Go up the herringbone staircase to the second floor, and you'll find a room with glass walls, where you can see everything inside the store, including the so-called "volcano crater".
The room wasn't large, but it was exceptionally cozy and comfortable. There were rainbow-colored coral flowers on the table, glowing firefly lamps for lighting, a bed made of a huge clam shell with a light purple gauze curtain hanging above it, and an unfinished book next to the pillow on the bedside table.
—It's clear that Granny Purple Tail lives a very refined life.
When Granny Ziwei saw Xu Milu arrive, she didn't seem very surprised. She just glanced at her and gestured for Ahai to give her some snacks.
Soon, Ah Hai brought out two servings of caramel pudding and a pot of hot seaweed drink. Xu Milu's face stiffened, and she almost wanted to run away.
She never wanted to eat that sticky, weird taste again.
"You can go out now, Ah Hai. Go and prepare today's menu."
Grandma Purple Tail raised her hand.
Ahai looked completely bewildered:
"But teacher, I'm just a culinary apprentice, I'm not qualified to create the menu on my own..."
"Go ahead, you'll be the one to inherit this restaurant in the future. If you can't even handle this small thing, how will you achieve your dream?"
Before Ahai could object, Granny Purple Tail placed the plate of pudding in front of her.
"Try it, dessert is a comforting treat."
Xu Milu is always surprisingly tolerant of the elderly. She picked up the pudding and found that the caramel on the surface of the pudding was imprinted in the shape of a whale spouting water, which was particularly cute.
The pudding is exceptionally tender, its yellow surface trembling slightly, and it's incredibly bouncy and chewy. If you break the caramel layer on the surface with a spoon, you can see the creamy yellow color underneath, which looks incredibly tempting.
"Mmm, delicious."
Upon tasting the pudding, Xu Milu was immediately amazed.
It seemed to have been freshly baked; the surface of the pudding was still slightly warm. The combination of egg and milk aromas was perfect. The pudding was delicate and smooth, not too sweet, but rather had a light and refreshing taste.
Xu Milu only needed a moment's thought to discern the origin of the flavor, and without hesitation replied:
"Did your mother-in-law add...sea salt?"
"What a remarkable child!"
Grandma Purple Tail looked at her, a rare smile appearing on her usually stern face:
"I must continue to work hard and become an even better chef!"
Xu Milu put down the pudding in her hand after seeing that Ah Hai had left sometime earlier, and pursed her lips, saying:
"Grandma, I wanted to tell you that your old friend misses you very much. He said he wants to see you dance one more time. He asked me to tell you that when the moon rises tonight, it will be waiting for you."
Granny Purple Tail was taken aback at first, then seemed to realize something: "Sure enough, the island was shaking all day yesterday, I guessed it..."
"Grandma, Mr. Whale really misses you. Why don't you go see him anymore?"
Xu Milu was a little confused. Although Granny Ziwei looked stern, she was actually a very gentle person. If there was no special reason, why would she break her promise?
"Because I'm too old."
Granny Purple Tail touched the fish tail beneath her, her expression somber.
"That crybaby has no idea that siren's lifespan is only five hundred years. I am already four hundred and ninety-five years old this year. I am too old to swim that deep and that far. How can I dance for it?"
Xu Milu considered many possibilities, but this was the only one she hadn't thought of.
"It looks scary, but it's actually more timid than a shark in the sea. It's always crying. If a large seabird lands on its back, it will cry for a long time."
Granny Purple Tail laughed, seemingly lost in some kind of memory:
"When I was young, I wanted to become a top dancer among the siren clan, but because my tail was too big, I couldn't perform some of the more difficult moves, so I turned to being a gourmet chef instead—"
As if she needed to confide in someone, she couldn't help but mutter to herself:
"Later I came here, but I didn't expect to meet this silly guy. That night I secretly went into the water to dance, and it actually watched me dance. It even praised my tail as the most beautiful tail in the world and sang for me."
That guy, he's so silly and stupid, so easy to fool. I told him we'd be best friends for life, and he believed me. He's actually been waiting here for so long without eating or drinking... You see? He's actually very weak, but he still stubbornly sticks to the promise and refuses to leave. Isn't that silly?
I'm too old, too old to wag my beautiful purple tail and dive, too old to visit my old friend, even though we miss each other but can't see each other.
Xu Milu opened her mouth, her expression complicated:
"Actually, if you're willing, Mother-in-law, I can help you meet Mr. Whale."
No.
Grandma Purple Tail shook her head:
“I could die at any moment, so why go back to see my old friend? It has been stuck here for too long, but because of its worries about Pearl City, it can’t even turn over. The Lava Whale is a free-spirited race, but because of my selfish words back then, it has been trapped here for so long. It should leave too.”
These words sounded exactly like a dying statement, and Xu Milu had a bad feeling. She spoke softly in a hoarse voice:
"Mother-in-law, what are you planning to do..."
"I intend to take it away before it turns into foam, to give it the freedom it deserves. I've seen far too many people and things where, once they know of the giant whale's existence, they only try every means to keep it and harm it. Are you going to interfere in the affairs of the Siren Clan?"
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