reunion

Qian Jin has been spending almost all his time in teahouses and theaters in the human world with Ao Ming lately.

The joys and sorrows of the storytellers became her treasure trove for selecting "tear-jerking drugs." Ao Ming was the most important "tear-jerking tester."

Qian Jin would immediately take out her notebook and write down any story that could make Ao Ming's deep blue eyes glisten with tears, or even make him secretly turn away to wipe them away. She would then carefully review the story after class.

Ao Ming felt like he had cried all the tears he had saved up in his life in the past few days. Sometimes he would even protest with red eyes, "Qian Jin, can we... listen to something more cheerful? Like 'Havoc in Heaven' or something?"

Qian Jin gave him a knowing look and patted him on the shoulder seriously: "Comrade Ao Ming, we're conducting research for the well-being of the merfolk! We're sacrificing ourselves for the greater good! Hang in there, and when the plan succeeds, I'll buy you a whole truckload of candied hawthorns!"

Ao Ming: "..." He silently swallowed the rest of his words and resignedly continued to act as a "human tear gland sensor".

However, Qian Jin gradually discovered that Ao Ming seemed to have developed a real interest in listening to audiobooks.

From initially passively "being tortured," he later even managed to offer critiques such as "this setup was insufficient" or "that gentleman's gavel wasn't loud enough." Sometimes, when the two of them were alone, he could even imitate a storyteller's tone and perform a segment from "The Butterfly Lovers"—the "Meeting at the Pavilion"—for Qian Jinlai, with perfect intonation and emotion, and he actually imitated it quite well.

Qian Jin was stunned and couldn't help but applaud: "Ao Ming, you're amazing! Maybe if the East Sea Dragon Palace closes down in the future, you can set up a stall under the overpass!"

Ao Mingjun's face flushed slightly, and he stiffened his neck: "Don't talk nonsense! I am the third prince of the East Sea Dragon, how could I... how could I be a storyteller!" But the slight smugness in his eyes after being praised could not be hidden no matter what.

As the Lunar New Year approaches in the human world, lanterns and decorations adorn every corner, and the festive atmosphere grows ever stronger. However, Qian Jin and Ao Ming do not stay to celebrate the New Year. The East Sea Dragon Palace also has its own New Year celebration, and Ao Ming, as the Third Prince, is required to be present.

Before leaving, the two went to the market and bought many trinkets. Sugar figurines, dough figurines, paper cuttings, windmills, fireworks and firecrackers... Qian Jin picked carefully, thinking about who in the Dragon Palace would like each item.

Qian Jin picked out a bright red scarf with the character "福" (fortune) printed on it for the Turtle Prime Minister, and also brought many slightly smaller ones for the shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Imagining them wearing red scarves while covered in shells, Qian Jin couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, she didn't forget her main business. She made a special trip to the bookstore and packed up a large stack of carefully selected, tear-jerking stories that Ao Ming had "certified," such as "The Butterfly Lovers," "Meng Jiangnu," and "The Legend of the White Snake."

Back at the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, a completely different scene unfolded. Though not adorned with red paper couplets like in the human world, it was still festively decorated. Giant coral trees were studded with colorful beads emitting a soft glow, like lanterns hanging everywhere. Amidst the swaying seaweed, beautiful shell maidens and agile fish spirits rehearsed an underwater dragon dance, weaving back and forth in a lively and unique spectacle.

The most important thing, of course, is that family reunion dinner.

That day, everyone in the Dragon Palace mobilized to make preparations. Qian Jin and Ao Ming also distributed the gifts they had brought back to everyone.

When the Turtle Prime Minister slowly accepted the red scarf, thanked him gently, and tried to wrap it around himself at the same slow pace, Qian Jin burst into laughter. As Qian Jin had expected, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, upon receiving the scarf, waved their pincers and, balancing their shrimp heads, clumsily and joyfully tried it on themselves, appearing both majestic and endearing.

As evening fell, Ao Ming's two older brothers, who had been busy outside, returned one after another, along with their wives.

Ao Ming's eldest brother was calm and heroic, his second brother was shrewd and refined, and his two wives were also outstanding in appearance and had extraordinary temperament. The family was reunited, and the Crystal Palace was filled with laughter and joy.

When the three brothers got together, the two older brothers naturally couldn't help but tease their youngest brother.

The eldest brother, Ao Ting, put his arm around Ao Ming's shoulder and asked in a low voice with a smile, "Third brother, what stage are we at? Tell your eldest brother." The second brother, Ao Lin, also came over, his peach blossom eyes narrowed, and asked more directly, "Have you held hands yet? Father and Mother are waiting to hear good news."

Ao Ming blushed and stammered as his two older brothers teased him, "Big brother, second brother! What nonsense are you talking about! We're just... just ordinary friends..."

"You're just a friend, yet you follow him all over the Three Realms every day? And you almost lost your life?" Ao Ting raised an eyebrow.

"Can you bring a regular friend back to celebrate the holiday with our family?" Ao Lin added sarcastically.

The two of them started giving Ao Ming advice, offering suggestions like the old "hero saves the beauty" trope and the outrageous idea of ​​"revealing his true form under the moonlight to showcase the charm of the dragon race." Ao Ming was speechless and subconsciously glanced at Qian Jin, who was smiling and helping the Turtle Prime Minister tie his scarf into a pretty bow not far away.

Ao Ming noticed that Qian Jin's earnest profile and bright smile shone brighter than any pearl in the Dragon Palace. As he gazed at her, Ao Ming thought to himself that his brothers' fancy tricks were probably less effective against Qian Jin, a money-grubber and a pragmatist, than simply giving her a bag of spirit stones. Thinking about her possible reactions, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips, his eyes softening.

"It's over! It's over!" Second Brother Ao Lin immediately patted his eldest brother's shoulder. "Look at him laughing like that! He's hopeless!"

The eldest brother, Ao Ting, also sighed heavily, with an expression that said, "My silly little brother has finally come to his senses, but his future is fraught with difficulties."

Fortunately, the two sisters-in-law were gentle and considerate, and came over with smiles to help Ao Ming out of the predicament. The eldest sister-in-law said softly, "Alright, stop teasing our third brother." The second sister-in-law then smiled and called to Qian Jin, "Qian Jin, come quickly, the banquet is about to begin, we're just waiting for you."

The reunion banquet was held in a spacious crystal palace, with schools of luminous fish swimming overhead and a tranquil deep-sea night sky, surrounded by dancing aquatic spirits. The table was laden with delicacies unique to the Dragon Palace, many of which Qian Jin had never seen before.

During the meal, the conversation naturally turned to Qian Jin and Ao Ming's mermaid project. Hearing that without whipping or torture, simply using stories from folk tales could make mermaids shed tears and produce even more precious "Rainbow Teardrops," the whole family found it novel and amazing.

"If this method succeeds, not only will the profits be greater, but it will also be a meritorious deed!" The Dragon King stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes full of praise.

The Dragon Queen smiled gently and said, "Qian Jin is a clever and kind-hearted girl, truly a rare find."

Qian Jin, however, remained objective and calm: "It's just... too early to say it's a success. This is just a preliminary idea, and its feasibility is still under investigation. What story to use, how long to tell it, how long the effect will last, and whether it will have other effects on the merfolk all require repeated trials."

Her humble, steady, and cautious attitude made the Dragon King and Dragon Queen even more fond of her.

At this moment, Ao Ming quietly approached Qian Jin and whispered, "I have some good news for you, I'm sure you'll be happy."

"Hmm?" Qian Jin turned his head.

"In a few days, Daqiangzi will come to the Dragon Palace to pay New Year's respects. His branch of the Golden Dragon Clan is a distant relative of our East Sea Dragon Palace."

Qian Jin's eyes lit up instantly: "Really? Da Qiangzi is coming?"

Ao Ming smiled and nodded, adding, "Yes, the God of Wealth's Mansion is also on holiday recently, so I also sent a message to invite Sister Lan and Brother Ban. They said they will arrive tomorrow."

"Wow!" Qian Jin was so happy she almost jumped up, nearly knocking over the jade cup in front of her. "Great! Everyone come! This is going to be really lively!"

During the following Spring Festival, the Dragon Palace was immersed in a happy and joyful atmosphere of gatherings.

On the day Da Qiangzi arrived, he was indeed dazzling with gold. The first thing he did upon seeing Qian Jin was give her a solid, loud hug: "I missed you so much, little sister!!" Qian Jin also hugged Da Qiangzi back tightly: "I missed you so much too! Your scales are still so shiny!"

Da Qiangzi's parents also arrived, and they were indeed larger versions of Da Qiangzi, radiating golden light and possessing a forthright personality. They greeted Qian Jin Aoming and then went to catch up with the Dragon King and his wife of the East Sea.

Just then, Sister Lan and Brother Ban arrived, bringing many specialties from Qingqiu and the Tiger Clan as gifts. The reunion of old friends was naturally very lively.

Lan Jie'er wore a light pink dress today, which made her look even more gentle and graceful. She walked side by side with Ban Ge'er, and there was an unspoken intimate atmosphere between them.

When teased by everyone, Lan Jie blushed slightly, lowered her head, and smiled shyly, revealing the bashfulness of a young girl. Ban Ge, on the other hand, straightened his back, his wheat-colored face radiating undisguised smugness. Especially when he caught Ao Ming's gaze, he raised an eyebrow, his eyes clearly saying, "Look! My speed! Much better than yours, right?" Ao Ming silently rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with this smug, sickly cat.

As everyone sat together, they naturally started talking about what had happened since they parted ways.

Daqiangzi had the loudest voice, and he complained loudly about how many distant cousins' sisters he had met after being held down by his parents when he got home.

Lan Jie'er spoke in a gentle voice, recounting the amusing stories of the Qingqiu Fox Clan's New Year celebrations, including the sight of fox cubs chasing fireworks all over the mountains, which filled Qian Jin with longing.

Ban Ge'er then embellished his story, describing his "painful" experience of being used as a tree by a group of tiger cubs when he returned to the tiger clan's territory, which made everyone burst into laughter.

As they chatted, the topic naturally turned to Qian Jin.

Sister Lan took Qian Jin's hand with concern and carefully examined her complexion: "Your health has improved a lot? We were so worried when we heard that you were so badly injured last time."

Ban Ge'er also stopped joking and nodded, saying, "That's right, it scared Lanlan... and we haven't slept well for several days." He quickly corrected himself, which made Lan Jie'er secretly pinch him again.

Daqiangzi patted his chest loudly: "Little sister! Call me if you ever need anything! I'm tough, I can handle it!"

Qian Jin felt a warm glow in her heart and quickly spun around to show herself off: "I'm all better now! Look, I'm jumping around like a baby!!" As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced at Ao Ming and met his gaze, which held an imperceptible mix of heartache and lingering fear.

After discussing these matters, the conversation naturally turned to Qian Jin and Ao Ming's mermaid plan. Everyone showed great interest.

"That's a brilliant idea!" Ban exclaimed, slapping the table in approval. "I can't wait to see it!"

Sister Lan also said softly, "If it succeeds, it will indeed be a wonderful thing. We all want to hear the stories of the human world."

Daqiangzi shook his big head: "I may not understand, but I can help pick up the beads! My claws are fast!"

So, the next day, since everyone had nothing to do, they decided to take the carefully selected storybooks and go to the coral prison where the merfolk lived to test the waters.

Qian Jin took a deep breath, looking at her enthusiastic companions, her heart filled with anticipation and a touch of nervousness.