Chapter 29: Chatty Nian Nian Saves the Talkative Autistic

“I, I…”

Jiang Duan was at a loss. He looked at Nian Nian's long, curled eyelashes, her round, bright eyes that looked like they were filled with stars, her face as pink as a peach, and he stuttered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

He has no friends, let alone such a lovely brother.

But now it seems to have.

At this moment, he forgot that he could still ask Cheng Huili for help on how to deal with this situation.

Nian Nian naturally didn't give him the chance to ask for help. He was very understanding: "Brother, Nian Nian, please listen." He thought Jiang Duan stuttered because he was too anxious, so he said that he was listening to him and asked him to slow down.

Jiang Duan's chest heaved, and he finally managed to control his emotions: "I won't run. Let go."

As the words of refusal came out of his mouth, a trace of discomfort flashed across his face and he immediately shut his mouth.

"Hmm? Brother, making friends?" Nian Nian tilted her head and frowned, puzzled. Making friends, calling him brother, but not holding hands? He even thought he could hug.

At home, he hugged Shi Linzhuo and his good friend Yuanyuan.

Nian Nian convinced herself with simple logic, and refused to let go with a clear conscience, looking at Jiang Duan without any fear.

Jiang Duan's face flushed red. He seemed to be angry with Nian Nian, and his lips were pursed even more tightly, but other than that, he was no longer obsessed with pulling his hand away.

"Brother, brother." Nian Nian, who had always been pampered, didn't know what the word "hate" meant. He clung to Jiang Duan in a clinging manner, "Nian Nian, let's play."

Jiang Duan's expression softened, the redness on his face fading considerably. Although it was still difficult for him to come up with a decent social conversationalist, he said, "Yeah."

"Wow!" Nian Nian was very happy that she had a friend to play with besides Yuan Yuan, so she let go.

Jiang Duan glanced at his released hand, lowered his eyelashes and showed no expression.

Cheng Huili did not miss Jiang Duan's gaze. Her heart skipped a beat. The sparks of hope in her heart rubbed and collided, igniting a small flame, and her heartbeat uncontrollably accelerated.

Social desire can really be stimulated!

Her nose felt sore, and she almost cried. She quickly turned away to calm her expression. Jiang Shengjun's hands at his sides repeatedly tightened and relaxed, and he was clearly not calm either.

"Brother, Nian Nian, give me a hug." Nian Nian smiled.

Jiang Duan looked over at the sound, and his vision blurred. Like a puppy jumping through hoops, the little kid leaped into his arms, smacking his head with abandon, clacking it comfortably against Jiang Duan's shoulder. The routine flowed like flowing water, a familiar routine at home.

Jiang Duan was only three years old. His body was shaken by the impact and he almost couldn't support Nian Nian's weight. After he managed to maintain his balance, he felt warm skin and air flow on the side of his neck.

That's Nian Nian's.

This realization made Jiang Duan's eyes widen. He had been confined to one place for too long, and every step he took outside of it was difficult and restrictive.

Just like now, he had no idea how to react to this ordinary physical interaction with others.

What do you do? What do you say? What facial expressions do you use? What interjections do you use?

He doesn't know anything. He can't express emotions, communicate, or pay attention to others. To put it mildly, it's not that he can't do these things, but it's difficult for him to do them.

These skills that ordinary people are born with are difficult for people with high-functioning autism to achieve because they are born without this part of emotional function and can only rely on later intervention and guidance to imitate social interactions.

So at this moment, Jiang Duan was as stiff as a piece of iron, unable to speak.

The little guy in his shoulder was still arching his back, as if he was really happy to have him as a friend.

Jiang Duan blinked slowly.

Do you smile after making friends? Do you smile as happily as Nian Nian?

Before Jiang Duan could think clearly, Nian Nian came out of his arms again: "Nian Nian and brother, Youyou."

This sentence was not difficult for Jiang Duan. He could understand it and answer: "Yes."

He and Nian Nian are friends now.

Nian Nian wouldn't respond to such a question. She rolled her eyes and thought for a while, then said with a cute face: "Hmm!"

Jiang Duan didn't know what he meant now. He was not good at chatting, so he choked and murmured "hmm" in a low voice.

Nian Nian was excited and addicted to the game: "Yeah!"

Jiang Duan's face was expressionless: "...Yeah."

Nian Nian: “Yeah!”

Jiang Duan: “…………Yeah.”

The two of them mumbled back and forth a few times, but Nian Nian was still as interested as ever, as if she had already treated the mumbling back and forth as a game.

Shi Jianfeng was used to it; Nian Nian's train of thought always showed its uniqueness at odd moments. Jiang Shengjun and Cheng Huili didn't mind their irrelevant and meaningless chatter at all.

Sometimes they didn't say many words to Jiang Duan in a day, so it was beyond their expectations that Nian Nian could chat with Jiang Duan for so many sentences in less than an hour.

Whether it's logical or not is irrelevant. Besides, what logic can a child have?

After the two little guys nodded for a few minutes, Nian Nian got bored first. He looked at Jiang Duan sincerely:

"Brother, you like it, huh?"

——

Jiang Duan is designed to be a mildly autistic person. Aside from social difficulties and low empathy, he doesn't have any mental health issues, violent tendencies, or emotional instability. Because his autism is mild, with only mild symptoms, appropriate intervention will gradually make him indistinguishable from his peers. Nian Nian will be there for him.