Chapter 147: The Baby's Mother
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren was basically counting sheep the whole night.
After her meal, the little mermaid clung to him like superglue. Her small arms were as thin as chopsticks but, they felt really solid. Hao Ren was too afraid to pull her away from his arm because he may inadvertently hurt her. Nonetheless, there was no way he could live on like that.
The next morning, Hao Ren walked out of his room with a pair of droopy eyes with Lil Pea still clinging onto his arm. She looked like an armband from afar. Hao Ren was still wearing the clothes from the day before. He could not change because the little thing never left him alone. And he had basically dozed off for just about two or three hours that night, fearing he would crush her if he was not careful.
Lily was packing like she was getting ready to go to work (probably the strays in the alley needed vaccination). She was amazed as much as she was amused when she saw Hao Ren. "Wow, Landlord, she clung to you like that the whole night?"
"What can I do?" Hao Ren shrugged. "She didn’t want to go back into the tub. She's been clingy since yesterday."
That was not the case when the little mermaid was first born. Hao Ren could still remember it was easy to move her back to the tub. She would be excited and venture out of the water occasionally. But as time went by, Lil Pea clung to him like superglue; she would not go back to her tub, she would not move on her own, and she would not let go of him.
Nangong Wuyue also sensed something was off about Lil Pea. She came up to Lil Pea and waved her finger. Lil Pea’s head would turn and her tail would swish as she followed the rhythm of the finger's movement. But other than that, she refused to move an inch unlike the previous day when she showed extraordinary curiosity towards everything new.
"She’s in good health," said Nangong Wuyue as she caressed and felt the little mermaid's smooth scales. "But her clingy behavior...could be due to the insecurity of an unfamiliar environment. That may explain why she keeps holding on to something she feels familiar with."
"Firstly, she’s not in her natural habitat—the sea. This little one surely feels strange," said Nangong Wuyue as she analyzed the situation. "The kids grow very rapidly once they hatch. This species of mermaid is highly intelligent. She already has a clear sense of her surroundings so, she has probably found that this environment isn’t fit for her... Maybe not quite so but, most likely she feels that this environment doesn't match her genetic profile. Second and most importantly, she can’t communicate with us. Although this species is highly intelligent, and able to communicate with other adults of the same species even as newborns, we can’t understand a single word she murmurs. Neither does she understand us."
"So, that’s why she's become afraid?" Hao Ren asked. He let Lil Pea change her posture and lie on his arm. The little creature was feeling tired after clinging onto him in the same position. Looking at her behavior, it seemed like there was nothing she was particularly scared of. She was still curious and excited about her environment. Additionally, she would purr when lying on her back as if she was feeling satisfied.
"Think back to how you behaved when your mom brought you to the zoo for the first time. You hid in your mother’s arms," said Nangong Wuyue with arms akimbo. "The most important thing now is to figure out what's in her mind. Cross-species fathering is very difficult."
Hao Ren nodded in total agreement. The biggest challenge he faced was the language barrier: if he could communicate with the little mermaid, she would be less clingy since she was at ease. So it was back to the biggest question: how would she communicate when she could not even speak?
Lily broke in. "Why don't you see Raven?"
Lily’s words hit Hao Ren in the head. He felt like an idiot: he should have thought of that earlier but, it was the husky, who reminded him!
Lily spread out her hands and said, "I’m naive but, I'm not stupid..."
"MDT, contact Raven 12345." The MDT hovered out of Hao Ren’s pocket and initiated contact. Lil Pea looked at the glowing gadget curiously. She flapped her tail, and wanted to taste it but, Hao Ren ignored her.
"Hao Ren? What’s going on?" Raven 12345 sounded impatient as if she was very busy. "How’s the egg?"
"It hatched!"
"What?" Raven 12345 shouted like she was really shocked. Then Hao Ren heard a bang followed by a creepy scream at the other end. He asked, "What are you doing there?"
"Nothing special. I’m in the midst of a fight." Raven 12345 spoke rapidly. "It hatched? That’s quick!"
Hao Ren knew that Raven 12345’s life could not be understood in the normal sense of things so, he did not bother to ask what the fight was all about. He made the best use of his time and told her everything about the little mermaid, particularly about the communication problem and the 'mother-child' relationship. "The biggest problem is we cannot understand her, and she can't understand us either. This little thing doesn’t seem to understand that this world will be her home. She's clinging to me like glue."
Raven 12345 paused for a second, then she said, "Hmm, I can’t believe that boiling works... It’s going to be hard to communicate with the newborn. But if what you said is true, she has enough intelligence. The only thing she needs is to understand your language. Nangong Wuyue, I guess you could help."
"Me?" The siren maiden looked surprised. "I don’t think I can understand what she says. And I’ve told you a hundred times that I’m a siren, not a mermaid!"
"It’s not about being a mermaid, it’s about the inborn ability to communicate among species of the sea. Sirens have the ability to establish communication with any other deep-sea creature, and that includes those of the Otherworld. However, this is the legacy of lazy programming left behind by the previous creator from another celestial. The program was meant to test a new biological model and has since been deactivated following years of evolution. But, I could try to reactivate it."
Raven 12345 talked about the passive and bad working habits of the creator god as if it was entirely normal. Hao Ren and Nangong Wuyue were breaking out in cold sweat like cows. Nangong Wuyue then inquired with a strange expression on her face, "What should I do now?"
"Go outside and find an open space. I’ll send you the program. Oh yes, don’t forget to turn off all electronic devices that may cause interference."
Nangong Wuyue had no clue what that was all about. However, she believed that the goddess was trustworthy so, she left her mobile phone on the couch and went out in the open.
Hao Ren had a hunch that it would probably be a booby trap again. Before he could warn and stop the siren maiden, a loud, thunderous sound was heard outside.
Nangong Wuyue walked back in with her exploded hair. "...I won’t believe her anymore, ever."
Raven 12345 was still on the line. She shouted, "No doubt that was a little too explosive, but hey, it worked. The program has been reactivated. You can try it out just like I told you. I’m busy, I got to go."
Nangong Wuyue went into the bathroom and cleaned herself up. Then, she allowed Hao Ren to sit on the couch afterwhich, she carefully pointed at Lil Pea's forehead. "I'm just giving this a try. Don’t put too much hope in it."
Vivian and Y’zaks came up to witness what Nangong Wuyue was about to perform. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Wuyue and Lil Pea. Hao Ren was so nervous that he felt himself sweating; however, when he looked up, it was Lily gulping water behind him.
The big fish and the little fish communicated for like dozens of seconds. Suddenly, Lil Pea stared at Nangong Wuyue in astonishment. Nangong Wuyue exhaled. "Phew... looks like it worked."
Hao Ren could not wait. He hurried Nangong Wuyue. "Quick, let this little thing understand that I’m not her mother!"
"Okay, just let me talk to her slowly." Nangong Wuyue nodded as she carefully took Lil Pea from Hao Ren. A wondrous thing happened when Nangong Wuyue reached out. The little mermaid let go of Hao Ren and embraced Nangong Wuyue as if there had been a trust established between them—although she still shook her head and let out a few cries, she looked calmer and sounded like she was just saying goodbye.
Nangong Wuyue brought the little mermaid back to her room, expecting that Lil Pea would come out feeling better. Hao Ren finally let out a sigh of relief. The first thing he wanted was to get changed. He was still wearing the same clothes he wore on the interstellar trip.
When he got himself a new set of clothes and came back to the living room, Nangong Wuyue and Lil Pea were already there. "That’s fast!" said Hao Ren with a surprise on his face.
"It was kind of telepathic. She’s very smart." Her expression was a little weird. "Basically, I’ve explained everything to her...and she’ll adapt slowly."
Hao Ren was elated. "So, now she knows I’m not her mom?"
"Err...there’s good news and bad news," said Nangong Wuyue. She smiled wryly. "Which would you like to hear first?"
Hao Ren was taken aback. He knew he was going to be set up again. "...The good one."
"Lil Pea now knows that you’re not her mom." Nangong Wuyue gave the little mermaid back to Hao Ren. "She thinks you’re her dad. Frankly, a guardian could also be a dad."
Hao Ren found the news not as good as he had expected but also, not as bad. He nodded and said, "Dad is okay. At least, it's not that awkward. Just that, she shouldn’t be so clingy. What’s the bad news?"
Nangong Wuyue yanked a pot out from behind her. "This is her mother."
Hao Ren was dumbfounded.