My Demon Friends

Zheng Zhilan moved the Taishi Chair, which had been passed down in her family for who knows how many years, to the front of the courtyard.

When she was a child, this chair was considered the second most classy piece of furniture in their home, the first being the combination TV cabinet that is still in use today. It was painted red and took several people to carry it up from the mountain. The goods from that era seemed to be built with durability in mind; even though the television has since broken, and her parents have passed away, the TV cabinet is still there.

Zheng Zhilan had Brother Nan sit down in the Taishi Chair and wrapped a cloth around her before taking out the scissors.

"How short would you like it?"

"This length is fine."

"Okay."

Ordinary household scissors cut evenly, unsuitable for haircuts, but it's not impossible to achieve a layered effect—it just requires more thought, effort, and technique, which was no problem for the nimble-fingered young lady.

Zhou Li sat quietly next to Brother Nan, watching intently.

There is a saying that cutting hair during the first month of the Lunar New Year will kill your maternal uncle. This saying does not have a very long history; it's said to have originated after the Qing Army entered the region. It relates to ethnicity and national sentiments. The original version was "keep the old" by not cutting hair in the first month, a symbol of Han people's resistance to the Qing dynasty's haircutting edict. Later on, the saying transformed to imply that shaving one's head in the first month would kill one's maternal uncle, though Zhou Li was unsure whether this was true or not, and planned to ask Hong Ran when he had the chance.

However, this belief has certain regional limits; it's rarely heard in Yi Province, at least Zhou Li had never heard it growing up. He learned about it later on the internet, and the involved parties were Chen Xiang and God Erlang.

In any case, all the barbershops in Yan City were open during the first month, and business was good—even the prices had increased.

Brother Nan clearly didn't care.

Zheng Zhilan carefully cut her hair short, trimmed the ends, and then began cutting the bangs... Occasionally showing her the mirror and discussing, it felt like a collaborative effort.

Time trickled away.

The process took much longer than going to a barbershop, but Zheng Zhilan didn't mind the fatigue, nor did Brother Nan find it dull; both enjoyed themselves.

Zhou Li also found the spectacle quite fascinating.

It took about two hours before Brother Nan finally got up from the Taishi Chair. She stood still for Zheng Zhilan to brush off the hair clippings from her clothes, and then turned to Zhou Li.

"Right, didn't you want a haircut too? Come on, Little Zheng and I will cut it for you!"

"Is that okay?" Zhou Li asked.

"I've never cut a boy's hair before," Zheng Zhilan hesitated.

"No problem, I can do it!" Brother Nan reassured, patting her chest. "You handle the cutting, and I'll direct and give suggestions. Just trim it down like his current style!"

"Alright..."

"Are you really sure about this?" Zhou Li looked at Brother Nan. "It's not just because you think it's fun, right?"

"You can always trust Brother Nan!"

"Okay!"

And so, Zhou Li washed his hair and took his place on the Taishi Chair.

Miss Zheng cautiously wrapped the cloth around him, inevitably touching his neck with her fingers, each time feeling a jolt like electricity.

"I'm going to start."

"Okay."

"Let's start with the top of the head, trim it down a bit," Brother Nan said.

"Okay."

Snipping sounds came from the top of his head, a combination of scissor friction and the noise of cutting hair.

Zhou Li's eyes tried to peer upward as if to see Zheng Zhilan's actions, but obviously, that was impossible. He could only rely on the sensations on his scalp and his imagination to picture Zheng Zhilan's every move.

The girl's hands were delicate and soft, especially the fingertips and the pads of her fingers, creating a uniquely wonderful feeling. It was ticklish.

However, the conversation between Brother Nan and Zheng Zhilan gradually gave Zhou Li an ominous feeling.

"The bangs seem to be missing a piece," Zheng Zhilan said weakly.

"Eh, indeed!"

"I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about? If you get too serious, you lose. Just cut it a little shorter and it'll be fine," Brother Nan comforted her.

"It's okay," Zhou Li agreed with Brother Nan's suggestion.

"Let me fix it..." Zheng Zhilan became even more focused, determined to get it right.

"I'm sorry, there's another piece missing."

"HAHAHA! If we cut it this way..."

"What now?"

"Let me try..."

"..."

Zhou Li felt like he'd become their plaything, which made him a bit uncomfortable, but he was too embarrassed to complain. Thankfully, he soon found a solution—by thinking of it as the two of them serving him, everything felt quite comfortable. He even closed his eyes and enjoyed it.

「Half an hour later.」

Initially, Zhou Li had asked to cut off about two centimeters, which then changed to three centimeters, and then to four centimeters. Just when he thought it couldn't get any shorter, Brother Nan thoughtfully suggested, "I think you might look good with a buzz cut. Boys with buzz cuts look more energetic. Why don't you give it a try?"

"Here!"

A mirror was placed before Zhou Li.

The reflection showed a handsome buzz-cut guy—handsome indeed, but Zhou Li felt a sense of unfamiliarity. At first glance, he almost asked— Who is this?

Zheng Zhilan stood by, timidly looking at him.

Zhou Li cracked a smile. "It's not bad. My dad said the pandemic might last a long time, and we don't know when school will resume. Staying home with a buzz cut is perfect for this period. And it does look quite good."

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? Doesn't it look good?"

"It looks good." Zheng Zhilan looked at him and quickly averted her gaze; she was a very quiet girl.

"Then that settles it. I should be thanking you."

Zheng Zhilan then gave a small nod.

In contrast, Brother Nan seemed very carefree, running her hands over Zhou Li's head, rubbing as if she found the stubble amusing, while saying to Zhou Li, "It really does look good. Oh, right, we should take a picture together! Let's get this chair and the scissors all in the shot..."

"Alright."

Overall, the process was quite enjoyable.

And after the haircut, Brother Nan even gave him twenty yuan, claiming it was for the haircut. Zhou Li was somewhat puzzled at the time.

It was almost eleven o'clock by then.

Brother Nan started replaying her father's video and taught Zheng Zhilan step by step how to make the egg wrapper for Egg Balls and the savory sauce for Dongpo Pork Knuckle.

Egg Balls, locally known as Xiangwan or Baba Meat. They are not actually round but come out as a long strip. When stood up, it isn't cylindrical but more of an oval cylinder. When eaten, they are neatly sliced into pieces and are an indispensable main dish in Yi Province and neighboring provinces for any banquet. It is one of the traditional "Eight Bowls."

Its exterior is an egg skin that encloses ground meat. This gives it a tender and delicate texture. It is often steamed with crispy pork and vegetables, making it very savory.

The egg wrapper is key. While it isn't difficult to make, it requires certain skills and practice. The resulting egg skin should be neither too tough nor too brittle, but possess elasticity and be spread into the correct shape. This presented an extra difficulty for Zheng Zhilan. She couldn't see clearly.

In comparison, Dongpo Pork Knuckle seemed simpler.

However, many things were difficult for her, but she had overcome most of them—she was truly a very determined and remarkably strong-willed person.

「After the meal.」

Zheng Zhilan's gaze kept straying to Zhou Li.

Zhou Li felt a bit uncomfortable. He touched the top of his head where his hair felt prickly and asked, "Does it look weird?"

"..." Zheng Zhilan quickly averted her gaze, like a little girl caught stealing candy.

"Hmm?" Zhou Li pressed.

"...It's a bit different from before," Zheng Zhilan admitted shyly.

"Not as good-looking as before, right?" Zhou Li thought so, but he didn't really want to admit it. He figured it might be because he wasn't used to it yet, so it felt a bit odd. The internet always said that true beauty could withstand the test of a buzz cut, so how could he fail this test?

"You were good-looking before, and you still are now," Zheng Zhilan considered for a moment. "Now you look more masculine."

"I knew it!" Zhou Li broke into a smile.

Suddenly, his smile froze. He turned his head and saw Brother Nan rubbing his head again, grinning foolishly without stopping.

Zhou Li knocked her hand away. Brother Nan didn't resist, but as soon as he moved his hand away, she immediately covered his head with her hand again. This went on repeatedly until Zhou Li gave up.

「In the afternoon.」

Zheng Zhilan said there were huge fans installed on a faraway mountain that kept turning all day long. She found it fascinating when she heard Qinghe describe them and asked Zhou Li and Brother Nan what they were, expressing a wish to go see them for herself.

Zhou Li guessed that they were probably part of a wind farm.

Since Zheng Zhilan wanted to go, he and Brother Nan didn't delay and took her out that afternoon, even though she might not be able to see clearly.

Once they had left the small village, Zheng Zhilan was very unfamiliar with the roads. Luckily, she now had a helper—Milk Cow, the horse. She sat quietly on its back as Zhou Li led it. A group of dogs followed by their side.

Brother Nan hopped and skipped ahead, not minding when she took the wrong path. Sometimes she would turn back, and other times she would not, walking parallel to them across a patch of earth until the way was blocked...

Over one mountain and then up another, and they could finally see the giant wind blades spinning on the distant mountain ridge. But they were somewhat blurry. So the three of them continued forward.

The weather was fairly clear today, with a blue sky overhead, but the horizon was still shrouded in a whitish haze. It wasn't until they got closer that they could clearly make out the towering wind turbines mere hundreds of meters away.

"We don't have many of these here," Brother Nan said. "They're probably more common in places like grasslands or plains."

"You even know about this, impressive."

SMACK!

"Can you see it?" Zhou Li asked Zheng Zhilan.

Zheng Zhilan faced forward and opened her eyes wide, but after a moment, she shook her head and pursed her lips tightly.

"Is it turning?" she suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"Is there wind?"

"It doesn't blow wind; the wind makes it turn."

"Oh..."

"Let's get closer; you might be able to see it then. It should also make a sound," Zhou Li continued to lead the horse forward. "The whole thing is white, and so is the sky on the horizon. Maybe if it were a different color, you could see it."

"Maybe..."

"There's an eagle circling in the sky..." While Zhou Li was describing the scene to Zheng Zhilan, an eagle circling the wind turbine blades was suddenly struck by the tip of one.

In front of this colossal man-made creation, the former sovereign of the skies seemed utterly vulnerable and weak.

He suddenly paused.

Zheng Zhilan, sensitive to his change, tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Zhou Li continued walking forward.

With the help of a few dogs, he found the fallen eagle. It was already dead, likely having died the moment it was hit.

Regrettably, even when they got close, Zheng Zhilan still couldn't see it clearly due to the immense size of the wind turbines. She could only look up, relying on the blurry image and Zhou Li's description to imagine what it looked like.

Even so, she was still very content.