The obstetrics and gynecology department of the Military District Hospital wasn’t particularly crowded. Compared to other hospitals, it felt much quieter. Most people in the corridor had come early for fasting checkups and left once they were done. By the time Zhao Shuqing finished paying and returned upstairs, Lin Feng was the only one left.
She watched Lin Feng gazing down at her own belly, so she walked over and sat beside her. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Feng glanced at her and asked curiously, “Why did you give me this name back then?”
Zhao Shuqing paused for a moment. She remembered not wanting to pick a foreign-sounding name for Lin Feng, so she’d just thrown together two characters—something even an elementary school kid would recognize.
Double wood for Lin, free wind for Feng.
Zhao Shuqing’s intention had been to let her live as freely as the wind, but she hadn’t bothered to check a dictionary properly at the time and had slapped the name together casually. Now that Lin Feng was asking, she had no idea how to answer.
She couldn’t very well admit it was just two random characters, could she?
Lin Feng would get mad all over again.
“Because I like the surname Lin,” Zhao Shuqing said after racking her brains. “It has such a gentle feel to it. And Feng is gentle too. I wanted you to grow up into a gentle, kindhearted mermaid, so that’s the name I chose.”
Zhao Shuqing nodded to herself, thoroughly pleased. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”
Lin Feng nodded as if she got it, even though she didn’t really understand why Lin and Feng were so ‘gentle.’ Still, she knew a name usually carried some kind of hope or wish behind it.
So what should she name her two little fish?
Lin Feng fell deep into thought. That’s when she realized she was illiterate—she couldn’t come up with anything that sounded good.
“Zhao Shuqing.” Lin Feng looked at her, then took her hand and placed it on her belly. In a small voice, she said, “I have two little fish. Want one? I’ll give you one later.”
Zhao Shuqing looked at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation. She reached out with her other hand and gently rubbed Lin Feng’s cheek. “But don’t I already have three little fish?”
Lin Feng blinked. “?”
Where had these three come from?
Lin Feng realized that Zhao Shuqing’s three little fish included her own self. She couldn’t help laughing as she told her, “I can give you one, but you have to name it.” She paused to think, then added, “It has to be a nice name—like yours.”
Zhao Shuqing laughed. “You think my name is nice?”
“Yeah.” Lin Feng said, “The first time I heard it, I thought it sounded wonderful.”
That human cub had grown up by then, even taller than her, but Lin Feng still remembered exactly how Zhao Shuqing’s name had felt the first time—like being wrapped in a warm undersea current.
She wanted her own little fish to have a name like that.
Zhao Shuqing was stumped. Her naming skills weren’t much better than her emotional intelligence, and she hadn’t expected she’d be the one naming her wife’s and kids’ names one day. But with Lin Feng watching her so expectantly, she gave it serious thought before saying, “Alright. I’ll look some up later and see what sounds good. We’ll use your surname—mine’s too ordinary, not nearly as nice as yours.”
Lin Feng didn’t agree. “Your surname sounds nice too.”
Zhao Shuqing went along with it, joking, “Sure, sure. Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li—I’m right at the top.”
That settled one little fish’s name. Now for the second.
What to call it?
Lin Feng had an idea. She turned to Zhao Shuqing. “How about Lin Hotpot?”
Zhao Shuqing stared blankly. “…Huh?”
Lin Feng kept going. “Lin Milk Tea, Lin Steamed Bun, Lin Mango Pomelo Sago.”
Zhao Shuqing burst out laughing. “Then why not call it Lin When the Forest Grows Big, All Kinds of Birds Come?”
She regretted the words the instant they left her mouth. Lin Feng’s eyes lit up, and she praised it with utter sincerity. “That’s a great name!”
It really wasn’t. Thanks.
Zhao Shuqing hurriedly cut her off. “No, no—that’s way too long. Nobody names a kid something like that.”
Lin Feng protested, “Longer names are easier to remember.”
The main thing was, it really did sound good.
Lin·When·The·Forest·Grows·Big·All·Kinds·Of·Birds·Come.
Exactly nine characters.
Didn’t humans always say nine was the luckiest number? So why wouldn’t Zhao Shuqing agree?
Zhao Shuqing was starting to sweat as she argued it out with Lin Feng for what felt like forever, until she finally talked her out of the nine-character name idea.
If she’d said yes, their daughter would be climbing onto the bed in the middle of the night to curse her out every evening from here to eternity.
After seeing the doctor, Lin Feng was still muttering about names as they left the hospital. Even in the car, she pressed Zhao Shuqing. “Really can’t use it?”
Zhao Shuqing’s head throbbed. “Really can’t.”
Lin Feng felt deeply disappointed.
That had been her favorite.
She let out a sigh and turned her gaze to the window outside—only to realize they weren’t on the road home.
The scenery on either side was unfamiliar. The car wove through tall buildings and streets, sunlight spilling inside and making Lin Feng squint a little.
“Where are we headed?” Lin Feng asked curiously.
Zhao Shuqing gave her a playful, half-smiling look. “You’ll find out when we get there.”
Lin Feng was burning with curiosity, but she didn’t press. She sat obediently in the passenger seat, gazing quietly at the passing scenery.
Before long, the car pulled up at the gate of a residential complex. Zhao Shuqing exchanged a few words with the security guard, and they were waved through. Villas that looked just like bars of chocolate rose up ahead, surrounded by expanses of lush greenery and trees taller than the houses themselves.
Lin Feng practically squished her face against the window in amazement, taking in the houses and trees. Most of all, she spotted a huge lake, dotted with wild ducks.
“Water,” Lin Feng said, pointing out the window to Zhao Shuqing. “It’s a lake.”
By now, Lin Feng could tell the difference between a lake and the sea. They were both water, after all—just big versus small.
Zhao Shuqing murmured an acknowledgment and parked the car in front of a villa right by the lake.
Lin Feng watched wide-eyed as Zhao Shuqing got out, came around to the passenger side, and opened the door for her with exaggerated courtesy. “Come on out. Take a look at our new house.”
This villa was the only standalone one in the whole complex right on the lake, with a patch of waterfront that residents could tend themselves. The lakeside was planted with lotuses, though winter had left only a few withered stalks poking out here and there. Zhao Shuqing explained to Lin Feng that come summer, the surface would be covered in blooms.
“The property management handles pest control pretty well,” Zhao Shuqing said as they walked. “But since it’s by the lake, we’ll need extra gear to keep bugs and ants away. Even if you can’t go into the lake itself, you can still enjoy the view. And we’ll dig a swimming pool in the yard—you can soak whenever you want.”
She glanced back and saw Lin Feng crouched by the lake’s edge, peering into the water.
“What are you looking at?” Zhao Shuqing walked over and pulled her to her feet. “The doctor told you no squatting. It’s not good for the little fish.”
Lin Feng gave her a look. “There are fish in the lake.”
Zhao Shuqing peered closer and sure enough, saw several fat, oversized koi gliding through the water. They must have mistaken Lin Feng for a property staffer coming to feed them, because they all swam right up, mouths opening to spit bubbles.
“The ecosystem here’s really nice,” Zhao Shuqing said with a smile. “Let’s go check out the house. If you like it, we’ll move in.”
“You just called it our home, didn’t you?” Lin Feng asked her. “Did you buy it?”
“I put down a deposit. If you don’t like it, we can get a refund and look at something else.”
“First, I want to check if there’s a basement.”
Zhao Shuqing had the keys. They toured the place together. The lighting was excellent, and the renovations looked fresh—the previous owners had apparently moved abroad, leaving it vacant. The agent had recommended it first thing when they said they wanted a villa.
Lin Feng wandered around, sniffing here and there, a vague sense that something wasn’t quite right nagging at her.
“What’s up?” Zhao Shuqing noticed her odd movements and came over. “Don’t you like it somewhere? We can check out other floor plans if not.”
“No, I really like the house. It’s just…” Lin Feng glanced around the rooms and leaned in close to Zhao Shuqing. “There’s a mermaid scent. The last owner must have been a mermaid.”
Zhao Shuqing hadn’t seen that coming. She eyed the house with a sudden chill. “Then let’s find another one.”
Mermaids selling off and fleeing the place didn’t exactly feel like a good omen.
But Lin Feng liked it here—a lot.
“If you like it… then we’ll take it,” Zhao Shuqing said. She’d been partial to the place herself from the start, and with Lin Feng on board too, she saw no reason not to. She’d find time in the next couple days to sign the contract with the agent, handle the paperwork, and move in as soon as possible.
With all that taken care of, Zhao Shuqing’s phone rang. It was Yue Jiuchu.
“Madam’s not doing great today,” Yue Jiuchu said with a sigh. “She hasn’t eaten all day and doesn’t want treatment. Is Lin Feng free? The Committee Member wants her to come by and keep Madam company.”
Zhao Shuqing glanced at Lin Feng. She remembered that Chen Huijun had arranged the hospital for them, so it was no trouble for Lin Feng to pay a visit.
After hanging up, Zhao Shuqing walked over and relayed the phone call.
“Do you want to go see her today?” Zhao Shuqing asked, checking Lin Feng’s preference.
The moment Lin Feng heard Ye Gui was refusing treatment again, worry creased her brow. “Yeah, let’s go. I have a bunch of questions for her anyway. We can head over now? I’ll pick up some stuff on the way—maybe she’ll like it.”
On the drive, Lin Feng insisted on milk tea and had her buy two cups. There was a roadside vendor selling roasted sweet potatoes and candied chestnuts, so she stocked up on those too.
She paid using Zhao Shuqing’s phone.
Armed with gifts, Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng arrived at Ye Gui’s home.
“These are candied chestnuts—super sweet. And roasted sweet potato.” Lin Feng sat by the cage and stuffed a handful into Ye Gui’s palms. She pulled out the milk tea too. “This is the milk tea I got you. Full sugar—super sweet.”
Ye Gui’s hands were suddenly overflowing. Without a free one to take the drink, she gave a wry smile and told Lin Feng to set it by the cage—she’d grab it if she wanted some.
“Been to the hospital?” Ye Gui asked, eyeing Lin Feng’s belly. “How’s the baby?”
“Everything’s great. Dr. Luo even said I’m taking good care of things.” Lin Feng waved Zhao Shuqing over and had her fetch the little bag she used for checkups. She pulled out today’s results and slipped them through the cage bars. “Look—both little fish are perfectly healthy.”
Lin Feng noticed the envy in Ye Gui’s eyes as she pored over the report. “Ye Gui,” she said, “once the little fish are born, I’ll give you one.”
Zhao Shuqing: “?”
What was with this fish—offering one to everyone she met?
