Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 29

Life at school passed day by day, and the two brothers grew up and advanced in their education. Due to the age gap, they gradually drifted apart in their school life.

When Jiang Jingda first arrived at the new middle school, his introverted personality made it difficult for him to get along with his classmates. During breaks, while everyone else was engaged in various activities, his absence made him seem very lonely in the noisy classroom.

He struggled to adapt to this sudden change and learned to channel all his energy into his studies. With his exceptional talent and relentless effort, his grades consistently ranked among the top. He achieved outstanding results in various competitions, such as the math olympiads and science contests, both inside and outside of school.

Jiang Jingda’s hard work and achievements greatly impressed his homeroom teacher, who suggested he apply to the school board to skip a grade and start preparing for high school.

By the time he was 16, Father Jiang had recognized Jiang Jingda’s talent. He had previously asked Jiang Jingda to help organize documents and create plans under pressure, and he completed these tasks quickly and excellently, impressing Father Jiang.

As a result, Father Jiang began involving Jiang Jingda in company affairs and discovered his potential extended far beyond that. Despite being underage, Jiang Jingda could handle the cases assigned to him with remarkable organization and efficiency. He didn’t disturb others with questions about professional content but instead researched and learned on his own, producing clear and precise plans.

On several business trips, Father Jiang took him along to broaden his horizons and meet people. Jiang Jingda’s composure and work attitude earned him widespread praise, with even seasoned professionals in the business world complimenting him as a commercial prodigy.

The external praise brought honor to Father Jiang, who treated his adopted son well, knowing how hardworking and diligent Jiang Jingda was, and he aimed to promote him.

Most importantly, Father Jiang was aging and increasingly struggled with company matters. His young biological son was pampered and ignorant of the real world, spending his days practicing calligraphy and admiring paintings, like a young master from ancient times. The comparison with his adopted son made Father Jiang feel disappointed.

Thus, Father Jiang decided that this summer, Jiang Jingda would start interning at his company, beginning as a manager.

This summer was quite unusual. He Lang had just entered middle school, Jiang Jingda had completed his college entrance exams, and had officially reached adulthood.

During these years, both boys had undergone significant changes in appearance.

He Lang had transformed from a small, chubby child into a tall and slender teenager. His once-round face now featured distinct angles, and his high nose bridge gave him a deep, refined look. His thin lips, often pursed, conveyed a hint of harshness.

When he didn’t smile, his face appeared cold and distant, making him seem unapproachable. However, when he did smile, his teeth and deep dimples, coupled with his curved eyes, revealed the sweetest smile in the world.

Although He Lang was no longer short, Jiang Jingda was even taller, with a slender yet sturdier build compared to He Lang. His serious demeanor made his face appear more stern, and his actions exuded a composed presence. He managed everything adeptly, proving himself to be a capable young man.

However, in dealing with He Lang, Jiang Jingda increasingly resembled a thoughtless youth. No matter how many mistakes He Lang made, Jiang Jingda would unconditionally cover for him, clean up his mess, and never scold him. This leniency only emboldened He Lang further.

Song Qinglian found this situation hard to tolerate. Whenever she tried to discipline her son, her adopted son would immediately come to his defense, leaving her powerless. She wondered if Jiang Jingda would only start managing He Lang when he committed serious offenses.

He Lang felt helpless. He simply didn’t want to follow the family’s arrangements and stick to their plans. His curiosity about this world made his actions seem reckless and bold to outsiders. He genuinely didn’t know how to handle the resulting troubles, so he willingly accepted Jiang Jingda’s repeated help.

Now, He Lang’s school was a key institution that had begun supplementary classes, even during vacation, which frustrated him greatly. What bothered him even more was that Jiang Jingda came to their school every day, finding him in class and sitting beside him to watch him do his work, claiming it was to supervise his studies, though it had no real effect.

“Why does it feel like the roles have reversed?” 

He Lang awkwardly said, “Brother… stop coming to find me. The classmates in our class say I’m a clingy little kid.”

This term was already unpleasant, and it didn’t help that the girls in his class were very interested in Jiang Jingda. After his visits, they would chatter about getting his contact details and whether he could come out to play on weekends. He Lang blamed all this trouble on Jiang Jingda.

Moreover, wasn’t Jiang Jingda supposed to be interning at the company? This was his crucial starting period, so why did he still come to He Lang’s school every day? It not only drew attention but also impacted his work.

“Isn’t being close to your brother a good thing?” Jiang Jingda frowned slightly and asked in return.

He Lang seemed to have forgotten how he had previously bothered Jiang Jingda just to spend time with him, and firmly denied, “I’m not clingy.”

“…Fine, it’s brother who’s clingy,” Jiang Jingda could bend and stretch as needed in front of him, letting He Lang have his way and no longer caring about these matters.

Looking at the tall stack of study materials and textbooks on the desk, Jiang Jingda affectionately patted He Lang’s head. He remembered how hard studying had been for him, but he hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now, considering that his younger brother would have to go through the same hardships, he almost wished He Lang could drop out and stay at home. After all, the diploma was meaningless, and he couldn’t bear the thought of letting him work elsewhere.

As the company’s lunch break approached and the class bell rang, but the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, Jiang Jingda lingered reluctantly, telling He Lang, “Next week, Dad asked me to accompany Uncle Li in his place. We’ll be going to an auction, and I think you might enjoy it.”

He Lang perked up and asked eagerly, “What will be there?”

“Porcelain, famous paintings, and such.”

“I want to go too,” He Lang said with a flash of excitement, grabbing Jiang Jingda’s sleeve and not letting go.

Jiang Jingda seemed to smile lightly, “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to cling to your brother?”

“……” He Lang fell silent for a moment and then nudged Jiang Jingda out of the classroom.

He Lang had previously spent a lot of money on antiques from private collectors. Among these quaint porcelain items and artifacts, he always found a sense of home, which comforted him and reminded him that he had a future to look forward to.

Unfortunately, private collectors were hard to find, and as he was still underage and lacked connections, it was inconvenient for him to find more ancient artifacts. The auction Jiang Jingda brought him to offered many high-quality items that had been authenticated.

Most of the antiques He Lang had found among private collectors were rough or counterfeit and of little value, but he could still easily identify the genuine ones, proving his strong appreciation skills. Therefore, when he saw the items at the auction, he was very enthusiastic and seemed capable of describing each one with elaborate language.

Jiang Jingda’s initial purpose was to accompany Uncle Li to the auction, but with He Lang by his side, his attention was mostly focused on him. Uncle Li smiled at the close bond between the brothers and did not say anything.

The first few antiques were quickly taken by others, and He Lang observed quietly without making a sound. 

Although the items were good, they didn’t quite catch his interest until the sixth item was presented. He Lang perked up, listened intently to the host’s introduction, and closely examined the porcelain.

It was a white porcelain piece from the Tang Dynasty, thin and delicate, smooth as jade, and as pure as fresh snow. Its understated elegance was highlighted by a single red plum blossom from the mouth to the body of the vase, which added a touch of brilliance and made it striking.

Its exquisite simplicity revealed a sense of solemn ancient charm, not the flashy beauty but the classic beauty refined by the passage of time.

Although celadon was the representative of the Tang and Song Dynasties and generally superior in aesthetic quality and gloss compared to white porcelain, this piece seemed to suit his tastes better.

He Lang’s eyes lit up slightly as he tugged at Jiang Jingda’s sleeve.

Jiang Jingda, holding He Lang’s hand that was tugging at his sleeve, seemed to be in a good mood and immediately asked him in a low voice if he wanted this item.

Before He Lang could even nod, Jiang Jingda had already raised the bidding paddle. Although he wasn’t clear about the starting price, he was determined to win the item that made He Lang show interest.

“Yes, I like it,” He Lang finally nodded.

Jiang Jingda had also brought Yang Feng, a senior executive from the company who had seen He Lang grow up and had some say in matters. Seeing the two brothers quickly start bidding, Yang Feng cast a disapproving glance at He Lang and said, “Young master, don’t let the eldest master’s indulgence make you careless. This is several million.”

Although the price of the porcelain had already risen to 5.8 million, Jiang Jingda continued to raise the paddle. To avoid upsetting He Lang, he turned to Yang Feng and said, “It’s fine. If Langlang likes it, don’t worry about it.”

Yang Feng sighed, “Indulging your younger brother isn’t done like this. Are you going to pick the stars and the moon for him as well?”

Jiang Jingda raised the paddle again and nodded seriously.

He couldn’t help but feel that even if Langlang didn’t speak up, he would still bow down and offer the world to him.

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**Author’s Note:** A brotherly love/loyal dog/cash machine brother is in the making【?】I feel like my comments are getting fewer and fewer. I’m still hesitating whether to start a double update or not /（ㄒoㄒ）/～～～～～～ just thinking about it…【clutching liver】