The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 17

Zhao Shuqing pushed Lin Feng into the repair shop and was surprised to find it was much more than it seemed.

The building was two stories. Outside was a covered area for vehicle repairs. Inside was a shop that looked like a hardware store. On the left was a metal staircase leading upstairs, where she could faintly see a wardrobe and a bed — it looked like Liang Yue’s living space.

Liang Yue was working behind a desk on the first floor, repairing a phone with its back cover off.

“Sit anywhere you want. It’ll take about another hour,” Liang Yue said calmly, not even greeting Zhao Shuqing before continuing to fix the phone.

Zhao Shuqing secured the wheelchair and moved a stool beside Lin Feng. Seeing Lin Feng nervously looking around, she gently patted her hand and whispered, “It’s okay.”

Lin Feng gave a slight nod, then leaned her head against Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder.

While Liang Yue focused on her work, Zhao Shuqing took the chance to look around. One wall had fishing rods and lines hanging. Another side had hiking gear like jackets, ice axes, and climbing ropes. The opposite wall was filled with all kinds of vehicle parts — it looked well stocked.

“Do you sell all this?” Zhao Shuqing asked, curious.

Liang Yue hummed without looking up. “Take whatever you want. If you need, I can give you a 5% discount.”

A 5% discount, and they call that a discount?

Zhao Shuqing raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Instead, she comforted Lin Feng and then stood up to check the items on the walls and counters.

Besides food, she knew she should stock up on other things. This place was so remote — who knew how far the research institute was? If it was too far, she might need to rent a vehicle. The black SUV outside looked tough; she wondered how much renting it would cost.

After wandering around, she stopped in front of a counter, staring at a map inside a glass frame.

Provincial Road E35?

That had to be the abandoned provincial road they walked on.

South of the road was a place called Tuoluo Ridge, next to a river called Tuoluo River. The river flowed west to meet Huai River, then kept going into the sea…

Looking at the large green forest on the map, Zhao Shuqing felt grateful they had chosen to go north along the Tuoluo River bank. If they had gone south, they would have entered deep forest and surely died.

Huai River looked pretty big. She remembered the news in the convenience store — the driver and car wreckage were found at the Huai River’s estuary.

It seemed that after the car went into the water, Lin Feng used her own abilities to lead Zhao Shuqing to a tributary, which saved their lives.

The more Zhao Shuqing thought about it, the more she realized Lin Feng was her lifesaver. Once they got to the research institute, she would definitely treat Lin Feng better. Without her, Zhao Shuqing probably would have drowned with the driver.

In the end, Zhao Shuqing decided to buy the map as a souvenir for this adventure.

She also bought a waterproof backpack. Her own had been soaked and ruined, barely usable. A waterproof one would last longer.

While Liang Yue fixed the phone, Zhao Shuqing stayed with Lin Feng, who ate slowly this time, enjoying her snacks. Soon, the table was covered with wrappers.

Zhao Shuqing smiled gently. “Don’t eat too much, or you’ll get stomach aches.”

Lin Feng hurriedly grabbed a sausage, signaling it was the last one.

Liang Yue glanced over and curiously asked, “Miss Zhao, does this girl not talk? I haven’t heard a sound from her since she came in.”

She looked a bit slow, but her face was really pretty — even more than the TV stars.

Zhao Shuqing explained, “This is my sister. She’s been disabled since childhood and doesn’t speak much, but her intelligence is fine.”

Liang Yue nodded, stood up, and placed Zhao Shuqing’s phone on the counter. “The phone’s fixed. Take a look.”

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes lit up. She didn’t even care about the sausage in Lin Feng’s hand and quickly walked over to see her phone booting up. She was thrilled and borrowed a charging cable to plug it in.

Soon, the phone turned on, and a flood of notifications popped up.

After filtering through software alerts, she saw calls from Xu Tang and other colleagues. There were messages on WeChat from her mentor and Xu Tang, but all were from two days ago. No recent calls.

Without hesitation, Zhao Shuqing called Xu Tang, desperate to hear her voice.

These past few days had been unbearable. She had never suffered like this before. She wanted to talk endlessly with Xu Tang, maybe get some sympathy, and convince them to give her a bonus this month.

Her call seemed to go through after a long wait.

“Shuqing? Is that you?” Xu Tang’s anxious voice came through. Zhao Shuqing felt her nose sting and almost cried. She quickly replied, “It’s me, senior sister. I’m still alive.”

Xu Tang sounded frantic, almost knocking something over. “Where are you? Are you safe? We’re sending a car to pick you up right now.”

“I’m safe for now. I’m at…” Zhao Shuqing glanced at Liang Yue and quietly asked, “What’s this place called?”

Liang Yue said the name: “Zhouling Township.”

“We’re in Zhouling Township,” Zhao Shuqing replied.

“We?” Xu Tang caught the key word immediately and asked, “The mermaid is still with you?”

“Yes, Lin Feng is here.” Zhao Shuqing smiled softly. “She saved me. I’ve been with her these past two days.”

Xu Tang fell silent for some reason. Just as Zhao Shuqing wondered why, Xu Tang said, “I looked up Zhouling Township. It’s over 120 kilometers from here. Send me your location now. I’ll arrange a car to pick you up immediately.”

“Okay.” Zhao Shuqing was relieved and smiled sincerely. “I’ll wait here for you.”

After hanging up, Zhao Shuqing sent her location to Xu Tang on WeChat. Xu Tang gave an “OK” sign, saying she’d set off soon.

Watching Zhao Shuqing bustling around, Liang Yue leaned against the counter sipping soda. “You got in touch?”

Zhao Shuqing looked up and smiled warmly. “Yeah, I contacted my colleagues. They’ll come pick me up soon.”

“Is the location accurate? Our place is small, so GPS can be off. When they get close, you’d better wait at the village entrance. There’s only one road into here — they won’t miss it.”

“Got it. I’ll go wait there when they’re almost here.”

Zhao Shuqing was in a good mood and asked Liang Yue, “How much for the phone repair, map, and waterproof backpack?”

Liang Yue gave her a charming smile. “3,760.”

Zhao Shuqing’s smile froze.

Damn, this is a rip-off shop.