Chapter 94
The aquarium was an oval-shaped building, resembling a bird’s nest.
It wasn’t crowded on a Friday, and Teacher Xiao Song led the children and parents inside without having to queue.
A shimmering, blue underwater tunnel greeted them.
It was a new exhibit, a huge investment by the aquarium, dimly lit, with only two strips of light on the floor.
Xing Nuo held his brother’s hand, his curls flattened by his little round hat, a few strands escaping and framing his face.
Water surrounded them on both sides, separated by a thick layer of glass, making them feel like they were at the bottom of the ocean.
Xing Nuo and the other children gasped and pointed, their faces pressed against the glass.
The cool glass made Xing Nuo shiver, but he didn’t move, his eyes fixed on the fish swimming past.
A colorful fish with a long tail swam towards them and, as if trying to scare them, slapped its tail against the glass.
Xing Nuo, startled, stumbled backward, his foot catching on the carpet, and landed on his bottom.
The other children also screamed and jumped back.
Qingqing, also wearing a hat, ran back and forth excitedly, pointing at the ceiling.
“Fish up there too!”
Xing Nuo looked up, the clear, blue water above them filled with swimming fish.
It felt like they were truly underwater.
The sound system played the sounds of ocean waves, and Xing Nuo, getting up, thought he could smell the salty sea air.
Cool and slightly salty, like Big Brother’s scent.
Shen Yan, recording the little one’s fall, a smile playing on his lips, walked over and helped him up, leading him back to the glass.
“The little fish are playing with you. They can’t come out. There’s glass.”
Xing Nuo, his hand on the glass, nodded.
The mischievous fish that had startled him swam back and blew a stream of bubbles.
The children next to him, thinking the bubbles were coming towards them, quickly backed away, wiping their faces.
Xing Nuo, his eyes crinkling into a smile, pointed at the fish. “Bad fishy!”
Teacher Xiao Song, waving her little red flag, introduced the different types of fish.
A few tourists, seeing the kindergarten group, the adorable little children waddling behind their teacher, took out their phones and snapped some pictures.
And in every picture, the handsome Shen Yan and the cute Xing Nuo were included.
“That father and son are so good-looking!”
“Not father and son. The little one called him Big Brother. They’re siblings!”
“Wow, so cute!”
Shen Yan, ignoring the tourists, held Xing Nuo’s hand and followed Teacher Xiao Song.
Teacher Xiao Song stopped in front of an archway.
“Up ahead is the exciting underwater tunnel! The floor is also made of glass, surrounded by water on all sides. If anyone is afraid, you can stay here.”
Two parents and their children, who had a fear of the deep sea, decided to stay in the regular underwater tunnel.
The other children, their faces filled with anticipation, urged Teacher Xiao Song to hurry.
“Want see big shark!”
“Where little mermaid?”
Teacher Xiao Song repeated her warning:
“The tunnel is a bit scary, but there will also be a mermaid show. Hold your parents’ hands tightly!”
The children nodded eagerly, Xing Nuo gripping his brother’s hand tightly, his face a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
They walked through the archway, the floor beneath their feet now a transparent panel, water flowing beneath, fish swimming below their feet, making them feel like they were truly submerged.
A few children screamed, clinging to their parents’ legs.
“Mommy, carry me! Fish gonna eat my feet!”
“Waaaah! So scary! I’m in the water!”
The dim lighting, highlighting the deep blue of the water and the colorful fish, created a mesmerizing, almost dreamlike, atmosphere.
Xing Nuo, also slightly scared, gripped his brother’s hand tightly, taking a few deep breaths before taking a small step forward.
Shen Yan, holding his phone, recorded the little one’s nervousness.
“Xing Nuo,” he called out softly, and as Xing Nuo looked up, he snapped a picture.
They loved taking pictures of Xing Nuo.
Shen Wen had an entire bookcase filled with his photos.
Xing Nuo, still hesitant, his feet glued to the glass, didn’t dare move.
A small fish swam towards them and bumped against the glass beneath Xing Nuo’s feet, making him jump.
“Big Brother! Big Brother! Fishy hit glass!”
He pointed at the small, chubby fish, worried that it would break the glass.
If the glass broke, he and Big Brother would fall into the water!
Shen Yan chuckled, teasing him.
“What will we do if the glass breaks?”
Xing Nuo nodded vigorously, clinging to his brother’s leg.
Seeing another mischievous fish swim towards them, he gasped and placed his foot on top of Shen Yan’s.
Shen Yan’s casual shoes, which he had specifically worn for this outing, now had two small, dusty footprints.
But with his feet no longer directly on the glass, Xing Nuo relaxed slightly.
He stood on his brother’s foot, hugging his leg, and looked down at the fish.
Shen Yan, unable to move, picked up Xing Nuo.
Xing Nuo, happy to be off the glass, his fear gone, pointed at the chubby fish.
“Big, fat fishy! Must have eaten all the other fishies’ food.”
Shen Yan pinched his nose and whispered:
“Don’t step on my shoes next time.”
Xing Nuo’s eyes sparkled as he smiled, resting his head against his brother’s shoulder.
“Okay. Big Brother carry me…no more scared.”
Shen Yan smiled and followed the teacher and the other parents.
The lights dimmed, plunging them into darkness.
Xing Nuo, his arms around his brother’s neck, looked around curiously.
Then, the lights brightened, momentarily blinding him.
Teacher Xiao Song’s voice sounded, pointing to the left.
“Children, the mermaid show is about to begin! Please be quiet and watch!”
Xing Nuo looked and saw a mermaid with a shimmering, light blue tail swimming towards the glass.
Her long hair flowing in the water, she twirled and danced with the other fish, her movements so graceful and beautiful that Xing Nuo couldn’t tear his eyes away.
The short performance ended.
Many parents recorded the show on their phones.
Xing Nuo, his mouth slightly open, gasped softly.
“Little Mewmaid so pwetty!”
He then turned to his brother, his eyes wide with curiosity.
“Big Brother, this Little Mewmaid…no turn into human? She no have legs.”
Shen Yan knew the mermaid was just a performer in a costume, but Teacher Xiao Song had told them to maintain the children’s sense of wonder, so he just said:
“Even without legs, the Little Mermaid swims very fast, right?”
Xing Nuo nodded vigorously, still captivated by the performance, his earlier fear forgotten.
After the mermaid show, the aquarium trip was over.
The children, back on the bus, were still arguing.
“The Little Mewmaid is weal! You saw her! She in the aquarium!”
“You’re all silly! It was fake! I saw it! The Little Mewmaid is fake!” Little Fatty yelled.
Qingqing, a firm believer in the mermaid’s authenticity, her face red with anger, turned to Xing Nuo.
“Xing Nuo, was the Little Mewmaid real?”
Xing Nuo, eating his bread, nodded firmly.
“Yes. We all saw her.”
Qingqing, like a victorious rooster, puffed out her chest and glared at Little Fatty.
“Xing Nuo said so too! The Little Mermaid is real!”
Little Fatty snorted, thinking they were all idiots.
He had gone to the bathroom and seen the mermaid take off her tail, revealing her legs!
But no one believed him.
Frustrated, he took out his mom’s phone and showed them a picture.
The picture clearly showed the mermaid with two legs, not a tail!
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened, and he dropped his bread.
“Little Mewmaid…tw-aded tail with witch…so fast?”
Little Fatty burst his bubble. “It was a costume! I even have a video!”
After watching the transformation video Little Fatty found online, Xing Nuo was devastated.
He lost his appetite and, back home, just poked at his rice during lunch, still thinking about the mermaid.
Shen Baizhou, having quickly finished his food, reached for more, but Shen Yan smacked his head with a spoon.
“Save some for Xing Nuo.”
Shen Baizhou withdrew his hand and, seeing Shen Yan serving Xing Nuo some soup, waved a finger in front of his face.
“Why aren’t you eating? What are you thinking about?”
Xing Nuo sighed sadly, still poking his rice.
“Big Brother, Little Mewmaid fake…no weal mermaids in the world.”
Shen Baizhou hummed and shrugged.
“There aren’t any in this world.”
There weren’t any strange creatures like mermaids in the real world.
But he asked, “Do you want to see a mermaid?”
Xing Nuo shook his head, his curls drooping sadly.
“No. Little Mewmaid fake…so…dwagon that widdle knight defeated…also fake?”
Xing Nuo, questioning the reality of his fairytale world, felt a pang of uncertainty.
“So…I can’t be widdle knight?”
If fairytales were all lies, could he still be a knight when he grew up?
Shen Baizhou, having finished his soup, said firmly:
“Why not?”
Not just a knight, you can even be a little mermaid.
