Song Wenbo didn't know how he got home; in any case, when he came to his senses, he was safely back. Even though he had heard Song Ziwen's report over the phone, he still needed to hear it again. He truly hoped his son had exaggerated the problem just to make him worry.

But when Wang Damei, Song Yao, and Gong Peixing finished recounting Tao Tao's condition, Song Wenbo’s legs went weak. Fortunately, Gong Peixing was standing right next to him and immediately caught him. "Dad, Dad, are you okay?" Gong Peixing was terribly worried; the little one was already frail, and now the old man was having trouble too.

Wang Damei was also stunned. Just as Song Yao moved to help Song Wenbo, she heard Tao Tao crying from inside the room. She looked between the two, truly unable to leave either one. "Go check on Tao Tao. We are here," Wang Damei waved her hand.

Not long after, Song Wenbo slowly came to. "Let's get another doctor to look at him, and get an X-ray done." What grandfather would be willing to hear that his grandson’s health was poor and he might become intellectually disabled?

"We went to our local Children's Hospital for X-rays when we came back this afternoon; the results were the same." Wang Damei had insisted on an X-ray when they returned to the old family home, but the result was identical. Otherwise, would Wang Damei be so quiet?

Song Wenbo hadn't expected them to have even taken X-rays. He moved his lips, and after a long pause, sighed, "Forget it. So the child won't be very smart later on? As long as he’s not a complete simpleton, that’s enough." Song Wenbo’s greatest hope in life was to see his children and grandchildren achieve success, perhaps even become university graduates. But his daughter only finished vocational school, and his son went to work right after high school. He had been counting on his grandson to achieve what his children couldn't, but now this.

Gong Peixing was not in high spirits either, but yesterday, both he and Song Yao had prepared for the possibility that their son might become developmentally delayed. The current situation was already much better than their initial fears.

"Actually, if we start early training now, perhaps some early childhood education, Tao Tao might still become capable," Wang Qiqi recalled the intensely hyped early education from later years. Although Qiqi didn't have children and had never attended an early education course herself, her colleagues' children had, and the reported results were quite good.

"Early education?"

"What's that?"

Wang Qiqi didn't fully understand either. She explained the concept simply: "Before a child reaches three, the brain is in a period of rapid development. If a child with innate shortcomings receives supplementary care afterward, they can still catch up."

After hearing Wang Qiqi's description, Song Wenbo, Wang Damei, and Gong Peixing exchanged glances. "Dad and Mom, I think this is feasible. This is the child's current situation, and there’s no chance of it worsening." Gong Peixing felt that he couldn't miss any opportunity to help his son become brighter.

Wang Damei didn't know what to do. There was certainly no early education available locally, and following Wang Qiqi’s suggestion would require significant manpower, which Wang Damei absolutely couldn't manage. She could look after a child, but this kind of specialized knowledge was beyond her.

Song Wenbo thought for a moment. "We can try it. Isn't there a saying about the slow bird flying first? Maybe our little boy can become much smarter?" As for who would do the teaching, Song Wenbo was at a loss. He thought Wang Qiqi could explain this supposed early education so articulately that she could easily take on the role, but the problem was that Qiqi was studying in Beijing. They couldn't send the child to Beijing, nor could they separate their daughter and son-in-law; that could easily lead to marital problems.

"I'll resign and stay home to take care of the child," Song Yao said firmly as she walked out of her room.

Resign? Wang Damei was the first to object. "If you resign, what will you do when you get old?"

"It's fine, I can pay my own pension contributions." Song Yao had already decided on the way back that she would quit her job to stay home and focus on raising the child. The doctors had said that frequently communicating with the child could gradually help the brain develop normally, and besides, with their current financial situation, they wouldn't starve if she didn't work.

Gong Peixing looked at his wife's determined expression and agreed without a word. "Resign if you must. Things are good for the family now; it’s fine for you to stay home and look after the child." The focus now was on the little one.

Seeing that the young couple had agreed, Wang Damei looked to Song Wenbo, hoping the father would speak up and stop it. But the result was: "Resigning is fine too. We aren't short of this small amount of money. Someone needs to manage the houses and worry about the child. Having someone full-time for childcare is better." Song Wenbo understood Wang Damei’s concern: if she resigned, the daughter would lose her future reliance. But Song Wenbo felt that this way, the income and expenses from the house they were renting would be under the daughter's control. How much could the son-in-law conceal, just his salary and bonuses?

Since Song Wenbo had agreed, what choice did Wang Damei have but to comply? However, the look she gave Song Wenbo was not very pleasant. "When you are home, take good care of the child, and don't take him to your in-laws' place anymore. Don't let them get envious and cause trouble again." Wang Damei spoke to Song Yao, but her eyes were actually fixed on Gong Peixing.

Gong Peixing knew his mother-in-law was testing him, but he wasn't angry. "We'll just take Tao Tao back for New Year's. Any other time, if we run into them on the road, so be it. Besides, my sister-in-law is pregnant; their focus will be on their first future grandson." Gong Peixing was quite agitated, constantly referring to his sister-in-law's unborn child as a grandson, completely forgetting that Song Yao had given birth to a grandson. "Oh, right, Mom, when we register the child’s household, I want to change his surname to Song."

Change the surname to Song? Song Wenbo waved his hand. "Although the surname Song is quite good, you didn't marry into the family as a son-in-law taking the wife’s name, so there's no need for the surname Song. Let him keep the surname Gong." The son-in-law was probably acting out of momentary anger because of how excessive his parents had been. But what if he regretted it in a few months and held a grudge? Better to drop it.

Since Song Yao had agreed to resign, Song Wenbo sternly instructed her: "After your maternity leave is over, you might as well take a full year off before handling the procedures. You'll still get some salary during this year, and the unit will still pay your pension contributions." Although Song Wenbo wasn't in HR, as a leader, he understood these small loopholes.

Wang Qiqi looked at Song Wenbo, sitting there seriously explaining these matters, and compared him to the man who used to dislike his children benefiting from connections. She burst out laughing. Her laughter made Wang Damei look over, both wondering what she was laughing at.

Wang Qiqi covered her mouth, suppressing the smile before slowly speaking, "I remember Uncle used to hate people using backdoors through him, and he hated taking advantage of the state's benefits. But now..." Song Wenbo valued his reputation, so he never opened the door for his daughter and son-in-law, but privately... But how could Wang Qiqi point out his hypocrisy to his face?

If someone else had said it, Song Wenbo might have felt provoked, but Wang Qiqi’s expression was sincere, and moreover, Song Wenbo felt he had always presented himself well in the eyes of his wife's family—absolutely a principled gentleman. "I have fought my whole life for the revolution. I didn't even arrange for your older sister's job to be in an office like others; I sent her to the workshop. And your brother-in-law is even more so. But what good did it do? It’s meaningless. Oh, Little Gong, if you have time, go study for a bachelor's degree. In a couple of years, I’ll see if I can use my connections to transfer you to the Equipment Department. You understand equipment, you just lack the educational credentials."

If this had been in the past, Gong Peixing would have found Song Wenbo's suggestion excellent. But now he felt that doing so might not be the best course. He was just about to say that he was also planning to resign in a couple of years when Song Wenbo cut him off. "Are you thinking that the income from buying and renting out houses is quite good now? But you must know it's never as stable as having a job in a unit. Besides, you can't handle all these affairs together with Yao Yao. Such a large operation—just the two of you managing it. Do you want to live like this for the rest of your life? Don't you want to make something of yourself at work? Another reason your parents dislike you is that your younger brother is a university graduate and now works in a foreign enterprise, right?"

It must be said that Song Wenbo’s persuasive skills were top-notch. After Gong Peixing heard what his father-in-law said, he felt that he was right. He could check on the rental houses on his days off, and Yao Yao could take the child out when the weather was nice and the boy was calm. If renovations were needed, weren't there renovation companies? He could just run around more after work. "Dad, you are right."

Hearing that his son-in-law also agreed, Song Wenbo turned to ask Song Yao about her future plans for improving Tao Tao's intellect, and also asked Wang Qiqi. To be honest, Qiqi only knew the general outline. "When I get back, I'll look up some material and tell you then."

After a long while, Song Wenbo stopped dwelling on these issues. It wasn't that he was reassured, but that the child’s problem, while not severe, wasn't exactly nothing. "Rest well, life must go on. Tao Tao’s health will get better."

Song Yao nodded, perhaps trying to encourage herself. "Tao Tao will definitely get better. He is so cute and smart. The doctor even said initially that Tao Tao had little chance of survival, yet we raised him successfully, didn't we?"

If their son could survive the ordeal of life and death, there was no reason he couldn't overcome this small hurdle.

"Great fortune follows great disaster. Tao Tao has experienced so much since childhood; I think his future days will be smoother," Wang Qiqi said, half-truthfully, half-falsely. If Tao Tao could survive all this and receive appropriate guidance from the elders without being spoiled, his future wouldn't be bad, especially since his parents in this lifetime were doing well—they already owned several houses, and a car wasn't far off, putting them solidly in the well-off category. When property prices soared, they might even become hidden millionaires with assets worth tens of millions.

"Thank you. Tao Tao will certainly become a successful person and make those who looked down on him regret it." Driven by this belief, even though Song Yao felt pity for the suffering Tao Tao endured from a young age, she never spoiled him, raising him to be the most promising child of both the Gong and Song families.

Today at work, Bu Bu's friend mentioned that flight tickets to Hainan in early September had become cheap. Bu Bu was tempted; round trip was 1,300 yuan—it made her mouth water. Bu Bu hadn't traveled anywhere this year yet, but she hadn't made up her mind when Jiaduobao called her. They needed three updates next week. Bu Bu looked pitifully at her saved drafts. Well, forget the trip; she had to focus entirely on writing the drafts at home. (To be continued)