Chapter 68: Red Wine

There was nothing more shocking than hearing those words from the little witch; I nearly toppled over backward in disbelief. What on earth was this little witch planning now? She truly never ceases to amaze with her outrageous statements!

I saw Qiu Jieqin glaring at me with wide, frightened eyes—her gaze was positively murderous! Hastily, I wrenched my hand from the little witch's grip and gave her a hard chop on the top of her head as I scolded, “Enough nonsense! Behave yourself, will you? If you keep this up, I'll take you straight to the police station and let the officers send you home!” Then, with an apologetic smile to Qiu Jieqin, I explained, “She’s my friend’s little sister—very mischievous, fond of playing pranks. Please don’t take it to heart.”

The little witch yelped, clutching her head and glaring at me with gritted teeth, but she didn’t dare retaliate, evidently cowed by my threat of taking her to the police. Qiu Jieqin was exasperated and amused, but still puzzled. “Why did you bring your friend’s sister here, anyway?”

I gave a wry smile. “It’s a long story. Let me come in first and I’ll explain everything.” Qiu Jieqin nodded and stepped aside. I entered, with the little witch close behind. As she passed Qiu Jieqin, she shot her a fierce glare and gave a disdainful “hmph,” tossing her head and striding grandly into the room.

Qiu Jieqin was baffled. Who was this girl, anyway? She didn’t even know her, so why was she acting as if they were enemies? And why had I brought this unrelated person along?

I saw three cold dishes and a bottle of red wine already set on the dining table, and in the kitchen, a clay pot was simmering on the stove, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma. I inhaled deeply and grinned, “Wow! It smells amazing! Looks like we’re in for a treat tonight.”

Qiu Jieqin closed the door, smiling tenderly at me. “Qian, have a seat—the food will be ready soon. I’m just going to cook a fish. Are you thirsty? I can get you a glass of water.”

“No need, just get on with your cooking,” I replied. “I’m eager to taste your handiwork.” She beamed at me, pleased, and hurried into the kitchen.

The little witch flopped onto the living room sofa and, mimicking Qiu Jieqin in a mocking tone, parroted, “Qian, are you thirsty? Shall I get you some water?” She then made a face that nearly drove me to exasperation. I walked over behind her and, towering above, whispered, “Let me warn you—this is my girlfriend’s home. If you behave yourself, fine. But if you start causing trouble or embarrassing me, I’ll really call the police to take you away. Even if you try to run, you won’t outrun the police, will you? Then it won’t be a hoodlum chasing a girl, but the police chasing a thief. Let’s see if you can get away then!”

The little witch tilted her face up to glare at me, furious. “You hit me and I haven’t even settled the score with you. Now you’re threatening me? Didn’t you just swear a solemn oath? Are you going to break it so soon? Careful you don’t bring misfortune upon yourself!”

I chuckled. “My oath was not to tell your family—nothing about the police. That kind of oath won’t come true. Unless the police are your family, of course!”

“You—” For a moment, she was speechless with fury. I suddenly realized my idea was actually quite good: it wouldn’t break my oath, and I could get her safely home—perfect! Much easier than escorting her myself. Too bad I’d blurted it out, wasting such a good plan.

Regretful, I saw that Xu Xin—the little witch—had lost some of her bluster, so I pressed my advantage, threatening, “Well? Are you going to behave? Give me a straight answer! Otherwise, I’ll call 110 right now and have you taken away!”

Xu Xin puffed up her cheeks in anger. “Tang Qian, I always thought you were an honest, decent guy, but you’re actually quite sly. Bullying a weak girl like me—what kind of hero are you?”

“You? A weak girl?” I retorted. “You’re more like a little witch! Most people are just grateful not to be bullied by you; who would dare bully you?”

Xu Xin first gave a defiant snort, then suddenly burst out laughing. She flipped around on the sofa, kneeling to face me with a mischievous grin. “So you’ve noticed, huh? ‘Little Witch’ is my nickname. I’m not bragging—at my school, from teachers to students, everyone bows and scrapes when they see me. Even the local street punks have to call me Sister Xin! Impressive, right?”

I laughed. “That’s impressive? People just don’t want to argue with a kid. You really think those street punks are afraid you’ll bully them? If you’re going to brag, at least make it believable.”

Xu Xin clenched her fists, indignant. “I’m not bragging! If I wanted, I could assemble a whole battalion—or more—and just have them line up. That alone would scare those little punks out of their wits. How could they not be afraid of me?”

I was left speechless. She was the daughter of a regional military commander—she couldn’t command troops herself, but there was no shortage of eager flatterers, from battalion commanders to generals, who actually controlled soldiers. If she said the word, it was entirely possible a whole unit would be mobilized to protect her. Even just a single regiment—one or two thousand troops arrayed in formation—would be enough to make any street hoodlum wet his pants. No wonder the little witch had been so unruly and bold from childhood—the officers had all spoiled her rotten!

I could only reply, “This isn’t your home, and there are no troops to command. You’d better behave. Besides, you promised to be good—if you can’t, I’ll hand you to the police. No more discussion; it’s your choice.”

Xu Xin sneered. “When under someone else’s roof, one must bow their head. Since I’m on your turf, I’ll play along. But I’ll remember your threats—just wait! A woman’s revenge is never too late. Sooner or later, you’ll need my help, and then we’ll see who gets the last laugh!”

With that, she plopped back on the sofa, grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, and bit into it without bothering to peel it.

I didn’t have time to ponder how I might ever need her help, because Qiu Jieqin called from the kitchen, “Tang Qian! Quick! Come help!” I turned to see her carrying the clay pot from the kitchen, moving very carefully.

I hurried forward, hands outstretched to take the pot. Qiu Jieqin stopped me. “No, it’s hot—get something to put on the table, quick!”

I looked around frantically, calling, “Where’s a mat? Where do you keep them?”

Qiu Jieqin giggled. “What are you looking around for? They’re in the drawer of the dining table.”

I quickly found the drawer, took out a couple of mats, and placed them on the table. Qiu Jieqin set the clay pot down firmly. “The fish will be ready soon. You can sit down now. Oh, and would you open that bottle of red wine? The corkscrew’s in the kitchen.”

I agreed and grabbed the wine. Turning to Xu Xin, I said, “Xu Xin, come sit with us and try my girlfriend’s cooking.” She let out an “Oh,” her mouth busy chewing or perhaps muttering to herself, and came over.

I went to the kitchen with Qiu Jieqin, who handed me the corkscrew and muttered, annoyed, “Whose little sister is that? So rude! And why did you bring her here? Doesn’t it feel awkward having her around?”

As I carefully twisted the corkscrew into the bottle, I sighed. “I had no choice. She’s the sister of a buddy from T City. She must’ve had a fight with her family and ran away. I happened to run into her today. She’s just a kid, wandering alone—what if something bad happened? So I had to keep her with me and contact her family. But she refused to go home—when I tried to call her family, she ran off, and it took a lot to catch her. To keep her from running again, I promised not to call her family for now, and that I’d take her home myself in a day or two when she’s had her fun. She’s wild—I can’t let her out of my sight or she’ll run off again. So I had to bring her here.”

Qiu Jieqin, tending to the fish, teased me crossly, “That girl’s so pretty—maybe you’re the one with bad intentions?”

“Don’t talk nonsense—what do you take me for? She’s just a child!”

“Fine, fine, I know you’re a good person. Forget I said anything. Hey! Have you opened that bottle yet? My fish is ready.”

With a pop, I pulled out the cork.

Carrying the wine and with Qiu Jieqin bringing out the freshly cooked braised yellow croaker, I smiled at Xu Xin, who was sitting at the table. “Alright, we can start—” But before I could finish, I saw that two of the three cold dishes were already half gone, and the clay pot’s lid was off. The little witch was happily gnawing on a piece of duck.

Xu Xin saw our surprised looks, made a face, and said, “I… was hungry. But it’s really tasty.”

All I could do was shake my head and sit down with Qiu Jieqin.

After putting down the fish, Qiu Jieqin brought over two tall wine glasses, and I poured a little red wine into each. Xu Xin’s eyes lit up. “Brother Tang Qian, I want some too!” I shot her a look. “What does a kid need wine for? Eat your duck.”

She pouted, sulking, “Who’s a kid? I’ll be eighteen next year—only a few days away, practically an adult. So stingy, can’t even spare a little wine!”

Her words made me laugh and cry at once, so I pretended not to hear. But Qiu Jieqin said, “Let her have a little. It’s just red wine—a little won’t get her drunk.”

I thought about it—her family clearly had a tradition of drinking. Her brother Xu Jian could drink anyone under the table, never drunk no matter how much he had, and always loved to drink. Her sister Xu Shu had once downed three shots of strong Maotai in a row, and seemed perfectly fine—she could easily have handled more. This little sister was just as impressive; the way she looked at the wine… Well, if she liked it that much, a small half-glass should be fine, especially since it’s just red wine.

“Alright, but just a little—half a glass.”

Xu Xin cheered, “Hooray! Brother Tang Qian, you’re the best! Hehe, thank you!”