Chapter 86 1/2

The veins on seven-year-old Cen Lang’s hand back are not as noticeable as in adulthood; paediatric nurses need advanced needle skills.

Two-year-old Jiang Li faces difficult tasks.

“Big brother, would you like to be a volunteer?”

“Sure.” Cen Lang rolls up his sleeves, bravely extending his arm, as long as it’s not a needle in the buttocks.

Jiang Li has Cen Lang clench his fist, his chubby palm patting Cen Lang’s hand back, saying, “Brother, I can’t see it.”

Cen Lang recently tanned his arms, making the veins less visible.

Cen Lang: “We need to use a tourniquet; never mind, I’ll do it myself.”

Cen Lang lets Jiang Li hold one end of the tourniquet while he ties a knot with one hand.

“I know the next step!” Today, Jiang Li observed the nurses at the hospital several times, understanding that after finding the vein, the next step is disinfection.

Cen Lang hands him a bottle of iodine.

Jiang Li, like Cen Lang brushing tomato sauce on chicken legs, stirs the iodine with two cotton swabs, absorbing a lot before applying it in circles on Cen Lang’s hand back.

Cen Lang has never felt his hand pull back so cold, restraining the impulse to pull away.

The home tutor brings a disposable infusion needle; seeing the two kids are ready, he quickly hides the infusion bag behind to avoid Jiang Li going all out.

This family often confuses who the real young master is.

He loosens Cen Lang’s tourniquet.

“Let’s practice with the teddy bear first.” The tutor pats Jiang Li’s head, creating a model on the spot.

Cutting a five-centimetre piece of infusion tube, vertically fixing it on the teddy bear’s paw as if it were a vein, and wrapping it with white adhesive tape.

“Come on, pay attention.” The tutor opens the needle cover. “Pretend we’ve already disinfected it. Pinch here, slowly pierce the tube. Your turn.”

Jiang Li, holding the shiny needle, says, “Brother, help me hold the teddy bear.”

Cen Lang complies.

Jiang Li follows the tutor’s instructions, slowly piercing the infusion tube; it’s too thin and accidentally goes elsewhere.

“Great job; try again,” the tutor encourages.

Jiang Li learns from the lesson, this time piercing the infusion tube correctly.

“Brother, my hand doesn’t listen.”

Cen Lang, still nervous: “Practice more; you’ll get it.”

The tutor removes the needle, demonstrating again.

Jiang Li tirelessly learns, poking holes in everything, whether it should be pierced or not.

“Ouch—”

Jiang Li accidentally stabs his left thumb, the needle stuck; his eyes quickly turn red. “Help me, brother!”

Cen Lang rushes to help.

“So painful, so painful.” Jiang Li cries in Cen Lang’s arms.

Both Cen Lang and the tutor can’t stop him from accidentally stabbing himself. Learning medicine at the age of two is too dangerous; can they discourage Jiang Li from this idea?

Cen Lang comforts Jiang Li, blowing on his thumb. “Do you still want to learn?”

Jiang Li has thought for a long time, “I’ll learn when I grow up.”

Cen Lang signals the tutor to quickly put away the tools.

After crying for a while, little Jiang Li suddenly remembers the teddy bear: “Does the teddy bear hurt?”

Cen Lang: “It’s different from us.”

“?”

“Don’t volunteer; it hurts a lot.”

Cen Lang: “Okay, I’ll only be a volunteer for you.”

…

Jiang Wanlan originally wanted to come back immediately, but Cen Wei called and said everything was taken care of, so he didn’t cancel the contract and came back.

As soon as he arrived home, little Jiang Li showed his thumb: “Dad, it hurts.”

Jiang Wanlan keenly sees a needle hole; his face turns pale. “Didn’t they say they didn’t prick you?”

Is it Cen Wei’s well-intentioned lie?

“Dad, I did it myself.” Jiang Li buries his face in his father’s shoulder, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Cen Lang recounts the whole process.

Jiang Li nods responsibly.

“Baby suffered; Dad will blow on it.” Jiang Wanlan holds his son’s small fist.

Little Jiang Li is greatly comforted, and for any activity afterwards, he insists on having his brother blow on him every hour.

…

After finishing the kindergarten small class, Jiang Li decides to move to the big class on his own.

Jiang Wanlan asks him why: “Your little friends are in the middle class, not the same class as you. You should get to know new friends.”

Little Jiang Li hesitates for a moment. “I want to be in the big class.”

After completing the big class, he can go to elementary school.

“I want to go to elementary school like my brother.”

He discovered that from the first to the sixth grade, elementary school is in the same building!

Upon hearing this, Cen Lang, who was planning to enrol in the fifth grade the next year, changed his mind and enroled in the sixth grade instead.

In the elementary school department, fifth grade is not at the top, but in Jiang Li’s first grade, he wants to maintain his brother’s prestige.

Being in the same building is very convenient; during breaks, Cen Lang can easily check on Jiang Li without running around.

Every day, he can take his brother to school, personally delivering him to the first-grade classroom, then climb three flights of stairs to attend sixth grade.

Jiang Li is a year younger and shorter than his classmates, sitting in the front row. Every time Cen Lang descends the stairs, he can see Jiang Li diligently doing homework.

Truly adorable, obviously the most diligent kid in the class.

When Cen Lang turns ten, it’s summer vacation after finishing elementary school, and his parents wake up.

After nearly five years of deep sleep, Cen Lang’s parents need time to recover. Cen Lang goes to the medical laboratory every day, guiding his parents in their exercises.