ISBH - Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Raising You
Mo Sheng returned home, and in her happiness, she lit the longest candle.
In fact, Mo Sheng had been considering using electric lights recently. Construction and demolition were happening nearby, and the demolition crew was using their own generators. To build good relations with the local residents, they allowed people to tap into the construction site's power lines for free.
Mo Sheng and several nearby households that hadn't moved yet had already connected to the site's electricity, but the wiring in her home was broken. Lacking the money to hire someone to fix it, she simply kept using candles.
The female ghost was curled up in a ball, tucked into the corner of the room, looking as though she were sleeping.
She wasn't sleeping soundly; even in slumber, her brows remained furrowed.
Why did she have to cling to Mo Sheng?
Hot water was already boiling on the stove, still warm, clearly just heated...
Mo Sheng glanced at the scattered coal ash on the floor, coal chunks she had collected to get through the winter.
So clumsy.
No wonder she didn't bother haunting a handsome college student and instead targeted Mo Sheng.
All she could do was cry. She was stupid and couldn't even handle household chores properly...
A silly ghost like her would have long since vanished into thin air if she had encountered anyone else.
Mo Sheng pressed her lips together. Despite feeling utterly repulsed by this low-skilled ghost, she still carefully bent down, swept the scattered coal dust back together, poured hot water, and cautiously took her medicine according to the old woman's instructions from the pharmacy.
During her movements, the female ghost woke up.
The ghost rubbed her eyes and yawned, slowly drifting over to murmur quietly beside her. Perhaps out of guilt, the ghost's hands unconsciously clenched together, her voice thick with a nasal quality: "Mo Sheng, I didn't mean to spill the coal. I couldn't maintain my form back then..."
"You bought medicine? Mo Sheng is so good. Take your medicine and rest early..."
So naggy!
Mo Sheng pursed her lips in mild impatience but still sat down quietly and finished drinking the medicine.
She poured the remaining hot water into a basin, carried it into the shabby bathroom, wiped herself down, and only then stepped out of the room to lie down on the bed.
When she came out, Mo Sheng noticed that the medicine bottles left scattered on the table had been put away.
The female ghost stood in the candlelight, her smile gentle and tender, the kind that seemed to bring joy straight from the bottom of one's heart.
"Good night, little Mo Sheng..."
Mo Sheng lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly.
The bed was large, the big bed her parents had used when they got married. Mo Sheng curled up into one corner, occupying only a tiny fraction of it. She left the other half completely open, ensuring the ghost wouldn't be able to touch her if she lay down...
That ghost had cried so miserably today, and she had helped steal money for Mo Sheng. So... let her rest for now.
Han Tian stood at the head of the bed. She was torn about whether to climb up, especially since she hadn't slept on a bed in a long time. However, fearing she might accidentally bump into Mo Sheng while asleep and disturb her rest, Han Tian hesitated before finally deciding to sit at the foot of the bed, resting her head on the edge, and sang that lullaby once again...
Han Tian was a top-tier scientist.
Han Tian had always maintained profound reverence for science. Though she didn't know why she couldn't touch anyone else but could touch Mo Sheng, this was undoubtedly a miracle to her...
To some extent, Han Tian was incredibly grateful for Mo Sheng's existence. During this time, Han Tian had taken pleasure in doing whatever she could for Mo Sheng within her means. Those tasks occupied all her thoughts, leaving her no mental energy to dwell on her own dire circumstances...
Thinking along these lines, Han Tian developed a sense of mutual reliance with Mo Sheng, gazing at her with even more tenderness and affection.
...
Mo Sheng waited a while, listening to the singing echo from the bed's edge. Knowing the ghost hadn't slept on the bed as she had expected, she pressed her lips together in quiet frustration.
As expected. She knew this ghost was ridiculously stupid. Even after leaving space for her, she would not move up...
If she left space for her again, she would be a puppy!
Feeling somewhat annoyed, Mo Sheng pursed her lips, pretended to be fast asleep, closed her eyes, and rolled toward the center. She deliberately spread her arms and legs out in a star shape, lying right in the middle of the bed...
She wasn't going to give the ghost a chance to back out!
Was it too hot?
After the rain two days ago, there had been continuous sunshine, and the temperature seemed to be climbing higher and higher.
Han Tian, in her current state, couldn't feel cold or heat at all, but watching Mo Sheng like this, she couldn't help but frown.
"Silly ghost, you probably ended up like this because someone deceived you..."
Mo Sheng was still angry that the ghost had ignored her rare kindness, when she suddenly felt waves of coolness wafting down from above her body...
Mo Sheng froze, secretly cracking one eye open, and saw the female ghost holding a piece of cardboard, gently fanning her...
...
Watching the ghost's demeanor, Mo Sheng bit her lower lip. The silent retort in her mind, stupid woman, suddenly stuck in her throat for some reason.
Though she hated to admit it, this ghost was the person who had treated her best since her father passed away.
From the ghost, Mo Sheng actually sensed a trace of long-lost warmth.
Mo Sheng glared resentfully at the silly ghost, who was yawning while fanning, and pressed her lips together...
She didn't know what kind of feeling this was, only that her nose tingled with a sudden sourness.
Mo Sheng tightened her lips, thought for a moment, and silently cursed her in her heart: Big idiot.
The ghost seemed utterly exhausted. As she fanned, her head involuntarily bobbed downward like a chicken pecking at rice...
The ghost's voice gradually grew quieter...
The medicine took effect, Mo Sheng's consciousness grew hazy, and she finally sank into endless sleep...
Mo Sheng slept dreamlessly through the night. When she woke up again, it was already the next day. The ghost had risen before her and was currently carrying the room's towels out to dry them.
The table had been wiped clean, and the floor had been swept.
Mo Sheng studied the ghost closely and realized she seemed to really enjoy this kind of weather, not afraid of the sun at all as Mo Sheng had imagined.
What a strange ghost!
Legend said sunlight could annihilate all demons and monsters.
Perhaps it was because this ghost was so simple-minded and had never done any evil!
So the sun hadn't judged her...
...
Watching the ghost's silhouette, countless thoughts flashed through Mo Sheng's mind.
Perhaps because she had just recovered from her illness, Mo Sheng yawned, closed her eyes again, and felt her body wrapped in warmth. For the first time, she lingered in bed for a while.
Through the haze, Mo Sheng sensed the ghost approaching. The ghost used a towel to wipe her cheeks and exposed arms, then carefully applied medicine to her wound...
Fearing Mo Sheng might have a fever, the ghost secretly reached out and touched her forehead.
When the ghost touched her, it felt as though a faint current was flowing through her body...
Mo Sheng remembered how she had secretly poked the ghost while the ghost was asleep. It had been the exact same tingling sensation.
This feeling was so strange!
Was it like the stories said? Was the ghost secretly draining her essence?
...
Mo Sheng opened her eyes.
Han Tian hadn't expected Mo Sheng to wake up. Mo Sheng's gaze, fresh from sleep, was unexpectedly clear. For a split second, Han Tian felt as though their eyes had met.
Han Tian froze, immediately pulling her hand back, and watched Mo Sheng's reaction with a guilty, nervous tension.
Mo Sheng couldn't see her. Would she be scared if she found out someone had touched her head...
She was being too impulsive!
"What's going on? My head feels a bit numb..." Mo Sheng shook her head as if puzzled and sat up on the bed.
Han Tian breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Mo Sheng hadn't noticed her presence.
Of course. She was still a young girl. Living a bit carelessly, she probably hadn't even noticed what the ghost had done for her.
Han Tian subconsciously relaxed, daring not to reach out and touch Mo Sheng's forehead again. Instead, she murmured beside her: "As long as you don't have a fever anymore! Get out of bed, take more medicine, and buy yourself something delicious..."
Luckily, the heat on Mo Sheng's forehead had already subsided...
Mo Sheng lowered her head and cast a sidelong glance at the ghost, who looked extremely happy at her recovery. She dismissed the thought that the ghost was intentionally draining her essence.
Perhaps the ghost wasn't draining her essence at all, or maybe the ghost herself didn't even realize she was doing it...
Anyway, until she understood the ghost's situation, keeping her distance was the right call.
She was already tolerating the ghost living with her at home. That was the limit of her patience.
While Mo Sheng was still in bed and Han Tian still had the strength to interact with physical objects, she got up early to clean the room. On her way, she floated into the air to inspect the room's wiring.
Han Tian remembered that the area had power when she drifted over with Mo Sheng, so the wiring in Mo Sheng's house must have malfunctioned...
Han Tian didn't want to see the young girl doing homework by candlelight at night anymore. It was terribly hard on the eyes.
Han Tian quickly pinpointed the fault in the house's wiring.
The wires were aged in multiple places, with many fractures among them. Fixing it would take some effort. Han Tian could only hope Mo Sheng wouldn't go out today, so she could repair the wiring in one go...
After waking up, Mo Sheng got out of bed. She pulled an apple from the cabinet, one the workers had delivered a couple of days ago, and ate half of it. She placed the other half in a bowl, apparently planning to save it for lunch.
Seeing this, Han Tian frowned in disapproval. Eating an apple first thing in the morning, wouldn't that upset Mo Sheng's stomach?
...
However, Han Tian knew Mo Sheng's finances were truly stretched to the limit!
While Mo Sheng was eating the apple, Han Tian secretly peeked into the cabinet: there was barely any rice left inside...
No oil, no vegetables...
What kind of life was this young girl living all by herself!
Han Tian's brows knitted tightly.
...
But right now, she lacked the ability to provide the girl with financial assistance.
After finishing the apple, Mo Sheng stepped out of the room, opened the front door, and began doing her homework in the sunlight.
In the morning light, the young girl looked incredibly delicate, like a flower bud just beginning to unfurl, easily snapped by even a slightly stronger breeze.
Han Tian wanted to protect her with all her might.
Han Tian pressed her lips together, floated into the air, and began diligently repairing the electrical circuits...
She didn't notice the complex gazes that occasionally drifted from the girl doing homework outside onto her.
The ghost seemed to be fixing the room's wiring...
Could the ghost have been an electrician in her past life?
But, was there ever such a beautiful electrician?
Han Tian possessed an indescribable charm when she focused on her work.
Mo Sheng couldn't quite put into words the feeling in her chest, only that this ghost looked even more beautiful than usual...
By noon, Mo Sheng had finished the other half of the apple. Amidst the soft crackling sounds of the wires, she took a half-hour nap on her bed.
When Mo Sheng woke up, she found the ghost sleeping at the head of the bed as well.
Mo Sheng leaned in to observe closely: long eyelashes, skin as pale and tender as fresh tofu, lips slightly pouted.
The ghost was sleeping deeply, looking completely harmless...
She must have been tired, right?
Mo Sheng's gaze swept over the wiring in the corner of the room. She quietly climbed out of bed, locked the door, and stepped outside.
She was going to buy food.
At the same time, she planned to check the garbage dump to see if she could scavenge any usable scrap materials.
If only she could find some incense sticks for offerings.
The ghost hadn't eaten anything in a long time; she hadn't even touched the steamed buns and apple Mo Sheng had deliberately left for her.
Would the ghost starve to death?
Perhaps, just like the legends said, ghosts could only consume the incense smoke from the mortal world.
As she locked the door, Mo Sheng cast a glance at the deeply sleeping ghost and pursed her lips slightly.
This silly ghost was really so hard to raise...
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