The night was as serene as water. Inside the side hall of the Temple of the Goddess of Children, hundreds of clay dolls stood still amidst the curling incense.
Shanshan's soul temporarily resided in one of them. Nourished by the incense, her fragmented soul was a bit clearer than when she was alive.
Under the starry sky, Shen Cuiyu and Pei Yu sat side by side on the stone steps, carrying the clay doll that housed Shanshan's soul. A corner of the clay doll was slightly exposed, and Shanshan's illusory little head rested on Shen Cuiyu's shoulder.
At this moment, there was no distinction between human and ghost among the three of them. It was as if they were just three little friends, leaning on each other to pour out their hearts during a break from play.
"Actually, my mother... didn't do anything wrong," Shanshan's voice was as soft as a sigh. "Everyone just... preferred the cute and smart one more."
Even though she said so, crystal - clear teardrops still rolled down her face, then disappeared with a flash of white light.
Even though she knew that Jiaojiao was a part of herself, the bitterness of being compared and abandoned still lingered in her heart.
Shen Cuiyu gently stroked her cold soul body. Her voice was gentle yet firm:
"It doesn't matter. Whether you stay or start anew is up to you. Don't be afraid. There will always be someone in this world who truly loves you."
After hearing these words, Shanshan nodded half - understandingly and leaned a bit more into Shen Cuiyu's arms.
Pei Yu gave Shen Cuiyu a deep look.
............
The night was deep, but no one in the bedroom of the Cui Mansion could sleep.
Mrs. Xu leaned against the bedside, staring blankly at the flickering candle flame. The panicked and attached little face of Shanshan during the day lingered in her mind.
"Sir..." she suddenly spoke softly, her voice dry. "Do you still remember that on Shanshan's first - birthday ceremony, she didn't take anything but crawled to you and grabbed your official sash..."
Cui Weiqi paused slightly. After a long silence, he whispered:
"I remember. I said back then that although this child was not very smart, she was the closest to me."
These words were like a key that opened the gate of memory.
Mrs. Xu's eyes gradually focused, and the deliberately buried past events rushed in like a tide:
"When Shanshan had a high fever at the age of three, she cried all night. I just carried her and walked around the room... When dawn was approaching, her fever subsided. Her little hand softly grabbed my lapel and she smiled at me..."
"When she was five, I was embroidering in the yard. She quietly sat beside me, holding scraps of cloth and imitating me. Although her embroidery was crooked, she was very serious. At first, I thought she liked embroidery, but later I found out that she embroidered the figures of the three of us on the silk cloth..."
"Shanshan used to be in good health and had a good appetite. Once she ate too many pastries and had indigestion. She was in so much pain that she was sweating profusely... After that, whenever there was any food, I only let her eat half. She shed tears aggrievedly but was very obedient to me..."
Mrs. Xu's voice became lower and lower. Each memory was like a needle pricking her heart. She finally realized that beneath Shanshan's silly appearance was a sensitive and delicate heart.
She opened her mouth, her voice choking.
"I thought I had forgotten everything... But why do I remember it all now?"
"How... how did we stop seeing these things later?" Mrs. Xu's voice began to tremble. "Just because she couldn't learn to recite poems and recognize all the characters, we thought she was not as good as other children..."
Cui Weiqi heaved a heavy sigh. "We cared too much about other people's opinions."
"No, we were too selfish!" Mrs. Xu suddenly became excited. "We only wanted a child who could bring us glory, but forgot that she was our daughter!"
She remembered the look in Shanshan's eyes when she was on her deathbed. At that time, she was so happy about the newly - born Jiaojiao that she didn't even stay by Shanshan's side properly.
"I'm not a good mother..." Mrs. Xu slumped on the couch. Finally, her tears burst out. "I don't deserve to be a mother..."
Cui Weiqi was also silent. The situation turning out like this today was not just Mrs. Xu's fault alone. As a father, why was he always silent and absent when Shanshan needed him the most?
On this night, the long - overdue conscience and the heart - rending remorse were like the sharpest knives, cutting the false peace that this couple had carefully maintained for seven years into pieces.
..........
At dawn the next day, the morning light was dim. The side hall of the Temple of the Goddess of Children was already bustling with people.
Mrs. Xu and Cui Weiqi rushed over. Inside the side hall, hundreds of clay dolls were bathed in the morning light and incense. They all looked the same and were silent.
The two of them stared blankly at the scene in front of them. After standing still for a moment, they finally found the people from the Wansxiang Academy.
Mrs. Xu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed deeply. "All you celestial masters, we've come to take Shanshan home."
Zhong Shengwan gave this couple a cold look. "You're not嫌弃 her being a silly child anymore?"
Mrs. Xu's eyes were slightly red, but her voice was extremely firm. "These days, I've finally understood... Although Shanshan is silly, she knows how to love others better than anyone. On the contrary, we parents have been blinded by the worldly views. Over the years, we've owed her too much."
Shen Cuiyu stood quietly on one side, her tone calm. "The cause you've sown, you have to resolve it yourself. Whether Shanshan is willing to recognize you or not depends entirely on her will. You can't force it."
Hearing this, Liu Ruyan suddenly stepped forward and said righteously, "Shen Cuiyu, you're being too strict. Since Mrs. Cui has sincerely repented, why don't you just tell her where Shanshan is?" She looked at Shen Cuiyu with a bit of dissatisfaction. "Could it be that now that you've just been promoted to a Xuan - rank celestial master, you're putting on airs?"
Liu Ruyan's words were clearly intended to deliberately provoke a fight and distort the concept, but there were still people who were led astray by her.
Several disciples nodded in agreement one after another:
"Yes, it's never too late to mend one's ways..."
"Why make things so difficult for a mother..."
Before Shen Cuiyu could speak, Pei Yu cast a cold look at everyone. His voice was clear and carried a full sense of oppression:
"If sympathy alone could resolve cause and effect, what would we celestial masters be for? Don't you understand the principle of the cycle of cause and effect?"
These words were sonorous and forceful. For a moment, no one could think of a retort.
Liu Ruyan glared at Pei Yu resentfully. During these missions, Pei Yu always stayed beside Shen Cuiyu and stood up for her every time. If it weren't for Liu Ruyan knowing Pei Yu's identity, she would almost think that Pei Yu was Shen Cuiyu's loyal lackey!
For a moment, the scene fell silent. Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to Shen Cuiyu. Previously, she could accurately find the evil spirit among thousands of clay dolls. Now, if she wanted to find Shanshan, it should not be difficult. Everyone was curious about how Shen Cuiyu would react.
However, under everyone's gaze, Shen Cuiyu remained calm and just quietly looked at Mrs. Xu.
"This time, I can't help you either."
Mrs. Xu's face turned pale for a moment, then as if she understood something, she slowly walked towards the sea of clay dolls.