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

The place is called Baiyue Town, which is a typical seaside town with a green hill in its back, facing the sea, and a port and a fishing village on the shore.

Baiyue Town is not far from Jinjiang City. The drive from the city centre takes about three and a half hours, with buses and coaches running back and forth.

If he just goes back there to visit relatives or escape the summer, he will probably feel quite happy, occasionally away from the city, enjoy a leisurely country life, and can have some conversation to share with his classmates when he returns.

It's a pity that Yan Jingxing actually went to settle over there, and his uncle had already found the school he transferred to for him, and 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 inevitably complained a little in his heart.

Yan Jingxing's parents live abroad all the year round, and they don't see each other once a year or two on average, and since the fourth grade of primary school, it has always been his uncle Yan Yongzhi who has taken him to live.

This time it was a job transfer, Yan Yongzhi was transferred from the city school to the town, and he could only follow along.

……

The car drove smoothly on the road, and the interior of the cabin shook slightly at regular intervals.

The man in the driver's seat held the steering wheel and looked relaxed. The old songs of RTHK were playing on the radio, and he hummed them softly and out of tune, and the warm breeze of summer was "whirring" into the open car window;

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

The silence of no one speaking lasted for a while, but Yan Jingxing couldn't help but bring up the topic he had said several times.

"Uncle, in fact, I said a long time ago that you can stay in the city. I can take care of myself alone, and when you used to work overtime, I didn't ...... everything."

"It was temporary, different in nature. You are still a minor, how can you not be with a guardian? ”

Yan Yongzhi's fingers tapped on the steering wheel, and while looking at the rear mirror, he casually comforted:

"You don't have to be too sad, there is fun in the city and scenery in the countryside. White Moon Town is where you and your dad grew up when we were kids, and there are actually a lot of fun things in the town. ”

"Really? For example? ”

"For example, if I think about it, I remember that when we were in the town, there would be markets and temple fairs during festivals, and now I don't know if there are any more. Because it is very close to the sea, you can run to the shore at any time to play, fish, swim and so on. ”

"What else?"

"Also, there are a few islands near the town. Some islands are tourist attractions, while others are places to burn incense and worship Buddha. You can take the ferry over on the weekend and take you around when I'm free. In the past, your father and I used to sneak on the ship without telling the adults, and we went to the island for a day to play, and once we almost couldn't come back......"

Speaking of this, Yan Yongzhi suddenly realized that this kind of thing should not be said to children, it was a completely bad example, so he stopped talking.

"Sounds pretty good. Will my uncle come with me? ”

"Of course. I said, when I'm free. ”

"When are you free?"

"Well...... this"

Uncle hesitated, but still told the truth.

"I've just joined the company, so I'm definitely busy for a while, and the lesson plans aren't ready yet."

"It's not for nothing."

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

"Didn't you just transfer schools, go get acquainted with the new classmates and get on good terms with them. In addition, I haven't seen how you study during this time, don't pull down your grades, you can talk about playing later......"

He didn't listen to his uncle's babbling anymore. The boy sighed and retracted. He wanted to sleep all the way to his destination, but he couldn't get up sleepy, so he could only hold his head and continue to stare at the scenery outside the window.

However, as he gradually cleared his mind, drowsiness naturally came to his mind. His upper and lower eyelids began to fight.

At the same time, there was also an ethereal singing voice faintly coming from afar. Graceful and ethereal, as clear as a lake in the mountains, it is a beautiful singing voice that belongs to a girl.

In a hazy moment, he thought it was a voice coming from the radio. Yan Jingxing soon discovered that the voice was sometimes far and near, and it was obviously not from his side.

But...... Song?

This is in a car driving on the highway, where does the song come from?

Suddenly, his whole consciousness came to his senses, and he subconsciously widened his eyes and looked into the distance.

- What's that?

It seems to be a person......

He thought he was mistaken.

The scenery around the highway skimmed the edge of the view. Next to the guardrail is a mountain cliff, and at the bottom of the cliff is the blue sea, and bursts of white waves roll up piles of jade, and crush into countless water foams on the dark mountain rocks.

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

- A slender figure from the depths of the ocean sat quietly on a huge reef.

The figure had its back to the sky, its hair long like seaweed, and the bright sunlight fell on her body, shining like broken gold.

She was singing an unknown old song, her clear voice lingering over the highway.

In a flash, the car had quickly driven away from its original place, and the figure on the reef disappeared from view.

But his eyes widened, and he felt that this scene was unforgettable.

It's an amazing sight.

That person, it's ...... It's like a mermaid in a fairy tale......

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

He turned around and couldn't help but ask.

"Huh? What was that? ”

My uncle, who was humming along to the music on the radio, didn't seem to notice what had just happened.

"Singing, someone is singing."

"Singing?"

Yan Yongzhi stretched out his hand to turn off the radio and listened carefully for a while.

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

“…… Forget it, nothing. ”

He said "forget it", but his heart was still pounding uncontrollably.

The scene just now was deeply imprinted in his mind, making Yan Jingxing's heart swell with an impulse for no reason.

At this time, he saw a building not far in front of the road.

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

"Ah...... Yes. What's wrong? ”

"I want to pee."

"In a hurry?"

"Well, I can't hold it back."

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

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

"I'll go down and smoke a cigarette, and you can go if you want."

The uncle turned off the engine, held the car door with one hand, and was about to say a few words, when he saw that Yan Jingxing couldn't wait to jump out of the car and run in the direction of the sea.

"It's going to be town soon, don't go too far!"

"Good ——!"

The boy 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 doubts.

"I was wilting just now, why did I suddenly get excited?"

*

"Whew...... Whew......"

As if driven by some kind of strong premonition, he was never able to cool his hot mind.

In the confusion of thoughts, Yan Jingxing had already left the rest station, spread his hands and feet, and ran on the slope of the mountain where the weeds were growing wildly on the shore.

He couldn't tell the exact direction, but he just pushed forward.

The fresh smell of the plants and trees mixed with the saltiness of the sea breeze on the cheeks; Beneath your feet is the soft soil, like a huge, thick carpet that stretches forward endlessly.

The sun hanging high above his head sprinkled its blazing brilliance without hesitation, falling on his hair and shoulders, and Yan Jingxing, who was running, felt a feeling of dizziness while feeling hot all over his body.

After a while, he felt exhausted, and sweat ran down his forehead.

After a few minutes, the young man's pace slowed down, and finally, he was so tired that he held his knees and gasped for air.

Yan Jingxing took a deep breath and turned his head away, and the rest stop was naturally completely invisible.

Next to it is a winding road built against the mountain, and from time to time there are cars speeding by.

"What the hell am I doing......

In fact, the glance just now was not enough for him to determine the exact location of the "mermaid" and the reef where she was.

With the speed of the car, perhaps the distance between her and herself is farther than expected.

He straightened up, put his hand on his forehead and built a shed, and walked to the edge of the cliff to look into the distance:

Snake-like roads, towering mountains, and the sea stretching as far as the eye can see.

At the end of the horizon is the scene of "sea and sky", and at the intersection of it, there is a vast white.

And beyond that, nothing.

The sound of the tide was endless, and the snow-white waves continued to roll onto the shore, leaving wet marks on the muddy shore.

Yan Jingxing put down his hand and sighed.

"It's better to go back, or you'll be scolded."

He was about to go back, but just then—

"Tick, tick, tick......"

He heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him, and the sound of water dripping.

Yan Jingxing turned his head sharply and saw that a young girl was standing behind him at some point, and he didn't notice her approach just now.

He was a little taken aback.

She looked like she had just climbed out of the sea, her body was slender and thin wrapped under her dark blue one-piece swimsuit, and her wet hair was as long as seaweed, falling down to her waist, and her hair was slightly curled.

The bangs on the girl's forehead were just as powerful, long enough to cover her eyes. Despite this, Yan Jingxing could still feel that the other party's gaze was glaring at him vigorously through the cover of his hair.

This person...... It's what I just saw...... That figure?

Although there was no corroboration, Yan Jingxing had already believed his judgment.

He couldn't help but swallow.

Compared to the wonderful excitement from the bottom of his heart when he heard the singing in the car before, he suddenly felt a little scared now, and even the sunlight falling on his body at the moment was not so warm.

Why didn't she say a word?

Yan Jingxing confronted her, looking at her without saying a word in a daze, and only felt uncomfortable.

Why are you staring at me like that?

Won't it ...... She's not a mermaid at all, but a drowned ghost who crawls ashore to find revenge, right?

No, there are also youkai who attract people by singing songs, but cause sailors to run aground and shipwreck, and it is said that they look like mermaids, so what kind of mythical creatures are they......

Yan Jingxing's mind was full of cranky thoughts, and he couldn't help but take a step back.

"You...... So, may I ask you ......? ”

He plucked up his courage and stammered to ask.

The girl in the bathing suit did not answer him.

Cold droplets of water continued to slide down the other's hair and body, and the wet marks on the ground gradually spread.

At this time, she finally noticed that it was inconvenient to observe like this, so she used her fingers to pry her hair, so that Yan Jingxing could see her face clearly.

I don't know if it's because after soaking in the water for a long time, the girl's skin is blue and white. But......

It's so good-looking, he thought.

It's like a white and glowing actress in a TV commercial, but now a real person appears in front of her.

Compared with the people on the screen, her face is obviously a little childish, and she looks close to his age.

The girl's eyes reflected her like inky crystal balls, and her thin lips were bloodless and trembling slightly.

Yan Jingxing couldn't help but swallow his saliva again.

For some reason, after seeing the other party's face, his emotions seemed to be ...... I became more nervous.

At this moment, the corners of the girl's lips suddenly rose in a brilliant arc, and a big smile appeared to him.

Then, she ran towards herself.

"Wait, wait......"

Before he could react, the other party had already come up to him, grabbed his hand, and at the same time forcefully shoved something into his palm.

"It's ......"

Yan Jingxing was taken aback and hurriedly spread out his hand.

In the palm of my hand lay a few shells and pebbles, all of which were beautifully colored or patterned.

"Gifts."

The girl spoke. Her voice was like a tinkling of spring water, and her timbre was exactly the same as the clear and beautiful singing voice she heard in the car just now, which made Yan Jingxing believe that the other party was the "mermaid" on the reef she saw.

"Gifts?"

He realized that he could do nothing but repeat what the other person had said.

"Hmm. I brought it from the sea. ”

"Y-You're a mermaid?"

"No, that ......"

The long-haired girl seemed to remember something and replied to him with a smile.

"It's a green-haired monster."

"Huh?"

"Sooner or later, a monster will climb ashore from the depths of the sea."

“……”

Uh, what does that mean? Yan Jingxing was confused.

"By the way, are you a tourist? Where to go? Are you going to White Moon Town? Just passing through? Want to settle there? ”

She didn't mean to explain at all, and asked a barrage of questions like a cannon.

"Yes, yes, I'm going to White Moon Town......"

"That's great, that's great. The town of White Moon is a beautiful place, although there is nothing special about it...... Well, that's it, you can take this shell with you as a souvenir of your trip. ”

Yan Jingxing couldn't understand her words at all, but the other party was already ready to leave at this time.

The girl turned, and her wet hair flicked into a droplet of water, glistening in the sun. She strode toward the sea.

"Wait, wait—"

He didn't have time to call out to her, only to see her flip over the reef with a few sharp jumps, and—

“……！”

And so she jumped off the edge of the cliff.

Yan Jingxing hurriedly ran over, grabbed the stone next to him as a support, and cautiously leaned out and looked down.

I saw a figure emerge from the water and swim forward. The slender figure was as nimble as a real fish, and in a moment it disappeared into the waves like flying flowers and jade.

Yan Jingxing stood on the edge of the cliff, standing in a daze, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. After a long while, he remembered that his uncle was still waiting for him at the rest station, and secretly screamed that it was not good, and hurriedly ran back along the same road.

It's just that the mermaid who sat on the cliff and sang a ballad had already left an extremely vivid impression on his heart, and her figure was like a storm that swept the heart of a fourteen-year-old boy.

- This is the first time he met a girl named Ji Chunzao.

At that time, he didn't expect that the second encounter between the two would come so quickly and so suddenly.