Chapter 34: 30

Chapter 30

Mu'er Making Money

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

 

Mu Mu’er becomes drowsy when he’s home, yawning as he watches Bai Yao unpack groceries while sitting on a stool.

He hasn’t been anywhere as lively in the past, and he was so excitedly looking at anything and everything. He’s mentally spent.

Bai Yao tells him to go sleep upstairs. He’s eaten snacks already, so he’s probably not hungry now. He can probably last until dinner.

There are still many snacks leftover that Bai Yao bought on the table next to the stool. Mu Mu’er walks a few steps towards the stairs, but then turns back around and looks longingly at his snacks. Are they going to be gone when he wakes up?

Bai Yao almost wants to laugh. The little sea otter must have been one greedy cat, even swallowing fish bones whole than spitting them out.

“I’ll keep them for Mu’er. They are still Mu’er’s snacks when you wake up.”

So Mu Mu’er remains, to watch that his snacks are placed securely and firmly, before finally going off to sleep.

He’s so sleepy his steps are wobbling on the stairs. Bai Yao is worried, so he walks over to help him up.

On the second floor, Mu Mu’er heads for the storeroom instead of Bai Yao’s room. While they slept together last night, he still appears to believe it is better he slept in that storeroom than the big bed.

Bai Yao gave him the space in the storeroom. It isn’t the most comfortable, but it is now Mu Mu’er’s place in his mind.

He doesn’t ask for a lot. Somewhere he can sleep soundly, with soft, soft blankets, and he is happy.

Bai Yao, though calls out to him, “Mu’er, you don’t have to sleep there. You can sleep in my room.”

Mu Mu’er takes some time to process what he spoke, then, he glows like flowers blossoming, and he walks with a spring in his step into Bai Yao’s bedroom.

Bai Yao follows behind, chuckling, and watching Mu Mu’er roll around on the bed from the door. He rolls himself into the blanket, and snuggles up to the pillow.

The bed smells of citrus and lemon, like Bai Yao, and Mu Mu’er likes it very much.

Bai Yao pulls the blanket up for the boy, and pulls the curtains so that the room dims.

It’s already 3 in the afternoon now, but the midday heat remains. Bai Yao gives it a thought, then goes to turn on the fan for Mu Mu’er, on the lowest setting.

After that, he sees Mu’er with his eyes still open, so he puts his hand on his forehead, and slowly slides it across his face. It’s nap time.

Though as soon as his hand moves away, Mu Mu’er opens his eyes again, and looks expectantly at Bai Yao, shuffling to the side a little, asking, “Yaoyao also come to sleep?”

Bai Yao shakes his head a little, “Mu’er, good night.”

Never mind that he doesn’t have a habit of taking afternoon naps, but he’s less than an hour away from opening the restaurant; he still has things to unpack.

Bai Yao turns to leave, but Mu Mu’er is dragging him by the hand. Tightly. He doesn’t want to let go.

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“I want to sleep with Yaoyao,” Mu Mu’er says meekly, not looking Bai Yao in the eye either, “like, like that night.”

He pats on the bed again, shuffling to the side a little more for space.

Cute. Bai Yao brushes his hand past Mu’er’s nose, and gently tells him, “but Yaoyao has to go make money, so that I have money to buy big, big scallops for Mu’er.”

Mu Mu’er doesn’t know what ‘making money’ entails, but he knows Bai Yao is always busy. Like today, too busy to sleep together with him. He can’t help but worry.

Well, he’s also worried about scallops. Can he not eat scallops, so that he can sleep with Yaoyao? But food is very important.

He does not let Bai Yao’s hand go, and falls into thought. Suddenly, he has an idea, and suddenly shoots up from the bed like a spooked mummy, almost scaring Bai Yao.

“Mu’er is not going to sleep! Mu’er is going to help make, make money!”

He also nods firmly, to indicate to Bai Yao that he can help.

Bai Yao wants to laugh, but holds it back so he doesn’t discourage or wound the little boy. He nods as solemnly as possible, “yes, but Mu’er wants to sleep now.”

Mu Mu’er is definitely sleepy. He may have sat up to proclaim his intention to help, but his eyes have other ideas. The eyelids are closing, and he is trying to hold back yawns.

“Mu’er is helping me make money by sleeping.”

Bai Yao is about to come up with more excuses about why he can’t sleep together right now, but the little boy has already closed his eyes. Bai Yao smiles, and carefully lowers Mu Mu’er back down, then pulls up the blanket, and turns off the lights.

Mu Mu’er does not wake up until after the restaurant is closed. Bai Yao has finished cleaning, cooking, and comes upstairs to call him to eat, only to find one snoring little sea otter, unchanged since he left.

Mu Mu’er is so deeply asleep that Bai Yao’s footsteps fail to wake him up either.

So he pushes Mu Mu’er on the shoulder lightly, about to call his name, when the boy suddenly spooks awake, and seems wholly lost. He squeaks, then immediately turns back into his animal form with a comical ‘pop.’ His clothes collapse a little as a flat sea otter lies nervously on the bed.

Bai Yao “…?”

Huh. The little scaredy cat’s zodiac sign must have been the rat after all.

He digs through the blanket and articles of clothing to retrieve Mu Mu’er. The man and sea otter look each other in the eye, locked in a standoff.

A while later, Bai Yao opens his mouth first, “… change back.”

Mu Mu’er lies flat on the bed, until finally, Bai Yao’s stare works its magic, and the sea otter mumbles, twitches his whiskers, and turns back human.

His hair is a mess, with  poking out here and there. The soft hair has become puffy, and he still looks dumbfounded and sleepy.

“Good morning, Yaoyao.”

It’s ten past nine right now. The sky outside is completely dark.

Bai Yao wants to laugh, but clears his throat to conceal it. He greets him back, “good morning to you too, Mu’er.”

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