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墨書 Inktalez
My Tenant is a Female Ghost
"Ah? Sister Shirei... you, you heard everything?"
Bai Zhuo did not expect Ouyang Shirei to come out, nor did he know how she would react to his earlier way of educating the children. Ouyang Shirei's face was slightly flushed, and he couldn't tell if it was due to a cold or something else.
"Yes, I heard... Jia, you all go play now. I need to have a few words with Teacher Bai Zhuo."
Seeing Ouyang Shirei dismiss the children, Bai Zhuo felt a sense of dread and wanted to explain, "Sister Shirei, I..."
"Bai."
"Huh? Sister Shirei..."
"Thank you."
"Ah?" Bai Zhuo thought she would scold him instead.
Ouyang Shirei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked sideways, ethereal and beautiful. "Why are you thanking me?" Bai Zhuo asked.
Ouyang Shirei's cheeks grew even rosier as she recalled the awkward scene that had just unfolded in the room. Turning her back to Bai Zhuo, she gazed at the children on the playground. "Fewer and fewer families are coming to pick up the kids now. The older kids in Jia's group keep asking me... asking me strange questions... Thanks to your explanation today, although it was a bit direct, at least it helped them mature a little in their understanding of gender."
So that's how it is. Bai Zhuo let out a sigh of relief. "I thought Sister Shirei was going to criticize me. You really scared me. After all, you're a girl; these questions must be somewhat... difficult for you to address."
"But I'm their teacher..." Ouyang Shirei turned back, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
Bai Zhuo countered, "You are their teacher, but you're also a woman! As a guy, I have a thicker skin; it's different for you girls."
Ouyang Shirei forced a smile and said, "Although I am a married woman now, I still find it hard to explain my feelings about these things." She paused for a moment and asked, "Bai, are you already familiar with these matters?"
"What?" Bai Zhuo didn't understand. "What matters are you talking about?"
"Well... the embarrassing things?"
Ouyang Shirei's question was such a leap that Bai Zhuo couldn't keep up with her train of thought. He was stunned for a long time before he finally responded, "Familiar? How could I be familiar... I've never even had a girlfriend."
Ouyang Shirei's cheeks flushed crimson again. "I know there are girls in many places in the city who... do that kind of work. You've been single for so many years; haven't you... found anyone?"
Bai Zhuo chuckled in disbelief. "Sister Shirei, what are you thinking? I'm starting to worry about you being a teacher to the kids; will you lead them astray, you little rascal!"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Shirei's expression changed, a mix of shyness and panic on her face. "I... I’m not being a rascal! I just asked a question; it’s definitely your guilty conscience that’s twisting my words!"
Bai Zhuo raised his hands in surrender with a wry smile. "Alright, alright, it’s my misunderstanding. I'm still a virgin; regarding those things, I think with technology being so advanced now, there are plenty of movies and information online. This is essential knowledge for a man who has been single for over twenty years, right? One would understand at least a little without needing to seek out fleeting encounters to fulfill such sacred and fascinating experiences."
"Online? There’s stuff online?" Ouyang Shirei murmured.
"What?" Bai Zhuo asked.
"Ah, nothing... never mind. Anyway, thank you for today." With that, she turned and left the playground without looking back, leaving Bai Zhuo muttering to himself.
"Oh, by the way, Bai, the next class is yours again. The cafeteria is running low on supplies; I'm going to buy some food first. Let’s have dinner together tonight." Ouyang Shirei glanced back.
With a smile that could charm anyone, she left an impression on Bai Zhuo as he watched her graceful figure retreating. He squinted slightly and nodded with a smile. In fact, this kind of life wasn't too bad.
"If only she could forget her ex-husband..." Bai Zhuo chuckled lightly as the image of the shy and cute girl—Miao Xiaoqi—suddenly flashed in his mind.
Bai Zhuo was taken aback, thinking, "What am I doing thinking about Qi? Qi is already a thing of the past... No, could it be that I really have to wait for her for two years?"
Bai Zhuo admitted he was not a paragon of virtue, but he at least considered himself a principled man who kept his word. So, whenever he thought of Miao Xiaoqi, he felt an unbearable headache.
A crimson long-tailed peacock named Rouge flew down from the tree and landed on Bai Zhuo's shoulder. Unexpectedly, a green snake slithered down his arm with agile movements, lunging at Rouge like lightning. The Crimson Bird was startled and immediately became entangled with the green snake. In the blink of an eye, both the snake and the bird vanished from Bai Zhuo's sight.
The green snake was Zhu Man's Gu Worm that had attached itself to Bai Zhuo, while Rouge was a treasure given to him by Great-Grandmother. Both shared a connection with Bai Zhuo, indicating that he had an unclear relationship with the Miao Family. Perhaps having an inexplicable feeling for Miao Xiaoqi didn't matter much to Bai Zhuo anymore. He could only let fate take its course.
Regarding his lessons, although Bai Zhuo had only completed high school and never attended university, teaching these kids some English was more than sufficient. After all, his English grades had always been among the best back then; perhaps it had something to do with how attractive his English teacher was.
He spent time with the children until evening when Ouyang Shirei tied on a colorful apron and ushered Bai Zhuo and the mischievous kids to the cafeteria for dinner. Watching this scene unfold, Bai Zhuo couldn't imagine how just the two of them managed to take care of over twenty children.
Ouyang Shirei seemed to sense his thoughts as she looked at the joyful figures of the children and said, "Actually, we occasionally hire temporary babysitters to help out. Besides, those older kids are quite sensible; they help take care of their younger siblings and always show consideration for them, just like real brothers and sisters... So aside from... aside from what happened this afternoon, I’m not worried about their future at all."
Bai Zhuo knew that her reference to "what happened this afternoon" meant that embarrassing incident.
He recalled that fragrant scene from earlier in the day and nodded to change the subject. "I haven't tasted Sister Shirei's cooking in a long time; I really want to savor it tonight."
Ouyang Shirei was confident in her culinary skills. "Well then, you’re in for a treat! I made your favorite sweet and sour ribs! Go ahead and eat; I'll wake Mom up. You can start eating with the kids first."
Bai Zhuo shook his head. "I'll wait for you!"
Qin Mother’s cold was worse than expected; she worried about passing it on to the children and sat far away by herself. Bai Zhuo considered his own constitution decent enough and chose to sit next to Qin Mother while Ouyang Shirei busied herself with the kids.
The food was delicious, and Bai Zhuo had already served himself two bowls of rice. Qin Mother's appetite wasn't great; she set down her chopsticks early.
Qin Zhu said, "Master Bai... I think I'll just call you Bai like Ruiri does; calling you Master Bai feels a bit awkward."
"Aunt Qin, it's about time you called me that. With you calling me 'Master' all the time, people might think I'm some kind of charlatan."
"Hehe, Bai, I just wanted to ask, among those three girls from before, which one is your girlfriend?"
Bai Zhuo swallowed a mouthful of rice and replied, "Aunt Qin, you're talking about Yang Liu, Ge Shui Lian, and Miao Xiaoqi, right? Don't guess randomly; all three of them are good girls. I, Bai Zhuo, don't have that kind of fortune."
Miao Xiaoqi? Well, she shouldn't count.
Qin Mother seemed relieved by his words. She cleared her throat a few times and lowered her voice to ask, "So, Bai, how's it going with my Rui Rui?"
Bai Zhuo was taken aback. "How's it going? It's still the same as before—like siblings, pretty good."
"That's not what I meant." Qin Mother waved her hand. "I'm asking if there's been any progress in your relationship with Rui Rui. You know, in a romantic sense!"
"Uh..." Bai Zhuo put down his chopsticks and thought carefully before answering. "I don't think so. I feel like Sister Shirei still can't let go of her ex-husband. She still likes him... Actually, I was thinking... I'm already in my late twenties; if I keep wandering around for a few more years, I'll be thirty before I know it. Maybe it's time to change my goals..."
Before Bai Zhuo could finish his sentence, he heard Qin Mother immediately scoff and lower her voice to exclaim, "Oh my goodness... That fool is still trying to deceive you? What on earth is she after?"
Bai Zhuo was startled and asked, "Aunt Qin, please don't get worked up. How did she deceive me? What's going on?"
Qin Zhu sighed and explained, "You know that after Rui Rui and I had our falling out, I've been worried about it. That girl used her hard-earned money to secretly meet her ex-husband Zhou Liang. I suspected she couldn't let go of him... What else could those two be doing together besides something inappropriate?"
"Those two?" How could a mother describe her own daughter like that?
Bai Zhuo glanced at Ouyang Shirei and found it amusing but didn't interrupt Qin Mother's words. He listened as she continued, "However, that night when I saw the girl's reaction, it didn't seem fake at all. A mother knows her child best; I thought something was off. So I asked someone to look into Zhou Liang. It cost quite a bit of money too. Guess what happened next?"
Bai Zhuo was curious and asked, "What did you find out about Zhou Liang?"
At this point, Qin Mother smiled, feeling excited as she patted her chest and coughed a few times to catch her breath. "Bai, you have no idea. Zhou Liang that rascal, he’s actually not a man!"
"Ah? Not a man? Sister Shirei is a lesbian? But I’ve met Zhou Liang. How can he not be a man?" Bai Zhuo looked astonished.
"Hey... where are you getting at? When I say he’s not a man, I mean he Zhou Liang cannot perform! He’s a... a soft-shell shrimp, a eunuch! Do you understand?"
A eunuch? What the hell!
Bai Zhuo processed Qin Mother’s words, utterly shocked, his mouth agape as he stared at Ouyang Shirei for a long time.
The man Ouyang Shirei liked was a eunuch? No, no, this was strange. First of all, Ouyang Shirei divorced Zhou Liang because of his behavior, not due to his physical condition or any other vague reasons. Now that he thought about it, her relationship with Tang Jie involved Zhou Liang as well.
Ouyang Shirei’s Zhou Liang was a man of shameful conduct, and since Zhou Liang was a eunuch, one could speculate that on their wedding night, he might have given his partner to someone else for the sake of his career!
"What the hell! That’s a lot to take in!" Bai Zhuo exclaimed. If Ouyang Shirei knew about Zhou Liang's shameless behavior and still liked him, then such a woman held no value at all.
But would Sister Shirei be that kind of woman? Clearly not!
Realizing this, Bai Zhuo suddenly understood; he had been deceived by Ouyang Shirei all along! The notion that she still liked her ex-husband was nonsense! Sister Shirei must have some dirt on Zhou Liang!
"Sigh, it’s all my fault for being so foolish. I should have figured this out sooner!" Bai Zhuo put down his utensils and slapped his forehead. "But it’s not too late to realize now, thanks to Aunt Qin's reminder."
Seeing Bai Zhuo's newfound determination, Qin Mother smiled happily. "So Bai, you need to seize the opportunity. Otherwise, if you’re not careful, the good cabbage will be pushed aside by the pig. Aunt Qin is counting on you! Got it?"
In pursuing girls, as long as you win over the mother-in-law, you've already accomplished half the battle. Bai Zhuo's starting line was already much higher than others. However, there was still an important matter to address: that troublemaker Zhou Liang. And then there was Miao Xiaoqi.
Bai Zhuo could wait two years; Miao Xiaoqi could wait two years too. But Ouyang Shirei couldn’t—she was already twenty-nine; in two years she would be thirty-one or thirty-two! How many youthful years can a woman afford to wait?
Thinking of this, Bai Zhuo let out a heavy sigh, his elevated emotions sinking back down. These two feelings left this inexperienced young man at a loss.
After dinner, Qin Mother was eager to matchmake Bai Zhuo and her daughter, persistently trying to keep him around. However, Bai Zhuo had two things to take care of that evening, so Qin Mother finally relented and went back to her room to rest.
The children played wildly and soon fell asleep, leaving only Bai Zhuo and Ouyang Shirei washing dishes in the kitchen.
"Are there dirty things to deal with tonight?" Ouyang Shirei asked casually.
"No, it's just that something is missing. I'm hoping to find it; otherwise... he is too pitiful."
Ouyang Shirei paused for a moment before speaking, "Hmm. Then you should take care."
Her voice was gentle, and her actions while washing the dishes were soft. Bai Zhuo stopped what he was doing, wanting to rush over and embrace this kind-hearted woman. But reason told him that if he did that, Ouyang Shirei might not refuse him at first, but in the future, their relationship would surely be ruined.
He struggled to control his emotions and turned to Ouyang Shirei with a light smile. "Yeah, I love the meals you make. I’m looking forward to your next dish! This time, you bring the fish, and I'll bring the water. I'll treat you to boiled fish!"
"Pfft..." Ouyang Shirei laughed. "You really know how to plan! Hurry up and wash the dishes; make sure they're clean!"
She playfully scolded him as they teased each other, and it seemed they no longer resembled a pair of siblings. (To be continued.)
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