My wife is a witch princess

Chapter 73 The Zhang Family

Song Che slept soundly, his hand still unconsciously holding Xia Li's hand, until Xia Li gently shook him awake.

He groggily reached for his phone and looked at it—good heavens, he'd accidentally slept for almost two hours.

His right hand was warm in Xia Li's pocket. It turned out that girls' body temperature was indeed a bit higher. He had been sleeping on the sofa for so long without feeling cold.

The moment I opened my eyes, reality returned—it was time to study again.

Song Che had assumed that, given his past personality, he would at least find a chance to slack off. But aside from today's unexpectedly long lunch break, he hadn't dared to neglect his studies for a single moment during this period.

Perhaps it's because the heavy thoughts in my heart are far more powerful than weariness and lethargy.

Even now, Che, he really doesn't dare to miss a single moment!

He mentally encouraged himself, sat up straight again, and as he opened his book, he couldn't help but utter a somewhat melodramatic declaration:

"Okay, I'll give it my all! I must get into Nanjing University!"

……

Dozens of kilometers away, a green train swayed and rattled rhythmically on the tracks.

A 48-hour hard-seat journey, plus several hours of waiting for a connecting train—anyone who's been through it knows what kind of willpower that takes.

Even an iron will won't work.

Just thinking about it makes your back and buttocks want to protest.

Zhang Shushu was fast asleep, lying on her side on her husband Song Jianguo's lap.

Sleep on the train is always light and fragmented, but the weariness that had accumulated between her brows finally eased somewhat. Wrinkles had appeared on her face, and her complexion was no longer as radiant as in her youth, but the delicate features of her younger days could still be faintly discerned in the contours of her eyes and brows.

Song Jianguo looked down at her, his eyes filled with heartache.

He gently pulled the coat covering her to make sure there was no draft.

This bumpy journey home made him think a lot.

This family has never been supported by him alone; it was she and he who, together with their not-so-broad shoulders, carried it all to this day.

From being a reckless and ignorant young man at twenty to now approaching forty, he feels he is still not mature and steady enough, and there are still so many things he doesn't understand. The things to learn in this world seem endless.

But at this moment, his thoughts were clearer and gentler than ever before.

This time I'm going home, I'm not planning to go out and cause any more trouble.

I've worked hard for so many years, that's enough.

Shu'er needs to rest and enjoy herself.

Zhang Shushu liked to save money and always liked to rummage through his hidden stash of cash. She never told him the password to the shared bank card at home, but he knew that all the money was in there, and the password hadn't been changed for over a decade.

She wasn't stupid; he was. He was so stupid that he never fully understood her clumsy trust and the dependence that came with her control.

The train jolted slightly, and Zhang Shushu woke up groggily, struggling to sit up: "Jianguo, lean on me and sleep for a while... Have I slept too long? Why is it still light out?"

She glanced at the gray sky outside the window, feeling somewhat dazed.

"It won't be long, take a nap. We're almost home." Song Jianguo helped her up, letting her lean on his shoulder. "You look so tired. Next time, how about we buy sleeper tickets?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he received a punch, neither light nor heavy, to his arm.

"Sleeper berths are twice as expensive! Are you going to pay?" Zhang Shushu's voice was still sleepy, but her instinct for calculating had already kicked in.

"I'll give it to you," Song Jianguo said without hesitation.

Zhang Shushu rolled her eyes at him, but her tone softened: "Let's talk about it next time... You don't need to give me the money. Keep your little bit of savings for yourself. Otherwise, you might get kicked out of the house one day and be left penniless and unable to survive."

"Okay, wife," Song Jianguo replied with a smile. He had heard this for over a decade, and had never actually been kicked out.

"At your age, don't call me 'wife, 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. Then she 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 open-minded advice: "If you ask me, it's best to let the child decide for himself. If he's truly not a good person, Xiao Che will gradually realize it. 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? This is so frustrating." Zhang Shushu was still struggling with her strategy.

"You could try scolding him," Song Jianguo said half-jokingly. "It's a fact that his grades have dropped, and it's true that he's neglecting his studies. Just scold him a couple of times, consider it... well, consider it playing along with his act. It'll be a good opportunity to see what he's been up to lately, what his state of mind is, and whether he still wants to go to school. If he doesn't want to go, we can make other plans as soon as possible, like having him learn a trade from me or something."

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. But this kid suddenly got a girlfriend... the expenses and future plans are hard to predict."

"What are you lying around for!" Zhang Shushu was a little angry when she heard this. "How can I be content if I don't pave a solid road for the children? When I think of your brothers, their parents were farsighted back then, they supported their education, and now they have decent 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 because his grades couldn't compare to his cousins ​​when he was a child? It broke my heart."

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

"That's not what I meant..." Zhang Shushu's tone softened. "I just feel sorry for them. The way other parents talk about their children... it makes me uncomfortable. It makes me feel inferior."

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 kids 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! Can you feel it? It's like the weather is against us, the place is unfavorable, and we're not on good terms! If any one of these things happened, life would be much better. It's not entirely our fault; it's all that damn God's fault!"

Song Jianguo listened quietly, nodding occasionally in agreement. Their journey had indeed been fraught with difficulties, and their luck hadn't been great. Looking back, many of their choices carried a hint of helplessness.

However, it's good to complain about God now and then. Sometimes, this damn God does deserve a few complaints.

The scenery outside the window seemed to slow down considerably, and the familiar city silhouettes in the distance became faintly visible. An announcement came over the loudspeaker that the station was approaching.

"Honey, have we arrived at our stop?"

"Okay, I'm home, honey!"

A young couple in the front seat started chatting excitedly.

As Song Jianguo listened, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He tightened his grip on 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 easy, 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 cerebral cortex unusually active and full of energy.

"Jiang Xiaoxiao knows how to do makeup. Let's go see her this weekend and have her try it on for you. 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."