Chapter 1 Mermaid on the Highway

Author: A Clockwork Orange Dream

Chapter 1 Mermaid on the Highway

In the summer of 2005, Yan Jingxing returned to his hometown with his uncle.

That place is called Baiyue Town. It is backed by green mountains and faces the sea. There are ports and fishing villages on the shore. It is a typical seaside town.

Baiyue Town is not far from Jinjiang City. It takes about three and a half hours by car from the city center. There are buses and buses going there.

If he just went back there to visit relatives or take a summer vacation, he would probably feel quite happy. Occasionally he could get away from the city and enjoy the leisurely rural life, and he would have something to talk about with his classmates after returning.

Unfortunately, Yan Jingxing actually went to settle there, and his uncle had already found a school for him to transfer to. He was in a hurry when he left, and he didn't even have time to say goodbye to his middle school friends, so he couldn't help feeling a little bit resentful.

Yan Jingxing's parents live abroad all the year round and rarely see each other once every one or two years on average. Since the fourth grade of elementary school, his uncle Yan Yongzhi has been taking care of him.

This time it was due to a job transfer. Yan Yongzhi was transferred from a school in the city to a town, and he could only go with him.

…

The car was driving smoothly on the road, and the cabin was shaking slightly regularly.

The man sitting in the driver's seat held the steering wheel with a relaxed expression. Old songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan were playing on the radio, and he hummed along softly, while the warm summer breeze blew into the open car window;

The young man sitting in the passenger seat held his chin in one hand and stared boredly at the same highway scenery speeding past the window.

The silence without anyone speaking lasted for a while, and Yan Jingxing couldn't help but bring up the topic he had mentioned several times.

"Uncle, actually I told you that you can stay in the city. I can take care of myself by myself. When you worked overtime in the past, I didn't always..."

"That's temporary and different in nature. You are still a minor, how can you not be with your guardian?"

Yan Yongzhi tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, looked at the rear mirror, and comforted him casually:

"You don't have to be too sad. The city has the fun in the city, and the countryside has the scenery of the country. Baiyue Town is where your father and I grew up when we were young. In fact, there are a lot of fun things in the town."

"Really? Like what?"

"For example, let me think about it. I remember that in our time, there were markets and temple fairs during festivals in the town. I don't know if they still exist now. Because it is very close to the seaside, you can run to the shore to play at any time.

Fishing, swimming, etc.”

"What else?"

"Also, there are several islands near the town. Some of the islands are tourist attractions, and some are places for burning incense and worshiping Buddha. You can take a ferry there on weekends, and I will take you to them when I am free. I used to be with you

Your dad often sneaks onto the ship without telling the adults, and spends a whole day on the island, and once he almost couldn't come back..."

At this point, Yan Yongzhi suddenly realized that such words should not be said to children. It was a completely bad example, so he stopped talking.

"That sounds pretty good. Will uncle come with me?"

"Of course. I said, wait until I have time."

"Then when are you free?"

"Well..."

The uncle hesitated for a moment and then told the truth.

"I have just joined the job, and I will definitely be busy for a while. I haven't even prepared the lesson plan yet."

"This is not for nothing."

Yan Jingxing curled his lips, pulled down the armrest of the seat, and leaned back lazily.

"Didn't you just transfer to another school? Go get familiar with the new classmates in the class and build a good rapport with them. Also, I haven't seen you studying during this period. Don't let your grades down. You can wait until later to talk about the fun...

"

He stopped listening to his uncle's nagging. The young man sighed and retracted his body. He originally wanted to sleep all the way to his destination, but he still couldn't get sleepy. He could only hold his head and continue to stare at the scenery outside the window.

.

However, when he gradually emptied his mind, sleepiness naturally came to his mind. His upper and lower eyelids began to fight.

At the same time, there was a vague singing voice coming from afar. It was beautiful and ethereal, as clear as the lake in the mountains. It was the clear singing voice of a girl.

Dimly, he thought it was the sound coming from the radio. Yan Jingxing soon discovered that the sound was far away and near at times, and it was obviously not coming from around him.

But...singing?

This is in a car driving on the highway. Where does this singing sound come from?

Suddenly, his entire consciousness woke up, and he subconsciously widened his eyes and looked into the distance.

——What is that?

It seems to be a person...

He thought he had seen it wrong.

The scenery around the highway passed the edge of the field of vision. Next to the guardrail was a cliff, and at the bottom of the cliff was the blue sea. Waves of white waves rolled up the piles of jade, breaking into countless water foam on the dark rocks.

He grabbed his seat belt and tried to turn his head to look back.

——There is a slender figure who seems to come from the depths of the sea, sitting quietly on the huge rock.

The figure has her back against the sky, with long seaweed-like hair. The bright sunlight falls on her body, shining like gold.

She was singing an unknown ancient ballad, and her clear and sweet voice lingered over the highway.

In a sudden glance, the car had quickly driven away from its original place, and the figure on the rock disappeared from sight.

But he couldn't help but widen his eyes, feeling that this scene was unforgettable.

What a wonderful sight.

That person is simply... just like the mermaid in the fairy tale...

"Uncle, did you hear the sound just now?"

He turned around and couldn't help but ask.

"Ah? What's the sound?"

The uncle who was humming along with the music on the radio seemed not to have noticed what happened just now.

"Singing, someone is singing."

"Sing?"

Yan Yongzhi reached out and turned off the radio and listened carefully for a while.

"No, I didn't hear anything. What's wrong?"

"...Forget it, it's nothing."

He said "Forget it", but his heart was still beating uncontrollably.

The scene just now was deeply imprinted in his mind, making Yan Jingxing feel an impulse for no reason deep in his heart.

At this time, he saw a building not far ahead of the highway.

"Uncle, did I see a rest stop ahead?"

"Ah... yes. What's wrong?"

"I want to pee."

"Very urgent?"

"Well, I can't hold it in anymore."

"Okay, I'll stop here for a while."

The car slowly turned from the highway into the driveway leading to the rest stop.

"I'll go down and have a cigarette. You can go if you want."

The uncle turned off the engine and held the car door with one hand. Just as he was about to say a few words, he saw Yan Jingxing jumping out of the car eagerly and running towards the seaside.

"We'll be in town soon, don't run too far!"

"good--!"

The young man shouted in response without looking back.

"This kid..."

Yan Yongzhi lit a cigarette with a lighter and looked at his nephew's back with some confusion.

"You were tired just now, why are you so excited all of a sudden?"

*

"Huh...huh..."

As if driven by some strong premonition, he could never let his hot mind cool down.

With his thoughts in turmoil, Yan Jingxing had already left the rest stop, running freely on the hillside where weeds grew wildly on the shore.

He couldn't tell the specific direction, so he just kept moving forward with all his strength.
To be continued...