The Little Mermaid Fell for the Jiaoren 51

Chapter 51: Walking

A long silence.

The hand that was hugging Deng Xi’s back slightly curled, tensed, and then relaxed. Si Jisheng changed the subject, “Shall we apply the medicine first?”

Deng Xi was unhappy. He propped himself up, and his watery blue eyes looked as if they were about to cry in the next second if the little mute didn’t agree. Like a rascal, he curled his little finger and held it out. “Little Mute, promise me.”

This time, Deng Xi did not get a successful pinky promise.

He lowered his eyelids.

Si Jisheng explained, “The gene-suppressing drug is currently the most effective treatment. I won’t be uncomfortable.”

Deng Xi pursed his lips. “That’s because Little Mute forgot.”

If he didn’t remember, how would he know if he was uncomfortable or not?

Si Jisheng tried to negotiate with Deng Xi, “We can make a pinky promise, but we have to change the condition.”

Deng Xi tilted his head in confusion.

“I can’t not take the medicine, but I will return to the original dose.”

“You can sing to me when you want to, but you can’t force yourself.”

Si Jisheng would not use Deng Xi for this experiment.

Deng Xi thought carefully for a moment, then nodded his head.

The little finger that was held out in the air was finally hooked by someone, a touch and then gone.

Deng Xi sat obediently on the sofa chair, his head lowered as he watched the little mute apply the treatment solution all over his legs. After he was done, Si Jisheng got up and prepared to clean up the messy treatment room.

When he was being treated in the treatment room, he would not allow anyone to enter. The reason why Deng Xi could come in was because Si Jisheng had opened up the access rights to the entire top floor for him.

Deng Xi watched as the little mute turned on a robot to clean up the tranquilizer that was flowing on the ground, picked up the empty medicine tubes and threw them away, and also put away the briefcase with the medicine and put it back in its original place.

He tentatively propped himself up on the sofa chair and put his feet on the ground. “I’ll help Little Mute too.”

Si Jisheng pressed Deng Xi back down. “Sit properly. Does it not hurt anymore?”

Deng Xi swayed his legs with some novelty. The treatment solution was very effective, and it really didn’t hurt anymore. He nodded his head. “I can do it!”

But no matter what Deng Xi said, Si Jisheng did not agree to let him come and help. It wasn’t until Deng Xi, who was sitting on the sofa chair with longing eyes, watched as Si Jisheng picked up the small conch shell that had fallen to the ground.

Only then did Deng Xi lower his eyes guiltily and admit his mistake, “I accidentally dropped the small conch shell.”

Si Jisheng nodded slightly, indicating that it was okay. He checked if the small, blue-green conch shell in his hand was damaged. After confirming that it was intact, he placed it back on the table.

Deng Xi leaned over and poked the small conch shell on the table, and said in a small voice, “I’m sorry.”

The small conch shell swayed as it was poked, as if to say it was okay.

Deng Xi’s eyelids curved. “I thought it had disappeared into the ocean. Did Little Mute take it away?”

Si Jisheng nodded.

When he had left that planet back then, after he had woken up on the returning starship, he had seen the shell fragments that he had been holding tightly in his palm.

Deng Xi was a little regretful. “But the broken conch shell can’t hear the sound of the waves anymore.”

Si Jisheng replied, “But we can still treasure it and commemorate it.”

Deng Xi said softly, “Then don’t throw it away next time, okay?”

Si Jisheng paused for a moment and said seriously, “I won’t.”

Deng Xi’s eyelids curved. “Then can we go home?”

Si Jisheng glanced at the time. “Mmm.”

Deng Xi wanted to put his feet on the ground again, wanting to walk out step by step like the little mute.

Si Jisheng bent down and gently pressed Deng Xi’s leg. “The ground is very dirty.”

Deng Xi swayed his feet. “Do I have to wear shoes too?”

Si Jisheng nodded.

But he had not prepared any shoes suitable for Deng Xi before. He squatted down, held Deng Xi’s foot, and measured it with his palm.

When he saw Deng Xi’s curled toes, he said in a low voice, “Open them.”

The golden-haired youth was wearing a half-dry gauze dress, and his bare toes were stepping on his warm palm. They could even be completely covered by his large palm. Deng Xi didn’t know why, but looking at the little mute who was squatting in front of him, his ears suddenly felt a little hot, and he shyly uncurled his toes.

Si Jisheng sent the size to the secretary-general, who, because he was in treatment, had not dared to step onto the top floor until now.

Soon, the secretary-general knocked on the door of the treatment room. “Marshal, this is the only thing that can be delivered to you quickly.”

It was a pair of white cotton slippers.

Si Jisheng nodded slightly and had the secretary-general go down.

He did not help Deng Xi again, but let Deng Xi do it himself.

Deng Xi tentatively stepped on them. They were soft and comfortable, and also very magical. His feet would not get cold when he stepped on the ground with shoes on. But because Deng Xi’s legs were too soft and weak, he could only stand up slightly by holding onto the man’s arm.

He was like a baby who had just learned to stand up. He couldn’t walk yet, and even after falling so many times before, he had not developed any fear.

Deng Xi boldly took his first step.

Because of the wounds on his legs, and also because he had no strength, the next second, his knees went weak, and he almost fell again.

Si Jisheng held Deng Xi and encouraged him in a low voice, “Very good. Try again?”

Deng Xi took a deep breath and took a second step.

The first time, the second time, the third time…

Deng Xi took every step carefully, but he couldn’t stand steadily with every step. Every time, he would fall into Si Jisheng’s arms.

The nerves in the soles of his feet seemed to have died. They were so stiff he didn’t know how to move. The strength in his legs couldn’t even support Deng Xi’s long standing, and even his knee joints were weak.

He could only step out again and again, and fall back again and again.

After walking for half a day, he was still in the same place.

After falling again, Deng Xi buried his face in the little mute’s front in self-abandonment. He felt that he was so stupid.

Si Jisheng quietly let Deng Xi hug him for a while. “Actually, humans don’t learn to walk from the very beginning.”

Deng Xi raised his face to look at the little mute. “Really?”

Because Deng Xi’s legs had no strength, they could only hug each other so stickily.

Si Jisheng gave an example, “Just like a merman cub who has just hatched from its shell, it doesn’t know how to swim with its tail from the very beginning, right?”

Deng Xi thought for a moment. “Mmm… I think so!”

Because the memory was too long ago, Deng Xi couldn’t remember clearly. But Deng Xi remembered that when he was born, he had stayed in the eggshell for a long, long time.

After a merman was born, they would only leave the place where their eggshell was after they had gnawed it clean and eaten it all.

At this time, their tails would also have the strength to swim freely in the seawater. The little Deng Xi, who had just hatched, would clumsily sway his thick fish tail to find the things that could fill his stomach in the merman’s inheritance.

Because there were no other adult mermen to take care of him, little Deng Xi ate edible seaweed every day. He would roll the seaweed into a ball and could hug it and gnaw on it for a whole day.

Only when he was lucky could he run into some stupid little fish and shrimp. He would struggle to flap his little tail, and with a single scoop of his little hand, he could eat a little bit of meat.

Not long after he had eaten, he would be scared away by the big fish that came. He would only dare to hide behind a reef, peek out with his round blue eyes, and then watch the scene of the big fish eating the little fish, secretly swallowing his saliva.

Then he would cheer himself on in his heart and comfort himself. It would be fine when he grew up. When he grew up, he could secretly eat the big fish! He would never be hungry again!

Unfortunately, the little merman was still very weak after he grew up, and he could still only gnaw on seaweed clumps every day.

“Deng Xi?”

“Mmm?”

Deng Xi came back to his senses and revealed a big smile.

It’s okay, now he has a kinsman!

Si Jisheng repeated, “A human cub can only stand on its own at about ten months after birth. It will take another two months before it can walk freely.”

The reason he knew this was because the adjutant had a little daughter. When she was just born, he would talk about it in the army every day. Si Jisheng had heard it a lot, so he had remembered it.

Deng Xi counted on his fingers. “That’s a long time.”

He would only be able to walk at one year old.

Deng Xi: “Do I have to grow another year before I can learn to walk?”

Si Jisheng: “Maybe.”

Si Jisheng continued, “There are also some humans who have to learn to walk again after they become adults. Their legs are injured, and after they are treated, they have to go through more than half a year of rehabilitation before they can regain their ability to walk.”

He gave two examples to tell Deng Xi that this was a normal phenomenon, and that he should not deny himself just because he could not achieve his goal quickly.

Don’t be in a hurry, they can take their time.

Si Jisheng slowed down his speech. “Adapting to a new organ, and then learning to use it, or learning any skill, is something that takes a lot of time to complete.”

“It may take a year, half a year, or it may be a day, two days. No matter how long it takes, we have all the time in the world to complete it.”

Be patient.

Deng Xi nodded, half-understanding.

Si Jisheng asked again, “Shall we try for another half an hour?”

Deng Xi “hmm”-ed twice.

After trying again for half an hour, Deng Xi could stand steadily. But after a long time, he still needed the little mute to support him.

But with this little bit of progress, all the persistence had meaning. Deng Xi was very happy.

Before going home, Deng Xi was still riding in the mobility chair. Si Jisheng had replaced the energy core and told Deng Xi that he had put the new energy core in the small box in the flying chair. If it suddenly ran out of energy next time, he could take it out and replace it.

Deng Xi carefully watched the little mute’s operation process and said that he had remembered it.

Si Jisheng: “Do you still need seawater?”

Deng Xi nodded his head.

Although he had already transformed into human legs, Deng Xi still liked the wet feeling. It was cool and comfortable.

After the flying chair started spraying water mist again, the humidity quickly began to increase. But when a shallow layer of seawater had accumulated inside, Deng Xi took a short nap. When he opened his eyes again, his tail had automatically changed back at some unknown time.

The blue fish tail had become as bruised as his human legs. Deng Xi could even see some scales that were still attached to his tail but were already shaky and about to fall off.

Deng Xi’s eyes widened. He was so scared he didn’t dare to move, afraid that if he moved, his scales would fall off on their own.

He frantically called out to the little mute, “My tail is about to shed its scales.”

After hearing the sound, Si Jisheng came over to check. He did not touch it. “Can you turn back into human legs?”

Deng Xi tentatively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his fish tail, following his will, had turned into human legs.

Si Jisheng turned off the water mist in the flying chair. “For the next few days, you should temporarily maintain your human form until your leg injuries have healed.”

Deng Xi thought for a moment, then lowered his eyelids dejectedly. But soon, he thought of something and became happy again. “Alright!”

This way, he wouldn’t have to stay in the ocean all the time, and he could know what the little mute was usually doing.

He could also sleep in a human’s big bed!