The next morning, Li Shuxiao, with dark circles under her eyes, sat in the car as Lin Xiao drove the children to school.
"Brother-in-law, what exactly are you?" she asked, having not slept well all night.
After returning home, she had pinched her leg. It hurt, a real pain. This meant she wasn't dreaming. Therefore, the incredible feats that Lin Xiao, Xun'er, and Luo Bing had performed were real.
"Me? I'm your brother-in-law," Lin Xiao replied, not understanding her confusion.
"But… you, Xun'er, and Bingbing… what's going on?"
Li Shuxiao couldn't comprehend it. Her family did have some money, but it was only relatively speaking, and she had never encountered true martial arts masters, let alone witnessed authentic ancient martial arts lineages. For her, such things belonged to television dramas, street performances in movies, and… charlatans.
Yet, last night, something had happened that shattered all her preconceptions.
"It's just simple martial arts practice, to strengthen the body. What, do you want to learn?" Lin Xiao asked casually.
Simple martial arts practice?
Li Shuxiao felt that the word "simple" was being used a bit too lightly.
However, she immediately seized upon the last few words and excitedly exclaimed, "Yes!"
"Then I'll teach you when we get back. But I'll tell you upfront, it's best to start practicing martial arts early. If you start now, you'll only be able to strengthen your body," Lin Xiao said, knowing that last night had opened a new world for her. Since she wanted to explore it, he might as well try to teach her something.
"Okay!" Li Shuxiao nodded vigorously.
Once, she believed in science. She believed that in the 21st century, there was no such thing as internal energy cultivation, no such thing as leaping onto rooftops and scaling walls. These were all fabrications in television shows. But…
She believed in martial arts.
To her surprise, on the way home, they encountered many elderly gentlemen in the neighborhood, who looked like they had retired from their careers and were now enjoying their golden years, returning from their morning exercises with breakfast.
These elders would greet Lin Xiao proactively.
As Lin Xiao got out of the car, he returned their greetings one by one.
"Brother-in-law, you're actually that familiar with these old gentlemen?" Li Shuxiao's gaze towards Lin Xiao now held a hint of admiration. Her weakness was communicating with elders, whether they were her grandparents' generation or her parents' generation; she never felt comfortable. How could Lin Xiao handle it so well?
"Oh, we're not that familiar, really. But I often bump into them when I go for walks at night. That grandpa there, the other day he fell while jogging and dislocated his left wrist. I happened to be there and helped him put it back in place."
"That grandma over there, her dog went missing before, and I helped her find it."
"And that one, I met him once while grocery shopping, and we exchanged tips on bargaining."
"And so on…"
Listening to Lin Xiao's string of explanations, Li Shuxiao blinked in confusion. Except for the first instance of the grandpa falling, she understood. But the rest… she felt something was off.
Again and again, her perception of Lin Xiao was being overturned.
Now, in her eyes, Lin Xiao was mysterious, talented, and possessed many of the qualities found in the exemplary children of other families. Compared to Lin Xiao, she felt more like an idle loafer.