The GORGEOUS Mermaid Who Lands in the Eighties: Nine Brothers and Endless Pampering! - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Becoming a Daughter of the Yun Family
Yun Jiao was tiny, far too small. Though her vision was still blurred and unfocused, she could certainly hear the human voices in the room.
And she couldn’t comprehend a single word they were saying.
But what she understood perfectly was hunger.
Yun Jiao voiced her discontent with soft, insistent whimpers, her large, wet eyes fluttering behind lashes as thick as a brush.
Granny Yun’s heart twisted watching the baby’s brows furrow in distress. “The little one must be famished. I recall Uncle Quan’s goat recently kidding; Elder, be a dear and fetch us some goat’s milk.”
Yun Linhai, Fifth Brother Xiaowu’s father, readily agreed. “Right away, I’m off!”
Dizzy with the emptiness in her belly, Yun Jiao’s little limbs thrashed instinctively, searching desperately for something to suckle.
In the next moment, she had clamped her own chubby fist into her mouth.
She had no teeth!
Yun Jiao ran her clumsy fingers over her empty gums, accepting the frustrating reality before huffing out a huge, shimmering bubble of air.
It burst with a soft pop!
“Sister is eating her hand! And she blew a bubble!”
Little Yun Xiaojiu, barely five years old, peered over the edge of the bed, his face lit up with a gap-toothed smile as he gazed at the pale, plump creature. His sister was so soft, so wonderfully adorable.
Yun Jiao’s dark eyes widened, focusing on the clear gaze of the boy leaning close. A human child, full of innocent curiosity.
Was this truly the legendary species of the land?
Yun Jiao, who had never once left the ocean in her life, was utterly bewildered by the species known as man.
Yun Xiaowu pushed his younger brother aside to take his place.
“Look at me, little sister. I’m your Fifth Brother, the one who found you and carried you home.”
Yun Jiao’s large eyes rotated, and her gaze obediently settled on him. Xiaowu beamed with the unreserved joy of a simpleton.
“The poor thing, she must be utterly famished. Let’s mix up a thin rice gruel to hold her over for now.”
Yun Jiao felt herself gently lifted into a warm embrace, followed by a sweet aroma. Her primal instinct for survival took over, and she began to devour the food.
She promptly choked on it.
Old Mrs. Yun rushed to pat her back, soothing her until she caught her breath.
“Such a beautiful child. How could anyone be heartless enough to simply cast her away?”
The elder woman found herself growing fond of the small one with every passing minute.
Yun Jiao stared intently at the rice water. What was this strange, sweet liquid? It was quite palatable.
Just one more sip.
“There, there, little angel. We won’t drink this any more. The goat’s milk will be here soon.”
Yun Jiao let out a few protesting squeaks, her soft little hands clutching the empty bowl with surprising possessiveness. She wanted seconds.
She looked rather fierce, like a tiny predator protecting its meal.
This sight made the entire family chuckle.
“She’s got a good strength to her,” Granny Yun declared happily. Robust strength and high spirits were a sure sign of a healthy constitution.
Yun Jiao, unable to understand the chatter, simply held the empty bowl close, her large eyes fixed on the promise of more food.
“There, there, little treasure. Let’s have some goat’s milk now.” Yun Linhai arrived, the milk already warmed.
The fragrant smell was instantly appealing. She instantly abandoned the now useless bowl.
As the warm milk flowed into her mouth, Yun Jiao swallowed without hesitation.
Her toothless mouth tried to clamp down on the wooden spoon.
She had wanted to sample the spoon’s flavor, but her clean, tender gums couldn’t grip the hard object.
Never mind. She returned to drinking the white liquid.
A baby only requires feeding and sleeping, and the Yun family took it in turns to change her nappies.
Yun Jiao was a siren, and such matters of modesty were entirely beyond her understanding at this age. Ultimately, the Yun family decided to keep her. Though poor, they did their utmost to provide. Even the Young Aunty Yun, who had initially grumbled that they couldn’t afford another child, would still come over to change the baby’s nappy and offer the bottle.
Because of the baby girl, the Yun brothers no longer spent their days causing trouble and running off to play. Instead, they would join the adults in foraging for sea creatures, enthusiastically bringing back seafood to trade for milk for their little sister.
The Yun family almost immediately began trading their daily catch for goat’s milk.
Before long, everyone in Bailong Village knew that the Yun family had taken in an abandoned baby girl.
Once it was confirmed that no one had reported a missing child, the fact that the Yun family had officially adopted her shocked the entire community.
“I hear it’s a daughter. What were they thinking? Already poor as church mice and they take in another mouth they can’t afford to feed.”
“Well, I saw those Yun lads trotting over to Uncle Quan’s house every day, carrying their catch to trade for milk.”
“The whole lot of them must be daft. Why would they show so much devotion to a foundling girl?”
Yun Jiao, happily ignorant, had no idea she was the main subject of all the village gossip.
She was wide-eyed now, her dark, bright pupils curiously taking in every detail of the house.
It had been one month since she was found, and Yun Jiao had generally grasped her present circumstances.
She had transformed from a deep-sea siren into a human—and a human infant at that.
The sudden shift from a familiar marine existence to a land-based one felt strange and entirely unnatural.
Siren language ability was superb. Though she still couldn’t entirely understand every spoken sentence, she could now recognize the basic roles of everyone in the Yun family.
The youngest generation of the family consisted of nine children, all boys.
The most senior generation were Grandpa Yun and Grandma Yun. Beneath them were their two sons, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe.
Yun Linhai’s wife, Shen Yunlian, had borne him five sons—the first four sets arriving as two successive pairs of twins.
Yun Linhe’s wife, Wang Mei, had also borne four sons, all twins.
The family’s tendency to produce twins was notorious throughout Bailong Village.
Even though Yun Jiao was adopted, the entire family was exceptionally good to her.
Despite their own thinness and their clothes being so heavily patched they were practically rags, they always ensured she had goat’s milk every day.
Yet, Yun Jiao longed for the delicious, fragrant dishes they ate. Being a tiny infant with undeveloped teeth meant she could only stare longingly. No matter how much she yearned for it, the adults wouldn’t give the solid food to her.
She wished she could grow up quickly; this body was proving far too weak.
At five months old, Yun Jiao was carried by Mum Yun, Shen Yunlian, strapped into a homemade baby carrier on her back, as they went to forage at the shore.
This was Yun Jiao’s first outing. She stared everywhere, curious about the endless new sights.
Shen Yunlian, like all the locals, had slightly tanned skin, but her features were clearly attractive.
Her row of sons and nephews, equally thin and wearing patched clothing, followed Mum Yun barefoot down towards the beach.
In distinct contrast, the pale, soft, little butterball of a baby, Yun Jiao, was immensely eye-catching.
Yun Jiao was an undemanding infant. If goat’s milk wasn’t available, she would happily take fish broth or rice water—she was incredibly easy to feed.
Even as a small infant, her delicate features hinted at a certain mixed-race elegance. Her hair was thick, soft, and jet-black, and her large eyes were as clear as a mountain stream. On closer inspection, her pupils were not actually black, but a striking deep, dark blue.
Her skin was exceptionally fair, and her little arms were plump and segmented like lotus root, making her look like a porcelain doll. She sat quietly on Shen Yunlian’s back, curiously looking about, still blowing bubbles, and garnering adoration from everyone.
Every person who greeted Mum Yun along the way couldn’t help but stare at little Yun Jiao.
“That child is simply beautiful. I’ve never seen a baby so utterly stunning.”
“And her eyes are so knowing! Oh, she smiled! What a soft, sweet little smile.”
Shen Yunlian, carrying little Yun Jiao, couldn’t stop the proud smile from spreading across her face as she soaked in the compliments.
(End of Chapter)