「March 22nd, 10:00 AM.」

Li Daimao: All set.

Li Daimao: Come over in the afternoon.

Li Daimao: For your first day, just bring some milk or fruit; don't bring anything expensive. Old Master Ma is an honest man; sculpting and painting are just hobbies for him. If you give him an expensive gift on your first day, he'll feel it's too formal and become awkward.

Li Daimao: At your age, it's cuter to be a bit clueless. Just treat him like an elder relative.

Zhou Li: Oh.

He still felt a bit awkward and quickly started typing, wanting to ask Brother Nan to come with him. But before he could finish—

Li Daimao: I'll be with you for the first two days.

Zhou Li then deleted everything he had typed.

Zhou Li: Got it.

Putting down his phone, he said to Huai Xu, who was lounging on the balcony and spacing out, "Brother Nan found me a carving master."

"?"

Huai Xu slowly turned his head. "What kind of master?"

Zhou Li remained silent.

I just watched "Charlotte's Trouble" with him last night, and his current expression is strikingly similar to that old man in the movie, he thought.

"Boring!"

Huai Xu shook his head, returning to normal. "Didn't you say you didn't want to find a master? You even said there was no need... How do you know this new master of yours won't scold you for being clumsy?"

"I'm very talented."

"HAHAHA, you're killing me..." Huai Xu threw his head back and roared with laughter, showing no mercy. "You call *that* talent?"

"I'm going out with Brother Nan to have mutton soup tonight."

"Yes, you are very talented!"

"Weakling..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I'm going to learn with you."

"Brother Nan didn't sign you up."

"No problem, I'll just follow you there. I can learn just by watching." The old demon was brimming with smugness.

"Don't go."

"Why not?" Huai Xu frowned and looked at Zhou Li. "You're just jealous that I'm more talented than you and have more artistic flair! Jealous that even my casual carvings are better than yours! You're afraid that after I learn, the gap between us will widen, and you'll lose face!"

"Yes, that's right."

"You!" Huai Xu was choked with frustration. "People just aren't what they used to be!"

"Where are you guys going to have fun? Lord Dumpling wants to go have fun too!" Tuanzi suddenly leaped out of the wardrobe, a sock still perched on her head.

"Ugh, I've told you, Lord Dumpling, don't go sneaking into tight spaces all day!" Zhou Li said, exasperated. He bent down, picked her up, removed the sock from her head, and placed it back into a shoebox specifically for socks. "I thought you were outside."

"Did Lord Dumpling hide well?"

"You hid very well, truly impressive."

"MEOW!!"

While Tuanzi was happy, she still remembered the conversation she had just eavesdropped on. "Lord Dumpling wants to go out and play with you guys too!"

Zhou Li thought for a moment. "I'm not going out to play; I'm going out to work, and it's tiring work. The boss is a very fierce old man. I heard he eats cat meat hot pot for lunch every day."

"Liar."

"It's true."

"Does Lord Dumpling look *that* gullible, meow?"

"..." Zhou Li's head throbbed.

This little thing's intelligence, just like her species, seems to fluctuate with her mood, he realized.

「1:00 PM.」

After a satisfying meal of fish soup with rice, Tuanzi lay on the balcony, basking in the sun. Feeling comfortable, she soon dozed off. Zhou Li seized the opportunity to quietly slip out the front door. Heeding Brother Nan's advice, he had only bought a case of Shuhua milk.

Brother Nan was waiting for him at the courtyard gate.

After meeting him, she led Zhou Li all the way into Old Master Ma's home, an extremely thoughtful and considerate gesture.

Upon stepping into the house, even if Brother Nan hadn't told him beforehand, Zhou Li could immediately see that Old Master Ma was truly a carving enthusiast. His home was filled with all sorts of sculptures—wood carvings, bamboo carvings, and root carvings. There were finished pieces, semi-finished works, and raw materials.

All the items were placed along the walls.

It made sense for the raw materials to be easily accessible, but many finished pieces also seemed to be casually placed against the walls, as if they weren't particularly valuable.

"This is Grandpa Ma," Brother Nan said.

"Hello, Grandpa Ma," Zhou Li greeted obediently.

"Oh! You came, that's enough! Why bring anything!" Old Master Ma feigned sternness. "Take it back with you later!"

"This is Zhou Li; just call him Xiao Zhou." After speaking, Brother Nan quietly whispered to Grandpa Ma, "This is my boyfriend. What do you think? Does this young man make the cut?"

"Oh, really?"

"Really!"

"Well, I'll be!"

Old Master Ma quickly leaned in to get a better look at Zhou Li, then nodded repeatedly. "He'll do, he'll do! This young man is handsome! You have good taste!"

"Hehe! Please look after him, please look after him!"

"Look after him? Nonsense! We'll just have fun together! It's rare to see young people interested in these things nowadays; everyone's into high-tech. You youngsters are here to keep an old fellow like me company and help pass the time!" Old Master Ma said cheerfully in his authentic local dialect, then beckoned to Zhou Li. "Come, I'll show you what I've carved!"

"Huh? Oh, okay!"

Zhou Li followed Old Master Ma inside.

Remembering Old Master Ma's expression just now, he seemed just like a child showing off a new toy to his friends, Zhou Li thought. This made him feel much more at ease.

Old Master Ma opened a door, revealing a room dedicated to sculptures.

The room was of a moderate size. Shelves lined two walls, and a coffee table in the middle was also laden with carvings. Zhou Li's gaze was immediately drawn to a statue of a woman in the center of one shelf; it was simply too striking to miss.

The other two walls were adorned with paintings.

One painting also depicted this woman. Compared to the sculpture, it possessed less realism but compensated with a unique temperament and charm.

Zhou Li couldn't help but glance at Old Master Ma. It was hard to imagine that this painting and sculpture were the work of this kind-faced, unassuming old man. The creator of such pieces, he thought, should be a dashing, unconventional, and brilliant young talent in his prime.

"What do you think?" Old Master Ma asked him. "Not bad, huh?"

"It's great!"

"Haha! Li Nan mentioned you've just started learning, haven't you?" Old Master Ma asked with concern. Truthfully, at his age, as long as he had company, he enjoyed doing anything.

"Right."

"Then you'll need to start with something simple." Old Master Ma paused, then asked, "Do you know how to fiddle with mobile phones?"

"Adjust what on the phone?"

"Lately, my phone doesn't make a sound when I get calls, and I don't know why. Could you take a look?" Old Master Ma pulled out a very old feature phone and handed it to Zhou Li. "Not sure if it's broken."

"Okay."

He hadn't expected his first task to be fixing the old man's phone.

After Zhou Li fixed the phone, Old Master Ma thanked him. He told them to use any of the wood as they pleased and suggested Zhou Li start by carving a lotus seed pod.

"Do you want me to draw the guidelines for you?"

"I'll do it myself."

"Alright. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me!"

Afterward, Old Master Ma put on his reading glasses, picked up a piece of wood, and started working on his own project, occasionally stealing glances at the two young people. From time to time, he would offer Zhou Li some advice—either tidbits from his years of experience or some of his unique little techniques, all of which were very precious.

As for Brother Nan, Old Master Ma pretended not to notice her, letting her dabble as she pleased.

Time slipped by during the afternoon, the living room filled with the soft SHUSH of sanding, interspersed with conversation.

Zhou Li learned that Old Master Ma had one son and two daughters, all living in Jin Palace, who only returned for holidays.

His wife, a restless sort, was fond of collecting cardboard and empty plastic bottles, and was currently off goodness-knows-where.

So, he usually carved alone at home, which was quite dull. He had no one to talk to and no one to compliment his work. He didn't even feel much sense of achievement when he completed a good piece.

But now, he had Zhou Li.

...

Old Master Ma was carving a Bodhisattva. When he inadvertently made a mistake, he sighed for a long time, blaming it on his old age.

Brother Nan was carving a handgun. Her skill was at an elementary school level; it was barely recognizable as a handgun from its outline.

It was very much in line with her personality.

Zhou Li's lotus seed pod, however, turned out quite well.

The difficulty of carving a lotus seed pod wasn't much greater than carving a leaf; one could manage it without much prior experience. However, Old Master Ma told him that to carve a simple object vividly was no easy task. It required a keen eye for observation and careful thought.

It was just as he had said before: they were just having fun together.

The afternoon truly unfolded that way. They each worked on their own projects while also exchanging ideas. It was very relaxed, and even Brother Nan had a lot of fun.

And Zhou Li genuinely learned a great deal.

「5:00 PM.」

Old Master Ma said to Zhou Li with conviction, "Xiao Zhou, you have talent. Your hands are very steady, and you possess that certain spark of insight. If you can persevere, your skill will surely surpass mine one day."

Zhou Li responded modestly.

But he was indeed talented. He had excellent control over his body, which was quite important for carving. Perhaps every Heavenly Master possessed a natural aptitude in this regard, much like how their physical constitutions often differed from those of ordinary people.

Of course, he couldn't compare to a certain Demon.

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