The conversation had reached this point, but neither of them moved.
A constant flow of tourists surrounded them. The owner of the rice cake shop called out to passersby. Zhou Li and Brother Nan felt as if everyone was looking at them. Indeed, many passersby did cast glances their way, marveling at their good looks, though it wasn't as exaggerated as they perceived.
The two continued walking forward, both staring straight ahead, staying very close to each other.
Zhou Li's heart beat faster and faster.
Suddenly, he felt Brother Nan touch his hand. It was a delicate, cold sensation, and he immediately grasped her hand.
"It's so cold!" Zhou Li said, masking his nervousness.
"The weather here is too cold; I'm still not used to it," Brother Nan replied. "You're quite warm, though."
"Yeah."
Zhou Li didn't know what else to say.
A girl's hand was completely different from a boy's. Brother Nan's fingers were especially slender. Holding them felt soft, her skin smooth and slippery; there was even a tingling sensation, as if he'd received an electric shock.
Zhou Li's breathing pattern changed.
"What does it feel like?" Brother Nan asked.
"I don't know."
"Think about it carefully."
"Soft... cool."
"Is it comfortable?"
"It's alright."
"What do you mean, 'it's alright'?" Brother Nan sounded displeased.
"It means it's pretty comfortable," Zhou Li said, quickly turning the question back to her. "What about you?"
"I refuse to answer."
"??"
Zhou Li turned to glance at Brother Nan and saw her face seemed a bit red. He quickly looked away—Brother Nan had noticed and glanced over at him.
Zhou Li coughed twice, searching for something to say. "Do you think Huai Xu might be hiding somewhere, watching us right now?"
"I don't think so," Brother Nan said thoughtfully. "He's not your cousin. He's probably buying squid skewers."
"Huh?" Zhou Li keenly sensed something.
"Hehe!" Brother Nan laughed but said nothing more.
"I see," Zhou Li nodded.
"You know again?" Brother Nan quickly glanced at him.
"Yeah."
"You...," Brother Nan scratched her head with her other hand. The hand Zhou Li was holding hadn't moved for a long time. She felt as if it almost didn't belong to her anymore.
"By the way, have you told your parents about us pooling money to buy a car?" Brother Nan asked again.
"I told Aunt Jiang."
"What was their reaction?"
"Silence for a few seconds."
"That's it?"
"Yeah." Zhou Li paused, hesitating. "They seem to want to show more concern but don't dare to. They're just overthinking it. Whatever happens, I don't mind."
"Aunt Jiang is very good to you."
"What about you?"
"Me? My parents are quite nice~~"
"..."
"Oh, you meant that! They generally let me be. I never like anyone controlling me, and no one can control me anyway."
"..."
"Hehe, okay, I haven't told them!" Brother Nan grinned.
She felt Zhou Li tighten his grip on her hand slightly… Whoa, is this allowed? She immediately squeezed back with all her strength, stealthily peeking at Zhou Li's expression from the corner of her eye. To her disappointment, he didn't seem to feel any pain.
She felt the urge to squeeze with both hands.
Walking along the alley took them further from the ancient town's center. The number of tourists dwindled, and it grew quieter.
The classical buildings on both sides had their doors tightly shut. Lanterns hanging by the entrances cast a warm yellow light, illuminating the bluestone path with a certain charm. If Baozi were here, they'd probably receive photos of their silhouettes after returning to the inn.
Zhou Li thought, several minutes must have already passed.
It wasn't until they meandered closer to the riverbank that the number of tourists began to increase again.
"Do you want to be in a relationship?" Brother Nan suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
"I'm asking if you want to be in a relationship," Brother Nan repeated. Then she added, "I'm just asking, don't be nervous."
"..."
How could he not be nervous?
Zhou Li thought for a long time before answering honestly, "I don't know."
His mind was blank. Love was so foreign to him—he'd hardly had any friends growing up. He needed to calm down and think before he could give even a vague answer.
"But we've already..."
"Already what?" Brother Nan interrupted him. "Don't spout nonsense. If you don't know, go home and think it over properly!"
"Ah?"
"I told you to think it over," Brother Nan paused. "Don't overthink it. I'm just asking, just asking, only asking..."
"Oh."
"Let me know when you've thought it through."
"Got it."
"One minute is up." Brother Nan lifted her hand, gave it a shake, and pulled it from Zhou Li's grasp. "Not bad, right? When you get back, write a report on your hand-holding experience. Title it yourself, at least 800 words. Hand it to me after the winter break."
"?? There's even winter break homework for this?"
"Don't understand?"
"What about you?"
"I'm the one giving the assignment! Hahaha..." Seeing he seemed to have taken her seriously, Brother Nan threw her head back and laughed. "I'm just kidding!"
"..."
There was no moon tonight. The clouds were tinted orange-yellow by the lights of the old town. The brightly lit street beside them teemed with people, but the sounds of the crowd didn't carry far. Here, it was already very quiet, as if they were in a different world.
Huai Xu sat on the tiled roof of a building in the old town, eating squid and watching the two figures below.
Tuanzi squatted at his feet.
"Hey, Lord Dumpling."
`"That's so spicy, it'll kill you!"` Tuanzi exclaimed.
`"Oh? Is Lord Dumpling going to tell on me now?"` Huai Xu teased.
`"Such a tattletale..."`
`"No, I'm not! Lord Dumpling doesn't tell on people!"` Tuanzi hopped in agitation. `"Lord Dumpling was just trying to scare you!"`
"Alright, alright, eat up!" Huai Xu offered the squid to Tuanzi's mouth. Seeing the little creature avoid the part he had bitten, he just grinned and continued to gaze into the distance.
...
It was a short distance from Yibin to Yan City now. They would pass Zhigong on the way, but time was tight, so Brother Nan could only lean against the window with regret—
"What a pity. I was planning to stop in Zhigong for a day: eat some rabbit, see dinosaurs during the day, and enjoy the lantern festival at night. I've never seen a real dinosaur in my entire life," Brother Nan said wistfully. "When we leave, I could also buy some cold-preserved rabbit, a few hundred yuan worth. It's perfect for New Year's, right? Snacking while hiking, eating while watching the Spring Festival Gala, munching whenever I'm bored..."
She kept on rambling...
As the car drove past Zhigong, the city slowly receded behind them, and she turned her head to look back.
Zhou Li didn't respond to her chatter.
He was driving and had to concentrate.
It had been a long time coming! After owning the car for so long, he'd finally driven it properly for once! The car had already clocked two thousand kilometers since he got it, yet Zhou Li felt as if he'd just received the keys.
Looking at it from another angle, suddenly having two free drivers made him feel quite pleased.
Noon.
Brother Nan looked out at the sky. "We're almost at Yan City, right?"
"Hmm."
"It's already the 27th..." Brother Nan sighed. "New Year's is so early this year; I didn't even have a chance to get a part-time job."
"Hmm."
"Is parking easy to find where you live?"
"Well..."
Zhou Li didn't really have a clear idea; he'd never owned a car before, so why would he have paid attention to that?
He thought for a moment. "It's probably not easy to park, right?"
From what he remembered, it was difficult to find parking in Yan City, especially during the Spring Festival.
The school district apartment they lived in now was relatively old and poorly planned. Old Zhou had specifically bought two parking spaces. However, he usually took one car to work, and Aunt Jiang's car often just sat there, gathering dust.
After another moment of thought, Zhou Li said, "We could park at our other complex. There should be a spot free in the basement."
Brother Nan waved dismissively. "Forget it. Let's park in our courtyard. I'll get my dad to make space for me. Besides, I have so much stuff, I'm too lazy to move it back and forth."
"Okay."
"Then let's stop at your place first. You unload your things, and then I'll drive back to my place."
"Hmm."
The distant city was already in sight. Huai Xu couldn't help but let out a sigh—
He'd only lived in Chunming for just under half a year, but those secretive, freewheeling days already felt distant. Soon, he would have to return to a life of restrictions: unable to eat at the main table, forced to move silently, and always hiding.
It's easy to go from rags to riches, but hard to go from riches to rags.
The Old monster looked wistful, appearing somewhat pitiful.
Zhou Li was soft-hearted. He whispered, "Don't worry, I won't always be at home. Besides, my family usually doesn't go around visiting relatives during New Year's. Most of the time, I'll be with you."
Huai Xu nodded.
Resting his chin in his hand, he looked out the window, thinking of the fool from Zhou Li's school and the two little demons from the neighborhood.