On the train, an old lady stole my ghost-binding rope. I smirked coldly. That thing was meant to save her son’s life. “My hand is injured. Switch seats with me. You sleep on the upper bunk,” she commanded. Her tone irritated me, and I looked up at her with displeasure. An old woman with her right arm in a sling, yet her voice was full of vigor. She grabbed my luggage and started tossing it onto the upper bunk. “Hurry up!” I made myself even more comfortable. “Thank you for offering your bed for my luggage. I was just thinking this bed was too small.” The man on the lower bunk opposite us spoke up for the old lady: “Young lady, you look pretty, but how can you bully an elderly person?” “Oh my, these city girls don’t care about us old country folks at all,” the old lady’s attitude suddenly became more aggressive when she saw someone backing her up. “What’s wrong with being from the countryside? I’m from there too,” I retorted. I clutched my stomach and groaned, “Oh, I don’t mind being a bit cramped, but what about my baby?” “My mom said not to tell anyone before three months, but I have no choice now!” The man on the middle bunk, annoyed at having his sleep disturbed, grumbled, “She looks much healthier than the young lady. My ears are ringing from her shouting.” The old lady was left speechless. Even the man who initially supported her changed sides and tossed her bag onto the upper bunk. “How shameless can you be, trying to take a pregnant woman’s seat?” The old lady glared at me and reluctantly climbed to the upper bunk. But she wasn’t content to stay quiet up there. She started bragging to the man about how successful her son was. “My son is so capable! He bought a big house in the city!” “When he heard about my injured hand, he specifically told me that kind-hearted people would surely offer to switch seats with me when they saw it.” When I returned from the bathroom, I mouthed to her: “I’m-not-pregnant.” The old lady’s boasting got stuck in her throat, and she pointed at me, glaring for a long time. Her chest heaved as if she was furious, and she lost all interest in bragging about her son. She probably wouldn’t sleep well that night. I could finally get some good rest.
At dawn, we arrived at our destination. I went to the address provided by my client. The old lady happened to be standing at the door of the house I was heading to. Seeing me behind her, the old lady immediately straightened her back. She looked me up and down, unable to contain her excitement. Suddenly, she started laughing hysterically like a madwoman. “So you’re the girlfriend my son’s been dating?” “It’s just a birthday, and you want to eat a $38 meal? Do you think my son is made of money?” “Eating his food, using his things, and still wanting him to help with housework.” “You’ve got some nerve.” “I came here specifically to teach you a lesson.” “Since you don’t know how to respect your elders, as long as I’m here, don’t even think about entering this door today.” She gripped the doorframe with both hands, her eyes glaring at me as if she would fight me to the death if I dared to step inside. After the old lady’s outburst, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. My client had mentioned on SnapChat that he had a girlfriend, but she had been scared off long ago. The old lady had mistaken me for someone else. Looking at the house filled with resentment, I covered my face and pretended to sob quietly: “You don’t have to be so cruel. I’ll leave if that’s what you want.” The old lady’s face contorted as if she was constipated. Perhaps because I gave in so easily, she hadn’t had the chance to say all the nasty things she wanted to, and it left her feeling frustrated. I didn’t give her the opportunity either. After dropping that line, I quickly went downstairs and left the troublesome place. There really was a ghost in that house, and an evil one at that. The pay would have to be higher. This job was going to be a loss. 4 When I was five years old, my mother abandoned me at a train station. Since then, I’ve been wandering alone. Everyone said I was a cursed child, and I didn’t want to bring misfortune to others. So I became a haunted house cleaner, working alone. The job of a haunted house cleaner involves sleeping in so-called haunted houses, easily earning $10,000 per job. Most haunted houses are either cases where the owners have guilty consciences or someone is playing tricks. The work is essentially a vacation. Of course, occasionally there are real evil spirits at work. Like this time. My client, trying to save money, bought a $200,000 house for $50,000, and then spent another $10,000 to hire me to clean the haunted house. Just as I was pondering this, the phone rang. It was Jack – the old lady’s son. “Master, where are you?” His weak voice came through as soon as the call connected. I slurped some noodles and replied nonchalantly, “Your dear mother chased me away. She said as long as she’s there, she’d never let me in.” “Looks like I won’t be taking this job after all.” “I don’t know if you’ll live long enough to spend the money.” There was some quiet muttering on the other end of the line. Apparently, the old lady first denied it, then realized her son’s girlfriend had left long ago, and finally remembered what had happened. Suddenly, an intense argument broke out. I gave them my address, held the phone away, hung up, and calmly continued eating my noodles. 5 With the non-refundable deposit, I went to a spa and found a top-tier masseur. I couldn’t tell if the massage was good or not, but the guy was incredibly handsome with an honest face. I lightly brushed his arm with my foot, and he blushed shyly. It was quite therapeutic. While enjoying the massage, I opened the dark web and started browsing. Sure enough, Jack had posted another request for help. The reward was $15,000, and it was quickly accepted. I recognized the ID of the person who took the job. That person’s skills were mediocre, relying mostly on luck when cleaning haunted houses. The last time they encountered a real ghost, they came begging to me for help, scared out of their wits. In the end, they had to pay me a few thousand to exorcise the ghost. Knowing it was them, I closed my phone with satisfaction. In less than three days, the old lady would be begging at my doorstep. I needed to think carefully about how much to charge this time. Would it be enough to keep this young hunk as my sugar baby? 6 The old lady was even weaker than I had anticipated. Early the next morning, she showed up at my door. She looked much less spirited, her speech trembling. Gone was the arrogant demeanor from the train. She immediately knelt at my feet: “Master, I was blind to your greatness yesterday. Please forgive my ignorance and save my son!” I felt nothing inside. This old lady could certainly bend when she needed to. “Is your son now unable to leave that room? And is he awake for less time each day?” The old lady nodded repeatedly. “Does he feel excruciating pain every night at midnight, unable to move as if paralyzed?” Hope flashed in the old lady’s eyes as she clutched my knees. “Master, everything you say is correct.” It wasn’t that I had some supernatural foresight. The story of the exorcist getting scared witless the night before had spread throughout our circle. To save face, he had started exaggerating how vicious the ghost was. He claimed that surviving was a testament to his great skills, and that anyone else would have never made it out alive. Others didn’t know if it was true, but no one dared to go there now. After all, risking your life for $10,000 wasn’t worth it. 7 “Soon, he won’t suffer anymore.” Just as the old lady was getting excited, I poured cold water on her hopes: “Because he’ll never wake up again.” The old lady looked more distressed hearing her son was in mortal danger than if she had seen a ghost herself. She crawled forward on her knees, grabbing my hand and refusing to let go. “Please, you must save my son!” I leaned back in my chair, crossed my legs, and remained unmoved. The old lady was about to kowtow to me, but I quickly dodged: “No, no, no, I can’t accept that.” “Didn’t you say yesterday that as long as you were there, you’d never let me enter your house? How dare I go now?” The old lady was ruthless. She started slapping herself hard: “It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault. As long as you’re willing to save my son, I’ll do anything.” “Oh, anything… How about an even $50,000… is that okay?” 8 Hearing the figure of $50,000, the old lady stopped slapping herself, and her gaze towards me changed. She held back, barely managing not to curse at me outright. “Isn’t $50,000 a bit much? Look…” “$100,000.” Perhaps my price increase was too sudden. The old lady gasped and quickly pressed down the finger I had raised: “$50,000, just $50,000.” I raised an eyebrow slightly. I had expected more back-and-forth. I didn’t think she would agree so easily. It seemed they were much wealthier than I had imagined. 9 For the money, I went back with the old lady. Jack was lying on the bed, unconscious. The entire room was filled with black, resentful energy. A female ghost was pressing down on Jack’s body. Seeing that I could see her, she tilted her head and smiled at me. It was more of a stare-off, as her eye sockets were empty. Blood slowly flowed from her eyes, corroding her pale face. She rotated her head 360 degrees, trying to scare me and make me back off. I knew the female ghost wasn’t inherently evil, as even the previous exorcist had managed to escape unharmed, and the old lady was still in good spirits. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. But what could have happened to make her look like this, with such great resentment? Seeing that I wasn’t afraid, she gripped Jack’s neck harder, as a warning to me. I smiled reassuringly at her and said in a voice only we could hear: “Go ahead and press down. Are you tired? Do you want me to help?” I could see the resentful energy around the female ghost recede slightly, and even without eyes, her face showed a hint of confusion. Sigh! Where is the trust between humans and ghosts? I was being completely sincere. 10 Due to my sudden intervention, the female spirit dared not act rashly. Jack temporarily escaped danger, and the painful expression on his face gradually faded away. He slowly regained consciousness. Margaret, seeing her son awake, instantly lit up with joy. “Is my son alright now?” “Expert, is… is that evil spirit still here?” she asked nervously. Jack slowly sat up. “Mom, what happened? I feel much better now.” Margaret rushed to Jack’s side. “Oh, my boy, you’re finally awake!” Margaret mistook what I had said to the spirit as some kind of incantation and started praising my abilities to Jack. “The expert just said a couple of words, and that spirit was instantly scared shitless,” she exclaimed. Jack nodded at me, looking a bit dazed. He seemed to be about seven or eight years older than me, and I could still faintly see traces of his childhood features. After hearing his mother’s words, Jack first smiled, then frowned and started scolding her, “I told you she was capable, but you wouldn’t listen. You made me suffer for nothing.” Margaret, having emptied her savings and now being scolded by her own son, was still overjoyed. “It’s all Mom’s fault. But it’s okay now, everything’s fine,” she said, beaming. As mother and son shared their intimate moment, I felt like an invisible person. I lowered my head, fiddling with my talisman, realizing how much she loved her son. Yet, I was abandoned by her since childhood. 11 My life before the age of five was worse than animals. No exaggeration, I was actually kept in a pigsty, often going hungry because I couldn’t compete with the pigs for food. The reason I was confined to the pigsty was that I could see ghosts from a young age. I’d help Mom wash dishes, but end up breaking them all because a ghost crawled out of the pot and scared me. I’d scrub my brother’s back, but end up shaking with fear because a ghost was perched on his shoulder, grinning at me. So in Mom’s eyes, I was nothing but a bringer of misfortune, only fit to stay in the pigsty, not even allowed to compete with pigs for food. 12 When I was five, Mom finally let me out of the pigsty. She bathed me herself and even bought me new clothes. Little me was overwhelmed with joy and surprise. In my innocence, I thought Mom still loved me after all. Mom took me out, bought me ice cream I had never tasted before. She looked at me and frowned, “I didn’t expect you to be worth anything. Who knows what these rich people are thinking.” I didn’t understand what she meant. I just lowered my head and savored the ice cream, though sadly it melted too quickly in the hot weather. Mom took me to the bus station. After a long wait, someone came. The person sighed, “Well, tough luck for you. That family’s wife suddenly found out she’s pregnant, so they don’t want her anymore.” Mom still wouldn’t give up. “Then tell them I don’t want money anymore, I’ll give her away for free.” The person looked at me with disdain. “They’re going to have their own child now. Why would they want your daughter?” After the person left, Mom couldn’t contain her anger and slapped me twice. “You useless thing, I just bought you new clothes, and now I can’t even return them.” After a while, I heard her sigh softly, “Well, it’s not your fault. Are you hungry? I’ll go buy you something to eat.” I nodded eagerly. But I sat on the chair waiting and waiting, for a long time, and Mom never came back. Until the staff were about to close, “Little girl, where are your parents?” I couldn’t help but burst into tears, “Mommy… Mommy doesn’t want me anymore.” In the end, I was sent to an orphanage. When I was sixteen, I was already the oldest child in the orphanage. Surprisingly, someone was willing to adopt me instead of those sweet younger kids. It was a couple who looked well-educated and polite at first glance. They treated me just like their own daughter. That blissful life lasted less than a year before they died in a car accident. Not only did their death seem somewhat mysterious, but they were also branded with the stigma of trafficking women. And at that time, I was almost eighteen, couldn’t go back to the orphanage, and had no money. Out of twenty-four hours a day, I could only sleep for three or four. I went to school during the day and did all kinds of part-time jobs in my spare time. By the time I came to my senses, it had been a long time since my adoptive parents’ incident. It was also from that time that I accepted the fact that I could see ghosts and slowly turned it into my profession. Since no one loved me, nothing was more important than money. 1
As usual, before taking on a job, I always investigated the client’s background. This investigation revealed some interesting things. It turned out that my client was none other than my dear older brother. I hadn’t planned on revenge or anything, but since I stumbled upon this, I had to take the job. Learning that my mother was also on her way, I deliberately gave up a first-class flight seat and decided to see what she looked like now on the train. Well… she was as annoying as ever. To me, she was just a stranger, an old woman. That was also the last chance I gave her. Not only did she fail to cherish it, but she also put her son’s life at stake. While they were celebrating, I timely told them the truth: “The ghost hasn’t left. She’s right beside you, ready to strike again at any moment.” The old lady’s expression turned vicious and malevolent upon hearing this. She looked around. With me backing her up, she wasn’t even afraid of ghosts anymore: “Master, you must help me drive this evil ghost away.” “It’s best if you make her disappear completely.” I nodded: “I will certainly make the evil one disappear.” 1
I laid out my magical items all over the floor, pretending to wave my wand in the air. The female ghost hid in the corner, watching me vigilantly and confusedly. I pretended to be attacked and fell backward. I collapsed on the ground, clutching my chest, acting weak… and winked at the female ghost. “Look how weak you are, why don’t you absorb more of his energy?” Seeing that I truly meant her no harm, the female ghost grew bolder. While the old lady watched in bewilderment, Jack suddenly cried out. He clutched his neck, as if being pinned down by someone, struggling desperately but unable to get up. Jack’s face turned the color of a pig’s liver: “Spare… spare me.” The old lady crawled to the bedside: “My son, my son, what’s wrong?” Jack was too preoccupied to respond, so the old lady turned to look at me. “Master, you must save my son!” “Master, I paid you $50,000.” I stood up and walked towards her, holding my waist and questioning her: “Did you steal my bag?” The old lady’s demeanor suddenly weakened, her eyes darting around as she stammered: “What bag? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “On the train, the thing I had in my pocket. Wasn’t it you who stole it?” My words hit the mark, and the old lady suddenly reacted like her tail had been stepped on, screeching: “Don’t accuse me! I wouldn’t even look at your things. I can afford to buy them myself.” Seeing her act like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, I let out a light “Oh”: “I don’t know about that. It’s just that I can’t find that thing, and I don’t know if your son will live to see tomorrow’s sun.” The old lady was successfully frightened to tears by me, trembling as she said: “I thought you had something valuable, so I… it was just a rope, I threw it away at the train station.”
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