In the little baby's life, besides eating there was only sleeping. Even if You Shu's mental strength was stronger, he would still be unable to remain awake for a long period of time. However, each time he woke up, there would always be a cold air lingering beside him, occasionally swaying the cradle, occasionally brushing past his eyes, and the ghastly chill wouldn't disappear for a long time. If the room had other people, the cold air would immediately leave You Shu to wind around that person.
"Hiss, it's already going to be summer soon, how is the house this cold." The wet-nurse tightly hugged her shoulders, rubbing her hands.
The maidservant following behind her had also closed the front of her jacket, echoing, "I've always felt that Eldest Young Master's room has Yin energy, staying for long would be especially uncomfortable. Wang mama, say, had Eldest Young Master not reincarnated cleanly, and brought back hell's demonic air?"
"Damned maidservant, don't speak nonsense!" The wet- nurse's exterior was severe, but inside she was fearful. She quickly opened the swaddling clothes, saw that Eldest Young Master did not urinate, and immediately ran out. The maidservant also hurriedly gave chase. Upon arriving at the door she stumbled, injuring her knee.
You Shu couldn't see the ghost's appearance but could feel that it had already followed behind the two people and left. These days, it would usually circle around his side. But once someone arrived, it would definitely stay beside that person's body, and only return at midnight.
Being someone with an ability of spiritual affinity, You Shu was extremely sensitive to the loss of vitality. However, whenever the cold wind circled him, he had never felt his own strength taken away. It can be seen that the demon couldn't stand him. But this was only temporary. Once the ghost absorbs Yang energy, and day by day becomes stronger, the situation may reverse.
You Shu sucked his thumb and thought in his heart that spiritual power was his biggest protective shield, and had to be trained quickly.
What does a baby look like when it meditates? The eyes would be sluggish beyond description, saliva would also flow from the corner of its mouth. No matter how you looked, he looked like a fool. Every time he woke up, he would meditate, and regardless of what happened in the outside world, he would not respond. If his sleeping time was not the time used for growing his body, even sleep he would want to scrimp on. Occasionally, the two little maids would shake his rattle to rouse and tease him, but they never saw him turn his face or laugh, or even blink his eyes, so they felt it was very strange.
"Wang mama, the young master seems to be a fool. No matter how we tease him there wouldn't be any response. Should we find a doctor to take a look?" In the end, they had just entered the residence so they couldn't hide the words in their hearts.
"See what the doctor, the Eldest Young Master's matters, the Master has never asked about. Even his wife saying a sentence in front of him will provoke him to thunderous fury, saying it has dirtied his ears. If you're not afraid of becoming unfortunate you go, I wouldn't even dare." Wang mama had her ice cold hands hidden in her sleeves.
These days, her whole body would constantly inexplicably shiver; sleeping like the dead at night, but still lacking energy during the day. Her skin was pale, eyes had dark circles. She was living like a ghost.
When the servant girl saw her unbearable appearance, she felt very horrified, stuttering twice. Since then, she did not mention inviting a doctor again. However, somehow, rumours that "the young masters is not only a debt- collector ghost but also a fool" began to spread in the residence, making the courtyard which was already struggling stand on thin ice.
One day, the wet-nurse and everyone else was summoned to the main house. The lady rewarded them with twenty wooden planks and had them sold away. An old woman with a big waist and a fierce appearance, called Song mama, thus came to You Shu's small courtyard. On the day of Song mama's arrival, she heard Young Master's cry which rang through half the sky and hurriedly ran into the house to check. The little servant girl who came with her was only seven or eight years old and was holding a huge package as she staggered along. From afar, it seemed as if it was the package that had grown legs.
"Eldest Young Master don't cry, Old Slave has come." Song mama carefully picked up You Shu.
By this time, You Shu was already six or seven months old. He could turn, sit up, and even crawl. His little arms and little legs were also very strong. As soon as he was picked up, he familiarly groped the front of the jacket, his small mouth pursing, making a milk-sucking action. Because his meditation this time had been too long, he accidentally missed two meals of the milk. He was quite hungry, his face could not help but expose an anxious and urgent expression.
Song mama looked at his slightly frowning little eyebrows and tearful black eyes and praised, "Who said that our young master is a fool." She lowered the little baby and let the little servant girl beside her take a look, continuing, "Look at this tiny appearance, how it attracts people, how could he be a fool."
The little servant girl was called Bai Shao. She covered her mouth, smiling. "His features look much neater than Second Younger Master, like our Lady."
"Indeed." Song mama seemed to have a deep relationship with the Lady. Showing an expression of remembrance, she sighed. "Thinking of how our lady was once the number one beauty in the capital, ability and appearance both outstanding, virtuous and refined, a hundred families coming to seek marriage. But the old master was blinded by someone, and actually had her matched to Wang Xianggan that hypocrite. Today, Wang Xianggan, by relying on Hou Household's support, got to sit on the position of Minister of Military Affairs. He hence forgot that year's promise; on his left a dancing girl, on the right a songstress. Uncaring of what kind of dirty or smelly thing, all went into the house to stay, even being this neglectful to our young lady's child…"
Song mama was sad for a period of time and had You Shu tightly locked in her embrace as she cried.
You Shu who was busily pulling and pawing clothes slowly stopped. He captured what was said and filtered it, gaining some very useful information. One, these two servants had been sent by his biological mother, and because of their loyalty towards her, they had some feelings towards himself; Two, his father was called Wang Xianggan, an official of the Ministry of Military Affairs; Three, his mother was a young lady of the Hou household, and her family was superior to the Wang Family.
However, despite such a strong background, she was so weak when dealing with her child's problems. Her husband said that the child was a debt-collecting ghost, so she just believed him, and was never seen or heard from again. You Shu's eyes slightly darkened. It was impossible for him to develop any favourable feelings towards the parents of this life. So he cast away all thoughts and continued hunting for food. He'd pawed for half a day and did not open Song mama's clothes. He could not help but beat and slap repeatedly, mouth babbling incessantly and strongly expressing his desire drink milk.
At this, Song mama finally stopped crying and smiled. Tapping the slightly red tip of his nose, she said, "Old Slave has never raised children, no milk for you to drink, and moreover, is unable to invite a wet-nurse. The monthly salary of two taels* of silver, is enough for us to spend for more than half a year."
Hearing this, You Shu momentarily panicked. He wailed, "ao", and the faintly red nose-tip became bright red, making him look very angry.
Song mama laughed even further and took him out of the house. She pointed at a mother sheep sitting under the sweetly-scented Osmanthus tree. She said, ���Look, that's your new wet-nurse, bought using only a few hundred copper plates. In the future, you will have milk to drink every day, no need to use the monthly salary. Forty-two silvers cannot be lightly used ah!" Here, she sighed.
Bai Shao was very perceptive. She had already run to the tree to squeeze the sheep's milk, crisply saying, "This goat's milk is cheap and it is very cheap, just that the mutton smell is very strong, don't know if Eldest Young Masters can get used to it."
"No matter, later when warming the sheep milk, just place a few jasmine flowers, then put some Chen Cha tea leaves, and the smell will be erased." Song mama pointed at the big bush of jasmine flowers at the corner of the wall.
"Alright." Bai Shao nodded as she smiled. Very quickly she squeezed out a bowl of milk and brought it to the kitchen to boil.
The smell of milk was getting stronger and stronger. You Shu who was in a state of anxiety finally calmed down. He cared about nothing, and was not afraid of anything; the only thing he could not endure was hunger. That kind of feeling, itchy from the stomach to the brain, and then that overwhelming loss of reason; even now it was still deeply engraved in his subconscious. Every time he recalled it he would unceasingly tremble. Sometimes, he would even think——no wonder the zombies have to keep eating people, they must be extremely hungry.
Song mama put the little baby in the cradle, cushioned a pillow behind him, and saw him rubbing the stomach. She couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, very quickly there will be milk."
At this moment, an eerie cold wind blew into the house, attaching to Song mama's body.
"It's a summer day, why is the house this cold," she said to herself. Suddenly remembering something, she took out a few Yin-Yang mirrors from the package.
Bai Shao entered the room holding hot sheep milk. She saw the yin-yang mirror and hurriedly said, "mama, you feed the young master, I'll go hang the mirror."
"This is Soul Settling Mirror Young Lady had begged from Master Xuan Ming. It can temporarily hold Eldest Young Master's soul and must be hung in accordance with the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. You stay, later I'll do myself." Song mama took out a piece of paper. On it was written various things to avoid when hanging the mirror.
You Shu could clearly feel that the moment the mirror was taken out, the cold wind – that is to say the debt-collecting ghost – used its greatest speed to escape. Seems like its scared of those mirrors.
Chill hence leaving, Song mama felt at ease. She put a bib on the little baby, and spoon by spoon fed him. While feeding she sincerely said, "Eldest Young Master, you cannot blame the lady, it's not that she did not want to see you, her heart is also very bitter ah! The entire Hou household has been convicted, in order to save Old Master and his wife, Young Lady still had to beg Wang Xianggan. Our whole family's lives are now pinched by his hands too! She did not come to see you, nor mention you, so Wang Xianggan thus forgot your existence, and you can also grow up in peace."
You Shu made his mouth very wide. Mouth by mouth he drank the milk. He seemed totally ignorant but was actually perking his ears to collect information. So it's not that his mother in this life did not want to save him, but she had no power to do so. She had thrown him far, far away, but was actually protecting himself. As he thought of this, You Shu's cold eyes slightly warmed.
The little servant girl moved a stool over and sat beside the cradle. From time to time, she helped the young master wipe his mouth. Seeming very upset, she lowered her voice to complain, "Song mama, Master really only gave us forty-two silvers to raise young master? It's just a dream nothing more, but he was deeply convinced and doubtless. Even his own flesh and blood he does not want."
"Heng, once bad things are done often ghosts would be frequently encountered! That year when Wang Xianggan was luckless, how many people had helped him. When he rose to power, you see – which one of them did he still care about? For a petty and pandering man like him, the debts he owe are countless. Manipulating people during the day, of course he would not sleep well at night. Getting a nightmare is a given. But it's hateful that he actually used this as an excuse to slander our Young Lady and Eldest Young Master. This certainly must not lack nee Lin that cheap person's involvement!" Song mama felt loathing to the point where her teeth were gnashing, and feeding movements were also a little slower.
You Shu patted the back of her hand. Seeing that she hadn't responded, he could only go over and cover the spoon with his mouth.
*taels: tael = liang. From now on I will be using tael instead of 'liang', as that is the official English translation for 'liang.'