Aunt Jiang was the first to return. After resting for a bit, she immediately started to prepare the crayfish.

Old Zhou was next.

As soon as Old Zhou returned, he turned on the news but didn't watch for long before Aunt Jiang roped him into helping.

That night, Aunt Jiang made four different crayfish dishes.

Besides the crayfish, she only stir-fried some garlic greens. In the end, even the potato slices and lotus root in the crayfish dish were tastier than the crayfish meat itself.

Zhu Shuang didn't return until after his evening self-study session.

He tossed a stack of papers onto the coffee table and collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a long sigh of exhaustion. He looked just like Zhou Li used to.

"Sigh... this is so annoying..."

"You're back." Zhu Shuang noticed Zhou Li sitting in the corner of the sofa. "I'm so envious of you guys who graduated early."

"We also went through senior year before graduating," Zhou Li said. "I saved some crayfish for you, the ones I brought back. They might have cooled down a bit. Want me to heat them up for you?"

"Thanks, Brother~~"

"HISSS..." That tone of voice was really unbearable.

Zhou Li silently stood up and went into the kitchen.

「Ten minutes later.」

Zhu Shuang put on disposable gloves and started eating, chatting with Zhou Li as he peeled the crayfish. He kept asking about Zhou Li's experiences over the past few days, curious about catching crayfish and crabs. Compared to Zhou Li, he was a genuine city kid.

He was filled with envy.

"BURP. I can't eat anymore. I'm going to wash up and sleep. You should get to bed early too," Zhu Shuang said, tossing the gloves into the trash can.

"It's fine. I don't have school tomorrow," Zhou Li said.

Zhu Shuang fell silent for a moment, then asked, "So, what will you do?"

"Nothing much," Zhou Li said after a moment's thought. "I'll just play some games at home. If I get bored, I'll go hang out with Grandpa Ma and his wood carvings. Then I'll come back, eat some watermelon with a spoon, take a nap, wake up, read some classic novels, and then it'll be about time for dinner. Afterward, I'll go for a walk along the river... Really, nothing special."

Zhu Shuang's silence lasted even longer. Then, through gritted teeth, he said, "After I finish my college entrance exams, I'm going to live like that too!"

"I heard the college entrance exams have been postponed."

"Mom!" Zhu Shuang shouted towards the closed master bedroom door. "Brother goes out strolling along the riverbank with Brother Nan every night! You guys never check on them! The river has risen recently; it's so dangerous!"

Zhou Li shook his head. This kid's vindictiveness is too strong.

Zhu Shuang went to take a shower.

Of course, the crayfish weren't finished. Zhou Li sneakily brought the leftovers into his room for Huai Xu to eat.

Night had long since swallowed the city. Faint sounds of traffic drifted in from outside—a far cry from the peace and quiet of the village.

"How many years has Aunt Jiang been cooking?" Huai Xu suddenly asked, looking up.

"Not that many. Her cooking wasn't good before. It only started to improve when I was in my senior year of high school," Zhou Li said quietly.

"So, almost two years then."

"Why? Wasn't it tasty?"

"It was delicious."

"Then what's the issue?"

"Brother Nan's cooking was delicious too."

"Hmm?"

"Brother Nan is a genius." Huai Xu popped a piece of shrimp into her mouth. She currently appeared as an enchantingly gorgeous woman, her eyes and brows carrying an exotic look reminiscent of the Western Regions. She somewhat resembled the wildly popular Qingjiang actress Dilinazha, only even more beautiful.

"So?"

"So, let Brother Nan cook in the future. You're not cut out for it," Huai Xu declared, delivering her blunt assessment of Zhou Li's culinary skills. "It was Brother Nan's first time making crayfish, while Aunt Jiang made them last year, yet their flavors were surprisingly comparable."

"Brother Nan grew up watching his dad cook, so he was influenced by him. He just followed his father's videos," Zhou Li countered. "That kind of dish looks complicated, but with so many spices, it isn't actually that hard. As long as you follow the steps, it's difficult to mess it up too badly."

Zhou Li was outwardly defending Aunt Jiang, but inwardly, he was a bit miffed that this old monster was praising Brother Nan so highly. My own cooking talent isn't bad either!

He added, "Besides, when young people try their hand at these things, it often shows they have a knack for it."

"Let Brother Nan do the cooking from now on!" Huai Xu insisted.

"That's not very realistic."

"We could do this," Huai Xu mused, still peeling crayfish. "People enjoy doing things not just out of genuine passion. Sometimes, it's because the activity satisfies an inner need, like for a sense of achievement or to gratify their vanity."

"Are you suggesting..."

"Exactly."

That might work... Zhou Li became lost in thought.

"What do you think?" Huai Xu pressed. "If Brother Nan cooks in the future, it'll save you a lot of energy too."

"Let's give it a try."

"AWESOME!"

"Do you dislike my cooking that much?" Zhou Li frowned. "Wasn't the Sweet Osmanthus Cake I made last time pretty good? And I haven't really cooked much in Chunming, so it's not like I've traumatized your taste buds here, right? Why do you sound like you have PTSD from my food?"

"Want some crayfish?" Huai Xu offered a peeled crayfish to Zhou Li.

"No, thanks."

The old monster had just licked her fingers while eating crayfish, and now she was holding one out to him.

As if! She wasn't the real Dilinazha, anyway...

「May 5th, morning.」

Zhou Li didn't eat breakfast at home. He went to Brother Nan's home for noodles but didn't see Brother Nan. He did, however, run into Brother Nan's parents and greeted them politely as "Uncle" and "Auntie," careful not to reveal anything.

After eating, he headed to Old Master Ma's house.

Just as he stepped into the yard, he bumped into Brother Nan.

Brother Nan was holding a shallow basket, shaking its contents as he walked, making a RATTLE RATTLE sound.

"Brother Nan," Zhou Li called out.

"Yo, morning."

"Morning. What are you doing?"

"My mechanical keyboard got dirty, so I just washed it. I'm taking the keycaps out to dry," Brother Nan said, walking over to a car and placing the shallow basket on its roof.

"Oh."

"You go on ahead. I'll come find you to hang out in a bit."

"Okay."

Zhou Li then went into Old Master Ma's house. Perhaps because it was early, he also met Old Master Ma's wife.

The elderly couple were in the middle of a typical domestic squabble.

Old Master Ma was complaining that his wife spent all her time collecting cardboard and bottles, filling up an entire room with them, and that it hardly earned any money. His wife retorted that all he did was carve wood all day, especially that female figure, and told him he might as well go live with the woman he carved.

Zhou Li felt a bit awkward.

His arrival interrupted their bickering.

The old woman smiled at him kindly and nodded.

Old Master Ma adjusted his glasses and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhou, you're back! How was Li Nan's hometown?"

"It was alright."

"You've come at just the right time." Old Master Ma took out a new statue of a woman and said to Zhou Li, "Look at this. Which one do you think is better, this one or the one on the shelf?"

"Hmm..." Zhou Li examined it carefully and pondered for a long time before saying honestly, "The one on the shelf is a bit better carved, but this one has more spirit. It's as if you can see what she was thinking just by looking at the statue."

"I thought so too."

Old Master Ma immediately took the statue down from the shelf and replaced it with the one in his hand. He leaned in to scrutinize it closely, then suddenly asked Zhou Li, "What do you think she's thinking?"

"She seems a little flustered."

"Heh!"

"Have you ever met her?" Zhou Li had been curious about this for a long time. He gazed at the statue of the woman. "She's so beautiful, she almost doesn't seem real. Yet, she's so lifelike, not like something imagined out of thin air. She's like..."

"Like what?"

"Like a demon."

"A demon..."

A faint smile touched Old Master Ma's lips. "I don't know if she was a demon or an immortal. I'm old now. I've forgotten whether I truly saw her or only in a dream. It was many, many years ago."

"I see."

"She is indeed a type of demon," Huai Xu suddenly appeared before Zhou Li and informed him. "I've forgotten their name, but this kind of demon looks just like a human—very beautiful, but also very frail. They don't sleep, and humans can only see them under specific weather conditions. Because of their allure, many humans become captivated by them, remembering them for a lifetime. Some even abandon everything to seek them out... Alas, they are like the moon reflected in a well or a flower in the water: glimpsed only by chance, and forever untouchable."

"?"

"Of course, they're not as pretty as me. And I don't disappear."

"??"

"Huh? What's with that look on your face?"

"???"

"Oh, this?" Huai Xu said. "Brother Nan just called me over to play games. I overheard your conversation and got curious, so I came to take a look... I wasn't eavesdropping, though!"

"..."

"I'm off!"

And just like that, Huai Xu vanished as suddenly as she'd appeared.

Zhou Li continued to gaze at the statue.

To be remembered so vividly by Old Master Ma after all these years... their encounter back then must have been truly beautiful and deeply impressive, right?