment, to get that authentic wood-chopping feel," Zhou Li replied. "Actually, we don't use them to chop."

"I see."

"Xiao Yuan, you haven't seen Lord Dumpling today, have you?" came Tuanzi's voice from Zhou Li's shoulder, soft and delicate, with a hint of milky sweetness.

"I have seen Lord Dumpling."

"Alright then!"

"..."

With more people, there was always a bit more liveliness.

The Pine Forest wasn't close to Zheng Zhilan's home. Although it seemed near, it was actually several li away. Only this place had a substantial number of dead trees that could be chopped. The other firewood area was in a recovery phase, and Zheng Zhilan couldn't bear to chop the still-living trees in other areas—she preferred to leave them to be admired.

Sunlight filtered down through the pine forest, light and shadow dancing. The illumination was poor, and the ground was carpeted with a thick layer of dried-out pine needles that made a slight noise when stepped upon.

Many pine cones had also fallen.

And indeed, there were many dead trees.

Brother Nan supported Zheng Zhilan carefully as they walked.

Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, looked around with keen interest. He regarded every part of the pine tree as a treasure: the trunk could be used as heavy, long-burning firewood; the branches as smaller, vigorously-burning sticks; and the fallen pine cones and needles on the ground were also excellent kindling.

"We've struck it rich!"

"You're easily impressed!"

Chopping the trees was the easy part.

Zheng Zhilan's Golden Thread had many fantastic uses and could easily sever tree limbs. However, its downside was that it was hard to control which way the tree would fall.

The usual challenge lay in bringing the firewood back.

Zheng Zhilan would chop a lot of firewood, stacking it in the woodshed to slowly burn over time. Sometimes, even if the wood was a bit wet, it was no problem—it could dry out gradually. So, even though Qinghe was strong and fast, he usually had to make many trips to carry the wood back slowly. Of course, Zheng Zhilan had to carry wood too. Sometimes, members of the Dog Gang, if they were free, would stubbornly come over to help, carrying a single branch in their mouths each time, eager to contribute.

A one-way trip of several li was genuinely tiring.

Fortunately, Zheng Zhilan, like Zhou Li, was very patient. She would pick a period when she wasn't busy to prepare firewood, spending several days or even a week to slowly get the job done.

She didn't find it tiresome.

This winter was colder than previous years, and Zheng Zhilan had consumed quite a bit of firewood, thus needing more.

This year's efficiency, however, was much higher than before.

While Zheng Zhilan used her Golden Thread and Qinghe did the main chopping, Zhou Li also swung his axe, mostly for show. Xiao Yuan and Lao Hui worked hard to gather pine cones, piling them on the side. With a wave of his hand, Lord Xing Hui conjured an invisible breeze that swept up the dry pine needles from the ground, stacking them too.

Brother Nan packed them in her back-basket.

Huai Xu was responsible for transporting them back.

Lord Dumpling was in charge of running around—looking here and there, often stopping to ask the workers a few questions to satisfy her curiosity.

In less than an hour, they finished the work that would have taken Miss Zheng several days to complete by herself.

The one who exerted the most effort was undoubtedly Huai Xu.

The least was Lord Dumpling.

Thus, Zhou Li could be considered somewhere in between.

So, he carried the now somewhat less rusty axe, swaggering proudly, feeling good about his labor, and continued to look around.

They had only chopped a few trees just now, but it was enough to last a long time. Any more and the woodshed wouldn't be able to fit it, so the Pine Forest still appeared dense.

There were many graves in the forest, marked by small earthen mounds. Some had tombstones in front, while others had none. They had been there for many years and were mostly covered by weeds. According to Zheng Zhilan, some villagers used to be buried here in the past. The pine forest was dense enough to block out the sky, and if one were to pass through alone, it could indeed feel quite eerie.

But Miss Zheng wasn't afraid at all. She had relatives resting here, and in her view, death and the deceased were nothing more than perfectly normal occurrences.

Soon, she pursed her lips. "Let's head back."

"Alright."

"Thank you all very much for today."

"Don't mention it," Xing Hui smiled slightly. "From now on, please call us for any work you need help with. We agreed on this."

"Mhm, mhm!" Xiao Yuan nodded vigorously. "Xiao Yuan is very strong!"

"I understand," said Zheng Zhilan.

"Does pine burn well?" Zhou Li asked.

"I don't know how to put it... it burns well, but sometimes it can produce quite a bit of smoke," Miss Zheng replied quietly. "I think it should burn quite well, though."

"Oh..."

Zhou Li was already looking forward to it.