MASG chapter 184: Extra 24

◎ So beautiful… Xia Yu snapped his fingers and called Mo An back. ◎

At night, Xia Yu and Mo An went up to the rooftop terrace that Zhang Mingqiao had built with his own hands.

The terrace was above the attic, with a wooden ladder serving as a passageway. When Mo An had left this place that day, it had only been a rough framework. He hadn’t expected it to become so exquisite after everything was finished.

The wooden railing was painted a light apricot color, and about ten centimeters of soil had been added below it, planted with small white and orange wildflowers. These wildflowers were very common in Penghu City. You could see them casually while walking down the street, and they were one of the island’s scenic features. Now that scenery had been moved onto the rooftop, adding a touch of warmth.

On the left side were tables, chairs, and a large sun umbrella.

“Come, try this.” Zhang Mingqiao came up as well, carrying several bottles of chilled drinks.

“Thanks, Dad.” Xia Yu took one first.

Mo An walked over and helped Zhang Mingqiao up. “Dad, did you do all of this by yourself?”

“Yeah.” Zhang Mingqiao rubbed his lower back. “I’m getting old. It took me several months to finish everything. If I were younger, I could’ve finished it in a month.”

The sound of opening drink bottles mixed with their laughter. Mo An looked at Zhang Mingqiao again and noticed a white hair had quietly appeared at his temples. “Dad, you’ve worked too hard these past few months.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I can’t sit idle at home. Once you three left, the house suddenly felt so empty. Your mom can’t sit idle either. She’s always afraid that if things get too quiet, she’ll want to call you.” Zhang Mingqiao was clearly still trying to adjust to their identities as college students. “Come on, cheers!”

“Cheers!” Xia Yu clinked his drink bottle against his.

Mo An lowered his head and downed half a bottle of sparkling water in one go. The last time they left, it had been too tragic, and the rooftop terrace had also fallen apart. Now he finally felt that the regret in his heart had been made up for. Mo An had also developed genuine feelings for this “data father.”

“Does it look nice here?” As Zhang Mingqiao spoke, they could still hear Xia Li and Xia Xiaoxiao laughing downstairs.

“It looks great. Of course it does. The scenery around our home is the most beautiful. The entire bay doesn’t have a better view than this.” Xia Yu pointed toward the place where he had “grown up.” “I still remember catching crabs there when we were little. One time the tide came in, Xiaoxiao and I didn’t notice. We scared you and Mom half to death.”

Even now, Zhang Mingqiao still felt a lingering fear when he thought about it. “Don’t mention it. From then on, your mother checked the tide schedule every day. Mo An, you didn’t grow up by the sea, so you don’t understand. High tide is no joke.”

Though Mo An understood it best, he was now a child unfamiliar with the water. “Why?”

“Because the tide rises very quickly.” Zhang Mingqiao explained in the simplest terms.

“Oh… I see.” Mo An nodded. “Dad, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll check the schedule with Mom. Whether it’s high tide or low tide, we won’t go joining in the excitement.”

“That’s right, good son!” Zhang Mingqiao raised his bottle again. “Go to bed early tonight and get a good rest. Tomorrow afternoon we’re heading out to sea!”

The rooftop view they hadn’t been able to enjoy back then was now before them. The sea voyage that had never happened back then would also be made up for this time. Xia Yu and Mo An were especially excited. That night, the two of them stayed in the attic planning what to buy and only became sleepy when dawn arrived.

They fell asleep as soon as they lay down and slept until noon. After getting up, they wandered downstairs for lunch and learned that Xiaoxiao had gone out early in the morning.

“Where did she go?” Xia Yu asked, his hair a mess.

“To the bike shop.” Xia Li warmed milk for them. “She said she hasn’t had a good bike ride in a long time. She also wanted to see whether the bicycle she asked the owner to order for her had arrived, so she went to check.”

That made sense. Xiaoxiao and the bike shop owner were friends despite the age difference, and they always had endless things to talk about. Xia Yu absentmindedly chewed on bread when he heard Mo An ask beside him, “Dad, we’ll be back the day after tomorrow, right?”

Zhang Mingqiao was cleaning fishing gear. After calculating the time in his head, he said, “Yeah. We won’t stay out at sea too long. One night is enough. Are you in a hurry to go out and have fun?”

“I already made plans with Du Meng! First we’ll visit our homeroom teacher at school, then go to his house to eat, play games, and hang out!” Mo An waved his phone. “Xia Yu, Xiaoxiao, and I are all going.”

Zhang Mingqiao nodded. “Perfect. Bring along a couple of fish we catch. That kid Du Meng is pretty good. He’s attending university on the island, and he often asks when you all are coming back.”

This was also one of Mo An’s unfulfilled wishes. Back in high school, he had a little follower named Du Meng. Since he had already become the guy’s boss, he had to make up for this meal.

By noon, Xia Xiaoxiao rode home directly on her new bicycle. Their parents had also finished preparing. The family of five boarded the new boat and set out toward the calm sea.

The new boat had two bedrooms. People could sleep in them, though they certainly weren’t as spacious as those on a luxury cruise ship. There was also much more room for fishing on the deck, so the whole family no longer had to crowd together like before.

The moment Zhang Mingqiao got on board, he started fishing, as if he had been holding back for a long time and absolutely had to save face in front of the children.

“You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll handle everything myself. No problem at all. Tonight, just wait to eat fish!”

“Dad, that’s a pretty bold thing to say.” Xia Xiaoxiao started applying sunscreen. At first she had thought Nuwa would thoughtfully design everything perfectly—for example, making the sunlight here incapable of causing sunburn. But after riding her bicycle for several hours, she had fully realized that the sunlight here was no different from reality.

Zhang Mingqiao didn’t think he was exaggerating at all. In his heart, he was practically a super fishing master.

“You’re seriously underestimating me.”

“Dad, what’s all this?” Mo An became curious about his bait.

As Xia Li walked past, she simply explained, “That’s your dad’s magical potion. Who knows where he got the recipe? He says fish in the sea love eating it. Other people just change bait to catch bigger fish, but he insists on experimenting. If he ever really catches a big fish, he’ll probably drive around the island once before coming home.”

Uh… will this work? Xia Yu looked at Mo An in confusion. Had their dad gotten scammed again?

Whether sea fish liked it or not was hard to say, but Mo An definitely didn’t. “You mixed up so much at once. Won’t you end up catching all the fish in the sea?”

That remark struck right at Zhang Mingqiao’s heart. He loved hearing that.

Before he could explain, Xia Li burst into laughter. “How could he catch them all? Your dad is basically delivering food to the fish. Just chumming the water already costs quite a bit. Besides, those fish are smart. Once they’ve bitten a hook, they won’t fall for it again. He’s not fishing at all. He’s basically doing charity work.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Mingqiao laughed as well.

Their laughter affected the children too, and the whole family happily launched a grand fishing operation. Even Mo An joined in. Although he knew this fishing competition was destined to end without results, he still put in one hundred and twenty thousand percent effort.

Yet as his ears twitched, he seemed to hear countless little fish frantically swimming away for their lives.

The threat posed by a mermaid was simply too great. By evening, everyone had caught absolutely nothing.

However, Zhang Mingqiao and Xia Li were not worried. On one hand, they had brought plenty of food for the night. On the other hand, they were not impatient parents.

To them, it was enough that their children had returned. Every second was something to enjoy.

“Come on, let’s hope we have better luck tomorrow.” Zhang Mingqiao cut a freshly made sandwich in half and handed one piece to Mo An.

As the true culprit, Mo An accepted his dinner and took a satisfied bite beneath the glow of the setting sun.

Before leaving, the couple had checked the marine weather forecast. Tonight was destined to be a clear, moonlit night with only a few stars, and the sea was showing its gentle side. Since they had not sailed very far, faint swaying lights could still be seen in the distance.

This was also a side of the ocean Mo An rarely saw—peaceful and gentle, capable of embracing everything.

“Xiaoxiao, you’ll stay with Mom.” When it was time to sleep, Zhang Mingqiao arranged the sleeping arrangements. “Mo An, Xiao Yu, the three of us will share one room. There’s an inflatable mattress inside. You two sleep on it, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Xia Yu and Mo An agreed. This was already the best possible arrangement.

After the lights went out, neither of them could fall asleep. The day had been too happy and too fulfilling, as if nutrients had been added directly into their blood.

“Are you sleepy?” After hearing Zhang Mingqiao start snoring, Mo An quietly asked Xia Yu.

Xia Yu shook his head. How could he possibly be sleepy? During such a happy time, he had to stay awake.

“How about… we go outside and look at the sea?” Mo An enthusiastically suggested.

“Now?” Xia Yu checked the time. It was almost eleven o’clock.

“Yeah. Let’s go take a look. I can’t sleep anyway.” Mo An got up as soon as he finished speaking, moving as quietly as possible without caring whether Xia Yu agreed or not.

Xia Yu could only climb out of bed and follow him. The two sneaked out of the bedroom like thieves and even made a stop in the kitchen first.

The reason was simple: neither of them had eaten enough at dinner.

After filling their stomachs, the two burped and began exploring the boat. From the interior to the deck, they carefully examined every detail together.

When they finally stepped onto the deck, both of them simultaneously drew in a sharp breath, stunned by the beautiful sight before them.

Moonlight generously spread across the surface of the sea, forming a shimmering, wax-like layer.

The shape of every wave was visible, calling to the instincts within Mo An’s body.

“I want to go into the water. I really want to swim right now.”

“We probably shouldn’t. It’d be bad if we woke Mom and Dad.” Xia Yu shook his head.

But Mo An insisted. “It’s fine. I’ll be quiet. Are you coming down with me?”

Xia Yu had originally intended to shake his head. Who would follow a reckless kid into the sea in the dead of night?

That’s right—him.

Mo An slipped into the water without making a sound. Xia Yu climbed down the metal ladder. The moment his toes touched the sea’s surface, the excitement in his heart felt just as real as it would in real life.

“Come on, Xia Yu. Over here.” Mo An kept calling to him.

“I need to swim a little slower.” Xia Yu began paddling with his arms. Suddenly, he caught a familiar scent—that of a perpetually hungry little lion.

He followed the scent and turned around to look for Mo An, but all he could find was a tail fin disappearing beneath the seawater.

So beautiful…

Xia Yu snapped his fingers and called Mo An back.