There were still minimal traces of oil on the surface of the waterhole. Bai Qingqing called out to Bluepool while she scooped out the oil with a tree branch. Since the bowl had been brought home, she contained the oil using a tree leaf.
Bluepool only floated to the surface after a good while. By then, Bai Qingqing had already finished cleaning up the water surface, save for some remnant traces by the edges.
“You’re out.” Bai Qingqing expressed her delight at seeing him. “I thought you weren’t ever going to talk to me again.”
Bluepool gazed at the water surface and said, “It’s clean enough already. How long are you going to continue scooping?”
“Until you come out. I’m here to look for you,” Bai Qingqing said straightforwardly. Her voice turned meek at the sight of Bluepool’s icy expression. “Sorry, I won’t try to hook a red thread between[1] you and someone else again.”
“What red thread?” Bluepool looked around with his tail tensed up. “What are you up to this time?”
Bai Qingqing hurriedly explained, “No, no, no. It’s just an analogy. I mean, I won’t try to matchmake you with a female again.”
Bluepool’s expression eased slightly. Taking another look at her meek and subservient manner, he suddenly felt glee in his heart, and his anger completely dissipated.
But in order to obtain more benefits, Bluepool maintained his stiff expression. He blew a large bubble in the water and said with a serious countenance, “Then, come in and help me take a look at the nest.”
“You built a nest in there?” Bai Qingqing’s curiosity was aroused. She turned around and patted her cubs on their little heads. “Wait outside. And tell your Daddy when he comes later, lest he worries.”
“Meow—”
Amid the cubs’ reluctant purrs, Bai Qingqing squeezed into the bubble.
The bubble sank instantly, blocking the cold wind outside. Although she was in the water, it felt much warmer than outside.
The corners of Bluepool’s mouth twitched involuntarily as he carried the bubble and dived downwards.
This waterhole was much deeper than Bai Qingqing had imagined—it was like a gigantic well.
It was said that the water in a well was warm in the winter and chilling in the summer. Bai Qingqing placed her hand against the bubble and realized that the water inside was also warm.
“Just like the well in my hometown. It really is warm.” Bai Qingqing found this fascinating and went around touching the bubble. She gazed towards Bluepool through the faint lighting. “You live comfortably down here, unlike us. It’s cold and windy out there; the wind is so strong that it can blow someone away.”
Bluepool nodded in agreement. “It’s just a little cramped here. But there won’t be big waves like in the sea, which makes for a safer environment for a female.”
As they spoke, the body of water suddenly became wider. So it turned out there was more to this waterhole than met the eye—the top was merely the neck of the bottle, and beneath that was where the water truly was stored.
Bluepool brought Bai Qingqing inside, and the lighting immediately turned even dimmer. There was only one speck of light illuminating the nest inside.
“Wah!” Bai Qingqing let out a gasp of surprise as she pointed at the lit-up area. “That’s your nest? Where did that light come from?”
“You’re so pretty, yet you’re really not a member of the merfolk tribe.”
Bluepool sent Bai Qingqing into the nest, before entering himself. He picked up the luminous pearl embedded in the center of the nest and said, “Still remember Jean’s nest?”
“Yes, there were many glowing pearls there. But most of them weren’t as bright as yours.”
Bluepool was pleased to hear this and slapped his fishtail against the ground in joy.
“Every merman will find a pearl. After mating with a female, he will leave it in the female’s nest as proof. Since I was prepared to take you with me, of course, I must bring along my pearl.”
Bai Qingqing’s train of thought was weird—the first thing that struck her was that the number of pearls represented the number of people whom Jean had sexual relations with. And there were about a hundred of those pearls? Alright, at least it wasn’t tens of thousands of mermen!
[1] an expression which meant “matchmake”