Chapter 13: 12

Chapter 12

Your Family?

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

 

Bai Yao would rather not waste time explaining, and leaves his phone on the coffee table. He turns around on his hammock; he didn’t sleep that well, so time to make it up.

The breeze from earlier this morning has already stopped, and it’s quite quiet around the garden save for the cicadas on the trees by the side of the road. The seaside really is good for a retiree’s life. Bai Yao has lived here for five years now, though when late at night, when the only thing he can hear is the waves clashing against the sands, he’d imagine what his life would look like if he lived in the city.

He’d definitely stop at imagination, though, because he’s certain he would not like the hustle and bustle. He’d probably continue to live in Qiaohai for most of his life, or perhaps, his entire life.

Bai Yao is about to fall asleep when he hears a little sigh.

He turns his head to see the little sea otter lying on the ground, poking his tongue out a little. He looks enervated, and his fur tired and drooping. He is just lying there, like a small puddle of melted grey ice cream.

The temperature doesn’t get too hot by the ocean, especially when there is a breeze. When there isn’t, though, and the sun is shining bright, then it gets more stuffy.

Bai Yao realises something.

The summer days are too hot for the little sea otter and his thick fur that helps him keep warm in the cold waters up north. He isn’t suited to living on land.

He needs to cool off in the waters.

The restaurant doesn’t have air-conditioning, and he usually just opens the door to let the breeze in, which means it won’t help the little sea otter even if he’s inside when there’s no breeze. Bai Yao is worried he might get sick.

Sea otters are waterborne, so he should let him stay in water. Not in his bathtub, though.

He should probably get one of those inflatable pools and let him swim in there. He can even put some ice inside if it gets too hot. Bai Yao immediately gets to action, and looks for inflatable pools on his phone.

There are lots of designs and colours. Blue, pink, transparent, all filled with cartoon characters and whatnot. Bai Yao fails to find any that looks more mature than childish; inflatable pools are generally toys for children, so it can’t be helped.

It’d ruin the scenery if he puts one in his garden… Though, when he sees the little sea otter lying flat on the ground, trying and failing to cool himself off, he relents.

The little sea otter, meanwhile, turns to look at Bai Yao, and squeaks, like he’s complaining about the heat.

Tch. High maintenance, isn’t he.

Finally, Bai Yao decides to settle on a deep blue, square inflatable pool that has little yellow ducks. Delivery will come tomorrow, and Bai Yao decides to tell customers that it’s for washing carpets if anyone asks.

After all is said and done, it’s already time Bai Yao prepared lunch. His little nap didn’t happen, unfortunately, and he rolls over, and tells the little sea otter, go back inside. It’s too hot here.”

As expected, when he’s at the kitchen, he can hear the webbed feet stepping on the ground behind him. The little sea otter slowly saunters his way after Bai Yao, and lies down not far from him, nodding off with his eyes closed.

The restaurant is getting a little stuffy as well, so Bai Yao opens the windows facing the ocean. The breeze has picked up a little, and the white curtains sway gently with the wind. It smells like fresh sea salt.

The window has a perfect view of the coastline, and Bai Yao’s restaurant is like the last row in the cinema, that has the most encompassing view of the entire beach and coast.

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There is a group of sea otters on the beach today, sunbathing or smoothing their own fur. Bai Yao observes them for a while, and concludes they behave exactly the same as his little sea otter here.

Amused, he looks behind him, only to see his sea otter also observing the sea otters outside. His expression seems rather complicated though.

Bai Yao raises his chin towards the beach, and teases him, asking, “your family?”

It’s 100% a joke. Sentient beastkin are not related to wild animals at all. They’ve mostly abandoned living in their original animal forms in the modern world, and instead live like humans and spend their days in cities or other human settlements.

Bai Yao himself is a sentient snow leopard, but he’s only seen other snow leopards in the zoo. He remembers that he thought he was much more handsome as a snow leopard than it.

The little sea otter tilts his head at the question, before walking over to Bai Yao’s legs, and pats his shoe with his paw. He then shakes his head with this sombre expression, before making this grey paw marking pressing onto the bottom of his pants.

Bai Yao “?”

Bai Yao has to finish his own lunch before getting to prep work for today. He makes two fried salmon with lemon and mushroom hummus, then prepares an additional plate of fresh scallops for the little sea otter.

He first cleans the salmon and then absorbs the moisture with a paper towel. Then he adds pepper, salt and butter, before squeezing half a lemon’s worth of juice onto it and setting it to cook for 20 minutes in the oven. He has also set some rosemary around the salmon. This is simple but also delicious.

This is one of Bai Yao’s favourite dishes, and is also featured on his menu. It’s quick, and also surprisingly tasty.

Before it’s even done, there is also an alluring aroma coming from the kitchen. The melted butter and the sweet and fresh rosemary are mixed together, and the whole restaurant now smells homely and warm.

The little sea otter, previously napping outside the kitchen, slowly wobbles inside and eyes the salmon fillets sizzling in the oven with hungry eyes.

After staring at it for quite some time, he looks back at Bai Yao. He’s basically a little puppy asking its owner for food.

When the salmon is done, Bai Yao takes it out. He puts his own portion back in to keep warm, while leaving the other on the counter to cool it off a little.

When he’s also done with the mushroom, hummus and cleaned the scallops, the salmon has cooled just enough to eat.

“Want some?” Bai Yao lifts the dish off the counter, and pokes the little sea otter’s soft buttocks with his shoe.

The little sea otter excitedly nods, his whiskers shaking, his paws holding outwards in front of his chest. He quietly waits for Bai Yao to feed him.

Bai Yao smirks, and decides to lift the dish over his head, saying, “you can have it if you turn into human.”

He thinks, and adds, “or you won’t have it. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

The little sea otter shrinks, and his whiskers droop. He rubs his paws together as he turns around, saddened but resolute, with ‘I’d rather starve to death’ written over his back.

Then he heads for the kitchen door with his head hanging low and his tail unenergetically flopping behind him. He looks like he’s determined to make do himself, though his steps are small and slow.

Oho? Little tough guy, huh.

Bai Yao, amused, goes after the little sea otter, then puts the dish down in front of him. When he gets up, he gives his soft, fuzzy head a ruffle.

“Alright, alright… Here you go.”

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