CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 54 I’M NOT A COWARD

"Are we going down the mountain this way? We didn’t come up this path!" Huai Xu said, walking in front.

"This way is closer," Zhou Li replied.

"But this path is hard to walk on."

"It’s fine."

"It’s not fine!"

"It’ll be alright."

"No, it won’t! Let’s go back via the Taoist temple, Zhou Li!" Huai Xu was only thinking of Zhou Li’s well-being.

"It’s hard to get a ride from over there," Zhou Li said helplessly. "Besides, there’s a pretty good Sichuan boiled food restaurant in Yan City. They sell it by weight, and you pick your own ingredients."

"Does that mean I can pick all meat?"

"Exactly."

"Alright, your way it is then," Huai Xu said. Perhaps feeling he’d been a bit too obvious, he quickly added, "But if you sprain your ankle, don’t you go blaming me!"

"..."

Zhou Li’s bag felt somewhat heavy; he had packed a few more miscellaneous books inside than last time.

He occasionally took out the bracelet to look at it.

The bracelet was very fine, exceptionally delicate, with no superfluous decoration, yet it was made with meticulous care. It felt warm from his body heat.

In fact, this was the first time Zhou Li had ever received a gift from a friend.

Huai Xu’s voice came from up ahead, "Don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing just because I don’t have eyes in the back of my head!"

Zhou Li slipped the bracelet back into his pocket.

Huai Xu continued his teasing, "My, oh my, you kids and your little secrets are so amusing..."

Zhou Li remained expressionless.

Halfway down, he said to Huai Xu, "The truth is, I don’t actually know any good Sichuan boiled food places in Yan City."

Huai Xu froze mid-step.

A faint smile touched Zhou Li’s lips.

When they returned home, the start of the school term was not far off. Aunt Jiang and Zhu Shuang took him on a major shopping spree.

The three of them, plus one demon, weaved through the supermarket. Huai Xu, curious about many things, was always touching and inspecting items. He would often disappear from Zhou Li’s side, only to suddenly reappear moments later.

"There’s really nothing I need to buy."

"Chunming isn’t a small city, you know."

"I’ll buy whatever I need once I get there."

"It’s too much hassle to buy things here and then lug them all the way over there."

Zhou Li would interject occasionally. Aunt Jiang would acknowledge his points but insisted they continue shopping anyway.

"You’ll need to take a quilt and mattress pad, right?" Aunt Jiang said. "If you buy them there, you won’t know which ones are good, and the duvet covers and bedsheets will need washing. It’s better to buy them here, wash them, and I’ll ship them to your school in advance. You can just pick them up when you arrive."

"Okay." Zhou Li thought that made sense.

"You’ll need a desk lamp, right?" Aunt Jiang continued. "Let’s get you a new one. Better to buy one online, pick one you like."

"Alright."

"And you need to buy a computer, don’t you?"

"I’ll buy it myself."

"So, at school, will you use shared bikes, or buy your own bicycle or electric scooter?"

"I heard there are shared electric scooters available in the university town."

"Did Xiao Nan tell you that?"

"Xiao Nan..." Zhou Li couldn’t help but find that form of address a bit odd.

Aunt Jiang didn’t press further and continued to mentally list other things Zhou Li might need. Even if they didn’t buy everything for him in Yan City, she had to make a list to ensure he wouldn’t forget anything. Otherwise, it would be too much of a rush if he only remembered to buy things when he actually needed them.

Anyway, Zhou Li didn’t want to lug much with him. He figured he’d take a suitcase at most; anything else could be shipped.

"Sunscreen!" Zhu Shuang exclaimed.

"Right, right, sunscreen! You definitely need sunscreen!" Aunt Jiang nodded. "This is easy to pack, so bring plenty. Otherwise, the sun during military training will be brutal. The UV radiation is strong in Chunming too, so you’ll have to apply it every day! And lip balm!"

"Let’s buy it online," Zhu Shuang suggested.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Aunt Jiang nodded repeatedly.

They had already planned out everything for Zhou Li, making him feel as if he weren’t the one actually going to college.

After leaving Carrefour, on their way back, Zhou Li saw a restless-looking woman by the roadside who seemed somewhat familiar.

The woman wore a tight-fitting dress that accentuated her striking figure. Her face was very pretty, and her hair was still damp. She walked slowly, looking around and calling out—

"Jian Guo, Jian Guo..."

"Where did you run off to?"

"Jian Guo..."

A corner of Zhou Li’s mouth twitched.

Why would anyone give a cat a name like that? Tuanzi sounds much nicer.

They didn’t eat at home that evening, opting for barbecue instead. There were several barbecue places in Yan City that were all quite good. One, in particular, always required a reservation, no matter the time, because it was incredibly hard to get a table—something quite unbelievable for a small city like Yan City.

Zhu Shuang had made a reservation in advance, so the three of them went straight there. Old Zhou arrived just as the first batch of pork belly was cooked.

The pork belly at this place was excellent. Even after pork prices rose, they hadn’t adjusted their menu prices and still maintained the same quality and quantity. Grilled until slightly charred, dipped in their special dry seasoning mix, and wrapped in a lettuce leaf, each bite was perfectly balanced—not too hot, not greasy, just incredibly satisfying.

"Oh, by the way, where did Little Huai apply?" Aunt Jiang asked, flipping the pork belly as oil droplets sizzled and popped.

"He applied to the Chunming Institute of Technology."

"So you two will be together again?"

"Yeah, and the schools are close to each other."

"That’s wonderful." Zhou Li’s self-isolation as a child had given his folks quite a headache for a while. Aunt Jiang continued, "When are you going to invite Little Huai over for a meal again? You could invite Xiao Nan too, or we could all go out to eat."

"Yes, yes! Zhou Li, hurry up and say yes!" Zhu Shuang urged.

"If he were listening right now, he’d be ecstatic," Zhou Li told Aunt Jiang. "If he’d known we were having barbecue tonight, he probably would have shamelessly tagged along."

"Little Huai is so outgoing. You should learn from him."

"I know."

Zhou Li scratched his ear and continued eating.

After thinking for a moment, Aunt Jiang suddenly said, "How about this: when it’s time for school to start, let Old Zhou drive you? I can tag along and see what your school looks like! It’s only a little over a thousand kilometers. We could treat it as a road trip!"

"He has to work."

"He can take time off," Aunt Jiang declared, then turned to Old Zhou. "Old Zhou, you’ll take time off, won’t you?"

"No work, no work at all," Old Zhou hurriedly agreed.

"..."

Zhou Li thought Old Zhou was being too spineless. He shot Old Zhou a look, letting him stew in it, then said to Aunt Jiang, "If you really want to visit, how about waiting a bit? Once I’m familiar with the place, I can show you around properly."

Aunt Jiang just said, "Oh."

Old Zhou silently focused on his meat and his WeiYi drink.

Suddenly, Zhou Li’s phone chimed. It was a notification:

Li Daimao: [Voice Message 7s]

Zhou Li casually turned off his phone screen.

Aunt Jiang asked with concern, "A friend?"

Zhou Li replied, "Tencent News."

Back home, he finally played the voice message. It began with two seconds of cheerful music, then Brother Nan’s voice: "Zhou Li, have you bought your ticket for school yet? Are you flying or taking the high-speed train?"

Zhou Li: Haven’t bought it.

Li Daimao: Get the high-speed train ticket. It’s convenient and faster.

Zhou Li: Oh.

Li Daimao: Send me your ID number. I’ll buy our tickets so we can get seats together. Just send me the money in a red packet.

Zhou Li: Okay.

Zhou Li sent her his ID card number.

Li Daimao: Next semester, let’s fly! I’ve lived this long and never even been on a plane. We can fly from Mountain City; it’s cheaper than from Jin Palace. Plus, we can try the wanzi noodles and hot pot in Mountain City, hehe!

Li Daimao: [Emoji]

Zhou Li: Fine.

Li Daimao: [Picture]

Li Daimao: Is it okay if I buy tickets for this day, the train that leaves just after ten? We can go a bit earlier to get familiar with the area.

Zhou Li: No problem.

Li Daimao: Tickets bought. We’ll arrive at four in the afternoon.

Zhou Li: [Red Packet]

Li Daimao: Got it. Come get me at nine. You have to pass my place on your way to the high-speed train station anyway. Don’t eat breakfast; you can just eat at my place. No charge! I’ll even add extra meat and an egg for you.

Zhou Li: Sounds good.

Li Daimao: Gotta go, off to play chess.

Zhou Li: Bye.

Huai Xu had been craning his neck the whole time, watching Zhou Li chat with Brother Nan, a teasing smile playing on his lips. Once Zhou Li tossed his phone aside, Huai Xu tutted and said, "And you have the gall to talk about Old Zhou... Look at yourself..."

Zhou Li: ...