The Merman I Picked Up Is Too Delicious - Chapter 11

In romance dramas, when the female lead gets food residue stuck at the corner of her mouth while eating, it usually leads to very sweet interactions.

First scenario: The male lead wipes it off with his hand, and they share a tender smile.

Second scenario: The male lead points out the residue and gestures for her to wipe it herself. Usually, she fails to clean it completely on the first try, leading to an adorable back-and-forth.

Third scenario: The male lead lifts her chin and kisses her directly.

The little merman, suddenly having his wrist grabbed, looked utterly bewildered as he stared at Luo Qingyan.

“Oh, um, don’t take off your gloves randomly, we’re not done eating yet! I’ve got sauce on my mouth, right? I’ll wipe it off right away!” Luo Qingyan didn’t dare pause for breath, afraid the merman might interject. As she spoke, she turned to grab a napkin. Luckily, there were napkins in the takeout bag, better to use them now and explain later.

“Actually, it’s pretty common to get a bit of sauce around your mouth when eating Peking duck. You can always wipe it off after finishing.” Luo Qingyan kept talking while wiping her mouth, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. “So, how is it? Is the Peking duck delicious?”

“Delicious!” the merman affirmed with certainty. “The pancake is chewy, the meat isn’t greasy, the skin is crispy while the inside is tender, and it bursts with juices in your mouth. The sauce is sweet but not cloying, and with the scallions and cucumber, it’s incredibly refreshing. One bite, and the rich flavors explode, so satisfying!”

“I knew you’d like it. After all, it’s not just me, Peking duck is beloved by many. It’s a well-known delicacy.” Luo Qingyan lifted her chin slightly, wearing a confident expression.

Suddenly, she recalled how the merman had noticed the sauce on her mouth and seemed about to wipe it off for her. Wasn’t that exactly what she had hoped for? The more contact they had, the more likely he’d fall for her!

Could it be?

Stop overthinking!

“Let’s keep eating! Wrap another one!” She quickly used conversation to reel in her wandering thoughts. “Hey, what did you do with the iPad today?”

“Exploring,” the merman replied, putting his gloves back on as he wrapped another pancake. “I checked what the browser could show and what apps could offer.”

“So, you didn’t even watch a single movie?” Luo Qingyan had just picked up a pancake but paused, holding it in her hand. “Didn’t I tell you that a movie tells a story and usually takes about two hours to finish?”

“Yeah, I remember. But there’s no rush. I wanted to understand those things first before diving into the movies, TV shows, and documentaries you mentioned. I did click on a few videos and watched for a bit to get a sense of what each type is like. It’s fascinating, I’ll need more time to explore step by step. You did say to take it slow, after all.”

“Mm, right, take it slow. You’re really impressive, facing such an overwhelming amount of information without panicking and actually managing to pace yourself. You really are an extraordinary merman. Hey! Do you know about The Little Mermaid and Poseidon?”

“Yes. The Little Mermaid is the protagonist of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and Poseidon is the sea god in Greek mythology.”

“Uh, no comments? Are they famous among merfolk? Is there really a sea god in the ocean?”

“Do you believe in gods?”

“Um… well, didn’t you say that if we bring modern things back to ancient times, the ancients wouldn’t understand and would consider them miracles? Maybe… Ah! Never mind, let’s not talk about that. Hey, you know ‘The Little Mermaid,’ right? So, can a mermaid’s tail turn into legs?”

“The Little Mermaid traded her voice for legs.”

“So, it is possible to turn into legs, but at a cost?”

“In the original story, the Little Mermaid went ashore because she wanted to gain a soul.”

“What? You don’t want to go ashore, so you don’t want a pair of long legs?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

The little merman fell silent under her questioning.

“Can’t you say?” Luo Qingyan finished wrapping a piece of roasted duck and brought it to her mouth. “Never mind, never mind, let’s eat first. We can talk after we’re full.”

The little merman had also finished wrapping his roasted duck, so he stuffed it into his mouth and started eating.

Luo Qingyan finished her roasted duck bite by bite, but her curiosity hadn’t faded. As she picked up a new pancake wrapper, she spoke again: “You mentioned the original story earlier, so you must know there’s a movie version of The Little Mermaid, right? Have you seen it? How would you watch it underwater? If you haven’t seen it, how do you know about it? Newspapers? Magazines? Or educational books?”

“We have many ways of knowing,” the little merman said, habitually revealing only half the story. “But humans are truly interesting, a group of people performing life for another group, like playing house as children, but an upgraded version as adults. So adorable.”

“Adorable?” Luo Qingyan imagined it as the little merman described and laughed. “It is quite adorable. But none are as adorable as you. After all, only an adorable person could come up with such an adorable analogy.”

The little merman lowered his head, quickly wrapped another piece of roasted duck, and pretended to focus on eating.

“Hahaha, you really are adorable,” Luo Qingyan said, burying her head in wrapping roasted duck and saying nothing more.

After dinner, Luo Qingyan first prepared dog food for Chestnut, then took a shower. She had been running around outside earlier and had also unpacked packages after returning home, so she wanted to wash up and feel refreshed as soon as possible.

Lately, she had been showering on the second floor. After her shower, she returned to the first floor.

Chestnut had already finished eating and began jumping around excitedly when he saw Luo Qingyan.

“Oh right, I didn’t take you out for a walk yesterday. We have to go out today.” Luo Qingyan bent down to pat the bouncing Chestnut, then sat on the sofa and patted the seat, calling to him. “Let’s video call Grandma and Auntie first, then we’ll go out.”

Chestnut quickly jumped onto the sofa, slowly turned in a couple of circles, and settled into the most comfortable position. Just as he sat down, Grandma and Auntie answered the video call.

“Grandma, Auntie, have you eaten yet?” Luo Qingyan leaned toward Chestnut, making sure he was in the frame too.

“We just finished. We’ll head out to watch the performance in half an hour!” Auntie placed her phone on the table and slowly adjusted the camera. Behind her, Grandma was eating a banana.

“Is it that live stage play? I’ve heard it’s quite famous and worth watching. Chestnut and I are going out for a walk soon too.” Luo Qingyan patted Chestnut’s head.

“Chestnut misses you both, but it’s okay, you’ll see each other after your trip! Don’t worry, just enjoy yourselves. I’ve got everything under control at home.”

Grandma: “Chestnut, be a good girl and listen. I’ll bring back some tasty treats for everyone, Qingyan, Xingyou, Anyang…”

Aunt: “Oh my! Grandma is always thinking of the family, wanting to buy everything for you. Today, she tried some delicious noodles here and wished she could immediately send some back to you.”

Luo Qingyan: “Grandma, just enjoy your trip and don’t worry about buying snacks for us. Online shopping is so convenient now.”

Grandma: “It’s not the same. Online shopping and store-bought items are different. Some things online are just scams for out-of-towners, you can’t even compare them in person.”

Luo Qingyan: “Alright, alright. Just buy a little then. We have plenty of food, drinks, and entertainment at home. You’re on vacation, not on a shopping spree.”

Grandma: “Hah, don’t you, young people like doing shopping hauls? I’m kind of doing the same.”

Grandma: “Got it. Then I’ll buy something for Chestnut. Dog things are small; they won’t be in the way.”

“Chestnut, look how much Grandma loves you!” Luo Qingyan said, trying to pick up Chestnut, but the little dog wriggled a few times, jumped off the sofa, and ran away.

Aunt: “Is Chestnut eager to go out and play? That’s just how she is, the moment she hears the word ‘go,’ she can’t sit still and can’t wait to dash out.”

Grandma: “It’s natural for dogs to love going out. Don’t kids love to play too? Dogs need to explore the world, and their time for that is so limited, how could they not get excited?”

Aunt: “Mhm, exactly. That’s why Chestnut is such a happy pup!”

Luo Qingyan: “We’ll take her out soon! Yesterday afternoon, she went out with Xingyou, and when we got back in the evening, there was a power outage, so I let her play in the yard for a while…”

“Wait, did I just hear Chestnut barking?” Grandma suddenly interrupted Luo Qingyan, straining to look at the screen as if trying to see what was happening at home.

Aunt tilted her head closer to the phone: “She really is barking, and she sounds so happy. Is she playing with someone? Did Xingyou come over?”

Luo Qingyan’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly lowered the phone and glanced toward the bathroom. Chestnut was probably playing with the little merman, but she couldn’t intervene. Forcing calm, she looked back at the screen: “She’s not playing with anyone, she just wants to go out and is playing with her leash!”

Grandma: “Then hurry up and take her out! Chestnut is just impatient.”

Luo Qingyan: “Grandma, you really spoil Chestnut. Alright, alright, let’s end the call here. I’ll take her out now!”

“Go ahead, and come back soon.” Grandma and Aunt waved at the screen together.

Luo Qingyan waved back: “Okay, bye-bye!”

Chestnut was indeed playing with the little merman, even bringing her Candy Festival toy to the bathroom for him to join in.

“You two really get along well. How did she suddenly decide to come play with you?” Luo Qingyan crossed her arms and leaned against the bathroom doorframe. “Chestnut has really found a playmate, and it’s perfect since you’re always at home.”

“She’s very happy,” the little merman said, resting his arms on the edge of the bathtub, one hand holding one end of the Candy Festival toy while Chestnut tugged at the other.

A thought suddenly crossed Luo Qingyan’s mind, and her expression turned serious. She walked over to the little merman: “Grandma and Aunt will be back next weekend. By then, you definitely can’t stay here anymore.”

“Then should I go wait in the pond outside?” The little merman looked up at Luo Qingyan while continuing to play tug-of-war with Chestnut over the toy.

“No, that’s a small pond. You can’t stay there for long, you’d be discovered.” Luo Qingyan couldn’t help but furrow her brow in thought.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she stared at the little merman.