The rain stopped.

Zhou Li sensed it from the suddenly clear honking of horns. It wasn't just the honking; the entire city seemed to sharpen into focus.

Several drenched dogs ambled along the side of the street.

Tuanzi rested its hind paws on Zhou Li's thigh, its front paws scrabbling at the edge of the table, eyes glued to the black-and-white screen. It suddenly turned its head and said, "The fake kitty in the game was killed by this standing dog..."

Zhou Li nodded.

They still won this round, with Huai Xu carrying two others.

Zhou Li glanced outside, then turned to Brother Nan. "The rain has stopped."

Brother Nan understood his meaning and nodded immediately. "Then let's log off. We can go for a walk... Where do you want to go?"

"Log off what?" Huai Xu blinked, confused.

"Let's just wander around," Zhou Li paused for a moment. "I haven't visited Grandpa Ma since I got back a few days ago."

"Do you want to go?" Brother Nan asked.

"Yeah," Zhou Li nodded. "If he sees you're back, he'll definitely know I'm back too... It wouldn't be right to go empty-handed. I'll buy a case of lactose-free milk."

"What lactose-free milk! That stuff's no good!"

"Hm?"

Zhou Li turned his head in confusion, only to see Brother Nan wink at him, a teasing smirk playing on his lips.

He had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Brother Nan continued, "How about a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor!"

Zhou Li: ...

If he had known then what he knew now, he would never have so foolishly trusted Aunt Jiang and brought cigarettes and liquor to Brother Nan's home for dinner. He had a premonition that if his relationship with Brother Nan went smoothly, Brother Nan might tease him about this for the rest of his life.

If the relationship didn't go smoothly...

Well...

He just hoped that when Brother Nan came to visit, he wouldn't get drunk and bring this up again!

「An hour later.」

The two of them emerged from Carrefour.

Huai Xu and Tuanzi were waiting for them at the entrance, one with its head tilted up, the other with its head bowed, their four eyes locked, both looking puffed up and sulky.

"Let's go."

Zhou Li ignored them and walked on.

As they walked, Huai Xu vanished, leaving only Tuanzi pattering closely behind him—so close, it was practically treading on his heels. Zhou Li constantly felt that any slightly larger movement from him would send the little creature tumbling, likely in a backflip.

「Ten minutes later.」

Standing in the courtyard, they once again heard the sounds of the old couple bickering from Old Master Ma's house.

"You just go live with your wood, then!"

"Your carvings are so good, after all! You're such a great carver!"

"Everyone who sees them says they're wonderful!"

"It makes no difference to you whether I'm here or not! Your wood is all you need!"

"..."

They faintly heard Old Master Ma mutter that she wouldn't feel right unless she had one of her 'fits' each day. He kept his voice very low, as if afraid the neighbors would hear.

Zhou Li had lost count of how many times he'd heard the old couple quarrel like this. It wasn't really fighting, more like loud complaining. But usually, this kind of complaining only happened when Zhou Li wasn't present. The moment he arrived, the old couple would simultaneously switch to welcoming smiles.

Not having heard it for over a month, he found it rather endearing.

Gradually, the voices inside quieted. Only then did Zhou Li, carrying the lactose-free milk and monkey mushroom biscuits, step inside.

"Oh my, Xiao Zhou is here!"

"Xiao Zhou, quickly, sit down, sit down! Are you on break?"

"Xiao Zhou, what's that you're carrying?"

"Yes, I'm on break," Zhou Li nodded, putting the items down. "My break started a few days ago, and I've been back for several days, but today is the first chance I've had to visit you. I had some shopping vouchers at home that I hadn't used, and they were expiring at the end of July, so I just bought a few things with them to bring over."

"Oh, you really shouldn't have!"

Zhou Li said nothing in response.

He'd discovered that if he just stayed silent, the topic would quickly pass. Although he might easily be labeled as taciturn or inarticulate, it certainly saved him a lot of trouble. That being the case, what did it matter if he was considered taciturn?

Old Master Ma understood Zhou Li better. He glanced at Brother Nan, who was standing nearby grinning, and quickly pulled Zhou Li into the inner room.

"Come see my new carving! Tell me what you think!"

"Sure!"

"Take a look!"

"This one..."

It was another sculpture of a woman, but it wasn't displayed in the central position.

Old Master Ma stared at the sculpture. "I just finished it yesterday. It's quite good, but I feel there's something not quite right with it. Since I carved it myself, it'll take me at least a month or two to spot the flaw."

"The expression seems a bit aloof, like an Immortal's," Zhou Li noticed almost immediately; such things were often clearer to an observer.

"Yes! That's exactly it!"

Old Master Ma started to get excited, but then he froze, beginning a serious self-critique. "Maybe it's because I'm getting old. As you age, you start to view many things with more detachment, and that feeling finds its way into my hands."

Zhou Li was momentarily unsure how to reply.

Brother Nan, however, quipped irreverently, "What old person is like you? Not spending time with your grandchild all day, but playing with wood instead!"

Old Master Ma roared with laughter.

Zhou Li, however, didn't try his hand at carving today. He declined even when Old Master Ma offered to lend him a carving knife. He simply watched Old Master Ma carve for a while and chatted about various things, whiling away the afternoon before they left.

When he reached the street, he was alone again. The aroma of cooked food wafted from the roadside establishments as he cradled Tuanzi, searching for a restaurant.

He saw an elderly man with white hair riding an old-fashioned bicycle, a small child on the back seat. The scene felt like a rewind of ten years, bringing a slight smile to his lips.

He also saw final-year high school students in their red 'battle gear' riding mountain bikes homeward, reminding him of himself the previous year.

Suddenly, his eyes twitched.

Among the many pedestrians ahead, their backs a moving tapestry, one silhouette struck him as familiar.

It was an elderly person with white hair.

But before Zhou Li could see clearly, a gust of wind swept through the street, momentarily blurring his vision. When he looked again, the figure was hidden by other backs. He continued to stare in that direction, puzzled, but amidst the bustling crowd, that familiar and somehow arresting silhouette seemed to have vanished completely.

In that fleeting glimpse, it had seemed like a very ordinary old man, somewhat tall and thin, dressed plainly...

He began to frown, carefully searching his memory.

A high school teacher? A school administrator? A neighbor from the complex? A former customer? Some high-ranking official or prominent CEO he'd seen online?

In barely a second, he had ruled all these out. Then, with a flicker of hesitation, he quickly hurried forward a few steps.

"Gone, huh..."

Zhou Li glanced around, a little disappointed.

Tuanzi looked suspiciously at his chin, attempting to reach out a small paw to scratch it. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Someone you knew?"

"Or maybe I was mistaken."

"How scary!" Tuanzi exclaimed.

"Yeah..."

About half an hour later, Zhou Li got a takeout container of boiled fish to bring home as a dish for dinner.

Aunt Jiang was still stir-frying, so he went to his room first. His gaze immediately fell upon two slender calves, bent at the knee, on the upper bunk. Then, an incredibly beautiful face emerged—a face so perfect it seemed meticulously refined, as if beyond what nature could produce.

"Just got back?"

"Yeah."

"Huh, how come you're not obsessing over my gender today?"

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you usually fixated on that?"

"Not really..."

Zhou Li waved his hand dismissively and sat down on the lower bunk. After a moment's hesitation, he said to Huai Xu, "On my way back today, I saw a silhouette. It gave me a very familiar yet unique feeling. It was strange, I can't quite describe it."

"Like your dead grandpa?" Huai Xu teased, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Like Master Ming, the one I saw in my dream."

"!!"

The smile froze on Huai Xu's face.

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