Mermaids Weep (11)
It wasn't Han Chengyu who showed up on the day of the gift-giving; it was Han Chengjin.
Yao Yao hesitated for a moment, but then she thought about it. She had spent most of her childhood with Han Chengyu at night, and Han Chengyu and Han Chengjin looked extremely similar, so it wasn't entirely impossible for her to mistake one of them for the other. Besides, she had mistaken him for someone else once before, when they were in the sea.
"Was there anything unusual about Han Chengyu's behavior when you gave him the gift?"
"Hmm..."
Yao Yao tried hard to recall the scene that day—she arrived at the shore a little later than usual. She looked around and spotted a figure with its back to her not far away. Instinctively, she thought it was Han Chengyu, so she submerged herself in the water and quietly approached him, then suddenly jumped out of the water and startled him.
Seeing the boy's disheveled appearance, falling to the ground and panting heavily after being frightened, Yao Yao couldn't help but laugh: "So you're so easily scared."
As she spoke, she tossed the dewdrop into his arms: "This is a gift for you, keep it safe!"
The boy, still shaken, caught the thrown bead in his panic and examined it curiously, hesitatingly asking, "This is... for me?"
"Of course." Yao Yao nodded, and was about to say it was a thank-you gift, but then she was afraid that the other party did not value the gift enough, so she changed her words to, "This is a token of friendship."
A keepsake from a good friend should be carefully protected, and it's best to keep it close to your body. Yao Yao hoped that Han Chengyu would wear the treasure she gave him every day, and just thinking about it made her smile sweetly at him.
The boy's lips parted slightly, and he stood frozen in place like a stone, looking up at her.
Recalling this, Yao Yao said to Ye Yingying, "He seems a bit duller than before."
"Dumb, isn't Han Chengjin even dumber than Han Chengyu?" Ye Yingying thought to herself, then pouted and asked, "Since you two chat so often, didn't he say anything that made you feel something was off that night?"
"This..." Yao Yao unconsciously clenched her hands, saying with some difficulty, "I had other things to do that day and didn't have time to talk to him..."
She had secretly slipped out that day, and was already content to have managed to deliver the dewdrop to Han Chengyu.
Before the boy could say anything, she hurriedly said goodbye: "I have to go back first today. See you next full moon!"
The boy hesitated, then watched helplessly as Yao Yao plunged into the water and disappeared without a trace.
The full moon hung in the deep blue night sky, and its light shone on the sea, creating shimmering waves.
Every full moon was the day Yao Yao and Han Chengyu agreed to meet, because on that day, everyone in the tribe was busy at Yinyou Reef and wouldn't have time for her. So she habitually assumed that it would always be like this.
But this full moon was quite different. When she rushed back to her clan, her mother caught her red-handed. Her mother took her to the Bard's Reef and told her that from now on, every full moon, she would have to learn how to ferry away the souls of the dead there.
Yao Yao was used to her freedom, and besides, she had an agreement with Han Chengyu, so she was naturally unwilling to listen. She struggled to shake off her mother's hand, but what she got in return was her mother's angry roar: "Pei Yao! You are my daughter, and the next clan leader. It is your inescapable responsibility to guide the souls of the dead and protect the clan!"
Yao Yao was stunned by the shout. She stared blankly at her mother, whose usually stern face was now filled with raging anger.
Yao Yao glanced at the people around her and found that they were all staring at her with solemn eyes, their usual gentleness gone.
A barrage of gazes, like dense seaweed, tightly entwined her body, constricting her throat and rendering her unable to move or speak.
For the first time in her life, Yao Yao broke her promise.
From that day onward, she could no longer see Han Chengyu on any full moon night. Even when she secretly went to the shore on other days, she never saw that familiar figure again.
Yao Yao also thought that Han Chengyu might be angry with her, which was why he refused to come.
Thinking of this, she cautiously asked, "Sister Ying'er, if you make an appointment to meet someone but they don't show up, will you be angry?"
"That depends on the specific circumstances. Perhaps he has a genuine reason why he can't keep the appointment?"
"What if he doesn't show up for a very long time, and you can't even find him or get a reason from him?"
“…This.” Ye Yingying remembered something, her thoughts gradually becoming occupied by memories, and for a moment she forgot to answer.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Yao Yao sighed, her eyes dimming, and said to herself, "You're probably still angry, right? Leaving without saying goodbye is like saying 'you're not important to me,' I understand..."
“No, perhaps something bad happened to him that prevented him from keeping the appointment?” Ye Yingying suddenly spoke up, as if trying to deny something. “Perhaps something is holding him back, and he can’t get away on his own, which is why he broke the agreement.”
Yao Yao stared blankly at Ye Yingying, her dull eyes gradually brightening again.
"Don't give up so quickly. Try to find him; you might be pleasantly surprised," Ye Yingying continued to encourage. "Senior Yun is right. How do you know what he's thinking if you haven't even asked him?"
Before she knew it, Ye Yingying was standing on the same side as Yun Yanqiu again.
But what if he really forgets me because I broke my promise? Thinking of this, Yao Yao suddenly felt her eyes well up with tears. She wiped her eyes in a daze, feeling a tightness in her chest.
Ye Yingying, who was standing to the side, did not notice Yao Yao's change, but instead brought up the matter of the two Han brothers again: "It is strange that Han Chengyu was not there on this particular day. And why did Han Chengjin happen to be there on the day he was giving gifts?"
Ye Yingying pondered in silence for a long time before realizing that Yao Yao hadn't made a sound for a while. She then tentatively called out, "Yao Yao?"
“I’m fine,” Yao Yao replied almost immediately.
"Sister Ying'er, I'm going to sleep now."
Before Ye Yingying could say anything, Yao Yao turned over and lay down on her side, softly saying goodnight.
The room fell silent instantly, with only a few faint sobs that could be heard before being replaced by regular breathing.
The next day, as dawn broke, a crisp knock came from outside the door.
Ye Yingying had been meditating all night and slowly came to her senses. She got up and followed the sound to open the door. As soon as the door opened, that familiar cold fragrance wafted towards her.
"Senior Yun," Ye Yingying greeted him familiarly.
The other person responded in a low voice, silently observing her for a while, before suddenly asking, "Have you broken through?"
"Yes." After last night's cultivation, Ye Yingying finally broke through the Foundation Establishment stage and entered the Core Formation stage.
However, before she could bring it up herself, Yun Yanqiu noticed it first.
Ye Yingying curled up the corners of her mouth with a hint of pride. Although it wasn't her first breakthrough, she couldn't hide the joy in her heart.
Yun Yanqiu took in her expression, his gaze slightly lowered, and praised, "Not bad."
It was already rare to hear praise from Yun Yanqiu, and Ye Yingying was already used to his calm attitude. She smiled slightly and turned to call Yao Yao to get up.
Yao Yao had obviously heard the noise too. She sat up, still sleepy and a little groggy. Seeing the two of them waiting at the door, she struggled to get out of bed. As she walked towards the door, she rubbed her eyes, which were visibly red.
Yun Yanqiu glanced at them silently, but didn't ask any questions. He simply began to explain what had happened that day.
As agreed, the two of them were going to take Yao Yao out for a stroll today.
Yun Yanqiu made a few more brief remarks and prepared to leave, but unexpectedly Han Chengjin walked over from not far away.
"What are you doing here?" Yun Yanqiu questioned.
"I'd like to speak with Miss Yao Yao alone for a bit. It'll be quick."
Yao Yao was still sleepy and didn't expect Han Chengjin to come to find her so early in the morning. She blinked blankly for a moment and looked at Yun Yanqiu with a questioning gaze.
Yun Yanqiu stood between the two, exuding an air of authority like a patriarch. He looked at Yao Yao's reddened eyes and pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement: "Hurry up."
Having received permission, Han Chengjin led Yao Yao aside. The two stood very close, and Han Chengjin immediately noticed Yao Yao's red eyes, exclaiming in surprise, "You've been crying?"
"It's nothing." Yao Yao wiped her eyes and yawned. "What is it? Tell me quickly. Don't you have to go to that hall today?"
Han Chengjin stared at the tears in the corners of her eyes, then looked down at the beads hanging around her neck. With a determined effort, he took off the string with the mermaid's tears hanging from it.
Han Chengjin handed the hanging rope to Yao Yao and said, "Although I don't know what kind of interaction you and my brother have had, this bead is something you wanted to give to him, right?"
Yao Yao was startled by his imposing manner. She stared intently at Han Chengjin, but unconsciously shrank back.
"This thing is important, isn't it? Although it ended up in my hands by accident, I think I should still return it to you."
As he spoke, Han Chengjin raised his hand to put the lustrous bead into Yao Yao's hand, but Yao Yao took a few steps back and refused sharply, "No!"
Han Chengjin was now completely confused, and for a moment he stammered, "But you, you, aren't you..."
To be honest, Han Chengjin had always harbored fantasies about the merman who gave him the pearl. After all, that fleeting glimpse under the moonlight that night was hard not to reminisce about. He had imagined her waist-length hair flowing freely in the water, and he had also imagined her bright, smiling eyes. But he never expected that his first greeting upon meeting her again would be met with her fierce gaze and the subsequent awkwardness of mistaking him for someone else.
He's not stupid. Even if he didn't realize it while he was at sea, he should have figured it out now that he's in the mansion—this pearl wasn't originally meant for him.
Thinking about this, Han Chengjin couldn't help but feel a little depressed. After raising his precious pet for decades, it turned out to be just a misunderstanding. Who wouldn't be depressed in this situation?
Besides feeling frustrated, Han Chengjin was more confused. What exactly happened between her brother and her? He could remember seeing a merman even when he had a high fever and was seriously ill, so how could her brother have forgotten it completely?
Han Chengjin was angry and wanted to get to the bottom of things with Yao Yao. But seeing her, who had been so cheerful before coming ashore, now looking so listless and even a little sad, he felt a pang of sadness.
Han Chengjin thought to himself, "I might as well just give the pearl back to her; it's not a big deal." But he didn't expect the other party to refuse so decisively.
"Well, although there was a misunderstanding when I gave it to you, I never intended to take it back after giving it away." Yao Yao explained to Han Chengjin with her hands behind her back, "You can keep it."
“But didn’t you come ashore to see my brother? If this is what you really intended to give to him, then wouldn’t I be…”
“That’s not true,” Yao Yao interrupted him with a smile. “There are many ways to make him recognize me, not just this one.”
Han Chengjin wanted to say something more, but looking at Yao Yao's calm and smiling expression, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"Thank you for carrying it with you. It seems I didn't give it to the wrong person."
Yao Yao waved her hand and then turned to leave. Han Chengjin stood there, watching the girl's departing figure. The hanging rope in his hand hung in the air, letting the beads at the bottom sway back and forth, just like Han Chengjin's chaotic thoughts.
Yun Yanqiu, who was watching from a distance, saw Yao Yao return and his gaze swept thoughtfully across her face, as if trying to find some clues in her unusually calm expression.
But Yao Yao's expression was normal. Apart from her eyes, which looked red from crying at night, there were no signs of sadness or distress on her face.
Yun Yanqiu seemed lost in thought, while Ye Yingying, who was standing to the side, couldn't see any of this. She only heard footsteps approaching, and then her clothes were tugged a few times. So she asked, "Are you done talking?"
"Okay, let's go quickly." Yao Yao said, but couldn't help but turn around and secretly glance at Han Chengjin not far away. She saw that he had his head down and had tied the rope with the mermaid's tears back around his neck.
That's good, Yao Yao thought to herself, then looked away.
"Are you really sure?" Yun Yanqiu asked.
“Of course.” Yao Yao nodded heavily, her gaze firm. “Since Han Chengyu has forgotten, I will make him remember.”
She was in the wrong first, so she should find a way to make amends.
"Senior Yun, let's go straight for Lin Shiyou's dirt!"
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