"Zhou Li, what are you looking at?" Tuanzi pawed at Zhou Li's hand and stood up. She craned her neck to sneak a peek at the book on the table, but she could only see dense characters she didn't recognize. So, she asked again in confusion, "Is reading these characters fun?"

"So-so."

"More fun than Lord Dumpling?"

"Of course not as fun as Lord Dumpling."

"Two children," Huai Xu drawled. He was still sitting on top of the wardrobe, looking down on them condescendingly.

"Let me tell you!" Tuanzi turned her head to look at Zhou Li, her hind paws pressing against his thigh. The soft paw pads created a ticklish sensation, making it utterly impossible for Zhou Li to focus on his book. "Lord Dumpling ran a really long way to come back!"

"Really, really far." She spread her fluffy front paws wide, making a grand gesture, her eyes widening as she spoke in a tone full of pride and boastfulness, "Lord Dumpling knows the way!"

"Lord Dumpling is truly amazing." Zhou Li looked down at her. "If it were me, I'd have definitely gotten lost."

"Haha, you're too silly!" Tuanzi laughed happily.

"How could I compare with Lord Dumpling?" Zhou Li also felt helpless about his own intelligence.

"Exactly, meow!" Tuanzi was incredibly proud.

"Do you know why Lord Dumpling absolutely *had* to come back today?" Tuanzi continued. "It's because Lord Dumpling heard a female human on TV say this rain might last for several days. Isn't Lord Dumpling smart?"

"That makes me feel inferior."

"And that other human—not the one on TV—she's always watching Lord Dumpling. But today, Lord Dumpling seized the perfect opportunity and dashed out when she wasn't paying attention! I even jumped down from upstairs, meow!"

"Lord Dumpling, you're such a little rogue!"

"Meow? Why do you want to poke Lord Dumpling?"

"Rogue! It's a compliment, meaning Lord Dumpling has exceptional athletic skills." Zhou Li realized this little creature was addicted to bragging. He also noticed that a certain someone atop the wardrobe was growing impatient with his endless compliments for Tuanzi, so he quickly changed the topic. "Does Lord Dumpling cozy up in other people's arms like this too?"

"Rarely, meow!"

"I'm getting jealous, then."

"Why, meow?"

"Because I love Lord Dumpling."

"Naturally. Lord Dumpling is the most lovable, after all."

"Does Lord Dumpling love me?"

"Very much!"

"Then, will Lord Dumpling stay with me properly from now on?" Zhou Li looked out the window. He imagined people braving the rain on such a day to search for a certain scoundrel cat, and he felt sorry for them. "Don't wander off so much."

"Why, meow?"

"Because Zhou Li gets jealous," Zhou Li said. "It's like an uncomfortable feeling deep inside."

"Lord Dumpling will rub it better for you!"

Tuanzi said this with a serious expression. She looked down at Zhou Li's chest, pressed her front paws together, and rubbed gently. Then, she suddenly lifted her head to look straight at Zhou Li, her eyes bright and questioning. "Does it feel better now, just like that?"

"No."

"Then what should we do?"

"Lord Dumpling just needs to go out looking for other humans a little less," Zhou Li remarked.

"Umm…" Tuanzi thought for a moment, then whispered, "Lord Dumpling will… try to do it just a little bit less?"

"…"

As expected, a scoundrel cat's nature is hard to change.

Just then, Tuanzi slowly curled up again, finding a comfortable position on Zhou Li's lap. She whispered, "Lord Dumpling feels a little tired… sleepy…"

"Are you sick?"

"Lord Dumpling doesn't get sick!"

"I see."

"Impressive, right?"

"…Impressive."

Now she's even fishing for compliments?

Zhou Li shook his head.

The rain outside continued, seeming to wash the very air clean. His vision was good, and from his high vantage point, he could see far into the distance. The nearby streetlights seemed brighter than usual, but anything further off blurred into the misty rain.

Tuanzi might have really been tired, as she soon fell asleep.

He looked down, seeing only her evenly rising and falling belly and her calm, closed-eyed face.

He touched her paw, then pinched it.

No reaction.

He pried open her lips to check the tiny sharp teeth within.

Still no reaction.

Zhou Li shrugged, took a drink of water, and continued reading.

This book detailed a minor spell. Given the complexity of Taoist magic, the description of even a minor spell could easily fill an entire book. While this was partly due to the space taken up by brush calligraphy and paintings, and the thickness of the specialized paper, the sheer volume of content was undeniable.

Interestingly, to demonstrate that even minor spells could be powerful, the author used Master Ming as an example. From this, Zhou Li learned that Master Ming had also mastered many such minor spells.

"Could you pour me a glass of water?" he asked, turning to Huai Xu.

"Why don't you get it yourself?" Huai Xu could faintly see a little tail dangling beside Zhou Li's thigh. He snorted. "Go on, wake her up. Then you two childish imps can chat for another half a day."

"Please."

"Put her on the bed, and go yourself."

"I'm afraid I'll wake her up."

"How do you know she's asleep?" Huai Xu retorted, his lips twitching. "Look, her tail's still wagging."

"Is it?"

Zhou Li tilted his head to look.

Indeed, although Tuanzi lay motionless, the tip of her dangling tail was twitching rhythmically. Maybe she's dreaming of something fun?

"She's asleep," Zhou Li said after a moment's thought. "It's just that her tail might not be asleep yet."

"UGH."

Huai Xu jumped down from the wardrobe.

These days, to make attending online classes more convenient, he had taken on Zhou Li's appearance. He only needed to manifest his form to go out.

Soon, another cup of hot water was placed on the desk.

The steam wafted gently, a stark contrast to the cold wind outside the window.

「...」

What Tuanzi said was true. The rain did indeed continue for several days.

「March 8th.」

Zhou Li was thoughtful. Right after washing up, he sent "Happy Festival" wishes to Aunt Jiang, Ms. Ji, Sister Hong Ran, and Brother Nan. After scratching his head for a moment, he also sent belated messages to his other aunt, as well as his high school and university class advisors.

He didn't dare send it to his cousin.

Everyone else reacted normally.

But for some reason, Brother Nan seemed a bit puzzled.

Li Daimao: So, I'm a woman now?

Zhou Li: What's the matter?

Li Daimao: Am I a woman?

Zhou Li thought for a moment, then patiently explained: The law states that females under fourteen are considered young girls, and those fourteen and above are women.

Li Daimao: ??

Zhou Li: Really, I just checked.

Zhou Li: Don't believe me, see.

Zhou Li: [Picture]

Li Daimao: ...

Li Daimao: You're doomed.

Zhou Li: What's wrong?

Li Daimao: I'm the big brother here.

Zhou Li: Got it, sorry.

Li Daimao: ...

Li Daimao: Okay.

Li Daimao: And remember to wish me a Happy Father's Day too.

Zhou Li: ...

Zhou Li: I heard there's a place where the peach blossoms have bloomed. How about we go see them in a few days?

Li Daimao: I'm not going!

An exclamation mark too? Zhou Li frowned.

As he was puzzling over this, Aunt Jiang called him for breakfast from outside. He sent Brother Nan a quick message saying he had to go and then walked out the door. After all, knowing Brother Nan, no matter what she was upset about, or how angry she seemed, she would still end up going.

"Morning!" Zhu Shuang said casually.

"Good morning, Big Brother," Zhu Bing replied shyly.

"Morning," Zhou Li smiled at her. "Happy Women's Day."

"..."

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