ISBH - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Sweet
When Mo Sheng reached the door of Wang Zhi's home, she happened to meet Wang Zhi's mother who was about to go out.
When Wang Zhi's mother saw Mo Sheng, she froze for a moment and her gaze wavered, then she squeezed out a smile at Mo Sheng and said, "Oh, it's you, little classmate?"
"Hello, Auntie," Mo Sheng said softly with her head lowered.
"Little classmate, well... we're not in a hurry to tutor today. My Zhizhi went out to play with friends today, so how about I settle yesterday's wages for you first?"
"From now on we'll settle your wages each day according to the days you tutor, all right? By the way, although you came to teach Zhizhi, you and Zhizhi are in the same class and you're all friends, so during lessons you should think of more ways to persuade Zhizhi to stay home more..."
Mo Sheng kept her head lowered and said nothing, but Han Tian floating in midair beside her curled her lip and said, "Shameless. Wang Zhi probably ran off because she didn't want tutoring."
"It was your family who forced my Mo Sheng to come tutor. Don't you know what kind of character your own daughter has? You made our Little Mo Sheng come here for nothing, and you still have the face to say such things..."
Mo Sheng had felt stifled at first, but listening to the female ghost complain like a child, she found the gloom lingering in her heart suddenly lift a little in that instant.
Mo Sheng actually understood the words of Wang Zhi's mother even better than the female ghost did. Those words carried another meaning. Wang Zhi's mother was afraid Mo Sheng would use the wasted trip to ask for more money, so Wang Zhi's mother used those words to pressure Mo Sheng.
The female ghost probably never lacked money when she was alive, so she did not understand the twists hidden in such words.
She really was a strange female ghost.
At times she seemed terribly clever, and at other times she completely lacked common sense in many ways.
Actually, it was fine that Wang Zhi's mother wanted to settle pay by the day!
Anyway, her father would be back before long, and then she would find a way to stop teaching Wang Zhi...
Mo Sheng turned this over in her mind and kept her head lowered without speaking.
Seeing Mo Sheng like this, Wang Zhi's mother stiffened for a moment, then put on a troubled look and spoke again, "How about this! I'll give you five extra yuan each day as travel fare for your trip here and back. My Zhizhi has many friends, and no one can say when she'll go out to see them. If you end up coming here for nothing, just take it as compensation for you..." Yet she cunningly left out any count of the time Mo Sheng had lost.
Mo Sheng pressed her lips together and nodded. "Thank you, Auntie."
Hearing Mo Sheng finally speak, Wang Zhi's mother also breathed a sigh of relief. As if afraid Mo Sheng would change her mind, she at once took 35 yuan from her bag and handed it to Mo Sheng. "Five yuan per hour. You stayed six hours yesterday, so that's thirty, plus the travel fare..."
"Only my family would treat you this well. Zhizhi even gave you clothes yesterday. If you know gratitude, then teach her well..."
Hearing these nearly shameless words, Han Tian floating in the air almost burst with anger!
Such a low tutoring fee was clearly bullying!
As Han Tian floated all the way here with Mo Sheng, she saw many advertisements on the road. She paid special attention, and among those ads there were plenty seeking college students to tutor part time, with at least 15 yuan per hour...
They were only bullying Mo Sheng because she was young!
Han Tian was furious.
Mo Sheng, on the other hand, had prepared herself for receiving very little money.
After all, she was still underage with limited knowledge, and she could not find any other tutoring work at the moment. Wang Zhi's mother had surely seized on exactly this point, which was why she dared to offer such wages without restraint.
Mo Sheng had grown up at the bottom of society reading faces, so she naturally understood her thoughts and knew the price Wang Zhi's mother offered was far below the market price.
Still, it could support her life. Before this, she reckoned she could not earn this much even by picking trash for a whole week.
Unlike the indignant Han Tian, Mo Sheng acted extremely obedient.
She lowered her head to take the money, said, "Goodbye, Auntie," and then started back.
There was none of the crying and quarreling Wang Zhi's mother had expected.
This little girl called Mo Sheng was quite sensible!
Wang Zhi's mother watched the retreating figure of Mo Sheng and breathed a sigh of relief, then her face darkened.
To Mo Sheng's face, Wang Zhi's mother had said Wang Zhi went out to play with friends, but in truth Wang Zhi had slipped out in secret...
Most likely Wang Zhi was now fooling around with that Liang Juan again...
Liang Juan looked fair and obedient. When Wang Zhi's mother first came here, she too had been fooled by the manner Liang Juan put on, and she truly believed Liang Juan was a good child.
Yet since getting to know Liang Juan, Wang Zhi, who had only disliked studying before, saw her grades grow worse and worse. She even began to skip class and cheat her parents out of pocket money...
By comparison, Wang Zhi's mother would rather let Wang Zhi play with Mo Sheng.
But...
Wang Zhi's mother glanced at Mo Sheng holding a huge umbrella and looking rather funny, and shook her head to dismiss the idea herself. She knew her own daughter. Wang Zhi liked those who were pretty!
This Mo Sheng looked too plain, even a little ugly. Wang Zhi would surely not enjoy playing with her.
Han Tian floated behind Mo Sheng as they went back.
Mo Sheng's steps looked extremely steady, but in truth she felt a little uneasy. Mo Sheng had originally planned to wander through the few garbage piles she often visited to see if she could pick up anything, yet at this moment some hesitation rose in her heart.
She had found the female ghost in a garbage pile. If she took the female ghost to that garbage pile and the female ghost vanished again, what should she do?
Little Mo Sheng bit her lower lip tightly. She was not reluctant to part with this female ghost at all. It was just that the female ghost looked a little silly. If she ran off with someone else, she might get sold and still count the money for them...
But having gone out, Mo Sheng did not plan to go home for a while.
Mo Sheng thought for a moment and suddenly thought of a place.
She had not been to that place for too long.
Mo Sheng turned her steps and started walking in another direction...
Han Tian wished she could go out to clear her mind. Seeing Mo Sheng like this, she raised no objection. She quietly floated beside Mo Sheng and looked around at the surroundings from time to time.
At first, all she could see was ruins. Later on, the road grew smoother and smoother, the houses grew taller, and more and more people appeared on the road...
Han Tian only then realized. This was the road to the city center!
The city center was actually not much different from when Han Tian returned to the country. Everywhere stood tall buildings, with streams of cars and people.
Thinking of herself back then, Han Tian floated in the air and looked at the scenery around her, feeling emotional, and her eyes could not help showing a little nostalgia. How could she, so new to the world back then, have imagined she would end up in her present state?
Mo Sheng quietly watched the female ghost beside her, and a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes.
The female ghost looked very familiar with all this... Could she also have been from this city when she was alive?
Mo Sheng walked forward in silence, while the female ghost seemed unable to stay still and kept floating around her from side to side.
The temperature in June was extremely high. Although Mo Sheng held an umbrella, she still could not block the blazing heat. After walking all this way, sweat had almost soaked through the back of her clothes.
Almost there!
Mo Sheng took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She had walked too far this time. Even though Mo Sheng was used to walking, her strength was starting to fail.
Very few people stayed outdoors in such hot weather. Seeing the bench under the tree was empty, Mo Sheng sat down on the roadside bench to rest for a bit.
"Little Mo Sheng! Look what I brought you?" the cheerful voice of the female ghost suddenly came from beside her.
Mo Sheng's eyelashes trembled as she forcibly held back the urge to look up.
From her line of sight, she could only see the tightly clenched hands of the female ghost.
The female ghost always seemed like this. Whenever she felt nervous or anxious, she would unconsciously clench her hands, like a child who had done something wrong...
Perhaps seeing Mo Sheng show no reaction, the female ghost beside her grew a little anxious and could not help nagging again, "Look beside you..."
"I bought you a popsicle. It's very tasty, even tastier than the candy you ate yesterday." The voice of the female ghost rose slightly, sounding extremely pleased. "I never thought my luck would be this good. I just picked up a one yuan bill..."
So while Mo Sheng sat down, Han Tian went to the freezer of the dozing vendor not far away and exchanged the bill for a popsicle priced at one yuan.
Han Tian had never thought a day would come when she would feel overjoyed just because she bought a popsicle.
Afraid of being noticed, Han Tian almost broke out in a cold sweat. After all, the sight of a popsicle floating in midair was too frightening.
Luckily no one else saw.
Yet Han Tian's strength ran out by the time she reached Mo Sheng, and she only managed to place the popsicle beside Mo Sheng.
"Little Mo Sheng, hurry and look..." The voice of the female ghost sounded a little anxious. "If you don't look, the popsicle will melt..."
Only then did Mo Sheng raise her head. Pretending she had found it by chance, she glanced to the side, then suddenly widened her eyes. "What's this?"
Over this period, the acting skills of Mo Sheng had improved greatly. The expression on her face shifted from surprise to delight with perfect aptness, so at Han Tian's level of perception, she could not detect the slightest trace of acting.
Mo Sheng carefully picked up the popsicle, then glanced with a somewhat guilty look at the dozing vendor in the distance, and at once ran off swiftly with the popsicle in hand.
Han Tian was drawn along by Mo Sheng and floated up in the air. Looking at the appearance of Little Mo Sheng, she could not help laughing as well. Little Mo Sheng always looked so mature. It was rare to see her look so lively...
Thinking this in her heart, Han Tian still did not forget to call out, "Little Mo Sheng, run slower. Hold up your umbrella!"
"Hey... you don't need to run so fast. I paid for it..."
Yet Mo Sheng still ran a long way. Only when the stall could no longer be seen did Mo Sheng stop, panting as she lowered her head to look at the popsicle in her hand.
The cold popsicle rested in her palm, wonderfully refreshing in the hot summer.
Mo Sheng lowered her head and gently rubbed her cheek against the popsicle.
The female ghost floated to the side of Mo Sheng and looked with some heartache at Mo Sheng covered in sweat, then sighed. "Look at you, working yourself into such a sweat..."
Mo Sheng quietly curled her lip.
The female ghost was being silly again!
Han Tian had left money, but no one knew that. If the vendor woke up and saw Mo Sheng eating a popsicle, it would very likely arouse suspicion...
Thinking this in her heart, Mo Sheng did not voice the thoughts in her mind.
She lowered her head and reluctantly tore open the wrapper to study the popsicle in her hand closely.
This was the most ordinary mung bean popsicle. Because of the run Mo Sheng had just taken, the surface of the popsicle had already melted a little, and the melted juice trickled down the stick...
With no time to think, Mo Sheng had already lowered her head and taken a light lick.
The popsicle was truly sweet!
On the dry hot summer morning, a breeze finally came through at this moment. Sunlight shook down through the leaves in dappled spots, and the smile of the female ghost beside her looked incomparably lovely...
Mo Sheng quietly raised her head to glance at the female ghost. Seeing the gaze of the female ghost drift over, Mo Sheng abruptly lowered her head again, and the corners of her mouth could not help quietly curving into a smile.
The female ghost had not been wrong. Mo Sheng had never before eaten anything so delicious. The fragrant sweet taste spread down from her taste buds and even spread to her heart, as if her whole heart had turned sweet...
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