dkrc Chapter 117 The Zhang Family
Chapter 117 The Zhang Family
Chapter 118 Going Home
The light in Song Che's bedroom was off, but Xia Li was still awake.
She compared the two outfits in front of the mirror. The light purple one was rather thin, so she took off the leg ring and paired it with the one Song Che had given her to make a set.
The clothes Song Che gave me are suitable for spring and summer, and can also be worn with a jacket in autumn, but they are too cold to wear in winter.
The dress had a small jacket that looked like a gauze garment. The inner part was different from the skirt, and the hem was like a skirt, but the overall look was like a cheongsam. When Xia Li wore it, she had the air of a young lady who had studied abroad during the Republic of China era.
The upper body features diagonal buttons that accentuate the bust, tapering down to the waistline and ending with straight legs. The calves are subtly revealed at the hem. This outfit can be paired with white socks, stockings, or even pantyhose.
The dress also came with a round fan, which Xia Li held in her hand and subconsciously covered her mouth with.
This gesture has the air of a woman who has studied abroad.
Xia Li was objective and not arrogant, but she did feel that she looked quite good in the mirror.
She realized this.
She is very beautiful.
Xia Li looked around and, making sure that Bruce and Tao Xiang weren't there, pouted at herself in the mirror.
Pouting makes you look cute.
Since she had an epiphany, her aesthetic sense has improved a lot, but she can no longer do the things she used to do.
For example, the goodnight kiss last time.
She didn't understand at first, so she could do the action clearly after the magic mirror told her to. But after she understood, she couldn't look at herself like that.
What have you been doing?
She understood why Song Che had shyly stepped back.
At the time, this act was no less than molesting Song Che.
To put it bluntly, he's a hooligan and a pervert.
Xia Li knew very well that their relationship had only been boyfriend and girlfriend for a few days, and it wasn't just a normal relationship. He had only been dating for two days when he started kissing her, and he did it in a very serious way. That was just being a scoundrel.
Xia Li thought to herself.
No wonder I felt something was off back then.
This magic mirror shouldn't be trusted entirely.
Now, two months have passed, and she has learned quite a bit.
She quickly understood the similarities between the humans here and Hit.
She can accept different places.
That is science.
She discovered that these sciences actually follow magical principles; in other words, science is a unique kind of magic.
Xia Li looked at herself in the mirror again, and finally went back to the bedroom. She searched everywhere she could think of, but couldn't find the book.
She would rather have a memory problem than have the book discovered by anyone.
Because—she understood.
Xia Li searched for a while longer, then silently sat back on the bed, her face eerily calm. After a few minutes, she got up and went to the living room to get her computer.
She couldn't sleep.
Early in the morning, Xia Li waited for Song Che in the living room.
"morning."
Good morning, Xia Li.
Song Che continued tidying up until he put a scarf around Xia Li's neck. Only then did he notice that Xia Li was not in good spirits, her blue eyes were narrowed, and her little head was dozing off.
He bent down and touched the computer.
Huo, it's hot.
Did a teenage girl addicted to video games play all night?
"How much money did you move?" Song Che tried to ask.
"eighty."
Xia Li spoke softly, her eyes never opening. She earned eighty yuan in one night, four times more than last time. Last time she played for an hour, this time she estimated four hours.
"Do you want to sleep?" Song Che felt like she might collapse to the ground at any moment. "If you want to sleep—we'll wait until we get back, you can take a nap and it won't waste any time."
"I'm a little sleepy, but I can't fall asleep," Xia Li said honestly. "I feel very energetic, but also feel very lethargic—it's a strange feeling."
"This is what happens when you stay up all night." Song Che went straight to sleep last night, unaware that Xia Li had been playing games all night. She must be exhausted today. "Did something bother you last night—?"
"I suddenly felt very energetic last night, and I didn't have any worries." Xia Li rubbed her eyes. "Let's go, we can sleep later."
Song Che looked Xia Li up and down.
This girl is clearly not doing well; she'll definitely collapse on the road if she doesn't get some sleep.
"You lie down on the sofa for a while, I'll go check if Mom and Dad are up yet."
Song Che tucked her onto the sofa and covered her with a coat.
He went out to find his parents.
Song Che heard the noises from inside the house as soon as he went upstairs; his parents must have gotten up even earlier than him.
"Jianguo, do you think we should call the police? Was it really a rat last night?"
"Who knows? It's cold in winter, so mice tend to hide under the covers. It's normal for them to make their homes in the house."
"It's okay if it's a rat, but I'm afraid it might be a thief or a robber or something. I'm too old to cause trouble."
"Yeah, it should be a rat. Bruce was quite agitated." Song Jianguo paused. "I'll go get Bruce, then I'll go find Song Che later."
After he finished speaking, footsteps were heard, followed by the sound of a door opening.
Song Che stood at the door. "Mom, did a thief break in last night?"
"No, look, the lock isn't broken." Zhang Shushu belatedly realized, "Were you outside the door just now?"
"Um."
Zhang Shushu smiled and said, "Don't worry, your dad said it was a rat. In this society governed by law, there are no thieves."
Song Che nodded. Thieves were indeed rare in this society, and burglaries like this were even rarer. He said, "6..."
"Shall we go back now? Xia Li stayed up all night."
"You're going to break out!" Zhang Shushu is strongly against staying up late. She believes that staying up late will shorten your lifespan, harm your health, and that people who stay up late are not good kids. They need to be taught how to stay up late. In short, you can't stay up late!
She thought for a moment and said, "Let Xia Li get some sleep."
"Yeah, that's what I think too. She's usually fine, but I don't know what happened to her last night." Song Che was quite worried. "If we don't make it in time, we'll go later. She's so sleepy she's about to fall asleep. She'll sleep all day."
"
"No rush, we can go tonight." Zhang Shushu finally chose to forgive this naughty child who stayed up late and didn't listen to reason.
But she didn't change her mind; staying up late was bad and she needed to be taught a lesson.
Xia Li curled up, her back feeling a little sore and itchy. She straightened her back and slowly opened her eyes.
The sunlight was blinding, and she squinted, her vision slightly blurred beneath her eyelashes.
-
She saw Song Che sitting across from her playing on the computer. She got up to look at him. "Song Che, why didn't you call me?"
"Would you like some water?" Song Che stopped what he was doing. "Or maybe we can take a break."
"I'm awake." Xia Li's eyes cleared. "What are you busy with—did I oversleep?"
"It's alright." Song Che had just handed in the new script. "If you're sleepy, you can sleep a little longer—we'll ride the electric scooter back, it'll be better if you get enough sleep."
"An electric donkey?"
"It's an electric scooter, the one you rode in last time. If you get sleepy, you'll fall headfirst to the ground and it'll hurt for a while."
"Hmm, I'm not sleepy anymore." Xia Li looked completely awake.
She's only a little over three hundred years old, young and strong, full of energy—perfect time for her to stay up all night playing games. If not now, when?
"Then I'll tell my parents."
Song Che touched the keys in his pocket. His parents had bought three electric scooters, planning to let him get his driver's license and buy a car after the college entrance exam. The two old people didn't plan to go out anymore, so it would be convenient to buy a car at home.
Xia Li slept for seven hours, and it's around three o'clock now.
Riding an electric scooter, it takes about an hour to get home.
Xia Li got up, put on her shoes, and went to the washroom to tidy up.
I tried on the clothes last night, and today I changed back into the sweater and coat. In terms of temperament, I look more like Song Che's aunt.
Song Che decided not to buy Xia Li high heels anymore. When she wore them, they looked like they were on completely different levels from each other, and Song Che felt inferior when walking together.
It wasn't that he felt inferior; he tidied himself up and he was still presentable.
But Xia Li appears more mature, while he seems like a child—a little kid brought out to play by his aunt.
You shouldn't do that.
Song Che answered the phone when his mother called.
"Feed Mom, hmm—I'll be down in a bit, Xia Li is awake."
The whole family was together, and Mom persuaded them no matter what, they insisted on bringing Taoxiang home.
This girl was also an orphan, and she was worried about leaving her in the city.
I'll bring him home to celebrate the New Year with me; I won't be in the city for the next week.
Zhang Shushu rode an electric scooter with Tao Xiang by herself.
Song Jianguo was still playing the blues, his eyes were squinted, and he didn't look very happy.
But it discovered that Song Jianguo wasn't a bad person, he just didn't know how to pet a cat properly, and every time it finished petting him, it would have to lick his fur all over again.
He lifted Bruce into the basket. "Song Che, when you're riding with Xia Li, go slowly and stay behind us. We're not in a hurry to get home."
"Okay." Song Che sat in the front and gestured for Xia Li to sit in the back.
It takes a while to get back to my hometown; it can take a little over an hour if you're fast, and up to two hours if you're slow.
My hometown is a remote rural village in the mountains. When I was a child, the adults always scared me by saying that if I didn't study hard, they would throw me into the mountains to feed the ghosts. But when I grew up, I found out that there were no ghosts at all.
At least ghosts are people who have died, so it's illogical for ghosts to eat people.
Sometimes, pitiful cries could be heard from the mountains. When I was a child, I thought it was ghosts crying, but later I learned that it was wild cats and some other animals.
But it's quite fun in the mountain valleys.
To be more precise.
Aside from a host of drawbacks, such as inconvenient transportation, lack of food delivery and courier services, poor cell phone signal, and the need to go to the market to buy things, it's still a lot of fun.
Xia Li put her hands on Song Che's waist and said, "How about I ride next time? I want to try to understand the science behind this."
"Okay." Song Che turned his head to the side. "Hold on tight for a bit. The road ahead is uneven."
"it is good."
Xia Li clutched a small corner of his clothes. Ever since she came to understand emotions, she had become even more distant than before.
In just over ten minutes, she obediently grabbed Song Che's shoulder.
The road was unpaved, with stones and mud mixed together. Walking on it was like going up and down, almost like flying. Xia Li felt that if she didn't hold on tight, she would be thrown off. The number of people around her gradually decreased, and trees and farmland intertwined. The distant mountains became clear in her eyes.
The closer you get, the more you can see that there is a faint mist floating around. The air is refreshing, a bit colder than in the city, but cleaner. Except for that one stretch of road which was a bit uncomfortable, the rest of the road was relatively smooth.
This time, however, Mom walked exceptionally slowly. She kept asking Tao Xiang about things along the way, clearly treating Tao Xiang like her daughter.
It might not be her daughter—it might be her granddaughter.
My mom is getting old and just loves children. She wanted to see Song Che settle down, start a family, and have a child for her to take care of. Now, everything is perfect.
Tao Xiang was overjoyed.
If I had known Auntie was this nice, I wouldn't have stayed with Song Che.
Song Che spends his days writing with paper and pen, or looking at his phone, and the rest of the time he either sleeps or talks to Xia Li, completely disregarding her status as the "gold coin consecrator".
Song Che followed behind his mother, chatting with Xia Li about their hometown while keeping an eye on Tao Xiang to see if she said anything strange.
This little girl is quite sensible. Whenever Song Che is mentioned, she says, "My brother is very good to me."
When Xia Li was mentioned, she said, "My sister is doing very well."
Unlike last time, she didn't keep making mistakes or suddenly turn into Tao Yao.
Song Che was very satisfied.
After wandering around for a while, it got completely dark.
The shadow of home can be seen now.
When Zhang Shushu arrived home, she had just gotten out of the car when she saw several people standing at her door.
She leaned closer to look and realized it was someone she knew.
"Sister-in-law, you're back." The man's voice carried an awkward laugh.
"Um, you—is this...something wrong?" Zhang Shushu recognized the other person. She had met him at dinner yesterday. He was a relative of hers who had borrowed money from her more than a year ago and hadn't paid it back.
I borrowed a few thousand yuan in total, which is neither a lot nor a little.
Zhang Shushu wanted him to pay back the money, but he didn't have any. She didn't know if he didn't have the money or if he didn't want to pay. She brought it up a few times but then stopped. She didn't expect him to come to her door again today.
"Sister-in-law, come to my house for dinner tomorrow. We met in the city last time, and I still had something to say. I'm very grateful for your help last time—but we're a bit short on money and can't pay you back much yet, so I thought I'd treat you to dinner tomorrow."
"Okay." Zhang Shushu didn't want to talk to him anymore. She was in a hurry to go home, make the bed, and get something to eat for Taoxiang. "We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. I still need to tidy up the yard today."
"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer." The person smiled and left.
Zhang Shushu led Taoxiang into the courtyard. She hadn't been back to her hometown for a long time. The courtyard was filled with withered weeds, and a few trees were bare, exuding a sense of desolation.
"Shu'er, let's talk to him clearly tomorrow. We urgently need the money." Song Jianguo stood at the door holding Bruce. "He's been dragging his feet for a year because he's embarrassed to force us to speak up since you're his relative—if you ask me, we should be more assertive."
"—That's possible," Zhang Shushu said, having considered it. "But this person has a bad temper and will cause trouble and gossip in the village—"
"That's fine. Everyone knows he owes us money. If things get heated, they'll just say he's unreasonable and it has nothing to do with us."
"That makes sense," Zhang Shushu nodded. "So, how should I bring it up?"
"I can just ask."
Tao Xiang paused for a moment, then said, "Auntie, isn't it bad when he makes a scene?"
"Don't worry, little one," Zhang Shushu said, rubbing her head. "Your uncle and I will handle it."
Song Jianguo leaned back. "These days, the one who owes money is the boss. Let's go along with him for now. If he really wants to cause trouble, we won't tolerate it."
Tao Xiang blinked. "Uncle and Aunt, I can actually help you."
Momoka wanted to use illusion magic to scare him, and illusion magic could not only scare people, but also hypnotize and deceive them, so Momoka felt that it would be useful in this matter.
Zhang Shushu smiled and said, "It's good that you have the intention, darling. Auntie will handle it."
She took Tao Xiang's words as innocent childish talk.
After all, these days, the one who owes money is the boss.