Suddenly, the side of the table I was on fell silent, and the faint rustling sound of passing dishes stopped as well. Su Liumeng smiled and apologized to the others, cutting the small talk short. Then she turned her head, fixing her gaze on the young girl beside her who was pouting slightly, clearly displeased.
“Who upset my baby this time?”
On the table lay a very quiet cloth. I leaned forward a little, resting my arm under my chin, staring at a dish shaped like a phoenix carved out of bean sprouts, and replied vaguely.
“No one.”
A typical case of saying one thing and meaning another.
Su Liumeng wasn’t a mind reader—I couldn’t always guess her thoughts correctly. I heard her voice soften, “Are you bored? Just wait a little longer and the banquet will be over. Tonight, I’ll spend some proper time with you.”
I turned my head slightly to dodge her clawing fingers reaching to ruffle my hair, raising my voice a little as I gently pushed Su Liumeng forward, “I’m not bored. You should go keep others company.”
“You’re the star of tonight’s banquet. If you don’t fulfill your duties properly, others will say you don’t know the rules.”
I let go of her hand, and Su Liumeng’s eyes watching me were genuine. She left the table and moved to the second seat to chat and mingle with the elders and seniors.
After she left, my mood seemed to dip further.
By chance, I looked up and met the gentle gaze of the Grand Elder.
It’s normal for couples to have small ups and downs; others would just find it sweet. But these old timers, many of whom were close to the grave, seemed intensely focused on us. Maybe they hadn’t seen such lively emotions around for a long time, so their usual formal remarks were tinged with rare care.
“Little girl, when did you and Yuxi meet?”
The Grand Elder’s eyes twinkled as he asked me.
The old man showed no aura of power. Wearing a faded black jacket, he looked truly like a very old man—far from the commanding, legendary Su family Grand Elder he was.
“Huh?”
Suddenly addressed by the family patriarch, I inexplicably felt nervous. My small hands clenched into fists, and after a few seconds of hesitation, I replied sluggishly, “We’ve known each other for a long time. Su Liumeng and I are the same age—we met online when we were eleven.”
Lying to an elder so much stronger than me and without malice was unwise. I picked some details from my experience to share.
The Grand Elder didn’t seem interested in the details. He probably just found I was sitting alone and bored, so he casually picked a topic to chat.
A question arose in my mind.
Is the Su family Grand Elder really this easy to get along with?
Or is it just that he’s easy around Su Liumeng, and I’m just someone she happens to care about?
“During this period, just stay at the Su family ancestral home and rest. No need to worry about safety.”
The Grand Elder continued.
I stiffened briefly and politely declined, “I still need to discuss this with Su Liumeng.”
He didn’t take it to heart. “I understand. Young couples have to discuss things together. Don’t feel pressured. I was just mentioning it casually. You can do whatever’s convenient.”
“Mm.” I slowly stretched out a sweet smile and sincerely thanked him, “Thank you, Grand Elder.”
Hearing this warm title, the Grand Elder smiled even more, his whiskers twitching happily.
At that moment, Su Qinghe, who hadn’t spoken until then, showed a rare expression of kindness I had never seen before.
Having lived under the same roof for nearly ten years, countless past scenes flashed through my mind—countless cold words all froze on his gradually softening face. “You’re Su Liumeng’s girlfriend. After the wedding, you’ll be a daughter-in-law of the Su family. As a father, I naturally have to take care of you. If anything happens at the ancestral home these days, just come find your uncle.”
He sat across from me at the table and suddenly ordered someone to hand me a very large red envelope. “The Su family’s rules can’t be broken. No matter which junior brings a girlfriend home, a gift upon meeting is a must. As it’s our first meeting, I don’t have much to offer. I heard you study in Jing City, so this piece of land isn’t much, but consider it a gift for you. When the child is born, there will be many expenses. This way, you’ll have a stable source of income and won’t have to constantly ask that girl Su Liumeng for money.”
I took the heavy red envelope and instinctively peeked inside at the seal—it appeared to be a deed of some sort.
I was overwhelmed by the favor and waved my hand repeatedly, saying, “No, no. This gift is too precious. I can’t accept it.”
The Grand Elder then said, “Young lady, if I tell you to accept it, then accept it. It’s also Qinghe’s goodwill.”
“When the Fourth Elder returns, he’ll determine the most auspicious date for you two according to the Red Phoenix Star in the heavens, and then your wedding will be arranged.”
“The heir of the Su family getting married will surely be a grand affair.”
At this point, the Grand Elder’s tone suddenly shifted to serious. “Miss Si, there’s one more thing I must warn you in advance. This marriage isn’t like getting a simple marriage certificate in the mortal world. Once it’s officially certified by the Heavenly Dao, it becomes a lifelong Dao Companion. If you ever want to break this bond, you must endure the torment of fire and blade.”
Huh?
I was truly stunned.
There’s such a thing in the cultivation world?
But whatever. There’s no divorce anyway, so it’s nothing to worry about.
What interested me more was that Dao Companions really existed here, just like in novels—kind of mystical and rather romantic.
I dangled my small leg and replied with a clear, crisp voice, “Thank you for the warning, Grand Elder. I won’t be reckless. This life, I’m sticking to Su Liumeng.”
Hmph. After all, she came to stir things up first.
If she dares to be unfaithful, I promise I’ll be the first to rip her heart out and see if it’s truly red.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
I kept denying this and even stuck my tongue out.
What was I thinking? Such thoughts are forbidden.
Su Liumeng wouldn’t be that kind of person.
I believe our feelings are strong enough to last.
“Miss Si, since you accepted Uncle Qinghe’s gift, the Grand Elder must also give you something.”
The Grand Elder handed me a bracelet of the purest deep green color—what others called Imperial Green. A complete, flawless, pure Imperial Green bracelet like this would easily sell for eight figures.
“The Grand Elder doesn’t have much else of value, so just accept this bracelet. It’ll make carrying things much easier.”
When he took out the bracelet, even the breathing nearby seemed to pause for a moment, as if no one expected the Grand Elder to offer such a treasure.
Even Su Qinghe was stunned for a moment before saying, “Accept it. This isn’t ordinary. It’s a storage bracelet that’s already extinct now. Su Liumeng, though the heir, doesn’t even have a storage device, so you can understand how rare this is.”
No wonder some nearby eyes were wide.
I held the cool bracelet like a hot potato and stammered, “This really won’t do!! It’s far too precious. Su Liumeng doesn’t even have this—how can she give it to me?”
Unexpectedly, the Grand Elder replied calmly, “Su Liumeng doesn’t have one because in the Su family, anyone wanting a gift must earn it through their own efforts. She hasn’t reached the point of possessing a storage device yet, so naturally she has none. But you’re different. You’re the Su family’s daughter-in-law—someone who will be formally married in with the three letters and six betrothal gifts. Your treatment will certainly be different. Accept it; it’s the Grand Elder’s small token of goodwill.”
Those words carried great weight.
The entire banquet hall fell silent for a moment.
The Grand Elder had been sending one clear message all evening: he had found his successor. Whether it was publicly endorsing Su Liumeng or presenting a storage bracelet to the person Su Liumeng brought back, it was a signal that he had chosen his heir.
The bracelet wasn’t a gift from him to me, but rather a welcome gift to Su Liumeng’s faction.
The former was the result; the latter was the cause.
Afterwards, many others presented gifts.
Quietly calculating the value of these gifts, I noticed a pattern: those close to the Grand Elder gave much more valuable presents, while those close to the family head gave very perfunctory ones. The Su family patriarch only offered verbal praise.
The inner power struggles of the Su family became crystal clear for the first time since I arrived at the ancestral home. This open and covert fight had likely started as soon as I stepped in, and I was only now beginning to realize it.
As I thought this, cold sweat trickled down my back, and I silently hoped everyone was just joking. No one would really go through “pregnancy brain” for three years.
If Su Liumeng weren’t standing in front to shield me tonight, I’d probably have already been torn to pieces by these ruthless old folks.
Understanding all this, I no longer refused the Grand Elder’s gifts.
“You’re the one who falsely accused me, flipping the truth. Clearly, you have something going on with that girl, yet you dare to blame me. Su Liumeng, I can’t bite you to death.”
Deep in the spirit sea, a little bundle suddenly felt victorious.
She clenched her tiny fist, threatening, “That’s right, bite hard. Bite that bad woman to death.”