The Merman I Picked Up Is Too Delicious - Chapter 41

Luo Qingyan never dreamed that one day, after just a single breakfast, she would end up with a boyfriend. And now, she was even going shopping with him.

The moment they stepped out of the house, a cat’s meow echoed nearby.

“Be careful!” The little merman swiftly pulled Luo Qingyan behind him.

“It’s not just that,” the little merman turned around, his expression serious. “You have to believe me, cats are sinister creatures. Humans must not be fooled by their appearance. The less contact, the better.”

“The sinister creature is coming closer,” Luo Qingyan said with a laugh. “Should we run?”

“Ignoring it will do.”

“Hey, wait! That cat has a big belly, it looks like she’s pregnant.” Luo Qingyan pushed the little merman aside and stepped forward.

“Don’t go near it. Even if it’s pregnant, it’s still a cat.” The little merman tried to stop her.

“You do know that humans keep cats as pets, right? There are tons of pet cats nowadays, and this one seems really friendly. It’s fine. If you’re scared, stand behind me.” Luo Qingyan approached the cat and even crouched down.

The little merman didn’t try to stop her again but stayed close behind her.

“It’s probably a stray, but why is it here? Did it accidentally take the elevator up?” Luo Qingyan carefully observed the tabby cat in front of her, then turned to look at the little merman. “How about we take it back downstairs?”

“It has legs of its own!” The little merman widened his eyes, his face full of resistance. “Ah! It’s leaving!”

Luo Qingyan turned back and saw the tabby cat dart into the stairwell. She stood up and hurried into the staircase, only to find that the cat had completely disappeared. “Forget it. It probably knows how to get down on its own. If we chase it, we might just scare it into running around. Let’s go! we’ll take the elevator.”

“Okay.” The little merman’s face immediately brightened with a smile.

This time, the little merman’s outing was vastly different from the last. Having trained at the land little merman institution really made a difference, now he was quite familiar with human society. When they reached the supermarket, he even proactively grabbed a shopping cart.

“You were only there for a few days, how do you feel so transformed?” Luo Qingyan linked arms with the little merman and spoke softly. “Was it non-stop training, twenty-four hours a day?”

“There’s a special training method,” the little merman tilted his head closer to Luo Qingyan. “And my situation is different, so I received even more specialized treatment.”

“Special… You mentioned the Saint Envoy, is that something particularly special? Like, not everyone is qualified to undergo the trial?”

“Right. You need to have the Saint’s Veil to have a chance of becoming a Saint Envoy. The Saint’s Veil is somewhat similar to human lineage, but not exactly the same, it appears randomly.”

“That sounds a bit like the saintesses in xianxia novels! And the name ‘Saint’s Veil’ is so xianxia-like too!” Luo Qingyan found it fascinating. “So, what are the odds of having the Saint’s Veil? Are there many Saint Envoys? The ocean is so vast, surely you need a lot of them, right?”

“The odds are very small. Becoming a Saint Envoy isn’t easy, so the numbers aren’t high. Although the ocean is vast, it’s also peaceful. The areas we live in are very safe. Besides, everyone has some abilities, so dealing with troubles in the ocean isn’t difficult.”

“Do you live at the bottom of the sea? The seabed! Hey! Aren’t these secrets? Is it really okay for you to tell me all this?”

“I believe you won’t speak carelessly, and besides, no one would believe these things even if you did.” The little merman had learned much at the terrestrial merman institution. “Oh, and if you do talk and it actually causes some impact, well, the people from that institution will come to deal with you.”

“Deal with me? How do they plan to deal with me?” Luo Qingyan held the little merman tightly with one arm while patting his chest with the other.

Luo Qingyan turned toward the source of the voice, surprise flashing in her eyes: “Auntie!”

“Oh my, who is this?” The auntie’s gaze lingered on the little merman, unable to look away.

Luo Qingyan was intimately holding the little merman’s arm, and her earlier patting motion would undoubtedly appear like coquettish behavior to others, there was no need to protest too much. She smiled slightly and introduced them: “This is my boyfriend, and this is my auntie.”

“Hello,” the little merman greeted politely.

“Good, good, good.” The auntie’s face was practically overflowing with smiles. “Such a handsome boyfriend! When did you start dating? Oh, but he seems a bit young? How old is he? He looks… is he from Xinjiang? Or does he have foreign ancestry?”

“Auntie.” Luo Qingyan gently pulled her aunt aside. “He’s quite shy, don’t scare him. We’ve just started dating, I don’t want him to think our family is too nosy with all these questions.”

“Oh, I understand, I understand!” The auntie reined in her smile. “Ahem! Such a fine young man, very polite. Well, you two take your time shopping, I won’t disturb you youngsters anymore. I’ve bought enough groceries anyway.”

“Okay, goodbye Auntie.” Luo Qingyan quickly bid farewell.

The little merman also politely said goodbye.

…

After the aunt left, Luo Qingyan immediately changed her expression: “Let’s hurry and buy groceries, then get home quickly. I need to call my grandma and go over to her place this afternoon.”

“What’s wrong?” The little merman looked at the anxious Luo Qingyan with concern.

“That aunt of mine is a huge gossip! Within a week, all our relatives will know I have a boyfriend! I need to tell Grandma and the others first. I… also really need to move to Hefeng Pavilion immediately. I don’t want to, although there probably won’t be too much trouble, right now I don’t want to face any problems at all.”

“Alright, don’t do anything you don’t want to do. Just do what you want.”

“You seem quite happy about this. Are you glad I can come live with you at Hefeng Pavilion?”

“Yeah.”

“You… well, yes, you should openly express what’s in your heart.” Luo Qingyan linked arms with the little merman. “Let’s go, supermarket time!”

By the time they finished shopping and returned home, it was already 10:30. The little merman began preparing lunch while Luo Qingyan called her grandmother.

“Grandma, you know how I went to my high school classmate’s wedding yesterday? Well, I ran into that person I told you about, the one I’ve been pursuing. Then some things happened, and I finally won him over. Later he offered to take me home, and since he also lives at Hefeng Pavilion, that’s why I told you I’m staying here.” Luo Qingyan got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

“When you said you were going back to Hefeng Pavilion yesterday, I was wondering if you’d met that person you like! Well, winning over someone you like is a happy thing!” Grandma’s voice was cheerful and warm.

“His name is Yun Jian, and he’s quite shy. I’ll bring him home to meet you once our relationship is more stable.” Earlier at the supermarket, Luo Qingyan hadn’t introduced the little merman’s name to her aunt because she knew his real name and was afraid it shouldn’t be casually disclosed. Later, she asked for the name on his ID card, Yun Jian, which sounded much more ordinary and wouldn’t draw attention.

Grandma: “I understand. Who meets the family right after getting together? It’s the same for both men and women. You, young people should focus on dating seriously and getting to know each other well.”

Luo Qingyan: “I know you get it, Grandma, but… sigh… earlier when Yun Jian and I were at the supermarket, we ran into Aunt… Even though we’ve just started dating, we are a couple. I didn’t want to hide it, so… sigh…”

Grandma chuckled softly: “I see. She can’t keep anything to herself, everyone knows that. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it and make sure she doesn’t go around spreading rumors.”

Luo Qingyan: “Thank you, Grandma. Also, I really can’t stand all the gossip and noise. It gives me a headache, so, I’m thinking of moving to Hefeng Pavilion.”

Grandma: “Alright, you mentioned wanting to move a while ago. Now’s a good time. Young people should go out and fall in love.”

Grandma: “I’m genuinely happy for you. I hope you find someone you truly love and grow old together.”

“Mm, I know. Let’s talk more when I come back this afternoon.” Luo Qingyan felt her nose tingling, afraid she might cry, and quickly ended the call.

During lunch, the little merman noticed Luo Qingyan seemed down. Now understanding how to care for others, he asked, “Is what happened this morning bothering you?”

What Luo Qingyan appreciated most was that she didn’t have to pretend around him: “A little. Mostly, I’m worried about what might come next. I’ve become so, increasingly sentimental lately.”

“You don’t need to worry about my identity at all, it’s completely normal. As for everything else, just relax. What’s done is done, so at least try to keep your spirits up. Things will work out eventually; it’s no big deal.”

“Mm, I know that in theory, but it’s hard to put into practice.”

“Just think, if it really gets too much, you can always come back to the sea with me. You wouldn’t have to deal with anything on land anymore!”

“But I’m human, I can’t live in the sea.”

“You can.”

“I can?”

“Mm, if I give you my pearl, you’ll be able to stay in the sea.”

“Really? That’s amazing! Then you better hide that pearl well. Such a powerful treasure would attract a lot of people.”

“If others want it, no. But if you want it, I’ll give it to you.”

Luo Qingyan was overjoyed, her mood lifting considerably: “Alright, I’ll hold you to that.”

After lunch, Luo Qingyan returned alone to her grandma’s house.

That afternoon, the grandmother and granddaughter didn’t do much, just chatted at home and took Chestnut out for a walk.

Before dinner, Luo Qingyan received a call notifying her that a package had arrived at Hefeng Pavilion. Since it was important, she decided to go check on it after dinner and also see how the little merman was doing. She planned to stay at her grandma’s place for the night.

Running back and forth was a hassle, but Grandma didn’t say much, only reminding Luo Qingyan to go and return quickly and be careful on the road.

That evening, Luo Qingyan arrived at Hefeng Pavilion. As she stepped out of the elevator, she unexpectedly encountered the same pregnant tabby cat she had seen that morning. This time, however, the young couple who lived next door were also present.

The female neighbor explained to Luo Qingyan that the tabby was indeed a stray. It had been unapproachable before, making it impossible to catch and take for spaying. It had only started warming up to people after becoming pregnant.

Now the tabby was close to giving birth, likely during the National Day holiday, so the neighbor was helping to look after it. However, since the neighbor already had a cat of her own, the tabby refused to enter her home but preferred staying right outside her door. Not having seen much of the other neighbors, she had simply set up a makeshift shelter for the cat in the hallway.

The tabby usually only meowed when people were around and remained quiet otherwise. The neighbor had already informed the property management and assured Luo Qingyan that she would keep the area clean.

Luo Qingyan didn’t mind and, after chatting a bit more with the neighbor, went inside.

“You heard my conversation with the neighbor outside, right?” Luo Qingyan said as she changed her shoes, speaking to the little merman standing in the entryway.

“I heard,” the little merman nodded, then frowned. “So that means a dangerous creature will be staying outside for a few days.”

“Exactly! There’s a dangerous creature out there, so don’t go outside recently!” Luo Qingyan laughed, then headed toward her bedroom, holding a package.

“Did you buy something?” the little merman asked, following her.

“Yes, but it’s not for you. It’s my personal stuff,” Luo Qingyan said, clutching the package tightly. “Oh, I just came by to check on you. I’ll be heading back to my grandmother’s place soon, so you’ll be alone here today.”

“Okay, I’ll be fine.”

“I plan to move in tomorrow or the day after. Remember, you can’t just enter my bedroom as you please!”

“Mm, I understand. Humans value their privacy.”

“Then could you pour me a glass of water? I need to organize a few things.”

“Sure.”

Once inside her bedroom, Luo Qingyan closed the door. She felt like sighing but held back, only tightening her grip on the package in her hands.