Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 26

It turned out that this was He Lang’s first experience with a skateboard. The servants said he used to love playing with it, so he decided to try standing on it. However, he didn’t expect that after following their instructions to move his feet and push backward, he couldn’t stop sliding.

Fortunately, the living room in the house was very spacious, allowing him to slide a long distance. His body moved quickly, the wind brushing against his cheeks, and his unbalanced figure swayed as if he were about to fall at any moment. This novel thrill made him laugh out loud.

Noticing the gaze at the door, He Lang was slightly startled and tried to stop, but the wheels, still moving, led him to tumble into the arms of a stranger. Although he was young, the boy appeared somewhat mature for his age. His chest, which seemed thin and weak in his imagination, turned out to be unexpectedly firm. Despite the impact, the stranger managed to hold him steadily, seeming very reliable.

Perhaps the child-like nature of his current body influenced him too much; He Lang even wanted to snuggle in the stranger’s embrace.

He Lang waited for him to let go, but he found that the person in front of him was remarkably stiff and seemed frozen, not understanding how to speak.

He Lang slowly looked up and poked at the person, who seemed like a wooden post.

Jiang Jingda, feeling He Lang’s small hand poking him, blinked. For some reason, he seemed to have forgotten how to release the child. His eyes, filled with the image of the child, were small and cute, clean and beautiful. They were completely different from the children he had seen in the orphanage, making him want to observe a little longer.

He Lang, feeling the stranger’s ambiguous gaze, turned his head and said, “Who are you, and why are you looking at me like that?”

Although he had a rough idea of the answer, he wanted to confirm it and hear it directly from him. However, he seemed to have asked too quickly and hadn’t adjusted his speaking manner.

He Lang was gradually adapting to this world, but changing the way he had spoken for years wasn’t easy. The people in the household just assumed he had watched too many historical dramas and didn’t scold him or ask him to correct himself. He continued speaking as he liked, but he wondered if the person in front of him thought he was strange, just like the others did when they first met him.

Hearing the child speak, Jiang Jingda immediately averted his gaze, lowering his head to try to cover his emotions with his long eyelashes. He couldn’t help but laugh at the child’s way of speaking.

He Lang keenly noticed the small shift in his emotions and pretended to be upset, pouting and asking if he was laughing at him secretly.

Jiang Jingda’s calm eyes showed a hint of panic. Hearing that the child had a bad temper, he was afraid of angering him and quickly shook his head.

“Young Master, this is your new older brother, Jiang Jingda, as Madam mentioned,” the servant quickly stepped in to introduce, fearing that their moody Young Master might bully the seemingly gentle Jiang Jingda.

“Jiang Jingda? Older brother?” He Lang nodded and, satisfied with learning a new term, called him cheerfully a few times.

Jiang Jingda breathed a sigh of relief. The child was no longer angry, but he didn’t expect him to call him “older brother” so adorably. The title felt like a light feather that fluttered in the air for a while before gently landing on his heart, suddenly feeling heavy.

This was his younger brother, and he was his older brother.

“Young Master, wipe your sweat first.” Aunt Hui, who took care of him, ran over breathlessly with a towel to wipe his sweat.

He Lang naturally accepted his role, tilted his face to let her wipe the sweat off, and pretended to be enthusiastic. He then clung to Jiang Jingda and deliberately called him with a childish voice.

“Brother, my name is Jiang Langmin.”

Jiang Jingda nodded, appearing calm, but couldn’t help but steal a glance at the brightly smiling Jiang Langmin.

Seeing that Jiang Jingda didn’t say anything, the child was not discouraged and said, “Brother, let me take you to my room.”

He Lang took Jiang Jingda’s hand and pulled him into his room. Aunt Hui watched the two children holding hands and happily went back to the kitchen to continue her work.

Jiang Jingda was surprised by He Lang’s enthusiasm. While astonished, he focused on He Lang’s small, soft hand gripping his. Because they were so close, he could also smell a faint milky scent from him.

He Lang pushed Jiang Jingda into his room, opened a toy box filled with a dazzling array of toys, which left Jiang Jingda dazzled.

Since his parents had died, he hadn’t seen such shiny toys. During his time in the orphanage, he had spent days and nights thinking, crying, and resenting, realizing overnight that he didn’t have the right to get what he wanted.

Before coming here, he had told himself to be calm and well-behaved, not to cause trouble for his adoptive parents. He also planned to remain silent, but in front of the child, he couldn’t maintain his composure.

Whether it was his smiling face or his proactive approach, Jiang Jingda was always drawn to him, wanting to play freely with him like a regular child.

Childhood emotions are simple and pure. He Lang tried to win him over directly with toys, but Jiang Jingda, despite his calm and indifferent demeanor, showed interest in the model toys.

He Lang immediately stood on tiptoe to retrieve a toy from the shelf, handing it to him with a bright smile, “Here, if you like it, it’s a gift for you.”

Jiang Jingda, though somewhat dazed, understood that He Lang wanted to give him the toy. He was so flustered that he took a few steps back, slowly shook his head, and said with difficulty, “I can’t accept things from my younger brother.”

He Lang frowned slightly, and Jiang Jingda thought he was angry, causing his heart to tighten with his expression.

Eventually, He Lang pushed the model into Jiang Jingda’s hands, saying softly, “I’m the older brother, so my things are yours too.”

This reason… this sentence… seemed to cause cracks in Jiang Jingda’s heart like a spider’s web, then it turned into a dart, striking its target and hitting his heart with full force. Jiang Jingda hugged the model, murmuring a thank you, but his eyes were slightly red, making it seem like he was being bullied rather than receiving a gift.

Seeing Jiang Jingda not dancing with joy but rather looking down as if he might cry, He Lang pondered that, after experiencing hardships beyond what typical children could endure in a short period, Jiang Jingda’s emotional resilience had improved. This was beneficial to him, but in reality, Jiang Jingda appeared calm on the surface, while his heart was still quite sensitive and delicate.

Taking advantage of Jiang Jingda’s slightly lowered guard, He Lang felt that he should quickly become an important person in his heart. Otherwise, living under the same roof without any self-preservation skills, if Jiang Jingda developed any dislike towards him as a younger brother, it would be hard for him to cope.

In just a few seconds, Jiang Jingda’s eyes even started to glisten with tears, gritting his teeth and making no sound. He Lang tugged at his own collar, wiping his tears.

“You’re such a crybaby,” he said, using the term Aunt Hui once used for him, now fittingly applied to Jiang Jingda.

Jiang Jingda immediately used the back of his hand to wipe away the remaining tears from his eyes, looking firmly at He Lang and saying, “I won’t cry anymore.”

He Lang nodded, smiling warmly.

At this time, Jiang Jingda was eight years old and in the third grade, while He Lang was of kindergarten age.

He didn’t know what kindergarten was. Song Qinglian explained it as a place where kids learn, and to encourage him, she mentioned that everyone goes there; otherwise, they can’t grow up.

He Lang accepted this eagerly and looked forward to it, realizing that people in this world valued education so highly that every three-year-old began studying.

But when he actually started school, He Lang was astonished. His mother had told him he was going to school, but why did he only see children dancing and waving their hands to strange music every day?

When the loud music played, He Lang was the only child in the class who remained motionless, even crossing his arms and observing the others with a complicated mood.

The teacher, with a bright smile, came to guide him, holding his small hands and teaching him to dance. He Lang remained unmoved, shaking his head to indicate he didn’t want to move.

The teacher wiped the sweat from her forehead in resignation. No wonder the parents of children joining kindergarten had warned her that this child might be very difficult. However, since the child had a noble status, she didn’t want to force him. She patted his head and then went to sing and dance with the other children.

“Three spins to the left, three spins to the right, twist your neck～ wiggle your bottom～”

“Let’s do it again! Twist your neck～ wiggle your bottom～”

The cheerful music was endless. He Lang thought to himself that he hated kindergarten.

During story time, He Lang finally showed some interest. Seeing that he was interested in stories, the teacher immediately invited him to the stage to tell a story. He Lang nodded slightly and decided to tell a story about a fable.

Looking at the pairs of round eyes below the stage, He Lang cleared his throat and confidently began, “In the Song dynasty, there was a man who pulled up seedlings that were not growing, and when he went back home, he said to the people: ‘Today I am sick! I helped the seedlings grow!’ His son went to see and found that the seedlings had withered. Few people in the world help seedlings grow. Those who think it is useless and abandon them are not weeding the seedlings; those who help them grow are those who pull the seedlings up. It is not only useless but also harmful…”

The audience below was silent, and the teacher’s smile was frozen on her face. “He Langmin told the story very well! Wonderful! Children, give him a round of applause!”

The children laughed heartily, some even murmuring about being hungry or needing to use the restroom.

He Lang frowned as he returned to his seat, thinking that as an adult, he would not bother with children who weren’t even old enough to grow facial hair.

When he got home, he felt as if he had committed a great sin, but Song Qinglian kept asking him, “Did you make any good friends?”

He Lang recalled the children in kindergarten with drool-soaked bibs and runny noses and shook his head firmly.

“Do you like kindergarten?” Song Qinglian asked anxiously.

He Lang answered definitively, “No! Don’t! Like!”

**Author’s Note:** Because of the change in world, the character may seem a bit out of character, but the environment significantly influences one’s personality. The original self will also affect the protagonist. To fit the original character, the protagonist adjusts his behavior and manners accordingly. Think of it as a conservative ancient person suddenly coming to the modern world and attending kindergarten, which is quite a bitter experience.