Not long after Zheng Yu and Zhu Ge Yun left, the parents of the Little Mermaids were preparing to pick up their children. Yan Chi had just finished class and returned to his office when he saw Xi Chang.
Xi Chang was preoccupied, drinking a cup of milk tea. Seeing Yan Chi enter, he immediately stood up and hurried to him, his expression anxious. "Xiao Chi, Xiao Chi, what should we do?"
Yan Chi rarely saw him so anxious: "What happened?"
“The merfolk elders are coming to school!” Xi Chang said anxiously, biting his nails. “But…but I’m afraid to see them.”
Yan Chi held his hand, patiently asking, “Why are you afraid to see them? Maybe some of them are your relatives. Haven’t you always wanted to find your relatives?”
Xi Chang slumped into a chair, hugging Yan Chi’s arm, leaning half his body against him. “That’s why I’m scared. What if they don’t recognize me at all? And if I recognize them, wouldn’t it be awkward if I went to greet them?”
Yan Chi: “There’s nothing awkward about it. They are your parents.”
“What if I greet them and they still don’t recognize me?” Xi Chang continued to imagine, “I hatched after they passed away. They’ve never even seen my face. They might not even know I’m their child.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Chi also felt a sense of unease. Could a child he had never seen since birth really recognize him when he grew up?
Yan Chi thought about it using normal human logic for a moment, then suddenly noticed Xi Chang eating a bag of fish food. He immediately broke free from his cognitive limitations.
Wait a minute, Xi Chang isn't human. Mermaids have their own unique way of recognizing family members.
"Calm down." Yan Chi pressed down on Xi Chang's shoulder, helping him sit down in a chair. "You're just overreacting because you're worried. Just like you can recognize Chu Xi as your family, your parents will definitely recognize you."
Xi Chang twisted his fingers together. "But I'm really scared."
"It's okay. If you're really nervous, I'll stay with you." Yan Chi promised without hesitation, then suddenly realized something. "Do you really need him to stay with you? Lin Heng can stay with you too."
"It's different. He doesn't have parents either. Talking to him won't help."
"...Okay then."
The day the mermaid elders arrived was a Saturday. The sun was shining brightly. They came to the school early in the morning, eager to see the children. Xi Chang also rushed to Yan Chi's house to wait for him to get up.
In the master bedroom on the second floor, Yan Chi changed his clothes and asked Shen Mingsu, "Are you coming with us to deliver the little mermaids today?"
Shen Mingsu, thinking of his poor luck with children, said, "I'd rather not. Otherwise, those little fish will cry when they see me, and you'll have to spend time comforting them."
"Okay, then wait for me to come home." Yan Chi casually added, "Remember to move the pink mushrooms' pots, and feed the two chickens in the yard, otherwise they'll squawk and disturb the others."
Shen Mingsu hugged Yan Chi from behind and kissed his cheek. "Okay."
On the way downstairs, Xi Chang watched Shen Chang Le effortlessly dress Chu Xi and make his formula. Even though he himself was still a child, he took excellent care of Chu Xi.
Impressive, Xi Chang secretly gave Shen Chang Le a thumbs up.
Watching Shen Chang Le bustling about, Xi Chang said, "Chang Le, once Chuxi's parents pick him up, you won't have to work so hard anymore."
Shen Chang Le: "..."
His mood plummeted instantly, and he softly murmured an "Mmm."
"Brother." Chu Xi called out sweetly to Shen Chang Le, reaching out for a hug.
Although Chu Xi was still young, he was very perceptive of emotional changes. After Shen Chang Le picked him up, Chu Xi wrapped his little arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, saying, "I like brother."
But this time, Shen Chang Le only patted his head and said nothing.
Xi Chang realized he had said the wrong thing and, not daring to utter a sound, whispered an apology.
"What's wrong with you two?" Yan Chi saw the two sitting silently as he came downstairs. "The merman elders are coming soon, and we need to get ready to go to kindergarten."
Shen Chang Le carried Chu Xi to Yan Chi and handed him the little merman. "Teacher Chi, can I not go?"
He glanced at Chu Xi, his eyes filled with reluctance and disappointment.
During Chu Xi's stay, Shen Chang Le had treated him like a younger brother. It was normal for him to be sad about the impending separation.
Yan Chi didn't force him too much, only briefly asking about his wishes. After confirming Shen Chang Le's desire to avoid the situation, he sighed slightly and nodded in agreement.
Shen Mingsu patted Chu Xi's head. "Goodbye, you spineless coward."
Chu Xi looked at him blankly.
After leaving the house, Chu Xi didn't see Shen Chang Le following. He reached out and scratched, anxiously calling to Yan Chi, "Brother, brother, wait for brother."
Yan Chi felt a pang of sadness and patted the little guy's head. "Brother wants to stay home today. I'll take you to kindergarten, okay?"
Chu Xi nestled against Yan Chi, a little unhappy, but still nodded obediently.
In front of the kindergarten, a dozen handsome men and beautiful women watched the little mermaids inside with tense expressions. The little mermaids were also observing them. Although the kindergarten gates were wide open, they hesitated to step inside.
They were giving the little mermaids some time to adjust to their presence; rushing them would frighten them.
The kindergarten teachers were also constantly monitoring the little mermaids' emotions. Lin Heng was also waiting for Xi Chang and Yan Chi.
Lu Yuanming looked at the hair and eye colors of the mermaid parents, silently considering which little mermaids shared the same color. It was most likely that every family had the same color. “T-Teacher.” A little red-tailed mermaid tugged at Lu Yuanming’s sleeve. Lu Yuanming immediately squatted down and asked softly, “What’s wrong, little darling?”
The little mermaid hugged his arm, shyly raising the tip of his tail, and pointed to a red-haired woman outside the school gate. “Mommy…it’s Mommy.”
Lu Yuanming looked up and his eyes met the red-haired woman’s. He nodded, and the red-haired woman’s face lit up with joy. She excitedly hurried over.
“Baby…” The woman stood in front of the little mermaid. She looked at her child, tears welling in her eyes, but for a moment she didn’t dare touch him.
The little mermaid looked at his mother and tentatively called out “Mommy.” The woman immediately picked him up, hugging him and sobbing uncontrollably.
With this one mermaid finding its mother first, the other little mermaids gradually grew bolder. Soon, the other mermaid parents also entered the garden and found their own little ones.
When Yan Chi and Xi Chang arrived, they found the mermaids huddled together, weeping over the lost pearls. They seemed to know the pearls were precious, and they carefully picked them up and gave them all to Lu Yuanming and his companions. Lin Heng was also given many, but he refused them all and gave them directly to the impoverished Lu Yuanming.
"Really, all of them for me?" Lu Yuanming asked incredulously, holding the pearls.
Lin Heng: "Yes, I have many at home."
Ahui also gave all the pearls she had received to Lu Yuanming. Lu Yuanming almost cried at this touching gesture from his colleague, but then he realized he was probably the only poor person there…
When Yan Chi arrived carrying Chu Xi, they saw the father and son, Sethia, squatting by the flowerbed. The two men, looking at the mermaids of all sizes, couldn't help but swallow hard.
Up close, he could hear the father and son whispering amongst themselves.
Sethia: "Should the mermaid be braised or steamed?"
Yi Luo shook his head. "Never tried it. I'm curious to know the difference in taste between mermaid and bighead carp."
"Me too."
A mermaid that occasionally passed by them would dart away, as if afraid the ravenous father and son would bite them at any moment.
Yan Chi felt a pang of embarrassment. He coughed lightly twice, and the father and son, lost in their culinary paradise, snapped back to reality.
Sethia looked at him guiltily. "Teacher Xiao Chi, I... I didn't eat the mermaid. I was just looking."
Yi Luo quickly nodded in assurance. "We know what we're doing, Xiao Chi, don't worry."
It was precisely because it was them that Yan Chi was uneasy. He said wearily, "I hope you really do know what you're doing."
Xi Chang wasn't afraid of Sethia, but he was still a little afraid of Yi Luo, and ran past him.
Seeing Yan Chi and Xi Chang arrive, Lin Heng walked over to them. Yan Chi asked him, "Have you seen the blue-tailed mermaid?"
Lin Heng hummed in agreement. "There are two. One of them has found her child."
These two mermaids were female. One had long, flowing blue hair and looked youthful and lively. She was holding a baby mermaid, listening to the little one sweetly call her "Mama," her face beaming with smiles.
The other mermaid had her long hair pulled back, exuding a calm and elegant aura. Her identity seemed extraordinary; every mermaid who found a child would bring their child to her for a look.
Yan Chi recognized this mermaid. "She seems to be the chief of the mermaid clan. I've seen her at my father's place."
If Yan Chi remembered correctly, the chief's name seemed to be Luo Qianlan.
"Clan Chief?" Xi Chang looked at Luo Qianlan, his eyes slowly widening. He suddenly grabbed Yan Chi's arm. "She...she looks like my mother."
Yan Chi and Lin Heng were both extremely surprised, especially Lin Heng, who repeatedly asked, "Are you sure she's your mother?"
"That's what's bothering me," he said, frowning in frustration as he gazed at Luo Qianlan's profile. "I've never met my mother, but she reminds me of her..."
Lin Heng's expression became even more complicated. He tossed out a "Wait for me," and walked straight to Luo Qianlan.
"Mr. Lin?" Luo Qianlan was quite surprised to see Lin Heng, then smiled. "I didn't expect to run into you here. So many years have passed."
Yan Chi and Xi Chang listened to Luo Qianlan and Lin Heng's conversation, their eyes widening in astonishment.
Yan Chi: "So Lin Heng already knew the clan leader."
Xi Chang was stunned. "He didn't tell me."
Lin Heng nodded politely at Luo Qianlan's greeting, glancing subtly at Xi Chang. "Clan leader, I wanted to ask you, do you have children?"
Luo Qianlan's eyes were lowered. "Yes, I have two children."
"Have you found them?"
"Not yet..."
Luo Qianlan searched the kindergarten but couldn't find her little mermaid. The joy she felt upon arriving had largely dissipated. She even pessimistically thought that perhaps her children wouldn't have survived until the school teachers took them out of the hatching cave; they might have already shattered.
Or perhaps those heartless players had taken them away and sold them to someone else.
Luo Qianlan grew increasingly frightened, but faced with the joy of her clansmen finding their children, she still had to put on a smile and congratulate them.
"Then look, is he your child?" Lin Heng stepped aside, allowing Luo Qianlan to see Xi Chang.
In that instant, Luo Qianlan froze. She stared blankly at Xi Chang's features, her eyes gradually reddening. Then her gaze shifted to Chu Xi in Yan Chi's arms, and tears finally streamed down her face.
Luo Qianlan ran to Xi Chang and hugged him tightly. "Good boy, Mommy's baby, you're all alive! You're all alive and well!"
"You?"
Xi Chang stared blankly at Chu Xi. "Mommy, he... he's my little brother?"
"You silly child," Luo Qianlan scolded, "What little brother? He's your older brother."
Xi Chang and Yan Chi: "..."
Lin Heng, who had just arrived and overheard this: "..."
Older brother? What older brother?
This little one still drinking milk is Xi Chang's older brother?! Yan Chi was thunderstruck. He opened his mouth, "Chieftain, there must be a mistake. Xi Chang is the older brother, isn't he?"
"How could I mistake my own child?" Luo Qianlan wiped away her tears and explained to the three bewildered children, "In our merfolk clan, we determine whether someone is a brother or sister based on the order in which they lay eggs. Xi Chang is the second child. Even though he hatched before his older brother, he's still the younger brother."
Yan Chi couldn't help but look down at Chu Xi, who was sucking on his pacifier, and pulled it out of his mouth. "You're the older brother now. You can't have a pacifier anymore."
Chu Xi tilted his head blankly. "Brother?"
He looked around, not finding Shen Chang Le, and shook his head. "No, no older brother."
Now that Chu Xi's mother was here, Yan Chi patted his little head and handed Chu Xi to Luo Qianlan. "We've given him the name Chu Xi for now. We hope you don't mind."
Chu Xi wasn't familiar with Luo Qianlan and initially struggled in her arms. But then, smelling her familiar scent, he was momentarily stunned.
"How can there be two mothers?" Luo Qianlan murmured the name "Chu Xi" and smiled. "It's a very nice name. Thank you, Teacher Xiao Chi, for naming my child."
"It wasn't me who chose it, it was my child," Yan Chi naturally wouldn't steal credit from Shen Chang Le. "My child really likes Chu Xi."
Luo Qianlan teased Chu Xi, looking at his round figure and chubby cheeks, she knew he must be having a good time at school. And Xi Chang, even now so big, still acted like a child; it was clear he was well-protected.
They could never repay such a great debt of gratitude in their lifetime.
Luo Qianlan kept this kindness firmly in her heart.
Soon, all the little mermaids in the kindergarten found their parents. The little mermaids needed the sea to grow and thrive, so the parents prepared to take their children back to the sea.
The little mermaids were already familiar with the kindergarten environment, and after only a few steps away with them in their arms, they all started crying, demanding to go back.
The parents had no choice but to harden their hearts and cover their eyes, coaxing the little ones, "How about we go back to the sea for two days and then come back?"
But the little mermaids wouldn't listen, crying their hearts out.
Yan Chi felt a pang of heartache watching them. The teachers at the kindergarten who usually cared for the little mermaids were also feeling bad, but for their children's sake, they had to force themselves to look away.
Because Luo Qianlan was always by Yan Chi's side, Chu Xi, in her arms, could see Yan Chi and didn't cry or fuss.
Luo Qianlan asked Xi Chang, "Do you want to come back with us?"
"I..." Xi Chang hesitated. He already considered the school his home. "Can I just go back for a quick look and then come back?"
Luo Qianlan had already seen through his thoughts and nodded with a smile. "Of course you can. The school and the sea are both your home. You're all grown up now; it's your freedom to live wherever you want."
A smile appeared on Xi Chang's face. He turned to Lin Heng and said, "Then I'll go back for a day and come back tomorrow."
Lin Heng naturally wouldn't stop him. "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."
Before the mermaids left the school, Chu Xi finally realized something. He suddenly burst into tears and insisted that Yan Chi hug him.
Yan Chi could only pat his little head. "Little darling, it's time for you, this little fish, to return to the sea. So don't cry. You can come back to see us when you miss us."
Chu Xi sniffed. "Chi Chi."
"Mm," Yan Chi replied. "Be good, listen to Mommy."
Chu Xi nodded, but his gaze never left Yan Chi. When Yan Chi waved goodbye, he waved back.
After seeing the mermaids off, Yan Chi returned home. He only saw Shen Mingsu sitting on the sofa drinking tea. "Where's Chang Le?"
"He's upstairs secretly crying."
Yan Chi was surprised and lowered his voice. "Really crying?"
Shen Mingsu nodded and sighed. "He's been crying ever since you came here."
Hearing this, Yan Chi gave up the idea of going up to find Shen Chang Le. Children his age have the strongest sense of pride and definitely wouldn't want their elders to see them crying.
Yan Chi sighed, "I never expected Chang Le to like Chu Xi so much."
Shen Mingsu: "Maybe it's because he's thinking about his younger brother."
"Chang Le has a younger brother?"
"Yes, his biological brother." Shen Mingsu's voice lowered slightly, "He was killed along with his father when he was a few months old."
Yan Chi was shocked. No wonder Shen Chang Le liked Chu Xi so much at first sight, knew children's habits so well, and was so skilled at caring for children. So it was because he really did have a younger brother?
"Why...why didn't you tell me before?"
"Mentioning the deceased only adds to the sadness." Shen Mingsu's words sounded cold, more like a numb indifference born of familiarity. "Let the past be the past; forgetting is a good thing."
Yan Chi: "...Then where are his parents and younger brother buried?"
"On the hill behind the school."
"Can I go see them?"
"...Of course."
Before visiting Shen Chang Le's parents, Yan Chi bought flowers at a flower shop, but when he reached the hillside and saw the densely packed tombstones, his hands and feet turned cold. "What are these tombstones for?"
Shen Mingsu looked around at the tombstones and said, "Old friends, deceased students and teachers, are all buried here."
"..."
Comments
Post a Comment