Chapter 2: Growth

Source: https://www.gongzicp.com/novel-1388844.html
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

The girl nodded gently, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, don't cry... Are you hungry? I'll go make you some food."

Shu Ya, who had never cared for a child before, never expected that simply giving Shu Yushuang a name would move her to tears.

Shu Ya remembered she should probably go cook, so she took the opportunity to quickly leave the scene.

When she returned with two large bowls of noodles, Shu Yushuang had already regained her previous icy demeanor, though her eyes were still a little red.

She still stood obediently in place without moving a bit to the side, which deeply saddened Shu Ya.

Who knows what Shu Yushuang has been through before?

Shu Ya placed the noodles on the table, pulled out a stool from under the table, and said to Shu Yushuang, "Sit."

Only then did Shu Yushuang dare to sit down.

When Shu Ya picked up her chopsticks, Shu Yushuang cautiously picked up hers.

She timidly looked at the noodles in front of her and quietly swallowed her saliva. But Shu Ya didn't start eating, and she didn't dare to move either.

With a light sigh, Shu Ya said, "Go ahead and eat."

Upon hearing these words, Shu Yushuang immediately began to gobble up the noodles in her bowl.

Shu Ya hurriedly cautioned, "Eat slower, be careful not to burn yourself."

Shu Yushuang slowed down for a few seconds before starting to eat hurriedly again.

Shu Ya sighed helplessly and could only let her be.

After finishing the meal, Shu Yushuang conscientiously washed the dishes and chopsticks. Shu Ya felt very relieved; it seemed she had brought home a well-behaved child.

Once Shu Yushuang finished tidying up, she stood in front of Shu Ya again.

Shu Ya took her hand and led her to the only bed in the house.

"You'll sleep here tonight. By the way, how old are you?"

"Nine years old."

"Nine years old? You look so young..."

Shu Ya understood that Shu Yushuang appeared so small and thin due to long-term malnutrition.

"From now on, you can call me Master."

"Master."

"Good! Master will teach you martial arts in the future. Anyone who bullies you, you can fight them back."

Shu Ya gave the bed to Shu Yushuang and slept on the sofa herself.

The next morning, when she woke up, she saw Shu Yushuang rummaging through the large bag of food she had brought back.

"Are you hungry?"

Shu Yushuang heard the voice and turned her head.

Shu Ya noticed there were still faint tear marks on her face.

Shu Yushuang said, "I want to make something for you to eat, so you can have it as soon as you wake up." 

Shu Ya was greatly surprised by her response.

Such a young child, yet so obedient?

A warm feeling instantly surged in Shu Ya's heart. She squatted down and gently patted Shu Yushuang's small head. "I'll go make it for you. Just wait here."

Shu Ya returned with the prepared meal, and Shu Yushuang looked at her hesitantly.

"What's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?" Shu Ya asked.

After hesitating for a while, Shu Yushuang finally said haltingly, "Master, last night... I dreamt of..."

"Dreamt of what?"

"Nothing."

Shu Ya looked at Shu Yushuang curiously, but she had already lowered her head and focused on eating. Shu Ya could only focus on her meal as well.

Since bringing Shu Yushuang home, Shu Ya finally experienced the joys and pains of being a mother.

Shu Yushuang was indeed very well-behaved, which put Shu Ya's mind at ease.

But sending a child to school requires a lot of money.

Shu Ya had previously only accepted food and clothing as necessities of life, never money, so she had no funds to send Shu Yushuang to school.

Although Shu Yushuang responsibly told Shu Ya she didn't want to go to school, Shu Ya understood the importance of education. How could she agree?

After much consideration, Shu Ya decided to return to her old job.

Calling it her "old job," to more discerning individuals, it was merely a more sophisticated form of deception.

Catching more powerful "ghosts," gaining greater profits.

Yet Shu Ya never saw herself as deceiving others.

She believed she offered those people peace of mind, alleviating their anxiety and distress. It wasn't wrongdoing; they compensated her as they saw fit.

After all, while there are no ghosts in this world, there are people who believe in them.

Shu Ya was a staunch atheist, so when her master initially taught her ghost-exorcism methods, she learned some unconventional techniques.

Though she couldn't catch ghosts—there were none in this world, of course—scaring people was effective enough.

Shu Yushuang didn't know what her master had been up to these days, but she knew the food had improved significantly during this time.

However, Shu Ya didn't mention it, and Shu Yushuang didn't ask much.

Shu Ya's "ghost-catching journey" went relatively smoothly, and she quickly saved enough money for Shu Yushuang's tuition.

When Shu Ya first brought Shu Yushuang to school, she appeared very nervous.

She tightly clutched Shu Ya's clothes, and Shu Ya exerted a lot of effort to convince her to stay at school alone.

In the afternoon, when Shu Ya came to pick up Shu Yushuang from school, she waited at the gate for a long time without seeing her come out.

Shu Ya felt something was wrong and immediately rushed into the school.

She went to the classroom where Shu Yushuang was supposed to be and saw her sitting silently in the shadows by the door.

There was also a little boy crying loudly in the classroom, and the teacher she had seen in the morning was comforting him.

"What's wrong? You..."

Shu Ya was completely baffled by the situation before her, unable to comprehend what was happening.

The teacher noticed someone had entered, turned around, and upon seeing Shu Ya, became furious. "What's wrong with your kid? She just started school and is already fighting with others! Look at what he did to the other child!"

It was then that Shu Ya noticed the swollen corner of the boy's mouth and a black mark on his face, but she couldn't identify what it was.

Frowning slightly, she asked Shu Yushuang sternly, "Why did you hit him? I taught you martial arts not to bully the weak."

"It wasn't me," Shu Yushuang glanced up at Shu Ya, then immediately lowered her head again, "Master, there really are ghosts."

At these words, Shu Ya felt a chill run down her spine.

Though a firm atheist, her "work" occasionally involved such matters, and sometimes she couldn't help but feel afraid.

Before she could respond, the teacher started yelling again, "Listen to this, not only did she hit someone but she's also lying, and dares to talk about ghosts. We can't educate this child."

Upon hearing this, Shu Ya became anxious. She tried to placate the teacher and apologized profusely to the young boy, finally managing to calm both parties down.

During this whole ordeal, Shu Yushuang remained silent.

It wasn't until Shu Ya agreed to cover the boy's medical expenses that the matter was resolved.

On the way back, Shu Yushuang whispered to Shu Ya, "Master, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's okay. But can you tell me why you lied?"

"I didn't lie. I really saw a ghost. She had no feet, floated in the air, completely blackened, and she's the one who hit Zhao Xinyu."

Shu Ya sighed and began to reconsider if she had been too strict with Shu Yushuang, making her afraid to tell the truth.

Upon seeing Shu Ya's expression, Shu Yushuang knew she still didn't believe it, so she stopped talking.

In the following semester, Shu Yushuang still occasionally saw the female ghost.

However, the ghost seemed to have no intention of harming Shu Yushuang, to the point that she became accustomed to the ghost's presence.

But after completing this semester's classes, Shu Yushuang adamantly refused to go to school anymore.

Source: https://www.gongzicp.com/novel-1388844.html
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

Shu Ya had no choice but to transfer her to another school, and fortunately, Shu Yushuang didn't throw tantrums at the new school.

Time flew by, and Shu Yushuang soon entered junior high school.

Because she was older when she started elementary school, she skipped a few grades along the way, so by the time she entered junior high school, her age was basically similar to her classmates.

As for what happened when she was in the first school, Shu Ya had almost forgotten— or rather, she forced herself not to think about it.

Until one day, while flipping through the newspaper, Shu Ya saw a major accident.

"...No. 3 Elementary School caught fire. This fire tragically claimed the lives of three cafeteria staff members. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation..."

"No. 3 Elementary School, No. 3 Elementary School, isn't this..."

Shu Ya was suddenly shocked, immediately connecting this incident with the female ghost Shu Yushuang had mentioned.

Completely charred black, isn't this being burned to death?

Could it be that ghosts really exist in this world?

Shu Ya suddenly felt extremely cold, as if there were cold gusts of wind blowing around her body.

She comforted herself, saying, "It's impossible, surely just a coincidence, only a coincidence. How could there possibly be ghosts in the world?"

Finally, when Shu Yushuang returned home from school, the presence of another person in the house made Shu Ya feel a bit warmer.

"Shuang'er..."

"What's wrong, Master?"

"Never mind, it's nothing."

In the end, Shu Ya decided it was better not to tell Shu Yushuang about this matter.

What good would telling her do? It won't solve anything but would only add another person to be afraid with her.

After peacefully passing through another period, Shu Ya once again buried this matter deep in her heart.

In her three years of junior high school, Shu Yushuang was also very diligent, always ranking at the top in exams. She smoothly got admitted to a prestigious high school.

Although the tuition fees at the prestigious high school were not high, the expenses for meals, textbooks, tutoring, and more were significantly higher compared to regular high schools.

Though Shu Ya didn't complain out loud, she secretly felt the burden in her heart.

Since seeing the incident at No. 3 Elementary, Shu Ya dared not touch any ghost-related work again.

She used her previously saved money to start a small business, not earning much. After paying Shu Yushuang's tuition, the remaining money barely supported their living.

However, after Shu Yushuang entered high school, additional substantial fees were required. Shu Ya had no extra savings and couldn't afford these costs, so she reluctantly returned to her old trade once more.

But Shu Yushuang seemed unappreciative.

This period was probably her rebellious phase. She started skipping classes every day, either going to internet cafes or arcades. Sometimes, she even got into fights off-campus, though her martial skills ensured she never suffered a loss.

Seeing Shu Yushuang's grades plummeting, from third place in the entrance exam to near the bottom, Shu Ya became extremely anxious.

She couldn't remember how many times she had dragged Shu Yushuang out of internet cafes, game arcades, and even police stations.

After bringing Shu Yushuang back from the police station once again, Shu Ya finally exploded.

"You're a girl, why are you fighting all the time? I taught you martial arts so you wouldn't be bullied, not so you could bully others! And what's so fun about those places like internet cafes and game arcades? After you get into university, you can play however you want, but why can't you focus on your studies now?"

Shu Yushuang may be going through a rebellious phase, but she still respects her master deeply. She remained silent and kept her head down.

After venting, Shu Ya finally asked Shu Yushuang, "What do you plan to do? Don't want to go to university anymore?"

"Master," Shu Yushuang finally lifted her head, looking at the fine lines around Shu Ya's eyes, and whispered, "University tuition is too expensive, I don't want to go. Besides, the current tuition fees are also very high. I... want to drop out."

Shu Ya was stunned.

She had never mentioned tuition fees to Shu Yushuang before, but she hadn't expected this observant child to have already noticed her unbearable burden.

She never imagined that Shu Yushuang's rebellion was due to this reason.

She slowly sat down on the chair and inadvertently glanced at herself in the nearby mirror, and was startled once again.

Shu Ya remained silent, and Shu Yushuang dared not speak either.

Shu Ya dared not look at herself in the mirror any longer.

She had brought Shu Yushuang back six years ago; she was only 14 years older than Shu Yushuang and was now only 29.

Yet the person in the mirror looked as old as 40.