The Child Raised by a Golden Retriever Boy-Mom - Chapter 8

“Normally, when a child is teething, their gums feel itchy, and they enjoy biting things,” the pediatrician explained patiently.

“Furthermore, as teeth are a human’s most visible hard organ, young children instinctively want to use them to explore the world.”

“The oral stage is a very normal physiological phenomenon, particularly prominent before the age of three. However, anxiety or trauma can cause long-term or even adult-onset oral fixation symptoms.”

This was exactly what Feng You was worried about.

The child had experienced unimaginable trauma at an age before he was even conscious of it, which had resulted in his current inability to speak. Symptoms like oral fixation might be rooted in Lu Yubai’s body until adulthood.

Following the doctor’s advice, Feng You bought food-grade silicone toys for Lu Yubai to soothe his urge to bite.

At first, Lu Yubai quite liked the silicone toys; they were resilient and impossible to chew through. He would spend all day stumbling around the house with a small toy in his mouth, looking like a frolicking puppy.

But once the silicone toys were covered in his teeth marks, he was no longer satisfied with just biting toys. The toys lacked the scent that Lu Yubai loved so much. He often placed the silicone toys on the windowsill to bask in the sun, trying to soak up the sun’s energy as if he were airing out a quilt.

Yet, even when the silicone toys became very hot, he still could not smell that scent that made him feel secure.

That scent only existed in quilts that had been baked in the sun and on Feng You.

After Lu Yubai’s interest briefly shifted to the silicone toys, it migrated back to Feng You’s Golden Retriever ears and tail. He would grab Feng You’s tail and gnaw on it. Before bed, he often climbed onto his “Golden Retriever Mommy’s” chest, tilting his chin up to nibble on those floppy golden ears.

“Are you biting harder and harder, you little rascal?”

Feng You pulled the child down from the top of his head, his fingers gently tugging at the corners of the boy’s mouth to check his neat little baby teeth.

The boy had grown accustomed to biting the indestructible silicone toys with great force. When that same pressure landed on Feng You, it actually caused him pain.

Lu Yubai leaned in and nibbled on Feng You’s cheek, covering half of his face in drool. At his age, he did not know how to control his strength, and this instinct to bite and leave teeth marks became even more intense when he sensed that familiar, comforting scent.

Seeing the child staring at him with wide, innocent eyes, Feng You sighed softly and rubbed the boy’s head.

“Bite gently. Toys do not feel pain, but I do.”

Lu Yubai stopped, his small brain working hard to interpret his Golden Retriever Mommy’s words. He leaned in again, his teeth grinding gently against the tip of the Golden Retriever ear, using no biting force at all.

The child was quite perceptive; he could understand human speech.

Feng You finally showed a gentle smile, pulling the child into his arms and patting his back to coax him to sleep.

“Good boy. So well-behaved.”

Lu Yubai became visibly jubilant, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. His world was incredibly simple; being praised by his Golden Retriever Mommy would keep him happy for a long, long time.

Lu Yubai understood what the “right” thing to do was. For example, be gentle when biting Mommy.

Their Lunar New Year was very simple. Neither of them had relatives to visit. Within the realm of family, they were completely isolated from the world. They were each other’s only family.

Feng You was busy preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, selecting soft foods that Lu Yubai could eat and trying to make the meal as lavish as possible. He bustled about the kitchen in an apron. The extra-large apron fit him perfectly, emphasizing his broad shoulders and narrow waist, with a large knot tied at the small of his back.

As Feng You worked, he turned around to see the child laboriously dragging a small plastic stool into the kitchen.

“Little one, what are you doing?”

Lu Yubai climbed onto the plastic stool, but even then, he was not tall enough. He had to stand on his tiptoes to barely see the items on the counter. He pointed at the stove and then tugged on Feng You’s apron.

“Does our little one want to help?” Feng You tried to interpret.

Lu Yubai nodded immediately.

At an age where he could not even walk steadily, there was not much help he could provide. He was lucky if he did not cause a mess. But such sweetness made Feng You’s heart melt.

Feng You pulled out some kitchen paper and grabbed a few damp plastic bowls.

“Can you help me wipe the bowls dry?”

Lu Yubai nodded, cradling the bowls and paper towels as he ran to a corner of the kitchen to seriously wipe them one by one. In truth, a little water on the bowls would not have mattered. Feng You just wanted to give the child something to do.

He remembered the praise Qin Xiaotang had given Lu Yubai during their stroll. She said she had never seen a child so “repaying of kindness,” quiet, well-behaved, and sensible, as if he had not forgotten the lessons from his past life.

Feng You had seen plenty of “demon children” at the factory. After all, there were Omegas there with Beagle genes who jumped around all day and were impossible to control. Barring specific genetics, he instinctively felt that Lu Yubai’s good behavior was likely related to the year and a half they spent apart before they met.

Lu Yubai squatted in the corner, wiping the bowls inside and out several times. Only after Feng You finished the dinner did the boy run to him, clutching the bowls. His eyes were wide with the expectation of being praised.

Feng You took the bowls and feigned seriousness, checking them against the kitchen light. He nodded and praised him with a slightly exaggerated tone.

“Yubai is so amazing! These bowls are so clean.”

“Yubai is the most incredible child in the whole world.”

Satisfied with the response, Lu Yubai happily mimicked the people on TV by clapping his hands. He came over to hug Feng You’s leg, joyfully rubbing his small face against his Golden Retriever Mommy’s knee.

Feng You reached down to stroke his head and picked him up.

“Yubai can already help me. What a wonderful, good boy.”

Lu Yubai hugged his neck, his own neck turning red from the praise. He could distinguish the tone Feng You used to praise him. That rising inflection miraculously made him feel happy. Because of this, he was willing to do many, many things just to earn more praise.

And his Golden Retriever Mommy was never stingy with his compliments.

After dinner, Feng You discovered that he had a permanent “tail.” No matter where he went, Lu Yubai followed right behind him. Especially in the kitchen, Lu Yubai insisted on having a task to do. Once the child finished a simple job meticulously, he would look up and wait for Mommy’s praise.

Feng You patiently played along with this little game, gently praising him as a “good boy.”

When the Spring Festival Gala began, scattered fireworks started going off outside. The sounds were loud, but filtered through the tall buildings, the colorful flashes remained hidden. Lu Yubai was still too young. When he got older, Feng You wanted to take him out to set off fireworks in the neighborhood.

Exhausted after a busy day, Feng You eventually fell asleep on the sofa. Neither the fireworks outside nor the skits on the TV could wake him. His modified sweater hugged his body, its fuzzy texture making him look very soft, while a down jacket over it wrapped him up tightly.

The child, however, was full of energy and curious about the colorful images on the Gala. He was about to tug on Feng You to point out a flying fish on the screen when he turned and saw that Feng You was already asleep.

Lu Yubai was very good and did not disturb his dreams.

He had been sitting on Feng You’s lap with his back against him, separated by the thick down jacket. The child stealthily unzipped the jacket, his eyes nervously darting to Feng You’s sleeping face. He crawled into Feng You’s embrace, his back pressing against Mommy’s soft chest and fuzzy sweater.

Lu Yubai pushed backward with effort, resting his head against Feng You’s chest, then carefully pulled the open jacket over himself. It was as if he and Feng You had merged into one, with only his little head peeking out from the gap in the jacket.

“Why are you so clingy?”

Feng You had actually been woken up by Lu Yubai’s movements a while ago, but he stayed still, indulgently watching the child fuss around him. He had been curious about what Lu Yubai was trying to do, only to find that sitting in front of him was not enough; the boy had to crawl inside his clothes.

Feng You wrapped his arms around the boy, pressing him gently.

“Is this okay now?”

Lu Yubai nodded happily, leaning his head back against Feng You’s chest. He loved this hug. Unlike the usual ones before bed, his Golden Retriever Mommy was fuzzy all over, and the sweater on his chest felt just like a Golden Retriever’s tail.

Warm, soft, and smelling of that scent he loved.

Lu Yubai shrunk his body down, hiding most of his face in the jacket, leaving only his eyes to stare at the outside world. He placed himself in a world where he could only feel Feng You. Even the fireworks outside and the Gala on TV became a blur.

He often heard Mommy talk about “Spring Festival” and “New Year.” It turned out these words meant something as beautiful as this.

After the New Year, when the two met Xia Chang’an’s family in the courtyard again, a golden blur came rushing over. It was a Golden Retriever puppy, still very young, with its fuzzy puppy coat just fully grown.

“Little Brother Yubai! Look at my puppy!”

Xia Chang’an held a leash, skipping toward Lu Yubai.

A Golden Retriever? Lu Yubai was familiar with those.

He reflexively grabbed the puppy’s neck, opening his mouth to bite down. Before his “evil” little mouth could reach the ball of golden fur, Feng You quickly grabbed him under the armpits and lifted him up.

“Happy New Year, Chang’an.”

Feng You easily held Lu Yubai in mid-air. The suspended child kicked his legs, his eyes gleaming with a look that suggested he would not quit until he got a bite of that poor little puppy.

“Happy New Year, Uncle Feng You,” Xia Chang’an greeted politely, winding the leash around his palm. “It is okay. Yubai can pet Mai Mai.”

Feng You held Lu Yubai with one arm and pinched his cheek with the other.

“Be good. You can pet, but no biting.”

“You promised me you would not bite things randomly outside.”

Lu Yubai looked up at his upside-down Golden Retriever Mommy, looking confused.

“But this is the same as Mommy.”

The two stared at each other for a moment before Feng You managed to decipher a bit of the child’s miraculous logic from his confused expression.

“Golden Retrievers are different from one another, kiddo. He is not me.”

Lu Yubai kicked his legs, trying hard to understand Feng You’s words.

“Only Mommy can be bitten.”

“Mommy is a dog, but a dog is not Mommy.”

Lu Yubai nodded and stopped baring his teeth at the Golden Retriever named “Mai Mai.”

“So good. I knew Yubai was an especially good boy.”

Feng You, believing that the perceptive Lu Yubai had understood him, set him down. Though his communication with Lu Yubai was currently non-verbal, the child was smart and could nod or shake his head. Surely, he could understand reason.

“Go on. You said you wanted to be friends with Big Brother Chang’an and his puppy.”

Mai Mai circled around Feng You’s feet. The familiar scent of a fellow canine made the puppy ignore his own little master, wagging his tail frantically at Feng You. He lay down and barked at Feng You, his voice crisp and happy.

Feng You could vaguely understand fragments of what his “peer” was saying, but he could not speak it, nor did he know how to translate for Mai Mai.

He knelt down to rub the puppy’s head.

“I do not think so, Mai Mai. Even when you grow up, you will not turn into someone like me.”

“Humans are not made from puppies.”