"Let Lord Dumpling see!"

"Lord Dumpling wants to see too!"

"Lord Dumpling wants to see the green cicada!"

Tuanzi was making a fuss in Zhou Li's hand, struggling to stand up by forcefully pulling on Zhou Li's hand and stretching her neck like a small child.

Once she saw the cicada, she quieted down immediately. She no longer made a sound, just blinked her eyes, curiously staring at these little insects. From time to time, she would also turn her head to look at the other people around, her eyes seemingly glowing.

Suddenly, she pointed to a cicada that had crawled onto Zhou Li's sleeve and said, "Zhou Li, it's going to crawl into your clothes!"

Zhou Li then caught that cicada for her to play with.

"Don't kill it; it's very fragile."

"Oh, Lord Dumpling knows that!"

"Acting all grown up..."

"What 'grown up'?" Tuanzi looked at him, puzzled. Her voice was that of a child, but her tone was like an adult's.

"Nothing."

"Ooh~~"

Tuanzi then continued to stare blankly at the Green Cicada in front of her. After a while, she carefully extended a tiny paw to gently touch it. But as soon as she did, she withdrew her hand like a flash of lightning and continued to stare at it curiously, asking, "Does it bite?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh~"

"Lord Dumpling is quite the young lady..." Zhou Li said.

"A young lady...?" Tuanzi repeated, puzzled.

"It means Lord Dumpling comes from a good family, born into a very impressive household," Zhou Li explained.

"Oh! A young lady!" Tuanzi exclaimed, having remembered. She then explained to him, "Lord Dumpling was raised by His Highness! Even Demons like Lin Zhong and Hong Ran have to be very respectful when they see Lord Dumpling!"

"Impressive, impressive..."

"Ooh, it crawled onto my paw!" Tuanzi's eyes widened, and she asked Zhou Li again, "Can it fly?"

"Yes."

"Does it glow?"

"No."

"Does it glow at night?"

"No... I don't know," Zhou Li hesitated for a moment. "But I've seen an insect that glows called a firefly. Lord Tuanzi must have seen them on summer nights too, right? Their tails emit a green light; they're very beautiful."

"I've seen them! They're not called fireflies; they're called Bright Bugs! And every Bright Bug carries a little lantern!" Tuanzi told him.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe I didn't observe them well enough."

Zhou Li leaned in to look at her. Tuanzi's eyes were like a vast, deep blue ocean of stars, filled with countless sparkling little pinpricks of light. At that moment, he felt there was nothing in this world more beautiful than a child's curiosity and imagination. Curiosity. Imagination, he mused. These are perhaps the most beautiful, and also the greatest, traits of all intelligent beings.

Zhou Li and Tuanzi sat in the courtyard playing with the Green Cicadas until noon. He had planned to persuade Tuanzi to release them, but to his surprise, the 'persuading' step was completely skipped.

Though Tuanzi was reluctant, she agreed readily.

"Goodbye, little bugs." She wagged her tail, gently nudging the Green Cicadas with her paw to make them leave.

"It's noon already."

Zhou Li saw smoke already rising from the small rooftop, curling up into the air. He gently flicked Tuanzi's forehead. "I didn't even start the fire because I was playing with bugs with you. They must think I intentionally slacked off."

"You mean talking."

"Alright, because I was talking with you..."

The morning mist had completely dissipated, revealing the blue sky and white clouds. The surroundings were completely enveloped by the cacophony of summer insects and birds.

...

After lunch, they were going to leave.

Brother Nan sat on horseback, holding a yogurt pudding made by Zheng Zhilan, and waved to her. "We'll come again when we're on vacation!"

Zheng Zhilan smiled as she watched her.

Zhou Li, holding the reins, also said, "Unless something unexpected happens, we won't be back until after July. I'll give your contact information to Mr. Jiang in a bit. While I'm away, he can contact you."

"Okay."

"Then we're off."

"Take it slow on the road."

"Sure."

Zhou Li then led the horse down the mountain, an ice cream in his hand, eating as he walked. After walking a few steps, he looked back. Zheng Zhilan was still standing by the courtyard, watching them.

The horse snorted.

The sun was so intense that people couldn't help but squint. The mountains were filled with the cries of returning cuckoos, and the group moved further and further away.

"Still no news from Xing Hui..." Zhou Li said to Huai Xu.

"Don't worry. Demons usually keep their promises, especially someone like Xing Hui, who knows the ropes," Huai Xu said, slurping on the stick of his finished popsicle. "So many years have passed, what's the rush now?"

"Maybe."

Zhou Li fell silent.

「May 20th, morning.」

Zhou Li had packed his things and was sitting on the sofa munching on watermelon, waiting for Brother Nan to pick him up.

"Xiao Shuang asked you to send him some fresh flower cakes," Old Zhou reminded.

"I remember."

"We want some too," Old Zhou added.

"Do you have any requirements for the packaging?" Zhou Li asked.

"It's better if they're packaged well; they look nicer as gifts. We can also buy some loose ones for ourselves," Old Zhou said, crossing his legs. Zhu Shuang also had requirements for the packaging. Who is he planning to give them to? he wondered.

"How many boxes does Xiao Shuang want?" Aunt Jiang suddenly asked.

"A dozen or so boxes..."

"This... this child!" Aunt Jiang's expression changed slightly. Then she said to Zhou Li, "Don't listen to him—I mean, so many boxes would cost a fortune! Just ignore him."

"It's okay."

"Xiao Shuang also said that after his college entrance exams, he wants to visit Caiyun with his sister and asked you to be their guide," Old Zhou said, changing the subject.

"We'll see when the time comes."

"Oh..."

"Is it with his sister?" Aunt Jiang asked worriedly.

"Yes," Old Zhou assured.

"Let's not talk about this. Quick, think if you've forgotten anything," Aunt Jiang said, starting to list things. "Did you bring masks? And those ancient books for your translation work? Does Tuanzi have snacks for the road? You mustn't forget the charging cable."

"I've packed everything."

Zhou Li wasn't worried at all. He wasn't the type to be forgetful, and besides, it wouldn't be a big deal even if he did forget something.

His cell phone rang.

Li Daimao: I'm almost at your building.

Zhou Li immediately stood up.

Aunt Jiang and Old Zhou moved in perfect sync. One grabbed his bag while the other picked up Tuanzi. "Let's see you off."

Zhou Li didn't refuse.

At the entrance of the residential complex, a sedan pulled up. Brother Nan was in the driver's seat, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.

Aunt Jiang greeted her with a wide smile and then advised, "Drive slowly on the road, be careful, and don't rush. Call us every night to let us know you're safe. And at school, don't bully Xiao Nan..."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm..." Zhou Li nodded. "Hmm?"

"She's telling you not to bully me!" Brother Nan teased Zhou Li, her smile radiant as she got out of the car to help him with his luggage.

"..."

"Aunt Jiang, Uncle, we're off now."

"Take care."

"Yeah."

The car slowly pulled away.

Zhou Li watched Aunt Jiang and Old Zhou through the rearview mirror until they disappeared from sight, then he turned to Brother Nan.

Brother Nan seemed to have applied sunscreen, making her face look very fair. With her sunglasses on, she had the air of a superstar and looked stunning. She seemed to sense Zhou Li secretly looking at her and said without turning her head, "It seems mothers everywhere are pretty much the same..."

She paused. "My mom also told me not to bully you at school!"

Zhou Li ignored her playful jab and said, "When we get to Chunming, let's go to Baozi's Home for a meal. We should also take her out for ice cream. She's been hinting for the past few days that she wants some but doesn't have the money."

"Sure," Brother Nan readily agreed. "Haven't we been to her place twice already, though?"

"My mom will be there too."

"Right!"

"Why aren't you surprised at all?" Zhou Li asked, astonished.

"Hah?" Brother Nan glanced at him disdainfully. "You think I'm timid like a certain someone?"

"..."

Zhou Li looked down at Tuanzi in his arms, stroking her. "Lord Dumpling, she said you're as timid as a mouse... That's nonsense. Lord Dumpling is obviously the bravest, isn't that right?"

Tuanzi yawned, already drowsy and half-asleep.

Huai Xu silently watched Zhou Li, who was becoming increasingly influenced by Brother Nan, and said nothing. He was too busy scheming how he could get a chance to drive. He needed to find an opportunity to hint that those two should sit in the back together, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. That way, not only could he drive, but he might also get to see some scenes not suitable for Little Demons. For that, he could stop being a Little Demon for a little while.