The Merman I Picked Up Is Too Delicious - Chapter 17.3

Early in the morning, even before opening her eyes, Luo Qingyan could feel the brilliance of the day’s sunlight.

The curtains in her room were made of ordinary light-filtering fabric, so even when closed, the room still sensed the rise and fall of the sun.

Due to her work schedule, Luo Qingyan used to stay up late and had limited sleep, so to fall asleep quickly and achieve deep rest, she needed complete silence around her, including “quiet” lighting. Without blackout curtains, she felt unsettled, which was why she had been sleeping with an eye mask during her stay at her grandmother’s house.

She wasn’t a still sleeper, and by morning, the eye mask had shifted slightly, allowing slivers of light to seep through and brush against her eyelids.

Last night’s sleep had been good, she woke naturally, feeling thoroughly refreshed.

The fine weather today lifted her spirits.

She got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Luo Qingyan hadn’t seen the little merman last night. Though the courtyard full of bubbles had both surprised and delighted her, she felt it was enough to quietly accept it all.

After making breakfast, she first brought a portion to the little merman, planning for them to eat separately again today.

The little merman was already awake. The moment she pushed open the bathroom door, his gaze was fixed on her. Given his keen hearing, he had likely been aware of her approach even before she reached the door.

She didn’t speak, intending to set down the breakfast and leave.

“Are you feeling better now?” This time, the little merman was prepared and spoke before Luo Qingyan could put down the tray.

She had anticipated he might speak to her, so she wasn’t surprised. As she set down the breakfast, she replied, “I’m alright.”

“I overlooked human nature. It was my mistake. I… I’m sorry, I apologize. Please forgive me.” The little merman spoke quickly, as if afraid she would leave. “I, you, if there’s anything you want to know, I’ll try my best to explain. Or I can phrase it differently, give you a general idea to put your mind at ease.”

“I want to know what you’re afraid of.” Luo Qingyan decided to be direct. Whether he was willing to answer or not, she would ask what she most wanted to know. “This is important to you, isn’t it? Can you tell me?”

The little merman’s expression tightened, his brow furrowing slightly. After a few seconds of thought, he answered, “It’s not exactly fear. I’m avoiding a certain force. Due to an accident, this force has mixed with some other elements I dislike, so… I’m somewhat uneasy. But don’t worry, it won’t threaten you or anyone around you.”

“Oh.” Luo Qingyan nodded calmly. “Is this force related to humans?”

A flicker of surprise crossed the little merman’s eyes, vanishing almost instantly. He maintained his composure, appearing thoughtful.

Luo Qingyan caught that fleeting surprise. She raised an eyebrow slightly. “Otherwise, why don’t you trust me? I am human, after all!”

“I, well… since we’re in human territory, it could be considered related to humans.” The little merman’s gaze drifted. “Humans really are complicated.”

“Did I detect a hint of praise in that? Not exactly praise, more like, you’re saying humans are both troublesome and impressive.”

“Humans are indeed like that.”

“Then I’ll take it as a compliment to me.”

“Yes, I’m complimenting you.” Sensing the atmosphere gradually easing, the little merman didn’t argue and went along with her. “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

Luo Qingyan had countless questions about the little merman, but at that moment, they seemed to vanish into thin air. She couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to ask. “Not for now. If I have more questions in the future, will you still be willing to answer? It won’t be a case of ‘miss the chance and it’s gone,’ will it?”

“Sure.” The little merman blinked, his spirits lifting slightly.

“Alright, then that’s settled for now.” Luo Qingyan turned around. “Go ahead and have your breakfast!”

The little merman opened his mouth but paused, his gaze faltering slightly. “Okay.”

They ended up having breakfast separately once again.

…

After breakfast, Luo Qingyan finished washing the dishes and decided to take a short break. She had only been sitting on the sofa for a few minutes when a knock sounded from outside the small courtyard.

Her first instinct was to worry about the little merman, and she immediately rushed toward the bathroom. No one else could see him, at the very least, she had to close the bathroom door.

Who could be visiting at this hour?

Her cousin or uncle? But it was past nine o’clock, they should already be at work. Maybe something came up? No, that didn’t make sense, they had keys, and they usually contacted her before coming over.

A delivery? None of the items she ordered were supposed to arrive today, and couriers typically called ahead. Actually, a delivery wouldn’t be so bad, they wouldn’t come inside, so there’d be no risk of the little merman being discovered.

Whoever it was, she couldn’t let them enter the house.

Maybe she should just ignore the door and pretend she wasn’t awake yet?

But what if it was something urgent?

As Luo Qingyan fretted, a voice called from outside.

“Qingyan, it’s me, Auntie Zhang!”

Luo Qingyan, who had just closed the bathroom door, breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t hurry to the courtyard right away, instead explaining to the little merman through the door, “I didn’t know who was knocking earlier, it gave me a scare. It’s just a neighbor; she won’t come inside. Don’t worry.”

After saying that, she turned and headed out, even breaking into a light jog, it wouldn’t be good to take too long opening the door.

“Auntie Zhang, hello!” Luo Qingyan put on a relaxed expression as soon as she opened the door. “I was just tidying up the dishes and didn’t really notice the noise outside.”

“Oh, hey! You’re up quite early, so many young people sleep till noon on their days off!” Auntie Zhang smiled warmly, her voice booming. “Well, us old folks don’t need much sleep. I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“Not at all.” Though Luo Qingyan said it was fine, she remained uneasy inside. Surely, she wasn’t here to ask about the lamp, was she? “Was there something you needed?”

“Oh, I… I was tidying up the yard and broke my pruning shears. I came to borrow a pair.”

“Pruning shears? Just a moment, I’ll get them for you.” Luo Qingyan turned to head back into the courtyard, but to her surprise, Auntie Zhang followed her in. She quickly gestured for her to take a seat in the courtyard. “Auntie Zhang, please have a seat. I’ll go get them.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll sit for a bit.” Auntie Zhang’s feet moved toward the chair, but her eyes followed Luo Qingyan intently as she hurried into the house.

Luo Qingyan could feel the gaze on her back, but she didn’t want to dwell on it, the priority was to fetch the pruning shears quickly. Fortunately, they were stored in the utility cabinet in the living room. She grabbed them and immediately returned to the courtyard.

“Auntie Zhang, here are the pruning shears.” Luo Qingyan handed them over before she had even fully stopped walking. She had gripped the shears by the blade end, leaving the handles free for easy handing over.

“Thank you.” Auntie Zhang stood up and took the shears but showed no sign of leaving.

Seeing Auntie Zhang standing there with the shears in hand, Luo Qingyan understood there was something else. She tilted her head slightly with a polite smile. “Was there anything else?”

Aunt Zhang’s gaze swept past Luo Qingyan, peering into the house several times. She pressed her lips together, hesitating with a smile that seemed ready to speak but was clouded by uncertainty.

Peering into the house was never a good sign. Luo Qingyan’s internal alarms blared, and she quickly tried to steer the conversation toward ending the visit. “Aunt Zhang, do you need anything else? I, um, have something to do later, so…”

“Oh… no, I…” Aunt Zhang’s smile was loose and fragile, as if it might slip off her face at any moment. “Well, Qingyan, when… when is your grandmother coming back?”

“She’ll be back this weekend.”

“Oh, that’s good. With family around, you won’t feel lonely.”

“Huh?” Luo Qingyan sensed something odd in Aunt Zhang’s words, an uneasy foreboding.

“Well…” Aunt Zhang took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “Is there anyone else in your house? Like, do friends come over at night?”

“Friends…” Luo Qingyan grew wary, choosing her words carefully. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just…” Aunt Zhang looked uncomfortable, tightening her grip on the pruning shears. “Oh, alright, I’ll be direct. Someone said they saw several men coming to your place. It’s fine for young people to have fun, but, you have to be careful! What you’re doing… it’s not good. I know you’re not that kind of person. And when your grandmother returns, she wouldn’t be able to handle something like that.”

“What… what men?” Luo Qingyan felt a mix of relief and renewed tension. It definitely wasn’t about the little merman, but several men? Where would they have come from?

“Qingyan, I’m not here to gossip. I’m quite open-minded, it’s just, oh, fine! Let me be straightforward. Last night, someone passed by your house and saw several men inside. Not everyone is as open-minded, especially the more traditional folks, so… there’s been a lot of talk. But some of what they’re saying might have a point.”

Suddenly, Luo Qingyan understood, it was a misunderstanding caused by the talking bubbles that had filled the yard last night. She quickly scrambled for an explanation. “It must be a misunderstanding! I was home alone last night. Oh, I was listening to a radio drama in the yard, like an audio play. It was late and quiet, maybe I shouldn’t have been listening outside.”

“It wasn’t the sound; someone saw them.” Aunt Zhang looked even more troubled. “The problem is, more than one person saw it, so, oh, this is really hard to explain.”

Luo Qingyan found it even harder to explain, feeling tongue-tied. But she knew she had to try. Her mind raced, and suddenly, she noticed the tall walls surrounding the small yard. She pointed at them. “Aunt Zhang, look how high these walls are. How could anyone passing by see inside the yard? Maybe they heard the radio drama and just assumed things?”

“Perhaps others, saw those men when they were leaving the yard?”

Hearing this, Luo Qingyan’s heart sank. Sure enough, people believe what they want to believe, even filling in the gaps to make illogical things seem reasonable.

Forget it. No amount of explanation would clear this up, and trying too hard might only make things worse.

“Aunt Zhang, I know you mean well for us younger folks.” Luo Qingyan forced a smile. “I’m not sure how this misunderstanding started, but I understand what you’re saying. You’re right, better to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing. Thank you for the reminder. I have some things to attend to later, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright then, I won’t see you out. Just leave the pruning shears by the door when you’re done.”

“Of course, of course. Please, carry on with your work!”

The moment the courtyard gate closed, Luo Qingyan’s smile vanished instantly.

What utters nonsense!

While it’s common for rumors to spread through hearsay and exaggeration, how could they become this outrageous? At most, there might have been some male voices heard from the courtyard, but to twist it into her being with several men.

How much embellishment must have been added? Who knows how many times the story had been distorted, it’s utterly absurd!

What’s more troublesome is that this matter definitely isn’t over yet.

Her reputation could be set aside for now, since it would be difficult to clarify things immediately, and any explanation might be seen as making excuses, only making things worse. The top priority was to protect the little merman. This kind of gossip would surely drag her into the center of attention, meaning her grandmother’s house would no longer be safe for the little merman. She needed to move him away from this troublesome place as soon as possible.

Once decided, she would act immediately, the sooner, the better. Luo Qingyan quickly accelerated her plans.

She had always been decisive and efficient. Having busied herself all day, the preparations were basically complete. Tomorrow morning, she would pick up the rented car, and by tomorrow evening, she should be able to transport the little merman away.

…

Early to bed, early to rise.

The next morning, Luo Qingyan went to the car rental agency.

The rental agency offered delivery services, but Luo Qingyan wanted to inspect the car in person. If it wasn’t suitable, she could exchange it right there at the agency.

Unexpectedly, things didn’t go smoothly. The car she originally intended to rent was suitable, but it had some issues, so she had to switch to another one. Back and forth, she ended up spending quite some time at the rental agency.

To make matters worse, misfortune never comes alone. Her phone inexplicably had no signal, and even restarting it didn’t help. She could only wait until after renting the car to get it fixed.

By the time she left the rental agency, the entire morning was gone. Luo Qingyan decided to head home first, check on the little merman’s safety, have lunch, and then deal with her phone in the afternoon.

While driving home, her phone suddenly rang, it was a scam call, but at least it meant her phone had signal again. This should have been a good thing, but then she received several WeChat messages. Since she was only about ten minutes away from home, she decided to check them after arriving.

Unexpectedly, when she parked at home and checked her phone, she was instantly horrified.

Her cousin, unable to reach her and worried something had happened, had come to their grandmother’s house to look for her.

At that very moment, her cousin was likely just on the other side of the door.