Chapter 3

He picked me up like a chick and threw me into the yard.

The creaking started again inside.

I crouched in the yard, wondering how to get the mermaid back to the sea.

I couldn’t carry her on my own.

If only I had a handcart, I could push her down to the shore.

That thought sent me next door to Shuanzi. His family had one.

Shuanzi was seven years older than me, tall and thin, with the sort of handsome face rarely seen in our village.

But these days, a handsome face didn’t put food on the table.

His father had died young. His widowed mother couldn’t afford betrothal gifts for him.

So he was still unmarried.

He seemed very pleased to see me and readily agreed to lend me the cart.

“Laixiao, has your father found himself another wife?”

The question came out of nowhere.

“No. No, he hasn’t.”

I shook my head in a panic.

He helped me push the cart to our door.

Even there, we could hear the creaking from our little yard quite clearly.

I hurried him home, pushed the cart inside, and closed the gate.

I had thought Father would have to go out sooner or later, and then I could wheel the mermaid away at once.

But to my surprise, he didn’t leave the house for seven whole days.

Almost every day, he stayed in that room with her.

Only when Grandfather supposedly drank too much outside and broke a leg in a fall was Father finally called away.

Before leaving, he told me to keep a close eye on the mermaid.

I nodded obediently. The moment he was gone, I helped her onto the cart.

“Without my guardian scale, I can’t return to the deep sea.”

She raised her head and looked at me.

“Go first. I’ll find the scale for you.”

As I spoke, I leaned out to look beyond the gate.

It was already growing dark. People in our little fishing village went to bed early.

I quickly pushed the mermaid out of the yard.

“Someone’s there.”

The mermaid spoke.

Before I could react, Shuanzi’s door opened and a whole crowd of village uncles poured out.

“See? I told you something was wrong at their place. The whole yard reeks of fish, and that bed never stops creaking. He really did get lucky and catch a mermaid!”

Shuanzi stared at her pale skin. His smile was exactly like Father’s had been.

“Village Head, Luo Dafu’s keeping her all to himself! The bastard!”

The village head looked grave and motioned for them to take the mermaid to his house.

“What comes out of the sea belongs to our whole village!”

With a wave of his hand, he made to take her away.

“Anyone who dares take my mermaid, I’ll hack him to death!”

I didn’t know when Father had returned. Grandfather had been drinking outside, but he hadn’t broken his leg.

The village head and the others had deliberately lured Father away so they could steal the mermaid.

But Father’s vicious temper was notorious throughout the village.

Now he charged at them with a bone cleaver, heedless of everything.

They scattered in fright.