My Family Is Very Odd

Thin rain fell like threads. In the rain, a pale yellow umbrella and a white umbrella swayed together.

The pale yellow umbrella bobbed around, sometimes to the left, sometimes leaning back against a shoulder, sometimes standing straight. It never stayed still for a moment.

In contrast, the white umbrella was held high, accompanying the other with a straight and steady presence.

Li Xiaogui had forgotten her previous embarrassment and was now giggling as she spoke to Shen Chen. "My brother and I made today's snacks together. We made two boxes! The pink one is my brother's, and the yellow one is mine! You have to eat the yellow one first at noon, okay?"

"Okay," Shen Chen replied.

Li Xiaogui smiled with satisfaction.

×××

"Xiaogui!" Chen Hong called out from the classroom door, waving to Li Xiaogui. She happened to see Shen Chen ruffle Li Xiaogui's hair before leaving.

"Ah," Li Xiaogui turned her head.

Chen Hong noticed Li Xiaogui's oversized coat. The shoulder seams drooped down to her elbows. This was beyond boyfriend style; it was like a child wearing an adult's clothes.

Li Xiaogui was so thin that it looked like she was wearing a sack.

"Xiaogui, your coat is way too big! When you sit down, you disappear! It's like the coat swallowed you whole."

Li Xiaogui had just sat down when she heard Chen Hong's words. She froze for a moment and mumbled softly, "You're exaggerating. What do you mean I disappear? It's just a little big."

"No, really! It's because you're so thin! Why did you buy such a big coat?"

"This is Shen Chen's coat," Li Xiaogui replied.

Chen Hong's eyes widened, and a look of amusement spread across her face. "Oh! So it's your boyfriend's. Tsk, it really is boyfriend style."

Chen Hong giggled mischievously.

"Eh, he's not my boyfriend," Li Xiaogui denied.

"Huh? He's not?"

"No, he's not," Li Xiaogui said earnestly.

Chen Hong's expression turned slightly disappointed. "Oh, I thought… But you two seem so close. Well, do you like Shen Chen?"

Li Xiaogui's eyelids fluttered open, a little flustered. "…"

"Hmm, I guessed it! I knew there was something going on between you two! There's no way there isn't! Hehe, Xiaogui, do you like Shen Chen?"

The sounds around her gradually faded.

Do you like Shen Chen?

Ah, Li Xiaogui suddenly felt strangely distracted. She recalled that someone seemed to have asked her this question during graduation.

It was Xu Li who asked. He was acting strange that day, neither deliberately picking on her nor mocking her.

Do you like Shen Chen?

Li Xiaogui tried hard to recall how she felt when she heard those words back then.

At that time…

It seemed like she was just focused on hearing Xu Li finish talking and getting away from him…

Then, she saw Shen Chen.

Then…

Her heart was beating too fast, and she couldn't think straight.

Li Xiaogui's temples throbbed along with her pounding heart.

It wasn't until a sudden cramp in her lower abdomen that she snapped back to reality, finding an excuse to temporarily pull herself away from her emotions.

"Ouch!"

Seeing Xiaogui suddenly frown, Chen Hong stopped teasing and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Ugh, my stomach hurts a little," Li Xiaogui replied.

"Are you okay? What did you eat this morning?"

Li Xiaogui shook her head. "I ate at home. It's nothing serious, just a little pain. It'll be fine if I bear with it."

Chen Hong looked at her worriedly. After a while, Li Xiaogui lowered the hand that was clutching her stomach. "It seems to have stopped hurting."

"The teacher's here. Let's start class."

Chen Hong nodded and turned back to the front.

×××

After morning classes, Chen Hong turned back and asked Li Xiaogui, "Xiaogui, are you eating lunch alone? Or with Shen Chen?"

"Together," Li Xiaogui replied.

"Oh, then I won't bother you." Since they were eating together, there was no need to be a third wheel.

"Then I'll go eat first. See you!" Chen Hong said.

Li Xiaogui nodded. She felt the familiar cramps in her lower abdomen again. Ah, she needed to use the restroom.

There was only one restroom on each floor of the teaching building. It was crowded with people queuing up right after class. Li Xiaogui thought for a moment, sent Shen Chen a WeChat message, and then got up and headed for the only restroom that might not be as crowded at this hour.

The haunted restroom.

"Time for a bathroom break! And to see Xiao Jing!" Li Xiaogui's eyes curved into a bright smile.

—"Going to the bathroom and coming to see me? What kind of nonsense are you talking about!" The ghost in the mirror screamed from the shattered glass.

"It smells so bad. It's a good thing Xiao Jing is a ghost and can't smell."

"What Xiao Jing! Who allowed you to call me Xiao Jing! Did I ever tell you my name is Xiao Jing?"

"Then what's your name?" Li Xiaogui blinked her light brown eyes and asked.

Li Xiaogui's eyes were very beautiful. Her eyelashes were long and curled at the ends. Her pupils were light in color, and up close, they were very clear. It was easy to imagine how beautiful they would be if light shone into them.

As beautiful as the bubbles she used to blow when she was a child, reflecting the sunlight.

The rain had stopped during the first period in the morning, and the sun had long since reached its usual midday intensity. It shone through the window and fell on the tiles behind Li Xiaogui.

The mirror ghost glanced at the spot of light on the tiles, then fixed its gaze on Li Xiaogui's clear pupils under her curled lashes.

For some reason, the mirror ghost was no longer angry. It snorted and stared intently at Li Xiaogui's eyes. "My name is Xia Xia. No Xiao, no Jing! You, you, you, don't stand so close to me! Who are you trying to scare? Step back a little!"

"Oh." Li Xiaogui obediently took a step back.

"No, still too close! You're scaring me! Step back a little more."

Li Xiaogui took another step back.

"Step back further."

"Further back!"

"Xia Xia, is this okay?" Li Xiaogui finally stood under the light, looking up at the mirror ghost. The sunlight entered her eyes, making them sparkle.

"Yes. That's fine."

The sunlight entered.

The mirror ghost was very satisfied.

It had once blown such a beautiful bubble, using a broken bowl and dish soap and a straw it had found in the trash. It was dirty and crude, but the bubble it blew was clean, and it caught the sunlight and shimmered with its colors.

It was very, very beautiful.

"That's so far," Li Xiaogui muttered.

The mirror ghost snorted. "This distance is just right! The mirror is broken like this, and you're still standing so close. Don't you know it's scary for a ghost to be reflected like this?"

"You're so easily scared," Li Xiaogui whispered.

After saying that in a small voice, she immediately became afraid of being scolded by the mirror ghost and quickly added in a timid tone, "Then why don't you change mirrors? Ah, right, can you change mirrors? Are you a bound spirit?"

"Of course not! I can go wherever I want! I chose the restroom mirror because I can see the most beautiful girls putting on makeup here, applying pretty lipstick!"

It paused for a moment, then said angrily, "…Or at least, that's how it used to be. But I don't know why fewer and fewer people have been coming lately."

Li Xiaogui thought about the ghost stories and looked at the mirror ghost baring its fangs and claws in the broken glass with difficulty. Why else do you think?

It's because they're scared of you.

The mirror ghost said huffily, "It's just as well that it's broken. I'm going to change restrooms! Tell me, which restroom has the most people?"

"Hmm…" Li Xiaogui hesitated. She was a little worried about the girls who would soon be targeted in the new restroom. "Then can you be quiet? You're scaring them a little. If you keep doing that, the new restroom will become like this too, and no one will dare to come in."

"Ah?" The mirror ghost was taken aback and mumbled, "I'll try… Hmph, it's not like I'm doing it on purpose. Who knew some people would just happen to run into my magnetic field! It's annoying for me too, okay? Some people can see me, some people can't. Who likes to be seen and screamed at!"

"Why do you like to watch girls put on makeup?" Li Xiaogui asked.

"Because it's cute, of course! Girls, as long as they put on lipstick, they'll sparkle and shine! I haven't put on makeup in so long. After I died, I couldn't do that anymore! I can't even enjoy watching it anymore!"

"You want to do those things? Is that your lingering attachment?"

"Of course not! It's just a hobby! A hobby!"

"Then what is your lingering attachment?" Li Xiaogui thought for a moment, looked around, and asked tentatively, "Is it the school?"

The mirror ghost shook its head decisively. "No. My lingering attachment is that I want to live, I don't want to die! I stayed in the school because… she… someone wants me to study hard… Someone misses me being in school very much."

"You want to live, so do you want to move on to the afterlife? I have a less painful way, not the kind of rough sealing."

The mirror ghost looked up at her, its expression wary. "What nonsense are you talking about! If I wanted to move on, I would have just died when I died. Why would I turn into a ghost and stay in this world! It's because I'm not resigned to it!"

"I, I don't want to die yet. I'm still so young. I was only twenty when I died. I, I just passed the interview, you know? Even though my face looks terrible now, you can tell that when I was alive, I was very beautiful! A talent scout just signed me, the contract was already signed, and I even passed an audition for a role. Although it was a web drama, it was the female lead! If I had appeared on screen, I would have definitely become famous!"

The mirror ghost chattered on, "At that time, the whole world would have known me! Everyone would have seen me on TV, pointed at me and screamed my name, asked for my autograph! My name would have spread throughout the streets, everyone would have known me! They would have all come to me! My face is very beautiful! You can tell, right?"

To be honest, after people turned into ghosts, their faces were uniformly pale, their eyes huge, unfillable voids, devoid of light. They were not pretty. The mirror ghost was like that now, let alone hiding in the shards of glass, baring its fangs and claws. It only inspired terror and fear, nothing more.

"…Obviously, obviously things were about to get better. Who would be resigned to dying just like that!" The mirror ghost muttered to itself.

"But you're already dead. Your time has stopped. If you long to be alive, you should be reborn," Li Xiaogui said pointedly.

The mirror ghost looked at her blankly, but its eyes became stubborn. "No, I'm not. I'm not dead."

The ghost, who had just said it was dead, now insisted stubbornly, "I'm not. As long as I stay here, I'm not truly dead!"

"If, if I reincarnate… reincarnate, it won't be me. The one who's alive won't be me… It won't be me… Do you understand?"

Li Xiaogui looked at it and nodded, sighing. She didn't try to persuade it any further.

She wasn't the type to strictly make ghosts reincarnate. She cared about their thoughts. If she thought about sending every ghost she saw to the afterlife, then she would be all alone.

She had been raised by ghosts.

They were the most important part of her life.

"Then you can't lose control. If you lose control, I'll seal you away. You have to stay, stay rational, don't let your obsession consume all your thoughts. Otherwise, once you're consumed by your obsession and lose control, you won't be you anymore, and I'll seal you away. Do you understand?"

To her surprise, the mirror ghost didn't get angry when it heard about being sealed. Instead, it seemed surprised by her easy acceptance and stopped pestering her. It froze for a few seconds before nodding slowly. "Yes."

Seeing the mirror ghost nod and not get angry at her words, Li Xiaogui smiled in relief. "You said earlier that you stayed in the school because someone wanted you to study?"

The mirror ghost nodded. Perhaps it hadn't talked to anyone in a long time, because once it started, it was like a faucet had been turned on, the words flowing endlessly. "Yes, yes! She always, always wanted me to go to school! She wanted us to go, she, she loved school… But my heart wasn't in school. I wanted to go out there, I wanted to be on TV, I wanted the whole world to see me…"

"You…" The mirror ghost hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "You're an orphan too, right… Being raised by ghosts… It's because you don't have parents… that you were taken in by ghosts… right?"

Li Xiaogui: "…"

Li Xiaogui was caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic. Seeing her expression, the mirror ghost suddenly panicked. "Th-that, actually, I'm an orphan too! My, my friend and I grew up in a garbage dump! It was very, very difficult… I, I always wanted to find my parents. I wasn't abandoned, I was kidnapped. They must be very worried, maybe they're still looking for me! Have you seen those movies? Holding a photo, searching city after city, it's so pitiful! That's why I want… And I'm so pretty, my parents must be beautiful… Maybe they're even rich, you know, beautiful people are all rich! Then their house would be big and warm, and I would be very happy! I would live a good life! Then I would take her, my friend, to live with me!"

As it thought about it, the mirror ghost laughed heartily. "You were adopted, so you must have thought about it too, right? Have you ever thought about finding your parents?"

But Li Xiaogui said, "Actually, I haven't seriously thought about that kind of thing."

The mirror ghost's expression froze.

Li Xiaogui thought for a moment and continued, "Well, sometimes I do think about how Ghost Dad and Ghost Mom didn't give birth to me—although I always forget about it… I think I was about four or five years old when I realized that I wasn't the same as them. At that time, I felt like the sky was falling and I kept crying. But when I heard Mom and Dad say that I was still their precious little baby, I felt better!"

Li Xiaogui smiled. "At that time, I didn't think about my birth parents or anything. I was just afraid that Mom, Dad, Brother, Grandpa, and Grandma wouldn't want me anymore, so I cried and cried. But after I knew they wouldn't, nothing else mattered!"

"Now that I'm older…" She closed her eyes, as if she was only seriously considering it now that it had been brought up. After thinking for a dozen seconds, she said earnestly, word by word, "I'm different from you. I was abandoned at the door of a deserted house when I was still in swaddling clothes. So, my parents actually wanted me dead in the first place, so I've never actually thought about looking for them."

She opened her eyes. "Ah, just now when I heard you talk about searching tirelessly with a photo, I imagined it for a bit and felt a little touched, so I tried to think about that kind of situation. If that were the case… what would I do? I would listen to their explanation seriously, and it would be best if they brought a younger brother or sister with them. Then I would comfort them and tell them that I forgave them. Then I would take them to play, visit them occasionally, and let them know that I'm doing well."

The mirror ghost listened intently, as if caught up in the scene she had painted.

"It would probably be something like that. My birth parents would say how well-behaved I am, and they would love me in a way that's both unfamiliar and cautious. Of course, I would do the same. But I wouldn't live there because I'm already nineteen years old, and I'll be even older when I find them. They would have other people to take care of them, and they would be used to life without me. I would have my own life too, and we would all be grown up. We would stay in touch, but we wouldn't live together."

"I would go home quietly because I can no longer imagine a day when I won't see Grandpa reading the newspaper, Grandma knitting and arranging flowers, Brother and I cooking together, Mom sleeping in, and Dad watching TV with me!"

After imagining it, she said with a sobering tone, "But that kind of situation probably won't happen! Honestly, although it's a bit selfish, I actually feel like it would be better if it didn't happen…"

The mirror ghost was stunned by the picture she had painted. "But don't you think it's better to be with people than with ghosts? You're different from them after all. Living people are different from dead people, you know? Dead people are like clocks that have run out of batteries, and living people are like hourglasses… You…"

Li Xiaogui shook her head and said, "I know, it's good this way. They're frozen in time, and I'll never have to see them leave before me. Every time I hear people talking about how much gray hair their parents have gotten, I can't help but feel grateful!"

Her expression was innocent and filled with a pious light. "Speaking of which, I've already thought about what it will be like in the future. Do you want to hear about it? I've been wanting to tell someone for a long time, but I might have to update it recently. I haven't figured it all out yet… I might have to add one more person…"

She muttered to herself.

The mirror ghost nodded, so Li Xiaogui told it about the scene in her dream. There were shadows, rocking chairs, flowers, and gray hair…

As it listened, it couldn't help but imagine along with her words, its expression longing and gentle.

"Right, about your parents, do you want me to help you find them?" Li Xiaogui asked.

The mirror ghost was stunned. After hearing Li Xiaogui's words, it couldn't help but fantasize about reuniting with its parents, but it also couldn't help but feel hesitant and timid. In the end, it shook its head. It was too difficult, it wouldn't be able to find them.

And Li Xiaogui's description of her life with ghosts was too good. It was afraid of being compared, afraid that if it found its parents, things wouldn't be as beautiful as it had imagined.

"Then is there anyone you want to see? Your friend? Actually, it's easier to hold on and not lose control if you have someone important in your life," Li Xiaogui said.

The mirror ghost hesitated. It thought of someone and said hesitantly, "…Yes."

"That's great! Do you know where she is? Do you want me to help you?"

The mirror ghost stammered, "I know, but… but… I'm scared. I don't dare."

"What are you afraid of? We can watch her from afar. She can't see you."

"I'm just scared! I won't go! I'm not going! I don't dare to go!"

The mirror ghost glared at Li Xiaogui's bright, clear eyes, but its expression clearly said it wanted to go.

Li Xiaogui coaxed it gently, "Don't be afraid, I'll go with you! With two people, it won't be so scary! If you tremble, I can hold your hand, I can hug you, I can charge you up with courage anytime."

Li Xiaogui stretched out her hand. Shen Chen's wide sleeve just covered her palm, even extending past it by a large margin. She said softly, "I have a way, even ghosts can hold hands and hug! It's been tested and proven effective, do you want to try it? Xia Xia."

The mirror ghost looked at the bubble in the sunlight and, as if bewitched, stretched out its hand. Pale, withered fingers emerged from the broken mirror, inch by inch.

Then came the black shadow, the pale ankles, slowly stepping onto the tiles, like a creature from the dark sewers, instinctively crawling towards the light.

Its hand passed through the light and landed on the thin fabric, then was grasped tightly.

"It's a deal then," Li Xiaogui said.

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