The Old Man and the Mermaid

Aigre waved his hands, did not answer Royce's confusion, but supported his drowsy head with both hands, sat on the spot and carefully recalled what he had done.

He really didn't expect that he would be so drunk that he couldn't figure out what he was doing.Fortunately, in his memory, Mr. Mermaid’s attitude has always been very gentle, and he never felt bored or impatient with his nonsense—this gentle gentleman even listened to every sentence he said from the beginning to the end. It also provides a certain degree of very effective comfort.

...This sounds very different from the impression Mr. Mermaid gave him in the past, but it did happen very realistically.

While Aigre was thinking this way, he turned his head and glanced at the thin quilt that was placed aside.He just fell asleep like that last night, of course it is impossible to climb back to the lighthouse by himself in his sleep, so if he can lie on the sofa so peacefully, even covered with a quilt, it is only possible that he was sent back by Mr. Mermaid .

While groaning in pain, Royce stretched his waist and stood up, scratched his hair, then frowned and looked at the sofa where Aigre was sitting, "Tsk, you are too unkind One point, why did you focus on covering yourself with a quilt when you came back? Although I also wore a coat, I won't catch a cold because of the air conditioner..."

Even treat them differently.

"...Sorry, I will pay attention next time." Egreel didn't know whether he should be happy that Mr. Mermaid only cared about his behavior at this time. How can I thank Mr. Mermaid for his company and care last night.

"Come on, I don't really blame you." Royce yawned and squinted at the clock. "Oh, God, it's almost lunchtime—what do we do at noon?"

"Those guys are probably quite drunk, and Professor Nice will not start this research project early in the morning." Aigre raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the bathroom, "Go and wash first. , I'll clean up here."

"Okay." Royce agreed, "Where did you put my luggage?"

"Behind the stairs."

After watching Royce walk into the bathroom, Aigre stood up and knocked on the back of his head twice, sighed, and was about to start tidying up the messy living room when he heard Royce slightly open the bathroom door and He yelled, "Aigre! Get me some panties, it's in the innermost compartment of my suitcase."

Aigre: "..."

Heaven and Earth testified that now as soon as he hears the word underpants, he wants to go to God immediately.

Fortunately, I didn't tell Mr. Mermaid the whole story about the red underwear last night, otherwise he might really have to give himself a face before going out to meet people again.

After handing the underwear to Royce, Aigre simply cleaned up the living room, and while waiting for Royce to finish cleaning, he also recalled what happened last night.

His mind was not so clear at the time, but his memory was extremely clear.He could still recall Mr. Mermaid's calm expression and gaze when he looked at him, and the feeling of the scales in his palm rubbing against his hair.

Mermaids are such beautiful and powerful creatures.Although Aigre couldn't fully see what Mr. Mermaid looked like last night in the night, but he still remembered his handsome appearance and calm posture as always when the brilliant lighthouse beam shone in their direction.

His long dark hair was scattered behind them, and a few strands of hair were curled up gently on the beach and clinging to their backs. The wet feeling was a bit like soft seaweed that had just been pushed ashore by the waves.The scales on his body were much dimmer in the dark than in the daytime, but under the occasional light of light, they still appeared more dazzling than pearls.

And the fish tail—the fish tail that looks like it has no bones is still quietly coiled around them. Mr. Mermaid will occasionally flap his tail fin twice, which seems to be a pastime that he usually does when he has nothing to do. .

What impressed Eigre the most was Mr. Mermaid's expression at that time.Although his expression was as peaceful as usual, his gaze was more far-reaching. When they talked about grandfather, that gaze was no longer just attached to Aigre, but became as if he could understand and tolerate everything. Like any human emotion, it is gentle but too calm.

Aigre speculates that Mr. Mermaid has probably lived peacefully in this world for many years, because his eyes look even calmer than his own grandfather.

Although it may be an illusion, Eigre guessed that Mr. Yu was probably pampering himself.

But no matter what, he was sincerely happy that Mr. Mermaid was willing to listen to him for so long - this at least shows that Mr. Mermaid really regarded him as a friend from the bottom of his heart, and it was not because he was wrong. I feel irritated and even disgusted by a bunch of drunken talk.

He cherished this friendship and hoped it would last forever.

——At the same time, of course, I also hope that those messy underwear will stop making trouble.

Aigre rubbed his eye sockets and the bridge of his nose twice, recalling how Mr. Mermaid gave him enough warmth last night even though he didn't say a word, while gradually calming down his increasingly complicated mood.

This is really... quite a strange mood.

Royce's speed was very fast. Ten minutes later, he walked out with a bath towel on. When he came out, he shivered, "Your air conditioner works well, and you are not afraid of power consumption."

"Fortunately, I seldom leave it on all the time like this." Aigre turned off the air conditioner while talking, and opened the closed windows at the same time, "It's better not to blow cold air just after getting out of hot water." Okay, let's sit down for a while and talk."

"Phew... But after taking a shower, I really wake up a lot, so you should go take a shower too." Royce said, patted his cheeks, looked left and right, and then said with a little doubt Question: "However, you were really drunk last night, and you are quite relieved. If there is no one to manage the lighthouse at night, is it really okay?"

"In the absence of rain and fog, the role of the lighthouse is only to provide the specific direction of Dusk Island to distant ships at night." Aigre explained, "The lighthouse on our island does not need to provide information for the route. The role of the lighthouse is only to prevent ships from hitting the rocks as much as possible in the case of low visibility, so the scale of the lighthouse is not large, and one person can manage it. And once it comes to a rainy night when the situation is quite bad, the security team will send management personnel to help. I usually Nothing more needs to be done.”

"So the lights are turned on automatically this night?" Royce asked in surprise.

"No." Aigre glanced at him, "You were drunk like mud last night, after I brought you back, I checked the facilities of the lighthouse with the bartender who helped me bring you back together, Then I fell asleep."

"The bartender uncle?" Royce squinted his eyes and thought about it for a while, before he remembered who Aigre was talking about, "That's right, you were also quite drunk yesterday, and the relationship between the residents of your town is so good , willing to help each other should also be.”

Aigre nodded, and then gave Royce a last word before going into the bathroom: "Take a rest first, charge your phone for a while, and we will go directly to Professor Nice at noon."

After Royce agreed, Aigre closed the bathroom door and sighed softly.

It's a pity that although Mr. Mermaid was invited to taste the dried fish this time, he was not sober enough to ask him how he felt.he thinks.

But in fact, he doesn't need to worry at all, because Mr. Mermaid still likes the taste of this small dried fish - although it is a bit too salty, it is a novel taste that he has never tasted before.

Mr. Mermaid has all kinds of means and channels to learn about human culture and the latest information, but he has no way to thoroughly experience all kinds of delicacies in human society.The appearance of Aigre can be regarded as satisfying Mr. Mermaid's biggest regret for so many years, and this young man's craftsmanship is quite good, and he can usually buy all kinds of seasonings and snacks from the town.

Aigre was always trying to do better, but he was already quite a good friend and lighthouse keeper.

Mr. Mermaid leaned against a boulder on the other side of the coast of Dusk Island, while looking at the plastic jar containing dried fish in his hand, while thinking about what Aigre said last night.

He didn't know exactly what kind of emotion Aigre reached yesterday, but he did feel a little regretful that he couldn't comfort the young man with his voice.

A language that cannot be fully communicated is an obstacle after all.He can't make the sound that humans can make, and Eigre will never be able to fully understand the voice of the mermaid.

However, this rigid idea does not seem to explain everything.

The mermaid put down the small pot in her hand, and looked at the sea that had been rendered extremely bright by the sun.

He could understand every word of Aigre, and he could even guess the various emotions and thoughts of this young man without Aigre fully explaining everything.He has seen information about human communication in various books, and he is quite clear that such silent understanding is also a form of communication.

What's more, Egre seems to be able to guess his thoughts and plans from various angles, and the learning ability of young humans is always terrible. As long as they have perseverance and determination, learning a new language is definitely not a big deal for them. It is difficult.

This won't take long.Mr. Mermaid thought, unscrewed the top cover of the jar and ate a small dried fish.