Chapter 10: The Su Family Has Incredible Genes — Every One of Them a Strongman!

Auntie Su covered her mouth in shock, staring at Su Ning as if he were some kind of little monster.

How could he be this strong?

With one powerful heave of both arms, he had flipped the three-wheeled cart clean over.

The cart loaded with cornstalks had to weigh at least four or five hundred pounds, didn't it?

And Su Ning had just flipped it over?

The thing was…

The critical illness notice the hospital had sent said he was gravely ill, his body extremely frail — that as time went on, even walking would become a struggle, until the very end…

Yet the Su Ning standing before her didn't look the least bit sick!

He was the picture of health!

The situation had been urgent, and Su Ning hadn't had time to think — which was why he'd let his true strength show.

Of course, he hadn't really planned on hiding it either.

He flipped the cart upright and pulled Uncle out from under the pile of cornstalks.

"Uncle, are you alright?" Su Ning asked, his voice laced with concern.

Uncle patted down his military-style jacket, brushing off the bits of cornstalk leaves, then broke into a good-natured grin.

His dark, sun-weathered skin and warm smile gave him an air of honest simplicity. "Heh heh, I'm fine, I'm fine — just got pinned for a moment."

"Nothing vital got hit. Don't worry about it." Uncle waved it off without a care.

"Maybe we should still go to the hospital and get you checked out — registration and a consultation don't cost that much," Su Ning suggested.

"Truly, I'm fine. No pain, no itch — I was just pinned down and couldn't move, that's all. The Su family's always been built tough. What are you worrying about?" Uncle moved every part of his body to demonstrate, and it was clear he really was unharmed.

Su Ning let out a sigh of relief.

When Su Jianguo had been unloading the corn, the cart had slowly tipped sideways and pinned him underneath. With the cornstalks cushioning him, nothing had actually struck him — he'd just been trapped and unable to get out.

"Little Ning… your strength is something else, isn't it?" Auntie Su walked over, puzzled.

"Just now you came sprinting over, and with one motion you flipped that cart — and that cart is no lightweight. Where did you get that kind of strength?"

Auntie Su was genuinely baffled.

Hearing her say that, Su Jianguo also caught on:

"That's right, Little Ning — how are you this strong? That cart is no joke. It'd take three or four people to lift it!"

"Ha ha… I guess I was just born with superhuman strength," Su Ning said.

He couldn't possibly tell them about his cultivation — at least not yet.

Otherwise, Uncle and Auntie would think he'd lost his mind.

"Besides, Uncle, didn't you just say it yourself — the Su family is capable and tough? Isn't it perfectly normal for me to have a bit of strength?" Su Ning smiled.

"You little brat, you're asking for a beating — using my own words against me." Su Jianguo was delighted to see Su Ning, and scolded him with a laugh.

"Uncle, you'd better not try — you never laid a hand on me when I was little, and if you start now that I'm grown, I'll never live it down." The two of them bantered back and forth.

The conversation was easy and light.

Perhaps… this was what family felt like.

Being around them was so relaxing — no need to keep up appearances.

He could completely shed the mask he wore out in the world.

Uncle's family was just like family to Su Ning.

Su Jianguo thought for a moment, then turned serious. "Little Ning… speaking honestly, are you sick?"

"Is it cancer?"

"Did the hospital say you don't have much time left — is that why you chose to come home?" When Su Jianguo brought up the topic, the earlier laughter was gone, replaced by gravity.

The smile on Auntie Su's face disappeared too, replaced by worry.

"Child… you've had it so hard… Why don't you come stay with us? I know you're proud and independent, but… we're your family. Family doesn't mean trouble. Come stay with us so we can look after you." Auntie Su urged gently.

"That's right, Little Ning — don't try to tough it out alone… We're here for whatever you need!" Uncle patted Su Ning on the shoulder, his eyes glistening.

Su Ning felt a pang in his heart…

Uncle's family always managed to give him warmth he hadn't expected. "Uncle, Auntie, stop worrying. I'm perfectly fine — do I look sick to you?"

"Look at me — I just flipped something weighing four or five hundred pounds without breaking a sweat. What kind of sick person does that?" Su Ning spread his hands, feigning ease.

"But… the hospital sent us a critical illness notice?" Auntie Su said.

A critical illness notice?

Do hospitals even send those out to other people?

That shouldn't be standard procedure, should it?

Su Ning was puzzled.

Regardless, Uncle's family had clearly found out about his condition.

But his illness was slowly stabilizing now — he was cultivating, after all. What was a mere illness compared to that?

Before, he'd been powerless. Now, things should be fine.

"Maybe it was a scam, or sent to the wrong address?" Su Ning offered.

"Look at me — I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

Looking at the robust Su Ning, he really didn't seem ill.

"If someone with my kind of strength is considered sick, then there are no healthy people left in the world," Su Ning said.

"Uncle, Auntie, don't worry about me. I'm doing great. I came back because I got tired of city life and wanted to live in the countryside for a while, that's all."

Uncle and Auntie exchanged glances, and after a long pause, said, "You're really not sick? Or are you just saying that so we won't worry — so we won't feel burdened?"

"Relax — I couldn't be healthier!" Su Ning patted his chest. "And besides, if I really were sick and genuinely needed your help, I wouldn't stand on ceremony."

"Oh… well, that's good then, that's good."

"When we first heard the news, we were terrified. We were planning to finish up with the cornstalks and then go check on you. Knowing you're alright is such a relief." Uncle and Auntie finally let the weight lift from their hearts.

"That unscrupulous doctor running a scam is truly awful — deceiving us like that."

"Despicable!"

The two of them muttered their complaints about the hospital.

But now that they knew Su Ning was fine, they were genuinely happy.

"Uncle, Auntie — if there's any work to be done, let me help take care of it. It's rare that I come by," Su Ning said, changing the subject.

"No need, Little Ning — you're still young, you shouldn't be doing heavy labor. Leave it for your uncle," Auntie Su quickly protested.

Su Ning: ……

Good grief.

I'm nearly twenty-eight years old, and you're telling me I'm still a child?

But in the eyes of elders, the younger generation never really grows up.

Su Ning insisted on helping anyway, and with his strength, the work was effortless.

The cartload of cornstalks was cleared in no time.

Uncle was now truly convinced that Su Ning was probably not sick at all.

So there was no need to hold back — it would be a shame not to put that strength to use.

As it happened, the stone mill at home had toppled over, and Su Jianguo couldn't lift it back up on his own.

"Any heavy work, just hand it to me." Su Ning grinned.

He single-handedly hoisted the millstone — which weighed over five hundred pounds — right off the ground.

Over five hundred pounds!

Was Su Ning actually Hercules?

If this was what being sick looked like, were there any normal people left in the world?

Could your average sick person hoist a millstone weighing over five hundred pounds?

Su Jianguo was no weakling himself, but he could never do what Su Ning just did!

He had always been known for his strength — everyone in the village called him a strongman. But now, he was humbled.

He'd been about to say dismissively, "I had even more strength when I was young" — but then he thought back to his younger days and realized he probably couldn't have lifted a millstone this heavy either, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Watching the immensely powerful Su Ning, Su Jianguo could only marvel: "The Su family really is something else — capable and strong, every last one of us!"

Incredible genes.

Seeing his own progress, Su Ning was genuinely elated on the inside.

Before he started cultivating, forget lifting a millstone — even climbing onto the bed had been a struggle.

It seemed that over this period of time, he truly had been evolving.

Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶