"BAA~~"
The sound of sheep ca from the back mountain, carrying echoes that pierced through the thin mist of the early morning. Huai Xu walked out of the house, casual and unconcerned, smacking his lips to ease the discomfort of brushing his teeth for the first ti, and asked, "You guys are going to Chunming, what about the sheep? Selling them?"
Miss Zheng didn't answer imdiately. Huai Xu waited patiently, listening to the bleating of the sheep.
It wasn't until Miss Zheng finished brushing her teeth that she stood up and said to him, "Qinghe and I have discussed it. We plan to leave them on this mountain, as these surrounding mountains are uninhabited. If Xing Hui and Lord Ji Bai want so at one day, they can co up the mountain to catch them."
"They could sell for quite a bit of money!"
Huai Xu felt quite distressed, thinking that these sheep were much more valuable than the cardboard and plastic bottles he had collected.
After listening again to the sounds from the back mountain, he nodded and said, "Alright, let's eat lamb these next few days, one a day until we leave. Hearing their bleats, I feel like they're calling for us to eat them."
"Which one should we eat?"
"The one that bleats the loudest."
"Okay."
"What about the cows? The horses? The chickens and ducks?" Huai Xu quickly continued, "And the pigs, the quails!"
"We can't eat the cows and horses," Miss Zheng said softly.
"I an, what should we do with them?"
"Leave them on the mountain too." Miss Zheng felt a bit embarrassed for misunderstanding him. "They'll be free, never have to work again, and there will be endless food. Besides, Xing Hui and Lord Ji Bai told they would check on them now and then."
"What about the dogs?"
"I'll call a truck when it's ti and take them all with us," Zhou Li answered for Miss Zheng. Then, pointing to the dormant plants on the ground, he asked her, "Are you going to dig these flowers and plants up and take them too? Or just leave them here to grow freely?"
"I'll leave them here. I'll co back in the future."
"That's good too. We can plant more when we get there. There have been many new Yueli varieties in recent years, and I've collected a lot. You have the patience, and now that your eyes are better, you'll definitely be able to take good care of them."
"Okay…"
Zhou Li stretched lazily. Noticing the Little Cat Girl beside him imitating his actions, stretching out her tiny arms and rounding her mouth, he couldn't help but smile.
After washing his face, Zhou Li sat down on a chair in the main room, took out his mobile phone, opened WeChat, found Hong Ran, and began typing steadily.
Zhou Li: Sis! /cute
Zhou Li: Can you help find a house in Chunming?
Hong Ran: Planning to stay in Chunming after graduation?
Zhou Li: Yeah.
Zhou Li: Happy?
Hong Ran: Getting bold, are we? Teasing your big sister now?
Zhou Li: Not at all.
Hong Ran: Hmph.
Hong Ran: What are your requirents?
Zhou Li: In the suburbs or outside the city. It needs to be very quiet. Secluded is okay, but not too remote; it still has to be convenient to get into the city. Also, there should be a plot of land nearby that I can use. I want to plant flowers and vegetables and raise small animals myself. Money is not an issue; I have plenty now.
Zhou Li: Oh, and it would be best if I could renovate it myself.
Hong Ran: Your requirents are quite high.
Zhou Li: I knew it wouldn't be easy to find online, that's why I'm asking you for help, Sis.
Hong Ran: You're asking for a manor.
Hong Ran: How many demons did you have to fight to earn that much money?
Zhou Li: Brother Nan set up a fund and stocks for . Whatever I buy goes up, especially the stocks—they've multiplied manyfold. I have so much money now, it's almost a burden.
Zhou Li: A manor isn't quite what I had in mind.
Zhou Li: Aside from the surroundings, I'm not that demanding about the house itself. It doesn't need to be too big; a large house would feel empty.
Hong Ran: I just happen to have two that et your requirents.
Zhou Li: Really? What a coincidence!
Hong Ran: Ah, it's not really a coincidence. It's because your sister owns a lot of property. Anyway, you can choose when you co to Chunming. Consider it your birthday gift.
Zhou Li: Thank you, Sis! /hug
Zhou Li: [Hugging your leg]
Hong Ran: Oh?
Hong Ran: You agreed very readily this ti.
Zhou Li: My skin's just gotten thicker, I guess.
Hong Ran: That's a good thing.
Zhou Li: Perhaps.
After chatting with Sister Hong Ran for a while, Zhou Li stood up and went upstairs to bother Brother Nan, who was still sleeping.
「February 20th.」
The group arrived at the village entrance, Miss Zheng frequently looking back over her shoulder. Zhou Li noticed she wasn't just looking at the village and courtyard where she had lived for twenty years. Her gaze also fell on the half-barren, gray-stone mountain peak that pierced the clouds. But there was nothing left on the mountain peak now.
Seeing this, Zhou Li said to Miss Zheng, "Starting a new life doesn't an you have to completely cut ties with the old one. We'll still co back for holidays. That's sothing we're completely free to do. It only takes a few hours to get to Yan City by high-speed train from Chunming."
"Mm."
Miss Zheng nodded.
Then Huai Xu extended his hand to her, a palm-sized scale resting on it.
"Take it."
The scale was as black as ink, shaped like an irregular triangle, and appeared to have a fine but hard texture. It seed very heavy.
Miss Zheng stared blankly at it.
"This is…"
"'I found it at the top of the mountain—just this one piece. Hey, he must have known he was leaving and left it for you as a keepsake,' Huai Xu said with a grin, not forgetting to add mockingly, 'He's certainly stupid. He didn't even consider that you wouldn't dare climb that mountain.'"
"Maybe Lord Evil God figured that so demon would run up to his nest after he left," Zhou Li retorted on Lord Evil God's behalf.
"That fool is that smart?" Huai Xu scoffed.
"Perhaps the truly foolish demon never thought of this and instead believed that Lord Evil God was stupid."
"? Why do you always take his side?"
"..."
Zhou Li fell silent, fearing this Old monster would sulk.
The group set off again, carrying their bags and bundles, heading down the mountain. At the bottom lay Miss Zheng's unknown new life. She was utterly unfamiliar with it and full of confusion. It must have taken imnse trust and courage for her to make such a decision.
At that mont, Brother Nan put his arm around her shoulders and chuckled, "After we get down the mountain, I'll teach you how to ride a bike... You know what a bike is, right?"
"I know."
"I'll teach you how to ride! It's so much fun!"
"Mm."
"I'll teach you badminton," Zhou Li also chid in.
"'Lord Dumpling will teach you how to roll!' Tuanzi chid in. Then, after pondering in Zhou Li's arms, as if realizing this human might have already mastered that skill, she tilted her head and shouted again, 'Lord Dumpling will teach you how to catch Fortune Butterflies!'"
"Thank you, Lord Dumpling," Miss Zheng said respectfully, though she knew Lord Dumpling rarely caught butterflies. On the rare occasion one was caught, Huai Xu would laugh and call the butterfly stupid.
"'I'll teach you...' Huai Xu paused here, anticipating Zhou Li's reaction. He quickly turned his head and glared at Zhou Li preemptively before continuing, 'I'll teach you to read, do math, and to draw, sing, and play instrunts. Oh, I can also teach you aerobics and Tai Chi.'"
"Mm."
Miss Zheng still nodded without speaking.
The vague vision of her new life slowly transford into sothing wonderfully promising.
Thanks to Sister Hong Ran's generous support, Zhou Li was able to directly charter a truck to Chunming. This ant he didn't need to find a house in the city first before moving the Dog Gang mbers over. To ensure Miss Zheng and the Dog Gang mbers felt at ease, he accompanied the truck the entire way, making sure everything went smoothly until they reached a courtyard in the Chunming City Suburbs. To be precise, they stopped at the intersection leading to it.
Sister Hong Ran was dressed in a bright red traditional gown, embroidered with Phoenix and Luan patterns in Golden Thread. She wasn't holding her short staff; her hands were completely covered by the wide, hanging sleeves.
She stood by the road to welco them, first giving a slight bow to the miniature girl who flew down from the truck.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Then her gaze shifted, sweeping over Zhou Li, Huai Xu, Brother Nan, and Tuanzi, a slight smile playing on her lips. Finally, her eyes rested on the sowhat bewildered Miss Zheng and Qinghe. She turned her head teasingly towards Zhou Li and joked, quite unconcerned about their reactions,
"Is she your girlfriend too?"
"..."
Brother Nan reacted more quickly. Almost instinctively, he hugged Miss Zheng, whose face had turned beet red. "This is my girlfriend!" he declared.
Zhou Li, recovering from his speechlessness, said, "She's shy. Don't tease her."
"Alright, alright..."
Hong Ran nodded repeatedly and stopped her teasing. She listened quietly as Zhou Li finished the introductions, then nodded to Miss Zheng and Qinghe before turning to walk inside.
"Let show you this one first.
"The advantage of this one is its proximity to the university town, and the surrounding land is vast. Hmm, it extends to the highway in front, to the creek at the back, to that forest on the left, and to that rapeseed field on the right. All the enclosed land in between can be used freely. The downside is that the house is a bit old; the design is sowhat dated, and the furnishings are rather worn. You might need to renovate it.
"The other option is more of a villa. The house itself is very nice, but it's a bit farther out, and the amount of land you wanted is smaller."
Zhou Li followed her forward.
The main road where they had stopped was well-maintained. It wasn't wide but was an adequate asphalt road, similar to those in residential areas. There were very few cars, and it offered convenient access to the city.
They were now on a concrete path leading to the courtyard. It was about three ters wide, just enough for a small car. Saplings were planted alongside it, and overgrown weeds indicated it had been uninhabited for a long ti. This path leading to the courtyard was roughly a hundred ters long, with land on both sides available for their use.
Ahead was a Chinese-style courtyard house that blended modern style with traditional architecture. Although Hong Ran called it old-fashioned, Zhou Li found it very stylish and contemporary.
It might have so age to it, but it wasn't outdated at all.
Behind the house, the land wasn't as spacious as in front, but it was still quite nice, much larger than the gardens accompanying many small villas. The distances to the edge of the forest on one side and the vegetable field on the other were about the sa, roughly a hundred ters each. This ford a grassy area approximately the size of a university athletic field—large enough even for horses.
Zhou Li almost imdiately wanted to choose this courtyard, but rembering that they hadn't seen the other villa and that the decision should be made collectively, he forcefully restrained himself.
After settling the Dog Gang there and making sure they were comfortable, they drove to the other property.
This one was indeed far, located on the opposite side of Dian Lake—a luxury villa truly remote from the city center. It was fully equipped, with a moderately sized garden and property managent services. Unfortunately, there were other villas not far away, which obviously wasn't suitable for the Dog Gang mbers, and the included land might not satisfy Miss Zheng, the little farr.
Without much discussion, the group made their choice.
"Sigh..."
Thinking that he had once again relieved his sister of a heavy economic burden, Zhou Li felt a little pride swell in his heart.
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