The next day, Will was sitting on a bed in the hospital. He was very annoyed with the medical industry in this world.
First, he had been poked and prodded with a variety of strange looking devices that he had never seen before. His chest, ears, mouth, nothing had escaped them.
Then, the seemingly kind nurse suddenly transformed into an evil demon. She pulled out a needle saying he needed something called a 'vaccine'. What was that? Was it really necessary?
Then as if that wasn't bad enough, she came back with another needle saying they needed to run blood tests to get a full report on his health.
He felt that between health and not having a needle jabbed into his poor thin little arm, health was an unnecessary luxury. When he had started to shake his head no, he felt his hand grabbed.
He turned to see his big brother staring at him, his face as always stuck in a serious expression. "An An, don't be afraid. I'm right here."
What did that do? Will wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry. Big brother, you holding my hand doesn't stop that horrible needle from impaling me, or prevent my blood from draining out of my body. It will only be slightly warmer. Although I appreciate your feelings, couldn't you save me from the needle instead?
His grief did not stop the inevitable however, as the nurse left with small vials of his blood. He watched her go with a sad expression, that was my life that you carried away, do you know that?
In fact if it wasn't for the fact that this world had no magic, he would never have agreed to having blood drawn. Blood was inextricably linked to the life force of a person. If you had their blood, there was a number of very nasty curses and spells that you could impose on them. This wasn't a magic world though, so Jenny assured him that it was fine.
The doctor informed them that although the blood test would take a few days, he could already recommend that his diet be supplemented with many essential vitamins, long term malnourishment having already had a severe impact on his young body. He was also severely underweight and short for his age. So a high calorie diet was needed to bring him back up to standard. This along with exercise and more time outside in the sun.
Xia MingWen listened to the doctor very carefully, afraid that any mistake could harm his poor little son.
When they finally left, Will took a big sigh of relief. He hoped he would never see a hospital again. When Xia JianYu overheard his mutters, he very kindly informed him that they had a family doctor they usually called. Since his condition required a more comprehensive examination however, they visited the private hospital in the city.
Will felt the malice of the world press down on him. They had one of those horrible needle people that visited the house? The future is dark.
When they reached the house, Xia JianYu dragged him to sit in front of the TV. He put on a cute children's cartoon for Ning An, before he pulled out his homework for the weekend. At first Will was focused on the little blue dog who searched for clues, but the scratching of Xia JianYu's pencil attracted his attention.
He peered over to the paper, only to frown. He couldn't read it. Will bit his lip. This couldn't go on, he needed to start learning. He hesitated before softly poking his big brother.
When Xia JianYu felt the touch he glanced at him in inquiry. "B-big Brother, what are you doing?" It was still difficult to talk to his cold faced big brother. The feeling that Xia JianYu gave off was that any interruption to his concentration was a crime.
"Homework." The short reply came. Will looked at him helplessly, he knew that it was homework. But what exactly was it? Will a few more words kill him? Perhaps Xia JianYu heard his thoughts, because he shifted the paper towards him so that he could read it.
The only problem was, "Big Brother, I can't read it." He spoke uneasily, it was so much more embarrassing to say out loud. Xia JianYu was surprised, then he felt distress, he had been very distressed these past two days.
"It's okay An An. Dad will get you some tutors to help you catch up. I can teach you a little bit as well." He seemed to understand Ning An's embarrassment, and sought to reassure him.
"Really? What will I learn? Will I go to school?" This is what Will wanted to hear, he really wanted to feel less helpless in this world.
"Well, Dad decided to have you take a year off and learn with special tutors so that you can keep up with other kids your age when you go to school next year." Xia JianYu's voice though still very serious, took on an earnestness to prevent Ning An from feeling shy, even though he thought An An's shy look was very cute.
"As for what to learn, besides ordinary subjects, you can pick. I learn piano, self defense, and painting." Will was shocked, this champion! He knew by virtue of the plot that Xia JianYu took all advanced courses for his age, and was even trying to skip grades, but he still had energy to spare for three extracurriculars?
He didn't think he had that much energy in himself. Will pinched his chin and wrinkled his brow as he thought deeply. What did he want to learn?
While he was thinking, Xia MingWen walked in to see his two sons sitting together on the couch. The big son was staring at his little son with a slightly softened expression. The little son was in a classic thinking pose, his small face wrinkled in thought. Xia MingWen quickly brought out his phone to save this adorable moment.
Then he heard An An's soft voice, "Then, I want to learn to cook. A-and learn self defense with you Big Brother." Will determined that these two things were essential. He never wanted to be unable to eat properly and his experience when he first entered this world was engraved permanently in his mind. He also felt that he was really weak without magic, so he should probably learn to protect himself.
When Ning An asked to learn those two subjects, the father and son understood that he was afraid that he would be without food again, and that he was afraid of being abused. The two of them hugged Ning An tightly. Xia MingWen declared that no matter what his little son wanted to learn, it was fine with him.