Chapter 80: Family Matters
“Mmm…”
Su Jiu covered her slightly heavy head and slowly opened her eyes. The familiar windowsill and the pale dawn sky outside the window revealed the first light of day. A few morning birds occasionally drifted by, marking another spring dawn.
“No time, I have to get to the station quickly.”
She opened her phone, looking at the booked train ticket: [Huayang – Fuzhou 11:50 – 20:30]. Glancing at the time in the upper right corner, 8:53, she quickly got up, washed, started packing, and prepared to leave.
As for her attire, Su Jiu sniffed. It was still the same sandalwood-scented Hanfu. Without thinking too much, she stroked the head of “E Huo” on her arm and changed into an inner lining before putting it back on.
Items for survival are not to be trifled with!
“Knock knock!” A series of knocks came.
“Big Sister, Dad wants you to come down quickly, he personally made breakfast,” Su Xiao Yu’s voice sounded from outside the door.
“Wait a moment!”
Su Jiu casually used a hairpin to secure her hair and put the Blood Night Grass into her suitcase. As she was about to drag the suitcase away, her gaze fell on the tabletop, specifically on the beige paper.
Frowning slightly, she stepped forward and put the item away.
“When I get to the provincial capital, there should be some big shots who know what this is… I hope it’s not some kind of curse.”
Su Jiu slowly pushed the door open and was met with an honest smiling face. Her expression softened, and she smiled, asking, “Brat, where have you been fooling around? You didn’t even show up for the training competition.”
Without answering directly, Su Xiao Yu kept looking at Su Jiu’s Hanfu, then flicked the jade gourd at her waist, deliberately feigning shock: “Sister, are you going to a cosplay convention! You’re dressed so nicely… And this gourd must be quite expensive, aren’t you afraid of breaking it carrying it like this?”
“Scram! Isn’t this how I usually am? I’m leaving, don’t keep the old man waiting too long.”
Rolling her eyes, Su Jiu gave him a playful scolding, then patted his shoulder firmly before heading downstairs. As she walked, she asked, “Why didn’t you participate in the training competition? I remember every student who participated in the training had to watch the matches.”
“At that time, many army camps came to our school, so I went to check out the conscription.” Su Xiao Yu behind her suddenly stopped, as if wanting to say something but unable to. His tone lost its usual liveliness, and he seemed a bit dejected.
“Conscription? What are you looking at that for?”
Su Jiu turned to glance at him. She knew that in this world, the conscription for third-year high school students was different from the past. Because they had to fight against monsters, they wouldn’t send the weak to the front lines early.
In this world, conscription was for future officers, allowing those who were already powerful to enter the monster battlefield ahead of time.
Clearly, Su Xiao Yu was not satisfied with this requirement…
“I……”
Su Xiao Yu’s voice was hesitant. He lowered his head slightly, and finally, with a surge of courage from somewhere, he clenched his fist and suddenly said loudly, “I want to try the conscription the day after tomorrow!”
“What? You…”
“Try again? The sergeant major’s camp called me yesterday and said you were causing trouble there all day! If you’re not qualified, you’re not qualified, understand!”
Su Jiu was slightly stunned and was about to say something when a stern voice from below interrupted her. Su Xingguo walked out from the kitchen, holding a dish.
“Slap!”
He looked sternly at Su Xiao Yu, put down the plate heavily, and said in a low voice, “Whether you want a woman or to truly go to the battlefield, you know best in your heart.”
“If it weren’t for Liu Lin, I would have been bitten to death by a Wild Plains Lion! I don’t want to be like a good-for-nothing, only hiding behind a woman!” Turning his head away, Su Xiao Yu’s face showed frustration. He wanted his father to understand him, but his father remained stubborn like an old man.
Then, he looked at his father as if pleading, lowered his head, clenched his fists, and asked in a low voice, “Can’t you let me in? Dad, you’re the Mayor!”
“This is a principle, and more importantly, it’s responsibility for you.”
Su Xingguo’s face showed some disappointment. He sighed again, then said softly, “You can’t even defeat an Initial Stage Warrior-level Scarlet Flame Wolf in the most basic test. What else can you do in the army camp but be a burden to others?”
“Why does everyone say that, she too…”
Su Xingguo’s words seemed to overwhelm Su Xiao Yu. He looked as if he had lost his soul, head lowered, as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on his neck.
“Little brother…”
With a sigh, Su Jiu put down her suitcase by the door, returned to the dining table, scooped three bowls of rice, walked over, tugged at Su Xingguo’s clothes corner, and said softly, “Stop talking, let’s eat. I have a train ticket to Fuzhou at 11:30, and I’ll be leaving soon.”
Recalling his gaze, Su Xingguo turned to the dining table and asked puzzledly, “Xiao Jiu, you’re not going to class, why are you going to Fuzhou?”
Of course, after knowing some of Su Jiu’s affairs and learning that she had defeated the priest yesterday, he couldn’t start with accusations like before.
Now, his attitude towards Su Jiu was “hands-off”. She could do whatever she wanted, as long as she returned before the Gaokao.
Why supervise her? A third-year high school student who could kill a Battle General was a rare sight in the whole world.
As for the five major schools, where she wanted to go depended on her mood. If nothing unexpected happened, his daughter was highly likely to be the provincial top scorer this year.
“Just some official business, nothing much,” Su Jiu said, eating a couple of mouthfuls of rice. Looking at the table full of her favorite dishes from the past year, she felt a little touched.
The interface for that profession clearly stated that the Night Watcher was not allowed to tell those around them unless there were special circumstances. This was both for her own protection and for their protection.
Su Xingguo nodded slightly, then turned to look at the wriggling figure like a caterpillar at the staircase. His brow furrowed, and he coldly reprimanded, “If you continue like this, you won’t have to go to school tomorrow. You can directly go to the Adventurer’s Guild and work as a freelancer.”
The caterpillar seemed to be stimulated by something, lowered its head, came to the dining table, and suddenly picked up a bowl and ate plain rice.
Su Jiu watched the dejected figure slump onto the dining table like a defeated dog, vigorously eating rice. She hadn’t seen him like this even when he was rejected before. Was Liu Lin really that important?
“Gaokao also allows entry into military schools,” Su Jiu said gently after putting down her bowl. “Why not start working hard from now on? There are no shortcuts in this world; it never pities the weak.”
Su Xiao Yu looked up slightly, as if wanting to argue back.
Without waiting for him to speak, Su Jiu continued calmly, “There’s something you want in the blue drawer of the second cabinet in my room. Drink that, find a cultivation method, and start practicing.”
She remembered there was quite a bit of egg liquid left, and she had put a bottle of backup there.
“One month is enough time for you to work hard. The admission score for military schools isn’t very high, you’ll succeed.”
After speaking, Su Jiu glanced at her phone, then put down her chopsticks and walked to the door, preparing to drag her suitcase away.
“Success? Can it reach your level, Big Sister?” Su Xiao Yu suddenly looked up and asked blankly.
“No.”
Taking a deep breath, Su Jiu gently opened the door, feeling the sunlight pouring onto her face, and said calmly, “Because what we face is different.”
Su Xiao Yu stared blankly at her serious face, wondering what his sister had to face…
