Chapter 27: Master, Please Don't Eat Fish

Seeing me like this, Zi Lian frowned slightly and asked, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," I stammered, shaking my head anxiously, worried that he would be displeased.

"Uh..." After hearing my reply, he didn't press further. He lowered his eyes, picked up the wine jug in front of him, and filled the cup to the brim once more, but instead of drinking, he set it down on the table and looked at me again.

"You—"

"What is it?" The strange taste in my mouth was still strong—a fishy, sweet flavor. Although it wasn't exactly unpleasant, just the thought of eating fish, eating carp, made my stomach churn with disgust.

"Master, wuwuwu..." I felt so uncomfortable, so miserable. In my panic, I stood up. Noticing my own cup was empty, I reached out and snatched the cup in front of him, downing it in one gulp in hopes of rinsing out my mouth.

"It's so spicy! Wuwuwu... Why is it wine again?"

With a face full of misery, tears and snot streaming down, I tossed aside the wine cup, desperate to run out of the house and plunge into the river to swim in circles.

"Master, is there no water? Why is it all wine?"

It burned, it burned so much that my tears wouldn't stop falling. Even in front of Zi Lian, I no longer cared about my pitiful image.

After a while, he finally reached out, and another wine cup appeared before me. Without a word, I grabbed it and gulped it down. The cool, sweet liquid trickled down my throat, easing the burning sensation little by little.

Zi Lian said, "The cup you just took was the wine I had just poured."

He looked at me with helpless eyes and continued, "If you want to rinse your mouth, at least see clearly what’s in the cup first. You made the same mistake twice in a row. As your master, I don't know what to say to you."

My heart felt aggrieved. Lowering my head, I fiddled with my fingers under the table and mumbled, "Little Fish doesn't like eating fish. Because I just ate fish, Little Fish got scared and was desperate to find water to rinse my mouth, and that's why I grabbed Master's wine by mistake."

Zi Lian frowned. "Rinse your mouth and you'll be fine."

He set his chopsticks on the table, looked up at me, and said, "The fish tastes quite good. As your master, I think it's a pity you don't like it. Such a delicious dish, wasted."

"Fish tastes quite good?" Now, hearing those words, I couldn't help but feel another wave of nausea.

Fish... fish. I had actually eaten my own kind. Wuwuwu... Just thinking that it was fish made me shudder uncontrollably. That dish contained my brothers and sisters! No matter how tasty or delicious the dish, I couldn't eat another bite.

After rinsing my mouth, I sat upright before him again, but I couldn't bring myself to look at that plateful of my kin. My chopsticks poked aimlessly at the rice in my bowl, making a mess, and from time to time I would steal a glance at Zi Lian.

"What's wrong now?"

At last, he couldn't help but put down his wine cup, looking up to ask me.

Seeing his gaze, I leaned forward, almost sprawling across the table. Pitifully, I looked at him and pleaded, "Master, may I ask you for a favor?"

"Speak," he replied.

"Master, Little Fish grew up by the sea. Since childhood, I've been close to fish, loved playing with them. I can't bear to eat them as food and swallow them down. I only want to take good care of them. So, Master, please, can we not eat fish anymore from now on? Please?"