Chapter 104: Chapter 102 You Are Such a Weirdo
October 1st, morning. The whole country was celebrating.
"Up early in the morning..."
With a SWOOSH, Brother Nan yanked open the curtains. The dazzling sunlight immediately poured in, making her squint. Once she adjusted to the light, the blue sky and white clouds appeared before her.
"Open the window, and feel splendid..."
It was another, and another, and another perfect day.
Since coming to this place, Brother Nan had almost forgotten what the usual weather in Yan City was like.
She ruffled her tousled hair, turned, leaped back onto the bed, and flopped down, her calves kicking up. She fished out her cellphone from under the pillow, only to see several unread messages from Zhou Lili asking if she had woken up and calling her to breakfast.
This person is so annoying~~
Brother Nan replied, "In a bit," put down her phone, and hurried to wash up.
Last night, she had played games with Huai Xu again, and it wasn’t like Zhou Li didn’t know. Speaking of which, Zhou Li was really impressive. She had thought playing games would at least affect him somewhat, but according to Huai Xu, he had gone to bed very early.
Is he an old man or what? Brother Nan thought.
Brushing teeth, washing face, combing hair, applying sunscreen and lipstick.
After getting everything ready, Brother Nan put all her miscellaneous items back into her storage bag. Then, she stood before the mirror, fluffing her hair to make the spirited beauty in the reflection look even more voluminous, and even used her index finger to gently adjust a stray cowlick.
"So pretty!"
Brother Nan grinned. She then made a hand gesture like a pistol with her right hand, supporting it with her left, and fired at the mirror—
"BIUBIUBIU~~"
"AH AH AH!"
The "neurotic beauty" finally stepped out of her room and knocked loudly on the door of the adjacent room.
"BANG BANG BANG!"
"Zhou Lili!"
"Time to eat!"
With a CREAK, the door opened.
Zhou Li’s expressionless face made Brother Nan burst out laughing.
Huai Xu followed closely behind, carefully closing the door, and squeezed out a smile at Brother Nan.
Brother Nan was quite amused as well.
They walked around the hotel for a bit. Then, Brother Nan pulled Zhou Li and Huai Xu into a restaurant called ’Authentic Wei Mountain Braised Pork Rice Noodles’. After checking the menu on the wall, she ordered a large bowl of braised pork rice noodles.
Huai Xu immediately ordered the same.
Having lived with Zhou Li for a long time, he had long since acknowledged Brother Nan’s authority when it came to food.
Meanwhile, Brother Nan’s gaze remained fixed on the wall as she mused aloud, feigning innocence, "Is *erisi* tasty? I don’t think I’ve ever tried it... It seems to be a specialty from Dali, right?"
Zhou Li: ...
He turned and ordered a serving of braised pork *erisi*.
Only then did Brother Nan nonchalantly sit down.
The rice noodles were ready first. The human and the demon went to the window to get their bowls. Brother Nan added a lot of mint. She had gone from being completely clueless and unaccustomed to it, to falling in love with the taste in just one month.
Huai Xu, however, was different. Cilantro, green onions, pickled vegetables, mint—he piled them all high in his bowl, forming a small mountain.
"Why don’t you add more? How can you get your money’s worth with just that?" Zhou Li couldn’t help but ask.
"It won’t fit. I’ll add more later," Huai Xu said.
"..."
"Hahaha!" Brother Nan laughed heartily and handed Zhou Li a pair of chopsticks. "You try some of ours first. I’ll taste yours in a bit."
"I want to try too!" Huai Xu chimed in.
"..."
Zhou Li pushed aside the heap of miscellaneous toppings Huai Xu had added, picked out a few strands of noodles, and placed them in his own small soup bowl.
The flavor was very light, as evidenced by the color of the broth. It wasn’t overly stimulating to the palate, yet the umami was exceptionally rich and mellow. A single bite sent a comforting sensation flowing from his throat straight to his chest.
When Zhou Li’s *erisi* arrived, Brother Nan and Huai Xu didn’t stand on ceremony, each taking a chopstickful from his bowl.
Even after settling the bill and stepping out of the restaurant, Brother Nan was still smacking her lips, savoring the aftertaste. "That broth was simmered perfectly! I think it pairs wonderfully with the rice noodles, making them feel so comforting—much better than with the *erisi*. And that tender, slow-cooked meat, the pork knuckle they used... Tsk tsk!"
Zhou Li couldn’t quite get used to *erisi*; he always felt it wasn’t worth the price.
Afterwards, they strolled around some more, buying a large assortment of snacks and drinks in preparation for watching the military parade.
They decided to watch it in Brother Nan’s room.
"I’ve been waiting ages for this!"
Brother Nan turned on the TV and immediately sat cross-legged on the bed. She cracked open a can of cola, cradling it as she stared intently at the screen. The parade was about to begin, and she was visibly excited.
Zhou Li sat on the edge of the other bed.
Huai Xu, however, made himself comfortable, climbing onto the bed and opening a bag of pork jerky to eat while he watched.
One formation after another marched past.
Armored vehicles, howitzers.
Fighter jets.
And, of course, the infamous log transport trucks.
Brother Nan was animatedly exclaiming, constantly trying to share her excitement with Zhou Li, "Look, look! The Dongfeng-17! Wow, the Dongfeng-17 is leading..."
Zhou Li replied, "I don’t understand any of that."
Brother Nan immediately launched into an explanation for Zhou Li.
When Zhou Li didn’t listen, she turned and started explaining it to Huai Xu instead.
By noon, the most exciting parts were over.
Zhou Li and Brother Nan finished packing and were ready to check out. Huai Xu then said, "I have some things to take care of back home, so I won’t join you now. I’ll find you at lunchtime."
"Go back to do what?" Brother Nan asked curiously.
"The sweet osmanthus in Chunming has bloomed. I’m going to collect the flowers, dry them, and make Sweet Osmanthus Cake," Huai Xu replied honestly.
"You know how to make Sweet Osmanthus Cake?" Zhou Li was stunned.
"No, you’ll make it."
"When did I ever say I’d make Sweet Osmanthus Cake?" Zhou Li was exasperated. "Can’t you just buy it from the supermarket if you want some?"
"Homemade is better."
"Then make it yourself."
"I don’t know how."
"Neither do I."
"I’ll find a tutorial video for you."
"..."
Zhou Li was really at his wit’s end.
Sighing, he said, "Where are you going to collect them? Roadside sweet osmanthus won’t do, and it’s best not to take any from the school grounds either."
"I know a family’s courtyard..." Huai Xu glanced at Zhou Li and quickly amended, "Actually, there are some growing behind Hong Ran’s courtyard. I’ll go ask her to spare some for us. She’ll definitely agree."
"Then why don’t you just ask her to make it for you? Or do you think her chefs aren’t skilled enough?" Zhou Li countered, seeing through him.
"I’m not that familiar with her."
Huai Xu looked a bit troubled. "Besides, her official rank is so high."
Zhou Li, no longer wanting to converse with this Old monster, smiled and said, "How could that be? Aren’t you the Great Devil King?"
Huai Xu indeed fell silent.
With a POOF, he vanished into thin air.
Brother Nan covered her mouth and chuckled. "You angered him so much he left!"
The two of them continued on their journey.
They were only a few dozen kilometers from Dali by then, roughly a two to three-hour journey. The scenery, however, was becoming increasingly beautiful. Ponds by the roadside frequently reflected the blue sky, and there was even a place that strongly resembled the large crater from "Your Name." The weather was also magnificent, with colors that seemed straight out of an anime. Consequently, Brother Nan was busy taking photos the entire way and had Zhou Li record various videos for her.
It was only then that Zhou Li realized she had a TikTok account with several million followers.
"Zhou Li, do you use TikTok?"
"No."
"It’s quite good for killing time—watching funny videos and comedy skits. And there are lots of beautiful girls like me. Of course, even though they use beauty filters, they’re still no match for Brother Nan!" Brother Nan declared. Standing beside a pavilion on the mountaintop and admiring the view below, she continued, "I suggest you download it and follow yours truly, Brother Nan. I posted several videos a few days ago that ’accidentally’ captured you. Go check them out."
"I’m not watching," Zhou Li replied.
"Why not?"
"I just don’t feel like it."
"Oh."
Then Brother Nan continued to stand by the pavilion, gazing into the distance, occasionally letting out soft "ah"s of admiration, without turning back.
Zhou Li stealthily took out his phone and opened the app store.
Not much data left... Lucky I have money!
Glancing over, he saw Brother Nan sit down at the edge of a cliff. Relieved, Zhou Li searched for Brother Nan’s TikTok account, tapped on it, and then quickly pressed the volume-down button until the media volume was completely muted.
A moment later, his expression was priceless.
Could this really be called ’accidental’ filming? Is it because she was worried that if she directly said, ’I made you the main star of my video,’ I would demand money from her?
Zhou Li was somewhat puzzled.
After watching the videos, he opened the comments section.
Just as he’d expected, ninety-nine percent of her several million followers were fans of Brother Nan’s looks—in simpler terms, a bunch of ogling admirers. The videos from the last two days had apparently broken these devoted admirers’ hearts.
He closed the app and moved it to an inconspicuous folder at the very end of his app list. After a moment’s thought, he moved it a few spots forward.
Zhou Li discreetly put his phone away.
Walking over to Brother Nan, he patted her shoulder. "Ready to go? The wind’s quite strong up here, and it’s getting a bit cold."
Brother Nan turned her head. "Finished watching?"
Zhou Li: ??
Brother Nan said, "Remember to follow after you’re done watching."
Zhou Li frowned, feigning ignorance about what she was talking about.
Brother Nan scrutinized his expression and blurted out, "I’ve been sitting here for ages. Surely you’re not telling me you haven’t finished watching yet?"
"I didn’t watch anything."
"Do you think yours truly, Brother Nan, navigates the Jianghu relying solely on brute force?"
"Not entirely. There’s also your beauty."
"Uh..."
Brother Nan was speechless.