The Child Raised by a Golden Retriever Boy-Mom - Chapter 12

In September, when he turned four years old, the summer heat had not yet fully receded, and the air remained dry and scorching.

Feng You took Lu Yubai to inquire about the public kindergartens assigned to their school district housing; after all, starting kindergarten at this age was already quite late. Unsurprisingly, the teachers at the kindergarten declined to admit Lu Yubai.

“We are very sorry, but if the child cannot speak, it is very difficult for us to accept him. There are many children in the class, and if a child has a small problem but cannot tell the teacher, we will not be able to provide proper care.”

The teacher was full of apologies and gave Feng You the WeChat contact of a friend who worked at a special education school. However, Feng You did not want to send the child to a special school.

Lu Yubai chose not to speak; it was not that he was unable to speak. Feng You worried that if the child stayed with special needs students, he might learn sign language and then never be willing to speak again. He had no choice but to take on the responsibilities of a preschool teacher himself. In his spare time, aside from playing with the child, he studied early childhood education.

Compared to other parents, what Feng You lacked least was time; he stayed with the child almost every single day. Feng You also met with the expert introduced by Mu Jingyi to carefully inquire about treatment plans. Psychological healing is a long process, especially for a child as young as Lu Yubai. He could not fully understand what people said, and his understanding of the world was still in its beginning stages.

“Please describe the child’s situation in detail once more.”

The expert was an older middle-aged man, a prominent figure in child psychology named Du Shiwei. He heard that Mu Jingyi had contacted him through several layers of connections. He was very interested in Lu Yubai’s case, as selective mutism in young children had always been a key area of his research.

Feng You supported the child, who sat obediently on his lap, and answered the doctor’s questions seriously. At first, Du Shiwei suspected the possibility of autism, but after hearing Feng You describe the child as smart, lively, and able to understand and respond to people, he ruled that out. He was also curious about what kind of instinct-triggering psychological trauma the child had experienced at one or two years old, before he was even conscious of it, that would cause the body to trigger such a defensive protection mechanism.

Lu Yubai curiously observed the strange man, staring at his graying hair for a long time. Feng You rubbed his head and rested his chin gently on top of the child’s head, introducing the man in a gentle voice:

“This is Uncle Du Shiwei. He is a very capable elder and also our friend.”

“Uncle, good person!”

Lu Yubai sat on Feng You’s thighs and shifted his body happily a few times. He imitated the way Mommy greeted people and enthusiastically reached out his small hand. He opened his round eyes and looked at Du Shiwei expectantly.

“What does the little friend want?”

The adorable child made Du Shiwei break into a wide smile as he grasped the reaching hand with both of his own.

“He wants to greet you, so he is shaking hands,” Feng You explained with a smile.

Lu Yubai nodded. His small hand, covered by the large hands, struggled to shake up and down, mimicking Mommy’s way of shaking hands. He narrowed his eyes and smiled with satisfaction, happily swinging his legs that dangled beside Feng You’s knees.

Du Shiwei affectionately touched Lu Yubai’s little face and began typing the medical record on the computer.

“If he could talk, he would be a very cheerful child. Right now, he is like a happy little dog that cannot speak.”

Feng You nodded, his golden retriever tail wagging quickly behind him like a happy puppy, with the fine golden fur moving chaotically with the motion. He realized he had a bit of a knack for making the children he raised become very much like puppies. Perhaps children raised by a dog will naturally be very dog-like.

They chatted a bit more and finalized the treatment cycle and plan.

“I may need to spend an hour or two alone with the child to conduct a simple test. When are you free?” Du Shiwei asked.

“Anytime is fine. He is not attending kindergarten right now, so he has plenty of time,” Feng You replied.

“Then let it be as soon as possible. I will arrange a time.”

Du Shiwei and Feng You confirmed a date, setting aside extra time for preparation. He took this case very seriously and, after the first meeting, had a good impression of this single-parent family.

The first consultation where Lu Yubai was very well-behaved gave both Feng You and Du Shiwei confidence in the first treatment session. However, that confidence was shattered the moment Feng You left the quiet therapy room.

As the therapy room door gradually closed, Lu Yubai stared blankly at the doorway. In his vision, Feng You’s figure grew smaller and smaller until the golden retriever tail disappeared completely. He immediately scrambled up from the floor and stumbled toward the door as fast as he could. His tiny fingers scraped against the closed door as he hopped to reach the metal lock.

Tears fell instantly. He blocked out the gentle, coaxing voice of the doctor uncle behind him and focused entirely on jumping up to grab the door handle. Lu Yubai could not speak, so even his crying and panic were silent. He turned back to look at the only person remaining in the room, his eyebrows furrowed and his wide-eyed gaze filled with hostility.

“Why, Mommy? Uncle, bad person.”

Du Shiwei was very familiar with this look in children: hostility and panic, like the expression shown when a beloved toy is suddenly snatched away. He quickly opened the therapy room door and called out to Feng You, who was standing outside pacing back and forth just as anxiously.

The moment the door opened, Lu Yubai ran toward the scent of Mommy, wrapping his arms around his legs and pressing his face tightly against him. The child wept silently, hot tears soaking into Feng You’s trousers. Lu Yubai opened his mouth and bit Feng You’s pants to relieve his anxiety. Having grown quite a bit taller, he could now stand on his tiptoes and bite the belt on Feng You’s waist.

“Baby, what is wrong? Do not cry, stop crying. Come, let me hold you.”

Feng You knelt halfway and pulled the child into his arms, his gentle voice coaxing him patiently over and over again. He picked Lu Yubai up and walked slowly down the hallway, just as he had when the child was much smaller, patting his back and coaxing him without stopping for a moment.

The swaying embrace provided a sense of security, and the soft voice was as reassuring as a lullaby. The child in his arms was much heavier now, but the Golden Retriever Mommy’s strong arms could still hold him steadily.

After a long time, Lu Yubai finally calmed down and leaned on Feng You’s shoulder, rubbing against his clothes. There were rarely times when they were apart; Feng You stayed with the child almost every step of the way. Whether buying groceries, cooking, or going for a stroll, the two were almost inseparable. Even when sleeping, Lu Yubai slept pressed into Feng You’s embrace.

Lu Yubai’s life was filled with everything his Golden Retriever Mommy created for him. He could almost always see Feng You’s figure whenever he turned around. That tall, strong silhouette was always in his sight, reachable at any moment. He naturally thought that Mommy’s sudden departure was because this bad person had separated them.

Feng You patted Lu Yubai’s back, finally coming back to his senses from the emergency of coaxing the child. He bowed slightly to apologize to Du Shiwei, his face full of regret.

“I am so sorry, Doctor Du. We may need to take things more gradually. I will pay the regular fee for today’s consultation.”

Du Shiwei quickly waved his hand and helped him stand straight.

“Do not worry about that. Professor Pei introduced you to me; he is my mentor, so there is no need to be polite with me. Is this child a bit too clingy toward you?”

He did not use harsher words to avoid making this Omega Mommy, whom he perceived as being from a single-parent home, even more anxious.

“All children go through this stage. You can try to slowly let him become more independent.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you, Doctor.”

Feng You expressed his gratitude and took Lu Yubai home.

Lu Yubai was no longer willing to go to the children’s hospital. Even when seeing Du Shiwei again, he hid behind Mommy, looking at him with wariness and hostility. A child’s world is black and white, and he had already moved Doctor Du Shiwei from the “good person” list to the “bad person” list.

Du Shiwei had no choice but to let his senior disciple, a younger chief physician, take over the job. But more importantly, Lu Yubai needed to develop a sense of independence; otherwise, no matter who the doctor was, more and more “bad people” would appear in little Yubai’s head.

Feng You flipped through a lot of information and consulted many experts, finally deciding to buy the child a toy that resembled himself. Children always have times when they must be alone, and experts suggested providing an object for emotional attachment.

Feng You held a golden retriever plush toy in front of his face. When the child hopped over happily, his hands grabbed the two large front paws of the little golden retriever to shake them. He lowered his voice, making it sound comical.

“Hello there, dear little Lu Yubai. Would you like to be friends with the little golden retriever?”

Lu Yubai’s eyes lit up, and he nodded happily. The plush toy was moved aside, revealing Mommy’s gentle smile behind it, his amber eyes shining. Feng You held one paw of the little golden retriever and used it to playfully scratch the child’s face.

“Baby, shake hands with your new friend.”

Lu Yubai squeezed the chubby paws of the little golden retriever with both hands, shaking them up and down vigorously like a New Year’s greeting.

“This is for you, baby. No matter when, Mommy will stay by your side and protect you just like this. Even when baby needs to face challenges alone to level up and defeat monsters.”

The little golden retriever toy was round and chubby. The small front paws hanging down had no support, forming a soft clump, and one could even hold it by the head to make the paws wag from side to side. Two golden retriever ears were pressed against its face, and the thick fur was plush and fluffy; it was practically a miniature version of Feng You.

Lu Yubai took the little golden retriever toy with both hands, holding it carefully as if participating in a ceremony from a cartoon where one is chosen by the gods to be a hero. He held the little golden retriever, stroking the front and then turning it over to rub his face against it, completely unable to put it down.

“Does baby like this gift?”

Lu Yubai nodded repeatedly. He ran behind Feng You with the little golden retriever and rubbed the toy against the large tail. Quite a bit of the loose fur from the golden retriever tail rubbed onto the toy, making the plush look even fluffier with the extra hair. Lu Yubai was very satisfied. He parted a thick layer of dog fur on Feng You’s tail and rubbed the toy against the inside.

This way, it had the scent of Mommy.

He bit down on the ears of the little golden retriever, getting a mouthful of fluff and leaving traces of saliva on them. However, the water marks soon disappeared, and he quickly added new bite marks. It is very hard to leave marks on a plush toy; it was not as easy as biting a tooth print into Feng You, and the saliva dried quickly.

Lu Yubai frowned in confusion. Unconvinced, he gnawed on it several more times, filling his mouth with fine bits of loose fluff. Feng You watched the child battle the plush little golden retriever toy for three hundred rounds from the side. After he had laughed enough, he came over to rub the child’s head.

“Baby, shall I embroider your name on the little dog’s ear?”