My wife is a witch princess

Chapter 94 Everything Goes Smoothly

The next morning, Song Che took the materials and went to the police station.

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

As he passed the park, several elderly people were doing their morning exercises, and the soft music drifted over. Song Che walked slowly, his mind racing with questions he might need to answer.

The service hall was well-lit, but the seats were cold. It wasn't crowded on a weekday morning; only a few scattered queues formed at the windows. Song Che glanced at the sign and walked to the window for "Household Registration and Certificate Processing" to join the queue.

A middle-aged woman in front of me was arguing loudly with the police officer at the window about a temporary residence permit, speaking in a local accent. The officer, a young man, looked somewhat helpless but patiently explained the situation.

Song Che waited quietly, his gaze sweeping over the various rules and regulations and promotional posters on the walls of the hall. The words "Find the police if you have any problems" 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 to do?"

"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. "School introduction letter, ID card, household registration booklet."

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 an organization or institution; individuals need a legitimate reason to apply. Yours... a letter of introduction from the school is fine."

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 is simple, including personal information, reason for application, and purpose.

Song Che leaned over the counter and quickly filled it out.

In the "Reason for Application" section, he neatly wrote, "Going to Taixi City Social Welfare Institute to carry out volunteer service activities, and I need to provide a certificate of no criminal record as required by the institute."

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

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

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

"You even volunteered during winter break, that's very thoughtful," 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, and if everything's okay, I can issue the certificate. It'll probably take... about half an hour. Go sit down on that chair over there for a bit."

"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 lobby. 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.

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

Song Che walked over.

"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 pressed it firmly into the lower right corner of the paper. The clear red circular seal displayed the name of the police station and the words "official seal."

"Here you go. Take good care of it, don't lose it." The young police officer handed the certificate out the window.

Song Che took it.

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

Below is the police station's official seal and the date it was issued.

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

"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.

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

Song Che put the document bag into the inner compartment of his backpack and zipped it up.

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 orphanage, what to say on the phone, and what to do if they requested a face-to-face meeting…

As he passed the convenience store on the street corner, he paused, recalling the last time he and Xia Li were there. A red promotional poster was pasted on the glass door, and a cardboard box of oranges sat outside.

Just as he was about to continue walking forward, he caught a glimpse of a shadow moving at the entrance of the narrow alley next to the convenience store.

Song Che subconsciously turned his head to look over.

The alley was narrow and cluttered with miscellaneous items and trash cans.

There was also a woman.

Her long, black hair was disheveled and covered almost half her face. She was wrapped in a worn-out, oversized cloth shirt whose original color was indistinguishable, as if it had been hastily pieced together from a few scraps of cloth.

He wasn't wearing shoes; his feet were bare and covered in mud.

She stood there stiffly, her face turned towards Song Che. Although her hair obscured her face, Song Che could feel a gaze fixed intently on him.

Cold, hollow, and with an indescribable obsession.

The hairs on Song Che's back stood on end instantly.

There's the black-haired tattered veil that Tao Yao mentioned...

is her?

He stood still, neither moving nor looking away.

Hands slightly clenched at the sides.

The woman didn't move.

The two were about ten meters apart, with the bright light from the convenience store entrance and a few pedestrians passing by in between, and the blurry shadows at the alley entrance on the other side.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Then, the woman raised her hand.

Her hands were also dirty, and her movements were stiff, like a rusty puppet.

Then, she pointed at Song Che with her index finger.

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!

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

The fingers gripping the backpack strap tightened slightly.

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 to the side, 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 it all taken care of?"

"Okay, it's 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 complete."

Xia Li took it, carefully examined the words and red seal on it, and nodded: "Next step, contact."

"Yes." Song Che sat down opposite her. "I need to think about how to make the call." He paused, then asked casually, "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."

"Birdsong?"

"Hmm. She said the sound she was making... was a little strange. It never stopped." Xia Li looked at Tao Xiang on the sofa.

Song Che looked over as well. Tao Xiang seemed to be sleeping restlessly, her brows slightly furrowed, her small hands clutching the edge of the blanket.

Song Che paused for a moment, then said, "I tried calling the orphanage this afternoon. 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; a woman's voice said, "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 break. I understand that your welfare home might need volunteers. I'd like to inquire whether, given my current qualifications, I can apply to do some volunteer work?"

He briefly explained his situation, mentioning that he had prepared a letter of introduction from the school, a health certificate, and a certificate of no criminal record.

The female staff member on the other end of the phone listened to him and spoke politely: "Hello, student. It's kind of you to have this idea. However, our department has a unified management and arrangement for volunteers. Generally, you need to apply in advance, receive centralized training, and then be scheduled according to demand. Moreover, it's close to the Spring Festival now, and the department is quite busy, so it may not be convenient to accept temporary, individual volunteers."

Song Che was already mentally prepared and continued to plead: "I understand. I wonder if it's possible after the New Year? Or, if it's inconvenient to enter the children's living area recently, could I do some peripheral auxiliary work? For example, organizing books or cleaning common areas? I can provide all the required documentation, and the timing is relatively flexible."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, as if they were considering it. "How about this, 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 mobile phone number, thanked him politely, and then hung up the phone.

"She didn't agree," Xia Li said.

"Hmm, 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 CD player dispelled the chill of the outside world.

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 confirm whether 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. I guess there's something wrong there... I hope I'm just overthinking it."