"Lord Dumpling has turned into a little dirty cat," Zhou Li said, squatting down to hold Tuanzi on his lap and patting the fallen leaves off her.
"Lord Dumpling just needs to turn into Little Cat Food and then back again, and she'll be all clean!" Tuanzi declared.
"Then go on, transform," Zhou Li said. Thıs content belongs to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Lord Dumpling doesn't want to transform," Tuanzi said. "Lord Dumpling doesn't mind being dirty at all. Lord Dumpling doesn't get parasites; only you humans and ordinary cats get those tiny, tiny parasites."
"...Then you're not allowed on the bed or the sofa, and I won't hold you."
Tuanzi wriggled out of Zhou Li's arms and, with a whoosh, transformed, accompanied by her own indistinct sound effects.
"TA-DA! Little Cat Food!"
"...You're so childish."
Zhou Li picked Tuanzi up and started walking back, his right little finger hooked around a plastic bag containing the small fish.
With his steps, the small fish swayed back and forth.
Huai Xu walked beside him for a stretch, then disappeared once they entered the urban area. Zhou Li guessed he neither wanted to take off his mask nor be seen with a precious N95 hovering in mid-air.
"Zhou Ni, why are you all wet?"
"Zhou Li," Zhou Li corrected her. "You usually say it right. Why did you suddenly get it wrong?"
"This kind of cat is no good...~"
"Huh? What's wrong with it?"
"...It's sweat. I got wet from sweating."
"Did you fall into a river?"
"Sweat. Perspiration."
"Lord Dumpling's fur doesn't get wet from sweat," Tuanzi said, rubbing her paw against Zhou Li's chest. "Zhou Li is so weak."
"...Walk by yourself," Zhou Li put her down.
Tuanzi tilted her head, looking up at Zhou Li in a daze. She then quickly scurried to catch up, took aim at Zhou Li's ankle, and leaped lightly. All four little paws latched firmly onto his ankle and, just in case, her tail also wound around his ankle for good measure.
"...You little rascal."
Zhou Li had no choice but to pick her up again.
After the Little Cat Girl's transformation, Tuanzi was indeed instantly clean. Her fur was spotless, fluffy, and glossy. Zhou Li had no idea what the principle behind it was, but it sure was convenient.
Still, I should probably give her a proper bath with fragrant shower gel. It's only comfortable when she smells nice.
The news about the pandemic was still playing in the living room. Old Zhou, in his pajamas, sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, frowning deeply as he watched. On the other side of the sofa, Zhu Shuang was lying down and Zhu Bing was sitting. Both siblings were engrossed in their phones.
"Where's Aunt Jiang?" As soon as Zhou Li put Tuanzi down, she scampered off to the TV cabinet, sniffing at a Pothos plant.
"She went out to buy groceries," Old Zhou replied without turning his head.
"I... don't feel like going out," Old Zhou said firmly.
"Oh, I brought a fish back. It's tiny. Tuanzi went to watch someone fishing, and they gave it to her," Zhou Li said. "Perhaps Aunt Jiang can cook it up for her later. Otherwise, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste."
"Got it. Your Aunt Jiang really likes that little thing," Old Zhou nodded, then sighed. "Business is tough this year..."
"I'm going to my room."
Just as Zhou Li reached the doorway, Zhu Shuang called out to him.
Zhu Shuang asked him, "Bro, where did you go running? Sis and I just went to the riverside to look for you but couldn't find you."
"Across the big bridge."
"There's no one there."
"Sis said tomorrow we'll both go running with you," Zhu Shuang mentioned, then asked, "What about Tuanzi while you run?"
"She plays by herself where I leave her. I come back for her when I'm done running."
"What if she gets lost..." Zhu Shuang muttered.
Zhou Li silently returned to his room.
Huai Xu was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, so bored he was twirling his mask on his forefinger. "So boring. Yan City is much more boring than Chunming, isn't it?"
"Because of the pandemic, nowhere is fun," Zhou Li murmured. "Otherwise, I could take you to see a movie. Unfortunately, all the Lunar New Year films have been pulled this year."
"Want to watch a series?"
"Is it that kind of series again?"
Zhou Li immediately felt embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Huai Xu continued to stare at the ceiling, though his fingers had stopped twirling. He pondered for a moment, then, as if struck by inspiration, added, "Hey Zhou Li, I've noticed you seem to like foreigners, don't you? What type do you like?"
Zhou Li felt a headache coming on.
He sat down, turned on his computer, and pulled up "Black Mirror."
Huai Xu turned his head to glance at him and exclaimed, "I knew it! You see... TSK TSK TSK!"
Zhou Li was speechless.
A few green mung beans had been sprinkled into the pristine white rice. When stirred with chopsticks, steam rose, carrying the fragrance of rice mingled with the faint, pleasant scent of mung beans.
Zhou Li ate while wondering how he would bring food to Huai Xu later.
The continuous sound of smacking lips came from nearby.
Tuanzi had bad eating manners. Not only did she smack her lips, but when she was enjoying her food, she also liked to make WOO WOO WOO or MEOW MEOW MEOW sounds.
Today, Aunt Jiang had gone to considerable trouble to cook Tuanzi a small bowl of fish soup with the little fish, even meticulously picking out all the bones for her. Perhaps because Tuanzi felt she had 'earned' this little fish through her own 'hard work', she ate with particular relish. Meanwhile, Huai Xu was alone in Zhou Li's bedroom, trying to ignore his hunger by playing an 'endless brawl' type game with headphones on, so he couldn't hear the sounds of everyone else eating.
Such contrast between demons was enough to make one die of vexation.
Old Zhou ate only a small bowl of rice before stopping. Looking at Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing, he paused, then said, "The number of confirmed infections in Jin Palace seems to have risen quite a bit these past few days. The foot traffic in Jin Palace is too high."
Aunt Jiang immediately looked at Zhu Bing. "Mao Mao, maybe you shouldn't go back for now. It's better to be safe than sorry. Your college entrance exams are just a few months away."
Zhu Bing looked down at her bowl and didn't say a word.
Old Zhou lazily continued, "In my opinion, the start of your school year will definitely be affected too. It will likely be postponed."
"Really?" Both of them paused in their actions.
"Highly likely," Old Zhou nodded.
"Then what do we do?" Zhu Shuang asked.
"How should I know? We'll have to see if the Ministry of Education or your schools can come up with some policies," Old Zhou said. "Don't worry, if it's affected, it'll be a nationwide impact. However, for students who are conscientious, self-disciplined, or have access to educational resources at home, this is actually a good opportunity to get ahead of the curve."
The two siblings fell into thought.
Zhou Li didn't know much about Zhu Bing, only that her academic performance was similar to Zhu Shuang's. As for Zhu Shuang, he was consistently in the top three of his year at Yan City Middle School, a strong candidate for Tsinghua and Peking University—far more impressive than Zhou Li.
Old Zhou paused, then said, "If you're willing, I can try to find a tutor for you. Of course, this also depends on the pandemic situation in Yan City. It definitely won't be possible if things get serious."
"Even without a tutor, you two can help each other; two heads are better than one," Aunt Jiang added. "And if you have any questions, you can still ask your older brother."
"Ahem!" Zhou Li felt a bit awkward.
"That's right, Sis! Don't be in a hurry to leave!" Zhu Shuang nodded. "What if you get infected if you go to Jin Palace? We're supposed to go to Peking University together!"
"I want to go to Tsinghua University."
"I'll ask my dad," Zhu Bing said.
"Good, I'll also communicate with him," Aunt Jiang said. "He should have a clear grasp of the priorities."
After finishing his meal, Zhou Li still hadn't found an excuse to take food back to his room. Fortunately, he discreetly opened a food delivery app to check. It seemed the delivery industry hadn't been much affected by the pandemic, so he ordered takeout for Huai Xu, providing only the name of their residential complex as the address.
"Go pick it up yourself later. Don't let anyone see you."
Zhou Li then lay down flat, opened WeChat, and looked at the Lilac Garden official account, specifically checking for updates on Yi Province.
Yi Province wasn't exactly a pandemic disaster zone, but the situation wasn't light either. However, the vast majority of confirmed cases were concentrated in Jin Palace. At present, at least half of the smaller cities, Yan City included, had no confirmed cases.
But one couldn't be too careful.
Demons are peculiar creatures. Despite Huai Xu appearing human and Tuanzi being a mammal, their fundamental difference from humans might be greater than the difference between humans and a rock. This difference was so profound that it made them incompatible with this world. Their current appearances were almost entirely borrowed from existing things in this world—a form of camouflage, in truth.
Zhou Li had heard Hong Ran say that their original forms were indescribable. They were not of this world, so naturally, this world had not created words to describe them.
It's like how there isn't a word to describe a color that has never existed, or a sensation we have never perceived.
Therefore, demons could not be infected.
His phone suddenly vibrated. Zhou Li answered the call and, a moment later, told Huai Xu, "Go to the entrance of the residential complex to pick it up."
Huai Xu replied with an "Okay" and put on his mask.