What It's Like Being a Vampire

By the time Shiling’s Mom got home from her night shift, it was almost one in the morning.

After changing her shoes and entering the house, she naturally went to her daughter’s room first. There, she found Liu Shiling fast asleep, sprawled across her open textbooks.

Walking over to the desk, she saw the first-grade language textbook under her daughter’s chubby face. A sense of pride and self-satisfaction welled up in her heart.

She had initially doubted whether her daughter’s enthusiasm for learning would be just a fleeting interest. After all, narratives and tidbits of trivia were far more colorful than the systematized content of textbooks.

But recently, she observed that Liu Shiling genuinely took great interest in studying. She had already read half of the first-grade language textbook; she recognized many characters and could even write them down from memory.

Shiling had also learned addition and subtraction up to two digits and had even memorized her multiplication table up to six times six.

Whenever she brought Shiling from school to the convenience store while switching her shifts, Shiling loved to stare at the price tags on the merchandise, practicing mathematics. Of course, she would make mistakes if counting more than three items, and even with two if decimals were involved. But her mother was genuinely satisfied and proud at her determination to study.

Just as Shiling’s Mom was about to turn off the desk lamp and bend down to pick her daughter up, a cat’s head suddenly protruded from the edge of the curtain, giving her quite a fright.

Custard Pie glanced at Shiling’s Mom, blinked, and then retreated behind the curtain to continue his nap.

Shiling’s Mom quickly went over to shoo Custard Pie off the windowsill and told him to go back to his spot to sleep. Then she returned, picked her daughter up again, and carried her to the bed.

The moment she was lifted by her mother, Liu Shiling subconsciously hugged her mother’s neck. After being placed on the bed, she cooperated by loosening her hold. Even when her mother was undressing her, she helpfully lifted her arms. If not for her closed eyes, one might assume that she was awake. From the looks of it, she was used to being carried to bed by her mother, even half-asleep she would automatically react.

After tucking her daughter in, Shiling’s Mom couldn’t help but support her aching back and pant a little.

Carrying the little fatty girl to bed was an entirely routine operation for her. In fact, whenever the little fatty went with her mother out on the streets, given the chance, she would ask to be carried or piggybacked, unwilling to walk on her own. Every time Shiling’s Mom got tired, she would have to lure her daughter with treats or the promise of watching cartoons to get her to walk. Therefore, carrying her from the desk to the bed should ideally be easy.

Could it be due to the long night shift or excessive tiredness?

Gently caressing her daughter’s chubby little face, Shiling’s Mom felt a pang of melancholy. Perhaps in a few years, she wouldn’t be able to carry her daughter anymore.

For a moment, she yearned for the time when her daughter was just a tiny baby who hadn’t learned to talk or crawl, and could only scoot around on her bottom all over the place. At that time, if her daughter woke and couldn’t see her, she would start to cry. She was particularly clingy yet adorable. She needed extra care, as though she might break if held too tightly or melt if one was too tender to her. The time went by very quickly.

After quietly closing the bedroom door and walking to the living room, Shiling’s Mom glanced at the dining table, only to pause. She didn’t see the plate that Liu Shiling would usually leave after finishing her dinner.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw a plate on the draining board. Beside it there was a chair which had been moved into the kitchen. She immediately realized that her daughter had washed the dishes after having dinner.

One couldn’t deny that the plate had been washed spotlessly clean and flawless.

Shiling’s mom’s heart softened even more. Her pride in her daughter increased, but so did her sorrow and guilt. The more sensible the daughter became, the more incompetent she, as a mother, seemed— after all, who would ask a preschool-aged kid to wash dishes?

At the same time, she also started to worry about the future of the mother-daughter duo. She had a substantial amount of money when she sold her house in Shenhai. Even if she bought another house in Star City, the remaining money was sufficient for them to live comfortably for several years, which would allow her to focus solely on raising her daughter.

However, after she insisted, for the sake of quickly cutting ties with someone on Shiling’s father’s side, the money earned over all those years was given away.

Shiling’s Dad’s company was facing some difficulties recently. To recuperate, it needed a sum of money to keep things going. Consequently, the money from selling her house was taken.

Although Shiling’s dad claimed it would only take a couple of months, a maximum of half a year, to return the principal, Shiling’s Mom was apprehensive, doubting it would go that smoothly. She had worked at Shiling’s dad’s company for several years and knew that, while the profitability of the industry was high, the reimbursement speed was relatively slow. Also, various unforeseen situations would often arise, further delaying the reimbursement cycle.

So, even though she still had tens of thousands remaining, she had to prepare for any eventuality. She couldn’t just laze around—after all, she had to pay for their house rent, her daughter’s tuition, and other associated expenses.

Miss Tang and Miss Yang had earlier invited her to help their gaming company with game testing and offering feedback. Each time after trying out a game, she filled up a form and sent it back to them, and in return, she received a generous amount. They insisted that it was a payment for testing and that even internal testers were paid.

Even though Miss Tang claimed that every tester received a fee and even their hired internal testers were paid, she felt somewhat reluctant. After all, she was not a highly educated individual; she enjoyed playing those voice games and did not provide any valuable input in the forms. She somewhat felt embarrassed receiving the money.

So, when she saw that a nearby convenience store was hiring, after much hesitation, she decided to apply. Surprisingly, she was hired. Fortunately, her shift did not interfere with dropping her daughter at the nursery school.

Now, they had no choice but only to take each day as it comes and hope that Shiling’s dad can soon gather himself together so that their family of three can live together harmoniously.

After a quick clean-up in the kitchen, Shiling’s Mom, drained, headed off to take a bath and then sleep. She began planning to wake up early the next day to prepare a delicious breakfast for her daughter as a reward for being proactive with the household chores and washing dishes.

However, what Shiling’s Mom did not anticipate was that the next morning, just as she was getting ready to cook, she would receive a call from the police, delivering a shocking blow.

“What, murder? How is that possible? This can’t be true, he couldn’t possibly have…”

Even after hanging up the phone, she felt dazed, wondering if she was still in a dream.

The police had called to inform her that Shiling’s dad was swindled out of his money. Consequently, he went after the person who deceived him with a knife, intending to get his money back. During the ensuing scuffle, he ended up stabbing the person to death. At present, Shiling’s dad had been criminally detained by the local police.

She stood stunned in the kitchen for a while, until her daughter, rubbing her eyes sleepily, came up to her and asked, “What are you doing, Mom?” That’s when she snapped back to reality.

Shiling’s Mom composed herself, told her daughter to freshen up, made a few phone calls to confirm the situation, and decided on the next step. Since the incident had happened, she had to go.

However, she couldn’t take her daughter with her. She needed to make arrangements.

Shiling’s Mom’s instinctive reaction was to entrust Mr. Xiang with the care of her daughter for a while, considering the level of trust her daughter had in Mr. Xiang and the good relationship she had with the beautiful sisters around Mr. Xiang. There would be no problem if they stayed together.

However, considering that Mr. Xiang is now in Citong City, quite far from Star City, and not on the way to where Shiling’s dad was arrested, it would take a long time to detour. Moreover, strictly speaking, she and her daughter have not known Mr. Xiang, Miss Xia, Miss Tang, and Miss Yang for long. Apart from being neighbors with Mr. Xiang before, they only met for a short time recently. It didn’t make sense to abruptly ask them for help. On the other hand, she couldn’t quite bring herself to explain her current predicament, so she dismissed this option.

After thinking it over, Shiling’s Mom finally decided to take her daughter back to her mother’s home.

She was originally from the Xiangchu region, not far from Star City. Though her contact with her family had diminished due to various reasons, they were, after all, flesh and blood. Her mother could not possibly refuse to take care of her granddaughter for a few days.

After Liu Shiling washed up, her mother told her to get dressed. She then called the kindergarten to request leave and prepared to take her to catch a ride.

“Shiling, Mommy has to go away for a little while. I’ll take you to grandma’s place in a bit. You’ll stay with grandma for the next two or three days. Behave well and listen to grandma. Mommy will come to fetch you home soon,” said Shiling’s mom, while packing some clothes for Shiling.

“Grandma? Do I have a grandma?” Liu Shiling asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

“Silly girl, of course, you have a grandma. She has always been at home, and we have not lived together. But she saw you when you were little. She really liked you. Eh, you probably don’t remember,” Shiling’s Mom gently replied.

“Then… do I have a grandpa, a paternal grandpa and grandma?” Liu Shiling asked again.

“Well … we’ll talk about these later. Let’s go and find grandma first. You must behave yourself, okay?” Shiling’s Mom seemed unsure of how to respond.

Fortunately, her daughter didn’t press further. After hearing her mother’s words, she simply nodded repeatedly.

After packing the clothes, iPad, and a random storybook, Shiling’s Mom looked at Custard Pie, who was lying in the corner of the living room with its head tilted up, watching the two of them, and hesitated. She said, “Pour more cat food for Custard Pie… Never mind, let me see if there’s a pet store nearby that offers boarding services… ”

Upon hearing that, Liu Shiling hurriedly ran over to pick up Custard Pie and said, “Mommy, let Custard Pie come to meet grandma with me. It will be very well-behaved, and won’t cause any trouble.”

“No, the cat can make a mess, and your grandma won’t be pleased.”

“When Custard Pie needs the toilet, I’ll take it to the restroom. It’ll be very obedient.”

Looking at the Custard Pie in her daughter’s arms, still as a statue and with wide eyes that gave it a ‘well-behaved’ look, and the tail sweeping back and forth on the floor, Shiling’s Mom frowned and thought about it. Eventually, she nodded and said, “Make sure you take its cat food and cat litter.”

Liu Shiling quickly put Custard Pie down and skillfully packed the cat food and cat litter into her little red school bag. Of course, she didn’t forget her beloved chopsticks, the five large coins, and the A4 sheet of paper.

The journey took more than an hour. When they finally reached a small town in the neighboring city, Shiling’s Mom took her daughter to an old-style small district.

Seeing her mother who had opened the security door, Shiling’s Mom, filled with mixed feelings, called out, “Mom,” and then said to her daughter, who was holding her hand, “Shiling, call out to grandma.”

“Grandma…” Liu Shiling called out in a somewhat apprehensive yet hopeful voice.

“Oh, Shiling has grown so big. Come, let Grandma have a good look at you.” Shiling’s grandmother sighed at Shiling’s Mom and welcomed them in, fondly patting Liu Shiling’s head.

“Mom, as I said over the phone, I have to leave for a few days. Can you help me look after Shiling?” Shiling’s Mom handed the prepared cash of five thousand yuan to her mother.

Shiling’s grandmother did not refuse and quickly took the cash.

“Big Sister hasn’t been home for New Year for a long time. Why has she found time to come now?” queried a middle-aged woman holding a child, walking out of the room towards Shiling’s Mom.

Knowing that the woman was her brother’s wife, Shiling’s Mom forced a smile and greeted her before telling Liu Shiling, “Call her Aunt, and that’s your little cousin.”

“Hello Aunt, hello cousin,” Liu Shiling obediently greeted.

“Little Hui has grown up so handsome. Here, take this money for buying toys for Little Hui.” Shiling’s Mom rolled up some cash with a smile and stuffed it into the pocket of her little nephew’s jacket held by her sister-in-law. She casually asked, “Is my little brother not at home?”

“He’s been working outside all this while. Oh, right, big sister hasn’t been home for several years, you wouldn’t know. Ay! Sister, since you’re here, don’t hurry off. Let’s have a meal together. It’s almost mealtime. You may not be hungry, but the child would certainly be. Look at her, all plump and white, she probably has quite an appetite.”

Shiling’s Mom felt something was off at hearing her sister-in-law’s neutral tone. She looked at Shiling’s grandmother. She had already asked her when she called before, and she said it was okay.

With a sigh, Shiling’s grandmother said to her daughter-in-law, “Ah Qi, didn’t we talk about Shiling staying here for a few days?”

“Staying for a few days? We’d have to specify for how many days.” Shiling’s Aunt responded coldly.

Feeling that something was not right, Shiling’s Mom looked down at her daughter standing next to her, looking curiously around, confusion written all over her face, and hesitated.

Shiling’s grandmother, however, straightforwardly said to her, “You go do what you need to do, and I’ll watch over Shiling. She is my granddaughter. Go, deal with your matters as soon as you can, and then come back for Shiling.”

Having heard these words, Liu Shiling looked up and said, “Don’t worry, mommy. I will listen to grandma and Aunt.”

With a sigh, Shiling’s Mom bent down to hug her daughter and whispered a few instructions. Eventually, she turned around and left.

“Mom, she wouldn’t just abandon her child here and never come back, would she?” Shiling’s Aunt asked as soon as the door was closed.

“Watch your words, Ah Qi. The kid is still here. Regardless of what Ah Xue has done, she’s been generous to you and your husband. Don’t forget how much she helped when you two were getting married and buying a house,” Shiling’s grandmother responded sternly.

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