The Child Raised by a Golden Retriever Boy-Mom - Chapter 15

There were not many elderly residents in the newly opened welfare nursing home, but the facilities were complete. The rooms were clean and bright, and there were even special classes opened for the seniors to keep them entertained.

Feng You quickly adapted to the work at the nursing home. Whether it was cooking large meals in the kitchen, cleaning, or helping elderly residents with limited mobility to the courtyard to enjoy the sun, he did everything with ease. The diligent Golden Retriever Omega busied himself throughout the nursing home; his hands and feet never stopped for a moment.

A little sidekick holding a golden retriever plush toy was always by his side, pitter-pattering behind Feng You on small feet. Lu Yubai was keen on hiding his small body within Mommy’s tall shadow, hopping along to step on the silhouettes cast on the floor.

The elderly residents and the caregivers at the nursing home were full of praise for Feng You, often competing to have him chat with them.

“Oh, child, take a break. You are busy all day. The floor is already very clean; you do not need to scrub it every day.”

Feng You, who was currently mopping with a dry mop, was immersed in his work and did not turn around upon hearing the voice. In fact, he did not realize that the term “child” was being used to address him.

Only after the elderly woman called “child” a few more times did Feng You turn around, wiping the thin sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Hmm? Are you calling me?”

“Yes, of course I am calling you,” the elderly woman said with a smile, her face etched with wrinkles as she smoothed her gray hair. “Stop working so hard. Come and chat with Grandma for a while.”

Feng You paused for a moment, perhaps because of the unfamiliar “child” address. He looked down and smiled, his drooping puppy eyes narrowing slightly, making him look even more gentle and soft. His dog tail wagged rapidly; the strong golden retriever tail was like a baton, swinging in wide arcs and hitting the side of the nearby cabinet with a loud thwack, thwack.

He set down the mop and walked over, holding Lu Yubai’s hand.

“Alright, then I will take a break thanks to Grandma.”

The old lady addressed Feng You as “child” repeatedly, her eyes full of concern and affection for the younger generation. Lu Yubai sat on Feng You’s lap, curiously observing the white-haired lady. He reached out his hand wanting to touch her, and the old lady gently squeezed it. She bounced his small hand up and down, making Lu Yubai happy. The little cub cooperated with a smile, having a great time playing with the senior.

They chatted for a while before heading to the cafeteria for a meal together. The food in the cafeteria was suitable for the elderly and children; Feng You always felt the taste was too bland and would secretly add some chili sauce for himself.

Sitting next to him was an old man with sharp, cold, and cloudy eyes. When he scowled, he looked quite terrifying. The child sitting in Feng You’s arms took just one look at the old man before hiding fearfully in Mommy’s embrace. He felt safe only when pressed against Mommy’s chest, and no matter how Feng You coaxed him, he refused to look up and eat.

The old man beside them was not eating either, looking coldly at the spread of food on the table. Feng You took extra notice but did not make a scene in front of everyone. Making the excuse that the child had a poor appetite, he carried Lu Yubai to the back kitchen.

Once away from the old man, Lu Yubai looked up from Mommy’s chest, his lips pursed as he looked at Feng You pitifully. Feng You placed him on the counter and took the opportunity to cook a little something extra for both the child and himself to improve their meal.

“Baby, some people look a bit fierce, but you cannot judge a book by its cover.”

“Grandpa is not a bad person either; he will not hurt you.”

Lu Yubai tried to understand Mommy’s words and then nodded obediently.

“Such a good boy.”

Feng You rubbed his head and placed the freshly made meat porridge in front of him. He had added some pickled beans to it to stimulate the appetite.

“Since you do not have much of an appetite, eat a bit of this.”

Lu Yubai sat obediently on the counter and ate bite by bite. As long as it was fed to him by Mommy, he accepted it all.

After dinner, Feng You specifically went to the caregivers to ask about the old man’s situation.

“Him? His name is Qin Youjiang, a retired special forces soldier. He is very difficult to deal with.”

The caregiver frowned at the mention of Qin Youjiang and began to vent as if a switch had been flipped. When Qin Youjiang was young and on the front lines, he took a bullet to his lower leg. Having survived the battlefield by a hair’s breadth, the bullet remained in his leg, never taken out. As he aged, his muscles withered, and on damp, rainy days, the leg pained him most. Consequently, he had a violent temper, and no one could serve him well.

“He has esophageal cancer; there is a tumor in his throat, so he cannot eat. We have specially made many dishes for him, but none suit his taste. He always knocks the food over; his temper is just too big.”

Perhaps due to special instructions from the director, Feng You had never been assigned to Qin Youjiang before.

“If his throat is uncomfortable, he needs soft food. What flavors does the old gentleman like, salty or sweet?”

“I do not know; nothing seems to suit his palate.”

“It might be sweet. He used to only eat a few hard candies, the kind that melt slowly in the mouth.”

The caregiver snapped out of their venting state, suddenly realizing something.

“You are not thinking of taking care of him, are you? Sigh, he is just living one day at a time now, a man with one foot in the grave. We all steer clear of him and just put up with his eccentric temper.”

Feng You smiled and replied, “Who is not living one day at a time?”

The caregiver tried to dissuade him a few more times, but seeing it was futile, they eventually gave up.

The weather grew colder after autumn began. It was always raining at night. Feng You guessed that the old man’s body was uncomfortable and understood the temper that comes with pain. His dignity as a soldier made it impossible for Qin Youjiang to endure his aging self or the increasingly wretched reality of his twilight years.

Feng You felt a sense of pity for the vulnerable old man. He knocked gently on Qin Youjiang’s room door, carrying a dessert he had just finished simmering and cooling.

“Enter.”

A crisp, concise voice came from within.

Qin Youjiang did not have a kind face for anyone, his expression remaining stern. He glanced at Feng You and at Lu Yubai, who was hiding behind him, peeking his small head out from the side.

“What are you two doing here?”

“I saw that you did not eat dinner today, so I brought you something.”

“Simmered apple puree mixed with passion fruit, honey, and rock sugar to soothe the throat. Would you like to try some?”

Feng You knelt halfway in front of the table and laid out the items from the thermal container. Qin Youjiang intended to stubbornly refuse, but having been hungry for a day, he was truly dizzy. He bit the bullet and took a taste. The soft, mushy apple puree was sweet but not cloying. It required no chewing, and swallowing was effortless; it went down very easily.

Seeing the man take several bites, a sense of accomplishment brought a gentle smile to Feng You’s face.

“When my little cub has a cold and his throat hurts, he does not like to eat anything else, but he loves this.”

Lu Yubai stood on his tiptoes, his chin resting on the table, his eyes staring straight at the bowl of apple puree while he nodded repeatedly. Qin Youjiang was amused by the child’s appearance; his lips curled into a slight smile, looking less terrifying than before.

“You want to eat too?”

Feng You patted the top of Lu Yubai’s head, stopping him.

“Baby, if you want to eat, I will make some for you tomorrow. Grandpa did not have dinner today, so do not compete with Grandpa. Be good.”

Lu Yubai pouted, withdrawing his greedy gaze. He wrapped his arms around one of Feng You’s legs and closed his eyes, pretending he had not seen anything. However, he could not help but swallow his saliva repeatedly.

Qin Youjiang, entertained by the quirky child, took a clean container from the cabinet. He scooped a spoonful and offered it to Lu Yubai. Lu Yubai did not take it. Instead, he looked up at Feng You first, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in a pleading manner. He had to get Mommy’s permission first; he could not be a bad child.

Seeing the cub like this, Feng You felt soft-hearted and helpless.

“Go ahead. You can only have one bite to satisfy your craving. I will cook a new batch for you tomorrow, okay?”

Lu Yubai hopped over happily to take the spoon. After tasting a delicious, sweet mouthful of apple puree, he kept it in his mouth for a long time, reluctant to swallow.

“How did you teach this little ghost to be so obedient?” Qin Youjiang asked as he affectionately rubbed Lu Yubai’s head, before turning to Feng You. “You are kind to everyone.”

“Everyone has good in them,” Feng You said with a smile, his dog tail wagging from side to side. In a Golden Retriever’s world, it is hard to find a bad person.

After eating the dessert, Qin Youjiang’s stern face relaxed significantly, though his gaze remained sharp. Outside the window, the rain fell heavily, and the temperature dropped quickly during the night. The cold, damp air seeped into the bones like a magical attack, making one feel the chill.

Qin Youjiang hit his stiff leg forcefully, gasping from the pain.

“Old gentleman, you cannot hit stiff muscles like that. Let me help you with a hot compress and massage?”

Before Feng You could reach out, Lu Yubai hopped off his lap and walked over to Qin Youjiang. Qin Youjiang stopped hitting his leg and looked at the cub in confusion.

“Little ghost, what are you doing?”

Lu Yubai did not speak. He breathed onto his small hands and rubbed his palms together forcefully until they were red and hot. Learning from the way Feng You cared for him, he placed his warmed palms onto Qin Youjiang’s knee. His own growing pains made him remember how to use hands to warm a painful knee and how to knead stiff muscles to relax them.

Warmth spread from his palms. The cub lifted his chin, smiling silently with his eyes curving into crescents.