My Family Is Very Odd

The bright yellow grid wall was hanging on the clean and flawless white wall. On the yellow grid were large group photos of everyone looking happy. There were twelve photos in total.

The photo in the center of the grid was the earliest one put up. The children in the photo were still young, chubby, and round. Next to it was a young man with glasses. The photo was a bit blurry and shadowed, but five adults could be vaguely seen, though somewhat distorted.

The thirteenth photo, placed on the bedside table below the wall, was taken recently. The children, who once had round eyes and round heads, had grown taller and become graceful young women and teenagers in white.

The alarm clock rang. A pale, shapely arm crossed over the photo and turned it off.

Then, with a rustling sound, the girl, wrapped tightly, sat up from the quilt, the soft quilt slipping off her petite shoulders.

Li Xiao Gui's light brown eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of fog. She opened her mouth and yawned long, like a little chick opening its mouth. After yawning, she raised her hand and rubbed her eyes. Her curled eyelashes were brushed by her fingers and trembled.

She mumbled with her red, fruit-like mouth, and her white and straight feet swayed on the edge of the bed and slipped onto her slippers.

When she came out of the bathroom, Li Xiao Gui was fully awake. Her light brown eyes were wide open, as if she had accidentally taken in water from the tap while washing her face. Her almond-shaped eyes were watery and bright.

She was wearing the blue uniform of No. 2 Middle School. She skillfully pinched her short hair in front of the mirror and quickly tied a ponytail behind her head. The hair tie was a fluffy ball, very soft and gentle. After tying it, she couldn't help but grab it before leaving the room.

"Good morning, Xiao Gui! Today's breakfast is fried dough sticks and sweet soy milk!" said the Burly Ghost.

Li Xiao Gui was already as tall as the Burly Ghost's chest, but her body was enveloped in a large school uniform, still looking tiny in the Burly Ghost's eyes.

Li Xiao Gui bent her eyes, pulled open the chair, and sat down obediently. "Good morning, brother!"

The Burly Ghost was still the same as before; time did not leave any trace on it.

A glass straw was placed in the warm soy milk. Li Xiao Gui pursed her mouth into an oval shape, took a sip of the soy milk with the straw, and asked, "Brother, is Dad back?"

The temperature of the soy milk was just right, not too hot.

The Burly Ghost always used a thermometer to measure the temperature of hot drinks for Xiao Gui, which was very meticulous and neurotic.

The Burly Ghost pointed behind it and said loudly, "He's back! Look, he's back there! See!"

The Young Ghost walked up slowly behind them and sat down next to Li Xiao Gui. The Burly Ghost brought him a special portion of soy milk and fried dough sticks.

Li Xiao Gui's eyes lit up, and her still baby-fat face broke into a happy smile. "Good morning, Dad! When did you come back yesterday?"

"I came back a long time ago, but you were sleeping," the Young Ghost said.

Li Xiao Gui nodded obediently. "Oh! Dad is so busy!"

She sighed seriously. "Alas, life is not easy. Little Gui sighs."

She lowered her head and drank her soy milk, taking small bites of the fried dough sticks.

The Young Ghost snorted when he saw her imitating him, then picked up a fried dough stick and ate it bit by bit, taking a sip of soy milk after each bite.

The Young Ghost's portion was different from Li Xiao Gui's, icy cold, but the way they ate was perfectly synchronized.

They put down their cups at the same time. "I'm full!" Xiao Gui said softly.

The Burly Ghost handed the prepared lunch box to Xiao Gui. "My dear Xiao Gui, here are today's snacks. Today it's cookies."

Li Xiao Gui happily took the snacks.

The Young Ghost walked Li Xiao Gui to the door. Li Xiao Gui put on her shoes and waved to the Young Ghost. "Dad, I'm going to school!"

The Young Ghost waved casually. "Go, go. Be careful on the road!"

"Okay!" said Li Xiao Gui.

Li Xiao Gui had grown up, and the Young Ghost no longer walked her to school.

It was just to train Li Xiao Gui to be more independent.

The Young Ghost didn't turn back until Li Xiao Gui closed the door.

The little one had gone to class, and it was time for him to 'work'.

Li Xiao Gui didn't like the feeling of rushing to school, so she always went to school very early every day. At this time, there were usually not many people around, and the sunshine and air were moist and gentle.

As Li Xiao Gui was walking on the small road, someone suddenly called out to her, "Xiao Gui."

Li Xiao Gui raised her snow-white, delicate chin and turned around to see an expressionless face.

He was a head taller than her, and the contours of his face were already distinct. His thin, single eyelids gave him an unapproachable aura.

Li Xiao Gui smiled. "Shen Chen!"

After growing up, Li Xiao Gui no longer called him Brother Shen Chen, but only addressed him by his name.

Li Xiao Gui started going to and from school by herself in the second grade of elementary school. Ever since Shen Chen knew that Li Xiao Gui was going to and from school alone, he couldn't help but take on the task of the Young Ghost.

At that time, Xiao Gui's spiritual power was not very stable, and she was easily affected by the black energy. Coupled with the remoteness and peculiarity of 777th Street, Shen Chen was worried that Li Xiao Gui would fall, and he was also worried that she would encounter something bad.

He couldn't help but go to and from school with her every day, although later Shen Chen also knew that there was no need to worry, because with the ghosts of the ghost house, nothing would happen to her.

At that time, Shen Chen thought: Going to and from school with Xiao Gui would be a good opportunity to practice on 777th Street.

Because 777th Street was very special, with particularly heavy black energy, it was easy to attract ghosts, and the generation and mutation of filth was much more frequent than in other places.

Shen Chen nodded coldly. "Yes, good morning."

"Good morning!" Li Xiao Gui said.

Shen Chen naturally walked behind Li Xiao Gui, his eyes always drawn to the fluffy ball behind Li Xiao Gui's ponytail. He looked at it, then looked at it again, and couldn't help but reach out and touch it.

Li Xiao Gui felt it and tilted her head back towards him. Shen Chen lowered his head and saw Li Xiao Gui's big, round eyes.

Shen Chen silently withdrew his hand.

Li Xiao Gui looked at Shen Chen's cold and indifferent face, and her pink and soft face suddenly blossomed like a flower. She smiled and said, "It's very comfortable, isn't it? I bought it new. It's soft and fluffy. I like to touch it too!"

"Yes," Shen Chen said.

The two of them walked to school together, accompanied by the slightly damp morning dew, until they parted ways at the teaching building. They were not in the same class, and Shen Chen's teaching building was behind Li Xiao Gui's. When they parted, he patted Li Xiao Gui's forehead and said, "I'm leaving."

Li Xiao Gui waved to him. "Bye."

Then she slowly walked upstairs.

Two minutes later, Li Xiao Gui finally sat down in the classroom. She put down her schoolbag and read a book. After a while, a girl stood in front of her desk. "Good morning, Xiao Gui."

Li Xiao Gui looked up and smiled when she saw a familiar face. "Good morning, Yuanyuan."

The girl in front of her tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled.

She sat down in the chair in front of Li Xiao Gui and looked at her. "You came so early!"

Li Xiao Gui's eyes curved into crescents. "Because I'm used to getting up early."

Chen Yuanyuan pouted, as if she had thought of something. Suddenly, she looked at her with bright eyes and said mysteriously, "By the way, do you know about the ghost stories that have been going around in our school lately? They seem to be going on an adventure tonight!"

Li Xiao Gui was stunned for a moment. "Huh?"

Chen Yuanyuan said, "You know, those ghost stories that have been going around. The moving statue, the man running in circles on the playground, the student who keeps jumping off the building, the mirror in the bathroom that you can't look at, the cubicle that can't be opened, the non-existent classroom in the teaching building, the strange thirteenth step, the teacher who keeps correcting homework, and so on! It's those school ghost stories that have always been around!"

Li Xiao Gui shook her head. "I haven't heard of them. This is the first time I've heard of them. What are they?"

Chen Yuanyuan said, "They're just ghost stories, but..."

She said mysteriously. At this time, someone patted her shoulder lightly. Chen Yuanyuan straightened up like a startled bird.

Two pairs of round eyes brushed at the same time to look at the person who came. The person pointed to the place where Chen Yuanyuan was sitting and said, "Excuse me... This is..."

Chen Yuanyuan immediately got up and gave up her seat, saying sheepishly, "Excuse me."

She turned her head and whispered to Li Xiao Gui, "I'll tell you after class." Then she hurriedly left.

"Okay," Li Xiao Gui waved to her.

During recess, perhaps because Chen Yuanyuan had just mentioned it, Li Xiao Gui really noticed some of the things they were discussing.

"Are you going tonight? To that?"

"I don't dare. Are you crazy? What if we really encounter something? Besides, I don't even dare to go to haunted houses, let alone here. I'm not going, I'm not going!"

"You're really not going? I heard a lot of people are going tonight! There are people from other classes and other grades. It seems quite interesting."

"..."

"Xiao Gui, class is over!"

Li Xiao Gui was startled by the sudden voice and looked up to see Chen Yuanyuan.

Chen Yuanyuan reached out her hand. "Haha, did I scare you? Let's go. Do you want to go for a walk?"

Li Xiao Gui nodded. "Okay."

In the hallway, Chen Yuanyuan handed Li Xiao Gui a flyer. "They're having a test of courage rally and are going to organize a group of people to go on an adventure and explore all the ghost stories in the school. This was originally a midnight party that some boarding students were joking about, but ghost stories are always super interesting to people, so soon some daring students said they wanted to join too. Then the school's 'Occult Club' joined in. Those people in the Occult Club are so into this kind of stuff. What started out as a joke became real. It's tonight, and a lot of people want to play. They've even attracted people from other schools."

Chen Yuanyuan said, "Oh, right, Shen Chen is going too. Thanks to him, there will be quite a few girls going to the test of courage rally at night. He's quite popular."

Li Xiao Gui looked at the flyer in her hand that said 'Screaming, Test of Courage Rally' as she listened. "The school even has an Occult Club?"

Chen Yuanyuan said, "Actually, it's officially called the Forest and Art Literature Club. Forest as in trees, art as in art. Because the school wouldn't allow them to call it 'Occult,' they had no choice but to come up with this. They usually do proper things like making literary magazines, but everyone knows it's an occult club disguised as a literature club. The president is super into bizarre and horror stories. Their club activities are always organized night talks to tell ghost stories, and their usual team building activities are also going to haunted houses and stuff. Super exciting!"

Li Xiao Gui nodded.

Chen Yuanyuan asked Li Xiao Gui, "Do you want to go?"

Li Xiao Gui blinked and squeezed the flyer in her hand. She nodded honestly. "I kind of want to."

Xiao Gui was also very curious about the ghost stories. Moreover, Shen Chen was going too, which meant there was really something in the school. Maybe one of these ghost stories was real. Li Xiao Gui raised the flyer and looked at it.

Chen Yuanyuan said, "It's at midnight tonight. I want to go too, but my mom definitely won't let me."

Speaking of 'my mom,' Chen Yuanyuan unconsciously lowered her voice and slurred over it, because Chen Yuanyuan's mother had always disliked Li Xiao Gui and didn't want her to play with Li Xiao Gui.

So all these years, she had been secretly playing with her behind her mother's back. Although Xiao Gui had never said anything, she should know, because Xiao Gui and Shen Chen had invited her to their house to play, but she had never invited Xiao Gui and Shen Chen.

Thinking of this, she felt a little guilty whenever her mother was mentioned. She could only quickly gloss over it.

"Aren't you quite afraid of these things?" Li Xiao Gui said.

Chen Yuanyuan pouted at the mention. "I am quite afraid, but I don't seem to be that afraid. I just feel that if Xiao Gui goes, then I can too."

Chen Yuanyuan said, "Besides, ghost stories are all fake, right? There shouldn't be any real ghosts, right? How could there be ghosts in the world?"

Li Xiao Gui looked silently at Chen Yuanyuan, who had seen ghosts no less than three times.

Chen Yuanyuan: "..."

She stared into Li Xiao Gui's eyes for two seconds. For some reason, she suddenly felt goosebumps all over her back, and her smile gradually disappeared. "What do you mean by that look! No way?"

Li Xiao Gui said, "Yuanyuan, you can't go to this kind of event alone if I'm not there."

Chen Yuanyuan said, "No way. This kind of event is usually at night. My mom is very strict with me. She wouldn't let me go out at night."

Chen Yuanyuan said with a smile, "Why can't I go if you're not there? Can I go if you're there?"

Li Xiao Gui nodded. "Yes, because I'm stronger. I can protect you."

"You're strong, my foot." Chen Yuanyuan said teasingly. Looking at Li Xiao Gui's white and soft face like cotton candy, she couldn't help but imitate Shen Chen's usual way of pinching Li Xiao Gui's chin and pinched it.

Although Chen Yuanyuan's hand was not as big as his, it covered Xiao Gui's entire face at once.

The soft flesh on Li Xiao Gui's face immediately became cold and soft in Chen Yuanyuan's hand.

Chen Yuanyuan said with a smile, "Strong? Strong? How can you be strong like this, haha!" Chen Yuanyuan teased Li Xiao Gui, but in her heart, she actually believed her words without a doubt, and she didn't know why. She just felt a great sense of security.

Li Xiao Gui looked at her innocently, pursing her lips and whimpering for mercy, like a pufferfish.

Chen Yuanyuan couldn't help but sigh. "I finally understand why Shen Chen likes to pinch your face so much. It's so cute!"

Li Xiao Gui, whose cheek was being pinched, looked at Chen Yuanyuan and sighed slightly. "Alas, it's so hard being me!"

Chen Yuanyuan: "Hahahahaha."

The two of them laughed and joked until the bell rang for class before returning to the classroom.

After they separated, Li Xiao Gui received a text message from Chen Yuanyuan:

[The test of courage rally is at midnight, but we have to leave at midnight sharp, so we have to gather at the 24-hour convenience store near the school before twelve o'clock. Remember to go with Shen Chen tonight. It's not just the test of courage, it's dangerous at night!]

After reading it, Li Xiao Gui turned her head to look at Chen Yuanyuan. Chen Yuanyuan was looking at her and smiling.

Li Xiao Gui nodded.

At this time, the person behind her suddenly poked her back and asked, "Hey, Li Xiao Gui, are you going to the test of courage rally tonight?"

He had just noticed the flyer in Li Xiao Gui's hand.

Li Xiao Gui nodded. "Yes."

"I knew you would go. It's good that you're going, little ghost, little ghost." The boy behind her said her name jokingly. "This test of courage rally is quite suitable for you. Maybe you'll meet your relatives."

Li Xiao Gui glanced at him and turned away.

The boy behind her continued to chatter, "But don't be scared, hahahahaha."

Li Xiao Gui ignored him. She concentrated on the teacher at the podium.

...

"Ah ah... uh..." A drowning man groaned uncomfortably from his chest.

A strong, muscular arm clamped down on the arm of something.

They were all the same pitch black, only one face was pale.

"Hahahaha, so weak, so weak. Did you see that? Don't tell me I only have five..."

"No swearing."

The big mouth in the darkness was laughing wildly when a cool warning suddenly came from the side. The shadow immediately restrained itself and changed its tune, "Ahem, don't tell me I only have five percent of my power left. Even if I only have one percent left, crushing you to death is like crushing an ant!"

"Spare me! I... I was wrong..."

At this tense moment, an untimely ding-dong suddenly rang out. The ferocious monster turned its head.

A young man with glasses in the corner took out his phone from his bag, looked at it, and said, "It's your little ghost."

The young man rolled his eyes. "How many times have I told you to mute your phone when you're on a mission!"

The creature instantly extinguished the spirit in its hand and walked towards the young man step by step. "No way. What if I miss a message from Xiao Gui?"

"Damn siscon!"

The Burly Ghost chuckled and took the phone from the young man's hand.

Baby Xiao Gui: Brother, you're not home again!

Baby Xiao Gui: Brother, I have an event at school tonight and won't be home. I don't know when I'll be back! But Brother Shen Chen is with me, so don't worry!

The Burly Ghost, who had just been able to extinguish an evil spirit with one hand, now looked like a little daughter-in-law, clumsily pressing the phone keys with its thick fingers one by one.

[Brother]: Huh?? What event is it? It's very dangerous for Xiao Gui to be out at night. I've been watching the news lately and I'm so scared!

The Burly Ghost acted coyly. A ghost in the darkness couldn't stand it anymore and flew a piece of something at it. The Burly Ghost dodged it nimbly and continued to frantically press its phone, ignoring them.

The evil spirit that had fallen to the ground had a hole in its chest, and a long chain hung from it. It stared with wide eyes and silently turned into smoke.

Baby Xiao Gui: Brother, are you there? Don't worry. I'll be careful. I'm going with a group of classmates, and Brother Shen Chen is there too! Don't worry!

Baby Xiao Gui: Tiptoeing and touching head.jpg

[Brother]: Okay, then have fun. Call me if there's any danger. I'll be there right away!

The Burly Ghost was now engrossed in its phone and Xiao Gui's WeChat, no longer paying attention to its work, leaving the Young Ghost and the others to deal with the mission.

Baby Xiao Gui: Ah, right, do you want to come with me to the test of courage rally? I asked Brother Shen Chen, and this event is organized by the students themselves, so it's not that strict. It seems like family members can come too! And there are also people from other schools participating. It should be fine for you to come, brother.

The Burly Ghost suddenly screamed, "Ahhhh! Xiao Gui asked me to go to a school event with her!"

The four ghosts of the ghost house + the person in the corner: "..."

The Young Ghost gritted his teeth. "Why does Xiao Gui send text messages to you and not to... us!"

The Burly Ghost winked. "Of course it's because we siblings have more in common! You old people are different from us young people!"

The Young Ghost gritted his teeth. "Don't think you're younger than us just because Xiao Gui calls you brother. We're all hundreds of years old. Stop pretending to be young!"

The Burly Ghost didn't care and turned around, protectively shielding its phone like a thief and typing frantically!

[Brother]: But I have to do a mission, wuwu!

[Brother]: You guys go ahead and have fun, Xiao Gui. I'll come find you after I'm done with my mission!

The Burly Ghost finished typing and turned around, full of energy. "Okay! Let's hurry up and finish these and go back!"

Wen Yuanrui / Young Ghost / Female Ghost: "Get lost!"

Li Xiao Gui put away her phone. "Brother said he'll come play with me after he finishes his mission!"

"Okay," Shen Chen said.

Li Xiao Gui said, "I don't know why my brother and the others are always so busy. I went home yesterday, and they weren't home again."

Shen Chen looked down at Li Xiao Gui and asked, "Do you want some coffee? It's going to be late. I'm afraid you'll get sleepy."

Li Xiao Gui shook her head. "I have coffee candy. I'll be fine if I eat candy."

Shen Chen frowned. "Don't eat so much candy. You'll get cavities."

Li Xiao Gui looked at him innocently and immediately changed her tune. "Okay, then I want a cup of milk tea. Milk tea keeps me awake. I can stay up all night if I drink milk tea!"

She was always good at going down the slippery slope, pretending to be obedient. Although Shen Chen knew that she would be eating candy again in no time, she would be very obedient when you talked to her.

After a while, Shen Chen came over with a bottle of milk tea and iced coffee.

Shen Chen unscrewed the cap with his thumb and handed it to Li Xiao Gui.

Li Xiao Gui took the milk tea and smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

At 11:50 p.m., more and more people arrived. Shen Chen was like a signpost, and everyone consciously gathered towards his location. From being two lonely people, Shen Chen and Li Xiao Gui were slowly surrounded by many people, forming a line.

Shen Chen was originally just standing behind Li Xiao Gui, but when she wanted to turn around, she found that there were many people between them, and many eyes were staring at Shen Chen. Li Xiao Gui silently turned back.

Li Xiao Gui felt that being stared at by so many pairs of eyes was really terrifying. Thinking about it, she took two steps forward, widening the distance between her and Shen Chen.

At 11:58 p.m., someone stood at the front of the line and said, "Is everyone ready? If you are, please join the group face-to-face so that we can contact each other later."

Everyone listened to him and joined the group. The group owner was called President, the president of the Occult Club. Today, the Occult Club members were all wearing the same club uniform and standing together, making them very easy to recognize.

The president posted the itinerary for today's adventure in the group, and the content was the same as the ghost stories Chen Yuanyuan had told her this morning.

Then the president said, "We need a rag doll for the 'non-existent classroom'. Does anyone have a rag doll?"

In the silence, someone held up a pink-haired doll. "Yes, I brought one!"

The person was very thin and short, with their head down, carrying a large black schoolbag.

The person at the front nodded. "Okay. Now I'm going to teach you a hand gesture. This hand gesture is called the 'Fox Window.' One palm faces inward and the other faces outward, with your fingers intertwined like this, and your eyes looking out through the gap between your fingers."

The president said softly, "This way you can see ghosts."

Whispers began to break out among the crowd. Suddenly, someone said "Hey" next to her ear. Li Xiao Gui was startled and covered her ears to look over.

It was Xu Li, the boy who usually sat behind her.

"I didn't expect you to actually come?" The person winked and said with a smirk, "Hey, aren't you scared? Don't cry later."

Li Xiao Gui ignored him.

The person continued to chatter. He glanced at the milk tea in Li Xiao Gui's hand and said, "You're still drinking milk tea? Aren't you afraid you'll want to go to the bathroom later and encounter a ghost? How about this, you beg me, and I'll protect you later, how about that?"

Xu Li said, "Don't wet your pants later!"

He was getting more and more unpleasant, like a fly. His hand kept poking her shoulder and fiddling with her hair. Li Xiao Gui frowned and refused to look at him. At this time, a force grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Li Xiao Gui looked back in alarm and saw Shen Chen frowning.

The author has something to say:

[Fox Window] comes from Baidu. This is a novel, so don't believe in the supernatural.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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