My wife is a witch princess.

"Xia Li," Song Che suddenly spoke.

"Ok?"

"If..." he carefully chose his words, "If one day, someone discovers that you... are not quite the same as ordinary people, would you be afraid?"

Xia Li was silent for a few seconds. Her fingers twitched slightly in his palm.

"Will you protect me?" she asked.

Song Che squeezed her hand: "Yes, I definitely will."

Xia Li nodded.

“Then I’m not afraid,” she said. “You will protect me, and I will protect you. That’s enough.”

She said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were the simplest truth in the world.

Song Che turned his head to look at her. The light from the streetlamp fell on her profile, giving her silver hair a soft, warm edge.

"And..." Xia Li added, her voice softening, "I... really like it here now. Although I still don't understand if your words were a confession, I roughly understand what 'like' means, which is why I said those two words."

Song Che's heart skipped a beat. Did she understand?

"What do you like?" he asked.

“I like cooking with you.” Xia Li slowly listed her favorite things, “I like Bruce rubbing his hand against mine, I like Tao Xiang saying ‘Brother, I’m hungry,’ I like learning math, I like looking at the strange things in the magic mirror…”

She paused.

"I like to play the princess and protect you."

Song Che paused for a moment.

Then he laughed, not a loud laugh, but a warm laugh that welled up from his chest.

“I like it too,” he said. “I like the food you cook, I like the way you study so diligently, I like watching you struggle with your scarf, I like…”

He didn't finish speaking.

But when Xia Li turned to look at him, her blue eyes sparkled under the streetlights.

"What do you like?" she asked, mimicking his earlier question.

Song Che looked at her, at her cheeks that were slightly red from the cold, at her clear eyes, and at her slightly pursed lips as she waited for an answer.

“Three moles on the soles of your feet,” he said. “They’ll be there soon.”

He still selfishly wanted to possess Xia Li.

Xia Li blinked.

Then she looked down at their hands, which were stuffed into the same pocket.

She didn't speak, but her fingers gently squeezed his palm.

The two continued walking without saying another word. But Song Che's hand, still in his pocket, remained firmly holding hers.

Xia Li understood liking in her own way. Although she still couldn't understand what Song Che meant by liking, she felt that her actions at that moment were an expression of liking.

Song Che felt a mix of worry and happiness, and Xia Li understood that their relationship truly began the moment she fell in love with him.

The sound of a television from an unknown house drifted from afar, and faint singing floated on the night breeze. Bruce and Momo should be waiting for them at home; the heating would be on full blast, and there was leftover soup from lunch in the kitchen that they could heat up.

As for the day of parting—

Let's think about it tomorrow. If it's tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow—

At least for now, on this winter night street, she is beside him, her hand in his palm, the trophy in her arms.

She said she liked it here.

I like this place because of him.

That's good.

……

"She's such a bad woman, sister, I'm going to bite her to death."

"Sister, be rational. Didn't you realize that she only threatened us this time, she didn't actually blackmail us?"

"seems like it."

"But I don't want to do it anymore. It's all about consecrating things, but I don't have any gold coins to do it."

"That's true, but she's a bad woman, so it's normal for her to do these strange things."

Where did you hide the steamed buns last time?

Tao Xiang didn't speak. She paused for a moment, then said, "Sister, I'll steal another one for you now."

Chapter 88 If you touch me again, I'll call for help (5k)

After the Laba Festival, the festive atmosphere of the New Year quietly creeps onto the windowsills, becoming more tangible day by day. Small shops along the street are gradually hanging up bright red lanterns and gift boxes. Counting the days, there is still a week left before the holiday, and only about four weeks until the New Year.

Xia Li has an excellent memory for time.

Previously, Song Che had asked her to choose a birthday for herself, and after thinking about it, she said she would choose the same day as the Lunar New Year. Since then, it seems like a little calendar has been secretly hanging in her heart, and she has to calculate it from time to time.

"Song Che..." she asked as she untied her scarf after returning home, "When is Chinese New Year next year?"

After taking off her scarf, she casually retied the princess-style updo she had worn during the performance. She usually either wore her hair down or in a high ponytail; this gentle updo was a first for her.

"Next year's Chinese New Year..." Song Che was packing his schoolbag when he heard this. He thought for a moment and said, "It'll probably be around this time, maybe a few days before or after."

"Is it February 17th?" Xia Li pressed.

"It wasn't that date... I didn't check the calendar, but it was around that time." Song Che was a little vague when she asked him.

Will it snow during the Lunar New Year?

"It will rain." Song Che nodded firmly. "It rains every year around the Lunar New Year."

"Then let's build a snowman together when it snows." Xia Li seemed to be in a good mood today and was more talkative than usual. "The book says that we can also have a snowball fight, go ice skating, race dragon boats, and eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)."

Song Che was about to praise her for reading carefully, but he quickly stopped himself from saying it: "Your Highness, dragon boat racing and eating zongzi are things for the Dragon Boat Festival."

“…Oh.” Xia Li blinked, her expression unchanged. “Anyway, we’ll build a snowman together. I read in a book that couples always do this.”

“Hmm,” Song Che smiled, “Let’s pile them up together.”

Xia Li placed the trophy she won in the play neatly on the table.

The trophy was beautifully crafted and made a nice decoration, but it wasn't actually made of gold or silver. What Song Che cared about more was the medal made of two gold coins pressed together, which, when calculated, seemed to be worth over ten thousand yuan.

He took it out and looked at it.

The gold coin was tightly sealed, with the same pattern on both sides. The only difference was that there was a number "1" on the front, while the area on the back where there should have been a number was worn smooth, leaving only a blurry area. Judging from the size of the area, it looked like a three- or four-digit number.

Why grind it off?

It's unlikely that he was after that little bit of gold dust; he probably just felt that having a "1" on the championship medal was enough, or maybe he was just after the gold dust.

Song Che didn't dwell on it too much; the fact that the medal was made of real gold showed great sincerity.

He remembered the consecration ceremony.

These two gold coins are no different from the first one, except the first one doesn't have a number. What's the connection... I can't see it, but I'm certain these gold coins possess some kind of extraordinary ability.

He got up to look for Tao Xiang, but couldn't find the little one anywhere.

Turning around, I saw a black mass stuck in the gap between the sofa and the wall.

"What are you looking at!" the black figure preemptively said in a muffled voice, "This king's leg isn't stuck, and you don't need to lift the sofa right now. When you sat on it just now, I didn't feel a thing—not a pain!"

Song Che paused for a moment: "Actually, it must have hurt terribly, right? You were yelling in pain just now."

"You're talking nonsense, it doesn't hurt at all. If you're so capable, get me out of here." Tao Yao's voice rose, tinged with bluff. "Fine, this great king doesn't need your help!"

"Really?" Song Che pretended to withdraw his hand.

"...However." Tao Yao's tone softened instantly, and there was a hint of awkwardness in it, "Considering that you will definitely ask me to bless the gold coins...If you beg me, I will reluctantly let you do me a favor."

Song Che didn't respond.

After a few seconds of silence, Tao Xiang's voice, trembling with sobs, came from the crack:

"Brother Song Che... I beg you, please move the sofa away... If you keep pressing down on it, my leg will really limp... My sister is stupid, if she limps, I'll limp too."

Tao Yao's stubbornness is truly incurable.

Song Che shook his head and moved the sofa away.

Tao Yao suddenly darted out, shook her fur, and puffed out her chest, as if the embarrassment she had just experienced had never happened.

Song Che then noticed a shriveled steamed bun hidden under the sofa.

Before he could even speak, Tao Yao immediately retorted, "It was all hidden by Tao Xiang, that glutton!"

"Sister, you were the one who told me to steal it..." Tao Xiang said, looking aggrieved.

"That's because you lack your own opinion!"

"My sister is bullying an honest person..."

"Alright, stop arguing." Song Che picked up the dusty steamed bun and threw it into the trash can, then turned and went into the kitchen to wash rice and cook porridge.

The porridge was bubbling in the pot.

Song Che wiped his hands and came out, only to see Tao Yao still squatting to one side with her neck stiff, her stomach growling with hunger, but she insisted on putting on an act of "I won't eat unless you beg me".

You might as well starve to death.

"The porridge will have to wait a while," Song Che said. "You can have cat food if you want."

Tao Yao turned her face away and remained silent.

Looking at her "starving to death is a small matter, saving face is a big deal" attitude, Song Che found it both funny and helpless.

"Please, I'm begging you, just eat a little bit, okay?"

Tao Yao's ears twitched, and she immediately turned her head, raising her chin even higher: "You said it!"

"Yes, I said it."

"Alright, bring me the gold coins, and I, the Great King, will consecrate them for you."