Call Me Daddy

Now even Su Youwen had no way to deal with Su Aobai. The other party’s previous acts were performed too well, and most of the villagers’ hearts leaned towards him. Therefore, now they would make more mistakes if they acted more, so it was better to bide their time patiently.

All the bustle in the world is for profit; all the clamor in the world is for profit.

When he reached a height that no one in the village could attain, no matter how much they sympathized with Second Brother Su, they would only stand by his side, becoming loyal dogs that would bite anyone for their own gain.

Su Youwen had also heard the rumors in the village, but he didn’t take them seriously.

Even if his second brother really had a perfect memory, so what? Studying is a process of accumulation. He had a 10-year head start over his brother. No matter how talented the other was, it would take years to become a scholar. By then, he might already be an official scholar, and when his brother became an official scholar, he might already have passed the highest imperial exam and obtained an official position.

He was confident that he would always be in a higher position than his brother. At that time, he would have the ability to suppress him completely.

So, Su Youwen wasn’t afraid.

He clearly recognized that what he needed to do now was to seize the time to study hard and strive to become an official scholar as soon as possible.

Su Youwen was indeed the smartest child in the family. While Li Shi was raging, he calmed down and advised his parents not to trouble Second Brother Su anymore. He urged them to let the villagers forget about it as soon as possible before leaving.

Unfortunately, he still underestimated human nature.

Li Shi had been frustrated by the second son she had always looked down upon. How could she be willing to let him go?

Su Youwen hoped the villagers would quickly forget about the Su family’s affairs and replace them with new gossip, but the infuriated Li Shi was clearly going to disappoint him.

***

After a period of spiritual body refinement, Su Aobai’s physical fitness had made a qualitative leap. Now, he no longer feared the dangers in the mountains. After entering the forest, he boldly discarded his crutch and ran towards the depths of the mountains.

It’s about this time…

Su Aobai remembered some important timelines of this world. Today, something significant that would have a profound impact on the Su family was going to happen. It could be said that this event would become the cornerstone of the Su family’s future success.

He didn’t have many hobbies, except for collecting stones. He wanted this cornerstone for himself.

Of course, how to seize it was a skill. So, after devising a complete plan, Su Aobai went up the mountain early in the morning.

It was said that there were packs of wolves and other large predators in the back mountain of Shili Village.

During a rare drought that occurred once in a century, the herbivorous animals in the mountain starved to death because they couldn’t find food. The carnivorous animals, in turn, were also starving due to the massive die-off of herbivores. That year, the beasts from the deep mountains came down and ate many people.

The elders said that once these beasts tasted human flesh, their descendants would always consider humans as part of their diet. After the first time coming down the mountain to harm the people, they would do it countless times thereafter.

When the disaster relief officials arrived, they immediately sent soldiers into the deep mountains to hunt and kill numerous predators, especially the wolf packs that had once harmed the people. Almost none of them survived.

That time, the wolves were so frightened that the few remaining were driven back into the deep mountains and never came down again.

However, the villagers remembered the elders’ warnings and dared not go into the deep mountains, fearing they might encounter the descendants of those wolves that had long regarded humans as food.

At first, when entering the mountain, there were still some traces of people. But as he went further in, the weeds and shrubs grew thicker, and the trees were tall and robust, with their crowns reaching into the clouds. Only traces left by large animals trampling the grass could be seen.

Su Aobai first tested his current strength.

He aimed at a large tree trunk that would take about three people to encircle. After steadying his stance, he gathered the spiritual energy in his palm and struck out with force.

There was a dull, trembling sound, and countless leaves shook loose, almost covering his feet. Then came the sound of cracking.

The tree began to tilt backward. A few seconds later, it fell heavily to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dirt.

A group of small squirrels squeaked and scattered from the fallen dense canopy, and the small animals in the nearby trees also noticed the commotion, screeching and jumping away.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Squirrels: QAQ, where did this demolition team come from, forcibly tearing down our homes without any notice!

Unfortunately, Su Aobai couldn’t understand squirrel language. He approached and observed the fallen tree. The sturdy trunk had broken, and at the spot where he had struck, there was a palm-shaped dent.

His current strength was probably similar to a legendary figure from another time and space, Li Yuanba, and possibly even stronger.

(T/N: Li Yuanba = the most powerful and skillful fictional legendary heroes who lived during the Sui and early Tang dynasties. He is the fourth son of Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang dynasty.)

With such strength, he could easily lift a ton. If he struck a person, he could instantly break their bones and turn them into a pulp.

Su Aobai felt confident. He followed the traces left by a large animal he had discovered earlier.

***

More than an hour later, Su Aobai appeared at the foot of the mountain.

Some farmwomen who were picking wild vegetables and mushrooms at the foot of the mountain saw him from a distance and were about to greet him, but they were terrified by what he was dragging behind him.

“A wild boar!”

Several children were the first to shout.

It turned out that Su Aobai was dragging a huge wild boar weighing about 100 or 200 pounds. As he got closer, everyone could see the boar’s sharp tusks and its crushed head.

This was truly astonishing. It had been years since anyone had seen such a large wild boar. How did Second Su manage to kill it?

Before long, some villagers who were nearby came to Su Aobai’s yard at the foot of the mountain to see this enormous animal that hadn’t been seen in years.

“I originally went into the mountain to gather some herbs to supplement the household. I didn’t expect to encounter a wild boar. It scared me to death, and I turned to run. Maybe I was lucky, but I met a boar that wasn’t too bright. After I climbed a tree, it kept ramming the trunk. After several tries, the tree didn’t break, but the boar knocked itself out.”

Su Aobai recounted his encounter in the mountains with excitement.

“I thought, I can’t drag this out. If it gets dark and more wild animals come out, I might not make it. So, while the boar was still dizzy, I jumped down from the tree, landed on its back, grabbed its bristles, and punched its head repeatedly until it was dead.”

Everyone then noticed Su Aobai’s hands. The knuckles were swollen and the skin was broken, covered in blood. It was hard to tell if it was his own or the boar’s.

But it was enough to shock everyone. To be able to crush a wild boar’s head with punches, what kind of strength did Second Su have?

“You killed it like that?”

The village chief, who had come upon hearing the news, looked at his arms in disbelief. The surprises Second Su had brought these days were numerous.

“Yes, luckily my strength is a bit strong, otherwise I might have been the one who died.” Su Aobai revealed a look of relief, his face as honest and simple as ever.

Everyone looked at each other. You call the strength to crush the hard bones of a wild boar just a bit strong?

You’re more wild than the wild boar!

Previously, no one remembered whether Second Su was particularly strong. Before this, Second Su had no presence; he was just a person who buried his head in work in everyone’s impression.

Looking back now, he probably was strong. Otherwise, how could he have done the work of two or three strong laborers?