Li Shi carried the child on his back, then had his wife secure him with her coat.
The child was uneasy. Though he didn't say anything, his face was full of bewilderment and fear. He clung tightly to his father, hunching his shoulders and resting his head against the back of his father's neck.
Mrs. Li gently comforted him.
"It'll be fine. We just have to climb up. Didn't Tiantian say he wanted to try rock climbing? We said we'd climb a mountain, remember?" Li Shi said, his voice warm and light.
Both parents did their best to act carefree so their child could relax.
I could feel the indignation and resentment in Li Shi's heart. He had died, and in such a bewildering way. There was no way he could be completely at peace with it. But he didn't want to show that side of himself in front of his child.
He seemed to understand that, as a ghost, the most important thing was to be reincarnated, not to seek revenge.
If he'd been here alone, he might have been unable to control his emotions and would have done whatever it took to get revenge. But feeling the weight on his back, he let out a breath and kept looking for a way to climb up.
"Come to think of it, ghosts should be able to fly, right? Maybe we can even walk through walls." Mrs. Li pretended to be carefree too, bringing up a cheerful topic.
"Right. We ought to be able to fly." Li Shi laughed.
The child poked his head out and asked quietly, "Can we fly?"
"Mm, definitely. We might just need to practice a little." Li Shi grinned at his son.
The child seemed to perk up, no longer looking so downcast.
The family