RAM Chapter 34

The two of them kissed and touched, clothes stripped entirely, when Hai San’er suddenly stopped his movements, awkwardly looking at himself. Lu Xie first stared at Hai San’er in confusion, then suddenly realized—this was Hai San’er’s first time using a human form to mate with him. As a mermaid, he’d been instinctively adept, but as a human, he seemed a bit clumsy.

Lu Xie wanted to say he’d take the lead, but before he could, Hai San’er leaned close to his ear and murmured, his warm breath brushing against Lu Xie’s earlobe, “Mmm… Lu Xie… Lu Xie…”

The sound tickled Lu Xie’s throat. Hai San’er clung to him like a stubborn leech, rolling around on top of him. Lu Xie felt like everything he’d eaten earlier was about to be squashed out. Unable to bear it anymore, he grabbed Hai San’er’s head. “Enough.”

Even as a human, he was still so lustful—some habits were hard to change.

After a long day, Lu Xie just wanted to get it over with and rest early. Left with no choice, he had to guide Hai San’er hand by hand. Hai San’er might be clumsy at other things, but when it came to this, he picked it up instantly.

The next day at noon, Lu Xie finally got up, clutching his sore waist. Looking at Hai San’er, who was sleeping soundly beside him, he aimed a kick at his butt. Startled awake, Hai San’er wasn’t angry; instead, he rubbed his eyes, his messy curls adding to his innocent look. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Xie, still cranky from just waking up, was annoyed at how peacefully Hai San’er had slept. But when Hai San’er looked at him with that harmless expression, he couldn’t even come up with a proper response. After a long pause, he grumbled, “What do you mean, what’s wrong? Get up, we’re heading out.”

After freshening up and changing clothes, the two got ready to leave. They didn’t have much luggage—just a change of clothes and their most prized possession, a bag of gold coins. Lu Xie packed it along with their clothes, and they checked out of the hotel.

By daylight, the red-light district looked much more respectable without the glow of its lights. On the streets and alleys, aside from streetwalkers, there were junkies everywhere. None of them seemed reliable. Even if some had connections, Lu Xie didn’t want to talk to them.

“Let’s try our luck on the main street.”

Compared to the small town they’d been living in, this big city, driven by tourism, was far more bustling. Skyscrapers and busy traffic filled every corner. For someone like Hai San’er, who’d never seen such sights before, the towering buildings made his neck ache from constantly looking up. He kept gawking around and narrowly avoided being hit by cars multiple times.

Drivers stuck their heads out of windows, yelling curses at Hai San’er. He froze on the spot, unsure what to do. Since Hai San’er was at fault, Lu Xie couldn’t retort; he simply grabbed Hai San’er’s wrist.

“Watch out for the cars. If one hits you, it could break your arm.”

Realizing the danger, Hai San’er behaved, clinging tightly to Lu Xie’s arm as if afraid any car might crash into him. He asked in a small voice, “Where are we going now?”

If they went through official channels to get the paperwork done, they’d need a letter of introduction. Without it, they’d likely be deported before the paperwork was even processed. As Lu Xie mulled over their predicament, Hai San’er suddenly squeezed his arm.

“Lu Xie, look! Starfish and whales!”

Lu Xie followed Hai San’er’s finger and saw an environmental organization’s booth in a park. The posters featured starfish and whales. Hai San’er might not recognize words, but he knew sea creatures.

“What’s that?” Hai San’er asked, tugging Lu Xie forward.

Lu Xie didn’t resist and followed Hai San’er’s steps, explaining, “It’s a nonprofit environmental group. They recruit volunteers to advocate for ocean conservation.”

Hearing it was about protecting the ocean, Hai San’er’s interest piqued further.

City dwellers, busy with their own lives, barely spared a glance at the booth. Protecting the ocean was none of their concern. So when Hai San’er and Lu Xie stopped in front of the booth, the two staff members were both surprised and eager.

The staff began by explaining the current state of ocean ecosystems and then introduced their weekly activities. Despite being volunteers, the organization had secured sponsorships, so participants received a stipend for each event.

“Would you two gentlemen like to leave your contact information and address? If interested, you could join our ocean cleanup activity this weekend and contribute to environmental efforts.”

Before Lu Xie could respond, Hai San’er eagerly raised his hand. “We’re interested!” Cleaning the ocean, no matter where, was right up his alley.

Lu Xie, who used to live a life of danger, hadn’t had the luxury to care about such matters. But now, things were different—especially with their child living in the ocean.

Seeing the enthusiasm of the wavy-haired beauty, the staff turned their hopeful gazes to the scar-faced man who hadn’t spoken.

“Sure,” Lu Xie said, “but we won’t leave our contact information. We’ll come this weekend.”

The staff looked disappointed. Even those who left their contacts didn’t always show up; those who didn’t were even less likely to. Still, they handed the two a flyer. “The time and location are on here. See you then.”

Lu Xie meant to go; a promise was a promise. Besides, Hai San’er was so excited he didn’t want to dampen his spirits. The reason he didn’t leave their contact info was simple—they were still staying in a hotel. The staff’s reminder also made him realize it was time to buy phones for both himself and Hai San’er. To adapt to modern society, Hai San’er needed to learn how to use a phone to communicate.

Given their current situation, basic phones would suffice. Lu Xie exchanged some gold coins for cash, then found a small shop where he bought two models from a few years back and two prepaid SIM cards that didn’t require ID registration.

Hai San’er held the phone, delighted. He recognized the device; Lu Xie had taught him how to use one before, though this model was a bit different.

“This is for me?”

Lu Xie slipped some spare change into Hai San’er’s pocket. “Yeah. Keep the change with you. Just in case we get separated, you’ll have a backup.”

Hai San’er knew it—Lu Xie had told him that you needed money to buy things. Now he had money too, and that meant he could buy things!

In the city center, advertisements for document services were everywhere. But Lu Xie, unlike Hai San’er, wasn’t easily convinced. He decided to observe for a while before making any moves.

That weekend, Lu Xie and Hai San’er arrived at the meeting spot right on time, much to the delight of the other volunteers from the environmental organization. Over the following weeks, some people showed up late, and others sneaked off halfway through, but the two of them were punctual every week, participating in every activity from start to finish, unfazed by dirt or exhaustion.

Hai San’er always greeted everyone with a cheerful smile and listened attentively to whatever they said. In contrast, Lu Xie looked stern and intimidating, as though he might hit someone at any moment. Yet, over time, his patience turned out to be surprisingly good.

After the activities, there was often a group meal, with expenses covered by sponsors. The team leader picked a decent restaurant as a treat for everyone. Once they were full and satisfied, someone worked up the courage to ask about Lu Xie and Hai San’er.

“Lu Xie, why haven’t you and Hai San’er filled in your home address yet? The sponsors can send household goods directly to your place.”

Having spent time with these enthusiastic environmental volunteers, Lu Xie realized they were all very straightforward—just like Hai San’er. After all, people who spent their days cleaning beaches and oceans couldn’t have bad intentions. So, he decided to be honest.

“As you might have guessed, Hai San’er and I aren’t locals. Our hometown is a war zone, and we can’t go back. We also don’t have any documents, so we’re still living in a small motel.”

The volunteers were not only straightforward but also shared Hai San’er’s strong aversion to war. They sympathized deeply with innocent people caught in the chaos.

Hearing that Lu Xie and Hai San’er were refugees, the team leader lowered his voice. “Actually, we do have a little-known perk. Sponsors can provide recommendation letters to help outstanding volunteers get legal documents. It’s just that very few volunteers stick around long enough to qualify. Most come here to earn a living, and the volunteer allowance isn’t much, so they usually leave within a month.”

This was like finding a treasure chest when you weren’t even looking for one! Lu Xie and Hai San’er had joined the volunteer activities simply to do their part for the ocean and Zhenzhu. They hadn’t expected this unexpected benefit.

“So, what about documents for me and Hai San’er?”

The team leader waved a hand reassuringly. “Let me send an application email to the sponsors.”

The sponsors responded quickly. Impressed by Hai San’er and Lu Xie’s active participation, they were more than happy to provide recommendation letters. The process of getting the documents turned out to be much smoother than Lu Xie had anticipated. Most importantly, they saved the agency fees, which meant they could use that money to rent a small beachfront apartment in the city.

On moving day, Hai San’er excitedly asked, “Do we have a house now?”

“Sort of,” Lu Xie replied. “It’s not entirely ours. We’re renting it, so once the lease is up, we’ll have to give it back.”

“You pay money but don’t get to keep it? Being human is so complicated.” Hai San’er frowned, then asked, “So how can we get a house that’s really ours and not have to give it back?”

“You’d have to buy it outright, but that takes a lot of money. The gold coins we traded got us the documents, and what’s left only covers the rent. If you want money, you’ll need a job.”

This surprised Hai San’er. He muttered, “So we’re out of money now. Can we go back to the ocean to find more gold coins?”

“That’s not the right way to think about it. We’re lucky to have had Zhenzhu help us find gold coins in a pinch. But as humans, we can’t keep relying on them. You need to have your own job. Sure, everyone dreams of getting something for nothing, but as a new human, it’s better not to fall into bad habits because it’s easy to stray and hard to get back on track.”

Hai San’er nodded solemnly. He didn’t want to become a bad person. “Then I’ll need a job too! What about you? Is your job making these crafts?”

Not far from their new apartment was an elementary school. Lu Xie, skilled with his hands, had recently set up a stall outside the school, selling simple wooden crafts. As business grew, children even began placing custom orders. It was going well.

“Yep. If I save enough money, I could even get a proper shop.”

Listening to Lu Xie’s plans, Hai San’er felt a little disheartened. He didn’t seem to be good at anything. “What about me? What kind of job can I do?”

Lu Xie patted Hai San’er’s head. “No rush. You can take your time to look around and find something you like. Then you can give it a try. For now, your most important task is learning to read. Most jobs won’t hire someone who’s illiterate.”