159: Chapter 159: Interview in the Flower Hall, Seniority Shocks the Entire Audience

The eastern flower hall had already been properly arranged.

A brand-new red cloth was spread over the Eight Immortals table, and two pots of blooming orchids stood in the corner. The originally simple and ancient hall was surrounded by temporarily set-up cameras and recording equipment, giving off a strange sense of collision between tradition and modernity.

The moment Su Han stepped into the flower hall, camera flashes instantly lit up.

Reporters from ten media outlets immediately swarmed around him, microphones almost reaching his lips—

There were television teams carrying cameras, print media reporters with recording pens, and new media streamers holding up phones for live broadcasts. Every face was filled with anticipation.

“Major Su, thank you for waiting!” the reporter from Yuezhou Television Station spoke first, her tone respectful. “Thank you for taking the time to accept this interview. We will strictly abide by our agreement: three questions per outlet, and we definitely won't go over time.”

Su Han sat in the main seat, with Su Wu and Zhou Mo standing behind him—the former was responsible for maintaining order, while the latter had been specifically sent by Wang Yuanchao to “audit,” preventing reporters from asking questions involving classified information.

Su Xiao Nuan sat on a side chair holding Xiao Budian. The two of them couldn't help but lean forward, looking like two curious little squirrels.

“Let's begin.” Su Han signaled with a hand, his expression calm.

The reporter from the Yuezhou Daily was the first to ask a question, her gaze falling on the major's epaulettes on his shoulders: “Major Su, you will officially receive your military merit plaques tomorrow. How are you feeling right now? Two First-Class Merits and one Second-Class Merit are extremely rare in times of peace. What do you feel these honors mean to you?”

The question was gentle yet struck at the core, instantly piquing everyone's interest.

In the live stream's bullet comments, viewers were already flooding the screen:

“Finally, they’re asking the key question! I’m super curious about how a Soldier King feels about winning awards!”

“He’ll probably say ‘the honor belongs to the collective,’ right? That’s just the military style, hahaha.”

“But looking at Su Han’s previous interviews, he speaks quite honestly. He probably won't use official jargon.”

Su Han’s fingertips lightly tapped the tabletop. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke: “To be honest, it’s a bit complicated.”

He looked up at the camera, his tone sincere: “Of course I was happy when I received the military merits; it’s an affirmation of my efforts. But when I see the words ‘First-Class Merit,’ I always think of the comrades who didn't make it back—many of them deserved this honor more than I do.”

“So for me, these military merits are not the end, but a responsibility.” He paused, his voice steady. “Just like the plaque in the Su Clan ancestral hall that reads ‘loyalty and bravery passed down through generations,’ it reminds me that I cannot stop my pace.”

The reporters looked at each other, not expecting such an answer.

There were no heroic words, yet it was more powerful than any slogan.

The live stream comments instantly exploded:

“My heart broke! That line about ‘comrades who didn't make it back’ is so touching.”

“This is what a real soldier is like, right? Treating honor as a responsibility rather than capital for showing off.”

“I suddenly understand why he could be promoted to Major in ten months. His perspective is on a different level.”

The reporter from the National Defense News followed up with a sharp gaze: “Major Su, you have mentioned the Su Family’s ancestral motto of ‘loyalty and bravery passed down through generations’ multiple times in interviews. According to our understanding, the Su Clan is not only a martial arts family, but many members across generations have served the country in the military, including over thirty martyrs. How has this family heritage influenced your military career?”

This question combined personal experience with family heritage, showing they had clearly done their homework.

Su Han looked out the window toward the ancestral hall, his tone carrying a sense of nostalgia: “When I was a child, I hated listening to the clan elders telling old stories. I always felt those tales of ‘ancestors fighting pirates’ and ‘grandpa fighting invaders’ were too cliché. It wasn't until I put on the uniform, was too exhausted to crawl on the training grounds, and faced life-and-death choices during missions that I suddenly understood—”

“Those stories aren't clichés; they are things etched into our bones.” He smiled slightly. “Just like how I used to slack off when practicing Su Family Boxing, but when I’m actually in a fight, my body instinctively makes the most standard blocking posture. Heritage is more stubborn than you imagine.”

Su Xiao Nuan quietly tugged on his sleeve from the side and whispered, “Brother, you said last time that the elders' stories were like chanting scriptures!”

Everyone was amused by this sudden “undermining,” and the atmosphere immediately lightened up a lot.

A reporter from a major portal website took the opportunity to ask with curiosity: “Major Su, netizens are particularly interested in your seniority—Xiao Budian calls you Great-grandfather, and Su Xiao Nuan is your biological sister, yet she has to call Xiao Budian ‘Niece.’ How is this seniority arranged? Is there any special significance to the Su Clan’s generational ranking?”

As soon as this question was asked, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Budian in Su Xiao Nuan's arms—

The little one was sucking on a lollipop. Hearing her name, she immediately poked her head out from Su Xiao Nuan's arms, waved her little hand at the camera, and said in a milky voice, “I’m Great-grandfather's great-granddaughter! Great-grandaunt is Great-grandfather's sister, so she has to call me niece!”

Fearing everyone wouldn't understand, she explained with her chubby fingers: “It's because Great-grandfather is the highest elder in the Su Family. My daddy has to call him ‘Third Grandpa,’ and my grandpa has to call him ‘Third Uncle,’ so me calling him ‘Great-grandfather’ is the rule!”

The reporters were dumbfounded.

According to this logic, as Su Han's biological sister, was Su Xiao Nuan’s seniority actually one generation lower than her own biological nephew (Su Wu)?

The live stream comments simply exploded:

“Help! I’m getting dizzy trying to calculate this seniority! Xiao Budian’s dad calls Su Han ‘Third Grandpa,’ Xiao Budian calls him ‘Great-grandfather,’ and Su Xiao Nuan calls Xiao Budian ‘Niece’?”

“How does the Su Family rank their generations? Are there some special clan rules?”

“I suddenly understand why Chen Hao lost so badly. It wasn't just strength; he was even crushed by seniority, hahaha.”

“The highlight is Xiao Budian’s serious explanation! So cute! Please start a separate live stream for her!”

Su Han helplessly rubbed his brow and explained to the reporters: “The Su Family seniority is ranked according to the five characters ‘De, Ming, Wen, Wu, Zhong.’ My generation happens to be the ‘Zhong’ generation, and I’m currently the one with the highest seniority in the clan, so the younger generations address me according to the rules.”

“However, Xiao Nuan and I lost our parents when we were very young. We grew up in the home of my eldest uncle, who is also our village chief, Su Bowen. You could say they were the ones who raised us. It’s true they should call me by respectful titles like Third Uncle or Third Grandpa because those are the clan rules. But since I am much younger than them and owe them for raising me, out of basic etiquette, I should also address them as a junior. Well~ it’s what people often call ‘I’ll call you mine, and you call me yours.’”

He looked at Xiao Budian with a doting gaze: “This little one grew up in the clan, so she knows the rules better than I do.”

Upon hearing this, everyone finally understood and expressed their approval of this way of addressing one another.

It preserved the rules of seniority while also reflecting the basic politeness of a social society.