Xu Yanlin suggested, "Why don't you wait here while I go in first?"
Xu Shiling kicked his nephew in the leg. "You're a grown man now, you little rascal!"
After he spoke, Xu Shiling straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and strode forward.
He took two steps, then turned back and forced a smile. "I don't look scary, do I? I won't frighten your aunt?"
Xu Yanlin gave him a mock-serious inspection.
Although the Xu family was now composed entirely of scholars, they had originally risen to prominence through military merit. The family's old patriarch was said to have been a hulking man, and their builds only began to refine after several generations of new matriarchs joined the family.
These days, most of the men in the Xu family were tall and slender, with the upright posture of scholars. His youngest uncle, however, was something of a throwback.
He had a brawny, powerful build. He didn't look like a civil official at all; he was the very image of a military general.
