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Chapter 19: Boiled Blood Clams (1/2)
Ye Jiujiu was completely stunned. She never imagined that such a disastrous misfortune would befall her while she was sleeping so soundly. Dazed, she stared at the little mermaid sitting squarely on her slender waist—ah, the little mermaid who herself had suffered a terrible fate.
She gasped in pain, feeling as though her soul was about to ascend. "You're crushing me."
"Oh."
The little mermaid stood up obediently, but her short legs immediately tangled with something. With a soft plop, she fell right back down on her bottom.
Ye Jiujiu nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Clutching her stomach, she glared at the bewildered little mermaid and gritted her teeth. "Little Ye, do we have some kind of ancestral feud?"
The little mermaid blinked her large, watery blue eyes in confusion. "F-Feud?"
"I know it," Ye Jiujiu muttered through the pain as she helped her climb back onto the bed. She curled up, rubbing her flattened stomach, her voice trembling. "You're so small—how can you hurt this much?"
The little mermaid leaned closer and asked softly, her voice sweet and gentle, "Does it hurt?"
"It hurts," Ye Jiujiu replied weakly.
"I'm sorry."
The little mermaid lowered her head guiltily, picking at her fingers as she looked at her injured caretaker. "What should I do?"
Ye Jiujiu lifted her bright eyes and forced a small smile at the little cutie. "Why don't you rub it for me?"
"Okay."
The little mermaid stretched out her delicate white hand and gently rubbed Ye Jiujiu's belly, her touch as light as a feather brushing past skin. "Is this okay?"
Feeling absolutely nothing, Ye Jiujiu said, "Too light. Use a bit more force."
The little mermaid shook her head vigorously, refusing in a childish voice. "No! I'm super strong! If I press too hard, it'll break!"
"You're amazing?" Ye Jiujiu looked her up and down. She really was amazing—number one at cheating and being greedy.
"Amazing!" the little mermaid hummed proudly. She could drive away a giant octopus, after all. When she grew up, she'd be even stronger—stronger than her brother.
"Alright, you're amazing," Ye Jiujiu conceded. "What were you trying to do just now?"
The little mermaid pointed at the phone hidden under Ye Jiujiu's pillow. "I wanted to see that second-rate one."
"…There's nothing to see."
Ye Jiujiu gritted her teeth. So she was still thinking about it.
The little mermaid lowered her head, lips puffing into a small pout. "You're lying."
Seeing her disappointment, Ye Jiujiu finally gave in. She took out her phone, reopened the video she had just clicked on, and handed it over. "I'm not lying. Watch it yourself."
The little mermaid instantly leaned closer, excitement lighting up her face. "Where? Where? I want to see!"
Ye Jiujiu: "…Are you a gecko? How does your expression change that fast?"
The little mermaid ignored her completely. She perched on Ye Jiujiu's shoulder, staring at the cotton candy of all colors and shapes on the screen, mouth hanging open in awe.
"Amazing! It turns into this so quickly!"
Ye Jiujiu hummed softly. "I'm not as good as you. Your legs can turn into a tail."
"I'm awesome."
The little mermaid nodded solemnly, then hugged Ye Jiujiu's arm and stared at her for a long moment. "Is this tasty?"
Ye Jiujiu instantly became alert. "It doesn't taste good. Not as good as the lollipops you eat."
The little mermaid had only ever eaten lollipops and still found them fascinating. Hearing that this wasn't better, she immediately lost interest. "Lollipops and icicles are tasty."
"My cooking is tasty too," Ye Jiujiu added.
The little mermaid nodded obediently. "Tasty."
Ye Jiujiu corrected her gently. "Delicious."
"It's delicious!" the little mermaid replied earnestly.
"If it's good, then it's good."
Ye Jiujiu sighed, too lazy to keep correcting her.
Now fully awake, Ye Jiujiu scrolled through her phone, watching underwater beachcombing videos—abalone, sea urchins, lobsters, and all kinds of fish flashing across the screen, making her mouth water.
The little mermaid stared at the seafood just as intently, drool nearly forming. "So delicious!"
"They're all delicious," Ye Jiujiu said, secretly hoping the refrigerator would somehow be stocked with such premium ingredients tomorrow, letting her experience beachcombing from home.
The two of them leaned close together, watching for a long time. Eventually, Ye Jiujiu noticed the breathing beside her grow long and even. She turned her head and saw that the little mermaid had fallen asleep, restlessly muttering "delicious" in her dreams while drooling.
"Greedy fish."
Ye Jiujiu turned off her phone, wiped the little mermaid's mouth with a tissue, and closed her eyes to rest a bit longer.
By the time she woke again, it was past five in the afternoon, and the heat still lingered in the air.
The guests wouldn't arrive early, so Ye Jiujiu leisurely squeezed a pitcher of watermelon juice. The two of them sat in the restaurant, each holding a cup, sipping slowly. Paired with a bowl of cold noodles she'd just bought from a tricycle vendor, it was absolute bliss.
The little mermaid, eating noodles for the first time, couldn't slurp them properly. She bit down on a single noodle and struggled to swallow it. Eating so slowly frustrated her.
"It's so long—and not tasty."
"You can use chopsticks to roll them up," Ye Jiujiu said, demonstrating. "That makes it much easier."
The little mermaid tried, but still couldn't manage. She huffed in frustration. "Silly. Silly."
Ye Jiujiu raised an eyebrow. "Who's silly?"
"Ugh…"
The little mermaid drooped her head, glaring unhappily at the noodles. "Why… why is this so hard to eat?"
"You're not silly," Ye Jiujiu said patiently. "You're just too young and haven't learned how to use chopsticks yet. If you really can't, you can use your hands."
The little mermaid looked at her tiny palms and said sweetly, "Dirty."
"You know it's dirty?"
Ye Jiujiu handed her a wet wipe. "Wipe your hands first."
The little mermaid hummed obediently. "How many?"
Over the past two days, Ye Jiujiu had repeatedly taught her to wash her hands before eating and after using the bathroom. Combined with the little mermaid's natural love of cleanliness, she remembered to clean up before touching food.
After wiping her hands thoroughly, the little mermaid abandoned the chopsticks altogether. Instead of grabbing a handful like other children, she carefully picked up two strands, wound them together into a neat little bundle, and then stuffed them into her mouth.
Ye Jiujiu: "..."
Well—at least she was thorough.
After finishing her meal, Ye Jiujiu cleaned up and opened the restaurant for business. As she looked at the gradually cooling street outside, she had a feeling it would rain again tonight.
She closed the door and went into the kitchen to boil water for tea. Suddenly, the bell above the door tinkled.
The next moment, she heard the little mermaid's sweet, childish voice ring out:
"Welcome, Hikaru?"
Ye Jiujiu hurried outside and saw the little mermaid greeting guests just like she had at noon. Smiling, Ye Jiujiu walked up beside her.
"Welcome."