The little mermaid settled down at home.
Following the doctor's instructions, Ruan Shiqing prepared a half-person-high barrel for him, filled it with water, and then injected therapeutic medicine. The little fish man then made his home in the barrel.
He is a very sensible cub, quiet most of the time, and only appears to be cautious when he occasionally swings his tail and splashes water.
When Ruan Shiqing was at home, he would lie on the iron barrel and stare at him intently, his blue eyes as bright as gems; if Ruan Shiqing was not at home, he would quietly sink to the bottom of the water, curled up with his tail in his arms like an abandoned little animal.
Normally, she would never resist taking medicine. She would hold the medicine in her hands and drink it in small sips. She would even put the empty medicine tubes neatly, trying her best to reduce the inconvenience and burden caused to Ruan Shiqing.
She is so well-behaved that it makes people feel distressed.
Ruan Shiqing and the Xiong brothers have been looking for houses these days. They can carry the puppy with them, but the mermaid can only stay at home. When passing by a small stall, Ruan Shiqing was attracted by the yellow rubber duck on the stall.
He paused: "How much is this?"
"Six star coins for one, ten star coins for two."
"I want two," Ruan Shiqing paid the money and stuffed a rubber duck the size of half a palm into his coat.
Rong Heng perfunctorily scratched it twice with his claws and pouted.
childish.
Ruan Shiqing was preparing to go house hunting. During the three days he stayed in the inner city, the Xiong brothers found several decent houses for him. After settling the little mermaid, he had already seen three houses, but there were some aspects of each that he was not satisfied with. Now there was only the last one left to see.
"The last one is close to the underground market, where there is a lot of traffic, and the first floor is just right for a shop. The house is also large, but it is old and dilapidated."
When Xiong Fangfang said it was old, it really was quite old.
Ruan Shiqing was also somewhat shocked when he saw the two-story building in front of him covered with unknown vines.
The outer city was already very backward and poor, and the street surrounding the underground market was already the most prosperous street, with many repair shops opening side by side, and the competition was very fierce. The original owner of this small building was an evolved person. After living here for eighty years, he finally saved enough money, reissued his ID card, and moved into the inner city. That's why he planned to sell the house in the outer city.
"Because the house is too old and the owner is eager to sell it, he only offered 100,000 star coins, but required it to be paid in full at one time." Xiong Fangfang said: "This house has a good location, and many people want to buy it, but no one can pay in full at one time, so it has not been sold yet."
Ruan Shiqing pushed aside the lush vines, opened the door and took a walk inside.
It’s really big.
The reason why he was not satisfied with the first three houses was because the space was too small. He not only wanted to open a repair shop on the first floor, but also a workshop. He had a habit of hoarding materials, and if the space was too small, the workshop would probably be filled up quickly.
For long-term considerations, it is better to buy a bigger place at one time.
"Then let's go here." Ruan Shi walked around the brothel and was quite satisfied. Although it was indeed a bit old, he could slowly repair and replace it, but if the place was too small, it would be difficult to expand it.
One party was eager to sell, and the other party was eager to move. After the two parties met, they quickly reached a consensus and finally closed the deal at a price of 90,000 star coins.
The outer city is a lawless place, so there are no complicated procedures for transactions. Once an agreement is signed and the payment is made, the transaction is completed.
Ruan Shiqing and the Xiong brothers spent half a day pruning the overly lush vines before they stopped and went home to see the little mermaid.
It was already night, and the two moons cast two intersecting shadows under my feet. The sound of machines running non-stop was in my ears, and even the wind that blew past carried the smell of rusted metal.
Not far away was their temporary residence—two semicircular aircraft shells turned upside down on the ground, close together.
Ruan Shiqing suddenly had a trance-like illusion, as if everything here was real, and the world remaining in his memory gradually became blurred.
Pushing the door open, he heard the sound of water splashing in the room. Ruan Shiqing turned on the light and saw the little mermaid lying on the edge of the bucket looking at him, with her long blue hair dripping wet and draped over her shoulders, looking quiet and well-behaved.
Rong Heng leaned over and took a look, his eyes revealing disdain.
It was wet and smelled of fish.
He simply ran away with the two little yellow ducks in his mouth.
"How are you today?" Ruan Shiqing walked closer and rubbed his head.
The little mermaid nodded and pointed to two empty tubes neatly placed on the stool, one containing medicine and the other containing nutrients.
There is still one nutrient tablet left untouched.
Ruan Shiqing took it and twisted it open, then handed it to him: "Why don't you eat it? Don't you like it?"
The little mermaid took it and hugged him, shook her head, looked at him with bright eyes, clenched his fingers, and tried hard to make a sound "ah".
Ruan Shiqing was so happy that he asked with a smile, "Want to wait for me to come back and eat together?"
The little mermaid nodded, and then began to drink the nutrient solution in small sips.
Extremely well-behaved.
"I brought you a gift today." Ruan Shiqing's heart softened. He stood up and walked towards Rong Heng, took the two little yellow ducks he had just placed, and shook them in front of the little mermaid.
The little mermaid opened her eyes wide and stared at the little yellow duck. Her tail under the water swayed eagerly, but she did not immediately reach out to grab it, as if she couldn't believe it.
"You can't go out, so let them keep you company." Ruan Shiqing put the rubber duck on the water. The little yellow duck floated on the water, looking very cute.
The little mermaid stared at them and couldn't help shaking her tail, creating waves to push the little duck forward.
"Ah!" He turned his head, his sapphire eyes curved and he smiled at Ruan Shiqing.
"As long as you like it." Ruan Shiqing smiled back, "I'll buy you something else after we move to the new house in a few days."
Rong Heng:
Isn’t this bought for me
After glaring at the little mermaid, he lay back down again.
Tsk, this kind of cheap and childish gadget is something that only ignorant artificial mermaids would like.
It took three days to clean and buy furniture. On the fourth day, Ruan Shiqing finally moved into the new home with his children.
The overly vigorous climbing vines on the building have been trimmed and properly pulled, and have become a green embellishment for the building, making it less gloomy and more vibrant. The fence in the yard has been reinforced, the weeds have been cleared, and shrubs that are easy to survive have been transplanted.
A striking signboard was hung on the first-floor door, with the word "Ruan" written in Chinese characters by Ruan Shiqing himself.
This is the name of his shop, and it is also proof that the original world existed.
Xiong Yuanyuan doesn’t know Chinese, but that doesn’t stop him from boasting: “This is the most unique store name I’ve ever seen!”
Ruan Shiqing chuckled and asked him to go and see if the doctor had arrived.
He doesn't have many friends in this world. Apart from Xiong Fangfang and Xiong Yuanyuan, the only friend is the doctor whom he became familiar with because of the little mermaid.
“Here it comes!”
Xiong Yuanyuan's voice could be heard from a long distance away. Ruan Shiqing looked out the window, put the little mermaid into the new bucket, and hurried downstairs to greet the doctor.
The little mermaid was suspended in the water, looking out of the window curiously - his new bucket was more than three times larger than the previous one and was placed next to the window of the living room on the second floor. He could see the outside world just by poking his head out.
His eyes opened wider and wider, and the desolate outer city was full of magnificent colors in his eyes.
Look at this unprecedented look.
Rong Heng, who was squatting beside him, glanced at him and turned his head away.
…
After moving into a new house, Ruan Shiqing specially packed up a few dishes and two bottles of malt beer from a restaurant in the inner city.
In the interstellar age, gourmet food was a luxury, and all kinds of artificial nutrient solutions were the main food. It was rare to have a proper meal, and everyone was very happy.
It’s just that this body’s alcohol tolerance is not very good. Ruan Shiqing was already tipsy after drinking three glasses of beer.
After seeing off the Xiong brothers and the doctor, he staggered up to the second floor, leaned against the mermaid's wooden barrel, and slid down on the cushions in the living room. He stretched his limbs lazily, watching the sunset slowly sinking below the horizon, and muttered to himself, "Actually, this place is not bad."
Although it was difficult at the beginning, everything is getting better.
And here, he will no longer feel unspeakable loneliness.
Ruan Shiqing leaned against the wooden barrel and fell asleep.
I slept until late at night.
The little mermaid screamed "Ah" twice but failed to wake him up. She didn't dare to pull his hair hard. She turned around in the water anxiously, frequently looking at Rong Heng beside her.
Rong Heng stretched and stood up, walked closer, and after making sure that the person was asleep, he changed back into human form.
He bent down and easily picked up the sleeping boy.
The little mermaid was stunned by this sudden change. She looked at him with wide eyes, at a loss.
"Don't talk nonsense, understand?" Rong Heng stretched out his finger and pointed at him in the air, speaking threateningly.
The little mermaid nodded and shook her head, looking at Ruan Shiqing, a little anxious.
"Tsk, I almost forgot, you can't speak at all." Rong Heng carried Ruan Shiqing into the room, covered him with a quilt, and took away his newly bought smart computer.
The intelligent computer that fit perfectly on Ruan Shiqing's wrist was taken off by him easily.
Rong Heng closed the door and sat down on the windowsill in the living room. The bracelet-shaped intelligent brain in his hand quickly turned into a simplified version of the neuron link helmet.
After putting on the helmet and connecting to the holographic network, an emotionless mechanical voice began to warn: "You are not connected to me, so you cannot log in. You are not connected to me, so you cannot log in..."
Rong Heng ignored the warning and issued a series of instructions.
The emotionless mechanical voice quickly switched to a calm mezzo-soprano voice: "Your Highness, long time no see."
"Noah, call Dares for me."
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
In the virtual holographic space, countless code data flashed and disappeared.
A moment later, a figure appeared out of nowhere, and strode forward excitedly, wanting to give Rong Heng a hug after a long separation: "Your Highness, you are still alive! There is an old saying that evil will last for a thousand years, I knew you wouldn't die that easily!"
"Watch your words, Colonel Dares." Rong Heng dodged him and frowned, saying, "Stop talking nonsense. How is the battle in Yenjis? What actions has Sikkim taken?"
Speaking of business, Dares put away his relaxed look and showed a bit of solemnity: "After the news of Asman's death and your death spread, the Zerg troops on the front line suddenly increased. I suspect..." Dares paused, then gritted his teeth and said this terrible guess: "I suspect that there are Zerg insiders in the empire."
The war between the Galactic Empire and the Zerg has lasted for thousands of years.
Since the establishment of the Galactic Empire, the Zerg also appeared. This race has no intelligence and is only controlled by the Zerg Queen, but its body structure is extremely strong. Over the past two thousand years, with the prosperity of the Galactic Empire, the Zerg has become stronger and stronger.
The war between the two sides has reached a fever pitch in recent years, and is almost a fight to the death.
Every year, the Empire sends countless soldiers to the four front-line regions to fight against the Zerg in order to protect the peace behind the Empire. As the crown prince of the Empire and a man of the powerful bloodline of Ymir, Rong Heng naturally has no choice but to do so.
Since he entered the growth period, he rushed to the front line and has been staying in the Yanjis region.
It was not until a month ago that he finally ended his growth period and entered adulthood according to the age calculation method of the Ymir people. He was then recalled to Sikkim by his father, the Regent, to prepare for the succession ceremony.
However, they were unexpectedly intercepted by a destroyer fleet at the jump point in the Baghdad area.
Except for him, no one in the entire team survived.