Above the ancient city stood Cang Mountain.

Cang Mountain was often enveloped by white clouds, which also frequently cast shadows over the ancient city.

But that was a blessing. The sunlight here was scorching, so it was fortunate to be under the clouds—a little more breeze would have made it even more comfortable.

They ate hand-grabbed rice outside the South Gate.

Earlier, Zhou Li and Brother Nan had been skeptical, suspecting the five-star ratings might be inflated. After all, it was a tourist area. For visitors, food that tasted even slightly better, combined with excellent service, could easily garner high scores. It was just like the crossing-the-bridge noodles they had last year, which couldn't compare to those they'd eaten in Chunming or on their cycling trip.

At that time, Brother Nan had said it was surely because those tourists had never had truly tasty crossing-the-bridge noodles that they rated such mediocre ones so highly.

It turned out they were wrong.

This restaurant, however, was indeed delicious.

Especially for the siblings, who had never tasted Dai-style hand-grabbed rice before, this meal completely fulfilled the cravings kindled by watching "Passing Away."

Zhou Li only tried a little of each dish but agreed it was good.

Furthermore, the hand-grabbed rice offered a rich variety: meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, and even fruit. It had everything, ensuring a balanced meal.

Unfortunately, he couldn't eat much.

Brother Nan was still teasing him from the side—

"Go on, eat!"

He nodded towards Zhou Li, blinking and feigning confusion. "Why aren't you eating?"

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing both smiled.

Even Tuanzi, who had been crouching on the table accepting food from Zhou Li, tilted her head and looked at him. With one eye wide open and the other blinking, she asked in an incredibly innocent and cute tone, "Zhou Li, why aren't you eating?"

"I have a toothache."

Zhou Li looked tenderly at Tuanzi, smiling. "Lord Dumpling, please eat a bit more for me. I'll be happy if Lord Dumpling enjoys eating."

"Really, meow?"

"Yes, and Lord Dumpling is still small. You need to eat more to grow taller."

Saying that, Zhou Li tenderly picked up a cluster of shredded chicken from the round bamboo winnowing basket. He then gathered all the small millet chilis nearby, hid them inside the chicken, and carefully fed it to Tuanzi, watching her eat it.

"Tasty?"

"Good… Ooh, it's a bit spicy-hot!"

"It's cold-dressed chicken shreds."

"Ooh, it's burning up!! Get water for Lord Dumpling!"

"What's wrong?"

"MEOW! MEOW!"

"What's wrong with you?"

Zhou Li watched her frantic display. He was only human; how could he understand a kitten's meows?

However, this Little Trash Cat, despite having a battle power of only five, was extremely resilient. She soon retracted her tongue, the burning sensation gone. The mischievous cat then turned her head towards Zhou Li, blinking her eyes coquettishly.

"Zhou Li, that was really tasty! You should try some too!"

"…"

I'm still too kind. Zhou Li thought.

Meanwhile, Zhu Shuang, sitting opposite them, already looked suspicious. His imagination began to run wild. "I always feel like you two can actually communicate!! I suspect Lord Dumpling has become a spirit! She's the one who stole the snacks from the fridge!"

Saying that, he nodded confidently, then looked at the others around the table.

One second later.

Three seconds later.

Five seconds later.

Zhou Li was still teasing Tuanzi. Brother Nan turned to call a waiter for another bottle of blueberry wine. Zhu Shuang's own sister, Zhu Bing, was carefully spitting out fish bones, her head lowered.

No one paid him any attention.

It was quite awkward.

The portions for a four to five-person meal were large, normally too much for five adults. Without Huai Xu, and with Zhou Li having a toothache and Little Trash Cat's stomach capacity being less than a small bowl, Brother Nan and the siblings alone had a hard time finishing the meal.

By the end, only Brother Nan was still battling it out.

The other three were either playing on their phones or had turned to watch the clouds shifting outside the window.

The clouds above the ancient city moved rapidly, just like the travelers who came here. The street out front was alternately bathed in sunlight and then covered by shadow, the light-colored silhouettes of the clouds moving visibly across the ground.

If I climbed up high and looked down at the rooftops, it would probably be beautiful.

Zhou Li suddenly withdrew his gaze. He hadn't been thinking much, but words of concern slipped out, "Forget it, Brother Nan, stop eating. Don't eat so much you end up in the hospital again."

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing simultaneously turned curious glances toward him.

Brother Nan's expression also froze. He subconsciously looked towards the siblings, then back at Zhou Li.

Zhou Li looked a bit flustered. He seemed to realize he'd inadvertently exposed Brother Nan's embarrassing past but tried to remain calm. He said to him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up that time you ate so much you ended up in the hospital."

Brother Nan…

He gave a wry smile. While taking off his gloves, he said to Zhou Li, "You're impossible. And way too vindictive."

Exposed after all, huh?

Zhou Li began to reflect on his actions once again.

In the afternoon, there were few people in the ancient city. Tourists had either rented cars to go out and explore or were napping in their rooms. The city wouldn't become lively until evening.

However, it was very suitable for a walk.

Golden sunlight streamed through the leaves and branches of ancient trees, casting elusive patterns of light and shadow on the stone-paved roads.

Tuanzi trotted ahead, taking small, brisk steps, her little rear bouncing as she looked all around. She said to Zhou Li, "The houses here look like the ones from the old days. It's like Lord Dumpling lived in a house like this when I was little."

When she was little... Zhou Li thought.

He just responded with a hum.

All four of them were exceptionally good-looking. Zhu Shuang was Prince Charming to countless younger female students at Yan City Middle School, and Zhu Bing was similarly admired. As a group, they certainly drew a lot of attention.

But the most eye-catching of all had to be Tuanzi.

Such a beautiful, half-grown cat was a rare sight, and a cat that could be taken out without a leash was even more charming.

Many people cast envious glances their way.

However, the lazy Little Trash Cat didn't enjoy walking for long. After a short while, she refused to go any further, stopping to look back.

Although Zhou Li had anticipated this and had already sidestepped a few paces to try and go around her, it was no use. The Little Trash Cat scampered a few steps towards him, pounced, and hugged his calf, her claws extending to hook into the fabric of his pants.

"Zhou Li, Lord Dumpling doesn't want to walk anymore."

"No," Zhou Li said, looking down. "You ate too much at noon. If you eat a lot, you should walk more to help digest it."

"But Zhou Li told Lord Dumpling to eat more."

"A hundred steps after a meal will keep you healthy till ninety-nine."

"That's so short…"

"Erm…"

"Hold Lord Dumpling." Tuanzi looked up at him, her coquettish expression impossible to refuse. Even the hearts of passersby seemed to melt. "If you hold Lord Dumpling, Lord Dumpling will let you play with her tail."

"Alright, it's a deal…"

Zhou Li had no choice but to pick her up. But he couldn't concede defeat so easily, so he said, "At this rate, you'll turn into a little fat pig."

Having achieved her goal, Tuanzi fell silent, simply turning her head to gaze at the surrounding shops with wide, curious eyes.

"Where is this?"

"This is Dali."

"Why did we just get home and then come to Dali again?"

"I'm taking Lord Dumpling on a trip to explore different places, try local foods. Isn't that nice?"

"The car ride makes me dizzy…"

"There's a specialty dish here called Bai Clan Sour and Spicy Fish. It's sour. I wonder what fish soup poured over rice would taste like." Zhou Li paused. "If Lord Dumpling gives me a kiss, tonight we'll have the sour..."

"MROW~"

"...I haven't finished talking."

"Lord Dumpling wants to eat fish soup with rice!"

"Alright, alright."

Zhou Li glanced sideways and saw Brother Nan squinting at him, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a disgusted expression.

So he muttered softly, "This cat has no principles…"

Brother Nan shot him another disdainful look.

At that moment, a burly man—tall and with knotted muscles—blocked Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing's path. His hands were full of grilled skewers, but incongruously, he had a very handsome face, like a character from an anime.

Zhu Bing and Zhu Shuang were startled. They felt overshadowed by the man's imposing figure, and an invisible pressure bore down on them.

The burly man said, "Interested in swimming or fitness?"

"N-No, thank you…"

"I suggest you consider it."

"Thank you, but we're just tourists."

"Then can I add you on WeChat? My name is Qinghe. You two are quite good-looking; I think you'd be great as fitness trainers!"

"COUGH! COUGH!"

Zhou Li coughed twice, his face darkening.

At the same time, he glanced sideways and saw Brother Nan stepping forward. Zhou Li quickly moved forward too, grabbed Brother Nan's wrist, and shot him a speechless look.

Brother Nan paused, then quickly understood.

Seeing this, the strong man just chuckled and sauntered away, leaving the baffled siblings behind.

"That… that guy…"

"Don't mind him. He's crazy."

Zhou Li saw someone selling cotton candy nearby and went over to buy a few, handing one to each of them. "Here, to calm your nerves. Popular tourist spots attract all sorts of crazies. It's a mixed bag, all kinds of people. If you run into someone like that again, don't worry too much. Just ignore them; let them be the ones to feel awkward."

After speaking, he looked back.

The Old Monster was snickering.

Zhou Li couldn't help but feel speechless again.

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