My Demon Friends-Chapter 704 - 665: Ultimately Defeated by Financial Power

"Brother, did you guys get vaccinated?"

"We did."

"How many shots?"

"Two shots."

"Haha, we got the one-shot!"

"Oh."

"How did you feel after getting it?"

"Didn't feel anything."

"You didn't feel anything at all?"

"Nope."

"Hey, let me tell you, after I got mine, not only was my arm sore and swollen, but I also woke up with a fever the next day..."

Baozi sat quietly in the corner of the sofa, listening to her cousin and Zhu Shuang talk. It was more of a question-and-answer session, with Zhu Shuang posing questions and her cousin giving answers. If Zhu Shuang didn't ask a question, her cousin would just utter an "Oh" or say, "I see," rarely asking anything in return.

But obviously, both were accustomed to this way of talking and didn't find it uncomfortable at all.

That changed when her cousin turned his attention to her.

Baozi faced the TV, sitting properly. Her eyes slid to the far right to glimpse what was happening, then immediately swung back, her gaze fixed on the screen.

"Baozi?"

Baozi remained silent.

Zhou Li sensed her dismissive attitude but didn't mind. "When do you plan on going back to Chunming?"

She couldn't stay quiet now.

Baozi kept her gaze fixed on the TV, hesitating. Her voice was emotionless as she said, "I haven't planned it yet..."

Brother Nan, shaking his crossed leg, said, "We could take you on a trip around the Yixi Plateau. By this time, the flowers on the grassland should be almost gone, but there are still many sights to see, like the photographer's heaven known as Xindu Bridge, Dao City's Yading, Jiuzhai, and Seda. It depends on where you want to go. You can check it out online. To be honest, I'm not very clear myself."

Zhou Li nodded in agreement, his tone rather annoying. "It's just if you feel like it."

SWISH.

Baozi turned her head, her face serious.

"I'd like to!"

"I see..."

Baozi returned her focus to the TV. She felt a bit sad, having ultimately succumbed to her cousin's financial power. This sadness lasted for roughly a second before she immersed herself in the joy of a free trip.

"Are you guys going, Zhu Shuang?" Zhou Li asked.

"We signed up for driving school..." Zhu Shuang paused, then flashed a brilliant smile. "But it's negotiable!"

"Oh."

"When do we leave?"

"In a couple of days."

"Okay."

They began discussing routes and the weather.

Old Zhou had bought a small pickup truck to haul his fishing gear.

Lately, his collection of equipment had grown more numerous, more complete, and more luxurious. His fishing addiction had also intensified. It grew so strong that he couldn't resist casting his line a couple of times by the river after work before heading home. Whenever he caught fish, he would proudly announce it in the residents' group chat, then face the difficult task of giving them away.

Gradually, the residents in the community came to know about the fishing master in Unit 2 of Building 1—a true fishing deity. He caught many fish every day, all wild and given away for free. It wasn't a scam.

Some were grateful. Others sang his praises.

Giving away fish became smoother, and as a result, his relationships with the neighbors also improved.

Old Zhou was particularly pleased, beaming every day.

But for the past couple of days, he had been somewhat troubled.

For some reason, ever since Zhou Li had come back from his classmate's house, Old Zhou had stopped catching any fish at all.

It wasn't that the number of fish he caught was decreasing; rather, he had gone from a great haul to not catching a single fish, even if he changed spots. This change was abrupt, as if all the fish in the river had suddenly vanished. It was baffling.

Just yesterday, someone in the group chat had proactively asked if he had any fish. He could only say he hadn't gone out, too embarrassed to admit he hadn't caught anything.

Now, I even feel a bit embarrassed to go home.

I really bragged too much the other day. Saying fishing was so easy, that I could catch them effortlessly. That I'd let everyone eat fish until they were sick of it. I'd certainly made some grand promises. The more exhilarated I felt then, the worse I feel now.

Old Zhou hesitated at the door for a moment before pulling out his keys to unlock it.

MEOW.

As soon as he stepped through the doorway, Old Zhou felt a small paw latch onto his trouser leg, tugging at it gently and persistently.

Looking down, he was met by a pair of big, shining blue eyes that seemed to hold an entire galaxy and were brimming with expectation.

"It's Lord Dumpling..." Old Zhou said, somewhat sheepishly.

At the same time, Zhou Li's voice came from the living room. "You're back? How was the catch today?"

Old Zhou silently changed his shoes and picked up the cat by his feet, trying to avoid her gaze. With a straight face, he said, "The weather's been too hot lately, not good for fishing. The heat made me a bit careless. A few times fish took the bait, but I was too lazy to even get up and reel them in..."

Zhou Li and Zhu Shuang exchanged glances without saying a word, while Huai Xu kept eating grapes on the sofa.

Tuanzi looked perplexed. "Meow?"

"I'm sorry..." Old Zhou nodded, his tone softening in Lord Dumpling's presence. "I haven't caught anything... yet. Tomorrow! I'll definitely catch something tomorrow!"

He actually felt a measure of shame and remorse.

"Meow."

Old Zhou walked into the living room and sat down. Huai Xu gave him a smile.

Facing his son's friend, Old Zhou temporarily set aside his fatherly authority and returned the smile, then took out his phone.

Someone in the homeowners' group chat was asking again if there were any fish available today.

Old Zhou quickly turned off his phone screen.

These people are really annoying. When I first caught so many fish and kept asking in the group if anyone wanted them, no one responded. After I gave them away for a few days and they got a taste of the good stuff, now that I haven't caught any, they're the ones actively asking. So irritating!

MEOW.

Tuanzi pushed against his leg, wriggled out of his arms, and unapologetically jumped into Zhou Li's embrace.

Old Zhou watched in silence, a bitter taste in his heart.

At this rate, I might have to go to the fish market.

"Oh, right—" Zhou Li picked up Tuanzi and turned her to face Old Zhou. "We're planning a trip. There are six of us. Can you borrow a seven-seater car?"

"I can."

"Arrange it then."

"I can arrange it..." Old Zhou looked at them, his authoritative air returning. "But when you go out to have fun, you must remember: safety first! You young people are the most clueless! If there's an accident and the younger ones get hurt, you won't be able to bear the responsibility!"

Zhou Li nodded, deeply agreeing. "Just like with fishing. Even if you don't catch anything, safety still comes first. Even if you have to buy fish from the market, you shouldn't go down to the river to catch them yourself."

PFFT. Zhu Shuang lowered her head, trying to stifle her laughter.

Old Zhou, however, merely scowled and drank from his water cup.

Zhou Li stood up with a smile and glanced at the darkening sky outside the window. "I'm going to visit my wood carving teacher."

「The 20th.」

After eating the fish Old Zhou had bought from the market, the group set off in the seven-seater SUV he had arranged.

Because the younger ones were heavily influenced by advertisements and had a mysterious yearning for Dao City, and also because the arrangements at Jiuzhai after its reopening were truly terrible, they chose to travel along Route 318.

The journey was smooth. There was an expressway all the way to Kangding, after which they took National Highway 318. Along the route, they could visit places like Xindu Bridge, Tagong Grassland, and Holy Land Litang. If they had the leisure, they could also visit Maoya Grassland. And if they were willing to take a slight detour, there were even more attractions.

After reaching Litang and leaving Highway 318, it was only a few dozen more kilometers to Dao City.

Conveniently, Dao City had an airport and was close to Caiyun Province, so Baozi could fly straight home from there.

Actually, Zhou Li wasn't particularly enthusiastic about traveling. Whenever he and Brother Nan went on trips, the greater joy for him came from 'being with Brother Nan' rather than the travel itself.

It was just a pity that there were too many people this time, and he felt it would be awkward to share a room with Brother Nan.