My wife is a witch princess

Chapter 77 I'm willing to give up my daughter for someone else's, but you are my daughter.

There wasn't much conversation at the dinner table, only the soft chewing and the light clinking of bowls and chopsticks. After the meal, Zhang Shushu gently called her name and led her into the bedroom.

The door closed behind him, shutting out both the light from the living room and Song Che's probing gaze.

Song Che could only stare blankly at the door, silently chanting in his heart: Don't be nervous, just say the "statement" we agreed on.

In the bedroom, Xia Li wasn't actually that nervous.

The lingering drowsiness and warmth from the meal hadn't completely dissipated, and Zhang Shushu at this moment didn't feel much different from any other gentle middle-aged woman on the street. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her back ramrod straight.

My hand was suddenly grasped.

Humans seem to really enjoy this kind of contact and always like to rub their hands. Xia Li could feel that Zhang Shushu's palms were a bit rough, with hard calluses on her fingertips and the base of her thumb.

It's a pair of hands that are used to doing manual labor.

Zhang Shushu had originally intended to keep a straight face and continue with her previous investigation plan. However, plans don't always go as expected, and her facial features softened considerably. Xia Li, on the other hand, remained aloof and indifferent, with calm eyes and straight lips—this was already her most gentle and normal expression.

Perhaps... I could try pouting?

She remembered Song Che saying she looked cute when she pouted. But pouting while talking seemed a little strange.

Xia Li was a little confused as to why Zhang Shushu was so slow to ask a question.

Zhang Shushu is observing her.

Just as she had glanced at the few clothes in the closet and the well-worn kitchen utensils when she entered, she was now examining them more closely. Being a meticulous person by nature, this close inspection stirred a strange feeling within her.

She came from the countryside and hadn't received much education. She was pretty when she was young, but she always had a slight hunchback, which made her look timid and far from elegant.

But the girl in front of me... sat there quietly, as if she possessed an indescribable aura. It wasn't arrogance, but rather a kind of... instinctive uprightness and aloofness, like the graceful cranes in old paintings.

Her silver hair cascaded down her back like satin, its natural sheen suggesting it wasn't dyed. Her figure was also beautiful, slender yet perfectly proportioned. Up close, one could smell a clean, subtle fragrance.

Her face was free of makeup, yet her skin was smooth and radiant, and every feature was perfectly proportioned—not a bit more or less would be unacceptable.

Even the goddess Nuwa was biased.

For the first time, she felt...jealousy towards a girl.

The emotion came on so suddenly that it startled her.

Why would she be jealous of the girl her son brought home?

"Hello, Auntie," Xia Li said first, her voice steady. "I don't see many people and I don't talk much. Please forgive me if I say anything wrong."

This is what Song Che taught me: as long as you are polite, you won't make mistakes.

Xia Li was quite confident in her "politeness".

"It's alright, it's alright," Zhang Shushu said, patting the back of her hand as she came to her senses. "Auntie sometimes says things that aren't pleasant to hear, Xia Li, don't take it to heart."

……

In the living room, Song Che strained his ears but couldn't hear anything coming from under the door.

I could only judge by my mom's expression when she came out—she seemed alright?

If you don't immediately lose your temper, you've already succeeded halfway.

"Song Che." Zhang Shushu sat down on the sofa, her tone unreadable. "Those two girls are orphans? Why didn't you tell your family sooner?"

"Ah... oh, I forgot." Song Che couldn't explain any further. "Xia Li... didn't say anything strange, did she?"

"Did you bully that girl?" Zhang Shushu asked bluntly. Just now in the room, when she saw Xia Li's face, the stern questions she had prepared stuck in her throat, and in the end, she only exchanged a few words before leaving.

We still need to let Lao Song ask.

"Huh?" Song Che's heart skipped a beat.

Xia Li has already complained?

All I did was tease her a few times calling her "idiot," and now that she's officially my girlfriend, she's already complaining to her future mother-in-law. Is my mom going to side with my mother?

"You hit her?"

"I didn't hit him!" Song Che felt a throbbing pain in his forehead. Usually, it was Xia Li who would raise her hand to hit him when she was unhappy.

"So that's a threat? Otherwise, why wouldn't she dare tell me anything?"

"What did she say?" Song Che asked tentatively.

"She said you took her in, treated her well, gave her food and shelter, and even taught her things..."

"This is great! Where did I hit her?"

"She spoke like she was reciting a poem, word for word. Do you think Mom couldn't tell?" Zhang Shushu glanced at him.

"Fine." Song Che sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Xia Li's acting skills are a fatal flaw, and there's no way to deny it.

That's just how she talks, she's very straightforward.

"I don't believe it." Zhang Shushu shook her head. "Taoxiang just let it slip that you almost beat her sister to death before, but she changed her story later."

...her older sister.

Song Che instantly understood which "older sister" Tao Xiang was referring to. This silly little fox's younger sister never thinks before she speaks; she's always the one who gets caught out!

"Mom, do you see any injuries on her body? There aren't any bruises at all."

"What if it's an internal injury?"

"I can even cause internal injuries?!" Song Che was speechless for a moment.

My mom's thought process is sometimes just as sharp as Xia Li's.

He paused, then asked suspiciously, "Mom... have you been watching martial arts dramas lately?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"Do you really think your son, a high school senior, can master the Nine Yin White Bone Claw or even hit a cow from across a mountain?"

Reminded by her son, Zhang Shushu realized she had gone a bit too far. She cleared her throat and changed to a more practical question:

"Then why did you let Momoka sleep on the sofa with a small blanket?"

"I..." Song Che stammered.

Oops.

Mom didn't know that Tao Xiang and that stupid fox were one entity, with a special constitution that allowed them to survive even in freezing weather. Looking at it this way, it really seems like he was abusing a child.

"Momoka usually...sleeps with her older sister." He tried to salvage the situation.

Xia Li said no.

Zhang Shushu's mind was already uncontrollably conjuring up images from social news: delinquent teenagers coercing orphaned sisters, threatening and bribing them not to speak out, and even... She quickly stopped this terrifying association.

Song Che gave an awkward laugh.

The lie was exposed as soon as it was told.

It seems this pot has been sealed tightly.

Bruce absolutely has to bite that little troublemaker afterwards...

Perhaps sensing his "malice," Tao Xiang snuggled closer, hugged Zhang Shushu's arm, and looked up at her with her little face: "Auntie, Tao Xiang is really okay! Before I met my brother, I often slept outside. My new clothes were bought by my brother!"

……

In the bedroom, Song Jianguo sat opposite Xia Li. This man didn't hold her hand; in fact, he sat a bit far away. He had some stubble on his face and spoke briefly.

"Xia Li, right?"

"Um."

What do you think of Song Che as a person?

"I don't dislike him." Xia Li thought for a moment and added, "I'm the kind of person who...would wash my hair before seeing him, I don't dislike him."

Song Jianguo was taken aback by her unique way of speaking, and then a smile appeared in his eyes.

Isn't this what it means to like someone?

She's just like Shu'er when she was young; she always speaks in strange and unexpected ways.

He enjoys chatting with interesting people.

"I have one more question, you can skip this if you don't want to answer." He carefully chose his words, "What's the current situation between you two? I mainly want to know if he has ever bullied you."

Xia Li thought it over carefully and decided not to skip ahead: "We are officially boyfriend and girlfriend now."

Song Jianguo chuckled: "So, there was an 'informal' affair before?"

"Mmm." Xia Li lowered her head slightly. "We... have reached the point where we can kiss."

"A kiss? It's normal." Song Jianguo felt he shouldn't ask any further, but his curiosity was simply irresistible. His son's first relationship had ended up with such a special girl. "Does he... always want to kiss you?"

After asking him the question, he felt it was a bit disrespectful to his elders, but he just couldn't help it.

"Yes." Xia Li nodded, her tone frank. "But he doesn't dare. I'm always the one who kisses him."

Song Jianguo laughed out loud.

That rascal, he can even be shy.

His curiosity was temporarily satisfied, and he knew when to stop.

"Did Song Cheol formally tell you 'I like you'?"

"He said he did say that," Xia Li frowned slightly, "but I can't find which sentence it was."

Song Jianguo was taken aback by this answer again. What did he mean by "can't find which sentence it is"?

Did you write down every single thing that kid said?

"That means you haven't said it," he concluded. "It only counts if you can feel that I 'like' it."

Song Jianguo didn't think as much or as meticulously as Zhang Shushu. His biggest concern was whether the two children truly liked each other. As it stood, the answer was yes. That was enough. As for the girl's silver hair… he didn't really appreciate dyed hair, but Xia Li's silver hair looked so natural, like it was woven from moonlight, and it was pleasing to the eye.

He liked the girl's interesting way of speaking.

It seems I've asked everything I wanted to ask.

Seeing Xia Li's focused expression as she waited for him to continue, Song Jianguo suddenly felt a mischievous urge.

He straightened his face and said in a serious tone, "I will not agree to you two being together."

Xia Li froze.

She didn't know what she had said wrong; her heart felt like it was being clenched by an invisible hand. She wanted to speak, her lips moved, but no sound came out; in the end, she just gently bit her lower lip.

"Is...is there something I didn't do well enough?" she finally asked, her voice lower than before.

"No, that's not it." Song Jianguo's composure instantly crumbled, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "I just wanted to scare you. As parents, if we haven't told our kids 'I don't approve of you being together,' we always feel like something's missing, and it's a bit of a regret."

Xia Li was stunned.

For a fleeting moment, she almost felt a wave of sadness wash over her, as if she had messed up. But it turned out... it was a joke?

The tension in her heart suddenly eased, turning into a belated joy.

This time, Song Jianguo leaned closer, patted her shoulder, and said in a gentler tone, "Xia Li, you have a beautiful smile."

After saying that, he got up, pushed open the door, and went out, heading straight for Bruce, who was dozing off.

Xia Li followed him out of the bedroom and saw Song Che in the living room, head bowed, listening to Zhang Shushu's scolding, nodding occasionally in agreement: "I was wrong... I promise I won't bully anyone..."

As he spoke, Song Che's tone became almost mournful. He grabbed Zhang Shushu's arm and said, "Mom... tell me, am I really your biological daughter? Could it be that Xia Li is your long-lost daughter, and I'm just an accidental addition to your phone plan?"

"Yes." Zhang Shushu couldn't help but laugh. The Song Che in front of her, who could be cheeky and coquettish, was the child she knew. She didn't need her son to be so proper and mature all the time. She liked listening to him talk without any manners, even with a hint of complaining—those words sounded so vivid and real to her.

"Mom... I really didn't bully her. It's all Xia Li's fault. That idiot hits me on the head whenever she gets angry." Zhang Shushu ignored Song Che's accusation with a smile.

But Xia Li heard it all clearly.

Normally, a flick on the forehead would have been enough to send someone flying.

But today, she couldn't get angry. Her heart felt warm, like basking in the most comfortable afternoon sun.

Zhang Shushu didn't bother them any further, only telling Song Che to rest early, and then forcibly turned on the air conditioners in both rooms.

……

Song Jianguo had complete confidence in Song Che and Xia Li.

We'll deal with the future later. Right now, the two children are interested in each other and get along naturally, which is good enough. He didn't press Xia Li for other questions; in his opinion, none of those were as important as genuine affection.

Zhang Shushu felt somewhat annoyed after leaving the house.

She felt she should test Xia Li further. She hadn't been calm enough earlier, only thinking Song Che might be bullying her. Now, realizing how attractive, hardworking, and even somewhat obedient to her son she was… what was she after?

Zhang Shushu always unconsciously views people with suspicion and defensiveness. She believes that there must be a reason to like someone, and even more so for people to interact with each other. The reasons she can think of are mostly "Is he here to scam money?" or "Could he be a kidnapper?"

As for the so-called "destined fate," she didn't believe it at all.

This is all Song Jianguo's fault.

Every time she asked him why he chose her to marry back then, he would say: "Back then, I saw you buy steamed buns and soy milk in the morning. You finished the soy milk, skipped and hopped to throw away the trash, and threw away the steamed buns along with it."

In short, I chose her because she was the easiest to fool.

Zhang Shushu was always so angry she wanted to punch him. But deep down she knew that... that was probably it.

"Jianguo, what do you think of that girl? What does she want from our son?"

"It's quite interesting. And it's not that she can't laugh; she laughed while we were chatting just now. Her laugh is like that of a fairy. Our son has good taste."

Did you ask her where she's from?

"I didn't ask." Song Jianguo didn't care. "It's all fine. As long as he's not a fugitive, I can accept it. Didn't they say he's an orphan?"

"They say it's from Taixi Welfare Home, but something doesn't feel right. Aren't the children from welfare homes eventually adopted... or something?"

Zhang Shushu didn't quite understand the process.

"Why worry about all that?" Song Jianguo hugged her. "It's too late today. Let's get together properly tomorrow or in the next few days. We have a long life ahead of us. We'll know what kind of person this girl is after we spend more time together."

"That's true." Zhang Shushu shrank her neck. "Nanhui is getting colder and colder, and it's not even the New Year yet."

"It'll be soon. The next snowfall should be around the Lunar New Year," Song Jianguo laughed. "How about turning on the air conditioning?"

"I can't afford to run it; it's only a level 3 energy consumption machine."

"I knew you wouldn't open it, so why were you willing to open it for that girl?"

"That's different."

"It's the same for me. You drive for someone else's girl, and I'll drive for mine." Song Jianguo's smile deepened his wrinkles. "Actually, I already drove it when I left home, and now that I'm back, it's warm inside."

"You, you're such a pervert!"

"So what?"

"Fool."

"Are you stupid enough to throw away the steamed bun?"

"You brought this up again! I'm not done with you yet!"

……

"Song Che, is this a big hairdryer? It's so warm."

"Yes, that's one way to understand it."

"Can we open it later?"

"Let's get a new air conditioner, and then we'll run it every day."

"Can I open the door once after washing the dishes?"

Song Che paused, looking at Xia Li's curious expression and her no longer curled-up little hands, "Okay, you can open the door once you wash the dishes."

After saying that, she picked up Bruce and called out to Tao Xiang in the living room, "Come sleep in my room, or you can sleep in Xia Li's room."

"Momoka?"

Call me the Fox King!