CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 32: DO YOU WANT LESS MEAT OR WHAT?

"How do we split this?"

"Half and half!"

"That doesn’t seem quite fair, does it? The task itself is simple, just acting as a mediator. The main thing was discovering this business opportunity." Zhou Li walked on the bridge with his headphones on. "So, you should take the larger share."

"No, half and half! Aren’t you short on tuition fees? You can keep my half, and when I need it, I’ll ask you for it!"

"Well..."

Zhou Li felt uneasy about contributing too little.

However, Huai Xu just waved his hand. "That’s settled then! I eat at your place and sleep at your place every day, and I’m used to it now, right? From now on, we’ll stick to this arrangement. I’ll handle finding the business since I’m good at that, and we’ll deal with them together. You handle the talking. If we encounter a fierce demon that requires fighting, leave it to me. If we meet a particularly fierce one, we’ll run."

As he spoke, he paused. "If someone refuses to pay, leave that to me as well, HMM!"

Zhou Li smiled slightly. "We were lucky this time. Right now, there probably aren’t many demons in the entire city, plus there’s the Demon King’s decree, so it’s unlikely we’ll often encounter such situations."

"Demons are reviving, becoming more and more numerous. I can feel it," Huai Xu said. "And not all demons listen to the Demon King."

"I see."

Zhou Li suddenly felt a bit worried about the future.

Although ordinary people couldn’t see demons, and demons could make themselves undetectable, with them gradually awakening and more humans becoming capable of interacting with them, people would eventually discover their existence.

Zhou Li couldn’t foresee what the future would hold.

Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder, and Huai Xu’s voice rang in his ear, "Look, the locust flowers have all fallen completely!"

Zhou Li looked ahead, seeing lush greenery.

"They’ve already fallen."

"Just let nature take its course."

"Hmm."

「Back at home」

Zhou Li transferred 5,000 yuan to his Alipay and said to Huai Xu, "From now on, whatever’s on WeChat is yours; I’ll use Alipay."

Huai Xu didn’t understand, but he nodded anyway.

Zhou Li thought for a moment, then transferred the money from WeChat into its Small Change Fund as well. "This way, you can also earn a few cents of interest every day. It should add up to about ten yuan in a month, right?"

Huai Xu continued to nod.

Zhou Li then began to calculate his own private stash.

Zhou Li wasn’t stingy, but lacking interests, he really couldn’t find many ways to spend a lot of money. So, he had also saved a few thousand yuan in his Alipay.

With this 5,000, it was just over 9,000.

Huai Xu leaned close and watched blankly. "So you are quite wealthy!"

"Sort of."

"How much do you need for university?"

"The tuition is probably about 4,000 to 5,000."

"That’s expensive! And you have to eat at university, right? Do you pay for that yourself?"

"Yes, it’s best if I do."

"Can you afford it?"

"The meals at school are said to be quite cheap; the state provides subsidies."

"Is the food good?"

"Depends on the school, but at least better than high school."

"That’s nice..." Huai Xu’s face showed envy. "So with all this money, you don’t need to struggle anymore, do you?"

"I still need to."

Zhou Li silently calculated.

Aside from tuition fees, I definitely need to buy a computer for university, right? Otherwise, handling various documents would be inconvenient, though that’s a minor issue. But with Huai Xu using my phone to watch TV shows, what would I play with? Also, if conditions allow, it would be good to get a driver’s license as soon as possible. Even if I don’t drive, I can let the probationary period pass. Or, if Old Zhou gets distracted while driving someday, I can use my license to take the demerit points. I had only considered tuition fees and a computer before, but now I feel I can afford more. With a little more, I might even move out of the dorm to rent a place, especially since I have a certain demon-attracting constitution. That sounds a bit mystical, sort of like having a cat-attracting constitution. Besides, with Huai Xu around, staying in a dormitory is really inconvenient.

「...」

Over the next few days, Zhou Li continued to hand out flyers for a training class. Earning a hundred yuan a day was considered top-tier in Yan City’s flyer distribution circles. Meanwhile, Huai Xu wandered around the city. He claimed to have visited every demon in Yan City, big and small, but to no avail.

"SIGH!"

Huai Xu sat on the bay window, sighing as he leisurely looked out at the wind and clouds. "How can that demon endure so much? Someone trashed his place! If it were me..."

He was talking about last night’s incident.

Through a few days of market research, Huai Xu had identified several demons most likely to come into contact with people. Then, by staking out, he finally captured a scene of a young human courting disaster. Afterwards, he even went to console the little demon whose home had been destroyed, telling him he couldn’t let it slide.

However, the little demon was too timid.

Huai Xu had already complained to Zhou Li about this several times.

By now, Zhou Li was tuning him out.

"It’s so infuriating!"

"This is a disgrace to us demons!"

Huai Xu looked deeply pained. He turned his head to Zhou Li, seeking agreement. "Don’t you think so?"

Zhou Li silently tidied up his things.

Huai Xu nodded. Zhou Li also said yes.

Soon, Zhou Li shouldered his bag. "Let’s go."

A couple of days ago, he had told Aunt Jiang he was going to travel to Mingjiu Mountain; today was the departure day.

Walking into the living room, Aunt Jiang was sitting on the couch with a plastic bag and a stack of cash beside her. Seeing him come out, she asked, a bit worried, "Are you still going today? It’s been raining these past few days!"

"Watching the rain from the foot of the mountain wouldn’t be bad either."

"True. I packed a bag of snacks for you—all beef jerky and stuff—to eat when you get hungry on the mountain path, or just to munch on during the ride." Aunt Jiang stuffed the items into Zhou Li’s hands. "Also, you’ll definitely need some money when you’re out. Be generous in front of your friends."

"I have money." Zhou Li only took the snacks.

"Take more. If a good friend likes something, you can buy it for her as a gift, you know?"

"It’s enough."

"Alright... Oh, did you bring clothes? It’s cold both up on the mountain and down at its foot when it’s raining."

"I brought a light jacket."

"That’s good."

"Well, I’m leaving then."

"Hmm."

In the elevator, Huai Xu said enviously, "Your Aunt Jiang is really good to you."

Zhou Li nodded.

Mingjiu Mountain was actually in Yan City, considered the only decent place to visit there, located in one of its counties. A round trip usually took only two days, with transportation and accommodation being the major expenses. Zhou Li had told Aunt Jiang he planned to stay a few more days, either on the mountain or at its base, but he wouldn’t be able to spend all the cash she had given him.

He had said he was going with Huai Xu, but Aunt Jiang most likely hadn’t believed him.

Zhou Li felt quite helpless.

Outside the residential complex, a breeze was blowing. The grey-white sky served as a backdrop for swirling, leaden clouds; the annual torrential rain season was fast approaching.

Zhou Li wasn’t worried at all.

Yi Province was inland; torrential rains would only add to the atmosphere.

Huai Xu seemed quite pleased. "It’s so cool!"

Zhou Li scanned the QR code for a Qingju shared bike.

Huai Xu looked up at the sky and said, "What if we encounter a great flood? Then I’ll SWOOSH in and rescue everyone! After that, I’ll get a big bag, have people line up, and collect money. Everyone I save pays me 10,000 yuan each, and I’d get rich, HA HA HA..."

Zhou Li pedaled away on the Qingju bike.

He arrived at the bus station, bought a ticket, boarded the bus, and went straight to the back row, taking a seat by the window on the right.

He put on his headphones and listened to music.

The bus was relatively empty, probably because summer vacation hadn’t started yet, it was a workday, and the weather was poor.

The bus fare was 18 yuan.

Huai Xu sat down next to Zhou Li, frowning slightly. "The bus smells awful!"

Zhou Li pulled off one headphone. "Huh?"

After Huai Xu repeated himself, Zhou Li said, "Once the bus starts moving and the wind blows in, it’ll be much better."

"I might as well just sit on the roof then."

"That works too."

"Hey, look! Who is that?"

Who??

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li looked out the window. He saw a tall, beautiful girl with a somewhat listless air walking towards their bus. She wore denim shorts, white, slightly pinkish dad shoes with rainbow socks, and radiated youth. Her long legs were dazzling.

Li Nan held a bus ticket and a shoulder bag. She walked while looking at the lettering on the bus, her mouth slightly open, appearing bewildered.

Her cowlick was bent.

Finally, Brother Nan boarded Zhou Li’s bus.

Upon boarding, she immediately saw Zhou Li—this guy had unreasonably taken her "royal" seat.

"Zhou Li, what are you doing here?"

"I’m off to Mingjiu Mountain for some fun."

"Climbing mountains in the rain... to see the fog?"

"And you?"

"I’m going to visit my maternal grandma." Brother Nan said, then added with concern for Zhou Li, "It’s gotten colder these past couple of days. When the bus is moving, the wind will be strong. You have a delicate constitution; sitting by the window, you’ll easily catch a cold. Come on, let’s switch."

"..."

Zhou Li switched seats with her.

Brother Nan sat down, sighed in relief, and grinned. She placed her black shoulder bag on her lap, hugging it, then unzipped it and pulled out some pineapple slices wrapped in cling film.

"Want some pineapple?"

"No, thank you."

"Watermelon? It’s already cut."

"Thanks, but no."

"There’s also duck leg. Want some?"

"...Impressive."

"Fine, don’t eat then." This kid isn’t giving me any face, HMPH, and we’re even deskmates! Brother Nan thought. "Are you going to Mingjiu Mountain alone?"

"Yeah."

"What’s so fun about that dump anyway?"

"Just going out for a walk, to clear my head."

"It’s a good place to escape the summer heat, but it hasn’t even been hot these days." Brother Nan used a piece of paper as a napkin while eating the pineapple. It was very juicy, and the relatively empty back of the bus was soon filled with the sound of her slurping. "My sleep schedule is still all messed up. I’m so sleepy."

"Why didn’t you stay home for a few more days?"

"My maternal grandma is sick," Li Nan said casually. "There’s been an outbreak of swine fever recently. Both pigs my grandma was raising died, and she got sick from the anger and distress. Isn’t that frustrating?"

"A bit."

"She wasn’t in good health to begin with..."

Brother Nan finished the pineapple and started gnawing on the duck leg. Every time Zhou Li inhaled, the air was filled with its aroma.

After the duck leg, she had watermelon to cut the richness.

Zhou Li was relatively unfazed, but Huai Xu, sitting next to him, looked on as if he’d seen a goddess, staring at Brother Nan the whole time with the wide-eyed expression of a neighbor’s kid.

By the time Brother Nan finished eating, the bus had started moving.

Brother Nan pulled out two wet wipes from her bag and meticulously cleaned her hands. Then she took out a pack of chewing gum, offered a piece to Zhou Li, and started chewing her own. Once the bus left the urban area, she crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, leaned her head back, and began to sleep.

"By the way, earlier I saw someone by the roadside who looked like Aunt Jiang. Was she out buying groceries? She seemed to glance over in our direction," Huai Xu began, trying to mess with Zhou Li’s composure.

What?!

"HEH HEH, I’m off to the roof."

With a soft THUD, Huai Xu vanished.

For Brother Nan, whose sleep schedule was off, it felt like the middle of the night. She quickly fell asleep, her body starting to lean to the right until her head rested against the window glass, trembling with the bus’s vibrations.

They say you can get a concussion from that.

BANG!

The bus ran over a small pothole. The jolt was painful enough to wake Brother Nan. She groggily rubbed her head and sat up straight again.

Less than three minutes later, she started to slump over again.

This time, Brother Nan had learned her lesson and leaned to the left, until she was resting on Zhou Li’s shoulder.

Zhou Li felt a bit awkward and shifted slightly to his left.

He moved a bit; she leaned a bit more.

This continued until Brother Nan sensed something was off. She slightly opened her eyes, glanced at Zhou Li’s unnatural expression, and then, with a backhand motion, landed a punch on his shoulder.

Zhou Li: "..."

Can’t mess with her, definitely can’t mess with her.

Brother Nan snuggled down a bit, making herself more comfortable as she leaned. She murmured, "Remember to wake me up when we reach Xiaoping. Otherwise, if I ride all the way to Mingjiu Mountain, I’ll have to take the bus all the way back. And you know what? This human cushion is indeed more comfortable than the glass window..."

Zhou Li remained silent.

The wind gusting in from outside made the cowlick on Brother Nan’s head wave about as if it were constantly searching for a signal.