The Child Raised by a Golden Retriever Boy-Mom - Chapter 13

Feng You wrote Lu Yubai’s name on the ear of the small golden retriever plushie and began to embroider it carefully with a needle and thread.

He was very skilled at needlework; he had knitted the child’s hats, sweaters, and cotton shoes in his spare time. Embroidering a name was no trouble at all. His stitches were meticulous, creating small, elegant, and clear characters in the regular script. He worked stitch by stitch against the light, embroidering the name he knew so well onto the plush toy.

Lu Yubai sat on a low stool nearby, his chin resting on Feng You’s thigh, watching intently as Mommy embroidered his name on the toy. He watched Feng You’s large hand hold the thin needle. Despite having a tall and strong build, Feng You performed the delicate needlework with practiced skill. The fine thread moved nimbly between his fingers, gradually making Lu Yubai’s name clear on the plushie.

“There, little treasure. Look, this is your name,” Feng You said.

He lifted the golden retriever’s ear for Lu Yubai to see, pointing at the exquisite name and reading it aloud to the child over and over.

“This is what your name looks like. When you learn to read later, you can give this little golden retriever a name of its own, and I will embroider that new name on the other ear, okay?”

Lu Yubai held the little plushie and nodded repeatedly. His finger gently brushed over the embroidered ear. The stitching had pressed the plush surface inward, creating a unique texture. So, as long as a name was written on something, it became your own.

Lu Yubai traced his name with his finger, imitating the patterns of the embroidery again and again. He looked up at the gentle gaze Mommy fixed on him and smiled back. He wanted to learn how to write names; he wanted to put his own name on his Golden Retriever Mommy, too. That way, Mommy would belong to him, just like the little plushie.

Lu Yubai had a new playmate and took it with him everywhere. Whether he was sleeping, eating, watching cartoons, or even going out to play with Xia Chang’an, he always brought his little golden retriever.

“Yubai-didi, do you have a puppy too?” Xia Chang’an ran up to him leading Mai Mai, eyeing the plush toy in his hand. “What a cute dog! What is its name?”

Seeing that Lu Yubai did not speak, Xia Chang’an continued, as if used to his quiet younger brother, “You have to give it a name. You do not have to tell me, but you should know it yourself.”

Lu Yubai held up the plushie, letting the sunlight catch its fur so that it glowed with a golden halo. He felt that this was different; his little golden retriever was not like Mai Mai. This toy was a representation of Mommy, not just a new friend.

Lu Yubai carried the plushie everywhere. At bedtime, he would clutch it as he curled into Mommy’s arms. Looking up, he could see his Golden Retriever Mommy’s large ears, and looking down, he would fiddle with the embroidered name on the plushie’s ear. To him, this name was no different from being carved onto Mommy’s own large ears.

With his forehead pressed against Feng You’s warm chest and his chin tucked into the toy’s thick fur, the big Golden Retriever Mommy held the child, who held the little plushie, as they both drifted into a peaceful sleep.

With the help of the plushie, Lu Yubai was finally willing to be separated from Feng You temporarily and stay in a room alone with Du Shiwei.

At first, he was a little nervous, rubbing the toy’s ears and twisting the one with his name. The texture of the embroidery beneath his fingertips comforted him, reminding him of Mommy’s warm embrace, the fingers that stroked his cheek, and the voice that coaxed him to sleep.

Lu Yubai gradually calmed down. Listening to a special white noise, he rubbed the dog’s ear while listening to Du Shiwei talk with his senior student. He was willing to respond to Dr. Du’s questions, even if only with simple nods or shakes of his head. He was also willing to play games with them, provided he could hold the plushie. The toy acted like a fixed anchor, giving him an invisible strength to meet strangers and learn about the unfamiliar world.

Outside the door, Feng You watched the surveillance footage on his phone and let out a small sigh of relief. His child was very well-behaved and brave. Even though facing a doctor alone was a common occurrence for other children, he still felt that Lu Yubai taking this step forward compared to before was something worth praising.

During a break in the treatment, Feng You walked around outside the hospital and bought some candy suitable for children. As he passed a flower shop, he stopped. Today was a day worth commemorating; it would be nice to buy a bouquet of beautiful flowers for the child.

The wind chimes at the door chimed softly as Feng You walked inside.

“Hello, guest! Today’s fresh arrival is baby’s breath,” the shopkeeper said.

Feng You bought a small bouquet of light pink baby’s breath and asked the owner to decorate it with a few pieces of candy. A small gift box was tied with a large red bow, accompanied by a small card Feng You wrote himself.

Holding the flowers and the gift box, he waited quietly outside the treatment room. When Lu Yubai came out holding his plushie, he was greeted by a beautiful bouquet of pink baby’s breath and a small gift box. The child’s eyes lit up, and he broke into a wide smile.

“Congratulations to our little Lu Yubai for completing his first mission. These flowers are for a brave boy.”

Feng You squatted down so his eyes were level with Lu Yubai’s. The light pink flowers partially covered his face, but they made his smiling eyes look even softer. He gently placed the flowers in Lu Yubai’s arms and adjusted the bow on the gift box.

“Remember, today is the first time you did something great all by yourself. Before, Yubai was very scared when coming here, but this time you did very well and did not cry. In the future, little treasure will have many more amazing ‘firsts’ like this, and I will celebrate every one of them with you.”

Lu Yubai hugged the flowers and nodded happily. He was eager to see what was in the beautiful gift box, but his hands were full with the flowers and the plushie. In a clever move to avoid troubling Feng You to hold his things, the child simply gripped the plushie with his teeth.

Inside the box were several pieces of candy. Feng You took one, unwrapped it, and placed it in the child’s mouth. The fruit candy was sweet but not sickly; Feng You had specifically chosen a high-quality brand to ensure it would not upset the child’s stomach.

Lu Yubai’s eyes sparkled. Tasting the sweet and sour fruit candy, he hopped around in joy. He kept the candy in his cheek, unwilling to chew it, and even when it melted into a small sliver, he was reluctant to swallow the sweet juice. To bravely accept a challenge alone was such a sweet taste.

Lu Yubai’s simple mind could not grasp deep philosophies; he only remembered this sweet taste associated with challenge and courage. He no longer felt hostile toward Dr. Du Shiwei. After eating the candy, he forgave the entire world. The child turned and waved goodbye to the doctor, smiling openly and brightly, though he made no sound.

“Good job, little treasure. Let us go home.”

Feng You leaned over to pat the child’s head, intending to hold his hand and walk home together.

However, Lu Yubai suddenly took the flowers and pulled out the central stem from the plastic wrapping. He struggled to break the end of the stem and then tucked the flower behind Feng You’s human ear. The pink baby’s breath was dense and full, the buds round and plump, freshly picked. It sat perfectly behind Feng You’s ear, pinning back the fluffy golden hair at his temple.

The flowers suited Feng You’s gentle personality perfectly. The light pink accents were just right, not overpowering but rather making his aura seem even softer. Lu Yubai stared blankly at his Golden Retriever Mommy, unable to look away from that beautiful cluster of baby’s breath. His all-powerful Mommy, who was tall, strong, and could knit and cook, looked as handsome as a prince from the television when wearing the flower.

Feng You looked down at the child and poked his dazed cheek. “Is it pretty?”

The child nodded vigorously, opening his arms for a hug from his beautiful Golden Retriever Mommy.

“That is because the flowers little treasure picked are pretty. You chose the largest and brightest cluster in the bouquet.”

Feng You leaned down and picked the child up, letting him sit on one arm. The sturdy arm supported the child’s weight, becoming firm and full of security.

“Let us go. I will take the most amazing little treasure home.”

Lu Yubai sat steadily on Feng You’s arm, clutching his things. His attention was constantly drawn back to the flower on Feng You’s ear. Leaning in close, he pressed his face against it to catch a faint floral scent. The light, sweet fragrance gradually mixed with the scent of the sun, as if it were growing stronger after being warmed.

The flowers seemed to bloom even more brilliantly; a few small buds that had been closed earlier now fully opened. Mommy’s scent had the magic to make flowers bloom. Lu Yubai was convinced that his Golden Retriever Mommy was a much more powerful person than anyone on television.

The subsequent treatments went very well. Feng You would take Lu Yubai to play in a nearby park afterward or prepare a sumptuous dinner. In short, Mommy always had new ideas to make Lu Yubai happy, even through the smallest details of life.

Feng You paid the hospital fees strictly according to the requirements; he did not want to owe Dr. Du Shiwei a personal favor. The money from the paintings he had sold to Mu Jingyi was gradually running out, but the treatment had to continue.

During one meeting, Mu Jingyi brought a check; it was his own private savings.

“Consider it a donation for little Yubai. Please accept it.”

“But Little President Mu, you have already helped me so much. I truly have no way to repay you.” Feng You felt truly embarrassed to accept such a large sum. “Is there anything I can do to help you, Little President Mu?”

Mu Jingyi thought it over and finally came up with an idea.

“My father is working on corporate charity and has invested in building a nursing home. Do you want to try working there? They pay a regular salary.”

As it happened, Lu Yubai could not go to school before he started speaking, and Feng You could take Lu Yubai with him to work at the nursing home. As a large dog, a Golden Retriever is very patient with vulnerable groups like the elderly and children, possessing a natural talent for providing comfort. It was the perfect place for Feng You to go.