My wife is a witch princess.

"Damn it, what the hell are you trying to do?!" Song Che pulled the blanket tighter around herself, then realized it was useless, so she jumped out of bed and grabbed a thick dictionary to hold in front of her. "Let's talk this out. What are you doing, a witch, carrying a kitchen knife? Is this your weapon?"

"...I'm angry."

"Angry?" Song Che's eyelids twitched. The witch was different from ordinary girls; she could really resort to violence. Song Che hesitated before asking, "Where's Bruce?... Did you chop him up?"

It's only one year old, don't be so cruel.

"...No, it's this that's making me angry." Xia Li took out a magazine; the two headlines were: [Past News and Miscellaneous Cases] and [Shaping the Values ​​of Teenagers is Urgent].

"You should have said so earlier! Carrying a kitchen knife was scary; I thought the Forbidden Kingdom had attacked." Song Che put down the dictionary and breathed a sigh of relief. He guessed the landlady had mixed the magazines together with the rest of the book for him.

"Give me the kitchen knife, let me see what it says... Oh, these are all old stories, they may not all be true, and they're all just things kids did when they misbehaved, nothing serious."

Xia Li took a half step back and hid the kitchen knife. "...No."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"...for self-defense."

"Then why are you holding a broom?"

"...It's also for self-defense."

You should go sweep the streets with the sanitation workers; at least you'll have some value to society.

Song Che couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to resort to force: "Xia Li, are you going to dinner tonight?"

"go."

"Go, and put down the kitchen knife and broom. Of course, you can't bring the small hammer either! If you listen, you go; if you don't, you don't go."

"...I hear..."

Xia Li stammered, unwillingly. She had clearly done nothing wrong, yet Song Che spoke to her in that tone. Moreover… she was a prince, not Song Che. Their relationship was at most that of friends for a hundred years. She didn’t put on airs, but he did to bully her. Xia Li lowered her head. There was no rice to eat now. If there were, she would eat two big mouthfuls to express her anger.

Xia Li didn't have a magic wand on hand, so she'd find a twig to tap him on the head next time.

She put down the kitchen knife, but hugged the broom even tighter, and whispered, "...If I put down the kitchen knife, can I still go eat?"

Her voice was flat, yet it conveyed a pitiful feeling.

Putting down the knife was the biggest concession she could make.

“That’s fine.” Song Che moved the kitchen knife a little further away. “Let me see the magazine. What made you angry?”

"There are two things here that make me angrier the most."

Xia Li turned to page fourteen:

Since the start of the rainy season, many areas in southern Anhui have been hit by continuous heavy and torrential rains. The Taixi River, Qinhe River, and two major river basins have all experienced floods exceeding warning levels. Southern Anhui County has experienced a once-in-a-decade flood, leading to the postponement of the college entrance examination and affecting many people.

Song Che read it once, his heart heavy. He had experienced this before; the overwhelming flood and grief had overwhelmed his vision. He was young then, and only remembered it as the end of the world. But what was Xia Li angry about? Angry about the flood?

"...What are you angry about?"

"I don't know. I get really angry when I see this. Why did the flood have to kill me?"

"you?"

"...Why send floods that kill people?"

"There's nothing we can do. When a storm comes, there's no stopping it. There's no point in arguing with nature." Song Che didn't understand Xia Li's thought process; she seemed possessed, rambling on and on. "What's the other thing?"

"this."

Xia Li turned to page thirty-seven.

"A child with autism was ostracized by classmates because of his outstanding athletic performance. Attorney Zhang filed a lawsuit on his behalf, but due to insufficient evidence and a lack of comprehensive laws, the case was dropped. This underscores the urgent need for mental health education for teenagers."

After reading it, Song Che understood Xia Li. Anyone in this situation would feel indignant for children with autism. However, the problem is that exclusion is a form of soft violence, which is difficult to prove. Therefore, even if someone is held responsible, the focus will be on the school's education system, and individual responsibility will not be pursued, or will be largely ignored.

Xia Li looked at Song Che, "Will those who bully others be punished, like being punished by the goddess of magic for breaking a contract?"

"It's hard to say. Kids... most of them are just joining in the commotion and don't realize that it's wrong."

"Does not realizing it mean you're not wrong?"

"This is the human world; there aren't many rules, but the rules themselves are complex..."

Xia Li fell silent. What she really wanted to ask was, if someone else had treated her like that, or treated Song Che, would it have been left unresolved?

The child has autism and has finally shown talent in sports. Xia Li thought that she should encourage him, not exclude him.

She can't sort out her own logic. Now that she has lost her magic and can no longer provide protection, what should she do when faced with injustice?

Ding-dong-

A message popped up on Song Che's WeChat.

[Brother, we're downstairs. It's just me and Xiaoxiao, riding two electric bikes.]

"Alright, Xia Li, the world is strange sometimes. You'll understand eventually." Song Che patted the magazine. "Now, let's go downstairs—the meal tickets have arrived."

Riding steadily, number 22, is also quite good.

Song Che led Xia Li downstairs and pushed open the iron gate.

The alleyway was filled with the warmth of people, adding a touch of coziness to the winter day.

Jiang Shuo, wearing a helmet, rode a black electric scooter. Behind him was a small white electric scooter with a girl in a high school uniform and pigtails sitting on it. She looked at Song Che, revealing two dimples and clean, pearly teeth, and said, "Hello, Brother Song Che~"

She tilted her head and looked at Xia Li, "Hello, sister."

Her voice is light and sweet, and her smile is like that of a little angel.

"Hello, Xiaoxiao." Song Che subconsciously glanced at the top of Jiang Xiaoxiao's head, the label making his gaze linger for a moment.

"Plagued by inner demons" and "Cunning"

At such a young age, how could she have inner demons?

Is this little girl cunning?

"Brother, you're much more handsome than Jiang Shuo. He can't even find a girlfriend now. I feel ashamed for my unambitious brother." Jiang Xiaoxiao rested her chin on her hand and smiled. "Sister, you're so beautiful. Your hair is like the moon. But why aren't you smiling? Is Xiaoxiao not cute enough?"

"...Me." Xia Li opened her mouth, feeling a little flustered by the overwhelming liveliness. Song Che wouldn't let her laugh, so Xia Li thought for a moment and decided to borrow Song Che's previous explanation—even though she actually had no idea what an elevator was.

"...When I was a child, my head got caught in an elevator."

She remained calm, believing her logic to be sound.

I got my foot caught in something, and it left me with lingering effects, so I can't laugh.

Jiang Xiaoxiao's dimples became even more pronounced. She covered her mouth and said, "Sister, you're so funny. My brother's head has been caught in an elevator twice."

Jiang Shuo: "..."

He felt wronged, but couldn't refute it. He really had been squeezed in the middle before.

"Xiaoxiao! Give your brother some face in public."

"Okay, Jiang Shuo."

"Jiang Shuo? Call me brother, haven't you always called me brother?"

Jiang Shuo felt like the sky was falling. His sister was calling someone else "brother" instead of him. Wasn't this blatant discrimination?

Jiang Xiaoxiao laughed, clutching her stomach and shrugging her shoulders. "Jiang Shuo, Jiang Shuo~ He plays galgames every day, thinking that playing a hundred of them will show how much girls like him—"

When did you find out?

"I guessed."

That would be a lot of fun.

Song Che gave an awkward laugh, unsure of what to say. For someone who dotes on his sister, being discovered by his sister about his bad habit was less desirable than finding a rooftop to get some fresh air.

But one thing is certain.

She's definitely my younger sister.

Xia Li nudged Song Che's arm, her expression inquisitive.

What is "旮旯给木"?

"Skip the shooting game."

"If I play every day, will I really see an increase in affection level?"

What the hell are you trying to do? Have you gone astray?

"No, it's just a game. There are little characters in it, and you can unlock special CGs or something by building up your relationship with them. That's what I've heard."

“…Oh.” Xia Li didn’t understand a single word. She just felt that if she could see the favorability rating, she wouldn’t have to bother understanding who disliked her and who liked her. She could adjust her words and actions according to the favorability rating. Xia Li believed that there would come a day when everyone would like the silver-haired witch.

Jiang Shuo, standing to the side, blushed and was a little unhappy. That girl Jiang Xiaoxiao was trying to trick him into talking again, but she was his sister, so he had to put up with it no matter how unhappy he was.

He weakly said, "I'm begging you guys, please don't discuss Ga La Ge Mu in public anymore, it's embarrassing."

Song Che picked up the thread, "Let's stop talking, let's introduce her. This is Xia Li. She doesn't talk much, but that doesn't mean she's ignoring people. She's just socially awkward and can't say much."

“…Xia Li.” Jiang Shuo looked her up and down. She was clearly not from Nanhui. Her skin was like jade. She didn’t have many expressions, but her eyes were simple. He could tell at a glance that she was abducted by Song Che.

Well, Song Che, you're really going down the wrong path behind your brother's back.

"Her ankle is not very flexible. She can take a walk, but it's not good for her to go too far."

“…Oh, that explains why you hesitated so much about having a meal.” Jiang Shuo gave an understanding look, stood up and handed the electric scooter to Song Che. “I’ll ride in the smaller one, you take Xia Li with you. Here, two helmets.”

Song Che took the helmet and put it on Xia Li. Her silver hair draped down her back through the helmet, and her blue eyes were visible through the goggles.

"Get in the car, sit in the back."

Song Che helped Xia Li adjust her position, then sat in the front seat himself. He turned around and tapped Xia Li's helmet, whispering, "If your legs feel uncomfortable in one position, tell me. Don't jump out of the car. Hold onto my shoulder while driving. Of course, it's up to you. If you feel awkward, hold onto my back... just don't suddenly pinch my waist."

"Ok."

We're... a bit too close.

Xia Li's heartbeat quickened slightly, and her slender fingers paused repeatedly in the air before finally not gripping Song Che's shoulders tightly, but simply placing them lightly on them.

Song Che tried out the electric scooter. Having not ridden one for many years, and with a sick person in tow, he was inevitably a little nervous. Xia Li was also nervous; she had no idea how this two-wheeled vehicle could move. However, the seat was soft, much more comfortable than her hard, always-wobbling magic broom.

"Jiang Shuo, lead the way."

"...We just went there last week, didn't you forget?"