My Demon Friends-Chapter 580 - 554: Softie Big Brother

Stepping out of the crowded area, Brother Nan tilted her head back to greet the sunshine and stretched languidly. The movement highlighted the soft, delicate curves beneath her sweater. She let out a long, soft groan; it seemed sitting and playing mahjong for so long had left her with an aching back and waist. She stretched her neck and twisted her waist, doing rotational exercises, while saying to Zhou Li, "I'm going back to my hometown for the New Year tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Lord Dumpling is going too!" Tuanzi interjected.

"Tomorrow is the 28th; it's about time," Brother Nan said. "I was supposed to go back a couple of days ago."

"I see," Zhou Li mused. "It's good to go back. Your family is large; it'll be lively."

"Take Lord Dumpling with you! Take Lord Dumpling with you!"

"Yeah, and we can go up the mountain to roast sausages," Brother Nan continued. "It's just that my slingshot was broken by my younger brother; otherwise, we could go shoot some birds for fun. I could shoot one, roast it, and bring it to you."

"I don't eat that."

"Lord Dumpling wants to eat!"

"Don't worry." Brother Nan turned and patted Zhou Li's shoulder. "I'll come up to play with you after the New Year."

"When will that be?"

"You're all ignoring Lord Dumpling, hmph!"

"Maybe the second or third day of the New Year. Then we can go watch a movie. I want to watch 'Detective Chinatown 3' and 'Li Huanying.' I haven't watched movies in ages," Brother Nan said, pausing before complaining, "Can you believe Yan City isn't allowing fireworks this year? Many other cities have lifted the ban. Otherwise, I would have come up to watch the fireworks on New Year's Eve."

"You can set them off in the suburbs," Zhou Li said, jiggling Tuanzi in his arms to get a more comfortable hold. "Last year, I took Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing to the suburbs to do that."

"That's no fun."

"Oh."

Zhou Li still remembered when fireworks were allowed in the city. The entire city would be enveloped in them, a scene that could almost make you feel breathless.

There was a row of stone benches up ahead.

Brother Nan hopped over a couple of steps and plopped down on one. "Sigh, let's sit for a bit..."

Zhou Li set Tuanzi down but didn't sit himself. Instead, he moved behind Brother Nan, placed his hands on her shoulders, and began to knead them. Shaking his head, he said, "Sitting and playing games at night, then sitting and playing mahjong during the day—you're always sitting. Of course your back and waist are going to hurt."

"Nonsense," Brother Nan retorted, displeased. "I only came out to play mahjong today. I was working before this."

"Does it feel good?"

"It does."

Brother Nan was tough by nature, but her body was soft. As Zhou Li kneaded her shoulders, they felt boneless and smooth, very comfortable to the touch.

It appeared as though Brother Nan was the one enjoying it...

But that wasn't quite the case.

Just then, Tuanzi also climbed onto the stone bench. She looked up at Zhou Li, and after a moment's thought, she too placed her little paws on Brother Nan's legs, kneading them gently, one after another. "Lord Dumpling will give you a massage too, super comfy!" she declared.

Zhou Li glanced down.

Brother Nan was wearing a pair of leggings today. They looked very elastic and outlined the slender curves of her legs. Below, she wore a pair of mid-calf boots that made her legs look even longer.

It wasn't clear if Tuanzi's paws were dirty or something else, but as soon as she pressed down, a faint grey paw print, shaped like a plum blossom, appeared on the fabric.

"Lord Dumpling has dirtied your leggings," Zhou Li remarked.

"Lord Dumpling did not!" Tuanzi protested.

"No, these leggings were already dirty," Brother Nan said. "They're what I wear for chores; I've been wearing them for several days."

"See! Lord Dumpling didn't do it!"

"Were you wearing these same leggings last night?" Zhou Li asked.

"Yep, too lazy to change."

"So sloppy."

"Hehe."

Hearing this, Brother Nan didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. Instead, she turned back and grinned at him, looking rather proud.

"Look."

Brother Nan pinched a section of her leggings, pulled it away from her skin, then suddenly let go.

POOF!

Under the sunlight, a small cloud of dust puffed out.

Zhou Li blinked.

Tuanzi also froze, blinking, looking somewhat bewildered.

Brother Nan burst out laughing.

After massaging her for a little longer, Zhou Li withdrew his hands. He then sat down beside her, very close, and pulled Tuanzi onto his lap.

"Sigh, I wasn't done enjoying that yet," Brother Nan lamented.

Zhou Li, however, paid her no mind. He just looked down at her legs, then reached out. Mimicking what she had done earlier, he gently pinched a bit of her legging fabric, pulled it taut, and then glanced at her. Seeing no sign of anger, he let go.

POOF!

Another small puff of dust rose.

Brother Nan said nonchalantly, "These kinds of leggings are dust magnets; it's normal."

Zhou Li still seemed not to hear.

He kept flicking it.

Brother Nan watched him, speechless.

After letting him flick it twice, Brother Nan finally grew impatient. When he reached out again, she slapped his hand away. "If you really enjoy this so much," she said, "I'll buy you a pair next time. You can wear them, get them dirty, and flick them all you want."

The word 'amusing' seemed to be written all over Zhou Li's face. Although he hadn't succeeded that time, he wasn't discouraged. He glanced at Brother Nan and reached out again.

SMACK!

His hand was slapped away again.

Zhou Li said in a coaxing tone, "Just one more try."

THWACK!

Zhou Li calmly withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. He turned his head to look around and said, "They're selling kites over there. Let's buy one tomorrow and go fly it."

"Let's go."

"Okay." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

They went to the supermarket and bought two cases of Shuhua milk. Zhou Li also grabbed a bottle of wine that Old Zhou kept on the liquor cabinet purely for display. Soon, they arrived at Old Master Ma's house.

It was almost Chinese New Year, so all of Old Master Ma's children had returned home, along with several grandchildren. The oldest was about Zhou Li's age, and the youngest was already in junior high. The house was bustling with activity, and even though it was spacious, it felt somewhat crowded. Being there, Zhou Li couldn't help but feel a bit awkward; he wished he had chosen a different time to visit.

Fortunately, he had Brother Nan by his side. At this thought, Zhou Li instinctively glanced at Brother Nan.

Coincidentally, Brother Nan also turned her head to look at him, her face full of smiles. She winked at him, the meaning clear— Do you understand now why your big brother insisted on coming with you?

Zhou Li pursed his lips.

Old Master Ma's children, hearing Zhou Li was his young woodcarving friend, were very friendly to him. After all, it was the New Year holiday, and Zhou Li had even brought gifts.

Besides, Brother Nan, their neighbor, vouched for him.

So, shortly after entering the house, Zhou Li received so many snacks and candies that both his pockets were full.

As for the other younger ones, Brother Nan knew them all as well.

Thus, after some casual conversation, Zhou Li began to carve wood with Old Master Ma. Meanwhile, Brother Nan gathered with a group of young people nearby, swapping stories and chatting while they watched the carving process. The scene was perhaps even more harmonious than before Zhou Li and Brother Nan had arrived. Old Master Ma was cheerful the entire time, a smile on his face as he worked his knife.

"What are you carving?" Brother Nan asked.

"A slingshot," Zhou Li replied, holding up the roughly shaped piece of wood and giving it a little shake. "Attach a rubber band, and it'll be ready to use."

"Ah..."

"Any requests?"

"Make it look nice."

"Oh..."

Carving a crude slingshot is very easy and doesn't require much skill. In front of the man who was practically his carving teacher, Zhou Li certainly couldn't do something so plain. So, after shaping the basic slingshot, he picked up the smallest of Old Master Ma's carving knives and began to engrave it with a Dunhuang mural design, featuring flying Apsaras.