Seeming to notice her confusion, Duan Jiaxu instinctively turned his head. He looked at her bewildered expression, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled lightly, “Don’t you think you’ll get sunburned?”
-
They finally reached the tent.
Duan Jiaxu helped Sang Zhi onto a chair.
There weren’t many injured individuals, mostly cases of heat exhaustion.
Sang Yan called over the school nurse to assist Sang Zhi with her injuries.
The school nurse examined Sang Zhi’s ankle, brought an ice pack and some medication, and said, “It’s not a big issue, not too severe. Just apply ice and then spray some medicine. Avoid strenuous activity for the next few days.”
Duan Jiaxu glanced at her. “Shouldn’t we go to the hospital to get it checked?”
”It’s fine, just a minor sprain,” the school nurse replied. “But as a precaution, you can go to the hospital to make sure there’s no ligament or bone damage.”
Sang Yan: “Let’s go to the hospital.”
Sang Zhi looked down at her slightly swollen ankle, remaining silent.
Duan Jiaxu fetched a bottle of saline solution and iodine from the side, squatting in front of Sang Zhi. “Let’s treat the other areas first, then we can go to the hospital.”
Sang Yan walked over: “I’ll do it.”
Only then did Sang Zhi speak, a touch of defiance in her voice, “No, you can’t.”
”…” Sang Yan stared at her for a moment, held back his words, and finally said, “Alright, I’ll get you a glass of water.”
Seeing this, Duan Jiaxu turned to Sang Zhi, raising an eyebrow with a smile. “Do you trust me that much?”
Sang Zhi’s eyes were still reddened. She lowered her head, flattened her palm in front of him, and hesitatingly said, “My brother isn’t very patient, and he tends to make it hurt a lot.”
Duan Jiaxu: “So, Little Sang Zhi is afraid of pain?”
Sang Zhi nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed about her response. She added, “Who isn’t afraid of pain?”
”I see. Well, there might be a little discomfort.” Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze, unscrewing the cap of the saline solution bottle. “Can you bear with it?”
Sang Zhi immediately withdrew her hand and placed it behind her back. “Can’t you be more gentle?”
”It will hurt a little bit,” Duan Jiaxu couldn’t help but chuckle at her vigilant and guarded demeanor. “Not even a little?”
Sang Zhi was resolute: “No.”
”Alright then,” Duan Jiaxu said, “I’ll be gentle.”
Sang Zhi looked at him skeptically, hesitated for a while, and then slowly extended her hand toward him. She said, “Brother, I hold grudges.”
”Pardon?”
”Don’t deceive me.”
”Is it that serious?” Duan Jiaxu’s movement paused as he lifted his eyelids to look at her. “Should I ask someone else to treat your wound?”
”…”
”I really don’t want Little Sang Zhi to hold a grudge against me.”
Sang Zhi pursed her lips: “No.”
Duan Jiaxu’s tone carried a hint of playfulness as he slowly poured saline solution onto her injured hand, “Nothing is allowed? Don’t you think you’re unreasonable?”
”…”
The saline solution wasn’t too irritating, and there was only a slight discomfort at the wound site, not too painful. Sang Zhi stared at his actions, feeling like she could endure it.
Seemingly to distract her, Duan Jiaxu casually said, “You’re in the second year of junior high and still don’t know how to reason?”
Sang Zhi frowned: “Even though I told you before that I don’t know how to reason, I’m generally a very reasonable person.”
Duan Jiaxu laughed again: “Is that so?”
After cleaning the wound on her hand, Duan Jiaxu rolled up the cuff of her right leg and began treating the wound on her knee.
His tone displeased Sang Zhi, “Quite.”
Duan Jiaxu’s expression was serious and focused as he looked at the wound, but his tone seemed absentminded, “Hmm, Little Sang Zhi is the most obedient.”
Sang Zhi glanced at him and fell silent.
”By the way, you told your teacher that your brother is your dad,” Duan Jiaxu curved his lips, suddenly bringing up the matter. “Do you think he would believe that?”
Sang Zhi thought for a moment: “My teacher has never seen my dad.”
Duan Jiaxu: “Huh?”
Sang Zhi: “So there’s nothing for him to be suspicious about.”
”…” Duan Jiaxu tightened the bottle cap, chuckled, and said, “Is your brother really that old? He’s even wearing the same clothes as me.”
Sang Zhi just noticed this point and her expression froze momentarily. After a while, she said, “Then why didn’t you remind me earlier?”
Duan Jiaxu began applying iodine to her wound without saying anything.
Sang Zhi hesitated and asked, “So if the teacher asks, can I say that you two are wearing matching parent-child outfits?”
”…” Duan Jiaxu looked up, stared at her for a while, and said with a meaningful tone, “Kiddo, do you have a conscience?”
”Yeah?”
Duan Jiaxu said lightly, “Your brother treats you so well, and you’re helping him bully me?”
Sang Zhi hesitated, not understanding: “When did I bully you?”
Duan Jiaxu acted as if he hadn’t heard it.
Sang Zhi blinked, feeling a bit bewildered, and explained to herself, “Brother, I think I… I’ve been quite nice to you.”
This time, Duan Jiaxu responded and put the hat back on his own head.
Sang Zhi: “…”
She couldn’t help but say, “You’re quite childish.”
Duan Jiaxu responded lightly, “Hmm, still insulting.”
”…” Sang Zhi’s eyes widened. She felt wronged. “I didn’t insult you. And you’re so much older, how could I bully you? Don’t falsely accuse me.”
Duan Jiaxu: “Stretch your hand out.”
Sang Zhi hesitated for a moment, then obediently stretched out her hand.
He held her wrist and cleaned it, then lowered his eyes, methodically applying iodine to the wound in her palm. He completely ignored her words, as if he was genuinely upset.
Sang Zhi muttered, “Brother, why are you ignoring me?”
”…”
After trying to get his attention for a while to no avail, Sang Zhi became a bit defiant, “You’re quite petty…”
Seeing him instantly glance at her, Sang Zhi quickly corrected herself, “No, I mean holding grudges… No, it’s just, well, your memory is quite good.”
”My memory is quite good?” Duan Jiaxu’s eyes lifted slightly, finally starting to respond to her, “Aren’t you still accusing me of holding grudges?”
”If you want to interpret it that way, it’s not entirely wrong…” Sang Zhi paused, weakly taking back her words, “Of course, that’s not what I meant.”
”Then what did you mean?”
”I meant to praise you.”
Duan Jiaxu stood up and took a packet of wet wipes from the side, tearing it open. “But I don’t like hearing that.”
Sang Zhi: “…”
It was really hard to deal with.
Afterwards, Duan Jiaxu slightly bent over, got closer to Sang Zhi, and attempted to wipe away the stain on her face. “How about we talk about something else?”
Due to this sudden proximity, Sang Zhi instinctively leaned back.
Thinking she didn’t like others touching her face, Duan Jiaxu paused, not caring much about it, and handed her the wet tissue. “Your face got dirty, clean it yourself?”
Sang Zhi remained silent for a moment, didn’t take it, and leaned forward again.
The implication was clear.
Sang Zhi matter-of-factly said, “I can’t see it.”
”Why are you still so awkward?” Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly, wiping her face slowly. After cleaning her face, he didn’t immediately straighten up. Instead, he began, “Little One, do you think…?”
Sang Zhi felt a bit inexplicably nervous: “Think what?”
Duan Jiaxu tilted his head and said with a playful tone, “Why does this feel like I’m serving an ancestor?”
Author’s note:
Sang Zhi: To be honest, although you might not believe it now, I really will be your ancestor in the future.
Peek-Aboo 
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