Twilight was gathering. The soul-guiding lamp at the mouth of the alley swayed gently in the evening breeze, casting mottled light and shadow. Aunt Li sat by the stone table at the corner of the courtyard, toying with a few mahjong tiles that shimmered with spiritual light, their surfaces faintly tracing flowing runes. She looked up and caught sight of Ye Feng, her face instantly breaking into a wide smile. "Oh, little Feng is back?"
"Hello, Aunt Li," Ye Feng said, nodding slightly with a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
"Look at that, I told you all along, this boy is bound to be extraordinary in the future," Aunt Li turned around, speaking smugly to the old neighbors around the table with a hint of showmanship in her eyes. "He's this year's top scorer, after all!"
Chapter 26