The woman gradually calmed down...
"Bao Bao, you were so brave." The woman praised him, gently rubbing his head. He'd fallen, but he hadn't cried or made a fuss. This child was much tougher than his father.
The woman began
to "throw shade" in her heart. She thought of someone who'd cut his finger while chopping vegetables and immediately howled like a ghost... He'd given her quite a scare.
She'd nearly called 120. Then she'd discovered it was only a shallow cut on his finger. She still remembered how speechless she'd been.
...The child tilted his head, a little confused by his mother's sudden praise. But... she was praising him.
His mother had even patted his head. She wasn't angry anymore. The child broke into a big smile. He completely forgot what he'd been about to say.
...Watching the child hold his mother's hand and skip along, the Pipa ghost grinned.
It lifted its head again and looked at the bright moon high above. The moonlight was beautiful tonight... The Pipa ghost was in a good mood.
The old man, however, still couldn't cheer up. After hearing his wife's words, he, too, had begun to harbor doubts.
He planned to put the matter aside for now. He wouldn't worry about the pipa anymore. But... even though he wanted to let it go... the sound of that pipa wouldn't leave him alone.
..."Ah!" The old man irritably ran a hand through his hair. He shouted in his heart. Will this ever end? Is the sound of this pipa some kind of backseat ghost?
Why does it seem like it's following me everywhere?...
"...This is driving me crazy..." the old man muttered.
"Driving me crazy, driving me crazy, driving me crazy..." The old man's pupils trembled violently.
"...It sounds awful, awful, awful!"