The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 38: Admitting Her Mistake

Song Jianqiu had a very clear idea of what she needed to do and how to go about it. She had even considered the possibility that Wang Yiting might run into Song’s father and come to the house to confront her. So when she heard Lin’s mother say that Wang Yiting had come in with two other people, she calmly told Lin Yuqin what had happened outside earlier. In truth, Song Jianqiu didn’t know much about what had actually happened. By the time she returned, the female police officer named Li Qingshu had already pinned Wang Yiting to the ground. All she could tell Lin Yuqin was essentially what Li Qingshu had said to her. After hearing this, Lin Yuqin looked pensive but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until later, when she heard Wang Yiting pleading with Song Jianqiu for help—only for her to flatly deny knowing him—that Lin Yuqin gently pinched Song Jianqiu’s smooth little cheek and said, “Hengheng, that wasn’t right of you! Even though that realtor Wang is quite annoying, how could you lie?” “Mom, I know I was wrong!” Song Jianqiu admitted her mistake honestly and without hesitation. Lin Yuqin ruffled Song Jianqiu’s hair and suddenly wondered: Could it be that her own attitude toward Wang Yiting had influenced Song Jianqiu, causing her to lie and say she didn’t know Wang Yiting? On second thought, that was probably exactly what had happened! In that case, Hengheng really couldn’t be entirely to blame! Lin Yuqin sighed softly, then said, “You mustn’t lie again in the future!” “Mm-hmm!” Song Jianqiu nodded. “Go apologize to Uncle Wang later!” An apology was definitely unavoidable. Although Song Jianqiu felt a bit reluctant, she had no choice but to agree. In the kitchen, Song Jianqiu came clean with Lin Yuqin, while out in the living room, the misunderstanding between Li Qingshu and Wang Yiting had been resolved thanks to Song Wencheng’s mediation. After all, the matter could have been blown out of proportion. Perhaps if Song Wencheng hadn’t intervened, Wang Yiting would have held a grudge and filed a complaint against Li Qingshu at the police station. But with Song Wencheng involved, Wang Yiting had to give him some face. After hearing Li Qingshu’s sincere apology and her offer to compensate him 2,000 yuan for medical expenses, Wang Yiting magnanimously forgave her. That settled the matter. Although the atmosphere didn’t become particularly harmonious all at once, it at least became a bit more relaxed. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Song Wencheng learned that Li Qingshu was actually their next-door neighbor—she had just moved in today! The house next door had previously been occupied by an elderly man in his eighties, who had been the Song family’s neighbor for several years. Seeing that the elderly man lived alone, Song Wencheng would occasionally drop by on his days off to have tea and play chess with him, so the two families had become quite close. However, the elderly man suddenly disappeared. Song Wencheng and his wife were worried for a while, until they later learned that he had passed away. They sighed deeply, and the villa next door remained vacant ever since. That was several months ago, and they never expected that, a few months later, a young woman would move in. Upon asking around, they learned that the elderly man was Li Qingshu’s maternal grandfather. Because he loved his granddaughter so dearly, he had bequeathed the house to her. So now, the villa next door to the Song family belongs to Li Qingshu. Now that Li Qingshu has moved in, they’ll essentially be neighbors from now on. With this connection, the rapport between the two sides seemed to grow much closer all at once. Since it was lunchtime anyway, and with Song Wencheng’s warm insistence, Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu found it impossible to refuse such hospitality and decided to stay for lunch. As for Wang Yiting, needless to say, he had come here specifically to gather information on the Song family. The more people there were, the safer he felt. If Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu had left, he would certainly have left as well, but since they were all staying, he stayed too. After successfully inviting the three to stay for lunch, Song Wencheng went to the kitchen to let them know. On his way back, he tapped Song Jianqiu’s forehead with his finger, clearly reprimanding her for what she’d done outside earlier. Song Jianqiu could only look at Song Wencheng with her innocent, wide eyes, then heard him say, “You need to apologize to Uncle Wang at the dinner table later, understand?” His tone was stern, clearly leaving no room for refusal. “Mm-hmm!” What else could Song Jianqiu say? She could only nod in agreement. “I’m partly to blame too; you can’t put all the fault on the child,” Lin Yuqin said as she went about her chores. “I’ll explain it to you tonight.” Song Wencheng glanced at Lin Yuqin, nodded, and turned to leave. Originally, lunch had been prepared for just the family of three, but with three unexpected guests arriving, the original dishes and rice were clearly not enough. Lin Yuqin then instructed Song Jianqiu to cook rice again in the rice cooker. She also asked her to take some stored vegetables out of the refrigerator and prepare a few nice dishes so as not to neglect their guests. As a result, mealtime was inevitably delayed. Fortunately, with Song Wencheng attending to the guest, there was no risk of appearing neglectful. After chatting for a while, Wang Yiting took the initiative to ask if he could see Song Wencheng’s collection. For any collector, showing off one’s collection is a form of boasting—though such boasting depends on the audience. It’s best not to show off to strangers you’ve just met, lest they harbor ill intentions. Needless to say, this applied to Wang Yiting. Although Song Jianqiu knew he was a bad person who used underhanded methods to harm others, and Lin Yuqin also disliked him, her dislike stemmed solely from the fact that he was always egging Song Wencheng on to buy expensive antiques—she simply felt it was a waste of money. As for Song Wencheng, he had complete trust in Wang Yiting. After all, a good antique broker is hard to come by. On two previous occasions, Wang’s recommendations and introductions had not only prevented him from being swindled but also allowed him to purchase fine pieces at very reasonable prices—which naturally earned him Song’s full trust. What’s more, Wang Yiting would occasionally invite Song Wencheng over to his home to study antiques together, so when Wang suddenly asked to see his collection this time, Song Wencheng didn’t think much of it. As for Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu, although they had only just met and Song Wencheng didn’t know them very well, he felt quite at ease with them—first, because they were both police officers, and second, as the host, he couldn’t possibly entertain Wang Yiting alone; he had to extend hospitality to Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu as well. So he invited the two of them to join them in viewing the collection. Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu had actually intended to decline, but to their surprise, Wang Yiting chimed in when Song Wencheng extended the invitation, urging the two of them to go upstairs and take a look. Faced with such a warm invitation—and driven by a certain curiosity—they got up and followed him upstairs. Seeing that Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu had finally been persuaded to go up to the second floor together, Wang Yiting secretly breathed a sigh of relief; with so many people present, the people behind the Song family probably wouldn’t dare to act recklessly, would they? (End of Chapter)