Chapter 115: Side Story: Little Jiaoren Raising Little Fish 11
A low and worried cry seemed to be sounding incessantly by his ear. The fins worriedly circled the little merman who was still in a coma in the shell. The little dolphin kept nudging the blue-tail’s body with its head.
Just like when the dolphin mother was not moving in the past, the little dolphin had been by its mother’s side and had refused to leave.
After the fishing net that had been placed in the inheritance ground had not been opened for three days, it was the little dolphin who went hunting alone every day, carrying many fish in its mouth and bringing them home.
But no one would eat.
After the little dolphin had eaten its own share of fish, it would use its fins to push the fish it had hunted to the side of the silver Jiaoren, and nudge the silver Jiaoren’s hand. Seeing that the other was not moving, it would anxiously push the fish to the side of the little merman.
Only it, a single dolphin, was busy going back and forth, and its cries were also becoming more and more anxious and disappointed.
The unconscious little merman was placed on the inheritance ground by the silver Jiaoren. But it was obvious that after three days, the inheritance ground had not played any role.
The blue-tail, whose whole body was burning hot, was still in a deep sleep.
The silver Jiaoren was like a stone statue, silently sitting by the side of the little merman for three days.
The little dolphin on the side was circling around the two, pushing the little merman’s body with its fins. It seemed to have sensed something. It then rubbed against the blue-tail with its head, and anxiously swam back to the side of the silver Jiaoren, pushing the silver Jiaoren towards the blue-tail with its fins.
After pushing several times, the motionless silver Jiaoren finally moved.
The silver Jiaoren’s skin was the pale color of someone who had lived in the deep sea for a long time. His expression was cold, and his silver eyes showed no emotion. He slowly swam to the side of the blue-tail and, listening to the little dolphin’s anxious cries, he seemed to have vaguely sensed the emotion that the little dolphin was trying to express.
He extended his hand and stroked the golden hair that was being blown by the current behind his ear.
His cold fingertips touched the warm body, and he couldn’t help but pause for a moment. The blue-tail’s burning body temperature seemed to have lowered.
His silver eyes suddenly narrowed. He raised his hand and touched the little merman’s forehead again. After confirming that the temperature was indeed slowly dropping, the silver Jiaoren’s tense body instantly relaxed.
A dolphin’s sound sounded low in the deep seabed. The little dolphin happily nudged the silver Jiaoren’s hand and pushed the fish it had hunted with its fins, as if it were urging the silver Jiaoren to eat.
The silver Jiaoren, who had not eaten for three days, touched the little merman’s forehead again. Only then did he, following the little dolphin’s force, slowly begin to eat.
Because he had not eaten for a long time, his stomach had long since been burning with pain. His dry esophagus was swallowing the food without any taste. The silver Jiaoren didn’t even have the mood to deal with the fish bones and the inedible entrails. He was like a savage beast, tearing at the food with his sharp teeth and claws, and eating with a blank expression in the most primitive way, which could be called eating his food raw.
He was simply and mechanically repeating the action of eating. It wasn’t until the burning sensation in his stomach had slowly subsided that another kind of pain arose.
He had not eaten for too long, and had suddenly stuffed so much food in. Of course, it would cause discomfort in his stomach.
The silver Jiaoren frowned and did not pay any attention to it. He would eat for a while, then stop, turn around to touch the little merman’s body temperature behind him, and only after he had sensed that it was still dropping normally would he continue to eat.
Not having rested for too long had also made the silver Jiaoren’s keen senses drop a lot. He, who was eating mechanically, had not noticed at all that the blue-tail’s eyelids were gently trembling.
Mmm…
He seemed to have slept for a very, very long time.
His body was so tired, sore and aching. His stomach was also so hungry. He wanted to wake up quickly. He was not sleepy at all.
It seemed that there was a person who had been waiting for him to wake up.
He wanted to open his eyes to see him.
His eyelids trembled again, and his blue eyes opened in a daze. The first thing he saw was the lonely back of the figure sitting on the reef. The surroundings seemed to be all blurred by his vision.
Only the silver Jiaoren was left in his blue eyes.
“…Brother?”
The silver Jiaoren’s body stiffened. He seemed to be afraid that he had misheard. He did not move for a long time. It wasn’t until the little merman had called out again in confusion, “Brother, talk to me.”
The silver Jiaoren’s chest was aching dully. He took a deep breath, and his ear fins trembled violently. With a slight flick of his tail fin, he swam over and turned around. His voice was low and hoarse. “Come here.”
The blue-tail propped himself up in confusion, slowly swayed his fish tail, and swam over. “What’s wrong?”
And then he was suddenly hugged tightly.
An embrace that was so forceful it was about to melt him into another body.
It was a little painful.
But the little merman did not struggle. On the contrary, he also opened his arms to hug the silver Jiaoren, whose state was clearly a little off. “Brother?”
He touched the silver hair that was scattered in the seawater.
A long time passed before the silver Jiaoren finally replied with a low “hmm.” He paused for a moment before he said in a hoarse voice, “You’ve been sleeping for a long time.”
Only then did the little dolphin gently come over and let out a low cry, agreeing.
Xixi could understand what it was saying.
Three days?
He had slept for three days!
His blue eyes widened in an instant. Xixi finally understood why his brother looked so sad. The little merman said incoherently, “I, my differentiation period has arrived.” He stammered, “Three days ago was my eighteenth shell-hatching day.”
The silver Jiaoren said in a low voice, “I remember.”
Xixi lowered his head in annoyance. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell brother.”
The little dolphin added fuel to the fire and let out a cry.
Xixi pricked up his ears and listened for a while.
His body had been burning hot? And he had scared his brother? Brother had been by his side all along?! And he hadn’t eaten for three days! And he hadn’t slept!
“How can brother not eat or sleep?!” The little merman’s fur instantly stood on end. “Even if, even if I—”
The silver Jiaoren abruptly interrupted him. “If you had died, I would have followed you—”
The little merman frantically covered the silver Jiaoren’s mouth. “Brother can’t talk nonsense!”
Although the silver Jiaoren no longer made a sound, Xixi could completely see the seriousness of this promise from the other’s focused silver eyes. A chill ran down his spine. If he had really not woken up, or if he had woken up a few days later, then what kind of silver Jiaoren would he have seen?
Would it be like the little dolphin’s mother, with its bones rotting in the depths of the ocean, completely silent, never to open its eyes again, and never to respond to any of his boring words?
A sudden fear, an indescribable sour emotion. Xixi hugged the silver Jiaoren tightly and, as if to escape, buried his head in the other’s shoulder and neck. “No, anyway, just no!”
He said in a muffled voice, “If brother is like this again in the future, then I’ll follow brother and not sleep or eat either.”
The silver Jiaoren silently circled the little merman who had thrown himself into his arms and was quiet for a moment. “I promise you there won’t be a next time. You also have to promise me that there won’t be a next time.”
Xixi replied in a small, guilty voice, “I also forgot. I didn’t deliberately not tell brother.”
“But I promise brother that no matter what happens, I will tell you, okay?”
“A promise is a promise?”
“Mmm!”
The little merman rubbed against the silver Jiaoren’s cheek, so clingy he refused to let go. “Brother, I’m hungry.” He thought of something. “And my shell-hatching day present? Did brother prepare one for me?”
The silver Jiaoren unnaturally replied, “I did.”
Xixi’s eyes instantly lit up. “Where did brother put it? Give it to me quickly.”
The silver Jiaoren was even more unnatural. He turned his face away. “It’s broken. I’ll make you a new one.”
Xixi said with some unhappiness, “No, I want the one that brother made for me at the beginning.” He dragged out his voice. “Brother, will you take me to see it?”
The silver Jiaoren had no way of dealing with the little merman. “Let’s eat first.”
Xixi nodded his head and looked at the little dolphin on the side, and said quietly, “Dolphin, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
The little dolphin let out a low cry and swam towards the surface of the sea, preparing to breathe a breath of fresh air. Ever since the little merman had fallen unconscious, the anxious little dolphin had not even had time to go out and feel the sea breeze, and had been by Xixi’s side all day and night with the silver Jiaoren.
The silver Jiaoren again carefully used his claws to clean the inedible entrails from the fish’s belly. He even had to peel off the bones and remove the fish skin that Xixi didn’t like to eat. He wished he could just feed the fresh and plump fish meat directly into the little merman’s mouth.
Although the little merman had slept for three days, unexpectedly, his stomach was not so hungry that it made him uncomfortable. He was full after being fed one or two fish.
The silver Jiaoren frowned, a little worried and wanting the little merman to eat a little more, but he was also rejected.
Xixi shook his head and placed the remaining fish meat by the silver Jiaoren’s mouth. “Brother, you eat. I can’t eat anymore.”
The silver Jiaoren ate it all, mouthful by mouthful.
After he had finished eating, he finally took the little merman to see the gift he had made. They returned to the lair, and on the table was a small, five-layered tower.
It was a fishie cake.
Actually, the silver Jiaoren’s gift was this every year. There was nothing new, but Xixi was still very happy. He liked how every time it was his shell-hatching day, he would secretly get up very early, go out behind his back to catch a lot of fishies he liked to eat, and then stack them up, bit by bit, pretending that he had not prepared anything, and then, under the blue eyes’ curious gaze, he would pretend to be surprised and take out the silver Jiaoren.
He just liked this a little stupid, but would always, always coax him to be happy brother.
But the fishie cake that had been left on the table for three days was completely inedible. Although it had been well-preserved because of the low temperature of the seabed and had not deteriorated.
But the silver Jiaoren would not let the little merman eat unfresh fish meat.
The silver Jiaoren turned around, preparing to swim out. “I’ll go and make a new one.”
Xixi’s eyes widened, and he immediately grabbed the silver Jiaoren. “Brother, you’re not allowed to go!”
The little merman’s blue eyes gently curved. “It’s okay if there’s no cake. It’s fine as long as brother is with me.” He said, “Now, brother should go to sleep.”
The blue-tail stretched out his fingertips with some heartache to touch the silver Jiaoren’s seemingly very tired features. “I’ll sleep with brother, okay?”
The little merman pulled the silver Jiaoren to the front of the shell bed and, as if not allowing any resistance, pushed the silver Jiaoren onto the seaweed bed inside. Then he also lay down and closed the shell lid with a “clatter.”
His mind, which had not rested for three days, was already very tired. He had been holding on until now entirely because of the Jiaoren’s powerful mental power. The silver Jiaoren slowly closed his eyes and, in the darkness, fumbled to touch the little merman on the side. “Wake me up if you’re hungry.”
The little merman nodded his head. “Mmm!”
He wouldn’t call him, he secretly said in his heart.
Xixi took the initiative to drill into the silver Jiaoren’s embrace. After being held tightly, he soon felt his brother’s steady breathing. He looked at the darkness in the shell a little bored.
He was a curious little merman.
One moment he would pinch his brother’s hand, the next he would touch his brother’s furrowed brow and gently smooth it. The next he would stroke his brother’s silver hair. In short, he was like a curious baby, touching this and that.
After being surrounded by the cold aura, Xixi couldn’t help but move even closer. He sniffled and went to smell the nice scent on the silver Jiaoren’s body.
It was a very reassuring feeling.
Slowly, Xixi couldn’t help but secretly wrap his tail around him. Soon, the silver fish tail also subconsciously intertwined back in his sleep.
It was so tight that the little merman’s ears couldn’t help but turn red. Because it was too forceful, he was even having a little difficulty breathing.
Xixi didn’t know if it was his own illusion, or if it was because the space in the shell was too small. He always felt that every time his gills trembled, it became more difficult and slower.
The intake of air seemed to have become a luxury.
Every breath he took, he could only be trapped in the silver Jiaoren’s cold aura, restrained by the silver-tail, and locked in his embrace, completely integrated into it.
The tips of his ears were burning hot. Slowly, his face also began to burn, and then it spread to his whole body, bit by bit.
What… what was wrong with him?
So strange…
In his sticky breath, Xixi let out a pained gasp. His blue fish tail couldn’t help but wrap around him even more.
The silver Jiaoren was woken up by the noise.
The little merman was lying on his shoulder and neck, whimpering and crying softly, constantly sniffing, and sobbing. Only after he had cried hard did he let out a sob.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a low voice.
The little merman could no longer hold it in. He cried and said, “Brother, what should I do?” He sniffled. “I, I think I’m sick.”
They were relying on each other in this lonely ocean. Besides asking his brother for help, Xixi couldn’t think of any other way.
The little merman had been crying for a long time. The corners of his eyes were flushed red, and his hot breath was transmitted into the water and then sensed by the silver Jiaoren.
The silver Jiaoren comfortingly stroked the little merman’s back and said in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid. I’m always here.” He guided the blue-tail’s collapsing emotions. “It’s okay. No matter what happens, I’ll be with you.”
He rarely let the crying little merman hold back his tears and tell Xixi not to cry. The silver Jiaoren would more often wait for the little merman to vent his emotions, and then he would slowly coax him.
Because stopping crying would not relieve the sad emotions. The act of telling the other not to cry was just to reduce his own trouble and sense of helplessness.
Xixi whimpered, “I, I’ve been wrapping my tail around brother’s all along.” The response he got was the silver Jiaoren using his silver-tail to wrap around him even more tightly.
The silver Jiaoren comforted him in a low voice, “It’s okay.”
He was always indulging all of Xixi’s unreasonable requests.
Perhaps it was because in the ocean, he only had the little merman, and Xixi also only had him.
They only had each other.
So any outrageous request was fine.
Xixi said cluelessly, “But I want to wrap my tail around brother’s all the time.”
The silver Jiaoren replied again, “Alright.”
The little merman: “I, I’m also very hot.”
His cold body hugged him tightly. The silver Jiaoren said, “It won’t be hot if you hug me.”
If one listened carefully, the silver Jiaoren’s tone also had an imperceptible fear. The little merman, who had been unconscious for three days, his body was starting to burn up again.
He was afraid that Xixi was really sick.
Those invisible wounds could not be cured on the seabed where there was nothing.
They were both half-understanding, and could only vaguely fumble their way through.
The little merman poured out all his requests. “My tail is also very itchy. Can brother help me stop the itch with his tail?”
The silver Jiaoren paused for a moment. “How do I stop the itch?”
The little merman also shook his head. He wanted to cry again, and his tears kept falling. “I don’t know. It’s just itchy.”
“Brother, am I sick? Am I going to go to the sky like the little dolphin’s mother?”
“I don’t want brother to go with me.”
“Sob, I don’t want to.”
“What should I do? Brother, save me.”
The silver Jiaoren extended his hand and, in the darkness, fumbled to place his palm on Xixi’s fish tail. “Where does it itch?”
Xixi sniffled. “Sob… it’s here.”
Xixi’s tears fell even more fiercely.
“Brother, I think I’m getting hotter again.”
“I also want…”
The little merman, in a daze, looked at the silver Jiaoren who was so close to him and couldn’t help but move closer.
“I also want to kiss brother.”
