Chapter 36: Shopping Spree
A merman’s chamber was closed most of the time. Touching only the outer shell was equivalent to touching the base of a human’s thigh, not so unacceptable.
Deng Xi tried his best to hypnotize himself.
It was just turning into legs! He could definitely do it!
Deng Xi shooed the little mute away.
The little merman closed his eyes alone in the pool and simulated it many times in his mind, but every time he opened his eyes, it was still that big blue tail.
Deng Xi flicked his tail fin and lowered his head in frustration.
On the other side, Si Jisheng was also slumped on the waterproof sofa in the living room, his forehead resting on his hand, motionless for a long time. After a while, he took off the still-dripping mechanical gloves and, as if to cover up, put on a new pair and went to the holographic combat field upstairs to start his daily training.
It wasn’t until near dusk that he left the training field.
Besides him and the blue-tail, there were no other people in this manor. At most, a few mechanical butlers had been arranged, but Si Jisheng was not in the habit of using them. More often than not, he preferred to do things himself.
He took some preserved live seafood from the cold storage and processed it on the spot with his Jiaoren claws. One portion had no seasoning, and the other was slightly processed.
He was more accustomed to eating human food.
When he returned to the pool, the blue-tail was still in the same spot. Deng Xi was clumsily imitating the little mute’s movements, measuring with his fingertips, bit by bit, and whispering softly, “Foot, leg, knee…”
But it was of no use.
Deng Xi lowered his head in frustration. He sniffed, and suddenly, he smelled the fresh scent of fish. The moment he turned around, he saw the little mute walking over with the processed food.
Both plates were placed on the suspended table on the shore.
Si Jisheng bent down slightly.
Deng Xi opened his arms and was picked up.
For the sake of light transparency, the room that housed this pool was made in the form of a glass flower house. The suspended table and chairs were also transparent. The dim yellow light turned them into a beautiful, translucent gold.
Deng Xi liked it very much.
Mermen liked everything that was shiny and would glow.
The blue fish tail slid to the ground. Deng Xi sat on the transparent chair and noticed that his and the little mute’s food were different.
The thinly sliced fish was dotted with something green, and the sweet crab meat was soaked in a black sauce. It didn’t look good.
But after seeing the little mute eat it with his own eyes, Deng Xi blinked curiously. “I want to eat it too.”
Si Jisheng paused for a moment and reminded him, “You might not be used to these sauces.”
Deng Xi didn’t say anything, just quietly looked at the little mute with his blue eyes, blinking.
Si Jisheng helplessly switched the two plates. “Wait a moment.”
After Si Jisheng left, Deng Xi tentatively picked up his fork and rolled up a thin slice of fish, imitating the little mute and dipping it into the green sauce. But because he didn’t know how to use a human knife and fork, when Deng Xi forcefully put it in, the fish slice was completely covered in green, unlike when the little mute ate it, where he only dipped a little.
The oily green looked like a witch’s poison.
Deng Xi’s little face scrunched up, but he couldn’t help but be curious.
There was no prepared sweet milk in the refrigerator. Si Jisheng squeezed some sweet fruit juice. When he came in with a glass, he looked up and saw Deng Xi swallow the wasabi-covered fish slice in one gulp. Then, his entire little face contorted in pain.
Si Jisheng walked over in a few steps, held out his palm, and frowned. “Spit it out.”
The wasabi-covered fish slice was spat into the palm of the mechanical glove, a soft, mushy mess, along with dirty saliva.
He couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but Deng Xi only felt that his entire tongue was on fire, accompanied by a fiery, stinging pain. The little merman whimpered, his voice muffled, “My mouth hurts.”
“Open your mouth.”
Deng Xi obediently opened his lips. The rim of the cup was pressed against them, and a cool, sweet liquid was poured in. He swallowed in small sips, and with great difficulty, the fiery sensation in his mouth finally subsided.
When he looked at the human sauces again, Deng Xi looked at them as if they were some kind of ultimate weapon. How could the little mute eat something so disgusting? He had been corrupted by humans!
The fish slice that Deng Xi had spat out was wrapped in a paper towel and thrown into the trash can. Si Jisheng patiently said to the little merman, who had pushed his plate far away and wouldn’t let him eat, “Shall we try again?”
Deng Xi wanted to pull the little mute back from the wrong path. He shook his head and said angrily, “Little Mute is not allowed to eat it.”
Wasabi was indeed too stimulating for a little merman who had never tasted seasonings. Si Jisheng bent down, rolled up a piece of raw crab meat with a fork, dipped it in a little raw marinade, and fed it to Deng Xi’s mouth. “Try again.”
Deng Xi looked at the little mute hesitantly, then tentatively opened his lips and closed his eyes as if he were facing death.
The raw marinated crab completely brought out the sweetness of the crab meat and completely masked the fishy smell of the seafood.
Deng Xi took a bite, then another.
It seemed a little delicious.
His opened blue eyes lit up again. In the end, the entire plate of crab meat went into Deng Xi’s stomach. Si Jisheng finished the food that Deng Xi hadn’t eaten and was about to take the plates to be washed when his sleeve was tugged.
Deng Xi held the juice cup, his eyes shining. “I want more.”
This water was sweet and delicious.
Besides that poison, the food in the human world was super delicious. Deng Xi was starting to like this world a little.
After getting a new cup of juice, Deng Xi held it preciously and drank it sip by sip. After watching for a while, Si Jisheng ordered a batch of pure milk and a jar of honey on his comm for the first time.
He opened the online store, preparing to buy Deng Xi a mobility chair that could fly at low altitudes and had a place for his tail, as well as some clothes he could wear when going out.
Si Jisheng could see that Deng Xi was very insecure. He wanted him to be by his side at all times and couldn’t accept being separated for long periods. When he encountered something he didn’t understand, he would want to find him immediately to solve it.
He remembered that the military should have a family area.
In the interstellar age, shopping on the star network was very intelligent. You could see a 3D projection of the actual product. Many things that looked like chairs flashed before Deng Xi’s eyes, finally stopping on an all-black seat.
The exterior of this mobility chair was designed in the style of a small UFO, completely hiding the bulky jet propulsion system. It was simple, clear, and had smooth lines. It was the latest generation of product on the market.
Si Jisheng felt that it was acceptable.
The next second, his aesthetic was completely denied. Deng Xi propped his chin on his hands, leaning on the suspended table, and commented, “This chair is so ugly.”
The changing comm interface instantly stopped.
Si Jisheng pursed his lips slightly, but still let Deng Xi choose for himself. “If you see one you like, tell me to stop.”
Deng Xi realized something and asked cluelessly, “Is it for me?”
Si Jisheng nodded.
Deng Xi belatedly realized that the 3D projection was something the little mute had carefully selected. He was instantly at a loss. “I-I didn’t know.”
The tips of Deng Xi’s ears turned red. He looked at the ugly chair, then at the silent little mute, and hesitantly coaxed, “Actually, the one Little Mute chose is also good-looking!”
Just a little bit ugly.
Alright, maybe more than a little.
Deng Xi racked his brains. “I don’t need a chair. My tail will get dehydrated, and it will hurt a lot.”
Si Jisheng swiped the comm. “If we modify the interior to spray a water mist, it won’t get dehydrated.”
Deng Xi’s eyes lit up. “Really? Then I can follow Little Mute!”
Si Jisheng’s fingertips paused. He suddenly turned his head, his silver eyes narrowing, and looked at Deng Xi with concentration. “It’s not to follow me.”
Deng Xi was stunned for a moment, then tilted his head in confusion.
He didn’t want Deng Xi’s world to be only him.
Besides him, Deng Xi’s world should also have the ocean, the blue whale, the little jellyfish, and all kinds of shells and conch shells that Deng Xi liked.
It was no different in the human world.
Now that he was no longer confined to the ocean, the blue-tail’s world should become even vaster, more boundless than the entire sea.
Si Jisheng’s voice softened. “This mobility device is like your tail in the ocean. Besides being able to come and find me, you can also go anywhere.”
“Anywhere that can make you happy.”
Deng Xi’s blue eyes curved. “But I’m very, very happy when I’m with Little Mute.”
Si Jisheng’s indifferent silver eyes reflected Deng Xi, whose golden hair even seemed to be emitting a warm glow under the twilight. The color of his eyes also gradually took on a hint of warmth from the light. He asked in return, “What if there’s a happier place?”
Deng Xi hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, “Then I can bring Little Mute with me! We can go and play together!”
Si Jisheng nodded slightly. “Then do you still want to buy it?”
Only by being able to walk on land could he take the little mute to play. Deng Xi nodded, but he was still a little hesitant. He asked tactfully, “Can we get a prettier chair?”
Si Jisheng placed the comm in front of Deng Xi. “I’m a little tired.”
Deng Xi volunteered, “Then I can help Little Mute!”
Si Jisheng gave a demonstration. “Click here, and the next one will appear.”
Deng Xi nodded vigorously and tried his best to remember.
The little merman was actually very smart.
Deng Xi soon discovered that the comm, which he had not understood before and had not dared to touch randomly, was actually very simple. He slowly learned how to select items in the online store on the comm. His blue eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he kept saying, “This golden one is so pretty.”
“And this one, this one is the color of my tail.”
“Mmm, this one is Little Mute’s color.”
“That pink one is so pretty!”
Because it had glitter added, the translucent pink mobility chair was sparkling, shining in the light, so bright and shiny, it was super attractive to a merman.
Deng Xi couldn’t bear to look away.
Si Jisheng bought them all, even the super cool, colorful, and laser-filmed mobility chair that Deng Xi had taken a fancy to earlier. He chose the military headquarters as the address and sent the modification requirements to the adjutant. He said to Deng Xi, “You can see it tomorrow.”
Deng Xi nodded in anticipation.
Si Jisheng: “But to go out, you need to wear human clothes.”
Deng Xi looked at the black clothes on the little mute.
They were black and also very ugly.
If it weren’t for their merman genes, the little mute would be ugly! He didn’t want to wear human clothes.
Deng Xi tilted his head. “Can I not wear clothes?”
Si Jisheng refused coldly, “No.”
Deng Xi didn’t understand why humans had to wrap themselves up, restrain their bodies, and let rough clothes chafe their skin.
A few minutes later, Deng Xi met Teacher Xiaomei again. He looked at the comm that the little mute had placed in front of him.
Si Jisheng was playing the next episode of the documentary on human reproductive organs. Deng Xi listened obediently.
Teacher Xiaomei: “If someone deliberately doesn’t wear clothes in front of you, children, and exposes their body or the organs of these two parts, pay attention, you must stay away from these people who are being perverted to you.”
Deng Xi’s eyes widened.
He was not a little pervert fish!
Si Jisheng indifferently turned off the comm.
Deng Xi pursed his lips and lowered his eyelids, silently expressing his protest.
Si Jisheng sighed. “Why don’t you want to wear clothes?”
“Because it’s very uncomfortable to hug Little Mute every time.” Deng Xi raised his face and said very seriously, “The little mute without clothes, mmm…”
He thought carefully.
The pale body was smooth and taut, and felt a bit hard to the touch. When the seawater rolled down, it was a wet and slippery sensation that Deng Xi liked very much.
Si Jisheng asked with his eyes.
Deng Xi seemed to be reminiscing. “It’s very comfortable to hug, very nice to touch.”
His breath instantly hitched, and his mechanical gloves clenched together.
Deng Xi was still describing, “When we’re close together, it’s cool.” As long as they didn’t touch fish tails, a normal merman hug, Deng Xi didn’t think there was a problem. He liked the feeling of hugging close together without a layer of clothes in between.
Si Jisheng’s voice suddenly became very low and hoarse. “At home, you can not wear them.”
Deng Xi thought for a moment and also took a step back. “Alright, then can Little Mute not wear clothes in the future too?”
Si Jisheng coughed lightly. “No.”
Deng Xi did not give up. “Then when can you?”
Si Jisheng closed his silver eyes with restraint. “When we’re sleeping.”
Deng Xi blinked curiously. “Are we going to sleep together?”
Si Jisheng took a deep breath, feeling that it was still necessary for Deng Xi to watch the video that the adjutant had sent over. He quickly changed the subject. “Let’s look at the new clothes first.”
He considered that it was Deng Xi’s first time wearing human clothes and his body might not be used to it, so he chose fabrics that were extremely soft. But Si Jisheng rarely had a problem. It was very obvious that a fish tail could not be stuffed into pants.
He could only buy Deng Xi a girl’s dress.
There were so many little dresses in the online store. He didn’t know the styles and couldn’t choose a color. All kinds of them were mixed together, dazzling Deng Xi. He swiped past many, but there was never one he liked.
Those clothes looked very rough.
In the end, it was Si Jisheng who sent a message to the adjutant, “Where are the Jiaoren silks that were confiscated in the early years?”
On the other side, the adjutant, who had not yet finished his extra training, was sweating profusely. He took a breath, heard the comm’s notification sound, and quickly opened it to reply, “They’re piled up in the warehouse.”
After the trial video was released three years ago, it had caused a huge sensation. Among the many controversies, the business opportunities had also been exploited by many people with ulterior motives. The first to be affected was the Eastern mythology, which had long been annihilated in the long river of history, and was once again known to the public.
The Jiaoren pearls and Jiaoren silks recorded in the myths were all used as a gimmick for consumption. Under the banner of the Marshal being a Jiaoren, they were sold at an expensive price that did not match the cost.
It wasn’t until it became more and more intense, and these fakes were openly auctioned for a sky-high price, that the military stepped in to severely crack down on this part of the market. At that time, the adjutant had confiscated a lot of “Jiaoren pearls” and “Jiaoren silks.” He had even lamented that although the name was fake, because the price was high, the quality was not perfunctory.
The fabric felt smoother than water, and had a bit of the “weaving in the spring, not wet in the water” appearance from the myths.
In recent years, due to policy reasons, no one dared to touch this cake anymore. The Jiaoren silks in the military’s warehouse were the last few bolts.
Could it be that the Marshal had finally remembered these things that had trampled on the military’s face and was preparing to burn them all?! The adjutant became excited. “I’ll take them out right now. Marshal, just say the word. How should we deal with them? Burn them or shred them directly?”
The Marshal: “Find someone to make a few dresses with them and send them over by tomorrow morning.”
The originally extremely excited adjutant froze on the spot. He slowly typed a question mark, then forcibly deleted it, and became as quiet as a chicken. “Yes.”
A while later.
The adjutant: “Marshal, then my extra training?”
The Marshal: “Canceled.”
The adjutant immediately sprang into action. In the middle of the night, he flew a flying ship to the entrance of the manor in District A and delivered a finished Jiaoren silk dress.
This Jiaoren silk dress was placed by the side of Deng Xi’s pool.
The next day, the moment he opened the shell, he saw the translucent white Jiaoren silk, shimmering in the sunlight.
It was sparkling, as if it were glowing.
The little merman’s eyes lit up.
The mobility chair he had bought yesterday had also arrived. Si Jisheng took it to the side of the pool, picked up the extremely expectant little merman, and placed him on the suspended table. “Wait a minute.”
Deng Xi’s wet golden hair, which was hanging down his back, was wrapped in a dry bath towel and dried bit by bit.
Because it was his first time, Si Jisheng’s technique was very clumsy. But afraid of pulling Deng Xi’s hair, his movements were very gentle.
The man in the combat suit, draped in a military greatcoat, was intimidating just by standing there. But at this moment, he was slightly bent over, his silver hair hanging down on Deng Xi’s body, carrying a cold, deep-sea scent. His cold mechanical gloves were slowly and methodically combing the curly golden hair. His silver eyes were lowered, and his gaze was exceptionally focused.
The golden hair on the side of Deng Xi’s cheeks was all tucked behind his gills, revealing his exquisite and beautiful eyelids.
After slightly drying the water from his golden hair, the seawater that had dripped onto his upper body was also wiped dry with a bath towel. Only his tail was still wet.
Si Jisheng took the Jiaoren silk dress and studied it for a while before he figured out how to wear it. He turned around and put the wide Jiaoren silk dress on Deng Xi.
The golden-haired, blue-tailed little merman was like a doll being carefully dressed up. The layers of Jiaoren silk were piled on his body, as if he were wearing an adult’s clothes. But after being tidied up, the blue fish tail under the translucent white silk was faintly visible, as dreamlike as an unreal, exquisite figurine.
A clumsy knot was tied at the waist.
Deng Xi was carried onto the translucent pink mobility chair he had chosen yesterday. After he started the button, the chair swayed and lifted off the ground.
Si Jisheng told him how to control the direction.
Deng Xi learned quickly and carefully began to test it on the surface of the water, his blue eyes curving slightly.
He could fly too.
In the future, he would never have to watch helplessly as the little mute was taken away.
