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墨書 Inktalez
I opened my phone, and two hours later, the recorder came to life with Liu An's voice.
"Xiao Lan, Xu Lu didn't have a miscarriage at all. I went there for nothing."
The Mermaid's delicate voice chimed in, "I don't care, Brother An! If I stay on land too long, I'll really die! Don't you want me to be able to stay with you forever? The one in Xu Lu's belly is a great tonic; you must get it for me!"
"Can't I just get you another child instead?"
"No way, no way! I want the one in Xu Lu's belly!"
"Alright, I'll think of something..."
Every word from Liu An made me feel nauseous, and I ended up throwing up.
For the sake of that so-called "great tonic," Liu An was willing to harm his own flesh and blood.
I hadn't planned to do anything to them, but now that they were malicious enough to threaten my child, I couldn't let this pair of scoundrels off the hook.
To prevent Liu An from taking any further action against me, I called my mother-in-law over.
Liu An had been raised by Mother Liu since childhood; he was extremely filial and even a bit of a mama's boy.
Mother Liu herself was the original wife whose family had been destroyed by a mistress, and she loathed mistresses with a passion.
Now that Mother Liu was coming over, she would be the biggest obstacle in Liu An and the Mermaid's tragic love story.
Mother Liu took a night flight to see me and brought along a bunch of health supplements.
I threw myself into Mother Liu's arms, crying as I recounted everything that had happened. Mother Liu was furious.
"I must have done something terrible in my past life to end up with this pair of scoundrel father and son!"
Mother Liu bit her teeth together, making a clicking sound, and suddenly stood up, heading straight for the address I had given her.
I wiped my tears away, took the popcorn from my assistant, and eagerly calculated the time before turning on the recorder.
The sounds inside were chaotic.
There were shouts of anger, voices arguing, a woman's cries, and the sound of glass shattering.
Mother Liu's words came out in a rapid-fire manner, leaving Liu An speechless.
"What a fine house you've turned into a mess! If you love the wild so much, why not just go live in a zoo?"
"Liu An, have you been blinded by horse piss? You abandon your wife and child for this enchantress? She looks somewhat human, but what she does is anything but human!"
"Your father may be immoral, but at least he had better taste; he chose someone who was human. You, on the other hand, have lost your mind and gone after a fish that can't even bear children! Even I know about species isolation—have you drowned your brain?"
"Stop crying like a dead fish! What are you doing here moaning? It's bad luck; shut your mouth!"
A loud slap echoed through the air.
Then the Mermaid's cries abruptly ceased.
I listened with delight; Mother Liu's strict persona suddenly became much more endearing.
Thank you, Mother Liu, my mouthpiece.
A splash sounded from the recorder.
Just as I wondered what it was, I heard Mother Liu's roar: "A man should kneel only for gold! Liu An, how shameless can you be to kneel so easily for a fish!"
The voice of Liu An, tinged with tears, came from the recorder.
“Mom, Xiao Lan gave up everything to follow me to live on land. Her sincerity is as clear as day.”
Liu An seized the moment and began to ramble about how hard it was for the Mermaid.
How she used to bask in the sun in the sea, but now was trapped in a tiny house, too afraid to go outside;
How she could once catch fresh fish and shrimp at will, but now, because Liu An was busy with work and had no time to buy them, she could only settle for frozen food;
How her parents and siblings were still in the sea, and she had abandoned everything recklessly to come to this unfamiliar environment for love...
Mother Liu fell silent, likely shaken by the revelations of these two.
I too remained quiet.
Because I thought of my former self.
The Mermaid felt wronged living in a spacious apartment, but I had once squeezed into a dark, sunless basement with him, where rats scurried over our heads and drunken men banged on the door at night. I was so scared I couldn’t sleep, yet I had to comfort the despondent Liu An.
The Mermaid felt wronged eating frozen fish, but I had once hesitated to drink even a bowl of instant noodle soup. A single steamed bun with plain water could last me several meals. I once found a half-eaten burger discarded at a KFC and took it home for Liu An.
The Mermaid felt wronged leaving the sea and her kin, but fish never understood familial bonds. Meanwhile, I had left my hometown to struggle in the big city with Liu An. When my father passed away, I couldn’t even afford a train ticket to see him one last time.
I had been so foolish, giving my all to a man who was less than an animal. In return, others schemed to take away my child in the name of so-called true love.
The baby inside me kicked, bringing me back to reality.
The recorder continued to play on.
Liu An's words were impatiently interrupted by Mother Liu.
"If you still recognize me as your mother, then go back and seek Lulu's forgiveness. Live your life well. Otherwise, if you continue to be so stubborn, I will sever our mother-son relationship right now!"
I perked up, eager to hear Liu An's response.
I wanted to see whether he would choose his mother or the Mermaid.
I leaned closer to the phone, but there was no sound for a long time.
Suddenly, the phone screen went black.
At this critical moment, the recorder had run out of battery.
I clicked my tongue, realizing I wouldn't get to see the main event unfold.
That night, I dreamed of Mother Liu.
She had a pair of pure white wings sprouting from her back and gently stroked my face, urging me to take care of myself.
I reached out to grab her, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hold on...
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