Early in the morning, the air was slightly cool.

Having rested well, Zhou Li opened his eyes and instantly felt an outpouring of energy; his mind was also very clear. However, when waking up in the city, he would often experience a period of grogginess, as if he were slowly regaining health.

But he didn't get up right away. Instead, he lay there blinking, reminiscing.

I think I had a dream last night... In it, Brother Nan kissed me again.

He felt somewhat perplexed.

On TV, when other people kissed, they would compliment each other or make eye contact. They'd try to create a pink atmosphere, or the atmosphere itself was already very couple-like… That way, they could naturally merge into a kiss.

However, the Brother Nan in my dream just waved at me—

"Bring your face over here!"

In the end, Zhou Li had done as he was told, of course.

Even though it felt unnatural, not doing so would probably have been even more unnatural—Brother Nan would likely have grabbed my collar and pulled me over.

Zhou Li pursed his lips, a faint smile on his face.

Suddenly, he felt something was amiss.

Turning his head, he saw a figure lying next to him. The person was holding a phone but had turned to look at him. Zhou Li felt both embarrassed and astonished for a moment, but before he could speak, Huai Xu beat him to it.

"What are you laughing at?" Huai Xu asked curiously.

"I... What are you doing?"

"I'm playing a game!" Huai Xu looked at him, puzzled. "You're the strange one... Oh, I know! You must have dreamed about something happy. Tell me, what did you dream about?"

"I'm asking... why are you lying on my bed?"

"The floor is too hard."

"When did you come onto my bed...?"

"This morning. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Zhou Li shook his head, lifted the blanket, and sat up. Thank goodness the dream I had last night was relatively innocent, he thought.

From underneath the blanket, Tuanzi opened her eyes and rubbed them with her little paws, looking at him groggily. "Hmm, is it daytime already?"

"The sun is shining on your butt."

"Really?" Tuanzi lifted her head to glance out the window, then flopped back down. "Liar! Lord Dumpling wants to sleep a bit more."

"No can do."

"Lord Dumpling is so sleepy~~"

Her soft, delicate voice and the sleepy little kitten's demeanor almost made Zhou Li relent. But remembering how this little thing had been brazenly walking all over him last night, he forcibly picked her up. "It's time for breakfast. Lord Dumpling needs to eat breakfast to grow tall, to become a Great Demon like an Evil God."

"R-Really?" Tuanzi asked groggily.

"Yes."

"Huai Xu said Lord Dumpling can only grow into a big cat, and at most, one that could be cooked in a single pot," Tuanzi said.

"And you believe him?" Zhou Li asked.

"It's all Huai Xu's fault!"

"Exactly!"

Huai Xu, lying on the bed, heard their conversation clearly. He was very displeased. Furrowing his brows in thought, he suddenly asked, "Zhou Li, are you going to wash your underwear today?"

BANG!

Zhou Li's foot caught on the threshold, and he nearly fell. But he didn't look back, instead quickening his pace to flee downstairs.

"It's all Huai Xu's fault~~"

Lord Dumpling's voice faintly drifted after him.

「Downstairs.」

After washing up and having breakfast, it was past nine o'clock.

Outside, the air was full of morning mist. The weather had cleared after the rain. Sunlight, filtering through the mist in a dreamlike pale golden hue, made the mountainside seem like a fairyland. The call of a cuckoo, its source hidden deep within the clouds and mist, added a touch of worldly vitality.

"CUCKOO, CUCKOO..."

"G-GUIYANG..."

The cicadas had also begun to chirp.

Two chairs were placed side by side in the courtyard. On them were the silhouettes of Zheng Zhilan and Qinghe. They were motionless and silent, as if listening intently to the sounds of nature, or as if they had merged with nature itself.

Zhou Li finally understood what Zheng Zhilan had once said—

Summer is bustling with activity.

With no chairs left, Zhou Li carried over a small stool and sat down beside Zheng Zhilan.

"Morning."

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Zheng Zhilan tilted her head slightly.

"Very well."

"I heard a cat meowing in your room in the middle of the night."

"That little thing is always like this," Zhou Li sighed helplessly. "She's listless during the day and wants to be held wherever she goes. But once night falls, she's full of energy. It's useless no matter how many times I've told her."

"Cats are all like that." Tuanzi lay in his arms, looking up at him with a serious face, trying to make him accept this explanation.

"You see..." Zhou Li began.

"Lord Dumpling is very cute," Zheng Zhilan whispered.

"Right, right! Lord Dumpling is indeed adorable!" Tuanzi nodded vigorously. This human isn't bad, she thought.

"..."

Zhou Li decided to ignore her and quietly turned his gaze to the distance, listening to the sounds filling the valley.

In the morning, cicada calls were sparse but gradually grew more frequent. Zhou Li could pinpoint the location of some cicadas; one seemed to be in a tree, and another perched on a nearby peony flower. However, he couldn't distinguish the cuckoos' locations because the entire valley echoed with their calls.

A cicada's chirp, accompanied by distinct footsteps, seemed to be moving closer to them.

Zhou Li turned his head to look.

Brother Nan's figure appeared from around the corner of the path. She wore a light green T-shirt, its hem tucked into her jeans. Her hair, now a little longer, was tied up in a small tuft, making her look brimming with youth.

Two dogs followed her: Big Yellow and Mantou.

Suddenly, that cicada chirp stopped.

Zhou Li was a bit puzzled. "Aren't she and the dogs sworn enemies?"

Zheng Zhilan immediately understood his confusion. After thinking for a moment, she explained softly, "This whole mountain is their territory, so they probably don't feel safe letting Brother Nan roam around freely. Big Yellow is worried she might wreak havoc in his domain, and Mantou suspects she might steal sheep."

"I see," Zhou Li understood instantly.

"Hey! What are you two talking about? I think I heard my name," Brother Nan called as she walked up the steps into the courtyard.

"You're awake! When I woke up, I didn't see you. I thought you were still sleeping," Zhou Li said, looking up at Brother Nan.

"I woke up earlier than you."

"Industrious," he commented.

"I was sleeping next to Little Zheng. When she woke up, I did too," Brother Nan said, walking over to Zhou Li and looking down at him.

"Hold out your hand," she said.

"What?" That tone sounds familiar, Zhou Li thought. Almost like in my dream last night.

"I have something for you."

"Oh..."

Zhou Li held out his hand.

Brother Nan extended her hand over Zhou Li's. She seemed to be holding something. Only after her fist touched Zhou Li's palm did she carefully open her hand, placing what she held onto his palm.

It's alive! And it's crawling!

Once she removed her hand, Zhou Li took a closer look.

Seven or eight Green Cicadas.

They were entirely grass-green, smaller than black cicadas, only about the size of a fingertip, and they were crawling all over his hand.

Zhou Li looked up at Brother Nan, astonished. "You went out early this morning just to catch these critters?"

"Yep!"

Brother Nan nodded, simultaneously patting herself down. "There's one more. I put it on my clothes. I'm wearing green, and they don't run off green things; they even chirp... Huh? It was just here! Found it!"

Brother Nan found another one on herself and handed it to Zhou Li.

Zhou Li accepted it, dumbfounded.

Seriously, what kind of girlfriend goes out alone early in the morning just to catch a handful of cicadas and bring them back? Zhou Li wondered.

Just then, Brother Nan's surprised voice came from above him—

"Huh, you're actually not afraid!"

There seemed to be a hint of disappointment in her voice.

At this point, what could Zhou Li say? The cicadas were already crawling all over his hand; he had no choice but to accept it. So, while watching the cicadas scuttle up his arm, he asked Brother Nan why these cicadas looked the way they did.