CH 26

Does He Want to Be My Lunch?

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

Qiaohai’s market is large enough to span several blocks, from the south of the town all the way to the coast.

And it’s not exactly a traditional marketplace either, with haphazard stalls all around. Instead, there are several alleyways with trees and lined sheds that have golden lanterns and colourful strings of lights crisscrossing up top. The paths are cobblestone, and leaves are cleared away regularly.

It’s now late in the morning, and the air is getting a little stuffy. There are a few large fans next to the trees to help move air along.

The streets are lively, with residents and tourists alike shopping or sightseeing. The residents still outnumber tourists, of course, as the latter need not do grocery shopping themselves.

Mu Mu’er hasn’t been around this many people before, and is quite nervous, staying behind Bai Yao, tugging at his clothes the whole time. He stepped on Bai Yao’s shoe a few times, too.

Bai Yao turns around to hold his hand loosely, and positions him better behind him, so that people wouldn’t knock into him.

He knows the market’s stalls quite well. Auntie Liu of that fruit stall sells the sweetest watermelons, as divine as any ice lolly after a quick cooling in the fridge. Uncle Yang sells the freshest vegetables, especially the spinach and broccoli, on which dews can be seen. A little washing and they can be eaten raw.

He’s also quite well known in the town, and can make small chat with whoever comes along. The townsfolk enjoy chatting with a handsome and tall guy, too.

Grocery shopping doesn’t take too much time per se, but Bai Yao is a little picky, not accepting even the slightest hint of yellow on the leaves. Picking takes him the longest.

This time, he manages to find most of what he needs in uncle Yang’s stall. With a few heavy bags in his hand, he continues leading Mu Mu’er deeper into the market. Besides vegetables, he can also grab some fresh seafood if there are any now that he’s come all this way.

Uncle Li living in the west of town owns the biggest fishing vessel in the town, and makes trips out to sea whenever the weather is fine to sell in the market.

He sells the freshest and highest quality seafood in the area, which can be found nowhere else.

Bai Yao ends up buying some fish, shrimps and sea mollusks from him. The red seabream is exceptionally fresh. He also had a chat with uncle Li about a new marinate for salmon while packing the seafood for him. He also greets Mu Mu’er when he sees him poking out from behind Bai Yao.

“He’s a relative, here to visit for a few days,” and this is the introduction he’s going to go with from now on. People won’t ask too much about it.

Mu Mu’er is too shy to speak, but nods at uncle Li, who doesn’t mind and smiles, “a little shy, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, he hasn’t been here before,” Bai Yao replies, while soothing Mu Mu’er by caressing his back, then putting his arm on his shoulder.

Uncle Li offers to help immediately, “how about you leave the shopping here for a while? To show him around.”

Bai Yao is carrying quite a lot already, so he agrees and pays uncle Li a little extra.

Since his hands are free, there is probably enough time for Bai Yao to visit his friend.

Qiaohai has Bai Yao, a sentient snow leopard, and there is also a sentient orca. Bai Yao doesn’t exactly enjoy the presence of other carnivores, but doesn’t mind any ocean-dwelling brethren.

Jing Xiaoqing runs an arts and crafts shop near the markets, the only one in town that sells entirely handcrafted knick-knacks.

She’s about thirty, and has been thinking of settling down since about two years ago. She met a reliable-looking man a few months ago, and they seemed quite suited to one another. Five months ago, however, Jing Xiaoqing’s pregnancy test was positive. She told him, and he packed up overnight and left her without so much as saying goodbye.

‘My child did nothing wrong. I can raise him even by myself,’ is what she told Bai Yao when he asked her about it. Her eyes were resolute and still filled with hope.

Even while pregnant, she continues running her store. Every day, she would be workshopping new projects she could make to sell, or making toys for her child-to-be.

Of course, stores like hers don’t have too much traffic. Even when there are customers, they usually only look around before leaving. Even those interested in buying the crafts would often leave after asking about the price – it’s too expensive.

Her store is on the south side of town by the coast, practically on the opposite side of town from Bai Yao’s restaurant, so they visit each other only twice or thrice a month or so. Qiaohai isn’t that big of a town, but they don’t see each other often either.

Still, now they’re all the way past the markets, Bai Yao thinks they can pay her a visit.

With a couple boxes of blueberries and strawberries for Jing Xiaoqing as gifts, he heads to the arts and crafts store with Mu Mu’er. He was going to ask if he was tired, deferring the visit if Mu Mu’er looks like he’s spent, but he’s quite energetically looking around everywhere still.

Mu Mu’er has never been somewhere as lively that he can remember. He hasn’t seen enough, but Bai Yao is already done.

Bai Yao smiles, shaking his head. Maybe Mu Mu’er won’t even want to go home if he told him to.

Jing Xiaoqing’s store is at the very end of an alley, a little ways up a hill. This also gives her a great view of the ocean from her store.

The store is decorated warmly and brightly, with a light purple rug at the entrance that has a cute whale drawn on it and the word ‘WELCOME’ in cursive.

Bai Yao enters and sees that there have been many new creations in the store since he last visited. A whole row of lion-shaped flower pots on the wooden rack by the door, painted different colours and all with distinct but equally cute expressions.

Jing Xiaoqing herself is sitting on the stool behind the counter, currently focused entirely on a wooden rowboat model she’s carving out with a knife. She has proceeded to the most delicate part of the patterns on the boat, so she is working unblinkingly.

The chimes announced Bai Yao’s visit, so she calls out, while still looking at the boat, “welcome, feel free to look at any items. We have a 20% off promotion on all purchases right now.”

Bai Yao greets her, “Xiaoqing-jie.”

Jing Xiaoqing then looks up, and sees that it is actually Bai Yao.

“Hey, how long has it been already?” Her voice is louder than before, and her smile is infectious, “what’s up…”

Before she can finish, she notices Mu Mu’er standing behind Bai Yao, and first sniffs in the air out of curiosity, before smiling and greeting him, “yo, a sea otter, huh?”

Bai Yao nods, but suddenly recalls something and stands a bit to the side to block Mu Mu’er, while staring at Jing Xiaoqing, “do you eat sea otters?”

What do orcas eat? Seals and sea otters?

For Bai Yao, sea otters and seals are not much different. They’re all round like balls.

Mu Mu’er doesn’t know why Bai Yao is blocking him, so he pokes his head out, and looks at the lady behind the counter curiously.

“No idea, haven’t tried,” Jing Xiaoqing tilts her head a little, while meeting her gaze with the boy’s, “I haven’t had lunch yet. Does he want to be my lunch today?”

Bai Yao “…”

He probably does not, he thinks.