That night, Su Cheng accompanied the girl to the old house in Tongzi Ward.
Yang Huaiyu's uncle's family was staying there temporarily, along with a roomful of dowry that had been prepared in advance.
Tomorrow, they would act as the bride's family elders and send Yang Huaiyu off in her bridal sedan from the old house.
Su Xinghe did not go practice his fist techniques that night.
He was helping his somewhat tipsy younger brother arrange the bridal chamber.
The first floor of the rear row house now held their parents' bedroom and the kitchen, while the entire second floor had been given to his younger brother's family.
There were three rooms upstairs, and the largest would be the newlyweds' bridal chamber tomorrow.
A few days ago, their father, Su Cheng, had bought him several more pieces of furniture. The two brothers planned to make use of the remaining rooms as well.
"Haitao, didn't we agree these two cabinets and the desk would go in the bedroom when we bought them?"
"Brother, Yu'er said this room could be used as a study in the future. With two cabinets here, it'll be easier to store books, paintings, and things like that."
"Oh... Who would have thought our family would someday produce a cultured person? Not only will martial fortune flourish, but poetry and books can be passed down through the family."
"That's right, Brother. Yu'er can read, write, and paint too."
Su Xinghe immediately found that a little strange.
He had originally meant that once the family had money in the future, they could raise his younger brother's children to read and write.
But now, it seemed they already had someone educated.
Last time, he had heard his father say that Old Yang's family had once been tenant farmers at Lu Family Farm. Logically speaking, their circumstances should not have been much better. How had they produced a daughter who could read and write?
Once that question rose in his mind, it could no longer be suppressed.
"You've seen her read and write?"
"Mm. Yu'er is amazing. The pictures she paints are really good."
"And don't be fooled by how small she is—she's incredibly strong. Last time I went to help harvest wheat, she could lift a huge bundle with one hand."
Perhaps Su Haitao was drunk, because he had become much more talkative.
"How did you two meet?"
"At Lu Family Farm. Back then, she was looking for Uncle Yang and asked me for directions."
"When was that?"
"On the Dragon Boat Festival last year. I remember it clearly."
"How did Uncle Yang and the others die?"
"At the beginning of the year, I heard they ran into bandits in the mountains."
"Then when did you two get together?"
"Um... just two months ago..."
Su Xinghe's heart stirred. Could it have been that Peaceful Heaven Sect again?
"Have you practiced any qigong?"
Su Haitao stared at him with bleary eyes, disbelief written all over his face.
"Brother, you bought another cultivation manual?"
He had practiced the Ascending Dragon Stance from last time for nearly half a year. Other than in certain respects, he had yet to discover any effects.
Truth be told, he had always wanted to ask his elder brother about it. But they were both young men, and an art for boosting virility was not easy to discuss.
Today, hearing his elder brother bring it up himself, he naturally would not let the chance slip by.
Su Xinghe patted him on the shoulder.
"Once the wedding is over, I'll sign you up at the Martial Arts School."
In truth, aside from the Golden Ape Fist, he had no genuine martial cultivation technique at the moment.
But that was not something he could teach privately.
After all, there were three commandments.
Each one harsher than the last.
Early the next morning.
The wedding procession set off and smoothly brought back the bride.
At noon, the Su Family held a grand feast.
The guests included not only the bride's elders, but also old neighbors from Tongzi Ward. Poor families had no need for so many formalities; as long as everyone was happy, that was enough.
During the feast, the bride came around to offer wine.
Su Xinghe activated his spiritual perception and gave her a slight scan.
Beneath that bright red wedding dress was a body of muscles comparable to a bodybuilding champion's. Even the small hand holding the wine pot had slightly darker skin at the tiger's mouth.
That was fucking impressive. Truly master of both pen and sword.
He decided not to expose her for now and would observe her slowly in the future.
In a corner of the banquet,
A pair of vacant, dazed eyes stared motionlessly at Su Xinghe.
The eldest son of the Su Family had actually succeeded in training.
That Martial Arts School practice uniform he wore was not something just anyone could put on.
What should she do?
Should she go up and greet him?
Thinking back on her attitude toward the Su Family over the past half year, Zhao Jing felt her face burn.
"Big Sister, why aren't you eating?"
Her younger sister Xiaoya's voice drifted over.
"You eat. I'm not hungry!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she felt as though her tongue had suddenly become clumsy today. Was she really only going to look at a table piled high with delicacies she rarely saw on ordinary days?
But the words had already been spoken...
Fortunately, her younger sister's attention was entirely on the dishes and she did not notice whether Zhao Jing had already eaten her fill.
Zhao Jing quietly picked up her chopsticks.
She decided that she would definitely marry a martial artist in the future too.
"Sis, didn't you say last time that you wanted to marry a rich man?"
A soft, sweet voice sounded beside her.
It startled Zhao Jing so badly that she jolted.
"I... did I say that?"
She asked uncertainly.
"Mm, you just said it again!"
Zhao Ya fluttered her long eyelashes and looked her older sister over from head to toe.
"Sis, you should lose some weight."
Zhao Jing: @@
"Hey, why does that young fellow beside the Su Family's eldest son look so familiar?"
Someone at the neighboring table suddenly called out in a low voice.
"Now that you mention it, I feel like I've seen him somewhere too."
"Isn't that Little Beggar, who begs for food in the ward every day?"
"Shh~ That's not something we should say."
"Ah, listen to this rotten mouth of mine. I remember that when her parents were still alive, their family even ran a tailor shop."
"That poor young couple, taken by the Lu Family..."
"Oh dear, Old Fishhead, you're drunk!"
Little Beggar had just taken a bite of chicken wing when she suddenly raised her head.
"Right, Boss, I investigated the Qi-Replenishing Pill you mentioned last time."
"Since the Martial Arts School can't get in touch with the higher-ups, I could only ask those disciples. They said you have to pay a deposit first, and you can buy at most two each time. And whether they have any depends on the opportunity; the price is three or four times higher than at the Brokerage Guild."
"But the Brokerage Guild only sells to registered martial artists, and you also have to register the quantity with the Martial Dao Bureau. If the numbers don't match, the Martial Dao Bureau will stop supplying the Brokerage Guild. So there's no way to make that price list you wanted."
Su Xinghe said nothing, merely nodding.
The Martial Arts School, the Brokerage Guild, the Martial Dao Bureau—
He seemed to see an invisible net cast by the Zhou Martial Sage Dynasty to control martial artists.
But no matter how large a net was, there would always be holes. There had to be many martial artists, like him, who did not want to register with the Martial Dao Bureau.
Then there had to be another channel, one through which medicinal pills could circulate freely.
It was just that Little Beggar's circle...
"I really don't want to go outside the city..."
Mm...
On such a joyous day, he would not think about these headache-inducing matters.
"Big Brother Su, when will you have time to come to my house?"
Accompanied by a refreshing fragrance, Xiaoya's voice sounded by his ear.
At some unknown point, the little girl had sneaked behind him and draped herself over his shoulder.
Su Xinghe's head began to ache again.
After word spread through the alley at the beginning of the year that he had quit his job and returned to the city to train in martial arts, this "little sister-in-law" had constantly wanted to take him as her master.
He had refused, but it was useless.
Even if he had been willing to teach her, he had nothing fit to show.
At the time, he only had an art for boosting virility. How could he pass that on to a little girl?
"Didn't we agree that you can only temper your body once you turn sixteen?"
"Otherwise, you won't grow tall."
Su Xinghe lowered his head and focused only on picking up food.
"Ah~"
Watching the bride in red among the crowd, Zhao Ya sighed softly. Thinking of how she was only fourteen, the little girl let out another mournful sigh.
"Why does time pass so slowly? Why is growing up so hard..."
"Big Brother Su, will you come with me to toast the bride?"
"Isn't your second brother over there?"
"Come on~"
After the wedding, the young couple were as inseparable as glue and lacquer.
Watching the two stick together all day long, Su Xinghe could only temporarily set aside the thought of dragging his younger brother to the Martial Arts School to register.
Let this kid enjoy his newlywed honeymoon first. Once he began martial training, there would be plenty of hardship for him to taste.
Before you continue