Rose Lock - Chapter 62

“Elder Sister”

That’s what she called her.

Gong Yan was a mature sea siren in the ocean, capable of transforming into various forms, and the little girl was a human child living in a fishing village by the beach. Every day as the sun was setting, the little girl would run to the shallows to build sandcastles, waiting until night fell and some of the fish returned from the sea before she, along with the other humans, would go back to their dwelling place.

Gong Yan had observed this while hunting. She thought humans were strange. Sometimes they swam inside the bellies of fish she couldn’t eat, and sometimes they fell into the sea, unable to swim, and sank to the seabed.

The little girl had been coming to the beach frequently lately. Several times she sat on the reef quite early. Gong Yan didn’t understand why she could use a dark, hole-punched object to blow such a pleasing sound. But she loved it so much, always swimming closer to listen, and even humming a few notes to accompany her. The little girl looked so happy that it filled Gong Yan with a joyful mood.

One day, Gong Yan was resting in the shallow water. The little girl came running over with quick little steps, a tiny thing. Gong Yan finally saw the human child up close. She wondered what human aesthetics were like, and as she watched her, she grew happier and happier. She was truly cute, and not afraid of her at all.

Gong Yan remembered it was a very ordinary afternoon. The little girl’s companions hadn’t returned yet—they would only come back when the sun set. She was still sitting on the sea reef, playing her xun (an ancient Chinese wind instrument). Gong Yan swam over lazily. The little girl stroked her finned claws. In that moment, Gong Yan suddenly had a strong urge to take her away.

However, reason pulled her back. She didn’t know if the girl would become like the other humans who had sunk to the seabed—their initially kind faces turning evil and repulsive after seeing her true form. She decided against taking her. Just as Gong Yan was about to leave, the little girl suddenly rested her head on Gong Yan’s, climbing onto her.

With her thin arms and legs, she hugged Gong Yan, her lower body immersed in the seawater, straddling her silver fish tail. Her ten-year-old face pressed against Gong Yan’s smooth, slender back.

In that moment, Gong Yan had the illusion of being needed.

Gong Yan carried her, swimming on the sea surface without needing to surface for air. The little one was having a lot of fun, but Gong Yan felt uneasy, worried that she might fall off and become an anonymous corpse in the vast ocean. But then she thought, what did it matter if she did fall? She would push her back to the surface.

The evening sea breeze was so pleasant. The little girl sat on her back, stroking her, and asked Gong Yan to look at the sun. Following her finger, Gong Yan saw the round red sun, half-hidden in the grey clouds, its full radiance clear, the last warmth before the curtain of night fell. The sky was dyed light red, then purple. Stars in the shallow water also gradually appeared above the sea surface, hanging there.

Her companions were returning. The little one had fallen asleep at some point. She was probably tired. During their time out at sea, this little human had sung for a long time, as if singing specifically for her.

Gong Yan placed her on the largest reef closest to the bay, where the tide wouldn’t reach her. Gong Yan swam away, turning her back from a distance. The group of humans returned with the fish they had caught, and they took the little girl with them. The fish in the humans’ hands were strung together on straw ropes and carried. Gong Yan looked back and saw what appeared to be some stars hanging on the bodies of those fish, but the night was too deep, and she couldn’t see clearly.

On Christmas Day, there was a heavy snowfall. Goose-feather-like flakes covered the rooftops with a thick layer of snow.

Inside the house, the fireplace was burning, continuously radiating heat. On the floor was an oval-shaped wool blanket, which her mother had made by stitching together pieces of old, worn-out clothes. It even had a very clumsy, big cat pattern on it—her mother’s hands were always nimble.

In the loft was a small room. Opening the window allowed a view of the distant sea. It was winter now, and fish were rare by the sea. Even her father, who was usually diligent about going out fishing, was enjoying a rare period of leisure at home, reading the newspaper.

Only when her mother called him would he slowly take his tools and go to the frozen lake in the back hill to catch some fish.

The village children her age had all started writing their wishes on slips of paper, putting them in their stockings, and climbing into bed to wait for Santa Claus to bring them gifts.

Thirteen-year-old Hua Manyi wrote nothing this year. She simply placed the xun she carried into her stocking and went to bed.

The next day, before Hua Manyi could even leave the house, her friends came to find her for a snowball fight and to play hide-and-seek. Hua Manyi happily went out to play with them. As they played, they started talking about Christmas gifts. The more they talked, the more excited they became, confidently asserting that Santa Claus was real because their wishes had been placed in their stockings the next morning.

In stark contrast to her ecstatic companions, Hua Manyi watched their uncontrollable smiles and suddenly felt a little sad. She didn’t have a Christmas gift. Not only that, but the xun she had put in her stocking last night was also gone.

When she woke up this morning, she was nearly distraught. That instrument was how she communicated with that “elder sister.” If it was gone, would her “elder sister” stop playing with her?

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Hua Man-yi ran to the seaside, attempting to find a similar xun, but after searching all afternoon, it started snowing again. The sea was surging with waves. Hua Man-yi was dejected and preparing to walk back when, as she passed a large reef on the beach, she thought she saw a figure.

She timidly approached, little by little. When she finally saw clearly, she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes widening instantly, “You…”

In front of her was a petite mermaid!

Unlike the sea sirens in books that sing to lure people, this was a tiny mermaid child, her silver tail fin flickering in the sea.

Soft, with damp black hair hanging behind her, her lazy eyes gazed steadily at her, carrying a hint of maturity that didn’t match her appearance.

Hua Man-yi didn’t feel it was strange. She rolled up her trousers. The sea water felt warm. She cautiously walked to her side, “Are you stranded?”

The little mermaid stared at her with open eyes, as if she didn’t quite understand Hua Manyi’s words.

Hua Manyi gently picked her up from the reef. She was smaller than her and felt like a little sister, Hua Manyi thought, though it was just a fleeting thought. She walked around the reef towards the deeper part of the beach and placed the little mermaid back in the water. “There, hurry home.”

Finally, seeing that she wasn’t leaving, Hua Man-yi bent down and scooped up a handful of water to splash on her. Unexpectedly, when the water hit the little mermaid’s face, the latter fiercely splashed a face-full of water back at her.

Hua Manyi shielded herself with her hand and began to engage in a water fight with her.

As dusk approached, Hua Manyi realized she couldn’t play any longer and stopped. She looked at the little mermaid sister, feeling a little reluctant. “I have to go back now. You should go back too.”

After saying goodbye, Hua Manyi turned her back to her and walked step by step towards the beach. Suddenly, something was thrown at her feet. When she saw what it was, a dada sound of footsteps suddenly rang out behind her, stamping on the fine sand. The running was so fast that the little feet even kicked up a bit of sand onto Hua Manyi’s heels.

She was hugged tightly from behind.

Hua Manyi froze, then turned around, only to find that the little mermaid sister’s silver tail fin had transformed into a pair of legs.

She picked up the xun lying by her feet and examined it closely for a while, her heart seizing with surprise—wasn’t this the xun she had placed in her stocking last night?

Hua Manyi turned her gaze to the little sister clinging to her chest and hesitantly asked, “Are you a gift from Santa Claus?”

The little mermaid sister tilted her head, staring at her blankly, still looking like she didn’t understand. She simply buried her head into Hua Manyi’s embrace and rubbed against her vigorously.

Hua Man-yi pondered for a moment, then took off her coat, wrapped it around the little mermaid sister, and took her hand. “I’ll take you back.”

She walked two steps and realized the little mermaid couldn’t walk. Hua Man-yi quickly understood, placed her hands on the little girl’s waist, and, using all her strength, lifted her and carried her toward home.

It started snowing again, the flakes drifting down onto the branches.

Inside the house, her mother was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and her father was asleep in the living room with a newspaper covering his face. Hua Manyi swiftly carried the little girl up to the second floor, sat her on the edge of the bed, and then went downstairs to fetch a basin of hot water and a towel.

She wiped the little mermaid sister’s body and washed her hair, drying her off. By this time, it was almost dinner, and her mother was calling her nickname from downstairs, “Yi-yi.”

Hua Manyi answered, turned back, and instructed the little mermaid, “You stay here quietly. I’m going down to eat, and I’ll bring you a bowl of rice later.”

The little mermaid nodded, seeming to half-understand.

At the dinner table, the girl’s mother was nagging her father about trivial household matters. Hua Man-yi’s mind was preoccupied with the little mermaid sister upstairs, and how to settle her, even wondering if she would be very sad if the girl wanted to go back to the sea.

After dinner, Hua Manyi secretly carried a bowl of rice and some dishes upstairs, placed them on the desk, and fed the little mermaid sister bite by bite. Miraculously, she ate with great relish, showing no signs of being unaccustomed to the food.

If she hadn’t seen the girl with a tail fin, Hua Man-yi would have just assumed she was a lost child from a nearby family.

After a few mouthfuls, the little mermaid sister grabbed the spoon and started scooping the rice herself, mimicking the action perfectly. Hua Manyi’s mouth dropped open, then she curved her eyes into a smile, praising her for being clever.

Once they finished eating, Hua Manyi stealthily washed the bowl and returned it to its original place. She went back to the loft to help the little mermaid sister blow-dry her hair, and then took out a set of pajamas from the wardrobe for her to wear.

The two slept in the same bed. During this time, Hua Manyi discovered that the little mermaid sister had a very strong learning ability. She tried to get her to call her “Elder Sister.”

But the other girl stubbornly refused. Just as Hua Manyi was about to be discouraged, the other girl unexpectedly called out her nickname—”Yiyi.”

Hua Manyi’s small face was full of surprise and delight. She was even happier than the mermaid, cupping her face and giving her a kiss. “Little Sister!”

As soon as she said this, the little mermaid instantly stopped calling her “Yiyi.” Hua Manyi thought she had done something wrong and quickly coaxed her, “What’s wrong? Did I make a mistake?”

Hua Manyi was completely perplexed but couldn’t get an answer. Later, after a random guess, she figured it out, “You don’t want me to call you ‘Little Sister,’ do you?”

The little mermaid ignored her and sat on the side by herself.

Hua Manyi tentatively called out, “Elder Sister?”

Sure enough, the little mermaid glanced at her. Hua Manyi called out again, and the little mermaid finally looked at her properly. Hua Manyi was completely charmed by her reaction, hugging her and repeatedly calling out “Elder Sister.”

However, the noise attracted her mother’s attention downstairs. Her mother called up, asking what she was shouting, and Hua Manyi quickly covered her mouth, replying, “I’m reading a text, Mom!”

Silence returned from downstairs. Hua Manyi finally let out a sigh of relief and began earnestly teaching the little mermaid to recognize other objects.

Throughout the night, the little mermaid “Elder Sister” learned a lot. She basically knew how to pronounce all the items in the room.

After a week, Hua Manyi, with her well-behaved nature, won her parents’ trust. She would carry a bowl of food upstairs for her mermaid “Elder Sister” for every meal. During this week, the little mermaid sister’s speech became very close to human language. Perhaps due to her natural love for freedom and play, such a small room still made her unhappy, and she wanted to go outside to play.

Hua Manyi had no choice but to take her out when her parents weren’t paying attention, taking her to play snowball fights and build snowmen.

However, she hadn’t expected to be caught by her mother upon returning home, who discovered the existence of the little mermaid “Elder Sister.”

“What a beautiful little girl!” were her mother’s first words. Only then did she realize something was amiss and asked, “Who is she?”

Hua Manyi pulled the girl behind her, protecting her, and looked bravely into her mother’s eyes. “I picked her up from the sea.”

She didn’t mention that she was a mermaid.

She had read about the endings of mermaids in books, and they were all tragedies. She didn’t like that, and she would not allow such a thing to happen to her little mermaid “Elder Sister.”

Her father rushed over upon hearing the commotion and was equally astonished to see the little mermaid.

The family sat in the living room, Hua Manyi’s parents on one side, and Hua Manyi and the little mermaid “Elder Sister” on the other. Hua Manyi hugged her, even comforting her not to be afraid, that her “Little Sister” was there.

However, the little mermaid’s face showed no sign of fear. She only responded with a soft “Mm” upon hearing those words, and then buried herself in Hua Manyi’s arms.

The parents across from them saw this scene and fell into thought.

The mother nudged her husband and whispered, “How about we adopt this child? After all, weren’t we planning on having a little brother or sister for our daughter anyway?”

But just last month, they went for a check-up and discovered the mother couldn’t conceive again. This matter had been weighing on their hearts, unspoken but a source of pain.

The other children in the village had younger or older siblings, and their daughter was all alone. Now, with an additional little sister, it might not be a bad thing after all.

The father thought for a long time, then nodded. Now, the whole family was happy.

From then on, the little mermaid lived with them as Hua Manyi’s younger sister. Hua Manyi no longer had to sneak her out to play; instead, she openly took her out to play with the village children. However, in private, Hua Manyi still had to call her “Elder Sister,” because if she didn’t, the other girl would give her the cold shoulder.

When they returned in the evening, they would bathe together and sleep together. The mother smiled, seeing how happily the two sisters got along.

As they grew older, they went to school in town together, experiencing a much wider world.

Not long after Hua Manyi reached adulthood, her parents passed away one after the other. Before she died, her mother repeatedly asked Hua Manyi to take good care of her little sister and to live well.

Grief-stricken, Hua Manyi held the little mermaid tightly. The two hugged and suffered for several days, but later, through mutual comfort, they gradually emerged from their sorrow.

Days passed, and when they reached the age for marriage, Hua Manyi saw that her sister, who was more mature and charming than herself, had a constant stream of suitors. She secretly stewed in resentment, but remembering they were sisters, she could only silently offer her blessings.

It wasn’t until one day, when Hua Manyi accidentally saw her mermaid sister coldly ridiculing and mocking one of Hua Manyi’s own suitors, that she suddenly realized that she wasn’t the only one doing this.

Hua Manyi secretly rejoiced and also quietly drove away her sister’s suitors behind her back.

They still lived together and slept in the same bed.

Then one day, that bed became a little messy.

In the countless days that followed, that bed would be a mess every morning.

No one knew their secret.

Because the gift from Santa Claus never disappoints.

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