"Hey kid, hurry up and get out," Liu Nanfeng called out anxiously, worried about the child falling into the water.
As if hearing Liu Nanfeng's shout, the child immediately turned around and glanced at the shore.
Liu Nanfeng saw from a distance that it was a little boy with a buzz cut. Just as he was about to say something else, the child plunged into the water, creating ripples and vanishing without a trace.
"Huh?"
Liu Nanfeng stepped forward in surprise, wanting to see where the child had dived.
However, Su Jinxiu grabbed him, "What are you doing?"
"Of course, I'm telling the little boy to come up. It's so hot today, what if something happens? This river is very deep," Liu Nanfeng said.
Hearing this, Su Jinxiu looked at him with a strange expression and said, "That's a water ghost. Can't you tell?"
"Uh... a water ghost?" Liu Nanfeng scratched his cheek. He really couldn't tell.
"Yes, black energy is rising from his head. I don't know how many years he's been dead."
"Black energy?" Liu Nanfeng looked at the lake. He didn't see any black energy.
"Then how did you distinguish anomalies before?" Su Jinxiu asked, somewhat curiously.
"This... did I not mention it?" Liu Nanfeng said.
"Of course not. Tell me honestly."
"There are always words appearing above their heads," Liu Nanfeng said.
Su Jinxiu: ...
"Do you think I don't read web novels? Did you get a magic treasure, or a system?"
Su Jinxiu pinched his waist, annoyed that he was lying.
Because Liu Nanfeng wrote novels, she, who originally didn't read web novels, gradually started to enjoy them, especially the imaginative ideas in the novels, which were very inspiring to her.
Although it didn't hurt, Liu Nanfeng still cried out in pain.
Su Jinxiu instinctively reached out to wipe it for him, then realized, tsked, and patted him.
"Tell me honestly."
"I'm telling the truth. As long as it's an anomaly, there will be words above their heads, not only their names and races but also their cultivation. For example, you have three hundred and ninety-three years of cultivation."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Su Jinxiu calculated with her fingers. From the time she attained enlightenment to now, it seemed to be exactly three hundred and ninety-three years. She had never told Liu Nanfeng about this, not even Su Huamei.
"But why couldn't you see that water ghost just now?" Su Jinxiu asked curiously.
"Because it was too far away. I couldn't see the words above his head clearly."
It made so much sense that Su Jinxiu couldn't refute it at all.
"Alright, I'll accept what you said," Su Jinxiu said, walking forward.
"Hey, wait a minute."
"I don't want to talk to you right now."
"I didn't lie to you, I told you the truth. Why are you still angry?"
"I'm not angry."
"When you say that, it means you are already angry."
"So what if I'm angry? Does anger need a reason?"
Su Jinxiu turned her head, her pretty nose furrowed, looking quite angry, which was very cute.
Liu Nanfeng discovered that although Su Jinxiu couldn't change her appearance like Su Huamei, her temperament could change in countless ways, from a mature older sister to an intellectual young married woman, to a playful and innocent young girl, and so on, without any incongruity. Liu Nanfeng was truly dazed by her, truly living up to her reputation as a "femme fatale."
"Anger doesn't need a reason, but I want to tell you that you're going in the wrong direction," Liu Nanfeng said, pointing behind him.
Su Jinxiu was stunned for a moment, her cheeks slightly blushing, then she said, "It's all your fault."
"Yes, yes, it's all my fault, it's all my fault. Let's go quickly."
Liu Nanfeng stepped forward, took her hand, and "dragged" her back.
"Not sincere..."
Su Jinxiu mumbled to herself, but in reality, she didn't struggle at all and held Liu Nanfeng's hands tightly.
"However, your magic treasure is indeed a bit strange."
After her little fit, Su Jinxiu thought about this issue again.
With her knowledge, she had never seen a magic treasure that could be completely dataized.
Although techniques like observing qi, observing stars, and Plum Blossom divination could yield such information when cultivated to a high level, they would never be expressed in pure data form like Liu Nanfeng described.
These ancient techniques could not achieve such precision. This way of expression seemed to be an improvement on ancient methods, expressed with modern methods.
"It is a bit strange," Liu Nanfeng admitted.
"But it's very useful, and it's not much use to dwell on it. You can't see or touch this [Observing Mountains and Seas] at all, so let's take it one step at a time."
Liu Nanfeng had also considered this issue long ago, but he couldn't figure it out and had to put it aside for the time being, otherwise, it would only be a waste of effort.
Even so, Su Jinxiu still frowned, her expression filled with worry.
The two walked forward and finally saw Liu Zonghe and Zhan Dundun under a willow tree ahead.
The large willow tree extended a little around the riverbank, tilting towards the water like a large weeping willow umbrella, blocking the sunlight. It was a good spot for fishing.
However, because the willow leaves were narrow and sparse, some sunlight still filtered through, so it wasn't too cool under the shade of the willow tree.
As a result, the two were already sweating profusely. The dedication of fishermen was indeed terrifying.
"Dad, Zhan Dundun," Liu Nanfeng called out from a distance.
"Huh? Why did you two come out in such hot weather?" Liu Zonghe quickly stood up.
Of course, this sentence was mainly directed at his daughter-in-law. As for Liu Nanfeng, he was just an afterthought.
"Mom was worried you were too hot, so she sent me to bring you some water."
Liu Nanfeng opened the bag and handed the iced mineral water to him and Zhan Dundun.
"How is it? Any catch?"
Liu Nanfeng glanced into their bucket and fell silent. It was truly miserable. Although there were four or five fish in the bucket, each was no bigger than his palm.
"It's already not bad. Where are there any big fish in the river now?" Liu Zonghe sighed.
On the one hand, there was severe overfishing, and on the other hand, there was pesticide pollution. Many farmers liked to throw empty pesticide bottles into the river after spraying. Over time, there were fewer and fewer fish and shrimp in the river.
"So, I just fish to pass the time. If I catch it, it's my fortune; if I don't, it's my fate. I don't force it," Liu Zonghe continued.
Liu Nanfeng gave him a thumbs-up. Just as Liu Zonghe thought he was praising him.
Liu Nanfeng said, "Dad, you've learned to comfort yourself, and you even say it so nicely. I admire you."
"You brat," Liu Zonghe raised the mineral water bottle in his hand to hit his head.
Liu Nanfeng quickly hid behind the willow tree.
Liu Zonghe naturally wouldn't chase him, but said helplessly to Su Jinxiu, "He's already married, but he's still like a child, never growing up. You've been burdened."
"It's okay, I like taking care of children, haha..."
Su Jinxiu knew that Liu Zonghe was doing it on purpose, so she played along.
"Hey, how can you two say that?" Liu Nanfeng poked his head out from behind the willow tree, looking displeased.
But he never dared to step forward, just like a child worried about being beaten by his father.
Zhan Dundun looked at the happy scene before him and couldn't help but think of Shen Wenhui again. If only, alas...
He felt dejected again. He really shouldn't have come back with Liu Nanfeng this time. He regretted it a little.
Since there weren't many catches, Liu Zonghe decided to "pack up" and go home around three or four in the afternoon, rather than wasting time by the river.
However, Liu Zonghe still carried the fishing rods, and Zhan Dundun carried the bucket.
As for Liu Nanfeng and Su Jinxiu, they naturally walked ahead, hand in hand.
Looking at the loving couple ahead, Liu Zonghe said to Zhan Dundun beside him, "You and Nanfeng are the same age, aren't you? When do you plan to get married?"
"Uncle, I don't even have a girlfriend yet, so how can I get married?" Zhan Dundun said with a wry smile.
"What do you do for work now, and how is your income?"
"Freelancer, income is okay."
"Oh, so you're unemployed, with low income, just like Nanfeng. Your conditions are indeed not very good."
Zhan Dundun: ...
Freelancer = Unemployed.
Income is okay = Low income.
Thinking about it this way, it seemed to make some sense.
"When we get back, I'll talk to your aunt and see if she has any suitable girls to introduce to you..."
"Dundun, I'm talking to you. What are you looking at?"
Liu Zonghe saw Zhan Dundun staring fixedly at the lake and looked curiously, but the sparkling water surface revealed nothing.
"Nothing, Uncle. What were you saying?" Zhan Dundun asked, returning to his senses.
"I said, when we get back, I'll have your aunt introduce a girl to you."
"No... no need. I don't want to get married yet. I'm happy living alone," Zhan Dundun said quickly.
"Is that so? I thought you liked Wenhui. I was planning to have your aunt talk to Wenhui's mother and see if you two could get along. After all..."
"Uncle, please tell Aunt to say that," Zhan Zhongxiao immediately changed his attitude and said flatteringly.
"You kid, you really do like Wenhui."
"Uh... Uncle, you weren't just kidding, were you?" Zhan Zhongxiao said somewhat awkwardly.
"No, I'm serious. Wenhui is the same age as you, isn't she? Last year during Chinese New Year, I heard old Shen complaining about his daughter, saying she's always busy with work and is already a grown woman with no boyfriend..."
As Liu Zonghe spoke, the smile on Zhan Dundun's face grew brighter.
By the end, the sliver of gloom in his heart completely disappeared.
He felt that the sky was so blue, the water was so clear, and even the scorching sunlight felt so warm on his body.
When they returned home, they saw Yu Huilan sitting in the shade of the yard shelling edamame. Su Jinxiu went to help, while Liu Nanfeng took Zhan Dundun's bucket, preparing to release the small fish into the fish pond behind the house.
Seeing Su Jinxiu helping, Yu Huilan stopped shelling. She got up, washed her hands with well water, and said, "The mat hasn't been used for a long time. I'll wipe it clean so you can sleep comfortably tonight."
"Mom, you do your thing. I'll handle these edamame," Su Jinxiu said.
"I'll help too," Zhan Zhongxiao said, sitting down beside them.
Su Jinxiu glanced at him without speaking, while Liu Zonghe went back to his room to tidy up the fishing rods.
Seeing Yu Huilan also returning indoors, Zhan Dundun suddenly said, "Nanfeng's family are all very good people."
Su Jinxiu glanced at him without speaking.
"I assume you know my identity. Similarly, I know yours. I know you and Nanfeng are truly in love, but I hope you won't hide it from him..."
Zhan Dundun kept his head down, shelling edamame as if talking to himself.
Su Jinxiu also lowered her head and didn't speak, so Zhan Dundun didn't know her exact feelings.
He continued, "You know how difficult it is for demons to have offspring with humans. If you truly love him, you shouldn't hide it from him. Of course, if he loves you and is still willing to be with you, I can't interfere. After all, this is your business, but..."
"You are a good friend," Su Jinxiu suddenly looked up and said with a smile.
"What?" Zhan Zhongxiao didn't react immediately.
"Nanfeng is a bit introverted, to put it bluntly, he's a bit of a homebody, so he has very few friends, and even fewer true friends. You are very good."
"Uh—thank you. After all, we grew up together, and Uncle and Aunt are very good to me," Zhan Zhongxiao said, showing his signature honest smile again.
Then he realized and quickly said, "I didn't mean anything else by saying that. Since you love him so much, you should tell him the truth and not hide anything."
"How do you know I haven't told him?" Su Jinxiu asked with a light laugh.
"Huh?"
Zhan Zhongxiao was stunned. That's right. Maybe Liu Nanfeng already knew. He really hadn't thought of this. He had unconsciously assumed that Su Jinxiu hadn't told Liu Nanfeng the truth.
Just then, Liu Nanfeng returned from the back room, carrying an empty bucket.
"What are you guys talking about?" Liu Nanfeng asked.
"Nothing. We were just talking about some embarrassing things from your childhood," Su Jinxiu said with a slight lift of her eyebrows and a smile.
Liu Nanfeng immediately understood and didn't press further. This was their tacit understanding.
Zhan Zhongxiao looked at Liu Nanfeng, then at Su Jinxiu, unsure if what she had just said was true.
"Dundun, you'll sleep in the west room tonight. Light mosquito coils before you sleep..." Yu Huilan walked over and said.
To prevent visitors, they had built five tiled houses and a kitchen. Besides the main hall, there were two side rooms on each side.
The west side rooms were for Liu Nanfeng's parents, and the east side rooms were reserved for Liu Nanfeng and his wife to stay in when they returned.
The remaining west and east rooms served as guest rooms, and their doors opened outwards, so one didn't have to go through the main hall, preserving privacy to the greatest extent.
"Auntie, you don't have to go to so much trouble. I'm thick-skinned, I'm not afraid of mosquitoes."
Zhan Dundun patted his belly, causing a ripple of flesh, which made Yu Huilan laugh heartily.
"There's air conditioning inside. Turn it on if it's hot at night. Don't try to save electricity for Auntie."
"Got it, Auntie."
"Your uncle just told me. I'll call Wenhui's mother for you later."
Zhan Dundun's cheeks turned red instantly, and Yu Huilan laughed even harder.
"You child, you're all grown up, and you're still shy about such things."
...
Dinner was very rich, not only including the braised dishes Yu Huilan had brought back but also a large plate of crayfish.
Some villagers raised crayfish. Liu Zonghe had specifically bought them, knowing that Liu Nanfeng liked to eat them.
Liu Nanfeng and Zhan Zhongxiao moved the table from inside to the yard.
Su Jinxiu sprayed some mosquito repellent in the yard. The yard was indeed good for growing vegetables, but the only drawback was the many mosquitoes in the summer.
Taking out a few bottles of iced beer from the refrigerator, the family sat in the yard, around the table, eating, drinking, and chatting. This was the perfect summer.
In the countryside at night, apart from playing mahjong, there were basically no other activities. So, after dinner, Liu Zonghe took out the mahjong tiles, turned on the lights in front of the door, and prepared to play a few rounds together.
Zhan Dundun knew how to play Sichuan mahjong. Although the rules were different from Jiangcheng, it wasn't a big problem. After playing a round, he basically got the hang of it.
However, they didn't play for long, mainly because Liu Zonghe and his wife were accustomed to sleeping and waking early, and felt sleepy before ten o'clock. At this time, the entire village had quieted down, with only a few dog barks. Only frog and insect chirps remained.
Lying in bed, listening to the frog and insect chirps from outside, Liu Nanfeng didn't find them jarring. Instead, he felt a sense of peace.
Lying on his side, Su Jinxiu, who was facing away from him, habitually snuggled back.
Liu Nanfeng tacitly turned to his side, pressing close to her back, resting his arm on her slender waist, inhaling the faint fragrance from her hair, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Su Jinxiu grabbed the hand resting on her waist and placed it on her chest, then fell asleep with peace of mind.
After an unknown amount of time, Liu Nanfeng suddenly woke up from a dream. He glanced at Su Jinxiu in his arms, gently withdrew his hand, got out of bed, and walked outside.
He saw a small, wet boy standing in the yard. He looked at Liu Nanfeng timidly, still holding two fish strung together with water grass.
"Hel... hello."
Seeing Liu Nanfeng come out, he greeted him hesitantly.