Mrs. Jiutiao placed the glass in front of him, "Sea bartender, a whiskey cocktail."
"Actually, I'm a sea pianist," said Dubian Che, politely, "The bartender went out on a date with a mermaid, so he asked me to fill in for him. You can tell by what Meiji is drinking what the situation is now."
Mrs. Jiutiao chuckled twice and said lazily, "Okay, pianist, but before you play the piano, could you mix me a cocktail?"
"Just add some orange juice, soda water, lemonade, or any other kind of sweet liquor or beverage—as long as it's drinkable. I want to taste something mixed by someone who doesn't know anything about drinks."
"Then perhaps it can't be drunk."
"The Jiutiao Family heir in cahoots with her son-in-law to murder the Jiutiao Family Master on the Pacific Ocean?" Mrs. Kiyono said with a laugh.
"That will be tomorrow's newspaper headline!" Dubian Che began mixing the drink.
He added ingredients haphazardly based on his mood, resulting in a cocktail with a weird color.
"Mr. Dubian, no joke, I really suspect you're trying to murder me now," said Mrs. Jiutiao, looking at the drink before her.
Jiutiao Meijie chuckled at the sight of the drink, persuading her, "Mother, I think it's better you don't drink it."
Even Kiyono Lin raised his head to survey the drink.
"I told you earlier, I'm a sea pianist, not a bartender," said Dubian Che.
"Let's just try it first," Mrs. Jiutiao reached out for the glass.
"Wait a moment," Dubian Che stopped her, skewered a cherry with a toothpick and placed it on top, then tossed in a slice of mint, "Now it's ready."
"It does look quite decent," laughed Jiutiao Meijie.
The four of them watched Mrs. Jiutiao take a sip.
"How is it?" asked Mrs. Kiyono.
Mrs. Jiutiao didn't speak, she just ate the cherry on the toothpick, and then, pointing with the toothpick, she said towards the grand piano tucked in the corner:
"Sea pianist, go ahead, that's where you belong."
Jiutiao Meijie and Mrs. Kiyono burst into laughter, their giggles melodious and pleasant to hear.
Kiyono Lin, with his gaze on a book, had a slight smile bloom on his face.
"Yes, yes," Dubian Che wiped his hands and left the bar.
"Do you know how to play the piano?" Jiutiao Meijie leaned provocatively on the bar with her sleek, beautiful legs crossed.
"I have been on a ship since I was born; how could I not know how to play the piano?"
"Is there a necessary connection between the two?" Lin inquired, "Being born on a ship makes you more likely to be a sailor."
Dubian Che sat down, lifted the piano lid, and cracked his knuckles with an audible pop.
He didn't look like any pianist, but more like a rugged sailor prepared to wrestle sea monsters.
Another me, it's your turn now, go up.
[Player uses 5000 points to purchase the "Grandmaster Level · Piano" rights]
[5000 points deducted]
[Player has obtained "Grandmaster Level · Piano"]
"Someone, turn off 'Five Hundred Miles,' quickly, it's hurting my ears," Dubian Che, with the arrogance of an artist who cared little for status, pointed at the record player.
Mrs. Jiutiao was about to get up, but Jiutiao Meijie was quicker to her feet, carrying a cup of milk, her youthful and pretty legs walking her over to turn off the player.
Then she sat directly on the piano bench.
"Play then, pianist born at sea."
"Shush," Dubian Che's finger pressed on her lips.
Waiting until the world was left with only the sound of the waves and wind, Dubian Che touched the piano keys with the fingers that had just brushed Jiutiao Meijie's lips.
It was as though someone had climbed up onto the deck, then walked into the cabin—a seaweed maiden.
She found a spot to sit down, plucked at the small harp in her hands;
Then came another, a conch, its eyes surveying the cabin, removed the conch shell from its back, playing a woeful sea breeze sound;
A pack of whales with visibly impressive lung capacities came in.
They targeted the front of the ship, lined up neatly, inhaled, exhaled, and, like a choir, chanted praises to the ocean.
The number of sea creatures grew and grew, some accompanying, some dancing, and some listening intently.
The deep sea at night, all lights aglow, the yacht glittered in brilliance, as delicate as a ballroom event, as if a banquet was perpetually underway.
The beautiful piano sounds merged with the sea water, blending with the Milky Way.
The yacht leisurely sailed in the beautiful world, waiting for the tide to carry it where it was meant to go.
Dubian Che's fingers released the piano keys, leaving behind a tender reverberation in the cabin.
The yacht fell silent, the only four audience members became like mermaid statues on the seabed, silently gazing at the pianist.
"Bravo!" Mrs. Jiutiao applauded, "The worse your whiskey is, the more wondrous your piano plays."
Those immersed in the piano music just moments ago, started laughing again.
"Forget that damned whiskey; let me play another piece for you."
Dubian Che looked at Jiutiao Meijie: "Together?"
"What shall we play?" Jiutiao Meijie put down her milk cup, stretching her slender fingers.
"A Processional for Endless Dreams."
"I want to hear your oboe."
"Anytime, Meijie, my Meijie."
Their fingers pressed the piano keys.
And the concert only ended in the deep of the night. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Not just Dubian Che; everyone performed, with instruments picked up casually, the least proficient among them was at an elite level.
Certainly, there were late-night snacks, along with cocktails of various flavors.
Back in the bedroom, as soon as the door was closed, Jiutiao Meijie embraced him and offered her tongue.
Dubian Che had long been infatuated, and had thought about pressing her against the bar back in the cabin's living room, to take her from behind.
After everything was over, Jiutiao Meijie fell into a deep sleep.
Dubian Che, who never had trouble sleeping, couldn't fall asleep due to spending his first night aboard the ship.
He got out of bed quietly, donned a coat, and walked upstairs.