"Congratulations, many congratulations!"
"Ah, come on now, you already congratulated me once when Yú'ér was born. What are you congratulating me for this time?" Su Liangchen laughed and chatted with a sturdily built man with square features, thick brows, and wide eyes.
"Hey, last time was last time, this time is this time! Besides, little Yú'ér is so adorable—who wouldn't love her?"
Yan Feng gave a hearty laugh and said, "I'll tell you what, why don't you have Yú'ér take me as her godfather? That way, I can teach her some martial arts later on so she has a way to protect herself. How about that?"
"Go on with you! My Yú'ér is so sweet and well-behaved, how could I bear to have her practicing martial arts all day, exposed to the wind and rain?" Su Liangchen scolded him with a smile, while Li Qingping stood beside them, covering her mouth with a quiet smile.
"Ah—well, you can't be too sure about that! One look at your little Yú'ér tells me she has extraordinary bones, a natural-born martial arts genius. Who knows, maybe she'll make her own choice during the "Zhuōzhōu" ceremony in a moment?" With that, Yan Feng pointed toward Su Yú, who was strolling out of the inner room at a leisurely pace.
Su Yú's appearance instantly drew the attention of all the guests in the room. Everyone focused their gaze on her, and praises began to pour in endlessly—talk of extraordinary bones, exceptional clarity and intelligence, sweet and adorable nature, and so on. It all made Su Yú feel so terribly awkward that she wanted to find a crack in the floor and crawl right into it. Yet she could only pretend not to understand much of it as she threw herself into her mother's embrace.
"Mother, hold me~" Su Yú's delicate, babyish voice nearly melted Li Qingping's heart. Truly, her own Yú'ér was the cutest in the world.
"Come here, right into Mother's arms. Mother will hold you." Li Qingping opened her arms, bent down, and scooped Su Yú straight into her embrace.
Although the chorus of praise still made Su Yú feel rather shy, being wrapped in Li Qingping's arms made her feel much better, as if she had found a safe haven from the storm.
Suddenly, a rugged man brought his large face close to hers, startling Su Yú so much her little heart skipped a beat. *Oh lord, who is this?*
"Little Yú'ér, do you still remember your Uncle Yan Feng? Call him uncle, and Uncle will give you something fun." Yan Feng stretched out a rough, calloused hand and lightly rubbed Su Yú's tender little cheek.
Su Yú only felt a scratchy discomfort. She tilted her head, trying to recall—it seemed there *was* an uncle like this who had come specifically to visit her a year ago; she did have some impression of him.
*Something fun?* What kind of fun could he possibly have? It wasn't that Su Yú looked down on Yan Feng, but given her current mental age, what kind of fun thing could possibly impress her? Could anything be more fun than online video games from her past life?
Su Yú hid in Li Qingping's arms and peeked a few times at Yan Feng. He was dressed in a short, silk tunic with tight, narrow sleeves; apart from a jade pendant, he carried only a sword. Who knew what he could possibly keep hidden on him?
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately piped up: "Uncle, that one!"
*That one? Which one?* Yan Feng was stunned for a moment, then looked down at himself twice along the direction of Su Yú's pointing finger. Only then did he grasp his sword, smiling as he asked, "Could it be that Yú'ér wants this sword?"
"Mm, want it!" Su Yú's voice was childish yet firm. Who hadn't fantasized in their childhood about having a weapon of their own? Spears, precious swords, bows and arrows—any of them would do.
In her past life, when Su Yú played as a child, she would pick up withered branches fallen from the trees in the courtyard. The straighter and tougher they were, the happier she would be. A "prime" tree branch could make her reluctant to part with it for a long time, right up until the branch withered and broke or she snapped it in play.
Watching Su Yú's serious expression, Yan Feng couldn't help laughing triumphantly. "Hahaha, Brother Liangchen, look at what I told you! Your little Yú'ér really is promising material."
Beside them, Su Liangchen curled his lip and said, "What does a child know? Yú'ér, we don't want that thing, it's too dangerous. After today is over, Father will get you other toys."
Yan Feng teased, "If Yú'ér chooses blades or swords during the ceremony in a moment, Brother Liangchen, you won't be able to stop her anymore, you know."
"Pah, shut your trap!" Su Liangchen gave Yan Feng's back an annoyed smack. Yan Feng merely smiled and said nothing more.
As the sun climbed higher, the noise and bustle within the Su Estate grew ever louder. Once all the guests had arrived, Su Liangchen and Li Qingping, holding Su Yú between them, first expressed their gratitude to everyone present. Then they held a small ceremony for Su Yú, offering a brief prayer to thank their ancestors for protecting the Su family's descendants and ensuring their smooth growth. After that, they dipped their fingers in a couple of drops of clear wine and dabbed it right between Su Yú's eyebrows.
Once the ceremony concluded, amidst the watchful gaze of the guests, Li Qingping gently placed Su Yú down at the edge of a red carpet, saying softly, "Go on, Yú'ér, pick out whatever you like."
Su Yú raised her eyes to look. The carpet was crowded with a dazzling variety of items, but deep down, she already had her answer.
Without a single moment of hesitation, she walked first toward the side where books were laid out. Under Su Liangchen's expectant gaze, she picked up a primer for toddlers learning characters, followed by a copy of the Classic of Poetry, and finally a Daoist classic.
"Oh, oh! This little Miss Su is truly interesting. She didn't spare a second glance for anything else, and went straight for the books. Looks like she'll most likely turn out to be a well-read, talented woman in the future!"
"I'd say so too. This child looks so bright and clever, her future won't be bad at all."
The guests' praises made Su Liangchen swell with pride. He gave a playful nudge to Yan Feng, who was standing to the side just watching the show. "Heh, how about that? This little one of mine is definitely cut out for scholarship. You can forget your ideas."
The corners of Yan Feng's mouth turned up in a faint smile as he simply replied, "It's not time yet. You might as well wait a bit longer."
"What do you mean, wait a bit longer? How long could it take? It's all the same!" Su Liangchen said, refusing to believe it.
By this time, Su Yú was holding the three books in her arms, looking left and right. She finally realized what was still missing: aside from learning to read, how could she not have a weapon in hand?
There were no firearms in this world, and carrying a sword was simply the most common setup for everyday travel. Putting on heavy armor was out of the question, but if she wanted to have the means to protect herself later on, having a weapon at the ready was quite important.
And so, hugging her books, Su Yú turned around and walked step by step toward the section where weapons were displayed. Without another word, she scooped up both a long spear and a long sword straight into her arms. Then, without a single lingering look back, she walked off the red carpet and returned to the side of Su Liangchen and Li Qingping.
At that moment, Su Liangchen's composure was thoroughly shattered. *No, why is our child's goal so crystal clear? Just books and swords, and she genuinely won't even look at anything else? Choosing just the books would have been fine, but why pick a sword as well?! Won't I be ruthlessly mocked by Yan Feng for this later?*
With a stiff expression, Su Liangchen turned his head to look at Yan Feng. Yan Feng, however, was dead serious. "Brother Liangchen, I really wasn't joking with you. Your little Yú'ér is truly suited for martial arts. I genuinely want her to take me as her master—I mean it."
"Heh, heh..." Su Liangchen squeezed out a smile that looked closer to tears. "You scoundrel! When you taught me martial arts back then, you tormented me to no end. Now you want to torment my daughter too?"
Yan Feng curled his lip in disdain. "Just tell me—did it work or not?"
"It worked, but it was just so painful!" Su Liangchen wore a miserable expression.
"So, do you agree to let Yú'ér take me as her master?"
After a long, silent pause, Su Liangchen turned back to look at his wife. Seeing the consenting look in Li Qingping's eyes, he squeezed a single word out from between his teeth: "Fine!"