Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 28

As the end of the year approached, He Lang had not only become familiar with the world but had also grown up in it.

The New Year’s Eve dinner was held at a hotel with many guests, including relatives and friends.

In such a setting, it was inevitable that—

“He Lang, what song did you learn at kindergarten?” Song Qinglian suddenly called out his name, asking him to stand up.

“Little Swallow,” He Lang answered honestly.

Jiang Jingda turned to look at him with an unclear expression but with a hint of anticipation and teasing in his eyes.

He Lang glanced at him, not understanding his intention.

Song Qinglian then said, “Come to the front and sing a song for the uncles and aunties!”

She smiled broadly and began clapping along.

“Come, little swallow~ wearing flowery clothes~”

Hearing the familiar melody, He Lang shivered, looked at her in shock, and immediately hid behind Jiang Jingda, unable to believe that his mother wanted him to embarrass himself in front of everyone.

Seeing He Lang’s reaction, Jiang Jingda slightly pursed his lips and bravely stepped in to help.

He Lang was very touched; it was hard to get Jiang Jingda to speak in front of so many strangers. He just wanted to grow up quickly to avoid such humiliations.

Just as He Lang was about to give up, he successfully reached the preschool class.

At this point, they had started teaching basic English and writing. He Lang, seeing the crooked and insect-like writing of others, shook his head and asked the teacher if he could use a brush instead.

The teacher thought he was joking and handed him a pencil.

Although the pencil felt strange to He Lang, he quickly learned how to use it and soon wrote his name beautifully.

When Song Qinglian came to pick up He Lang, the teacher praised him as the best student, saying that his writing in class was even better than the teacher’s and that he was like a little calligraphy master.

The whole family praised him to the skies, and Jiang Jingda couldn’t help but feel a small sense of pride, pinching He Lang’s nose and saying, “He Lang can write?”

In fact, this wasn’t something to be too happy about… He Lang nodded with a complex expression and after some thought told him, “Brother, I don’t want to use a pencil. I want a brush.”

Jiang Jingda didn’t ask further and immediately went to the stationery store to buy brushes, ink, and paper.

Reacquainted with the familiar brush, He Lang felt like he had returned to his old self as memories flowed from the tip of the brush.

He wrote on the rice paper with graceful and flowing strokes, producing clear and powerful characters.

Passing servants marveled, and Melon Rabbit jumped proudly beside the rice paper, finally using He Lang’s phone to take a video and upload it online.

After a while, Song Qinglian was interviewed by local reporters and was asked to have He Lang demonstrate his calligraphy on a local show, which led to a special feature on him as a prodigy.

He Lang grew increasingly uneasy and immediately pulled Melon Rabbit’s ear, “Did you do something?”

Melon Rabbit’s ears drooped as he handed the phone to He Lang.

The title read in bold letters: “Shock! Five-Year-Old Writes These… Surprising Everyone!”

He Lang frowned, “Why do I feel like the title is off?”

“Host, you don’t understand. This is art, this is trend,” Melon Rabbit twitched his whiskers.

“Really? I feel like you’re tricking me.”

Since then, He Lang began participating in various calligraphy competitions. Due to his young age and frequent victories, he quickly became famous… By the time he started elementary school, everyone already knew him as the child from other people’s families.

Not only did younger classmates know him, but even older students were familiar with him, not just because of his reputation as a calligraphy genius but also because he made his presence felt every day in the higher grades—

He Lang, indifferent to everyone, walked straight into the higher-grade classroom, squeezed past the girls surrounding Jiang Jingda and asking him questions, and sat next to him, resting his chin on the desk and watching him quietly.

Jiang Jingda, with his steady nature and focus on studying, could continue reading and solving problems even in the noisy environment of recess. But whenever He Lang came and sat quietly next to him, Jiang Jingda felt he could no longer remain calm.

Lang Lang couldn’t understand the advanced problems of their seniors, which made him feel uneasy about being neglected. Jiang Jingda was about to close his book when his desk mate, Xiao Yang, immediately approached with interest, “The first-year little kid is so cute. Are you looking for our class’s top student again?”

Every time Xiao Yang saw this delicately beautiful younger student come looking for his older brother, he felt a strong urge to pinch his tender cheeks. Lang Lang slightly turned his face away, but Xiao Yang continued to reach out and tease him until Jiang Jingda silently smacked his hand away.

Xiao Yang rubbed his reddened hand and didn’t dare to say anything, only clicking his tongue in envy and complaining, “Sigh, kids are so clingy.”

Lang Lang gave him a sidelong glance and ignored him. In fact, he had no urgent matters when he came to find Jiang Jingda, but he insisted on coming to the senior side to report every day after school. Whether it was to ask for snacks or milk from his mother or if he was missing a notebook or stationery, he would come to him.

With only two minutes left before class started, Lang Lang immediately said, “Brother, remember to come to the school gate to wait for me after school.”

“You can go home with your friends,” Jiang Jingda said. He felt that his younger brother seemed to have trouble getting along with classmates, and usually, friends who went home together would gradually build better relationships. During his time in the orphanage, he had to interact with many people and knew the importance of socializing.

He thought his younger brother might be too young to be independent.

Although he didn’t mind being clung to by his younger brother and even felt a sense of security and joy from it, Jiang Jingda still suggested this for his brother’s sake.

Lang Lang was outstanding from the start in terms of intelligence, qualities, and calligraphy, often praised by teachers. Moreover, he didn’t care much about interacting with others and was somewhat aloof, which led to some negative opinions from poorer-performing students.

Lang Lang chose to ignore this. Honestly, he didn’t fit in with these kids and saw no need to force it, as it didn’t benefit him at all.

He’d rather stay with Jiang Jingda. Every time he came to the classroom, he would see a group of girls surrounding him, asking questions. He didn’t dislike it; he just felt that his time shouldn’t be wasted on these girls.

The reason he stuck close to Jiang Jingda was because his heart was so high that he always showed friendliness from the very first day they met, but only recently did Jiang Jingda start to show some special care and consideration for him.

Perhaps he was being impatient, but he knew he wanted more than just that; he wanted complete trust.

“I don’t want to go home with those people. I only like my brother, and I only want to go home with him.” Lang Lang lowered his head, his voice muffled and tender, making one’s heart ache.

Jiang Jingda immediately abandoned his previous thought of encouraging his brother to build relationships with others. A strong desire to protect this child arose.

He couldn’t bear to see him suffer or feel that his brother needed to make friends to be happy.

Jiang Jingda thought that as long as his brother stayed with him, protected by him, he would be the happiest little prince.

It was the first time someone had said with such pure sincerity that they only liked him, and the first time someone had shown such trust, heavy and precious. He would absolutely not let this go and would never give it to anyone else.

This thought made everything start to change, as if he had an epiphany. Jiang Jingda realized how much he cherished the child’s affection and dependence, which was as refreshing as sweet rain.

Lang Lang smiled, seeing the ups and downs of Jiang Jingda’s emotions. He immediately shook his hand and suggested, “Brother, I don’t want the family driver to pick us up anymore. Let’s ride bikes together.”

At their age, kids usually rode their bikes to school. The scenery along the way and the cool breeze on their faces were experiences not felt in a chauffeured car. Lang Lang had seen others doing this and was eager to try but had never had the chance.

Jiang Jingda, accommodating him, nodded in agreement.

The next day, a brand-new bicycle was prepared by the servants. Lang Lang eagerly tested the wheels but found he couldn’t ride it, so he left the task to Jiang Jingda and sat on the back seat.

Jiang Jingda complained but didn’t say anything. However, his brother clung too tightly, making him very uncomfortable, even stiffening his movements.

Since Lang Lang had never ridden such a bike before, he was indeed a bit anxious, holding tightly to Jiang Jingda’s waist and pressing his face against his back. The close proximity made his warmth transfer from Jiang Jingda’s back straight to his heart.

Jiang Jingda, sensitive and delicate, didn’t show it but his ears were turning red. He gripped the handlebars tightly and took a deep breath before mustering the courage to ask him not to hold so tightly.

Lang Lang noticed his discomfort but mischievously rubbed against him and smiled, “No! What if I fall off? Can you bear to let that happen?”

He immediately fell silent. If his brother fell, not only would he be heartbroken, but his adoptive mother would also not let him off. Jiang Jingda sighed, choosing to remain silent and let him hold on tightly, his face red all the way home.

Jiang Jingda thought that although he might know Lang Lang was doing this intentionally, he still felt his brother was a pure and innocent child. He liked Lang Lang and was willing to be completely devoted to him.

**Author’s Note:** To answer two questions, I am a fan of pure relationships, but to consider the feelings of fans of double purity, I try not to have the protagonist and anyone other than the little protagonist interact too much. As for the ending, I don’t know if it counts as one-on-one or not (np is strictly forbidden, cannot be written). I plan to write eight different worlds and endings, so there isn’t a specific main protagonist. Readers can enjoy whatever they like, and it’s all about being happy.