When the little mermaid saw her beloved lollipop being taken away, she immediately panicked. She rushed toward Ye Jiujiu, waving her tiny hands and crying out anxiously, "Tsk! Tsk!"
"You can't eat anymore," Ye Jiujiu said, moving quickly to pick her up. "Or you'll become the only mermaid in the entire ocean with cavities."
Just as she was about to reason with her, Ye Jiujiu heard a soft gurgle. She froze for a moment, then gently patted the little mermaid's flat belly. "You're hungry? Is that why you kept eating lollipops?"
The little mermaid nodded obediently.
"I'll make you something to eat." Ye Jiujiu had no experience taking care of children. When she was hungry, she always just cooked for herself, and it had completely slipped her mind that the little mermaid was still a baby.
She led the little mermaid into the kitchen and settled her onto a small stool beside the refrigerator. "Sit here and don't move. I'll be right back."
Opening the fridge, Ye Jiujiu took out some pork wontons she had wrapped earlier, planning to make seaweed and shrimp wontons for the little mermaid. She boiled a pot of water, chopped some fresh kelp, and added a handful of dried shrimp to bring out the fragrance. When the water came to a rolling boil, she dropped in the wontons. Once they floated to the surface, she scooped them out and placed them into two bowls, finally sprinkling a few chopped green onions on top.
The two of them sat down in the dining area, each with a steaming bowl of seaweed and shrimp wontons in front of them. Ye Jiujiu placed a smooth porcelain spoon into the little mermaid's hand. "Do you know how to use this?"
The little mermaid clearly didn't. She stared blankly at the spoon, then at Ye Jiujiu.
"I'll teach you." Ye Jiujiu held her hand, patiently guiding her to scoop up a wonton. She lifted it gently, blew on it to cool it down, and then carefully brought it to the little mermaid's mouth.
The little mermaid took a big bite. It was stuffed full of meat, soaked with broth, and the moment she bit down, the juice burst out hot and fragrant.
Eating wontons for the first time, the little mermaid froze. "It… it squirts water!"
"That's because the wontons are soaked in broth," Ye Jiujiu explained, smiling as she picked one up for herself. The meat filling was a perfect balance of lean and fat—tender and juicy without being greasy. Paired with the fresh seaweed, it was smooth, refreshing, and especially satisfying.
"It's delicious." Ye Jiujiu felt pure happiness eat a steaming bowl of wontons in the morning. Warmth spread through her stomach, soothing and comfortable. "Is it good?"
The little mermaid nodded vigorously. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with delight.
"Then eat more." Ye Jiujiu lowered her head and continued eating, occasionally glancing at her phone to skim through the morning news.
Without help, the little mermaid struggled with the spoon. She finally abandoned it and reached out with her tiny hands to grab a wonton. The next second—
"Ouch~~"
Her hand recoiled from the heat. Her lower lip trembled, but when she realized Ye Jiujiu hadn't noticed, she shook her hand, then picked up the spoon again. Clumsily, she scooped a wonton and ate it little by little.
Ye Jiujiu had noticed, but didn't know how to comfort a crying child. Fortunately, the little mermaid was surprisingly sensible.
After finishing the wontons, she gradually grew sleepy. Her small head bobbed forward again and again, almost knocking into the table.
Ye Jiujiu quickly picked her up and carried her back to the room. She tucked her in gently. "Rest for a while. When you wake up, we'll figure out how to get you home."
Since it was still early, Ye Jiujiu returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes. She spread out the seaweed the little mermaid had bundled to dry, planning to store it for stewing old duck soup. She tidied the front dining area and backyard, pulled weeds from the scallions and cilantro, and watered them.
Finally, Ye Jiujiu dragged a reclining chair beneath the pear tree. Humming a little tune, she fanned herself lazily. Just then, a small group carrying filming equipment entered the alley. They filmed around the restaurant, then asked a nearby noodle shop owner, "Is that private kitchen restaurant closed today?"
"I don't know," he replied. "If you want to eat, come here. We have noodles, seafood, and shrimp wontons. They taste good."
The bloggers weren't interested and left. Others arrived later but also left after learning the restaurant was closed. The noodle shop owner gossiping with neighbors muttered, "It's already noon… do you think they've gone bankrupt?"
Ye Jiujiu had no idea she was being slandered. She was too busy calculating her restaurant's profits: in just five or six days, she had already made tens of thousands of yuan. At this rate, all debts could be paid off within another half month.
She even sketched a simple renovation plan for the second floor and backyard, imagining private rooms for customers. By lunchtime, she returned to check on the little mermaid, who was still fast asleep, hugging her pillow. Her chubby belly rose and fell with every breath, irresistibly cute.
"She's sleeping so soundly…" Ye Jiujiu sighed softly.
Tiptoeing out, she went to prepare lunch: stir-fried pork with chili peppers, crispy chicken, fish-fragrant eggplant, and cold seaweed salad.
Just as she finished stir-frying the pork, a small figure dashed over and hugged her leg. It was the little mermaid, freshly awake with messy hair. "Xiangxiang…" she said in a soft, childish voice.
Her stomach immediately rumbled. She patted it shyly. "Gurgling… hungry."
The little mermaid hesitated to touch the crispy chicken pieces. Seeing her pull back repeatedly, Ye Jiujiu chuckled. "It's not hot. I've already let it cool."
Carefully, the little mermaid touched it, discovered it was safe, and happily crunched a nugget. "Delicious!"
Ye Jiujiu corrected her pronunciation, "It's eat, not second." The little mermaid obediently mumbled, "Eat," cheeks puffed with each bite.
"You can't even speak clearly," Ye Jiujiu teased. "Don't you even know your own name or where you live?"
"I can tell you a little…" the little mermaid said after swallowing. "In the water."
Ye Jiujiu tried again. "Which sea? Which area? Island? Street?"
The little mermaid looked bewildered. She was barely three years old; of course she didn't know.
"Do you know how to contact your family?"
"Phuket Island," she said softly.
"Do you remember how you came here?"
"That… that…" She held chicken nuggets in both hands and gestured wildly.
"Were you sucked in?" Ye Jiujiu guessed.
The little mermaid mumbled through a bite. "Yes… ya."
"Do you know how to go back?"
"Phuket Island." Then she buried her head in her food, crunching through the plate in no time. "I want more."
"No, that's all." Ye Jiujiu pointed to the fish-fragrant eggplant. "Try this with a spoon—it's delicious too."
Later, Ye Jiujiu fanned herself. "Aren't you hot?"
"It's hot," the little mermaid replied sweetly.
"Do you want to soak your legs?" Ye Jiujiu noticed they were a bit dry.
The little mermaid nodded eagerly. Ye Jiujiu carried her to a large basin filled with clean water. The moment her legs touched it, they transformed into a delicate pink fish tail, shimmering with iridescent scales.
It's beautiful… too bad it can't be eaten, Ye Jiujiu thought, laughing inwardly.
Watching the little mermaid play, Ye Jiujiu worried about all the preservatives from the snacks. If anyone actually ate that tail, they'd probably gain immortality.
Later, the little mermaid nodded clearly when asked if she was ready to go home.
"You were surprisingly clear-headed," Ye Jiujiu chuckled. "But that's all for now."
"Tomorrow…" The little mermaid's shoulders slumped.
"There's no tomorrow. I'll take you home later," Ye Jiujiu said gently.
The little mermaid tilted her head. "Go home?"
"Yes. This is your last meal—eat up." Ye Jiujiu added fried eggs into her bowl.
"Bring some candy," the little mermaid said, still bright-eyed.
Ye Jiujiu hung a cloth bag around her neck, filled with candy, ice cream, snacks, cucumbers, and peaches. "Take good care of it—don't let it get washed away."
The little mermaid hugged the bag and made two soft "hmm" sounds.
"Goodbye, little cutie." Ye Jiujiu closed the refrigerator. Listening to the gentle splash inside, she wondered if the little mermaid would leave with the waves.
Are they just leaving like that?
Reluctance and worry mingled in Ye Jiujiu's mind. The little mermaid's belly was full, and she carried so many things. Will she get stuck halfway to the ocean?