PANT - Chapter 75
Chapter 75
After the baby was born, everyone put their heads together and came up with a name.
Su Wanhe.
Because she was born in the evening.
Shi Ning felt the name was too formal, so she gave the baby the nickname Su Xiaoxiao.
After giving birth, Su Tianxue checked into a postpartum care center, and Shi Ning postponed a lot of work to be with her. Su Xiaoxiao had a professional nanny watching her twenty-four hours a day, as well as the grandmother Fei Yue had found for them, so she was living quite comfortably.
Every day, Shi Ning would spend two hours playing with Xiaoxiao when she was awake, letting the baby grasp her fingertips with her soft little hands, trying to coax a giggle out of her, but she always seemed to fail.
Fortunately, Shi Ning wasn't the type to give up in the face of failure. When it came to amusing a child, she basically adopted an attitude of "the more you fail, the harder you try."
Shi Ning had never imagined that capturing a small child's attention would be so difficult.
An experienced nanny at the postpartum center advised her not to worry, that the baby was probably like this because she hadn't grown up yet; she was too little to notice things.
Although Shi Ning was a little bewildered by the baby's condition and reactions, after researching and listening to others' opinions, she came to the conclusion that she really shouldn't rush things.
She would wait and see.
There was still a long life ahead, and the child would grow up slowly.
Aside from playing with the baby, Shi Ning spent most of her time by Su Tianxue's side.
Su Tianxue wasn't so weak that she couldn't get out of bed. When she had free time, she enjoyed reading astronomy books.
But Shi Ning savored this feeling of being able to take care of Su Tianxue.
Although Shi Ning had jokingly said before Xiaoxiao was born not to let the baby breastfeed, now that she was here and Su Tianxue was producing milk, how could they possibly not let the child drink?
There was no logic in the world for starving the child to satisfy the mother.
The time Xiaoxiao had the most energy each day was probably when she was eating.
As a result, Shi Ning had no choice but to take on another job.
That was to watch the baby eat from Su Tianxue's body every day.
For her, it was nothing short of a bitter battle.
A child as small as Xiaoxiao had no control over her strength.
When she nursed, all she knew was to fill her own belly, so she would suck very forcefully and grip tightly with her little hands.
Sometimes, when Shi Ning saw Su Tianxue frown in pain, she couldn't help but want to snatch the little girl away.
Who bullies their wife right after being born?
Every time Xiaoxiao finished eating, Shi Ning had to clean up the aftermath.
Once the child was full, she didn't care about anything and just slept comfortably.
But Su Tianxue was still uncomfortable.
The taut, swollen feeling was unbearable.
The firmness was uncomfortable.
They needed to become soft again.
But the milk was still there, so there was no choice but to let someone other than the baby take care of it.
Shi Ning was honorably tasked with this important duty.
She was gentler than the baby.
And she was more considerate of the mommy's feelings.
She knew how to draw out the milk more soothingly.
It was just that sometimes, if she wasn't careful, the milk would spurt out. If she used her hands, it might even spray all over her face.
At times like these, Shi Ning could only smile wryly.
There was nothing she could do now.
She could only endure it.
Three months passed in a flash, and Su Tianxue recovered well.
After leaving the postpartum center, she continued to exercise diligently.
Shi Ning finally had a full meal.
She had been holding back for nearly a year.
Su Tianxue wasn't much better off.
The two of them planned to stay home.
Just as the mood struck, the baby suddenly started crying.
The sound was deafening.
No one could possibly continue.
There was nothing to be done.
When the child was a little older, Shi Ning and Su Tianxue simply handed her over to Fei Yue to look after and went on a honeymoon by themselves.
If you asked Fei Yue, what kind of parents were there like this in the world?
But Shi Ning and Su Tianxue were only gone for a week; it wasn't like they weren't coming back.
At times like these, Shi Ning would regret having a child.
How was this having a child with Su Tianxue?
It was clearly having a third wheel.
The kind you couldn't hit or scold.
Sometimes she would think that she should have found a way back then to prevent Su Tianxue from getting pregnant at all.
But then she'd think again, that wasn't a reliable idea.
Because she didn't even know how to prevent it.
Shi Ning could only plead bitterly before the Bodhisattva, hoping he wouldn't let them have a second child.
She really couldn't take it.
One was enough.
Another one?
Did he think she was summoning mythical beasts?
Besides, she didn't want Su Tianxue to go through so much hardship.
Oh, Bodhisattva! If you really must have us conceive again! Then let me be the one to carry it!!
She was willing to bear all the suffering!
As the baby slowly grew up, Su Tianxue and Shi Ning noticed something was a little off about her.
Her developmental level was clearly slower than other children of the same age.
While other children were opening their mouths and babbling, Xiaoxiao didn't speak. If she could point with her finger, she would absolutely not open her mouth to talk.
Xiaoxiao didn't like to walk, either.
And she liked crawling even less.
Every day, she would just laze in an adult's arms, wanting to be held.
Su Tianxue and Shi Ning took the baby to the children's hospital, worried that she might have autism.
Later, the doctor's diagnosis confirmed their suspicions.
The doctor believed that Su Wanhe, also known as Xiaoxiao, did indeed have autism.
To be precise, she had autism spectrum disorder.
There was an issue with her neural development, and her perception of many things was different from that of a normal child.
However, the doctor added that Xiaoxiao was lucky.
Compared to children with atrophied physical functions and lower cognitive abilities, Xiaoxiao was much better off.
Aside from not liking to talk, having slow physical development, and being overly sensitive to sounds, she didn't have too many other problems.
The examination showed that her intelligence was actually on the higher side.
Higher than that of an average child.
The doctor believed that Xiaoxiao might have Asperger's syndrome.
For someone on the autism spectrum, this condition, seen by outsiders as a "genius disease," could indeed be considered fortunate.
But the doctor also reminded Shi Ning and Su Tianxue that having this condition meant Xiaoxiao was destined to live a life different from other children.
She might not be able to have a complete social life and would be unable to understand others' emotions, so she wouldn't be able to respond to her two mothers' calls.
In a sense, autism could also spread to the patient's relatives.
Because giving this child love might be a journey destined for loneliness.
She might not know how to respond.
Nor would she understand what emotions were.
Neither Shi Ning nor Su Tianxue had expected such a problem to arise with Xiaoxiao.
After learning about it, Su Tianxue didn't cry. She stayed up all night looking up related information. Shi Ning stayed by her side, studying and learning with her. From the very beginning, they had no intention of giving up.
Compared to other families with autism, Xiaoxiao had far more resources.
Shi Ning began to participate in autism support groups, learning from the experiences of other parents and observing the reactions of children at different age levels.
She and Su Tianxue tried for a long time to get some feedback from Xiaoxiao, but they always failed.
This chubby little baby would forever be immersed in her own world.
Her Barbie's hair had to be in two ponytails.
The toy car had to spin seven times on the floor.
She had to wait three seconds before eating.
She had many strange little habits, but Shi Ning and Su Tianxue were accepting of all of them.
They persisted for a long time, but sometimes, when they looked at Xiaoxiao with longing, hoping she would look up from her toys, glance at them, and call out "Mama," only to receive no reaction at all, they would still feel disappointed and dejected.
More than the untreatable child, it was the parents who needed psychological counseling and a doctor's guidance.
Because not everyone could endure this difficult trial.
One day, Shi Ning found Su Tianxue crying alone in the study.
It was very quiet, as if she was afraid of disturbing the child playing in the toy room.
Although she had many moments of despair herself, at that instant, Shi Ning knew she had to be strong.
She walked over to Su Tianxue and gently held her.
"Wife, it's going to be okay."
"Xiaoxiao is a child of the stars."
"So she was destined to be our child."
Genetics were complex.
There were ten thousand possibilities.
And Xiaoxiao was that one-in-ten-thousand chance that had come to them.
Just like Su Tianxue had traveled across the universe to her side, so had Xiaoxiao.
No matter what, Shi Ning would cherish her.
To help Xiaoxiao find something she liked, and to allow the adults to communicate with her through it, Shi Ning and Su Tianxue prepared all sorts of picture books for Xiaoxiao, and the TV at home always played different videos.
Cartoons.
Documentaries.
Xiaoxiao was different from other children; she didn't like watching cartoons.
When the TV sound came on, if she didn't like it, she would shake her head and hum.
But on this day, Xiaoxiao didn't shake her head.
She heard the sound of ocean waves, and she looked up from her toys toward the screen.
On the screen was the deep, romantic ocean.
Krill swam by, glowing in the night.
Jellyfish were like one special neon light after another, illuminating the great sea, lighting the way home for countless lost marine creatures.
Xiaoxiao was mesmerized.
She pointed at the TV and spoke.
"Sea."
"Sea."
Hearing that single word, Shi Ning and Su Tianxue didn't react at first. They knelt beside Xiaoxiao, and after hearing her repeat it, they looked at each other, hugged Xiaoxiao, and burst into tears.
Although, Xiaoxiao really didn't like being hugged.
After sixty-eight seconds, she would start to hum and shake her head.
While other parents were still arguing over whether their child's first word was "dada" or "mama," Shi Ning and Su Tianxue felt a long-awaited happiness and were moved by this belated "sea."
Their efforts were working.
Xiaoxiao's interest in the sea was like a magical switch, allowing Shi Ning and Su Tianxue to quickly find a way to communicate with her.
How to understand "Mama"?
They showed Xiaoxiao a documentary about an octopus giving birth.
They showed her how whales cared for their young.
And so, Xiaoxiao learned the word "Mama."
Gradually, she also began to respond to Su Tianxue and Shi Ning's calls and attention.
However, Xiaoxiao also had her skewed moments.
At a young age, before she had even started kindergarten, her creed was-survival of the fittest, kill or be killed.
This was specifically manifested in the fact that if a little boy tried to bully her when they were out, Su Xiaoxiao, who usually looked as soft and harmless as a little dumpling, would not hesitate to clench her small fist and land a punch squarely on the boy's face.
Usually, when this happened, it was because the other child was being unreasonable.
So whenever the little brat's parents came looking to settle scores with Su Xiaoxiao and demand compensation from Shi Ning and Su Tianxue, they would be talked down and sent away by Shi Ning's sharp tongue.
In Shi Ning's view, Xiaoxiao wasn't at fault at all.
Why did those kids see that Xiaoxiao was soft and try to bully her at the playground?
In these situations, Su Tianxue would usually play the good cop.
She would have a good talk with Xiaoxiao, using her knowledge of the ocean to make analogies.
Soon, Xiaoxiao grew up.
This little girl from the stars, who was a bit different from others, was about to start kindergarten.
Shi Ning and Su Tianxue were quite nervous about this.
They weren't sure if Xiaoxiao could adapt to a normal kindergarten life.
Entering a group environment would be a challenge for Xiaoxiao.
But after extensive communication with experts, discussions with their family, and even asking for Xiaoxiao's personal opinion, Shi Ning and Su Tianxue made a decision.
They decided to send Xiaoxiao to kindergarten.
But the kindergarten had to be chosen carefully.
The quality of the teachers, the surrounding environment, and whether it could provide adequate support to help Xiaoxiao with her special issues-all these needed to be considered.
Shi Ning and Su Tianxue spent nearly two months choosing.
These two women, both highly accomplished in their respective fields, never thought they would one day be so conflicted over which kindergarten their child should attend.
Finally, they made their choice.
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