Brother Nan was driving.

Zhou Li was sleeping.

The scenery outside the window whizzed by. The car was filled with music and Brother Nan's voice, which she deliberately kept low to avoid waking Zhou Li.

But Zhou Li still woke up.

It was Tuanzi who had roused him.

Zhou Li opened his eyes groggily and looked down. A small, half-grown cat was standing on his thigh, pressing down with her two little paws. She even knew to alternate pressure between her left and right paws rhythmically and was doing so with great concentration.

"Hmm..."

Upon hearing the sound, Tuanzi lifted her head to meet Zhou Li's gaze, but her paws continued to press down, one after the other.

Her movements gradually slowed...

More and more slowly...

Until she stopped completely, still staring unblinkingly at Zhou Li. After a long silence, Tuanzi finally said, "It's because Zhou Li is so tired that Lord Dumpling wanted to give you a massage to help you feel better."

Zhou Li nodded. "Isn't it kneading?"

Tuanzi immediately looked serious. "No, it's not!"

"Is that so?"

"Only little kittens knead."

"Big cats do it too."

"Lord Dumpling is not a cat."

"I see."

Zhou Li paused for a moment, then motioned with his hand. "Go on then, a bit heavier."

But Tuanzi pulled back. "That's enough."

"It's not enough."

"It is enough."

"I'm not comfortable yet."

"You are comfortable," Tuanzi said, staring intently at Zhou Li, her certainty almost convincing him.

"...Alright then."

Zhou Li rubbed his eyes and turned to look out the window.

The flat countryside, blue sky, and white clouds easily sketched a tranquil scene.

Brother Nan was driving fast, probably on the national highway by now. The road was easy to navigate, straight with few cars. Her speed had already surpassed ninety, yet surprisingly, cars were still zooming past them from the adjacent lane.

Zhou Li heard her talking to the siblings.

At first, it was fairly normal. She just reminded them to apply sunscreen during military training, to pad their shoes with sanitary napkins, and to get along well with their instructors.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing hummed in agreement.

But then the conversation took a turn.

She began instilling in the siblings the idea that one should not back down when confronted and that the bold are revered. If someone targeted them for bullying, they shouldn't hesitate to fight back. If they were outmatched, they should grab the most convenient deterrent weapon nearby, or resort to a sneak attack...

Zhou Li was fully awake now and hastily called a halt to it.

Brother Nan glanced at him nonchalantly. "I thought you only knew how to talk to your Little Trash Cat!"

Then she continued to the siblings, "Anyway, we don't start trouble, but we absolutely can't let others think we're pushovers. You're young; getting into a fight, even if you lose, isn't a big deal. The school won't do much. But when you're older, the costs are different."

Zhou Li quickly added, "Just extract the main idea from what she says."

Zhu Shuang said, "Got it."

Zhu Bing said, "Oh."

They soon arrived at Sanyi Airport.

The airport was small, which was actually a plus, as you could comfortably check in just an hour before your flight if you were running tight on time.

They temporarily stopped at the departure entrance, and Brother Nan and Zhou Li got out to help with the luggage.

Brother Nan again reminded Zhu Shuang that if his sister got bullied, he absolutely had to grab a stick and settle the score. Zhu Shuang nodded with conviction; Brother Nan's words seemed to carry more weight with him than Aunt Jiang's.

This made Zhou Li, standing to the side, somewhat embarrassed.

Somehow, Brother Nan had become like an older brother to him.

The car slowly drove away from the airport.

As Brother Nan handled the steering wheel, she glanced askance at him and frowned. "All you know is how to sleep! Is it so bad that I'm giving your younger brother and sister advice?"

"I didn't say it was bad."

"You did."

"I did not."

"Let me tell you, don't upset the driver's mood. For driving safety, you need to humor the driver."

"When I'm driving..."

"Hmm?"

"Sorry."

"Hmph!"

Brother Nan felt that this person had really developed some Changxing City ways; he increasingly liked to argue with her, sometimes making sarcastic remarks or finding new ways to needle her. What irritated her even more was that most of the time he seemed to think she didn't understand, and he was smug about it.

This wasn't necessarily bad, but the trend wasn't good—if this kept up, it might not be long before she was no longer Brother Nan. Would she become Xiao Nan? Or maybe Nannan... Ugh~~ Just thinking about it was unbearable for her. She needed to figure out how to extricate herself from this situation.

A plane flew low overhead.

Brother Nan used to love watching airplanes as a child. She enjoyed standing in the fields or sitting on the slopes, observing the contrails left by planes, and then sharing the sight with her playmates. Sometimes, two planes would cross paths, which was even more exciting.

Actually, she still loved it.

But it wasn't convenient while driving, so she could only take a quick glance before looking back at the road. "Do you think Zhu Shuang and the others are up there? If they looked down, they might even be able to see us."

"They haven't taken off yet..."

"You're so annoying!"

"Oh."

"Let's stay in Dali tonight," Brother Nan said. "Have another serving of tender pork rice noodles, no, two servings, then go back to Chunming tomorrow."

"Whatever you say."

"Then it's settled."

"So..."

Zhou Li's face inexplicably began to feel hot. It must have been due to the poor quality of the car's window tint, which failed to effectively block the infrared rays, leaving him directly exposed to the sun. Wiping his face, he muttered, "It's so hot," but turned to face the window before continuing, "How many... rooms should we book?"

This was truly putting the innocent young man in a tough spot.

In contrast, Brother Nan was much more direct. "Just one, to save some money... No need to waste it."

"Right, so we'll book a..."

"A standard room!"

"Got it."

With her gaze fixed straight ahead, Brother Nan asked, "Zhou Lili, let me interview you. What were you thinking just now? Please answer truthfully."

"..."

"Did some inappropriate images appear in your mind?"

"You're so boring..."

"Did you think of things like a king-size bed, a round bed, a water bed, or theme rooms?"

"You seem to know a lot..."

"One picks things up."

"..."

When they arrived in Dali, they indeed booked a standard room.

It was still far from dark, but they weren't really in the mood to go out for a stroll; they just went up to the rooftop of the hotel. The hotel was situated on higher ground, allowing them to overlook most of the ancient city from the rooftop terrace. Below, the expanse of green-tiled rooftops bathed in the sunset glow, silently telling tales of history and civilization.

Zhou Li spotted the busiest one or two streets.

When walking through those streets, the hawking of vendors filled the air, but from this distance, they looked no different from any other part of the city.

'Commercialization' was a label given by later generations. Its true essence had always been here, standing firm against the erosion of time. To truly appreciate it, one simply needed to change their perspective.

Brother Nan nudged Zhou Li with her elbow. "Do you think this place was renovated or rebuilt later on?"

"I don't know."

"Then do you think it will still look like this many years from now?"

"How many years from now?"

"Emmm..." Brother Nan tilted her head in thought, the cowlick on top of her head quivering and swaying in the evening breeze. "Twenty years from now!"

"Probably."

"Then... a hundred years from now!"

"Probably."

"That's comforting," Brother Nan nodded. "When one or both of us returns many years from now to revisit this place, seeing all these familiar things will remind us of this moment. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Don't get so sentimental."

"What?"

"It doesn't fit your image."

Zhou Li said this, gently flicking the cowlick on her head with his finger, and before she could try to hit him, he tenderly took her hand.

A punch was successfully avoided.

「Late at night.」

Zhou Li lay in bed playing with his phone, while Tuanzi burrowed into his blankets, only half of her little head peeking out from a gap, gazing curiously at him. Who knew what schemes the little creature was brewing.

From the bathroom came the pitter-patter of water. A tall, vague shadow could be seen through the frosted glass, though it was very abstract.

Before long, the sound of water stopped.

Then, with a creak.

Brother Nan walked out in her pajamas, enveloped in steam. Her freshly washed skin was fair and seemed to glow, as if illuminated from within.

"I'm going to sleep."

"Mhm."

Zhou Li kept his gaze fixed on his phone. He was determined not to let his composure slip. Otherwise, he might become the butt of a joke, providing material for Brother Nan's mockery of him for at least the coming year.

Only to hear Brother Nan's tone grow more forceful, "I! Am! Going! To! Sleep!"

Zhou Li again responded with an "Mhm," but he also realized his replies had been too brief and perfunctory, so he added, "Good night."

That should suffice, right?

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