My wife is a witch princess.

He's heard this for over a decade, but he's never actually been kicked out even once.

"At your age, don't call me 'wife' in public, isn't that embarrassing?" Zhang Shushu muttered, but there was no real disgust on her face. She carefully looked at Song Jianguo's face, and only after confirming that he was in good spirits did she feel relieved, and then turned to worry about other things: "Have you checked the gift I bought for Dabao? Don't let anyone steal it! If it gets lost, see how I deal with you."

“I’m holding it in my arms, who could steal it?” Song Jianguo patted the backpack he had been carefully protecting in front of him.

"Okay then." Zhang Shushu breathed a sigh of relief, but a new worry immediately surfaced in her mind. "You know... if that girl is really no good, and I don't want them to be together, will my son resent me?"

As soon as she woke up, her thoughts returned to Song Che and that "mysterious girlfriend".

Song Jianguo habitually offered his usual enlightened advice: "If you ask me, it's best to let the child decide for himself. If he's really not a good person, Xiao Che will gradually be able to tell. He's grown up and has his own judgment."

"I'm afraid he won't realize it! He'll be blinded by his feelings." Zhang Shushu was still worried.

“If you can’t tell, just keep looking. Think about it, if someone had tried to break us up back then, wouldn’t you have been angry?” Song Jianguo tried to change the perspective.

“How can they be the same!” Zhang Shushu retorted.

“It’s the same.” Song Jianguo’s tone was gentle but firm. “In short, don’t worry too much about anything. Respecting your son’s choice is respecting your young self.”

"You're always spouting these big principles, trying to make yourself seem knowledgeable, aren't you?" Zhang Shushu said, giving him another light punch on the shoulder.

"Is it that obvious?" Song Jianguo deliberately puffed out his chest, then immediately changed his tune when her gaze swept over him, "...You know a lot, you know a lot."

Zhang Shushu leaned on his shoulder, flipping through her chat history with Song Che on her phone, her brows furrowing slightly. "Jianguo, don't you think... our son seems to have changed a bit? He used to rarely chat with me via voice, and he'd only reply with a few words when we typed. Now he talks more, and he always tells me not to worry..."

“The child has grown up.” Song Jianguo didn’t think as deeply as she did.

"Should I put on a stern face when I go back to see him? It's so frustrating." Zhang Shushu was still struggling with her petty strategy.

"If you want to talk nonsense, you can try it. But if you put on a serious face, you'll look even more like an old woman," Song Jianguo joked. "Anyway, it's true that Song Che's grades have dropped so much. I bet his studies are affected a lot by his girlfriend. You can scold him a couple of times, and then threaten him with a stick. It'll be a good opportunity to see what he's been up to lately. It's a sudden worry for him. Ask him if he still wants to go to school. If he really doesn't want to go, we can make other plans early, like having him learn a trade from me or something. What do you say?"

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, "I was thinking that the money we'd saved was enough for our family to live comfortably for a while, and we could wait and see if our hometown would be demolished for redevelopment, then use the remaining money to buy a car, plus our son would be able to support himself when he grows up... But then this kid suddenly got a girlfriend... and the expenses and future plans are hard to predict."

"Lying down? Only corpses like to lie down!" Zhang Shushu got angry when she heard this. "I'm not satisfied until we pave a solid road for our children... I get upset when I think about your brothers. Their parents were farsighted back then. They didn't let you go to school, but let the younger ones go. They were unwilling to spend money on you, but they were willing to spend money on your brothers, sending them to university... Back then, even a pig could fly if it went to school. Now they have respectable jobs, time to spend with their children, and their children's education and conditions are top-notch... I feel sorry for my son. Have you forgotten why Song Che was always secretly sad when he couldn't keep up with his cousins' grades when he was little? Isn't that a problem with the parents...? It breaks my heart."

Song Jianguo smiled and held her hand: "If I really went to school, I might not have met you again, and then there would be no Song Che."

“I don’t mean to blame you…” Zhang Shushu’s lips curved into a smile. “I just feel sorry for you, you know? The way other parents talk about their children… it makes me uncomfortable. It makes me feel inferior to them… I can’t take it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

Song Jianguo chuckled, finding his wife's competitive nature rather endearing. "Others live their own lives. If anyone's to blame, blame me. I'm not as capable as others, which is why you and the two of you have to suffer with me."

"Why blame you!" Zhang Shushu immediately interrupted him, and started talking again, "Let me tell you, we're just unlucky. Don't you feel it? When you're alive, you have to believe in fate. I didn't believe it before, but now I do... It's just that the timing is wrong, the circumstances are unfavorable, and we're not on good terms. Everything is going wrong. If we had just one of those things, our lives would be much more comfortable. It's not entirely our fault. It's all that damn God's fault. I want to kill him!"

Song Jianguo listened quietly, nodding occasionally in agreement.

Their journey has been fraught with difficulties and setbacks; they haven't been particularly lucky. Looking back, many of their choices have been tinged with a sense of helplessness.

However, it's good to complain about God now and then. That damn God, sometimes you just have to complain about Him a bit, but not everyone is born lucky. Good fortune... can't be forced.

Clang, clang—

The outline of a train platform came into view outside the window, and the speed of the retreat slowed down. The familiar city silhouette was faintly visible in the distance.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker that the train was about to arrive at its destination.

"Honey, have we arrived at our destination?"

"Okay, I'm home, honey!"

A young couple in the front seat started chatting excitedly.

As Song Jianguo listened, he thought to himself, "It's so good to be young."

He held his wife's hand and whispered:

"Shu'er, we're home now."

Zhang Shushu didn't let go of his hand, nor did she say anything; she just thought to herself.

That's what they mean by "home is wherever you are."

……

At the same time.

Song Che was thinking that he needed to give Xia Li a proper makeover. It didn't have to be heavy makeup, but when meeting the parents, she should at least look neat and presentable to show that she was being taken seriously.

"I don't know how to do makeup," Xia Li honestly admitted, then paused and added an objective assessment, "Besides... your makeup doesn't look good either."

She was referring to the time the two of them had played pranks on each other before.

"That's simple, leave the professional stuff to the professionals." Song Che had already planned this out, glancing at the time. His study efficiency was unusually high today, and he was taking notes at lightning speed. Perhaps it was because Xia Li's identity had changed from "pretending to be his girlfriend" to "his real girlfriend," making his brain unusually active and full of energy.

“Jiang Xiaoxiao knows how to do makeup. Let’s go see her this weekend and have her help you try it out. You can also learn the basics while you’re at it.”

"Okay." Xia Li nodded in agreement.

"It's settled then. Tonight we'll go to Aunt Lan's place for a bit, play around for a while, and then come back to rest."

"it is good."

Xia Li got up to pack her things and went back to her bedroom to get the scarf that Song Che had given her.

"Song Che, I don't know how to surround it."

"I'll help you."

Chapter 74 It's hard to coax Mom, but it's even harder to coax Xia Li (5k)

It looks like it's getting late.

Song Jianguo and Zhang Shushu were exhausted from the journey, feeling like they were about to fall apart, but they finally saw the iron gate of the residential area.

Song Jianguo dragged his suitcase with one hand and held the gifts he had bought earlier in the other. On their way home, they passed a flower shop. Zhang Shushu paused, then, remembering Xia Li, went inside and carried a bunch of tulips.

It was a gift for a girl I've never met; it was given in a bit of a rush.

Pushing open the door, I saw the familiar apartment building.

After walking a few steps inside, Zhang Shushu suddenly tugged at Song Jianguo's sleeve.

"Jianguo, look ahead... isn't that our son?"

Song Jianguo squinted and saw a tall, slender figure standing under the streetlight ahead, with a petite figure beside him. Needless to say, this was the girl.

"Is it that...the one getting hit on the head?" Song Jianguo couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the way the guy was being hit.

"It seems... I can't see her face clearly. The one next to her... is that the girl?" Zhang Shushu craned her neck, but she still couldn't see clearly in the dark. "She seems quite pretty... but why is her hair silver?"

"Should we go over and say hello?" Song Jianguo asked.

“No!” Zhang Shushu immediately shook her head. She had an idea. “Let’s not disturb them. Let’s go around here and check on Sister Lan first. These two kids probably just came from her place. We can ask them what happened.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you. Sister Lan lives alone, so I should visit her more often. She said she fainted last time, I wonder if she’s feeling better lately.” Song Jianguo said, taking the suitcase and gifts into his hands. “Let’s go, let’s go upstairs and put our things down first.”

"Sister Lan is the same. She's not young anymore, but she's still as stubborn as she was when she was young, insisting on following us around." Zhang Shushu sighed, her tone filled with familiar complaint and concern.

The two carried their luggage up to the third floor and opened the small room.

After quickly putting down his things, he turned and went to He Lan's house across the street.

As soon as the knocking ended, He Lan's cheerful voice came from inside: "Is that Xia Li? Did you leave something behind again?"

"Sister Lan, it's me, Shu'er."

"Oh, coming, coming!" He Lan hurriedly opened the door, and when she saw Zhang Shushu, a genuine smile appeared on her face. Then she paused for a moment, reached out and touched the corner of Zhang Shushu's eye, "Shu'er, why do you have wrinkles?"

Zhang Shushu was both amused and exasperated by this blunt greeting: "Sister Lan, I'm already this old, of course I'll get wrinkles."

She knew that He Lan's memory was often confused, but she didn't care.

"Oh, look at my memory..." He Lan was a little embarrassed and subconsciously reached for the small notebook she always carried with her.

"Sister Lan, did Song Che come by just now? And he brought a girl with him?" Zhang Shushu got straight to the point.

"Yes, she's here. That girl was so sensible, so quiet, she just didn't smile much." He Lan recalled, her tone revealing undisguised fondness.

Hearing He Lan's praise, Zhang Shushu finally felt a sense of relief. It didn't matter that he wasn't always cheerful; as long as he was kind and honest, that was more important than anything. What she feared most was that her son would meet the wrong person and get hurt for no reason.

Zhang Shushu chatted with He Lan for a few more minutes, while Song Jianguo took the keys and went back to his own house, carrying all his luggage inside. The house was quite tidy, with a broom and half a bucket of water in the corner of the living room, indicating it had been used recently.

"This kid...when did he become so diligent?" Song Jianguo was somewhat surprised. In his memory, although his son Song Che was sensible, he was still a teenager, and he was just as mischievous and lazy as ever. In the past, he would just do a perfunctory job of sweeping the floor and would never have prepared a bucket of water.

A child being too sensible... is sometimes not a good thing.

Song Jianguo knew that if a person "becomes sensible" too early, it often meant that he had been forced to experience something at an earlier age.

True understanding usually comes only after becoming a parent oneself. For Song Che, who has been alone at home for the past six months, finding a companion to look after each other is actually a good thing.

In this respect, he was more open-minded than his wife.

Good or bad is often just a subjective feeling. What matters most is liking each other and getting along well.

After putting down his luggage, he had just stepped out when he ran into Zhang Shushu, who was coming down from He Lan's house.

"Finished talking?"

"Hmm. But some of the things Sister Lan said... were quite strange. I guess her memory is getting worse and she's mixing things up."

"What did she say?" Song Jianguo asked, intrigued.

"She said that the girl named Xia Li sometimes has silver hair, sometimes black hair, but lately it seems to be silver. She also said that she has a little girl at home who used to play house..." Zhang Shushu patted her chest as she said this, "Sister Lan didn't finish her sentence, it scared me to death, I thought... she already had a child!"

"What are you thinking!" Song Jianguo chuckled. "We've only been away for half a year, so those two must have gotten together at least a year ago."

"That's true..." Zhang Shushu breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Is your luggage all packed?"

"Hmm. Should we go straight to see our son?"

“Okay, I’ve changed my mind. Let’s not do that secret observation thing anymore.” Zhang Shushu straightened her back and came up with a new idea. “I’m going to launch a surprise attack! You know, people can pretend. When I met your parents back then, I pretended to be especially gentle and virtuous… Pshaw, I was actually very gentle!”

"Yeah, I can tell, she's really gentle." Song Jianguo nodded seriously, but in his mind he remembered how she would always punch him afterward, making his hands hurt, and then demanding that he apologize. She was so mean.

She got all the arguments right.

Fallacy!

"Then it's settled. But..." Song Jianguo suddenly thought of something and chuckled in a low voice, "What if we happen to catch the young couple... kissing or something?"

"Then I'll just stand there and watch!" Zhang Shushu glared at him. "What about you?"

“I’m quite traditional; I believe in not looking at what is improper, so I’ll avoid it,” Song Jianguo readily agreed.

"Virtue!"

Amidst their laughter and conversation, the two arrived at the door of Song Che's rented room. Song Jianguo didn't say much, but simply raised his hand to knock on the door, still holding the gift for his son in his arms.