Chapter 22: Tears Can Also Be a Form of Happiness
Luo Qingyan finally popped the bubble in front of her.
"Are you alright?" came the little merman's voice.
Hearing the other person's voice, Luo Qingyan felt a sense of relief, which gradually calmed her down. The other person's voice carried a hint of anxiety, indicating that they were worried about her. Regardless of whether they were attracted to her or not, they at least cared.
So, perhaps it is somewhat unfair, but there are many unfair things in this world.
I don't want to think about it anymore!
Luo Qingyan quickly calmed herself down, changed into clean clothes, and then went back to the bathroom.
-
"My clothes got wet, so I changed them." Seeing the little merman, the shyness from before resurfaced in Luo Qingyan's mind and wouldn't go away.
"I'm sorry, I scared you. Thank you for your help." The little merman's face showed obvious apology.
"It's alright! I'm glad you're okay. It's my fault for not explaining things clearly to you; I almost got choked on a pearl before too."
"Did someone else press the pearls for you too?"
Luo Qingyan was struck by shyness again. She moved her arm slightly and said, "I almost got stuck, but I didn't actually get stuck like you did."
"Oh." The little merman nodded, then smiled slightly. "Thank you, I'm so glad I had you."
"You're welcome, consider it a good deed on my merit list! I saved you again!" Luo Qingyan put one hand on his hip, somewhat smug. "Hey! I have a question, mermaids also have respiratory tracts, right? So their upper bodies are like humans'?"
"Yeah, you could say that, which is why you need to come to the surface to breathe!"
"Is the lower body completely like that of a fish?"
"No...the upper and lower body are not exactly the same as humans or fish, you could say they are similar, but...it's more like a combination. Mermaids are unique beings."
"Yes, yes, you are unique! After all, you have many abilities that humans envy. You can purify the environment, transmit sound through bubbles, are incredibly good-looking, and even have a way to deal with cancer! In some ways, you are simply outclassing humans... Sigh, with such a huge gap, can you really fall in love with humans?"
The unexpected question startled the little merman for a moment, but he didn't evade it: "Anyway... there are precedents."
"A precedent? Tell me about it!"
"I...I'm not sure, but it definitely exists."
“Okay.” Luo Qingyan suddenly felt that the two of them should keep some distance today. “I suddenly remembered that I have something to do. I’ll order some takeout from nearby for you tonight. I’ll go back after the takeout arrives.”
The little male merman's gaze had been somewhat evasive, but upon hearing this, he immediately looked directly at Luo Qingyan. He hesitated, wanting to say something, but ultimately paused and said, "Okay."
"Is there anything you want to eat? You've been online for a few days now, haven't you? You must have been looking at food photos?"
"I...you can choose one that's nearby and convenient, I'm open to trying them all."
"Okay, I'll go pick out dinner for you first, order takeout, and then I'll come back and clean up the place," Luo Qingyan said as she left.
-
Everything that followed happened very quickly.
Order takeout, clean the bathroom, receive the takeout, leave, and finally return to Grandma's house.
Luo Qingyan had nothing to do; she just wanted to keep her distance from the little male merman for the time being. However, by the time she got home it was almost dinnertime, so she didn't have time to overthink things, which was good.
This time, she didn't order takeout or eat out; instead, she cooked dinner herself.
Dinner was simple; she just made stir-fried noodles. While cooking, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have only ever made breakfast for the little male merman.
Eating takeout every day is not good. In the past, she was busy with work and her mealtimes were not regular, so she had no choice but to eat takeout for a long time.
However, diet is very important. People need to eat to live, and the quality of their diet will affect their health.
I remember a senior executive at my former company who was very particular about his diet. He once said that eating should be a very enjoyable thing in life. He explained that while childhood and old age might involve some restrictions on eating, one should eat well during other times. He always ate on time and never skimped on his meals, even if it meant earning less money.
Indeed, eating should be a very happy thing. Every time I watch the little merman eat, I feel a sense of satisfaction that eating is so good and being alive is so good.
Actually, her cooking skills are not bad, and it wouldn't be a problem for her to learn to make some more complicated dishes.
Once we get there, I'll start learning to cook!
Sigh! Why wait? We can do it tomorrow! We have the time and energy, there's no need to wait any longer!
Time waits for no one, we can't wait any longer!
That evening, after taking a walk with Chestnut, she immediately started studying recipes, planning to buy groceries early the next morning and cook lunch for herself.
She browsed through recipes on social media for a while before finally deciding to try something simple: curry chicken rice.
Because she had been looking at various cooking methods and tips for choosing ingredients before going to bed, she dreamt that she bought groceries and made curry chicken rice. Although it was fragmented and messy, it actually looked quite convincing, and she even received praise from the little merman in the end.
-
The dream ended with praise, and Luo Qingyan awoke with praise.
The sound of rain can be heard outside the window; it's a gloomy, rainy day.
But it's okay, rainy days are perfect for staying home. It's cold and damp outside, while the house is clean and warm; this contrast is especially comforting.
Before you can enjoy yourself today, you have to brave the wind and rain first.
No, wait! It's two trips!
Since she was going out with Chestnut, but didn't want to leave it at the supermarket's drop-off point, she decided to take Chestnut to her home there first, and then go out to shop alone. There was a large supermarket near her home, so shopping was quite convenient.
After having breakfast, we set off immediately.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at our destination.
-
"chestnut!"
The puppy and the little fish had only known each other for a few days and hadn't seen each other for a day, but when they met, it was like a reunion of the ages, and both of them were extremely excited. Chestnut went straight to the bathtub in the bathroom and jumped around frantically, while the little male fish leaned out and touched and hugged Chestnut.
Luo Qingyan leaned against the bathroom door. She wanted to speak, but felt she shouldn't interrupt the puppy and the little fish's time together. She waited patiently for a while before speaking: "Do you two like each other that much? It makes me feel like the Queen Mother of the West who drew the Milky Way for the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. I feel so superfluous. Am I bothering you two?"
The little male merman was scratching Chestnut's neck, and Chestnut was quite enjoying it. He looked up at Luo Qingyan, then said to Chestnut, "Chestnut, is she jealous?"
"Hey! Is that how you say 'jealous'?" Luo Qingyan crossed her arms. "Have you been learning bad things online? Don't learn everything. Please maintain your pure mermaid qualities. Ha! Looks like I really should put you in a teen mode."
"Because you said you felt you were bothering me and Chestnut! When you feel superfluous and unhappy about it, isn't that jealousy?"
"What you're saying... I don't know if you're seriously explaining or joking." Luo Qingyan chuckled. "Hey! To be honest, I doubt you can communicate with small animals. You two are not allowed to talk bad about me behind my back."
"Can't humans communicate with puppies too?"
“You know I’m not talking about ordinary communication, like being able to communicate with fish.” Luo Qingyan straightened up. “With that question, I have reason to suspect that you two have been talking badly about me behind my back.”
"You're such a good person, how could I say bad things about you?" The little merman was sincere, without a trace of sarcasm.
Luo Qingyan suppressed a smile and shook her head: "Alright, alright, you two play. I'm going out to buy ingredients. We'll cook curry chicken rice for lunch today!"
"Okay." The little male merman looked at Luo Qingyan's back and responded to his words first, then hurriedly added, "My communication with Chestnut is really similar to that of humans. There are humans who are even more powerful than me!"
"I know!" Luo Qingyan didn't stop walking. He raised his hand and waved, his smile widening.
-
On rainy days, Luo Qingyan should go and return quickly.
She bought the ingredients from the supermarket and immediately started cooking.
Curry chicken rice isn't difficult to make. After preparing all the ingredients, put them in a pot and simmer slowly. The longer the curry simmers, the richer and more fragrant it becomes.
After finishing what she had to do in the kitchen, Luo Qingyan went to check on the situation in the bathroom.
The little merman and Chestnut are playing with a ball. The little merman throws it, and Chestnut picks it up. They play again and again, never getting tired of it, and both of them are very happy.
"Oh my, my Chestnut is so good, she gets all the love and attention." Luo Qingyan walked into the bathroom, went to greet her, and squatted down to touch Chestnut.
The little male merman's attention was also drawn to Luo Qingyan. He suddenly noticed something and leaned out, asking, "Why are your eyes so red?"
Luo Qingyan subconsciously raised her hand to touch her eyes, but quickly realized, "Oh, it's onions. I got the smell in my eyes when I was cutting onions."
"Onion fumes in your eyes?" The little merman tilted his head in confusion.
“Onions contain a substance that irritates the eyes, and tearing seems to be a human defense mechanism.” Luo Qingyan suddenly became interested and turned to leave. “I’ll use my phone to look up the specific reason.”
"Can't we not use onions?" The little merman's tone carried a hint of pleading.
"Curry chicken rice tastes even better with onions." Luo Qingyan stopped in her tracks. "If you're going to cook, you should at least make it delicious!"
"How do you make curry chicken rice? You've been busy in the kitchen for so long, it must be difficult!"
"It's not difficult. Are you interested?"
"Mm." The little merman nodded.
“Then let me tell you.” Luo Qingyan turned and walked to the low chair. “First, dice the chicken and marinate it with cooking wine, light soy sauce, pepper, and cornstarch. Then, chop the onions, potatoes, and carrots into chunks and set them aside. Next, heat oil in a wok, add the chicken and stir-fry until it turns golden brown and fragrant. Then, remove it from the wok and set it aside. Continue to stir-fry the chopped onions, potatoes, and carrots in the wok until fragrant. Then, add water and curry powder, and add the chicken back in as well. Finally, simmer it slowly.”
"So you were already crying when you were cutting onions a long time ago?" The little merman blinked. "How long did the tears last? Were they painful?"
Luo Qingyan hadn't expected the little male merman to be focused on this, and chuckled, "It's a little uncomfortable, but within tolerable limits. I'll stop crying soon after I finish cutting the onions."
"Can't you separate the onion from your eyes when cutting it?"
"The idea is great, but putting it into practice is really difficult. Hey! Do mermaids cry because of onions?"
"I don't know, but we can give it a try."
"Really? There's still an onion in the kitchen, I'll go get it."
"Hmm! I want to try it!"
A minute later, Luo Qingyan handed the onion to the little male fish, then took several steps back, guiding the little male fish to peel the onion from a distance.
Things happened too fast, and Luo Qingyan was too far away to stop it. Then, she saw the little merman's eyes redden and he began to cry.
The little male merman looked up at Luo Qingyan, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face, turning into white pearls that fell to the ground and splashed everywhere.
I felt pity for him.
"Hey! Put down the onion!" Luo Qingyan quickly put down the chestnuts, then took the onion from the little merman's hand and put it on the cabinet next to him. "Why are you holding onto the onion like that? You already know that onions can make mermen cry."
"I...forgot." Even though the onion was taken from his hand, the little merman couldn't stop crying immediately. "It's...it's so painful..."
"It's okay, we know mermaids cry because of onions!" The little merman smiled through his tears. "Besides, you were upset too, you cried, and you were doing it all while cooking!"
Luo Qingyan chuckled, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her: "We're really... childish, you could say... but actually quite... quite interesting. Sigh! A thirst for knowledge is a good thing! Besides, these pearls are incredibly valuable! Mermaids are truly treasures from head to toe; we absolutely can't let bad people know. These pearls are so beautiful, and so valuable!"
"Then I'll give it to you." The little merman reached out and picked up the pearl from the ground. "Isn't that too little? I can still shed more tears!"
Luo Qingyan was both amused and exasperated: "Enough, enough! Tears are not a good thing!"
The little merman held up the pearl he had picked up and handed it to Luo Qingyan: "Tears can be tears of joy too!"
"Are you happy now?" Luo Qingyan asked rhetorically, since the little male merman had just said that he felt very uncomfortable from the smell of onions.
"Happy! It's so much fun, and pearls are valuable!" The little merman smiled, his eyes red, his smile genuine.
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