Free Web NovelChapter 272: Chapter 272: Making a Decision
Little Tang Mo’s sudden improvement was a wonderful surprise for Su Li.
However, it also brought new problems that needed to be addressed.
Little Tang Mo had said he didn’t want to go—and couldn’t possibly go—back to his old elementary school, a point Su Li wholeheartedly agreed with. Until Little Tang Mo was much older, she never wanted him to return to the staff housing compound, that nightmarish place.
Not attending his previous school meant he would have to transfer.
A parent had to process the transfer in person, which brought up the issue of custody rights.
Even if Tang Yuanxiao agreed to let Little Tang Mo transfer, the question of which school he should attend was another problem.
He still couldn’t speak, and under these circumstances, Su Li worried that if he went to a regular school, he’d be made fun of or bullied. Or worse, the pressure from other people’s stares would become too much for him to bear.
But she was also afraid of sending him to a special school instead of a regular one.
She worried Little Tang Mo would be frightened or would reject the idea.
All in all, there were still many things to consider.
Just as Wu Sheng had said before, Little Tang Mo needed to return to a normal life. Little Tang Mo had even requested it himself. But whether he could actually do so wasn’t something Su Li could decide on her own.
After breakfast, Su Li mulled over the problem as she washed the dishes.
Until the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?" Su Li called out, washing her hands.
"Su Li, it’s me, Little Mo’s grandma," Grandma Cui’s voice came from outside the door.
Su Li came out of the kitchen to open the door, but she stopped and smiled when she saw Little Tang Mo.
For the first time in a long while, Little Tang Mo was proactively opening the door himself.
After opening the door, he stood in the doorway smiling at Grandma Cui, then grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.
Grandma Cui and Cui Jiaren, who had come with her, were overjoyed to see him acting this way.
Before, Little Tang Mo’s condition had left Grandma Cui and Cui Jiaren deeply worried. They had come today because they were still uneasy, and though they did their best to put on a smile, their hearts remained heavy.
But to their surprise, they were greeted by Little Tang Mo’s bright smile.
"His condition has improved over the past couple of days. He woke up like this this morning."
Su Li understood Grandma Cui’s surprise and explained with a smile.
Grandma Cui and Cui Jiaren had brought a pile of food and snacks, all thoughtful gifts from the heart.
For a moment, the room was filled with cheerful laughter.
Since Grandma Cui and her companions had come specifically to see Little Tang Mo and planned to stay until the afternoon, Su Li took the opportunity to slip out to the hospital.
Su Li went to the hospital to see Little Tang Mo’s doctor.
"...I’m having trouble deciding what kind of school would be better for Little Mo, so I wanted to ask for your professional advice."
Su Li wanted the doctor’s expert opinion on choosing a school.
"It’s a good thing that Little Mo’s condition has suddenly improved. It significantly increases the chances of a full recovery. If you ask for my recommendation, I’d say you can let him attend a regular school, provided he isn’t opposed to it."
"His speech impediment is still a relatively recent development. If he goes to a special needs school, he might actually find it harder to adapt. You should ask for his opinion. What he wants is very important."
Su Li let out a breath and nodded. "Okay, I understand. Thank you."
When Su Li returned from the hospital and reached the bottom of her apartment building, she was shocked to see Tang Yuanxiao.
He had clearly lost a lot of weight, and the dark stubble on his chin made him look completely worn out.
The sight of Tang Yuanxiao immediately made Su Li think of the custody issue. She had to take a deep breath to calm herself.
Tang Yuanxiao saw Su Li, too.
"Su Li, I saw Momo."
Tang Yuanxiao spoke before Su Li had the chance.
"What?" Su Li was horrified. "You... Little Mo’s condition only just started to improve today!"
"I didn’t do it on purpose. We just happened to run into each other..."
While Su Li was at the hospital, Little Tang Mo had gone downstairs with Grandma Cui and Cui Jiaren to buy a few things. They ran into Tang Yuanxiao on their way back up.
It hadn’t been intentional. He never expected to run into them so suddenly.
He had been constantly thinking about how to get Little Tang Mo to accept him again and had considered trying to make contact, but he had never planned on surprising him like this.
"Momo." It was impossible to just turn and run, so he forced a smile and tried to greet him.
Unfortunately, it was no use.
Little Tang Mo had been holding Grandma Cui’s hand, a faint smile on his lips. But the moment he saw Tang Yuanxiao, the smile froze on his face.
He desperately tried to control himself, so he didn’t start shaking, but he couldn’t stop himself from suddenly running away.
The stiff smile on Tang Yuanxiao’s face froze solid.
"Momo, it’s Dad! Don’t be afraid..." Tang Yuanxiao exchanged a glance with the bewildered Grandma Cui and hurriedly chased after Little Tang Mo.
Seeing his father chasing after him, Little Tang Mo suddenly stumbled and fell.
His knee slammed against the stone steps, and the pain instantly brought tears to his eyes, but he paid them no mind. He just got up and kept running.
Tang Yuanxiao watched in terror. "Momo, don’t be scared! I’m not chasing you, don’t be scared..."
He stopped in his tracks, but Little Tang Mo kept running, not stopping until he reached the sixth floor. He fumbled the door open, rushed inside, and slammed it shut with a BANG.
Afterward, it was no use. No matter how much Tang Yuanxiao, Grandma Cui, and Cui Jiaren called out to him, the door remained shut.
Grandma Cui was so frantic that tears streamed down her face. "Since Little Mo is so afraid of you, how could you just show up and scare him like that!"
Grandma Cui’s scolding made Tang Yuanxiao so ashamed he wished the ground would swallow him whole.
He had seen Little Tang Mo smile last night and assumed he was getting better. He had even hoped Little Tang Mo wouldn’t be so afraid of him anymore. Who could have imagined...
"You should go. And be quiet about it. As long as he can hear your voice, Little Mo won’t open the door, and he’ll stay scared." freewebnovёl.ƈom
Grandma Cui was both angry and frantic. "Little Mo was just starting to get so much better. Don’t let him..."
But as she spoke, she saw the look of utter anguish on Tang Yuanxiao’s face and couldn’t continue.
"What a tragedy..."
Amidst Grandma Cui’s sigh, Tang Yuanxiao stiffly walked back downstairs.
Cui Jiaren was worried, so she went to look for Su Li, but they ended up missing each other.
So Su Li ended up meeting Tang Yuanxiao directly. When she heard that he’d seen Little Tang Mo and how the boy had reacted, she was so angry she stomped her foot.
Furious and frantic, she raced up toward the sixth floor.
Tang Yuanxiao staggered back a couple of steps, then sank dejectedly into a crouch.
"Why... why... Why is it like this..."
When Su Li ran up to the sixth floor, Grandma Cui’s eyes lit up. "Su Li, you’re back."
Su Li didn’t have time to reply. "Little Mo, Mama’s back. I’m opening the door now, okay?"
She pulled out her key to unlock the door, but the more she hurried, the more she fumbled with the lock.
"Little Mo, don’t be scared..."
She finally managed to get the key into the lock, but just as she was about to turn it, the door swung open from the inside.
Little Tang Mo instantly threw himself into Su Li’s arms, clinging to her and refusing to let go.
Su Li let out a sigh of relief. "It’s okay, Little Mo. Don’t be scared."
Little Tang Mo nodded vigorously, looked up at Su Li with a forced smile, and pulled her into the apartment. Then, he wrote in her palm.
"Mama, I’m not scared."
’He was scared, of course, but he was trying so hard to control his fear.’
Writing in her palm was too slow. Little Tang Mo turned back, found a pen and paper, and wrote as quickly as he could.
"Mama, I want to be with you."
’He didn’t want Tang Yuanxiao to take him away.’ freeweɓnovel.cøm
"Yes, we’re not going anywhere. Little Mo is staying right here with Mama." Su Li nodded firmly, picking Little Tang Mo up and gently stroking his back.
Grandma Cui, watching from the doorway, let out a huge sigh of relief.
Once she recovered from the shock, she felt her energy drain away, but she still forced herself to go downstairs.
"Yuanxiao."
Hearing her voice, Tang Yuanxiao scrambled to his feet to support Grandma Cui. "How is Momo?"
"He’s fine now that Su Li is back. He opened the door himself."
The tension finally left Tang Yuanxiao’s shoulders. "That’s good."
"That’s good..." he repeated, turning to walk away.
His figure looked utterly desolate from behind.
He knew it was time to make a decision.
