My Demon Friends-Chapter 584 - 558 Arrangements

The sun also came out in Yan City that afternoon, but it only lasted until about four or five o'clock before clouds covered it up.

After dinner, Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, went for a walk, following the riverbank. The sky had just dimmed, with some lingering light still visible when someone started setting off fireworks.

"This is it!"

Tuanzi stretched out a little paw, pointing in that direction and straining to look back at Zhou Li, "Lord Dumpling was scared by this last night!"

Zhou Li also looked in that direction.

It was coming from Dongyue Mountain.

These were usually set off secretly, and generally, the relevant departments didn't bother much; by the time you got there, the people would have already left.

So Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, stood on the bridge along with many strangers, pausing to enjoy the distant fireworks, and only left after the last firework had fizzled out.

"So beautiful!"

"Indeed!"

"It's a pity we didn't set any off this year. We should have…" Zhou Li bowed his head, "Right?"

"Yes!"

"It's all Zhu Shuang's fault."

"It's all Huai…" Tuanzi hesitated for a moment, having misspoken, then blinked and asked, "Why is it just us these days?"

"Because they're not here."

"What about Brother Lan?"

"She went back to her hometown."

"And Huai Xu?"

"She…" Zhou Li tilted his head and thought, "Because she didn't obey, she was driven away."

"Huai Xu always disobeys!"

"So, you see, the fish soup noodles we ate today were so delicious, and she missed out."

"Poor thing~~"

"Yeah," Zhou Li nodded. Just as Lord Dumpling was expressing pity for Huai Xu, Zhou Li suddenly asked, "Is Lord Dumpling obedient?"

"Yes! Obedient!!"

The tone was a bit firmer than before, showing panic.

Zhou Li couldn't help but laugh, slowly walking and saying, "I was kidding. Huai Xu went up the mountain to lend her eyes to Little Zheng; she wasn't driven away by me. Even if Lord Dumpling is disobedient, I would still really like and respect Lord Dumpling."

"Really, meow?"

"Really."

"Then Lord Dumpling will be disobedient!"

"Alright."

"Meow?"

"Lord Dumpling doesn't need to listen to anyone; Lord Dumpling is very smart, listens to others but makes his own decisions, right?"

"Meow…"

"This dumb cat doesn't understand."

"!!"

"MEOW!!"

Both human and cat turned their heads, looking at a slender figure beside them.

This figure walked beside them at the same pace, as though she had always been there, as if she had left the house with them.

"You're scary."

Zhou Li snapped out of it, exhaled, and began to size up this Miss Zheng, "When did you come here?"

"I've been here for a while, I even heard you talking bad about me! Luckily you explained later, otherwise if the Great Devil King got angry, it would be disastrous!" Huai Xu paused, then added, "By the way, how did you know I lent my eyes to Little Zheng? I specifically told her not to tell you."

"Why not tell me?"

"Good deeds should be anonymous."

"…" Zhou Li had already given up on retorting, "She sent me a photo, your New Year's Eve dinner."

"I see." The old monster nodded, swiftly comprehending. Rubbing her chin, she adopted a teacherly tone, "You figured out what I really wanted to do just from seeing me as Little Zheng. While this is partly because you're getting to know me, the Great Devil King, much better, I must admit, your intelligence isn't bad."

"No," Zhou Li honestly said, "mainly because you take terrible photos, and no one else knows how to use a smartphone."

"What did you eat today?"

"That's quite a sudden topic change," Zhou Li paused, "Tang Yuan in the morning, noodles at noon, and some leftover cold dishes for dinner."

"Just like us!" Huai Xu nodded.

"The fish soup noodles were super delicious!" Tuanzi said.

"We also used fish soup with noodles at noon, and Little Zheng added a lot of vegetables in it, like the flowering heads of rapeseed."

"Flowering heads of rapeseed?" Zhou Li was puzzled, "Is it tasty?"

"It didn't taste good initially, a bit bitter, but after a few more bites, it suddenly started to taste better, getting more and more delicious." Huai Xu, while talking, looked into the distance, "Any entertainment plans for tonight, like all-nighter gaming sessions or something?"

"No."

"Bummer…"

"Brother Nan isn't here…"

Such entertainment plans were usually arranged by Brother Nan, but Brother Nan might only return the day after tomorrow, and Zhou Li was already missing her.

A gust of cold evening wind blew by.

「Li Family Bay.」

Old Li's family "girls' dormitory" light had broken.

The daughters' room was decorated better, so the light fixture was a decorative chandelier brought from the city, not the exposed energy-saving bulbs common in rural areas. Brother Nan rode an electric tricycle from one end of the village to the other, searching two stores, and finally had to go to the commune to find a suitable bulb.

The girls' dormitory was pitch dark, so the siblings gathered in the boys' dorm, playing "Who's the Undercover." However, Old Li's family wasn't the brightest, so the game was a mess.

"Li Nan is back! Come join us!" shouted Big Cousin immediately.

"No need." Brother Nan was disdainful of playing with them. She just gestured with the light bulb in her hand, "Got the bulb. I'm going to change it. Someone give me a flashlight."

"Wait until this round is over…"

"You'll reek of it after eating."

"We plan to eat this when we get back to Yan City." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"There are lots of different types."

"I'll come!"

In critical moments, her own younger brother was still the most reliable. Li Dong, the only one not playing the game, stood up.

Brother Nan curled the corner of her mouth and walked out. After taking a few steps, she stopped and turned back, "One is hot pot, the other is a personal spicy hot pot. You could all be a bit more obvious; might as well write it on your faces. It makes no difference to the undercover anyway…"

At this moment, Second Cousin's eyes widened, "So you guys were hot pot! I thought you were all personal spicy hot pot! I turned out to be the undercover!"

Brother Nan: ...

Utterly speechless.

In the girls' dormitory, Li Dong held his phone up for light.

Brother Nan first laid a film on the bed and brought over a stool to place on it, deeming it sufficient, then she opened the light bulb's packaging.

Hey, this is pretty interesting...

Brother Nan grinned and said to her brother beside her, "Look at this label on it, 'Do not put the light bulb in your mouth,' haha, are they crazy? Which idiot would ever put a light bulb in their mouth? You can't eat this thing."

Li Dong seriously replied, "Because once it's put in the mouth, it can't be taken out, leading to serious consequences."

"Huh? Why can't it be taken out?"

"I... I don't know... just can't be taken out."

"It can be taken out."

"It can't, our teacher said so."

"In theory, if it can go in, it should come out." Brother Nan started reasoning with her brother, "Look, this light bulb is very smooth. If it can go in, that means it's the right size. Even if you can't get it out, it's probably because it's not lubricated enough. Just add some oil, and it'll come out."

"Our teacher said…"

Before his brother could finish, his eyes suddenly widened, realizing he had involuntarily misspoken, and he quickly covered his mouth, looking worriedly at his sister.

The sister looked back at him, their eyes meeting.

Not long after, the sister lowered her head to size up the light bulb, then opened her mouth as wide as she could, reaching in to touch, as if sizing it up.

Ten minutes later, despite consuming a copious amount of rapeseed oil, Brother Nan still couldn't get the light bulb out. She sat blankly in the living room, her cheek puffed out, the end of the light bulb peeking from her mouth.

A crowd had gathered, with everyone from Old Li's family present, from the oldest over seventy to the youngest just a few years old, crowding around, even drowning out the sound of the television.

Some discussed strategies anxiously, some scolded her with disappointment, some mocked her, and most annoyingly, some even took photos and videos with their phones.

Brother Nan looked around with her eyes, not uttering a word.

Of course, she couldn't say anything.

But inside, she was calm.

Why won't it come out?

Finally, the family decided to take her to the town's hospital, and Uncle Four, the only one who hadn't drunk alcohol that evening, drove her there.

Uncle Four had served in the army and was a formidable driver. However, he faced a challenge. The village at night was bustling with people and cars. The roads, already narrow, were further crowded by small stalls, leading to an immediate traffic jam as they tried to leave.

Grandma, worried for her granddaughter, hurried forward, "Please make way, everyone! My granddaughter needs to get to the hospital!"

Old Li's family held a prominent position in the village, commanding great respect.

This exclamation was significant.

People strolling after dinner, those out buying barbecue, residents living right on the street, and even those who had just arranged to go square dancing behind the village—a crowd of local folks quickly gathered. They peered with concern at Brother Nan through the car's un-tinted windows.

Brother Nan: ...

Still expressionless.

The villagers' concern was sincere, their actions quick, and their smiles pure.

The small stalls obstructing traffic were quickly moved back into houses. Uncle Li Bing directed oncoming cars to the side. Aunt Zhang Lan, usually stingy, removed the stones from her doorway and, quite uncharacteristically, allowed vehicles to drive up onto her curb. Aunt Cui Qing even hurried the cars ahead by banging on their hoods...

The road was clear in an instant.

That's why they say distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors.

Brother Nan turned to look out the window, and the people outside also looked at her, watching as she left.

At that moment, making any superfluous expressions wasn't easy since her face was already feeling sore and stretched.

Mumbling incomprehensibly, unable to speak, Brother Nan could only take out her phone, type a message, and show it to Uncle Four: Let's go to the city hospital, and I won't come back.

Uncle Four nodded and laughed heartily, "I understand, I understand."

"Mmm mmm mmm…"

"What?"

"Mmm mmm mmm…"

"Drive faster? Stop talking." Uncle Four continued to laugh, glancing at her with the corner of his eye, "I think you just have too small a mouth. If it were bigger, it wouldn't have gotten stuck. Like me, with a big mouth, it wouldn't get stuck, so there are benefits to having a big mouth."

"..."

Brother Nan shot him a glance; his mouth indeed was quite large.