「The following morning.」
After breakfast, Zhou Li finished washing the dishes and returned to his room, planning to lie down for a bit longer.
The bamboo mat was cool and pleasant to the touch, and the thin blanket carried a soft, soothing scent of soap. Since there wasn't much to do in the mountains, he could continue lying there until ten in the morning.
It was the life a salted fish could only dream of.
"OW!"
Tuanzi jumped onto the bed, leaped high into the air, and then landed heavily, right on Zhou Li's chest.
Zhou Li's expression was calm. "Lord Dumpling, that hurts."
"That's just how cats are, you know!"
"Sigh..."
"OW!"
Tuanzi approached Zhou Li's hand, treating it as prey. She began to play-fight, nibbling and scratching, her eyes darting around, seemingly indifferent to his feelings.
"Don't run away from Zhou Ni's hand!"
"OW!"
"Zhou Ni, let Lord Dumpling have a bite!"
Suddenly, she stopped, turned her head towards the room next door, licked her lips with her pink tongue, her eyes sparkling.
"Your Highness seems to be awake!"
"Your Highness! Are you up, OW?"
"HAAAH~~"
The sound of Brother Nan yawning ca from the room next door. The drawn-out sound allowed Zhou Li to picture her stretching enchantingly, like a cat.
"OW!"
Tuanzi imdiately forgot about Zhou Li, hopped off the bed, and ran towards the door.
Zhou Li sighed and shook his head. He glanced at the moist saliva marks on his palm, wiped them on his T-shirt, then got out of bed and slowly walked towards the door.
Ah! Lord Dumpling hasn't even gotten through the door yet? That's quite delightful.
Zhou Li smiled and raised his hand, greeting the cat that was continuously scratching at the door, "Morning, Lord Dumpling."
Tuanzi turned her head to look at him, ignored him, and continued to focus on scratching at the door.
"SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH..."
The scratching noise against the old wooden door was quite noticeable.
Zhou Li grasped the doorknob, twisted it, and opened the door.
Tuanzi glanced at him again and then hopped over the threshold into the room.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, stood in a corner of the room. He held a fuchsia mirror with a celebrity's portrait on its back and stared unblinkingly at his reflection, fussing with his bangs. He murmured to himself, "You just opened the door like that. What if I were changing clothes?"
Tuanzi quickly turned her head. "It was Zhou Ni who opened it!"
Zhou Li sighed again and said, exasperated, "This is my girlfriend..."
"Oh, indeed!"
His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, nodded. He continued to focus on his hair in the mirror, but with a raised eyebrow, he asked, "You needed sothing?"
"Yes."
Zhou Li walked into the room.
Although Miss Zheng's eyesight wasn't good, her room wasn't ssy at all. It had everything a normal rural girl's bedroom should have, all tidy, simple, and cozy. The room slled of a girl's fragrance mixed with a hint of the mosquito coil that had burned all night.
On the bedside table were a black hair tie, a charging cable, earphones, and even a Peach. On the dressing table were Brother Nan's laptop and a large gold brick.
Since sumr had arrived, there was even an oscillating fan at the foot of the bed. This setup was more upscale than the room Zhou Li and Baozi shared.
Zhou Li stole a glance while saying, "I have a question to ask you."
"Let guess..."
His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, put down the mirror. His clean, fair face bore the square imprint of the bamboo mat on one side, and his black and white eyes were clear. He looked at Zhou Li with a faint smile. "Is it about that big fellow living on the mountaintop, or about this little girl's eyes, right?"
"Your Highness is wise."
Zhou Li replied honestly, then asked, "For a case like this, is there a cure?"
"Basically, no!"
His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu's reply was just as straightforward. He bent down to pick up Tuanzi, who had been rubbing against his feet, and squeezed the bundle of fur vigorously. "Before asking , you must have already consulted others. What did they tell you?"
"They said the sa thing," Zhou Li said, looking down. "But I still wanted to ask Your Highness once more. If even soone as learned as Your Highness is helpless, then it must truly be impossible."
"Don't flatter ; I'm not that learned at all."
"Alright."
"...I was just saying." His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, indicated that he still appreciated the flattery; he enjoyed it imnsely. "Your girlfriend already asked about this."
"So?"
"Fundantally speaking, this isn't a disease, but a talent," His Royal Highness explained. "It's a talent granted to her by the Will of the World, allowing her to easily discern Demons. Not only can she distinguish Demons disguised as humans, but she can also gauge the strength of the Demon based on how clearly she sees them. Removing this talent is not easy."
"Not easy," Zhou Li repeated. "Does it require very strict conditions?"
"Maybe after the Old Land World moves away, it will beco much simpler," His Royal Highness said. "By then, this foolish talent will be aningless."
"I see," Zhou Li's eyes widened. "What should be done then?"
"This art is not my area of expertise," he said. "When the ti cos, other scholars more learned than I will remain. You can seek them out then. Perhaps you'll find a solution... though it might still be difficult, or perhaps, quite simple."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"You're welco." His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, waved his hand dismissively. "Go heat up breakfast for ."
"Got it."
This morning's breakfast was turnip boiled with pieces of wheat dough. Although turnips are plain vegetables, the soup they made was incredibly delicious. Sprinkled with a few scallions and so mint leaves, it was both savory and refreshing.
Zhou Li watched as His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, slurped down a large bowl, silently pondering.
...
Today, Baozi was no longer heartbroken over the drone; her mood had returned to normal, and she went out to take photos all morning.
She was tough, both physically and ntally.
In the afternoon, with nothing to do and the weather too hot for photography, Baozi stayed indoors, learning to make desserts with Little Sister Zheng.
Today, they were making cool milky cubes.
The thod was simple: mix sugar and cornstarch into milk, add so colorful fruit juice for tinting, then cook over low heat until the mixture thickened. It was then poured into a container and refrigerated until solidified. The result was soft, wobbly cubes, springy to the touch, that lted in the mouth, offering a cool, milky sweetness.
Baozi learned with utmost diligence.
She made two boxes in total. One, with added strawberry juice, was a faint, charming pink. The other, with blueberry juice, was a refreshing pale blue.
Baozi felt a profound sense of achievent, ready to snack on them all afternoon.
However, when Brother Nan ca downstairs, the entire afternoon's worth of treats vanished in two minutes.
Baozi dared not protest.
Only when her cousin ca downstairs did she dare to approach him, looking aggrieved. "Cousin," she said timidly, "this afternoon I made desserts with Sister Zheng. I worked so hard, but Brother Nan ca down and ate them all!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Were they tasty?"
"They were! You should..."
"I should definitely try so!"
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