CH 50

A Second Sea Otter in Town

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

Bai Yao knocks gently on the edge of the inflatable pool to get Mu Mu’er’s attention. When his head pokes out from his pile of snacks, Mu Mu’er hears Bai Yao asking, “I have to get some limes from the market. Mu’er, do you want to go with Yaoyao?”

Mu Mu’er’s whiskers shake a little. He lifts up two pieces of dried mango on his tummy that he put on his tummy before he gave the bag to Bai Yao, and puts them into his mouth with his paws before answering with a ‘woop~’

Bai Yao takes it as a negative.

Not a bad thing, as Bai Yao will be able to hurry along better in order to prep for the restaurant in time.

He nods and turns to leave, when he suddenly recalls something. He turns his head around with a smile, and asks Mu’er as the latter begins rubbing his face with his paws, “Mu’er, have you heard of the story of the good little rabbit?”

Mu Mu’er didn’t even really understand the question. He freezes up with his paws still on his face, looking at Bai Yao blankly. Then his whiskers twitch.

Bai Yao can’t help but chuckle, before explaining, “Mu’er, make sure you don’t go outside, ok? Don’t open the door to anyone. Just ignore them. Do you hear me? Do not open the door no matter who it is.”

Mu Mu’er nods, then waves his paw at Bai Yao’s silhouette. Before Bai Yao is gone, Mu Mu’er’s attention has already gone back to the snacks on his tummy.

There are few people on the road. Most tourists have departed or are going to leave, and Qiaohai is going to have a few months of peace.

Autumn is quite beautiful in Qiaohai. The sea will visibly deepen in colour, going from the icy aquamarine to a darker azure. The sun won’t be able to penetrate the waters as well, and the whole ocean will resemble a priceless blue azurite.

Of course, it doesn’t get too cold by the ocean here, with generally comfortable temperatures and the occasional fog on the rare times it rains in the dry season. When it happens, though, one could almost mistake Qiaohai’s sea for a heavenly realm.

If they’re lucky, they could even spot dolphins and orcas migrating by the end of September.

Bai Yao arrives at the south side of town soon enough. He heads straight for the stall he needs for his limes, before heading back.

As soon as he turns around, though, he spots a familiar figure. After a brief hesitation, he heads over and calls out, “Xiaoqing-jie!”

Jing Xiaoqing turns around. Her figure has become much more rounded after a few weeks. She’s wearing a light blue sun hat, and strands of her deep brown hair sways gently in the wind, before landing on her face all scattered.

She has always been quite fashionable, and not even pregnancy can make her compromise a little. The one-piece with sunflower patterns she’s wearing is bright and warm, and add to that her reusable, net-patterned shopping bag, she’s the perfect image of a pretty town girl here to enjoy the last stretches of summer.

She’s clearly surprised to see Bai Yao this late past noon, and greets him, “hey! What’s up? Not going to open the restaurant today?”

“I had to grab some limes,” Bai Yao shakes his bag, while raising his chin at the bag she is carrying, “and you’re stockpiling on kiwis?”

Jing Xiaoqing touches her stomach and replies, “it’s for the little one. They probably want something sour, and I feel a craving if I even go one day without a kiwi these days.”

Bai Yao is concerned that she’s still having to carry that heavy bag of kiwis home when her pregnancy is this far along. He offers to walk her home, but she refuses. She says she must learn to adapt as a single mother.

Bai Yao can only nod and promise her, “make sure you tell me if you need anything next time. I can go deliver to you.”

The markets aren’t too close to her handicrafts store, not to mention the incline. Bai Yao starts thinking about making meals for her in advance and bring them over, so that she doesn’t have to trouble herself cooking.

“Sure thing,” Jing Xiaoqing replies, “I buy and eat a lot nowadays, though. Hope you wouldn’t mind if I do ask for help.”

“‘Course not.”

Jing Xiaoqing suddenly seems to recall something, and complains with narrowed eyes, “but why didn’t you at least say hello when you were at my store a few days ago? You left before I even came back out.”

Bai Yao furrows his brows, “a few days ago? I’ve been busy working in the restaurant for a few days already. I didn’t come this way at all.”

Jing Xiaoqing chuckles, though, “did you sleepwalk then? I caught the scent of the little sea otter, and thought you were here. There wasn’t anyone in the store when I got to the register, though. He couldn’t have come all the way to my store alone, could he?”

Bai Yao and Mu Mu’er haven’t left the restaurant much since returning from Xishi, and Mu Mu’er always stays close by whatever Bai Yao was doing, so he’s certain Mu Mu’er could never have run all the way to the south of town by himself.

“But… But that couldn’t be…” Bai Yao appears stupefied.

Jing Xiaoqing rolls her eyes a little, and waves her hand dismissively, “yeah, yeah. Chinny reckon.”

They part ways soon enough, and Bai Yao makes sure to remind her to watch her step, and call him if she needs anything.

What Jing Xiaoqing has said, though, did confuse Bai Yao a little.

There are no more resident beastkin in town outside of Bai Yao, Jing Xiaoqing and Mu Mu’er. In fact, it’s quite unlikely that there is another sentient sea otter in town at this time.

There’s a moment when Bai Yao suspects Mu Mu’er might have gone to town for a walk himself, but that’s even less probable. Mu Mu’er gets nervous enough with strangers visiting them on the second floor. He can’t possibly go outside by himself.

Before he could come up with a solution, he’s already home.

Opposite the street are two cars. The first, a Mercedes-Maybach. The second, a slightly less showy black Bentley.

Most of the townsfolk are simple working and middle class. No one owns such an expensive car. Bai Yao furrows his brows. Maybe some rich tourist has come into town. He hopes they won’t come to his restaurant.

The Golden Seashell is too small to host them.

On the street, he can just about see the person in the driver’s seat on the Mercedes, as the person has put his arm up on the slightly opened car window, with a lit cigarette in his hand. He’s looking towards the restaurant.

When Bai Yao goes around the back into the garden, he can’t help but feel like the Mercedes looks familiar, but he can’t recall where he might have seen it before.

Without thinking too much of it, he starts unlocking the door with his keys. He wasn’t expecting, though, that Mu Mu’er would be standing right behind the door, and he is almost ambushed into falling over by him.

Mu Mu’er’s hair is a bit of a mess, and mostly still a little wet. He also didn’t put his shoes back on, and he even put his T-shirt on backwards.

“Yaoyao, someone was knocking, knocking on the door. Mu’er did not open,” he looks up at Bai Yao nervously, and adds once more, “mm, did not open.”

When Bai Yao enters, Mu Mu’er tries to hold his hand by reflex, only to see the bag, and so he settles for tugging his clothes instead.

Bai Yao pauses and furrows his brows. He’s going to ask Mu Mu’er if he saw who was knocking outside, when footsteps come up from the road behind. He turns around. It’s the person who was in the Mercedes, now also at the garden’s entrance.

He doesn’t smell too unfamiliar… As he’s a sentient sea otter.

Mu Mu’er pokes his head out at the noise as well, curious who was knocking the whole time, but after seeing him, he widens his eyes and takes a deep breath.

Bai Yao doesn’t notice Mu Mu’er’s expression, and is about to apologise and inform him that the restaurant is not yet open, when he suddenly feels the boy tugging at his clothes more tightly.

Mu Mu’er is backing off behind Bai Yao, and only after he’s done hiding, does he call out, with a meek, almost inaudible voice.

“Gege.”