The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 18: Celebration

After Wang Yiting went downstairs, he stood at the top of the stairs and waited for a moment before seeing the girl coming down. Apparently noticing him standing there, she slowed her pace and eventually stopped partway down the stairs, not going all the way down. Fang Heng was still a bit wary of Wang Yiting’s earlier behavior; if she could avoid getting close, it was best not to. Wang Yiting seemed to have sensed the girl’s deep wariness toward him. He forced a casual, nonchalant smile and said, “Well, I’ll be going now! We’ll talk about finding your Uncle Song another time.” “Mm-hmm!” Fang Heng nodded. “See you later, little sister!” Wang Yiting waved. “Goodbye!” Fang Heng stood on the stairs without coming down. He watched Wang Yiting walk a short distance before following him downstairs. He then kept his distance the whole way, seeing Wang Yiting off as he walked out the courtyard gate. After Wang Yiting had left, Fang Heng stood at the doorway, watching him walk away until he was out of sight, then slammed the door shut. Only when he sensed that the gaze fixed on him from behind had vanished did Wang Yiting stop in his tracks. He turned around and stared gloomily at the small villa in the distance. A dark gleam flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he held out his right hand—which he’d been clenching the whole time—and looked down at it. In the palm of his right hand lay a sticky, black mass that resembled a smudge of ink, yet also looked like smooth jelly. But to his astonishment, the substance seemed alive—it was actually writhing slowly, its surface bulging intermittently, as if something were trapped inside, struggling ceaselessly to break free. After just a glance, Wang Yiting withdrew his right hand, clasped the eerie mass in his palm once more, and turned to leave. After closing the courtyard gate, Fang Heng quickly ran to the small living room on the second floor. He picked up and inspected, one by one, all the antiques that Wang Yiting had previously looked at and touched. However, he still found nothing; there was not the slightest sign of anything unusual. This result caused him to furrow his brow. Since he had already agreed to be adopted by Lin Yuqin, this place was now his home as well. How could he live here with peace of mind if he didn’t resolve the trouble Wang Yiting had stirred up here? Ultimately, the problem was that he couldn’t control the power of the prayer beads; he could only rely on them to activate passively, releasing a divine light to purify impurities. But if he couldn’t locate a target, the prayer beads would naturally remain completely silent. He was powerless to do anything about it, so he could only take things as they came, dealing with each problem as it arose. That old fox would eventually slip up. He went downstairs and continued watching TV. Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was past 5:00 p. m. Lin Yuqin returned home; after a brief rest, she immediately set to work preparing a sumptuous dinner for that evening. There was a lot to do this time, so Fang Heng went to help out and wasn’t shooed back to watch TV. As for Wang Yiting’s visit that afternoon, he didn’t mention it to Lin Yuqin—it wouldn’t have done any good anyway, and it would only have worried her. That evening, Song Wencheng came home from work. As soon as he stepped through the courtyard gate, he caught the rich aroma of food wafting from inside the house. Once inside, he was even more surprised to see the lavish dinner laid out on the table. Smiling, he asked, “What’s the occasion today? We’re eating so well!” After saying that, he bent down to take a whiff and praised, “Mmm! It smells great!” He then reached out to grab a piece of meat, but Lin Yuqin, who was just coming out carrying a dish, saw him and scolded, “You didn’t even wash your hands when you got home! How dirty!” Realizing his action had been noticed, Song Wencheng quickly pulled his hand back, still grinning and showing no sign of embarrassment. Then, spotting Fang Heng following behind Lin Yuqin with a plate of food, and glancing at Lin Yuqin’s delighted expression, a pensive look crossed his face. Looks like there’s something to celebrate! No wonder they prepared such a huge spread! Although he’d already guessed as much, he didn’t say anything. He simply went to wash his hands, and when he returned, he saw that Fang Heng and Lin Yuqin were already seated, waiting for him. He sat down with a smile, just as Lin Yuqin mysteriously pulled a bottle of red wine from under the table. Seeing this, Song Wencheng chuckled, “What’s the occasion today that you’re even willing to bring out this bottle of red wine you’ve been hoarding for so long?” This bottle of red wine was a gift from his third younger sister, who had married and moved to France, when she returned home to visit. It was authentic French wine, but not from any well-known brand—it was homemade by his French brother-in-law. The production was very limited; only a small portion was sold each year, while the rest was mostly consumed by the family themselves. There had originally been three bottles, but two had already been drunk. It had to be said that even for someone like him—who rarely drank and, when he did, only occasionally had a beer—this was the most flavorful wine he’d ever tasted; after trying this, any store-bought wine tasted as bad as urine. It’s just a shame there’s so little of it. His third sister only brings three bottles to each family when she comes home to visit, and once they’re gone, they have to wait until the following year to have any more. So after the first two bottles were finished, Lin Yuqin stashed the third one away, saying it was to be saved for an important celebration. Now that she was willing to bring it out, it meant this event truly made her very happy. Upon hearing Song Wencheng’s words, Lin Yuqin replied, “What could be more joyful than gaining another family member?” After saying this, she handed the corkscrew and the bottle to Song Wencheng, asking him to open it, while she turned to Fang Heng and said, “Hengheng, this is authentic French red wine—home-brewed by my third uncle. It’s absolutely delicious! You should try some later, too!” Fang Heng nodded. Seeing how earnestly Lin Yuqin spoke, he felt a sense of anticipation. Moreover, judging from how simply and directly Lin Yuqin had phrased it—and the fact that Song Wencheng didn’t seem surprised—it was clear the couple had already discussed whether to adopt him. But that was only natural—adopting a child is a major event in any family, so they would certainly discuss it thoroughly before making a decision. Since Lin Yuqin had the confidence to make the decision, Song Wencheng must have been on board—he naturally had no objections. Song Wencheng smiled as he opened a bottle of red wine, first filling the glasses for Lin Yuqin and himself, then pouring for Fang Heng. As he poured, he asked, “Has Hengheng agreed to stay?” Seeing Fang Heng nod, he continued, “Then you can’t call us Uncle and Aunt anymore—you’ll have to call us Mom and Dad.” Ever since the decision to adopt him was made, Fang Heng had been mentally preparing himself for this. For him, these were two terms of address that had come more than a decade too late; the sense of familiarity had gradually worn away with the passage of time, replaced by a feeling of strangeness. He’d been stewing over these two terms all afternoon, and even now, upon hearing Song Wencheng say this, he moved his lips as if trying to speak—yet only his lips moved, without a single sound coming out. Seeing this, Lin Yuqin shot Song Wencheng a disapproving glance, and he could only offer a sheepish smile in return. Changing titles wasn’t exactly something to rush into, but come to think of it, it was indeed a bit abrupt—something he hadn’t considered at the time and had overlooked. After all, whether for Fang Heng or for the couple, they were still essentially acquaintances—strangers who had just gotten to know each other. Even though Fang Heng had been adopted, suddenly changing the way he addressed them before they’d had a chance to get to know each other was indeed a bit abrupt and unreasonable. After scolding Song Wencheng, Lin Yuqin quickly reassured him: “Hengheng, there’s no need to rush. It’s perfectly normal if you can’t bring yourself to say it right away. Once you get to know each other better, it’ll come naturally.” Lin Yuqin, of course, had no idea that Fang Heng was far more mature mentally than his appearance suggested. If this had been an ordinary child, he might not have been able to bring himself to say it right away and would have waited until later to change the way he addressed them after being comforted by Lin Yuqin. But in Fang Heng’s view, although the shift from “Uncle” and “Aunt” to “Dad” and “Mom” seemed a bit sudden, it wasn’t so drastic that he couldn’t bring himself to say it. The only reason he couldn’t bring himself to say them was that it had been so long—the terms felt too unfamiliar, and his tongue was simply tied for the moment. After hearing Lin Yuqin’s reassurance, he shook his head slightly, glanced first at Song Wencheng and then at Lin Yuqin, opened his mouth, and finally uttered the two terms that had been on the tip of his tongue: “Dad, Mom.” “Oh!” Lin Yuqin replied with a beaming smile, while Song Wencheng’s face lit up with such a broad grin that his wrinkles deepened. Although Lin Yuqin hadn’t known Fang Heng for very long, Song Wencheng had actually spent even less time with him, so his understanding of Fang Heng was far less than Lin Yuqin’s. Yet now, sitting at this dinner table, simply through this sudden change in how she addressed him, Song Wencheng sensed that his newly adopted daughter seemed far more mature than he had imagined. Still, this was merely a fleeting impression; whether it held true would require time to observe. “To welcome Hengheng as a new member of our family, cheers!” Lin Yuqin could hardly contain the smile on her face as she raised her crystal stemmed glass to celebrate Fang Heng’s arrival. The three crystal wine glasses clinked gently in the air, producing a crisp, pleasant sound. As the wine slid down his throat, it felt smooth and full-bodied. The alcohol wasn’t overpowering; it was sweet with a hint of tartness, and lacked the astringent, sour aftertaste typical of most commercial wines. Just as Lin Yuqin had said, it was delicious. “Hengheng, here’s another glass for you. But don’t drink any more after this—kids shouldn’t have too much alcohol!” After Fang Heng finished his glass, Lin Yuqin poured him another and said. Kids really have no rights! What else could he do? Fang Heng could only nod. Since it wasn’t Song Wencheng’s turn to be on duty today, they ate the entire meal from start to finish. All three of them enjoyed themselves immensely, and since the wine wasn’t very strong and they were sharing it among several people, none of them actually felt any effects after finishing it. Once they’d eaten and drunk their fill, they felt that sitting at home watching TV wasn’t very interesting, so they suggested going out for a walk. The three of them stepped out the door, looking just like any ordinary family: Mom holding her daughter’s hand, Dad walking beside them, chatting and laughing as they strolled down the street. (End of Chapter)