My Family Is Very Odd?

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Hypocrisy Alert

Under the ghosts' nurturing, the little baby slowly transformed into a little child.

She made the ghosts learn how to prepare powdered milk and change diapers.

The ghosts had determined to make her pay a price.

Yet, the oblivious little fellow was very clingy to the ghosts. As soon as she could walk, she would reach out her hands and chase after them, whining "ah ah" to be picked up. Her first word was also "hug--".

But in this household, there was no one who could hold her.

Their hands would pass through her feet, through her hands, through her neck and head, unable to embrace her at all.

The little child was adorable, with shallow brown eyes that seemed to hold specks of light forever. Her face was soft and round, always grinning with a "hic, hic" laughter.

The burly ghost loved the little child dearly. He even found a camera from who knows where and would chase after her every day to take pictures.

Whenever this happened, the young ghost and the female ghost would be very disdainful. The young ghost would sometimes even mock her.

The young ghost was inherently mischievous and loved playing pranks. He enjoyed scaring the little child and had done many mischievous things to her, often making her cry.

However, at an unknown moment, the young ghost inexplicably lost the ability to frighten her, leaving everyone baffled.

The little child's favorite thing was the television in the house that could play shows. However, the television in the ghost house could only play supernatural channels. So whenever the child pestered the ghosts to watch TV, they could only reluctantly find a slightly less bloody and violent entertainment show about mischievous ghosts terrorizing their neighbors.

It was very boring for the ghosts, but the little child was curious and excited about the audible influence it had.

Right from the beginning, it became a common sight to see the child sitting on a long chair, watching TV alongside the ghosts. As she grew older, she slowly learned that she couldn't touch the people in the house and would sit properly as well.

The glow from the animated show projected onto the two figures—one big and one small—each time only capturing the small person's petite and faint shadow. But the child never felt that something was amiss.

The little child didn't contemplate much. Her daily thoughts revolved around how she could touch the people in the house.

Later, she came up with an idea. While watching TV, she crawled to the side of the young ghost, looked up at him with her sparkling eyes, and in a babyish voice said, "Daddy, daddy, don't move. I have an idea to hug you. Let me try, okay?"

The word "daddy" was a trick the young ghost taught her when she was learning to speak baby language. Back then, they didn't expect her to keep calling him that until now.

The young ghost asked curiously, "What is it? Haven't you tried before? You couldn't touch me, right?"

Because there was a time when the child wanted to hug but couldn't, she couldn't help but burst into loud sobs. The female ghost dreaded her crying and would reach out her hand to let her touch, to completely dispel the little ghost's desire for a hug.

But unexpectedly, the little fellow brought it up again. She eagerly said, "Come on, Daddy, just let me try it once! Please!"

The young ghost smiled and narrowed his eyes, saying, "Alright, if you want to try, go ahead!"

The child wrapped her hands with her long sleeves and lightly touched the young ghost. Huh? She didn't disappear. The child's eyes brightened, and then she carefully shifted her clothed butt onto the young ghost's lap.

The little child made this discovery in her daily life. Although she couldn't really touch her father, mother, brother, grandfather, or grandmother with her hands, she saw that they could easily pick up her clothes, her milk bottle...

Therefore, it was the tiny hands that couldn't make contact, not her inability to do so. If she wrapped her hands and feet with clothes, then she could be embraced at last! That's what the little one believed.

She prepared for this day, wearing long sleeves, long pants, and long socks, tightly covering her feet.

She stood up straight, careful not to lean against the young ghost, avoiding any head contact with him.

"Hahaha!" The little fellow's eyes sparkled, with an expression that said, "Praise me quickly."

The young ghost: "..." Let it go.

So, in this posture, the two of them began watching children's animated shows that the ghost grandpa managed to play through an internet connection. Honestly, for the young ghost, this was a hundred times more boring than the entertainment films about mischievous ghosts.

Nevertheless, the young ghost continued "hugging" the little fellow as they watched.

When they reached an exciting part, the little fellow's head tilted back in excitement and accidentally bumped into the young ghost's chest. The young ghost's body instantly dissipated, and the little fellow passed through him, hitting her head on the back of the chair.

The chair was an ancient redwood chair, full of antiquity and very sturdy.

The young ghost reacted quickly and extended his hand to protect the back of the child's head. At that moment, the young ghost didn't think about anything, until he saw the soft back of the little fellow's head pass through his palm without obstruction and hit the redwood chair with a loud thud. It was then that he vaguely realized what kind of foolish act he had just committed.

The young ghost's pupils contracted, and then he calmed down, his expression turning cold.

The little child hit the chair, causing a big bump on her head. It was evident that the impact was quite heavy, but she just stared blankly for a moment before showing him a silly smile.

The usually sarcastic young ghost didn't say anything this time. He silently replaced the cold and hard redwood chair with a soft and comfortable sofa.

As the child grew to the age of five, she nestled in the arms of the young ghost, sneezed, but her eyes remained fixed on the TV.

The young ghost taunted her, "Didn't they say not to get too close to us? Are you catching a cold? All you ever do is snuggle up to us."

The little child rubbed her nose and stubbornly replied, "I'm not catching a cold!"

The young ghost moved his legs and said, "Alright, go to bed now. It's already nine o'clock, and you have to go to kindergarten tomorrow, don't you?"

The child made an exclamation and obediently crawled down from the young ghost's legs. In her babyish voice, she said, "But I'm not sleepy yet."

At that moment, the female ghost descended from upstairs. She had slept comfortably today and was in a good mood. Surprisingly, she joined in to coax the little fellow, "Little ghost, go to bed obediently. Tomorrow, I'll take you to kindergarten!"

The child's eyes lit up, and she raised her round little face, saying, "Really, Mommy? We have to wake up very, very early tomorrow."

The female ghost was the only young woman in the ghost house, and the little fellow naturally regarded her as her mother. Being lazy by nature, female ghost couldn't be bothered to explain, so she never argued against it.

However, when female ghost heard the little fellow's words, her lazy face froze, and she hesitated.

Seeing her reaction, the child quickly climbed the stairs with her short legs, saying, "I don't care! Mommy promised me, so I'm going to bed!"

Worried, female ghost reminded her, "Don't run. Don't fall again!"

Not long after those words were spoken, when the child reached the top step of the staircase, she tripped and was about to fall onto the carpet. However, the burly ghost who happened to be passing by swiftly used his ghostly powers to catch her from a distance.

The child steadied herself and smiled warmly at the burly ghost, saying, "Thank you, big brother! I'm going to bed now. Goodnight–"

The burly ghost rubbed the back of his head, his silly smile mirroring the little fellow's. "Hehehe, go ahead, be careful! Don't fall!"

The child squinted her eyes, revealing her white teeth, and playfully drawled, "Alright–"

...

Cream-like morning light poured onto the pristine white bed, softening on the surface of the blanket. A tiny arm emerged from the fluffy covers, reached for the alarm clock, checked the time, and rolled around within the sheets.

After a few rolls, she arched her little butt and slowly straightened her body. The pure white blanket slid down from her drowsy face as she rubbed her eyes. Reluctantly, she moved down from the bed.

As she landed on the floor, the child stumbled, falling down with a soft thud.

It seemed she was prone to tripping—either tripping over something or twisting her foot. She had gotten used to it. Whenever she fell, she immediately got back up, as if nothing had happened. She continued walking to the bathroom.

The bedside table and the desk were filled with photos of the little child—from her birth until the age of five.

The sound of rushing water filled the bathroom, and the child, taking small steps, came out. She passed by the bedside table and the desk once again, then took out her kindergarten uniform from the wardrobe opposite them.

With her chubby little fingers, the child dressed herself in the kindergarten uniform. By this time, she was fully awake.

After putting on her kindergarten uniform and coat, the child opened the door and walked out.

Milk and toast were placed on the dining table in the living room. The head of the burly ghost passed through the kitchen wall as he said, "Little ghost, are you up? Good morning! Come and have breakfast..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young ghost hit him back with a spoon. "Who gave you permission to stick your head through the wall like that? Who are you trying to scare? Get back in there!"

Ever since the young ghost stopped scaring the little fellow, he prohibited anyone from engaging in any behavior that might frighten her. It seemed he still felt guilty for scaring the little fellow in the past.

The child didn't witness the recent behavior of the burly ghost because she didn't come to the living room at all. Instead, as she greeted them with a "good morning," she ran through the corridor of the staircase, tiptoeing and pushed open the female ghost's room.

The curtains in the room were tightly drawn, blocking any trace of light. The child walked to the side of the bed and softly called the ghost.

"Mama, Mama, wake up. Didn't you say you would take me to kindergarten today?"

There was a picture of the child's chubby face, smiling brightly, on female ghost's bedside table.

The female ghost rolled over, not responding.

So, the child climbed onto the bed, getting even closer to the female ghost. She called her name softly in her ear. After calling twice and receiving no response, she whispered, "If Mama doesn't take me to school today, how about we go on a picnic together during the weekend?"

The child had shown signs of catching a cold since yesterday. Now, being so close to the female ghost, affected by her ghostly aura, she couldn't control herself and sneezed.

Female ghost, who had been sleeping lazily and unresponsive, instantly opened her eyes. She quickly rolled away, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the little fellow. Her eyes seemed somewhat awake yet also drowsy.

She turned over, not looking at the child, lazily saying, "I got it. I'll take you on the weekend. For now, let Ah Hei take you to kindergarten. These days, don't get too close to us if you catch a cold. Wear more clothes at home and don't get sick."

"Yes, Mama! I'm going out now. Good morning, Mama." The little child immediately moved her legs and walked out stealthily, achieving what she wanted.

After the child left, the female ghost found herself unable to fall back asleep. She got up from the bed, sighed, and walked towards the door.

Sigh, it's better not to believe what the little ghost says...

The female ghost walked out of the room and leaned against the railing. She instructed the young ghost, "The little ghost caught a cold. Be careful these days. Don't spoil her too much."

Upon hearing this, the young ghost, with his black hollow eyes, looked towards the little fellow.

The child finished her milk in one gulp, with milk foam lingering around her small mouth. She innocently looked back with her eyes wide open.

The child: "Hm?"

After finishing breakfast, the young ghost accompanied her to school, and the female ghost went back to her room to sleep after instructing the young ghost. The young ghost held one end of a white shirt while the child held the other, with a piece of clothing separating them. They walked together on the main road towards the kindergarten.

Although the ghost house was filled with gloom, and the house felt chilly, it was actually summer now. Although they woke up early and the sun wasn't very strong, the air was consistently hot and dry.

Soon, the coat she was wearing became hot and stuffy. After a while, the child took off her coat and neatly folded it, stuffing it into her backpack.

The young ghost didn't stop her; he only began giving instructions as they neared the kindergarten:

"When you get to the kindergarten, remember to listen to the teacher and not run around."

"If the kindergarten has air conditioning, remember to take out your coat and wear it."

"If you catch a cold, you can't touch us, understand?"

"Also, since the weather is so hot, remember to drink plenty of hot water."

"..."

The young ghost dropped off the child at a discreet corner near the kindergarten. He waved goodbye to her, watched as she walked towards the gate, blending into the crowd like a little chick among other little chicks. He walked forward with his pitch-black eyes, then turned and disappeared into the darkness behind him without a sound.

The little fellow carried her small backpack and walked slowly within the schoolyard. Suddenly, she kicked something with her foot, causing her to lunge forward with her hands and feet.

She fell to the ground with a thud, her backpack flew up and bounced back, restrained by the shoulder straps, resembling a little turtle. Her knees and palms burned with pain from the impact.

Unfortunately, she fell on the ground where many tiny stones were scattered.

The child blinked helplessly, surrounded by gazes that were startled by her sudden tumble.

After blinking her eyes, the child acted as if nothing had happened. When she tried to get up quickly, a pair of small shoes suddenly stopped beside her hand.