32 If It's Him
The first possibility that crossed Song Zhuyu's mind was— an earthbound spirit?
When someone teetered on the brink of death, the grim reaper would be on standby to reap their soul and guide them to the place where they would undergo final judgment, which was often known as the underworld. It was positioned between the realms of Heaven and Hell.
All souls would face judgment without exception. Very seldom had Song Zhuyu heard of an instance where a soul had managed to evade the grasp of a grim reaper— almost impossible, even.
That was because a stowaway soul could never survive for long in the mortal realm before they were destroyed by natural forces, unable to enter the afterlife ever again.
What people commonly referred to as 'ghosts' were, in truth, lingering sentiments of a departed soul. When mortals passed on, they might leave behind regrets – it could be an unfulfilled desire, a strong yearning to stay with their loved ones, and so on – and it was these sentiments that coalesced into spirits that lingered on Earth.
They could not be considered souls, for they no longer possessed consciousness. They simply… existed, bound to the place where they died, fixated on a distant goal they could no longer reach.
They were known as earthbound spirits.
The harmless ones could be dispelled with a prayer, but in some cases, there would be such intense and violent sentiments that they formed malevolent spirits. Those needed to be eliminated with a proper exorcism.
But the little girl Song Zhuyu saw back then…
She didn't seem like an earthbound spirit. The eyes that met his own were still vivid in Song Zhuyu's mind— they were too clear and sober to be considered as a mere sentiment.
However, Song Zhuyu was certain she wasn't a soul either. Under the bright sunlight, her body was not translucent, and Song Zhuyu detected no trace of dark energy emanating from her. She blended seamlessly with the other children to the extent where he wouldn't have noticed anything amiss if not for Chen Ru's accidental words.
She was an anomaly he had never encountered before.
What was she?
Why was it that only he alone could see her?
"Mr. Song!" Chen Ru and Ma Boliu hurried to catch up with him, concern evident in their voices. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?!"
Shelving the doubt to the back of his mind for the time being, Song Zhuyu faced the two men with a helpless and apologetic look, "Oh, it's nothing. Really, nothing at all! I'm very sorry for causing unnecessary concerns. I dropped something here earlier, but I've found it now haha!"
"You really gave me a scare there!" Ma Boliu patted his chest with a relieved look, but Chen Ru, who had been fooled by Song Zhuyu time and time again, would no longer be easily deceived.
He shot a skeptical look at Father Song, to which the latter responded by placing a finger on his lips, gesturing for him to remain silent for now.
Chen Ru's pupils dilated in understanding as he quickly nodded like chicken pecking rice.
They exited the building just in time for the children from the first floor to pour out of the classroom, eager to surround Song Zhuyu and Chen Ru. Meanwhile, Rui Shuren was still busy collecting the children's notebooks, preparing to grade them later.
When she came out, Ma Boliu exclaimed softly, "Oh, there she is. Didn't you mention you want to talk to her, Mr. Song?"
"Sure, but how about introducing Chen Ru to her first?" Song Zhuyu suggested with a business smile. "Don't mind me. I can use the company of these adorable children for a while."
"Alright, if that's what you want," Ma Boliu readily complied, and Chen Ru secretly offered a thumbs up for Song Zhuyu. He had decided… he would never speak ill of the crimson-haired man again no matter what happened in the future!
After Ma Boliu warned the children to behave, he took Chen Ru to meet Rui Shuren, leaving Song Zhuyu alone with a bunch of bear children. Without the middle-aged man's watchful presence, they immediately became rowdy and crowded around Song Zhuyu, bombarding him with a barrage of questions.
"Song-Ge, Song-Ge, Papa said you're from the city. What's it like there?" Ma Yanyan asked curiously.
"Is everyone there as tall as you?"
"Nah, Chen-Ge is not as tall!"
"Do you have endless candy there?!"
Chuckling softly, Song Zhuyu crouched down to their eye level, picking up a twig near his feet and starting to doodle on the ground. "Let's see… in my city, we have tall buildings that emit lights throughout the night."
"Ooh!"
"The streets are flat and smooth, bustling with cars, bicycles, motorbikes…"
"Oooh!!"
"And we have trains, too. They're like giant worms, much taller and bigger than me. But don't worry, they won't eat you but will take you to places with super speed…"
"Ooooh!!!"
As Song Zhuyu's doodles multiplied on the ground, the children's fascination skyrocketed, their eyes sparkling in awe and excitement. "How cool! We want to go to the city too!" they exclaimed.
"Will I grow taller there?"
"Geez, you can't even finish your homework today and you're already dreaming about the city? Uncle Boliu said that only those as smart as Teacher Rui can go!"
"Actually, everyone can go," Song Zhuyu stifled a chuckle as he interjected, "When you become adults later, just let me know and I will take you to the city."
"Adults?" They echoed in confusion. "What is that?"
"How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Hmm," Song Zhuyu pondered thoughtfully as he studied the bear children around him. "About… seven to ten years?"
His response was met with a chorus of dismayed groans. "That's so long!"
"I'm not even ten years old yet! Can't we just go now?"
"Sure, sure," Song Zhuyu played along happily. "If you promise to be good, finish your homework, and eat your meals, Song-Ge will talk to your parents and maybe we can all explore the city together for a day."
"Really?!" The children cheered. "Song-Ge, you're the best!"
"Everyone here seems to be very close to each other. It warms my heart to see," Song Zhuyu remarked with a genuine smile. Sensing that the time was ripe, he finally broached the main topic, "But oh, there's something I've been curious about. I am searching for someone among you, and I'm wondering if you could lend me a hand?"
Song Zhuyu, who had gained the children's trust and admiration, easily obtained the answer he wanted. "Song-Ge, you can tell us!"
"Yes, we all know each other very well!"
"Who are you searching for?"
"Well, I don't know their name, but they look around eleven or twelve…" Song Zhuyu described the girl's appearance from his memory, yet much to his disappointment, he was only met with blank stares from the children. He had thought that since the girl was seen at the school, she might have recently passed away or she had at least shown herself to the children. But it seemed like he was mistaken.
Pinching his brows, he released a helpless sigh, "So none of you have seen her either, huh?"
"Mr. Song!"
Just then, Chen Ru's voice called out to him from afar, prompting him to rise to his feet. Song Zhuyu bid farewell to the children with a friendly wave, "Alright, that's my cue to leave. See you around, everyone."
"See you around, Song-Ge!" The children waved back to him enthusiastically, but once he was out of sight, they exchanged puzzled and bewildered glances.
"He saw?"
"Yeah, he can see Mi'er!"
"But I thought only we could see her??"
"Mi'er, what do you have to say about this?"
The group of children simultaneously turned to the empty space behind them. There, hidden from everyone's view, stood the girl clad in pure white summer dress and shoulder-length hair Song Zhuyu had seen earlier.
"Why did you show yourself to him, Mi'er?" A little boy asked in confusion. "Didn't you tell us that your existence is a secret we can't reveal to anyone else, not even our parents?"
Mi'er blinked, her inscrutable gaze lingering on the doodles Song Zhuyu had drawn on the ground. "We can trust him," she said in a crisp and childish voice, though her grave expression did not really suit her young age.
"If it's him, I think it should be okay. He smells a bit... familiar."
