"This carving is quite good. A flying Apsara mural, isn't it?" Old Master Ma, wearing his reading glasses, took a quick look and recognized it imdiately.
"Yes," Zhou Li said, looking down, a bit embarrassed. "I only stayed at ho for two days after returning from school before I traveled to Qingjiang. I only rushed back last night, so I haven't co to visit you until now, even though the winter vacation has been so long."
"I heard about it from your girlfriend."
"Heh heh heh..."
It was rare for an elder to ntion his girlfriend right in front of him. This was Zhou Li's first relationship, and lacking experience, he felt sowhat embarrassed.
Aunt Jiang always called her Xiao Nan, which sounded sowhat more natural.
He stole a sidelong glance at Brother Nan—
Brother Nan's expression remained normal. She was still focused on the slingshot in his hands, her mouth slightly open, looking a bit silly.
It's because her skin is thicker, Zhou Li thought.
At that mont, Old Master Ma continued, "While you're young, you should travel around more. In my earlier years, I also wanted to admire the Dunhuang murals, but initially, I was busy making money. By the ti I had so money, it was all about following so nonsense... 'When your parents are alive, do not travel far.' Bullshit! By the ti those two old folks in my house had passed away, I could barely move!"
"Back then, transportation wasn't as convenient," Zhou Li said, flustered.
"Now that it's convenient, you young folks should travel more." Old Master Ma glanced out of the corner of his eye. "It's best to bring your girlfriend along. Touring mountains and enjoying the waters, how nice would that be."
"Hmm..."
So they had a further discussion about the Dunhuang murals.
Interestingly, Old Master Ma had never been to Dunhuang, but he was quite knowledgeable about its murals. He could na many famous murals and statues and had unique insights into these works from various dynasties and craftsn. Only later did Zhou Li hear him ntion that his family owned several books and collections about Dunhuang murals, and he used to have CDs. Zhou Li then listened as the younger relatives gathered around Old Master Ma described how he used to watch the CDs, pausing fra by fra to look carefully—their descriptions were very entertaining.
A young girl quoted her grandmother's exact words—
"He looked like he was about to crawl right into the screen."
Old Master Ma shook his head and chuckled, defending his dignity, "Your grandma was just concerned about , afraid I'd strain my eyes."
Before they knew it, evening had gradually fallen.
Zhou Li ate dinner there before heading ho.
He hadn't intended to stay initially, but it was hard to refuse such hospitality. Fortunately, Brother Nan was there to keep him company.
「7:30 PM.」
Old Zhou was still perched on the balcony railing, holding binoculars, deeply engrossed in watching people fish on the other side of the river. By the ti he noticed Zhou Li had returned, Zhou Li was already standing behind him.
Old Zhou's expression flickered.
He wanted to maintain his image as the dignified Head of the Family, but he really had sothing he wanted to share and couldn't keep it in. Since Zhou Li had caught him, he put down the binoculars, pursed his lips, and, feigning composure, began to tell Zhou Li about an amusing incident he'd witnessed that afternoon: "A fisherman was taken away by the police."
"Why?"
"He definitely didn't follow the recreational fishing rules."
"What are the rules for recreational fishing?"
"One rod and one hook per person."
"You seem to know a lot."
"..." Old Zhou paused. "It was on the news a few days ago."
"I see," Zhou Li nodded faintly, then asked, puzzled, "Why don't you buy so fishing gear and go fishing yourself?"
"I... I don't want to fish."
"Really?"
"Besides, I don't even know how."
"Even I've fished before."
"Huh? When? Where did you fish? Did you catch anything?"
Zhou Li just looked at him.
"Ahem," Old Zhou cleared his throat. "Don't go near the river too often. Be careful you don't fall in, especially since you can't swim." Fearing he'd made a mistake, he quickly added, "You can't swim, right?"
"I caught one."
"Oh, well, that's not bad."
"It's quite simple."
"Where would I find the leisure ti or energy for that? Besides, I'm not a kid like you. I'm long past the age for such gas."
"The people fishing across the river are all old n."
"..."
Old Zhou waved his hand dismissively, put down the binoculars, sat on the sofa, picked up the remote, and pretended he was going to watch TV.
"I'm going to my room."
Zhou Li walked into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.
Old Zhou casually put down the remote and reached for the binoculars again.
"CLICK!"
The door opened again.
Zhou Li poked his head out. "By the way, where did Aunt Jiang go?"
Old Zhou, while gently patting dust off the sofa, replied, "She went square dancing with Aunt Li from next door."
"Oh."
CLICK. The door closed again.
However, Zhou Li didn't leave. He stood behind the door for a mont, listening to the footsteps moving from the living room out to the balcony.
Lying on the bed, Huai Xu comnted, "If Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang knew how mischievous you are, they'd be furious."
Zhou Li didn't say anything, just walked back to the bed and sat down.
Huai Xu turned over on the upper bunk, making the bed creak. He leaned over the edge, peering down. "I'm not spending New Year's with you this year. I'm going to Little Zheng's place."
"Hmm? Why?"
"There's no at to eat at your place. Little Zheng has at."
"Oh..."
"Heh heh..." Huai Xu grinned at Zhou Li's expression. "You're really going to miss , aren't you?"
"Yes."
Zhou Li admitted honestly.
It had been a long ti since he and Huai Xu had been apart. Moreover, Brother Nan wouldn't be in the city for the New Year, and this year Zhu Shuang had also gone to Jin Palace. With Huai Xu leaving too, it would be truly quiet.
But then again, there were tis before Brother Nan and Huai Xu, and Zhu Shuang used to visit Jin Palace every other year. Hasn't it always been like this?
Now, he was actually a bit unaccustod to it...
Zhou Li found this thought amusing.
anwhile, the Old Monster's expression grew increasingly smug. "If you sincerely pray to the Great Devil King, the Great Devil King might consider not leaving."
"Just go."
"TCH!"
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow." The Old Monster's girlish head retracted. "I've already made plans with Little Zheng. She said she'd cook lamb for , and there'll be chicken, duck, fish, sausages, cured at, and stuff like that. If there's anything you want to eat, just tell , and I'll bring it to you."
"Got it."
"I'll eat there during the day and co back to sleep here with you at night."
"..."
Voices from the living room drifted in, muffled by the soundproofing, indicating Aunt Jiang was back.
When Zhou Li ca out of his room, Old Zhou was no longer on the balcony. He was standing behind Aunt Jiang, massaging her shoulders while Aunt Jiang held her phone, talking. From their conversation, it was clear that Zhu Shuang, her "adorable little one," was on the phone, telling his mom about his experiences at Happy Valley that day.
Zhou Li glanced over—
Old Zhou's technique is surprisingly no worse than mine!
He took a few more looks and realized Old Zhou's technique was significantly different from his own. This ans... there's great value in learning from each other and improving!
So, Zhou Li walked past the chair Aunt Jiang was sitting on and, ignoring Old Zhou's increasingly stiff expression, sat down directly on the sofa behind them. He began to observe Old Zhou's massage techniques attentively. I swear, my attitude is strictly for learning, with absolutely no intention of mocking Old Zhou, he told himself.
However, Old Zhou's movents grew even stiffer. Eventually, he couldn't help but turn to look at Zhou Li, asking with concern, "What are you doing?"
"Watching TV."
"Weren't you in your room playing on your phone or computer?"
"Don't mind . Please, continue."
"..."
"OW~~"
Tuanzi jumped onto Zhou Li's lap.
At the sa ti, Aunt Jiang patted Old Zhou's hand. Old Zhou imdiately understood and quickly resud the massage.
Half a minute later, Old Zhou looked back again, only to find Zhou Li with his hands on Tuanzi, mimicking his massage technique, as if teasing him.
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