My Family Is Very Odd?

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Strange Woman

The little child looked up and saw a boy wearing a kindergarten uniform. His hair was soft, his face was delicate, he had single-fold eyelids and thin eyelashes, and his eyes were pure black, without a smile.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked, furrowing his brow with an expressionless face as he helped her up.

The little child stood up, holding out her hands. The boy could clearly see that they were scraped and covered with a thin layer of skin, oozing fresh red blood.

Her knees and shins were also scraped, mixed with pebbles and fine sand.

"It hurts," the little child said.

The boy thought she was going to cry and quickly said, "Don't cry, I'll take you to find the teacher."

The little child's light brown eyes widened as she crisply replied, "I won't cry."

The boy examined her carefully. Although the child's eyes were watery, she really didn't seem like she was going to cry. The boy breathed a sigh of relief and gently grasped her small wrist, leading her forward.

The boy asked her, "My name is Shen Chen, I'm from upper class 302. What's your name? Which class are you from?"

The little child was a bit shorter than the boy. She followed behind him and said, "I'm Li Xiao Gui, from middle class 203."

*In China, the kindergarten system is generally divided into three levels based on age groups: nursery or preschool (小班), middle class or lower kindergarten (中班), upper class or upper kindergarten (大班).

*Li Xiao Gui has the surname "Li," and her given name, "Xiao Gui," can be translated as "Little Ghost."

Shen Chen took Li Xiao Gui to find the teacher. The teacher first informed the teacher in charge of Li Xiao Gui and then took them to the infirmary.

Cleaning and applying medicine hurt more than the wound itself. Even before the wound was treated, Li Xiao Gui, who was already familiar with this process, involuntarily recoiled and resisted. Although she sat obediently, her shoulders and hands slightly pulled back.

The doctor in the infirmary gently held Li Xiao Gui's hand to prevent her from retreating, comforting her in a soft voice, "Be good, little Li, it will be better in a moment, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

"I'm not afraid," Li Xiao Gui trembled, her face filled with fear.

If it weren't for being on the job, the doctor couldn't help but burst into laughter. It was just too cute!

With big round eyes like glass, pursed lips squeezing her rosy cheeks, her small face puffed up. Clearly scared but insisting she wasn't scared.

A stubborn child, hahaha! The doctor stifled a laugh.

The place being treated started to sting, burning hot. Li Xiao Gui couldn't help but close her eyes.

The doctor started to treat her knee injury without her knowing, her hand dumbly extended, resembling a blooming lotus root.

In the darkness, a gentle and warm breeze brushed against her palm.

Li Xiao Gui opened her eyes and saw Shen Chen leaning over, blowing on her palm covered with gauze.

"Blowing on it makes the pain go away," Shen Chen said expressionlessly.

Li Xiao Gui blinked.

By now, the doctor had also applied ointment to Li Xiao Gui's knees and shins. She lovingly looked at them, took out two lollipop sticks shaped like flowers from her pocket, and praised:

"Little Li is so well-behaved, didn't cry at all. Shen Chen is also amazing. Not only did he bring little Li here, but he also accompanied her and comforted her like a little hero."

The doctor smiled warmly, and Li Xiao Gui curiously accepted the lollipop, soft and chewy, and thanked the doctor, saying, "Thank you, teacher."

Shen Chen also took a lollipop and politely thanked the doctor.

The doctor said, "Alright, it's almost time for class. Little hero, go back to class. Li Xiao Gui is fine now, and her teacher will be here soon. Don't worry."

Shen Chen turned his head and glanced at Li Xiao Gui, who blinked and fluttered her curly lashes back at him, extending her hand and showing him her knee, saying, "I'm fine, big brother. Go to class quickly! Thank you, big brother!"

Shen Chen nodded.

Li Xiao Gui waved to him with a smile, saying, "Goodbye, big brother!"

After Shen Chen left, five minutes later, a middle-aged woman appeared at the door. She stood there without entering and immediately called out, "Is Li Xiao Gui here?"

"I'm here!" Li Xiao Gui raised her hand, bid farewell to the doctor while carrying her small backpack, and walked towards the teacher.

"Goodbye, teacher!"

"Mm, goodbye, little Li!"

"Let's go," the middle-aged woman said. She didn't look at Li Xiao Gui's wound, nor did she ask any questions. She simply took her away in a plain and ordinary manner.

The smiling expression of the doctor, who had a good impression of Li Xiao Gui, faltered for a moment and gradually disappeared. Her opinion of that teacher suddenly worsened.

...

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the classes.

According to the kindergarten rules, children who weren't picked up by school buses had to be accompanied by their parents before they could leave.

One by one, parents came to pick up their children, and the teacher lowered her head to register them.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up Li Xiao Gui."

Suddenly, a cold voice came from beside her ear. The teacher was startled and looked up. Indeed, it was Li Xiao Gui's family member.

Eerie and sinister, pale as paper, sunken eyes, a strange smile, devoid of any vitality. Not even a single sound came from them!

Psycho.

The teacher cursed inwardly, feeling somewhat intimidated. She took a step back and called out Li Xiao Gui's name, "Li Xiao Gui!"

She swallowed her saliva and said to Li Xiao Gui's family member, "Li Xiao Gui had a little fall at school today, but we have already informed the infirmary, and everything is fine. Please don't worry."

Li Xiao Gui's family member nodded in understanding without saying anything. Li Xiao Gui ran over, and the young ghost towered over her, saying, "Let's go."

"Okay! Goodbye, teacher!" Li Xiao Gui nodded, bidding farewell to the teacher, and obediently followed the young ghost.

The young ghost never held her hand in public.

The teacher checked off Li Xiao Gui's name, and as she finished, she subconsciously frowned.

Bad luck.

As Li Xiao Gui followed the young ghost, she noticed a figure in one corner of the park who caught her attention. The person looked similar to her family members. She was wearing a red and white gradient dress, sitting on a swing, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face, seemingly focused on something.

A child ran past her from the front, wearing a different school uniform. He was a boy who appeared older than her. When he passed the woman, he loudly shouted, "Ugly freak!"

Li Xiao Gui froze in place.

The child laughed heartily, as if afraid that the woman couldn't hear, and shouted "ugly freak" once again.

The woman turned her head and looked at the boy silently.

Li Xiao Gui was taken aback for a moment, then furrowed her brow with a hint of distress. She lowered her head and rummaged through her pocket. After finding what she was looking for, she walked towards the woman.

Li Xiao Gui: "Um... hello."

The woman mechanically turned her head but remained expressionless.

Li Xiao Gui raised her hand and offered the flower-shaped lollipop that the doctor had given her that morning. She really liked this lollipop and hadn't had the heart to eat it yet.

"This is for you, big sister." Li Xiao Gui's little face blushed like a peach as she smiled and said, "You're very beautiful, sister. Don't listen to what he says."

The woman looked at her expressionlessly, seemingly unable to comprehend her actions.

Li Xiao Gui felt a bit embarrassed and awkwardly asked, "Um, don't you like it?"

As Li Xiao Gui finished speaking, the woman finally reached out her hand, carefully gripping the top of the lollipop stick, avoiding Li Xiao Gui's hand.

...

The young ghost arrived at the park gate and turned around, only to find that the little child was gone.

Young ghost: "..."

The young ghost called Li Xiao Gui's name, and Li Xiao Gui turned back with a surprised expression, nervously saying to the woman, "My dad is calling me. I have to go! Goodbye, big sister!"

Li Xiao Gui ran towards the young ghost, but halfway through, she was pushed and stumbled to the ground. Looking up, she saw the boy from the other school uniform who had pushed her down. He sneered and called her a "bootlicker" before leaving.

Li Xiao Gui found him extremely annoying. He was the real ugly freak.

She quickly got up, patted off the dirt from her pants, and continued running towards the young ghost.

The woman watched them from a distance, her gaze steady, holding a cute flower-shaped lollipop that didn't match her demeanor.

...

Li Xiao Gui was panting, finally catching up to the young ghost. The young ghost glanced at her up and down, but didn't say a word, and headed outside.

Li Xiao Gui took two steps forward, but was stopped.

The gatekeeper looked at her and said, "Little one, you can't go out without a parent."

Li Xiao Gui pointed forward and said, "My dad is up ahead!"

"Is he?" The gatekeeper turned his head incredulously, and suddenly saw a dark figure standing right in front of him, startling him.

Oh my goodness! How did he not see this person just now? It's eerie.

The gatekeeper couldn't help but ask Li Xiao Gui, "Is that your dad?"

Li Xiao Gui replied, "Yeah."

The gatekeeper said, "Alright, you can go out."

"Okay! Goodbye, Uncle Gatekeeper," Li Xiao Gui said and walked towards the dark figure.

Mrs. Zhang was a busy housewife. Her home was not far from the kindergarten, just a ten-minute walk. Her child was already in the upper class and perfectly capable of walking home alone.

However, the kindergarten had a strict rule that required parents to pick up their children, which caused her some headaches.

Today, she suddenly saw a child younger than her own child walking out of the school gate alone. Could it be that the school had finally changed the rules? Could children go home by themselves now?

Mrs. Zhang thought that the child seemed to be in the lower class, so small. If she can do it, then my child in the upper class should be able to as well!

With this thought in mind, Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but ask the gatekeeper, "Hey, can children go home by themselves now?"

The gatekeeper waved his hand and said, "Impossible! No, for safety reasons, children must be picked up by their parents."

Mrs. Zhang pointed outside skeptically and asked, "Then how can she go home by herself?"

A little girl with black hair disappeared around the corner, carrying her backpack, with no one around her.

The gatekeeper followed her gaze and happened to catch a glimpse of the tail end. The little girl's parent had made a deep impression on the gatekeeper, who quickly recognized them and smiled, saying, "Her dad came to pick her up. He should be ahead."

Mrs. Zhang said, "That's impossible. I saw her go out by herself with my own eyes."

The gatekeeper waved his hand, saying, "That's impossible. I saw her dad before letting her go."

The two argued back and forth, each believing the other was wrong. Mrs. Zhang thought the gatekeeper was negligent in his work and had carelessly let the child out alone. She believed he deliberately refused to admit it and falsely claimed that the parent had come to pick her up.

Meanwhile, the gatekeeper believed Mrs. Zhang was making trouble for no reason. It was clear that there was a parent, yet she claimed not to have seen one.

In the end, they went their separate ways without resolving the issue.

Mrs. Zhang thought the current gatekeeper was really incompetent. That child clearly went out alone!