Old Master Ma was very old, perhaps a full generation older than Zhou Li's deceased grandfather. With his sparse white hair and reading glasses, he stared intently at the chessboard, exuding a thoughtfulness that made Zhou Li feel almost sorry for him.

As he pondered, he also murmured softly to himself.

"HISS..."

"Oh dear..."

"This... what if I move here?"

"That won't do..."

"Move this way? Check this out!"

"Girl from the Li family, it's your turn!"

"General!" A faint female voice announced from Brother Nan's phone. She quickly turned the volume off without changing her expression and looked up.

Old Master Ma, however, seemed not to have heard, still focusing earnestly on the chessboard.

"General!" Brother Nan said.

"Hmm..."

Old Master Ma gazed at the chessboard for a long time, his eyes wandering everywhere, until he finally straightened up, clapped his hands together, and spread them open—

"Ah! There! I've lost!"

"Hehehe~~" Brother Nan giggled, then turned to look at Zhou Li beside her. She immediately received an eye-roll from him, but she interpreted it as this peculiar man's strange way of expressing affection. Thus, she continued to smile and wink at him. "I'm impressive, right?"

"..."

"Hmm?"

"Impressive."

Zhou Li spoke and then bowed his head deeply. His hands moved the carving knife in a slanting motion, producing a gentle rustling sound. This sound held an indescribable healing quality that seemed to wash away the guilt he felt towards Old Master Ma. It wasn't that he was aiding Brother Nan in her cruelty; he was merely looking out for himself.

"SHA, SHA..."

He was carving a cartoon cat with smooth and simple lines. It was nearly finished and bore a slight resemblance to Tuanzi.

Wood shavings littered the ground.

Old Master Ma put away the chess pieces and went into the house.

Brother Nan leaned over, scooted her chair closer to him, and stared at the cartoon cat in his hands. "Not bad, not bad, it's got some spirit. When will your skills reach Grandpa Ma's level?"

"Far from it."

"Then when can you carve portraits?"

"...I've carved a cartoon version of you. I'll bring it over in a couple of days. If it doesn't turn out well, never mind," Zhou Li said.

"Sensible!"

Old Master Ma also came out, holding a half-finished piece he had been carving for days, along with a shovel knife, a butterfly knife, and an eyebrow-opening knife. He sat down with a chuckle where he had played chess before and said, "The light is better outside, don't mind me..."

He was still working on that female figure.

Over the past month, he had carved four female figures. Three of them he had burned, and only one remained. He felt that particular one was better carved than the one displayed on the shelf, so he burned the displayed piece and replaced it with the new one.

He said he had been carving this figure for many years, and it had become a habit.

Perhaps it was through such daily repetition over decades that such astonishing pieces were created.

Yet Zhou Li still felt it was a shame. He thought the other carvings were very well done too. Even if not sold for money, giving them away would have been better than burning them in the stove.

While carving, Old Master Ma hummed a tune, a habit of his. It was the well-known "Fairy Match."

He hummed only the melody, without the lyrics.

Zhou Li also habitually glanced up ahead.

Across the courtyard, he could see the entrance to Brother Nan's home. Her uncle, the school headmaster, and her second eldest paternal uncle also lived in this residential area. Every day Zhou Li came here, he felt somewhat apprehensive, involuntarily imagining scenarios of meeting Brother Nan's relatives.

"HMM..."

He quickly bowed his head and concentrated on his carving.

Brother Nan's voice sounded beside him: "Could you carve me a handgun? A Desert Eagle type, or a revolver. Even a rifle would do. I might need it to pick up my little nephew from school once the pandemic is over."

I can't hear, I can't hear...

「In the evening.」

Zhou Li brought the finished carving to Tuanzi, looking at her expectantly. "What does this look like?"

He had meticulously planned and conceptualized this figurine. Under Old Master Ma's guidance, he had refined it, despite two failed attempts along the way. The finished piece was now polished and could be considered a collectible.

"A chunk of wood."

Tuanzi's eyes sparkled as she sized up the figurine.

"What kind of wood?"

"Looks like a cat."

"What cat?"

"...This isn't Lord Dumpling." Tuanzi understood Zhou Li's words. She took two steps back and even shook her little head.

"...It actually is," Zhou Li corrected her.

"It's not."

"Why? I'm very sad."

"Lord Dumpling doesn't look like this!" Tuanzi looked at the figurine, then shook her head again, her tone firm. "It's all smooth and yellow. Lord Dumpling is very pretty, covered in white fur, with markings."

"That's what wood carvings are like."

"It's still not Lord Dumpling."

"Look—"

Luckily, Zhou Li was prepared. He turned the carving over, revealing four clearly inscribed characters on the bottom: 'Lord Dumpling.' "See? It's written right here," he said.

"Lord Dumpling can't read."

"No problem. Tuan. Zi. Da. Ren."

"Not listening, not listening!"

"..."

Zhou Li was truly heartbroken. He was especially heartbroken because he had purchased the finest boxwood, spending a considerable amount of money and effort on it.

It was all for naught in the end...

The locust flowers in Yan City blossomed again.

Unfortunately, there were no locust trees in this neighborhood. Zhou Li had only seen the locust flowers when he went out shopping the previous day. Thinking about it, he realized that it would soon be a whole year since he met Huai Xu, and the changes throughout the year had been significant.

「At lunchtime.」

Zhou Li said to Aunt Jiang, "I'm going to a classmate's hometown to catch crayfish tomorrow and might not return for a few days."

Hearing this, Aunt Jiang exchanged a glance with Old Zhou.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing looked at each other as well.

Aunt Jiang asked, "Which classmates are going?"

Zhu Shuang said, "Which classmate? Is it far? I also want to go catch crayfish; I've never done it before in my life."

"A lot of classmates will be there."

"Oh," Aunt Jiang sounded somewhat disappointed. "Then you must be careful. Stay away from deep water, and pay attention to safety."

"Got it."

"Bro! Can you take me with you? I can liven things up and sing to cheer you on."

"That's not a good idea; the others don't know you."

"Oh..."

Zhu Shuang looked utterly disappointed.

Back in his room, Huai Xu immediately asked him, "Are you going to Brother Nan's hometown to meet her parents?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Zhou Li patiently explained again, "A lot of classmates will be going."

"But isn't that what you told Aunt Jiang?"

"Yes."

"I don't really believe you anymore."

"What a shame."

"Can I go then?"

"I was just about to tell you. Zhang Hao, Kang Xue'er, and Jiang Han are going. If you go, just assume Huai Xu's appearance. We'll just say we're college classmates."

"Huai Xu's appearance..."

"That's the Huai Xu Aunt Jiang and Old Zhou know. Or you can just transform into some random guy," Zhou Li said. "But Huai Xu would be best."

"Alright!"

"It's almost May," Zhou Li sat down by the bed, picked up the cartoon version of Brother Nan he had carved, and scrutinized it, flicking the figurine's face.

"May? Wasn't our first meeting in May?"

"April. The end of April."

"It's been a year already..."

Huai Xu suddenly began to size up Zhou Li from top to bottom. "In the blink of an eye, you've even got a girlfriend."

Zhou Li: ...

「April 29.」

Zhou Li arrived at Brother Nan's family's shop.

As usual, Brother Nan personally served them noodles. Then, she sat down with a smile to watch them eat.

Zhou Li reached into his backpack and took out a figurine, also carved from boxwood. Given his skill level, he obviously couldn't carve a realistic, life-sized figure like Old Master Ma could. Instead, he'd gone for a cartoon style, so a strict physical resemblance wasn't the goal.

It only had to capture her essence.

Brother Nan took it and immediately began examining it closely.

The figurine depicted a young girl wearing slim-fit jeans that accentuated her long legs, and mid-top sneakers. Her top was clearly a jacket, probably denim, though it wasn't colored.

Her hair wasn't long and was tied in a small bun at the back of her head.

With her hands stuffed in her pockets, her expression was a bit smug.

Zhou Li had styled it like an anime character, referencing several anime shows over the past few days.

"I originally wanted to make a figurine of you playing basketball, since you love it so much—wearing a jersey and shorts, holding a basketball. But then I realized the clothes would be too difficult to carve," Zhou Li said, still rummaging in his bag. "This isn't just an ordinary figurine. Strictly speaking, it could already be considered a minor magic artifact, and a very practical one at that."

"Can it help me do homework and attend online classes?"

"It can repel insects."

"Repel insects?"

"Small insects, like mosquitoes and flies, even cockroaches and spiders. But it won't work on things like mice or snakes."

"Repelling mosquitoes is good, especially with summer coming," Brother Nan said, her gaze fixed on the figurine's head. "Why is there a hole on top? Is that where it emits the magic for repelling insects?"

"Found it!"

Finally, Zhou Li pulled his hand from the bag, holding a small object wrapped in many layers of paper.

He began unwrapping it, layer by layer.

Brother Nan watched, puzzled, murmuring, "What's this mysterious thing... Hmm? A tiny wooden strand?"

To be precise, it was a slender, curved wooden filament.

"Be careful, it's very fragile."

"You certainly have your methods..."

Brother Nan seemed to have already guessed what it was.

Sure enough, she blinked, watching as Zhou Li gingerly picked up the tiny wooden filament and approached her. He then took the figurine she was holding, carefully angled its head towards himself, and inserted the wooden filament... into the hole.

Instantly, the figurine seemed to spring to life.

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