My wife is a witch princess.

Teacher Lan looked at him for a while and nodded: "It's good for young people to travel and see more of the world. Just follow the procedure with the academic affairs office for the letter of introduction. It seems your homeroom teacher is also at the school on business today. Go find him to sign it, and then go to the academic affairs office. Do you need me to put in a good word for you there?"

"No need, no need, just follow the procedure, thank you teacher," Song Che quickly replied.

He didn't want to make a big fuss, since his original intention wasn't to visit the children.

"Alright. When you're out doing things, be careful and mindful of your methods. Listen and observe more, and avoid saying anything rash." Teacher Lan gave a few instructions, then took out a notepad from her drawer, quickly wrote a few lines, and signed her name. "This is a personal note for you. Take it. If they need more documentation or have any questions, you can show it to them. Of course, the official letter of introduction from the school is the most important."

Song Che took the note, which was written in her elegant running script: "This is to introduce our student Song Che to your esteemed institution for a social practice activity. She is an excellent student in both character and academics. We hope you will consider contacting her." Below was Teacher Lan's name and the date. This was an unexpected bonus, adding another layer of endorsement.

"Thank you, teacher!"

"Go ahead. By the way, your essay about 'time' was quite interesting. You can think about it again when you have time." Teacher Lan waved her hand and put her glasses back on.

Getting the homeroom teacher's signature went smoothly.

They only asked how long the trip would last and whether it would be safe. When Song Che said he was going with relatives, they readily signed the papers and even offered a few words of encouragement.

Holding the signed application form and the homeroom teacher's signature, Song Che ran to the academic affairs office. The teacher on duty reviewed the materials, asked a few questions, confirmed the welfare home's contact information, and finally took out an official letter of introduction with the school's red letterhead, filled in the basic information, and stamped it with the official seal.

It's a thin sheet of paper, but it feels quite heavy in your hand.

This can be considered as obtaining the first stepping stone.

Next is the health certificate.

That's easy, just go to the community hospital.

Song Che returned home with his ID card and money.

Xia Li watched him bustling around, packing things to go to the hospital, and put down the book in her hand: "Do you need any help?"

"No need, it's just a trip to the hospital for a simple check-up, it'll be quick." Song Che changed his shoes. "You stay home and watch the house, and while you're at it... keep an eye on Tao Yao, she's been sharpening her claws a lot lately, don't let her scratch a hole in the sofa again."

Xia Li nodded and said nothing more. She simply walked to the door and watched him go downstairs.

There weren't many people at the community hospital.

The registration process involves obtaining a health certificate for volunteer service.

Get the bill and pay.

The procedure was simple: height, weight, blood pressure, internal medicine auscultation, liver function blood test (all required fasting), but Song Che hadn't eaten breakfast, and a chest X-ray.

The nurse's technique was swift and efficient during the blood draw. The cool alcohol swab brushed against his skin, and he felt a slight throbbing pain as the needle pierced his skin. Song Che watched the dark red blood flow into the blood collection tube, and suddenly became a little lost in thought—the kitchen knife in his dream seemed to have that same old, dark red hue.

The machine in the chest X-ray room hummed, and the doctor behind the lead glass shouted, "Inhale, hold your breath."

After all the tests were completed, the report came out in less than an hour. Everything was normal. The doctor signed and stamped the prepared health certificate form.

"Young man, going to volunteer? That's a good thing," the older doctor said casually, handing him the form.

"Thank you, doctor." Song Che felt a little ashamed and planned to take a closer look at the children, buy them some things and toys, etc. The children were so young...it was truly heartbreaking.

Stepping out of the hospital, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling.

Song Che put the health certificate and the school's letter of introduction together and tucked them into a transparent file folder. With both documents in place, the most basic materials for the volunteer application were ready.

The remaining task is to obtain a certificate of no criminal record, which is also simple. It involves going to the police station. Song Che has never been to such a place before and is not familiar with the process, but with the school's letter of introduction and a health certificate, he should be able to get it done.

I'm not too worried.

He stood on the steps at the hospital entrance, checked the time, and realized it was still early.

A breeze blew by, carrying the aroma of food being cooked at street stalls. He suddenly felt a little hungry, realizing he hadn't eaten anything properly all day, having completely neglected his meals.

He took out his phone, intending to ask Xia Li what she wanted to eat for dinner, but then paused for a moment before putting it away.

Never mind, we'll talk about it when we get back. Xia Li always cooks right on time, so it should be ready by now.

On the bus home, he leaned against the window. He liked the window seat because it allowed him to see outside and witness the everyday details of life.

Just like handling these procedures, it's tedious and troublesome, but it's part of life.

There's no magic involved; it's just a matter of following procedures: official seals, forms, queues, and inquiries.

Of course, the strong should remain the strong and shouldn't need to go through the proper procedures.

He squeezed the file folder in his hand.

It feels very thin, yet very heavy.

As I pushed open the door, the aroma of food wafted in.

Xia Li indeed cooked right on time.

She was wearing an apron and had just come out of the kitchen. When Song Che came into the kitchen, she looked a little lost in front of the pot on the stove. It seemed that she was trying out a new dish.

The noodles I bought are cooking in the pot. Cooking noodles is actually simpler than cooking rice noodles. It doesn't require any special skills. You just need to put the right ingredients in, control the cooking time, and add the right amount of water.

Tao Xiang sat on a small stool by the kitchen door, hugging her knees, staring longingly at the pot. She always waited here for dinner.

Xia Li turned her head, still holding the spatula in her hand, "I tried to do it, but the steps might be wrong."

Song Che walked over, looked at the soup in the pot that was about to overflow, and turned the heat down a bit. Xia Li was learning things faster and faster; she could basically do it almost perfectly after just one try.

"The steps were correct, maybe I added a little too much water... but it's actually okay."

He took the spatula, stirred the noodles, then added the eggs and tomatoes. "Next time, just add less water."

"Oh." Xia Li stood next to him, watching his movements intently.

The noodles were quickly cooked; although they didn't look particularly appealing, they were piping hot. The three of them sat at the table and ate quietly.

"Is it done?" Xia Li asked.

“Yes, I’ve got the letter of introduction and the health certificate.” Song Che slurped up a mouthful of noodles. “In a couple of days… maybe tomorrow, I’ll go to the police station again to get another certificate. Then… I can try contacting the welfare home.”

Xia Li nodded, picked up a piece of powder with her chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in her mouth.

As dusk fell, the lights were on inside the house, and steam rose gently from the hot soup on the small dining table.

There's always tomorrow.

Song Che finished the last bite and put down his chopsticks.

Xia Li finished eating around the same time, picked up her bowl, and prepared to wash it.

"I'll do it today." Song Che stood up. "You made the food, take a rest."

Xia Li paused for a moment, then handed him the bowl.

However, she was considering whether not washing the dishes would violate the contract; Song Che seemed to have forgotten the original contract.

The water splashed and washed away the grease on the dishes.

Song Che stood in front of the pool, while Xia Li stood beside him with a dry cloth, waiting for him to finish washing one of the items before taking it to dry it.

She had to do some of the dishwashing.

Chapter 94 Everything Goes Smoothly

The next morning, Song Che took the materials to the police station, because it was the weekend in a couple of days, and it seemed like they didn't work on weekends.

The police station is not far away, about a 20-minute walk.

I passed by a park in the middle of the street, where a few elderly people were doing their morning exercises, and the music was playing softly. I rarely saw young people along the way, and if I did, there were only a few jogging.

Song Che walked slowly, his mind preoccupied with various questions.

The service hall was well-lit, but the seats were a bit cool. It wasn't crowded on a weekday morning; most people chose to arrive later, so Song Che arrived early to avoid the crowds, and there weren't many queues at the windows. Song Che glanced at the sign and walked to the window for "Household Registration and Certificate Processing."

Ahead of them was an older woman, arguing loudly with the police officer at the window about a temporary residence permit, speaking in a local accent. The officer was a young man, looking somewhat helpless, but still patiently explaining. Actually, Song Che thought she was a troublemaker, but then he thought, if he were born that way, he might also be a troublemaker. The generation gap between people... is quite large.

Song Che waited to the side, glancing at the various rules and regulations and posters on the wall of the hall. The words "Find the police if you have trouble" were particularly eye-catching.

When it was his turn, the young police officer at the window looked up at him and asked, "What do you need?"

"Hello, I'd like to get a certificate of no criminal record." Song Che took the prepared materials out of the file bag and handed them through the window. "This is a letter of introduction from the school, my ID card, and my household registration book... I think that's all I need."

The young police officer took the materials and first read the letter of introduction.

"Oh, a student. Going to a welfare home to volunteer?" He said, checking the ID card as he spoke. "This certificate is usually issued by a work unit or organization; individuals need a legitimate reason to apply. Yours... a letter of introduction from the school will also work."

He flipped through the household registration booklet, glanced at it, and then looked up at Song Che: "You're handling this yourself, and all the documents are complete. Fill out an application form."

As he spoke, he took out a form from the side and pushed it out along with a pen.

The form was simple, and Song Che filled it out quickly, since he had already filled it out several times.

Personal information, reason for application, and intended use, etc.

Song Che leaned over the counter and handed it back.

In the section for the reason for the application, he neatly wrote:

"To participate in volunteer activities at the Taixi City Social Welfare Institute, a certificate of no criminal record is required by the institute."

It's actually quite strange, but not that strange, since Taixi is right next to Nanhui.

The young police officer took the filled-out form and carefully reviewed the letter of introduction and ID card again.

"Song Che... is a senior in high school?" he asked casually.

"Yes, the college entrance exam is coming up soon."

"You even volunteered during the winter break, that's very thoughtful, commendable," the young police officer said, starting to work on the computer.

The keyboard clicked away for a while.

"Just wait, I'll check the system. If everything's okay, I can issue the certificate. It should take about half an hour. Go sit on that chair over there for a bit... I'll call you when it's ready."

"OK, thanks."

Song Che didn't sit down, but stood not far from the window and waited.

The lobby was well-heated, making it a bit stuffy.

He unzipped his jacket and glanced at the other people in the hall. Some were applying for replacement ID cards, some were inquiring about household registration transfers, and two people who looked like a couple were arguing quietly before being led to a mediation room next door by an older police officer.

All aspects of life can be seen in this one hall.

He suddenly thought of Xia Li. What was she doing now?

She's probably sitting in front of the computer again, or reading that book, or maybe... observing Momoka.

Song Che smiled slightly as he recalled Tao Xiang rolling around on the sofa with her blanket.