Song Mu'er

The carriage traveled along a wide street for about two quarters of an hour before stopping in front of a mansion.

Since the Old Madam's birthday banquet would end late, Li Nuo decided to stay at the Song Manor for the night for safety. Steward Wu took them to the Song Manor and then left, promising to pick him up early the next morning.

A sixtieth birthday was one of the most important milestones in ancient times. Even ordinary families would go all out to celebrate, let alone powerful and noble households.

This wasn't Li Nuo's first time at the Song family's residence. Steward Wu had mentioned that before he and Song Jiaren got married, his father had brought him here once. However, that was an experience belonging to a different Li Nuo.

The entire Song Manor was adorned with red lanterns symbolizing joy. The wide street on both sides was filled with parked carriages and sedan chairs. In front of the main gate, guests dressed in opulent attire were queuing to enter.

An old man at the entrance smiled at Song Jiaren and said, "Miss is back. The Eldest Young Lady just arrived and was looking for you everywhere. Please go in quickly..."

On the way here, Li Nuo had learned a little about the Song family. The "Eldest Young Lady" mentioned by the Song family servant should be Song Jiaren's aunt, the only woman among the second generation of the Song family. She had been married for many years. The Song family's Old Madam had five children, and his wife was born to the Old Madam's third son.

Unlike the Li family, which had only one heir per generation, the Song family was a large and prosperous clan with many descendants.

After Li Nuo and Song Jiaren entered the Song Manor, a buzz of discussion arose among the guests queuing at the entrance.

"Is that Lord Song Zhe's daughter? She's truly a beauty, worthy of the name Jiaren."

"Not only is she beautiful, but at such a young age, she already has Fourth Realm cultivation. Her path in martial arts is limitless."

"What a shame, such an outstanding 'phoenix woman' married to a fool..."

"Hush, speak no more, speak no more..."

"What are you afraid of? I'm a military officer, I'm not afraid of that Li Xuanjing..."

Inside the Song Manor, it was even more lively than outside.

The courtyard just inside the main gate was filled with various birthday banners and screens.

These banners and screens were inscribed with auspicious phrases wishing longevity, such as "May your fortune be as vast as the East Sea," "May your life be as long as the Southern Mountains," "May your days be as bright as the sun and moon," and "May you have the longevity of pine and crane."

The banquet had not officially begun, and the guests were scattered throughout the Song Manor, gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing. Li Nuo didn't know anyone and could only follow closely behind Song Jiaren.

Song Jiaren led Li Nuo to a table in the courtyard and said, "I'm going to see my aunt. You stay here and don't wander off. We'll go pay our respects to Grandmother together later."

Li Nuo nodded and watched her leave. He casually picked up a pastry from the table and popped it into his mouth.

Before the banquet officially started, fruits and pastries were placed throughout the Song Manor for guests to enjoy.

Li Nuo didn't know anyone in the Song Manor. He leaned against the table, bored. He actually disliked crowds and preferred to stay home reading or sleeping at night. However, it was his wife's grandmother's sixtieth birthday, and it would be impolite for a junior not to attend.

Just as he picked up a second pastry, a crisp voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Oh my, I've been looking for you for ages, and here you are!"

Li Nuo followed the sound and saw a beautiful little girl looking at him with a look of pleasant surprise.

The girl was about six or seven years old, pretty and cute. When she smiled at Li Nuo, she revealed two adorable little fangs.

Li Nuo, however, looked completely bewildered. Did he know anyone in the Song family?

Seeing Li Nuo's expression, the little girl knew he didn't recognize her. She looked disappointed, pouted her lips, and said, "You don't remember who I am? You forgot, I invited you to eat cookies last time you came to my house!"

The little girl said "my house," indicating she was part of the Song family and likely one of the hosts. She might be the child of one of his wife's uncles or aunts.

The little girl sighed and said, "It's okay if you forgot. I'll tell you again, my name is Song Mu'er. Remember it this time, or I won't play with you anymore!"

It seemed Li Nuo had not only known this little girl before but was also quite familiar with her, he just couldn't recall the past events.

The little girl named Song Mu'er took Li Nuo's hand and said, "Let's go play shuttlecock..."

Song Mu'er was very fond of this big brother she had only met once. It wasn't just because he was handsome, but also because he was the only one who would play house and shuttlecock with her, and help her with her homework.

The brothers in her family never wanted to play house with her.

Even though his homework was always wrong, which got her caned by the teacher, she forgave him because he was willing to play house with her.

Although the little girl was more than ten years younger than Li Nuo, they interacted very naturally.

Li Nuo thought it wasn't surprising. Although his past self was eighteen years old, his intelligence might have been less than that of an eight-year-old child. He and this little girl, who looked only six or seven, could play together perfectly.

Li Nuo didn't follow the little girl. He said apologetically, "I can't today. I have to go pay my respects to Grandmother soon."

The little girl hugged his arm and gently shook it. "Just for a little while, okay..."

With such a cute little girl clinging to his arm and acting spoiled, Li Nuo really couldn't bring himself to refuse. However, he was also worried that if they went too far, his wife might not be able to find him when she returned. So he said, "I can play with you, but we can't go too far..."

The little girl pointed to an open space not far away and said, "Let's go there!"

Li Nuo glanced over. The open space was only about ten meters away. He would keep an eye on them and it shouldn't cause any problems.

The little girl took Li Nuo's hand and skipped to the open space. Then, she took a finely crafted shuttlecock from her small bag and said to Li Nuo, "Like last time, I'll toss the shuttlecock to you, and you kick it back to me. Then I'll kick it back to you..."

Although it was evening, the entire Song Manor was illuminated by countless lanterns, making it as bright as daytime. The little girl tossed the shuttlecock, and Li Nuo gently kicked it back.

As the shuttlecock flew over, Song Mu'er didn't rush to kick it back. Instead, she nimbly sidestepped. Just as the shuttlecock flew past her and was about to hit the ground, she lightly lifted her foot, touching the sole of her foot to it. The shuttlecock immediately changed direction, drawing an elegant arc in the air as it flew back to Li Nuo.

As the shuttlecock flew towards him, Li Nuo suddenly felt a peculiar sensation.

Then, the little girl opposite him widened her eyes in astonishment.

The shuttlecock, following the movements of the big brother opposite her, continuously circled and danced in the air, never falling to the ground. Every kick he made was graceful and fluid, with techniques she had never seen before.

Li Nuo was also somewhat surprised. The moment the shuttlecock flew towards him, he felt as if everything was under his control.

And this trick, with its extremely high difficulty and divine skill, was something he himself couldn't do, and his predecessor likely couldn't either. The reason was then obvious: of the four portraits on the Codex, only the one of Steward Zheng's concubine was lit up. Could her specialty be kicking the shuttlecock?

Women of this era didn't have many recreational activities; Cuju and shuttlecock kicking were the most common. Whether they were daughters of wealthy families or young ladies from humble homes, they could all play a bit.

However, to be able to kick the shuttlecock to the point of lighting up the Codex… this woman was something else…

After playing with it for a while himself, Li Nuo kicked the shuttlecock back. But Song Mu'er was so engrossed in watching Li Nuo kick that she momentarily forgot to catch it, and the shuttlecock landed on the ground behind her.

Before she could pick it up, several voices suddenly came from the side.

"Huh, isn't that the idiot from the Li family?"

"He's here tonight too."

"Why is he crashing Old Madam's birthday banquet? Isn't he afraid of making a fool of himself…"

Three young men approached from the side. One of them casually picked up a candy from a table and walked up to Li Nuo, taunting him, "Little idiot, bark like a dog for us, and if you do it well, I'll give you candy…"

Li Nuo looked at him and asked, "How does a dog bark?"

"We just taught you last time, and you've already forgotten? You really are an idiot." The young man shook his head, not thinking much of it, and said, "Woof woof…"

"Bark a few more times."

"Woof woof, woof woof…"

"Bark a few more times."

"Woof woof, woof woof, woof woof…"

Li Nuo reached out, gently stroked his head, and smiled, "Good boy…"

Many guests in the courtyard heard the commotion and turned their gaze. They wondered what this Young Master Song was doing, inexplicably imitating a dog's bark.

The young man whose head Li Nuo had just petted finally came to his senses and realized what had happened. Shame and anger immediately flooded his face, and he roared, "You little idiot, you dare to mess with me?"

If it were anyone else, he certainly wouldn't have barked like a dog. But who would guard against an idiot?

In his rage and shame, he reached out to grab Li Nuo's collar. But at that moment, a small figure stepped in front of Li Nuo.

Song Mu'er spread her hands, blocking him, and said crisply, "Brother Yu, you can't bully him…"

Song Yu was very angry at his own family member siding with an outsider. "Mu'er, move aside. I'm going to teach this idiot a lesson!"

Song Mu'er clenched her small fists and said, "If you bully him, I'll hit you…"

Song Yu trembled upon hearing this and immediately retreated warily.

Although Mu'er was only six years old, she was a genuine cultivator of the Second Realm of Martial Arts. She had started training with Jiaren at the age of two and had already developed Internal Breath. Children didn't know their own strength, and if she landed a punch, his bones would likely break.

"Little idiot, you just wait!" After leaving Li Nuo with a threat, he and the two behind him slunk away in disgrace.

Li Nuo watched them leave and thought to himself that he didn't seem very popular in the Song family.

But then again, if he were a member of the Song family, he probably wouldn't have a good impression of a fool who married the family's proud daughter.

At this moment, Song Mu'er picked up the shuttlecock, patted her chest, and said to Li Nuo, "Brother Li Nuo, don't be afraid. I'll protect you and won't let them bully you…"

Thanks to the "Don't Care, Don't Mind, Don't Ignore" Alliance Leader for the reward. This great patron is already an Alliance Leader for several books. Thank you very much.