Let Me Ruffle Your Fur a Little

Chapter 67.1

Happy with You by My Side

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

The tourist season has ended, and there have been far fewer customers, with students almost entirely gone. The main bulk of the business has moved to the weekends.

Today is Saturday, and there will be a few more customers than average.

Bai Yao is doing his prep work in the kitchen for tonight. It’s about three hours before the restaurant opens, and he is taking his time washing the fresh catches of the day and putting them onto plates for later.

Some time later, he decides to check on Mu Mu’er, as the little sea otter has been doing his own thing for a while.

With the weather cooling noticeably, short sleeves have gone out of fashion. Bai Yao opens the window and leans outside, finding Mu Mu’er currently sitting on the hammock in the garden, spacing out.

There is a light fog over the ocean, which itself is dyed a deep blue, darker in colour than the opal green that is the main colour of the aestival sea. Waves are rather gentle today, producing few white foams. The air is slightly salty as usual, but there is also the added scent of the ripening foliage coming from the town.

Mu Mu’er is sitting on the hammock quietly, his beloved phone and seashells not by his side. He’s looking fixedly at the wind chime swaying in the corner of the veranda. He could be deep in thought about something.

It seems that, since Mu Yi went back to the city, Mu Mu’er has become a little more reserved, or possibly fright. He’d pay even closer attention to Bai Yao’s reaction whenever he does something.

Bai Yao knows he’s still worried he might send him away, abandoning him.

Before the incident with Mu Yi, Mu Mu’er has become comfortable enough to pull little schemes, like playing with the phone in secret while Bai Yao isn’t looking, or taking extra pieces of snacks and hiding them to eat later while Bai Yao is showering or otherwise occupied.

Not anymore, though. He’s become a beacon of virtue. If Bai Yao looks at all stern, Mu Mu’er will start drooping his head and reflecting on his actions. Did he forget to brush his teeth? Did he forget to put his seashells away?

He’s apparently convinced if he was even more of a good boy, Bai Yao would never try to send him away again.

Honestly, this is just as hard on Bai Yao as well. That said, he hasn’t a good idea of what he could say or do to convince Mu Mu’er that he will never leave him again, unless it is Mu’er who wants to go visit Mu Yi by his own initiative.

Bai Yao remains inside, chopping jelly ears into little morsels while keeping a close eye on Mu Mu’er. The boy looks more and more pitiful in his eyes.

Actually, the boy also looks terribly tedious, that he might just sit there and eventually sprout mushrooms – shimeji, perhaps – from his head.

A little while later, unable to bear seeing him like so anymore, he raises his voice, calling out to Mu Mu’er, “Mu’er, do you want to come help Yaoyao out?”

Mu Mu’er appears far more enthusiastic than Bai Yao thought he’d be. He immediately leaps and bolts for the kitchen – with such haste that Bai Yao almost feared his legs would fail him and he might tumble over.

“Help!” Rushing into the kitchen, Mu Mu’er moves right next to Bai Yao, sticking close to him, “what can Mu’er help?”

The boy looks far more energetic than before, and is cute like a little puppy, making Bai Yao want to pinch him on the cheeks.

There’s going to be a sweet and sour seafood broth on the menu tonight, so Bai Yao needs the have some scrambled eggs prepped in a bowl beforehand. This seems appropriate difficulty for Mu Mu’er to help out.

As his first time helping Bai Yao out, Mu Mu’er is extra careful. He would ask Bai Yao every step of the way if he is correct.

The simple task feels more like a sacrosanct ceremony in his hand. Mu Mu’er has this serious expression – in a cute way, of course, like a kitty that thinks it looks fierce like a lion, making threatening meowing noises. How fun.

He would knock the egg by the rim of the bowl first, until a crack appears when he’d test to see if he can pry it open. If not, he’d knock a few times more before carefully splitting it in half, not allowing any egg shell fragments to fall in.

He takes his time with the two dozen eggs, and finally, looks up proudly at Bai Yao for a praise.

Not to disappoint him, Bai Yao praises him to just the right degree of exaggerated elation, “woah! Mu’er has done such a great job!”

He lays his arm on Mu Mu’er’s head, showing a handsome smile, “what would Yaoyao have done without Mu’er around?”

Mu Mu’er blushes shyly, and starts averting his gaze, “Yaoyao is welcome. Mu’er, Mu’er will crack eggs.”

“Great to hear! Thanks for helping out.”

Now that there’s nothing much else to do, Bai Yao cleans up the kitchen utensils and heads out to adjusts the chairs. Before he has left the kitchen, though, Mu Mu’er says behind him.

“Mu’er does not want to be a useless piece of shit.”

Bai Yao would almost have assumed it to be a trick of his ears, but Mu Mu’er’s expression makes it very clear he’s serious, and looks a little downcast.

He puts a brake on his work for now; his heart aches deep.

He completely understands what Mu Mu’er is thinking and doing given his enthusiastic work in the kitchen to help out just now.

Mu Mu’er is not ignorant. He knows a lot, and learns a lot, and has a sharper instinctive understanding of emotions than others. He cannot put his thoughts into words well, but he is observant, with a keen eye for what others might miss.

The boy thinks he is unable to help Bai Yao, and has always remembered what that rich-looking lady with a kid said that one time.

The little sea otter remembers. He remembers everything.

“Mu’er,” Bai Yao goes back to the kitchen, walking up to Mu’er.

Mu Mu’er can sense how serious Bai Yao has become, and also straightens up, following his tone to call out, “Yaoyao.”

Bai Yao takes some time working out the words he is going to speak, and finally says, “Mu’er, do you know how happy Yaoyao is to have you here?”

After hearing the question, Mu Mu’er takes some time to think, before shaking his head.

“Mu’er, think about the seafood fried rice, the big pool, the tree with bubbles, the Moon Rabbit, and add all of those together. They make you happy, but take that happiness, and add them together a hundred times,” Bai Yao pauses, and uses his fingers to part the loose bangs of the boy’s hair away from the forehead, “ten bowls of fried rice, twenty pools, fifty trees… Yaoyao likes Mu’er more than Mu’er can ever imagine.”

Bai Yao has spoken quite a bit too much for Mu Mu’er to follow directly, and it takes him some time to grasp the concept. When he finally understands, he shows a genuine smile and bright eyes.

“Mu’er also likes Yaoyao,” then he tries to add examples, but all that comes out is, “really, really likes Yaoyao.”

Instead, he uses his arms, stretching them out into a big, big circle, and yells, “this much!”

Bai Yao’s heart has been filled to the brim with colourful little seashells. They may be worthless to others, not even garnering an extra glance or two placed on a mat in a marketplace for sale, but to him, he can ask for no more. Now, he was lucky enough to have found all of these on the beach.

He’s not much of a successful person. He can cook, can cheer Mu Mu’er up, can give him a shelter from the elements; all this, he’d offer to Mu Mu’er just for that one single admission of ‘like.’