RAM Chapter 21

As Hai San’er said, only the power of gentleness could make the little pearl open its heart and grow strong. After this interaction, every time Lu Xie changed the water for the pearl, it would voluntarily emerge from its shell.

The rooftop had a laundry area. Lu Xie blocked the drain, placed the pearl and the little fish together in the water, and used a brush to scrub the shell of the deep-sea spirit thoroughly.

The pearl enjoyed spending time with Lu Xie during water changes. It was evident that it had shifted from initial timidity to excitement. It rolled freely in the water, careening around and even bumping the little fish to one side.

“Behave yourself. Be careful not to knock the drain cover loose, or you’ll go right down the pipe,” Lu Xie warned. Then, turning to Hai San’er, who was soaking in the fish tank, he said, “I was thinking of getting some seawater, but it turns out you can survive just fine in freshwater.”

Hai San’er was drinking a new beverage, fizzy cola. It was his first time trying it, and the popping bubbles in his mouth made it both delicious and entertaining. “Of course! We merfolk are resilient and can adapt to any environment.”

However, fizzy drinks aren’t great when consumed in excess. Hai San’er lacked self-restraint and kept drinking until Lu Xie had to forcibly stop him. Gentle persuasion failed, so Lu Xie resorted to scaring him.

“You’d better drink less of that.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you a fish? Carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide. If you drink too much, you won’t be able to breathe. Even with your adaptability, you’d die if you couldn’t breathe.”

Hai San’er froze, his cup in hand, feeling as if the sky had collapsed. Suddenly, he felt tightness in his chest, bloating in his abdomen, and his breathing became labored as if something were about to rise up from his throat.

It’s over. He was dying.

Hai San’er pouted, tears welling up in his eyes. Just as he was about to wail, he let out a loud hiccup, sending the tears back into his eyes. Confused, he looked at Lu Xie and cautiously asked, “Am I dying?”

“You’ve never had a hiccup before?” Seeing how pitiful Hai San’er was, Lu Xie felt guilty for tricking him. “You’re tough, you won’t die. But if you keep drinking fizzy drinks, your teeth won’t be as strong as you. You’ll get cavities, and little bugs will chew holes in your teeth until they all fall out. Then you won’t be able to eat buttered toast anymore.”

Though slightly exaggerated, Lu Xie wasn’t lying this time.

“What about pumpkin taro buns?”

Buttered toast might be too crunchy, but surely soft buns would be fine, right?

“If all your teeth fall out, you won’t be able to bite anything.”

Narrowly escaping death, Hai San’er felt a sense of relief but dared not overindulge in carbonated drinks anymore. After all, there were still many things he wanted to eat. Losing the ability to enjoy buttered toast or pumpkin taro buns would be a tragedy. Solemnly, he placed the cup on the table and sank into the water, his tail swaying regretfully in the air.

Being human is hard, but being a fish isn’t any easier.

Suddenly—

“What the—!”

As Hai San’er stared at the rippling sky reflected on the water’s surface, lost in thought about his fish life, he was startled by Lu Xie’s anxious shout. He quickly surfaced, looking around in alarm. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

A shadow flashed before his eyes. There was no sign of Lu Xie, only the sound of running water from the faucet. Looking closer, Hai San’er noticed the drain cover askew.

Lu Xie dashed downstairs, circling to the back of the house. At the base of the drainpipe, water was dripping, and the pearl lay peacefully in a small puddle.

“Damn!” Lu Xie cursed, scooping up the pearl from the ground. He pressed a hand to his chest, exhaling in relief before scolding sternly, “Didn’t I tell you not to roll around recklessly?”

Out of water, the little pearl was much calmer. It rested in Lu Xie’s palm, unresponsive.

From the rooftop, Hai San’er peeked over. “What happened?”

“It rolled around and fell,” Lu Xie said, lifting his arm to show the pearl. Under the sunlight, it gleamed with an iridescent rainbow glow.

It was hard to believe that something as lively as this pearl could one day grow into a mermaid. Imagining the rowdy one on the roof, always alternating between crying and bravery, made him wonder.

Suddenly, a dark shadow swooped over Lu Xie’s hand. Hai San’er’s terrified scream echoed from above. When Lu Xie looked down, his hand was empty—the pearl was gone.

Quickly glancing up, Lu Xie caught the glint of the pearl in the sunlight. A crow had it in its beak, circling in the air. Without hesitation, Lu Xie pulled a dagger from his pocket and hurled it at the bird. The crow let out a squawk before crashing near a trash can. Lu Xie rushed over and pried the pearl from the bird’s beak.

“Damn bird,” Lu Xie muttered, heart pounding as he clutched the pearl to his chest.

Back on the roof, Hai San’er let out a sigh of relief seeing the pearl safe. But noticing the crow twitching on the ground, he covered his mouth and whimpered, “It’s dead.”

Back in the fish tank, Hai San’er folded his hands in front of his chest and began singing a mournful tune for the fallen crow.

Even before reaching the third floor, Lu Xie could hear Hai San’er’s song. It wasn’t the melodious kind you’d expect from a mermaid but a series of awkward hums. By the time he reached the tank, he had had enough. “What are you singing? It’s terrible.”

“I’m mourning the bird,” Hai San’er replied, offended.

“Stop singing. It sounds like a ghost wailing.”

“Who’s wailing?”

“If you keep singing, I’ll make you cry for real.”

Terrified, Hai San’er sank into the water, leaving only his eyes above the surface, glaring resentfully at Lu Xie. Too harsh. Always threatening to hit him.

“Check if it’s okay,” Lu Xie said, handing the pearl to Hai San’er. “It fell and even got snatched by a crow.”

Hai San’er placed the pearl back into the water. The moment it touched the surface, it sprang to life, bouncing and splashing joyfully.

“No issues. The baby is healthy.”

Lu Xie dragged a chair to the tank and idly trailed his fingers in the water. The pearl followed his movements, rolling and bumping against his fingertips.

“It’s not safe on the roof. One day it’ll get snatched again.”

“It’s fine,” Hai San’er reassured. “The deep-sea spirit usually protects it, and the tank opening is too small for anything to reach in.”

“You weren’t this relaxed when you were crying and searching for it before.”

That was because the baby was fragile back then. It’s stronger now and can defend itself.

Still uneasy, Lu Xie moved the tank to the second-floor room, placing it by the window so the pearl could bask in sunlight. The glass would keep it safe from animals.

Determined to ensure the pearl’s growth, Lu Xie bought the best fish food from the pet market.

“The shopkeeper said this food is high in protein. Fish will grow well with it.”

Hai San’er saw Lu Xie crouching in front of the fish tank, feeding the baby fish. He took a bag of fish food out of his pocket and started eating it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as tasty as snacks.

When Lu Xie turned around, he saw that Ha San’er had already eaten more than half of the bag of fish food. “Are you crazy?”

“It’s not that good,” Hai San’er commented. He put the remaining half of the bag back in his pocket, sat back in the lounge chair, eating snacks and watching TV. He was also thinking about trying soap next time. He had been curious about it for a long time.

Lu Xie frowned, not speaking for a while, because he realized that Hai San’er was a mermaid, so eating fish food wasn’t that strange. However, seeing a big man with a human form eating fish food in front of him still made Lu Xie instinctively think that the other might have a food fetish.

“The war has already spread to our country’s borders…”

The sound of the news anchor broke Lu Xie’s thoughts. He glanced at the TV screen, and the image of the war situation in the neighboring country flashed by. Hai San’er, who couldn’t understand the news, had already switched to the children’s channel.

“Do you think the fight will really reach here?” Lu Xie muttered.

Ha San’er had sharp ears and was especially afraid of fighting. As soon as he heard the word “fight,” he immediately became alert. “Who wants to fight here?”

“Many places are at war,” Lu Xie replied. Half of the world’s countries were caught in the flames of war, and it was just a matter of time before it spread here.

“What is a war?” Ha San’er asked curiously.

“It’s when people fight to compete for resources and land. Lots of people fight together.”

Even when just one or two people fought, Ha San’er couldn’t handle it, so he was startled by the idea of many people fighting at once. “That sounds terrifying.”

“It is very terrifying. They have artillery, too. It’s not just humans getting hurt; animals can get hurt as well.”

Ha San’er’s hand trembled, and he switched back to the news channel. The screen showed images of artillery bombardment, with dying humans visible.

“Places bombarded by artillery end up like this.”

The buildings were flattened, and blood stained the streets, leaving a scene of devastation.

Ha San’er slumped his shoulders, his expression serious as he stared at the TV. It was hard to tell if he was frightened or if something else was going on. He remained still and silent, his eyes darting with intense emotion.

“Don’t watch it,” Lu Xie said, standing up and grabbing the remote to change the channel to a children’s show. It felt somewhat cruel to say all of this to a fish. The wars were caused by humans, and the animals were the victims. “Watch your cartoon.”

Today’s cartoon was Snow White. Ha San’er liked the first half of the episode, but unfortunately, his mind wasn’t on it anymore. The images from the news channel were still in his head, and he had no interest in watching cartoons now.

Anything involving fighting didn’t seem like a good thing—fighting people, fighting wars… Ha San’er felt melancholy. Why couldn’t everyone just live in peace instead of fighting?