My Demon Friends

Chapter 756

It was nearing midnight.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu lay side by side on the bed, their heads together. In front of them, a laptop displayed a Taobao page, its light making their eyes shine brightly.

Huai Xu was really enthusiastic about it, constantly offering his opinion:

"This one looks nice!

"This one's not bad either!

"I like this one; the ladder is a set of drawers!

"This one is ugly…

"This one is really ugly…

"This one is too small; it's for little kids…

"This color is a bit dark, not cozy. Click on it and see if there are other colors available."

Zhou Li's fingers glided over the touchpad. The computer had heated up a bit, making his fingertips slightly uncomfortable after a while. A mouse would have been better… He added all the bunk beds that Huai Xu had approved of and that he also liked to the shopping cart, adding about a dozen in total, preparing to "nurture Gu."

"My eyes are getting a bit sore."

"Mine aren't!" Huai Xu immediately said. "Hurry up, next page!"

"There are a lot of repeats coming up. I think this is enough. Let's start choosing from these," Zhou Li said, looking at Huai Xu for confirmation, then clicked to the next page. Sure enough, there were many repeats. "I usually only look at the first two pages when buying things—often just one page."

"Alright then."

So, the "nurture Gu" began.

They first clicked into the product details and deleted the ones they liked less. Then, using their phones, they removed those with bad reviews or unsatisfactory answers to questions. They continued to filter the rest. Only those they really liked were eligible to stay in the shopping cart to compete in the finals; the others were deleted. After three rounds of this selection process, only the strong contenders remained, and there weren't many left.

Well, four remained.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu really couldn't decide, so they decided to present them to Brother Nan, bringing in a third-party judge.

At that moment, Brother Nan and Miss Zheng were on the bed in almost the same position, huddled together, also picking out bunk beds for Brother Nan. The difference was that a small, earnest cat head, round and plump, had popped up between them, and a mini-girl with long transparent wings sat on Brother Nan's head.

Lord Dumpling didn't understand these images at all, but that didn't stop her from watching intently.

In Miss Zheng's eyes, this way of shopping was miraculous and refreshed her original view of shopping. Normally at this time, she would have finished listening to stories and be preparing for bed. But now, she was staring at the computer screen, not sleepy at all.

Receiving Zhou Li's message, Brother Nan opened it with a flick of her finger.

A pop-up window appeared.

Since Miss Zheng couldn't read, Brother Nan turned her head and explained, "Zhou Li says they can't decide among the four options and want us to give them some advice."

Miss Zheng nodded lightly several times.

Then a voice came from between them:

"Oh…"

Brother Nan opened all four links to check and immediately grinned. "Similar to what we were looking at…"

Miss Zheng continued to nod.

The two humans and two demons began their discussion.

Li Nan: Not the third one!

Li Nan: You two even considered one with a slide?

Li Nan: What weirdos!

Zhou Lili: I thought the same.

Zhou Lili: Huai Xu liked hs7end

Zhou Lili: I accidentally hit the keyboard just now.

Li Nan: Not the fourth one either!

Li Nan: Either no drawers under the bed, so the robot vacuum can get in, or if it has drawers, they must go all the way to the floor so dust can't get underneath. Otherwise, it'll just collect dust.

Zhou Lili: I actually missed that point.

Zhou Lili: Thanks, Brother.

Li Nan: Big Brother recommends the first one.

Zhou Lili: Why?

Li Nan: Because Little Zheng and I decided on the second one.

Zhou Lili: …

Li Nan: I've already ordered the first and second ones. Stop looking and go to sleep early.

Zhou Lili: Got it.

Content, Brother Nan closed the chat window, turned to Miss Zheng, and said, "Now we've made our choice too. Let's sleep. We can plan everything else when we wake up tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Miss Zheng nodded.

The laptop was shut, and the room darkened. But Miss Zheng still couldn't fall asleep. Her gem-like eyes were wide open, staring into the darkness, her mind cluttered with thoughts. Every time she resolved to suppress these thoughts and calm her mind for sleep, they would unwittingly and silently emerge again, catching her off guard.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu next door felt the same way.

This concerned their future living environment. The very act of creating one's own living space had a certain magic to it, filling them with anticipation and excitement.

「The next morning.」

Zhou Li and Miss Zheng both got up early. After going out for rice noodles, they returned home and sat on the balcony with their laptops open on the coffee table. Together, they were choosing flowers to plant in the yard and garden.

Huai Xu came up behind them as well.

This time there was no need for "nurture Gu," as they could buy many varieties; the plot of land had enough space for them to get creative.

"These flowers are so beautiful!"

Miss Zheng watched earnestly.

As Zhou Li selected flowers alongside her, he said, "I plan to enclose that garden with an iron fence and add a big gate for better privacy. Then, along the iron fence, I'll plant a circle of climbing Yueli—the fast-growing kind. They'll climb and completely cover the fence. In spring, the Yueli will burst into bloom."

"That's going to require a lot of plants."

"Indeed, it will." Zhou Li nodded. "We either buy more now, or start with fewer, spaced further apart. Once they grow, we can take cuttings to propagate more, but that will just take more time."

"I don't know…"

"Let's just buy more! Make them bloom faster!"

"Mmm."

"I should've just gotten you some from those gardens!" Huai Xu blurted out. "What a waste of money!"

"Ignore him," Zhou Li said without turning his head.

Miss Zheng smiled. Her fingers, white and delicate with nails like jade, touched the screen as she quietly asked, "What is this flower?"

"This one…" Zhou Li pursed his lips. "This is called Lili. It's a miniature Yueli that only grows to a few dozen centimeters—hmm, about as tall as my forearm, maybe a bit shorter or taller. The great thing about miniature Yueli is that it blooms profusely. Except when it's dormant in low temperatures, it blooms continuously, always covered in flowers. If you like it, we can plant it in the yard."

"Okay."

So Zhou Li added this 'Lili' to the cart.

Miss Zheng seemed particularly fond of blue and purple Yueli. Apart from a few familiar varieties she loved and had grown before, she chose almost exclusively those hues:

Archangel, Kong Meng, Dragonfly, Zhao Yeqing, Blue Storm, Blue Drizzle, New Wave, Novaris…

And then there was that Lili.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu selected the rest, adding up to dozens of different varieties. For some types, they bought only one to try out; for others, they bought up to a dozen.

Besides Yueli, they also bought hydrangeas, sunflowers, and jasmine.

They also bought various fungicides, insecticides, and miticides needed for the Yueli—about a dozen types in total—along with water-soluble, slow-release, and organic fertilizers. Previously, Zhou Li would buy these in the smallest quantities available. Now, he was buying in semi-bulk.

Hopefully, they wouldn't need to use any of those chemicals.

「A few days later.」

The fence had been installed.

February was drawing to a close. While the rest of the country was just beginning to warm up, or hadn't yet, Chunming was already quite warm.

Most of the ordered flowers had also arrived in large batches and were stored in the yard.

Zhou Li and Miss Zheng were busy unpacking and sorting them.

Zhou Li had mostly bought small saplings, not because they were much cheaper than medium or large ones, but because he enjoyed watching them grow from small beginnings, which gave him a great sense of achievement.

But indeed, they were also much cheaper.

The downside of small saplings was their poor blooming quality and higher susceptibility to disease. However, Chunming's favorable climate meant Yueli grew quickly. Ground-planted Yueli were also more resistant and grew faster than potted ones. Plus, with a botany undergrad slacker on hand, this wasn't a concern at all.

They would grow up quickly and smoothly.

Others were also busy.

Huai Xu used his dagger to shovel the cement in the yard according to Zhou Li's instructions. He worked along the courtyard wall, half a meter away from it, creating a trench also half a meter wide. This old monster drew such straight lines with his dagger that the cut surfaces were incredibly smooth, even flatter than the ground itself.

Brother Nan was outside in the yard digging holes. She silently did the physical labor without any complaints, even feeling it was her duty. Compared to digging, what actually made her head ache was measuring and marking each hole's distance beforehand. She had already given Zhou Li a beating over it, especially since the spacing for holes in different areas had to vary.

Qinghe followed behind her, pouring a set amount of organic fertilizer and slow-release fertilizer into each hole and mixing it evenly with loose soil.

Brother Nan was quite experienced with a hoe, so the walls of the holes she dug were smooth, almost as if the hoe had plastered the mud flat. This wasn't good for drainage, as seedlings could easily get root rot. Therefore, Qinghe would roughen the walls of these holes again.

Many seemingly trivial details can cause a plant or two to die, or not grow as well as others. These small factors make a difference.

The planting began in the afternoon.

Zhou Li and Qinghe were responsible for planting, again mixing in slow-release fertilizer. Brother Nan and Miss Zheng took care of watering the plants to help establish their roots.

Water-soluble fertilizer was also added to the water.

Yueli, which bloom over multiple seasons, are heavy feeders. To ensure beautiful blooms and fast growth, they need generous fertilization—as much as possible right up to the point of fertilizer burn.

By the time everything was planted, the sun was setting.

Their reward was over two hundred plants in and around the yard, and a sky filled with dazzling, vibrant clouds.

Zhou Li felt like a farmer after a day's work. The feeling was wonderful—exhausting yet invigorating, and filled with a sense of accomplishment.

"Phew…" Zhou Li let out a long breath and smiled at the people around him. "Tired?"

Miss Zheng shook her head.

Huai Xu blurted out, "She did more work than you."

True indeed! Zhou Li suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

Glancing at Brother Nan, he saw her looking towards the corner outside the eastern wing's courtyard wall. She pointed and said, "How about we build the doghouse over there? It would be separated by a wall from Qinghe's bathroom, and we could also build a small garage in the same style next to it for my motorcycle. The dogs could even help watch my bike."

"You still have the energy to plan these things," Zhou Li pursed his lips. "They might not watch your bike; they might puncture your tires instead."

"That won't do!" Huai Xu quickly said. "My bike looks just like Brother Nan's!"

"Hmph…" Unconcerned and not at all tired, Brother Nan waved her hand and took the lead to walk out. "Let's go get a good meal—my treat! Then we'll rest well tonight and continue tomorrow!"

Especially the last two words, "continue tomorrow," were said with great force.

Zhou Li was suddenly filled with vigor again. He planned to plant all the purchased flowers before the semester started and finish as many other tasks as possible.

Following Brother Nan to the garden gate, he turned back for one last look. He just hoped that when he returned in the morning, all the small saplings would have grown up. He imagined the bushes grown tall and strong, and the climbers completely obscuring the newly installed fences, all blooming with flowers of various colors and shapes. Once the swing was set up and the big trees planted, they could enjoy the cool shade, swing, and play badminton in the garden.