A merman without a mermaid pearl would certainly die within seven years. Spring was relatively lucky to have lasted until the final year. He had heard that some mermen couldn’t even last two years before dying.

These days, Spring could clearly feel that he was becoming weak when working. His body was warning him that his time was nearly up.

He wasn’t resigned to this fate. He hadn’t found Xu San Niang yet, hadn’t dug out her heart for revenge. To die so miserably… But he was more worried about his two children, just over six years old, with no one to care for them. Would they be cold and hungry?

Jiang Yang was absolutely unreliable. All women were the same, their hearts colder and harder than stone. Only that fish could be relied upon. Although he was a bit stupid and had lost his mermaid pearl, not knowing how long he could live, at least he could hunt. Occasionally catching some fish from the sea to help the two children, letting them grow up safely was Spring’s only wish.

“Listen to Father. When I tell you to build a good relationship with that fish, you do it,” Spring said firmly.

Although Winter was only born half an hour earlier than Summer, his personality was much more steady. He nodded after hearing Spring’s words: “I understand. We will get along well with that fish.”

Spring fondly rubbed Winter’s head and said to Summer: “You must listen to your brother in the future, understand?”

“I know,” Summer replied. “Oh, Father, yesterday when my brother and I were playing outside, we found a super ugly strange bird. Can we keep it? My brother and I have already made a cage.”

Spring hesitated: “An ugly bird? How ugly?”

“Super, super ugly,” Summer pleaded. “Please, can we? Pretty please.”

Spring relented: “Alright, alright.”

“Thank you, Father.” The brothers exchanged glances, smiling happily.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

“Brother, do you see that bird?” Summer carried a cage as he moved through the dense forest.

Winter looked around: “It was here yesterday.” Suddenly, he made a gesture to Summer to be quiet, pointing to where they had scattered bait in the clearing last night. A fluffy bird with a head like an owl but particularly indescribable in appearance was flapping its wings, landing in front of the bait and lowering its head to peck at it.

Summer and Winter understood each other without words, working in perfect coordination. One pulled the rope, the other quickly covered, and in the blink of an eye, Angry Bird was trapped in the cage.

Summer held the cage, laughing at Angry Bird anxiously flapping its wings inside: “Finally caught you, haha! First time I’ve seen such an ugly bird.”

Angry Bird was so angry it wanted to scream.

Winter smiled delicately: “What name do you want to give this bird?”

“What name? What bird?” Jiang Yang lazily emerged from the forest. She had risen early today, with Chi Mei still sound asleep when she left. With nothing to do, she had been strolling nearby and happened to hear the two little cubs’ excited voices, so she came to take a look.

“Elder sister, look!” Winter snatched the cage from Summer’s hand, happily sharing: “We just caught a particularly ugly bird.”

Summer also said: “Yeah, this bird is so ugly. I want to take it back and make it my pet.”

The two little cubs kept saying “ugly” left and right, nearly driving Angry Bird to self-isolation. When it saw Jiang Yang, it was moved to tears, giving a “save me” look.

Jiang Yang hadn’t expected to encounter Angry Bird here, thinking it had died in the waves.

“Uh, little ones, let’s make a deal,” Jiang Yang said with a smile.

Winter, being clever, immediately sensed something unusual and asked: “Elder sister, do you know this bird?”

“Yes,” Jiang Yang nodded. “This bird used to be my pet. We got separated after the shipwreck.”

Summer hugged the cage tightly: “But I caught it now, so it’s my pet.”

Jiang Yang smiled slightly, untying the jade pendant from her body: “How about I trade this for it?”

Children’s hearts are fickle, loving whatever new thing they see. Summer looked at the red jade carved with intricate patterns on her waist, exchanged a glance with Winter, and handed Angry Bird over to Jiang Yang.

She remembered Lan Qian saying this bird had amazing flight abilities and could cross entire oceans. If she let it return to send a message to Jiang Qingzhou about her whereabouts, could she go back?

Jiang Yang hesitated for a moment but still decided to let Angry Bird send the message.

Although this island didn’t lack resources, she was about to vomit from eating seafood every day. If she wanted vegetables, she had to grow them herself. The mainland was better, having everything she wanted, 365 days without repetition. Although she might be punished by the dog emperor when she returned, it wouldn’t be a death sentence. With the Jiang family’s mediation, she would at most receive some punishment. After the punishment, she would still be the second young lady of the Jiang family’s main branch. That was certainly better than staying on a lonely island where she had to find her own medicine if she fell ill.

No matter how she thought about it, Jiang Yang couldn’t find any benefits to staying on this lonely island. She had even inexplicably hesitated just now, really… She tore off a piece of cloth from her clothes, about to write something, but realized she didn’t even have ink.

Of course, where would ink come from on a lonely island?

Jiang Yang sat alone by the sea, lost in thought.

Chi Mei woke up and couldn’t find Jiang Yang. He anxiously came out to look for her. Seeing Jiang Yang sitting on the reef, he immediately relaxed, swam to her feet, looked up at her, and asked: “A’Yang, why aren’t you happy?”

Jiang Yang said: “I want to find something.”

“What thing?”

“Ink.”

“Ink?” Chi Mei tilted his head: “Is that the black stuff you humans often use when writing?”

Jiang Yang nodded and sighed: “Yes, but the ship capsized, and I lost my ink. I want to write something or draw a picture, but I can’t find anything to use.”

Seeing Jiang Yang’s low spirits, Chi Mei also lowered his head. Suddenly, he raised his fair face excitedly: “A’Yang, I have an idea. Wait for me!”

With that, he quickly dove into the water. When Jiang Yang looked down, there was nothing but a splash of water.

Time passed bit by bit, and that fish still hadn’t appeared. Jiang Yang waited anxiously, pacing back and forth by the seaside.

Two hours passed, and suddenly the calm sea surface erupted with splashes. Chi Mei shook the water from his face, and in the sunlight, the water droplets on his eyelashes seemed to glow.

“A’Yang!!” He shouted, waving at her, holding up a squid as long as her forearm.

Jiang Yang looked at the squid and asked: “Why did you catch a squid? Do you want to eat grilled squid?”

The stupid fish shook his head: “Didn’t you want ink? I found some for you.”

The startled squid struggled in Chi Mei’s hands, spraying a pool of black ink into the seawater, which dispersed on the water’s surface.

He smiled lively, his eyes clearer than the seawater: “This time you definitely won’t think I’m stupid.”

Jiang Yang looked at him in the water for a long time without speaking.

Seeing Jiang Yang motionless, Chi Mei’s smile instantly faded. He cautiously swam to her feet and weakly asked: “A’Yang, did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Jiang Yang came back to her senses. “You did very well… Thank you.”

Chi Mei’s eyes, like black obsidian, were bright and lively, with the shy innocence of youth, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“Let’s go back,” Jiang Yang said.

“Okay,” Chi Mei nodded.

The two took different routes back. Chi Mei went by water, while she went by land. During this time, Jiang Yang had a lot of room to maneuver. She walked very quickly to where Angry Bird was kept, tore off a piece of cloth, dipped it in some squid ink, and quickly wrote down some basic information. She also concealed the true reason for the ship capsizing, only saying that they encountered a rogue wave. Then she tied the cloth to Angry Bird’s foot.

Angry Bird flapped its wings and quickly disappeared into the sky.

For some reason, after doing all this, Jiang Yang’s hands were slightly trembling, and she felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

She slowly walked back to the tree hollow, lifted the banyan tree’s aerial roots. The stupid fish was lying on the grass mat, his tail fin idly splashing water. As the roots were lifted, warm light shone on his face, like spring water and autumn waves. The stupid fish raised his head, his snow-white face rippling with a clean, watery smile: “A’Yang, you’re finally back. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”