Chapter 92: Forgot to Teach Him About the Dangers of Human Nature
Being stared at by so many people, Song Yao was the first to feel uncomfortable.
“Mom, Auntie, why are they all looking at us?”
“Is there something wrong with us?”
Seeing her son’s unconsciously furrowed brows, Chen Rongying reached out and ruffled his hair.
“Don’t mind them!”
“What others do is their business. We just need to focus on ourselves.”
Shen Yi’an chimed in from the side, “Listen to your mom.”
“Those people might be staring at us because we’re unfamiliar faces.”
Getting this response, the displeasure in Song Yao’s eyes lessened, though it didn’t completely disappear.
To ignore the gazes from nearby, he took Song Shu’s hand and headed toward the carousel.
“Little sister, come on. Big brother will take you on the carousel.”
“Haven’t you ridden it in a long time too?”
“Neither have I…”
As the siblings walked ahead, Chen Rongying and Shen Yi’an followed not far behind.
“Sister Rongying, was A Yao always like this before?”
“I feel like… well, how should I put it, his vigilance is too high.”
“Except for people he’s familiar with, any approach from strangers might trigger his rejection and wariness.”
Speaking of what she’d observed recently, Shen Yi’an’s eyes held deep concern.
An 8-year-old child should be at an age of innocence and carefreeness.
If this were his natural temperament, it would be one thing, but if it resulted from his experience of being trafficked…
Should they consider seeing a psychologist?
But this was just her personal thought. The final decision would have to be made by the child’s parents.
Hearing her doubts, Chen Rongying forced a bitter smile.
“Do you think, given mine and your brother-in-law’s personalities, we could have raised A Yao to be this ‘distant and unapproachable’?”
After a moment of silence, she continued with an explanation.
“A Yao used to have a typical childlike personality, except when it came to taking care of Xiao Shu.”
“He was born after our family had already settled in Jingshi, so you could say he grew up in a relatively comfortable environment.”
“The environment was safe enough that his personality became particularly simple, almost completely unguarded.”
She paused before continuing.
“Brother Xu and I were first-time parents, with no elders around to guide us.”
“We knew nothing, thinking that as long as the child grew up happy and joyful, that was enough.”
“But we forgot to teach him about the dangers of human nature, which led to…”
She didn’t need to finish the sentence; Shen Yi’an understood the implication.
Placing a child as innocent as a blank sheet of paper into an environment like a vast dye vat.
Without an inherent wariness of the outside world, it led to him being snatched off the street by human traffickers.
Thinking about the street abduction, Shen Yi’an had another question.
“I understand what you mean, Sister Rongying.”
“Children can be simple, innocent, and kind, but as parents, we need to cultivate their awareness of potential dangers early on.”
“Being sufficiently cautious about their surroundings prevents irreversible consequences due to momentary carelessness.”
Seeing Chen Rongying nod in agreement, she voiced her real confusion.
“But Sister Rongying, there’s one thing I still don’t quite understand.”
“Even if A Yao used to be very naive and had no sense of guarding against others, would anyone really be bold enough to snatch someone right off the street?”
“Wouldn’t the person who took A Yao be afraid of encountering concerned citizens who might beat him up on the spot or report him to the police?”
Hearing her ask this, Chen Rongying shook her head helplessly.
“We’ve considered that possibility too, but there simply wasn’t any time to investigate the truth.”
“During that period, I don’t know what came over your brother-in-law. Even though A Yao had been snatched right off the street, he stubbornly refused to seek help from the Li Family or report it to the police.”
“When pushed to the brink, he insisted he could find our son on his own, without relying on anyone else’s help.”
Recalling the torment of that time, her once-straight back seemed to bend slightly.
“I just wanted to find my son, not indulge his madness.”
“But I couldn’t leave Xiao Shu alone either, so in the end, we boarded the train together.”
“After the train had been traveling for a day and a night, I don’t know how your brother-in-law managed to catch up with us. When he saw us, he knelt down and started slapping himself until Xiao Shu was so frightened she burst into tears.”
“What happened after that is what you already know.”
Though the story was short, Shen Yi’an could sense the heartache in it.
A mother, after her son was taken, should have had her husband’s full support. Yet, her husband had suddenly lost his mind.
Not only did he cut off the connections left by their elders, but he also deluded himself into thinking he could find their son on his own.
The result was that the frail mother had to steel herself and board a train with her already unwell daughter to search for him.
The road ahead was long, and the path behind uncertain.
Before her husband found them, how dire must the mother and daughter’s situation have been on that train?
Just imagining the scene, Shen Yi’an suddenly felt the urge to punch Song Chaoxu right in the face.
What a despicable man!
She had called him “brother-in-law” too soon!
If she had known her sister and Xiao Shu had gone through such an ordeal, she wouldn’t have saved him on the train back then.
He should have tasted the kind of life A Yao had endured before meeting her.
But she knew regret was useless. She could only hug Chen Rongying’s arm and act a little spoiled to lighten the mood. “Sister Rongying, those unhappy things are in the past now. Don’t dwell on them anymore.”
“A Yao is already by your side, and Xiao Shu’s condition can be treated by a psychologist once Li Beichen returns from his mission.”
“What you need to do now is adjust your mindset and prepare to welcome the two children who are about to start anew.”
Hearing this, the gloom on Chen Rongying’s face was instantly replaced by a hearty laugh.
“Alright, I’ll adjust my mindset.”
“But why are we welcoming two children starting anew?”
“Only Xiao Shu needs to see a psychologist, right?”
Realizing her earlier words had been too vague, Shen Yi’an quickly added, “It’s not just Xiao Shu who needs to see a psychologist—A Yao does too.”
Meeting Chen Rongying’s puzzled and confused gaze, she decided to lay it out plainly. “Don’t be fooled by how normal A Yao seems now. After all, he went through the ordeal of being with human traffickers.”
“He may appear calm on the surface, but do we know what’s really going on in his mind? No, we don’t!”
“Moreover, we don’t know whether his sudden change in personality is for better or worse. That’s something a psychologist will need to guide and treat gradually.”
“Even if she can’t return to her original temperament in the end, as long as she’s psychologically healthy, you parents can rest assured, and I as the aunt won’t have to worry needlessly either. Isn’t that right?”
After hearing this analysis, Chen Rongying remained silent, her gaze falling upon the siblings who had already climbed onto the merry-go-round.
It was different from the scene in her memories.
Before, the siblings on the merry-go-round would laugh heartily, their joy infectious enough to make others on nearby horses join in their merriment.
Now, the younger sister sitting in front looked timid and withdrawn, while the brother behind her would occasionally space out.
Though his gaze remained fixed on his sister, his frequently wandering mental state appeared genuinely concerning.
This realization made Chen Rongying’s heart ache with sorrow.
No longer hesitating or conflicted, she nodded seriously at Shen Yi’an.
“Yi An, I agree with your perspective.”
“As long as Beichen can schedule an appointment with a psychologist, I’ll have both children undergo therapy together.”
“I only have these two children. If anything happens to either of them, it would be devastating for me.”
“That kind of… I’m afraid I couldn’t bear it!”
Understanding that no further words were needed, Shen Yi’an nodded in agreement before maintaining silence.
A moment of quiet would allow things to develop in a better direction.
Just as the two women maintained their silence, watching the children rise and fall while releasing their emotions, a teasing voice suddenly emerged from behind them.