Chapter 158: Unlucky Kids

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Unlucky Kids

Since she needed to set out the offerings by the door, Hua Buwan simply left the supermarket entrance open. However, it was far too quiet outside. It had rained earlier that day, and the chilly gusts of wind blowing into the store were remarkably creepy.

Hoping to distract herself, she decided to watch a TV drama. The moment she opened the app, a pop-up recommended the latest trending show: *Star River Guide*. Fueled by curiosity, Hua Buwan clicked on it. She was instantly hooked, a goofy, smitten grin gradually spreading across her face.

Especially during the scene where the male lead reached out his hand and the female lead leaned her head into it—she covered her burning cheeks, feeling thoroughly bashful but absolutely loving it.

Just as she was completely absorbed in the episode, a faint WHIMPER drifted in from the doorway. The sound was soft and ethereal, like a lone, wandering ghost drifting through the empty streets.

The episode had just ended and cut to a commercial break, so Hua Buwan curiously turned her head toward the entrance. One glance was all it took to nearly scare the living daylights out of her!

Good heavens! A group of little rascals had banded together to play dress-up as ghosts. Their faces were painted chalk-white, their mouths were as red as dripping blood, and they were all draped in long white garments!

Hua Buwan clutched her chest and took a deep breath. She needed a moment to recover; that initial glimpse had almost made her pass out.

Once she regained her composure, she figured out the source of the little troublemakers’ costumes. The chalky white on their faces was definitely their mothers’ BB cream, and their lips were smeared with bright red lipstick. Their outfits were stolen from the adults in their families—judging by the size, they were white dress shirts belonging to grown men. While the shirts would fit an adult perfectly, they draped all the way down past the knees of these pint-sized munchkins.

"WOOO~ I want candy~ Give me candy to eat~"

"WOOO~ I want bananas~ Hurry up and give me bananas~"

"We’re just passing by~ Give us something to eat and we’ll leave~"

There were about six or seven kids in total. The two oldest leading the pack were at most six or seven years old, likely in the first or second grade. The ones trailing behind looked like they had just started kindergarten. They were right at that fearless, mischievous age.

Hua Buwan quietly watched them shuffle forward. Whether the ones in front were walking too slowly or the ones in the back were moving too fast, someone suddenly tripped. In an instant, the entire group of kids tumbled into a chaotic pile. Seeing this, Hua Buwan immediately rushed over to help them up.

The children politely chimed in unison, "Thank you, Sister Wanwan."

After getting them back on their feet, Hua Buwan couldn’t even bear to look directly at their heavily powdered faces. Turning her gaze slightly away, she teased, "You little terrors. Coming out in the dead of night on the Ghost Festival to play ghouls and trick people for food? Be careful, or your grandparents and parents will spank your bottoms when you get home."

The kid in the lead put on a serious face. "They won’t! Mom and Dad went to the ancestral hall. We were left home all by ourselves, and we got bored, so we came out together."

The other children immediately agreed.

"Yeah, yeah! We waited at home until we got hungry."

"I really want something to eat!"

"Since there are so many of us, we aren’t scared of ghosts! Only people with guilty consciences are afraid of ghosts. We’re brave kids!"

"Right, right, right..."

Their faces were filled with pride and determination. They truly weren’t afraid in the slightest.

Hua Buwan patted their heads and spoke to them in a gentle voice. "But it’s not safe outside at night. What if you run into bad people? Your families will be so worried when they come home and find you missing. You can’t do this anymore, okay?"