Zhouzhou stood in a horse stance, her chubby little feet shifting on the ice as she tried to warm up. Her face had turned blue from the cold. Xi Mo, watching her, naturally felt a pang of sympathy. However, he had to harden his heart. Cold endurance training was something she had to go through.
"If you can't take it, you can leave," he said.
But Zhouzhou shook her head firmly, "I can do it!"
Her dad and uncle had passed the same test, so she believed she could too!
Xi Mo fell silent, merely keeping an eye on the time. After half an hour, he finally said, "Alright, now into the water."
Without a word, Zhouzhou leapt into the water like a fat little fish, kicking her short legs until even the last strand of her hair disappeared beneath the surface.
Xi Mo kept an eye on his watch, "You have to last ten minutes today. No coming up before that."
Ten minutes. Zhouzhou's little face scrunched up in worry. She'd only managed five minutes in the morning.