My Demon Friends-Chapter 579 - 553 I’ll Find Whatever Cards You Want One by One

The daytime streets were bustling too.

Usually, during the New Year, the riverbank would be draped with lanterns, and sometimes cartoon-themed light displays would be set up on the lawn. However, walking along the path today, there weren't many to be seen.

The afternoon sun was already quite scorching. Zhou Li, wearing only a light jacket, felt hot as he walked and wanted to take it off. However, if he did that, he would be left in just a short-sleeved shirt, which might seem odd to others.

PHEW.

It was hot enough already, and holding Tuanzi made it even hotter.

Zhou Li tried to negotiate with Tuanzi, "Lord Dumpling, would you like to walk on your own? I'm starting to sweat."

"No."

"But it's really hot holding Lord Dumpling."

"You didn't say that in winter."

"Uh..."

A lady walked past them, leading an American Bulldog.

Tuanzi instinctively hugged Zhou Li tighter, even hooking her claws into the fabric of his clothes. She stared at the dog unblinkingly until the lady and the dog were far away before she spoke in a very low voice, "That one looks like the one on TV... Hey, Huai Xu, don't whistle at it!"

"Which TV?" Zhou Li asked casually.

"The one that always bullies cats..."

"I see."

"It's terrifying." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I've heard that breed is quite docile."

"Not at all..." Tuanzi's voice was still very soft, but she was earnestly correcting Zhou Li's misconception. "It's very fierce when it attacks cats!"

"I see."

At that moment, Huai Xu suddenly stopped, stood on tiptoe, and looked toward the riverbank, pointing. "Li Daimao is over there!"

Hearing this, Zhou Li and Tuanzi both turned to look.

Along the riverbank, tables and chairs lined the embankment, crowded with people enjoying their leisurely vacation and the rare good weather. This was typical for New Year in Yan City; people treasured the winter sunshine and the precious holiday time. Friends and families would often meet up, gathering in groups around tables by the river to drink tea, chat, play cards, or mahjong, whiling away the entire day. It was a beloved pastime for the People of Yan City.

Among the many heads in the crowd, one sported a small tuft of hair sticking up like an antenna.

Brother Nan was working a part-time job.

Zhou Li saw her knock down a row of mahjong tiles with a smile. The people seated around her table laughingly scolded her, then picked up a few melon seeds from their own piles to toss towards Brother Nan. Soon, Brother Nan had the most seeds in front of her.

"Want to go over and play for a bit?" Huai Xu asked.

"No, let's not."

There were a lot of people around Brother Nan, who looked like her various cousins. Zhou Li didn't recognize them and felt awkward about going over.

But just then, Brother Nan turned her head and glanced their way inadvertently.

After looking away, she cheerily resumed gathering the melon seeds thrown at her, her hands busy. Suddenly, she paused, as if she had just realized she'd seen something strange, and turned her head back.

"Hey!"

Brother Nan waved her hand at Zhou Li.

At the same time, Tuanzi finally spotted her.

"Brother Lan!"

Tuanzi called out crisply, immediately wriggled free from Zhou Li's embrace, landed on the ground, and ran towards Brother Nan.

Zhou Li silently watched her transform into a white shadow, nimbly weaving through the crowd at people's feet, as if her agility stat was maxed out. She quickly reached Brother Nan and, with a graceful leap, jumped into her arms, playfully rolling over to act cute.

Zhou Li then walked towards Brother Nan as well.

Huai Xu followed closely behind him.

「Half a minute later.」

While petting the cat, Brother Nan very naturally introduced them to everyone, "This is my boyfriend, Zhou Li. And this, next to him, is his... cousin."

Then, she introduced her relatives to Zhou Li, "This is my eldest cousin, this is my eldest cousin's wife, this is my second cousin, this is my third cousin..."

Zhou Li nodded and greeted each one in turn.

He couldn't remember any of their names.

And he felt his social anxiety kicking in.

Especially with the Old monster beside him glancing at him sideways with a scrutinizing look, clearly finding his discomfort amusing.

Fortunately, after the introductions, Brother Nan added, "They're all just here to give me money."

Zhou Li smiled.

Then Brother Nan looked up at him. "Weren't you going to visit... Grandpa Ma this afternoon?"

"I'm on my way there now."

"You took quite a detour to come this way."

"Just wanted to get some sun."

"Well, there's no rush then. Sit down and soak up some sun. Watch Big Brother play mahjong, and I'll go with you after this game. If I win some money later, I'll give you two New Year's red packets," Brother Nan said generously, beckoning him over. "I've been relying on my own luck so far, but I don't really like to use it too much, so I haven't won a lot. Now that you two are here, I won't use my luck; I'll use yours and see if I can keep winning."

Zhou Li saw that Huai Xu had already taken a seat nearby.

"What would you like to drink? Floral tea, bamboo leaf green, or bitter buckwheat?"

"Floral tea will be fine," said Zhou Li.

"Bitter buckwheat!" exclaimed Huai Xu.

"MEW!" chirped Tuanzi.

"Boss! One cup of floral tea and one of bitter buckwheat!" Brother Nan called out.

"MEW! MEW! MEW..." Tuanzi added.

The man sitting opposite, who appeared to be her eldest cousin, glanced at Zhou Li while shuffling mahjong tiles and said to Brother Nan, "So, this is that boyfriend of yours?"

"What about him?"

"Why does he look like such a pretty boy?"

"Shut your trap! Focus on the game; all you do is discard tiles that let others win!"

"I'm definitely winning this hand!"

"Nonsense!"

Brother Nan glanced at Zhou Li's "cousin." Huai Xu, seemingly in telepathic agreement, returned the glance. Everything was communicated without words.

The time that followed was likely to be trying.

Zhou Li didn't know how to play mahjong and didn't even like card games. He couldn't understand what was happening by watching, so sitting there would be exceptionally dull. Besides, the people opposite him would occasionally glance over and ask a question or two about him and Brother Nan, like whether they went to the same high school, if they were classmates in college, or how long they'd been together. Although Brother Nan answered most of the questions, he still felt a bit nervous.

Fortunately, Brother Nan explained the rules of the game as she played and bantered with him and the others, which slowly eased his anxiety.

The rules of Yi Province mahjong were relatively simple.

At least Zhou Li understood them.

And so did Huai Xu.

But as simple as the rules were, what you were up against was never the rules; it was the other players.

Brother Nan's luck was very useful, but she didn't want to invest too much of it in something trivial like a part-time job, which was why she had also lost before. However, with just that bit more luck than most people and her exquisite gambling skills, she generally lost less and won more.

It was somewhat miraculous. Ever since Zhou Li and Huai Xu had sat down beside her, she kept winning without a single loss. Her eldest cousin, meanwhile, was consistently the one whose discard allowed her to win.

"Hey, this is weird..."

Her eldest cousin frowned deeply. "I remember this was clearly a Two of Bamboo. How did it become a Three of Bamboo?"

"You should cut back on your late nights," Brother Nan said with disdain.

"I'm serious!"

"Could it be that someone with the speed of Quicksilver from Marvel swapped your mahjong tile?" Brother Nan shook her head, utterly exasperated. "If you really can't afford to lose anymore, just say so. Let your wife take your place and be the one to feed me winning tiles."

"Ah, forget it... Three of Bamboo."

"I win. Pure one suit."

"Damn it..."

Her eldest cousin angrily pushed away the mahjong tiles.

Brother Nan adopted the very expression Zhou Li often teased her for making and told her eldest cousin, "No swearing."

Her eldest cousin was in utter agony.

Brother Nan laughed heartily, spreading her hands. "Alright, I'll stop picking on you. You guys keep playing. I'm taking him to see Grandpa Ma... Count the melon seeds, count the seeds."

After counting the melon seeds, they settled the payments.

Her second cousin and third cousin paid via WeChat transfer. Her eldest cousin, who had more cash on him, paid directly with several brand new red bills. Once Brother Nan received the money, she casually drew out three bills, flicked them noisily in her hand, and gave one each to Zhou Li and Huai Xu. Tuanzi didn't miss out either.

"Your share of the winnings!"

"Thanks, Brother Nan!"

"MEOW..."

"Thank... Thank you, Brother Nan."

Zhou Li, however, couldn't shake the feeling that this was more like hush money.