Chapter 524: Chapter 268: Yin Soldiers Borrowing Lifespan
The night deepens, and the wind and rain outside grow fierce, lightning flashes, thunder roars.
The self-operated loom still creaks and groans, many unfinished, undyed plain cloths hang in the side room, swaying back and forth in the wind, hauntingly pale and terrifying.
At this moment, little Shiyue and the seamstress had just met, both feeling a bit awkward.
Little Shiyue heard the seamstress was a ghost, and an unfamiliar one at that, feeling quite afraid inside.
Though the seamstress was a ghost, she usually lived alone in the annex, having never met other ghostly beings. Upon meeting a fellow ghost for the first time, she was even more nervous than a child.
"Eh? Godmother? No, no, how can this be? How can I be her godmother, don’t push your luck with me," she said.
"What’s so inappropriate about it? She’s a ghost, you’re a ghost, and you’re older than her. Take on a goddaughter, and you’ll have someone to look after."
Xu Qing spoke with a stern face, sounding like he had a point, but truthfully, he just didn’t want to take care of a child and hoped to pass the little girl onto the older one.
Upon hearing this, the seamstress frantically waved her hands, blushing: "I have no experience, I’m still... still an unmarried girl, how can I be a mother."
"Not a human mother, moreover..."
Seeing the seamstress biting her lip, staying silent, Xu Qing finally shook his head in resignation: "Alright, since you don’t want to be her godmother, I won’t force it."
"It’s just a pity that this child lost her mother at such a young age. Other babies rush home from school, bouncing in excitement for their mother’s hot meal. Little Shiyue can only stay outside, picking up small wooden sticks, drawing stroke by stroke on the cold ground..."
"Do you know what she draws?"
The seamstress shook her head, indicating she didn’t know.
Xu Qing spoke in a melancholic tone: "First she draws a round head, then two slender curved eyebrows, with smiling eyes below. Those eyes are her mother’s eyes, but she can’t remember them, so she can only paint that familiar, warm feeling from her dreams."
"Finally, she draws arms with gentle lines, as if they can open wide; that’s Little Shiyue’s mother’s embrace."
Seeing the seamstress frown and still unmoved, Xu Qing wasn’t anxious, he continued:
"Little Shiyue sees the painting on the ground and feels her mother is still by her side. In the bitter cold of December, she removes the small embroidered shoes made by her mother, though they are already worn out, she still treasures them, holding them close to her heart."
"She cautiously, gently curls her small body into the arms she herself drew on the ground, without warmth, into her mother’s embrace. It seems that doing so allows her to feel her mother’s warmth..."
"Don’t say it! Stop talking!"
The seamstress listened, wishing she could slap herself; why did she, in front of the little girl, say she wouldn’t be her godmother.
Even though little Shiyue couldn’t quite understand Xu Qing’s words, upon hearing the word "mother," she could grasp the general meaning.
That meant her mother truly was gone, and even if she searched, she’d have to beg others to find a godmother who wasn’t her real mother.
Moreover, the godmother seemed not to want her...
The little girl, engulfed by sorrow, cried out loudly, her tears filled with heartbreak.
The tears of ghosts are different from those of the living, falling as gentle gleaming points, like snowflakes falling in the bright sun, melting before they touch the ground.
Hearing the child cry, the seamstress was at a loss, while Xu Qing cleared his throat and said, "The child feels wronged, as her godmother, shouldn’t you quickly comfort her."
Neither the young ghost nor the big ghost, both inexperienced with the world, were opponents for Xu Qing, the big devil. The seamstress felt both guilty and sorry: "This girl is truly pitiful, come quickly to Godmother’s side, if you miss your mother in the future, come to Godmother here..."
After calming the little girl’s emotions, the seamstress asked Xu Qing:
"What’s her name?"
"Shiyue."
"October?" The seamstress was puzzled.
Xu Qing replied with a smile: "Shi means to nurture seedlings, much like spring buds first sprouting, nurtured by heaven’s grace, imbued with vitality. Yue stands as the essence of yin, embodying gentleness and tranquility, also symbolizing the ten-month pregnancy period, signifying the completion and birth of life."
"People say place oneself in death’s realm, then rebirth will follow. Though this child is deceased, her heart remains unmarred by resentment."
Xu Qing sighed: "Perhaps it relates to her young age and pure-heartedness..."
At this point, Xu Qing suddenly paused.
"Little Shiyue’s birth mother surnamed Ye gave her the nickname Guai Guai, often teaching her to be obedient and sensible, could it be..."
Ghosts carry their own obsessions. The seamstress was once obsessed with avenging her father’s murder and the ruin of her home, which is what enables her to remain in the human world.
Shiyue managed not to let resentment affect her mind, it might have been related to what she held onto linked with the teachings of her mother Ye during her lifetime.
Recalling little Shiyue’s conversation with Madam Zhang before she died...
"Your mother often calls you Guai Guai, wanting you to be obedient. As long as you obey, you can see your mother."
"If I’m obedient, I can see my mother?"
Xu Qing subtly understood, he turned to look at the shy little girl conversing with the seamstress, eventually giving a relieved smile.
...
The seamstress mastered needlework, could sing opera, tell stories, and was literate; most importantly, she was also a female ghost.
Xu Qing couldn’t think of anyone more suitable than the seamstress to guide this little girl’s growth.
"Bao Sheng Temple isn’t like other places, the chosen ones must be of excellent character. Shiyue’s nature is pure and kind, if properly nurtured, she might carry responsibilities on her own in the future."
Xu Qing paid great attention to matters concerning Bao Sheng Temple; the incense there was extraordinary, with the current growth rate of its followers, it seemed the temple would need expansion again soon.
In the meantime, there might even be instances of locals autonomously constructing sub-temples dedicated to the goddess of life. If manpower falls short, he’d have to find means to manage uncontrollably built temples...