Chapter 1066: Need More Training

Gu Zi said nothing, simply watching Su Shen from the side. His expression remained as unreadable as ever, calm and impenetrable.

He was one of those men who kept everything bottled up inside, never revealing a hint of what he was truly thinking. But after spending so much time with him, Gu Zi had developed a keen instinct–whatever challenge Su Shen had in store for Su Li was bound to be anything but easy.

Stepping inside, she retrieved a towel for Su Le. Compared to her two older brothers, Su Le wasn’t as sturdy, so Gu Zi always took extra care with her.

When she returned, she found Su Li looking utterly dejected, his face scrunched up in a mixture of frustration and resignation. Clearly, he had already received a thorough lecture from Su Shen. But the real kicker? His feet were now strapped with two sandbags.

So, this was Su Shen’s so-called ‘small challenge’? Ha! Gu Zi had always known that, despite his composed exterior, the man had a streak of cunning mischief.

Poor Su Li–under Su Shen’s training, he was bound to suffer. The moment he saw his mother, he turned to her with a pitiful, flushed face. “Dad, I understand now. I was wrong. I won’t be arrogant anymore. And I definitely won’t tease my little sister again.”

Su Shen remained as unruffled as ever. “Good. But you already agreed to the challenge. From now on, you’ll train like this–one hour of standing practice with the sandbags. If you can do it as easily as before, then you’ll pass.”

Su Li nodded solemnly. A man of his word, he couldn’t back out now. But the added weight was no joke–he hadn’t expected just two little sandbags to make things this difficult. If he had known, he never would have agreed so easily. Now, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure.

Gu Zi silently wiped the sweat from Su Le’s forehead before handing towels to Su Bing and Su Li. Su Bing, ever the disciplined one, needed no special attention. But Su Li? His restless nature meant he could use some toughening up–so perhaps this was for the best.

At first, Gu Zi assumed Su Li would persist without complaint. After all, when it came to practicing calligraphy, she had seen his determination firsthand.

But standing practice with sandbags? That must have been an entirely different kind of torment, because by the very next day, Su Li had had enough. He stormed over to Gu Zi, practically wailing, “Mom, Dad is cheating! He’s adding more weight to my sandbags! Today’s were even heavier–I barely had any strength left in my legs! And he just stood there laughing at me, saying I need more training because I’m weak!”

Glancing down, Gu Zi noticed that, indeed, the sandbags on Su Li’s legs were noticeably larger than the ones from the day before. That was unexpected.

Just as she was processing this, Su Shen walked in. Without a word, he bent down, unfastened his own sandbags, and casually dropped them onto the floor.

Thud! Thud!

The impact was deafening. The sandbags were massive–easily bigger than Gu Zi’s head. They had to weigh dozens of pounds at least.

Su Shen looked at his son and said with practiced nonchalance, “You can’t even handle two small sandbags? How about we switch?”

Su Li stared at the enormous sandbags, gulping audibly. His voice came out stiff and unnatural. “N-No, I think mine are just right. Mom, I’ll go practice my calligraphy now!”

Gu Zi couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. Still, she patted Su Li’s head and offered some encouragement. “Your dad isn’t trying to make you feel weak. He’s showing you that none of us start off as the best at something. What matters is persistence and progress. Today’s sandbags are heavier than yesterday’s, which means today’s you is stronger than yesterday’s you.”

Su Li’s eyes sparkled. He liked the way his mother put things. With a firm nod, he declared, “Mom’s right!”

And so, under Su Shen’s iron-fisted regime and Gu Zi’s gentle persuasion, Su Li had no choice but to accept his fate. Every day, he trained with the weighted sandbags–standing, running, enduring. By the time he finished, he was too exhausted to play. Sometimes, he was so drained that he fell asleep before even taking a bath.

But Su Li was naturally athletic, and after a while, he began adapting to the challenge. Soon enough, he no longer felt as drained after training, which meant only one thing–his confidence was back. He strutted up to Su Bing, practically glowing with self-satisfaction. “Brother, look! I’ve already gotten used to training with the sandbags. When are you going to start?”

Su Bing, who was deeply immersed in learning new culinary skills from their mother, had barely paid attention to his younger brother’s training. His approach to martial arts was straightforward–complete the basics, and that was enough. He glanced at Su Li’s legs, taking in the sandbags. “So?” he said flatly. “Dad never asked me to train like that.”

Su Li’s triumphant expression instantly crumbled. Wait. Why was he the only one wearing sandbags? Why hadn’t he realized this sooner?! Without wasting another second, he rushed off to confront Su Shen.

“Dad! Why am I the only one wearing sandbags?” he demanded.

Su Shen had just returned from outside, carrying a few things in his hands. At Su Li’s outburst, he barely reacted, his face as composed as ever. “Because you need it. Your brother doesn’t.” Then, as if the conversation was over, he casually added, “By the way, it’s time for you to level up. I got you new sandbags.”