My wife is a witch princess.

"Song Che," the young policeman called from the window.

Song Che walked over.

"It's been checked, no problem." The young police officer held a printed sheet of paper in his hand, then took out the official seal, dipped it in ink, and stamped it in the lower right corner of the paper.

"Here you go, take it safe, don't lose it." The young police officer handed the certificate out the window.

Song Che took it.

The paper contained his photo and ID number, as well as the crucial line: "Upon investigation, there is no criminal record within this city."

That's enough; that's basically all you need.

Song Che also relaxed.

Song Che gathered the certificate, the previous letter of introduction, and the health certificate together and put them back into the document bag.

Thanks.

"You're welcome. It's good to be a volunteer, but be careful." The young policeman nodded to him and started calling the next number.

Song Che wondered, is this a civil servant job? His original plan was to go to university and then take the civil service exam. It would be stable in Nanhui. If he found another job, it would be tiring and inconvenient.

Stepping out of the police station, the crisp, cool air was refreshing and invigorating.

With all three key materials in place, things went more smoothly than expected.

He checked the time; it wasn't even ten o'clock yet.

My feet unconsciously led me home, my mind already racing with plans for the next step: how to contact the welfare home, what to say on the phone, and what to do if they requested a face-to-face meeting…

Let's take it one step at a time. Things will work themselves out in the end. If it sinks, we'll see.

As he passed the convenience store near the alley, he paused, recalling the last time he and Xia Li were here. Promotional posters were pasted on the glass door, and cardboard boxes of oranges were displayed outside; it was almost Chinese New Year, and they were buying gift boxes of oranges to give to relatives.

Just as he was about to continue walking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a shadow moving at the entrance of the narrow alley. It was a strange phenomenon... There were no homeless people around here.

Song Che turned his head to look.

The alley was narrow, piled with odds and ends and trash cans; no one would go into it.

But it seems there's another woman there.

Her long black hair was disheveled and draped behind her back. He couldn't see her face clearly, in a terrifying way. In the alleyway, her eyes seemed to be glowing red. What else could this be but the boss?

Look down.

It's the dead of winter, and I'm not even wearing shoes.

She just stood there, her face turned towards Song Che.

Although her messy hair obscured her face, making it impossible to see what she looked like or her eyes, Song Che could sense that she was staring intently at him. This woman must have something wrong with her; this feeling was definitely not good.

There was the black hair and tattered veil that Tao Yao mentioned...

It was her; she resembled the description of the bad woman Tao Yao had mentioned.

He stood still, without moving.

Should we call the police now?

Calling the police probably won't do any good.

Song Che clenched his fists, ready to fight her.

Whoever backs down is a coward!

The woman didn't move.

The two were about ten meters apart, with the convenience store door and passersby in between, and a blurry figure at the alley entrance on the other side.

Time paused for a few seconds.

Then, the woman raised her hand.

Her hands were also very dirty, and her body looked like it hadn't been active for a long time.

Song Che held his breath.

The next second, Song Che suddenly realized that she had disappeared.

She didn't disappear, he woke up. He was walking... and then he fell asleep!

I actually fell asleep!

He stared at the empty alleyway for a few seconds, then looked away and continued walking.

His fingers tightened around the backpack strap; he had a bad feeling about this. He never fell asleep while walking during his senior year of high school.

When I got home and opened the door, I was enveloped in familiar warmth.

Xia Li was sitting at the dining table with the book open in front of her, but her head was tilted slightly, as if she was listening to something.

Tao Xiang was curled up in the corner of the sofa, dozing off.

"You're back." Xia Li turned her head and asked, just like yesterday, "Is everything settled?"

"Okay, it's all done." Song Che changed his shoes, put his backpack away, took out a document bag, pulled out the certificate of no criminal record, and handed it to Xia Li. "All three are there, no problem."

Xia Li took it, looked at the words and red stamp on it, and nodded: "Next step, contact them."

“Yes.” Song Che sat down opposite her. “We need to think about how to make the call.”

He paused, then asked, "Was everything alright at home this morning?"

"It's nothing." Xia Li handed the certificate back to him, paused for a moment, and then said, "Tao Xiang said that there were birds chirping outside the window for a long time."

"Bird call?"

"Hmm. She said the sounds she made... were a little strange. And they kept going." Xia Li looked at Tao Xiang on the sofa.

Song Che looked over as well. Tao Xiang seemed to be sleeping restlessly, her brows furrowed, her little hands clutching the edge of the blanket. Was she having a nightmare too?

Song Che paused, "This afternoon I tried calling the orphanage. You..."

He looked at Xia Li, "Want to listen? Learn how to deal with people."

Xia Li thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass.

Song Che took out his phone, dialed the welfare home's public phone number, went over his prepared statement in his mind, and then pressed speakerphone.

beep - beep -

The phone rang a few times before being answered by a woman's voice: "Hello, Taixi Welfare Home."

"Hello, I'm Song Che, a student from Nanhui No. 1 Middle School." Song Che's voice was steady and his pace was moderate. "Our school encourages social practice during the winter vacation. I understand that your welfare home may need volunteers. I would like to inquire whether I am eligible to apply to do some volunteer work?"

After listening to him, the female staff member on the other end of the phone spoke politely: "Hello, student. I'm not entirely sure about that. Our department has a unified management and arrangement system for volunteers. Generally, you need to apply in advance, and they are all volunteers from Taixi. The final scheduling is based on demand. Now that it's close to the Spring Festival, the department is quite busy, so it may not be convenient to receive individual volunteers."

Song Che was already mentally prepared and wanted to continue to try: "I understand you. I wonder if it's possible after the New Year? Or if it's inconvenient to enter the children's living area recently, can I do some peripheral auxiliary work? I'm fine with anything, such as organizing books or cleaning common areas."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, as if they were considering it.

"Okay, student, leave your contact information. I'll report your situation and wishes to the social worker in charge and see if there are any suitable positions or availability. I'll contact you again if I hear anything, is that alright?"

"Okay, thank you very much." Song Che gave his phone number, thanked him politely, and then hung up the phone.

“She didn’t agree,” Xia Li said.

"Yes, but they didn't directly refuse. They left room for negotiation." Song Che put down his phone. "Government agencies rarely give immediate approval. This kind of response is normal. Let's wait and see."

He carefully put away the note containing the welfare home's contact information and the contact person.

Things have taken a step forward, albeit a small one, but at least the thread has been thrown out.

For the next half day, Song Che seemed somewhat absent-minded.

He held his phone, glancing at the screen occasionally, waiting for a message or call, but the screen remained dark.

Xia Li noticed his unusual behavior.

"What are you looking at?" Xia Li asked.

"Nothing." Song Che looked away, smiled, and said, "Just spacing out."

Xia Li didn't ask any more questions.

The sky outside the window darkened again without us even realizing it.

Winter days are always very short.

Song Che drew the curtains and turned on the light.

The warm light dispelled the chill outside.

Dinner was simple: reheated leftovers from yesterday and some rice. Tao Xiang woke up once during dinner, ate a little something in a daze, and then curled up back on the sofa to sleep. When Song Che asked her about something, she said that Tao Yao was a child in the orphanage, and after she came out, she turned into a black cat and possessed her.

Song Che and Xia Li finished their meal in silence and then cleared away the dishes.

The tap was running; Song Che was washing the dishes, and Xia Li was drying them.

"Tomorrow," Song Che suddenly said, "I'll go to the print shop and make several copies of these certificates for backup."

"Mm," Xia Li replied, arranging the dried plates neatly.

"Once we get there, I'll go and check to see if Tao Xiang really did live there and then ran away with Tao Yao."

Song Che recalled Tao Yao's black cat form, "She was perfectly fine, but she can only survive by relying on Tao Xiang's body, so there must be some problem there... I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Chapter 95 You Peeked at Me (1.1 words)

The wait wasn't long; they called to say I could volunteer, and that I could go anytime soon.

Song Che didn't intend to delay and decided to go and see that day.

He knew that the welfare home had agreed to let student volunteers in because they were indeed short-staffed. He remembered that in those days, volunteering was quite troublesome.

However, this window of opportunity will not last long.

……

The bus hummed along, and the scenery outside the window changed from buildings to suburban fields, which were gray and yellow in winter and looked lifeless.

Song Che leaned back in his chair, his eyelids heavy, but his mind was painfully clear.