The next day, the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the gentle breeze was pleasant. It was a lovely day.
At noon, my classmates went back to the dormitory to take a nap while I went to the infirmary alone to meet Teacher Wu.
He was very young. He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a white robe, which made him look especially elegant.
He smiled warmly when he saw me.
"Are you Student Ji?"
I nodded, and he led me into his office.
He had an independent office with a small space and minimalistic interior. In addition to a desk and a file cabinet, there was also a small table next to the window with a chair on each side of the table. There was also an abstract oil painting hanging on the wall. It was squared and moderate-sized.
He motioned for me to sit in a chair and turned to draw the curtains.
He didn't draw the curtains ultimately and left a gap that was not too wide. Sunlight shone through the gap, leaving a thin beam of light on the ground.
I sat down, and he followed suit.
He looked at me with a gentle expression and started a conversation with me on some common topics.
I guess he was afraid that I would too nervous and deliberately wanted to ease the atmosphere.
He chatted with me for a while and slowly turned the topic toward my psychological problems. He also mentioned what happened in the classroom yesterday.
He asked me, "Have you been sleeping well lately?"
I nodded and then shook my head.
He was not sure what to make of my response and asked, "Do you have insomnia?"
I didn't know how to answer. To be precise, I did not have insomnia, but I was afraid to fall asleep. However, I slept well yesterday afternoon and had a good sleep last night, so my complexion today was better than before and I was in full spirits.
I tried my best to cooperate with him. It was not long until I saw an old lady with a pale face pop up from somewhere. She surrounded Dr. Wu and muttered, "If I don't tell him the password, I can't go off without worry."
The old lady has no shadow. At first gance, I can tell that she is not human.
I looked at her from time to time, and soon our eyes met. I quickly withdrew my gaze and stared at Teacher Wu.
Teacher Wu smiled at me, "You don't need to be nervous, just treat it as a normal chat and relax."
I nodded, but the old lady approached me.
"Can you see me?" she asked me.
I didn't say a word and pretended not to see or hear anything.
She raised her hand, waving it in front of my eyes, and asked eagerly, "Kid, can you see me? You just saw me, didn't you?"
...
"If you can see me, can you help me convey a few words to my grandson? I have something important to tell him."
I looked at Teacher Wu, and the old lady's chattering voice rang in my ears.
Teacher Wu said to me, "Do you have insomnia recently?"
I shook my head.
He said again, "Can you tell me in detail what happened in the classroom yesterday?"
Every word he spoke to me was in a gentle questioning tone, but I was getting annoyed. The old lady kept talking into my ear, and she even blew into my neck. The cold breath made my hair stand on ends.
I was determined to turn a blind eye to the old lady. I only came here to receive psychological counseling.
Only by finishing counseling as soon as possible can I continue studying in high school here as a normal person.
"Maybe it's because I've been very stressed recently," I said perfunctorily.
"What type of pressure are you stressed about?"
"In the aspect of study," I replied casually.
He nodded and talked about some topics that sounded nothing to do with psychological counseling, and then let me go.
I walked out of the infirmary, and the old lady chased after me.
"Kid, why aren't you speaking? You can see me, right."
I lowered my head and continued walking forward, but she was blocking me. I forced myself to pass through her body, still turning a blind eye to her.
She followed me reluctantly and muttered all the way.
When I went back to the dormitory, she continued talking.
"I doted on this grandson the most, and he had been clinging to me since he was young. His parents had gone abroad when he was very young, and I was the one who always took care of him. I saved all the money that my son and daughter-in-law sent back to me so that I could give it to my grandson when he got married, but I was getting old, and my health deteriorated. I just died all of a sudden. I just want to give him the money…"
I lay on the bed, closed my eyes, and listened to her carefully.
Finally, I heard her sigh deeply. When I opened my eyes again, she was no longer in the dormitory. Maybe she thought that I could not see her or hear her and left, dejected.
I took a nap and continued with the afternoon classes as usual.
At noon the next day, I went to Teacher Wu's office on time, and he was already waiting for me. The old lady was not there today.
Teacher Wu still had a gentle look on his face, and we still sat on the two chairs in his office and chatted.
I could feel that he wanted to speak up so he could know more about me, but I couldn't say anything personal. Once I spoke about myself, I would immediately be recognized as someone who had a mental disorder, and I would be forced to drop out. A series of psychiatric treatments would also await me, and I might even be sent to a mental hospital. Hence, I put the blame on the pressure of studying, but as a matter of fact, my grades were excellent, and I didn't feel any pressure in my studies.
The day's chat ended, and he escorted me to the door.
There was no one else in the infirmary, but I still remembered the old lady's sigh and suddenly wanted to help her.
"Go back, sleep, and focus on class in the afternoon."
Teacher Wu's voice was as gentle as ever. I nodded and looked back after taking two steps forward. He was still looking at me, and when I looked back, he waved at me.
"Teacher Wu, has anyone in your family passed away recently?" I subtly asked him.
He was taken aback, and chuckled slightly, "Yes."
I walked back, stood before him, and asked him seriously, "Do you believe that ghosts exist in this world?"
He acted very calmly. Instead of answering my question, he asked me, "Do you?"
I didn't want to answer this question directly but told him what I knew so far, "Your parents went abroad when you were very young, and the grandma who brought you up just passed away, am I right?"
His face changed slightly after he heard my words and simply found it unbelievable.
I continued, "You may find it hard to believe in what I say, but your grandma saved a sum of money for you and wanted to give it to you when you got married, but her health was in poor condition, and she died before that day could come."
He was still stunned, but soon a faint smile appeared on his lips. He said, "I don't know how you found out this, but you are right."
"Your grandma told me."
A trace of panic flashed across his eyes, "How is this possible? She has already passed away."
"Teacher Wu, there are many things in this world that cannot be explained by science. I will stop here today, and I will come again at noon tomorrow."
Before he got back to his senses, I dashed away and left.
It didn't matter if he would judge me as someone who has a psychological abnormality, but at least I can be rest assured, knowing that I did the right thing telling him.