Chapter 83: The Reason

"Three years... just a little over three years left."

On the way back, Zhang Congwen’s mind was preoccupied with a single thought.

Yu Yixiang had said that the best window for treating autism was before the age of twelve. Xiaoxiao was already nine, which meant only a little more than three years remained.

When Zhang Congwen left Yu Yixiang’s house, he had intended to take the leash from Xiaoxiao’s hand. Unexpectedly, she clung tightly to the leash, refusing to let go no matter what.

In the end, with no other option, Yu Yixiang had to turn on the television and play the show Xiaoxiao loved most—Journey to the West.

It was only when Sun Wukong appeared on the screen that Xiaoxiao’s attention was partially drawn away. Her grip on the leash relaxed just enough for Zhang Congwen to gently take it from her hand.

But once the leash was gone, Xiaoxiao’s attention drifted from the television. She stood there in an odd, unnatural posture, head bowed, silent and still.

Zhang Congwen could only wonder what was going on inside her mind at that moment. Yet he felt that the instant the leash was taken, she seemed to sever her final connection with the world.

Once more, she retreated into solitude.

Before he left, Yu Yixiang had asked Zhang Congwen a question.

Why is this world so full of suffering? She didn’t know, nor did she understand why she herself should bear so much pain.

Zhang Congwen didn’t answer. He had no answer to give.

He knew little about autism—he wasn’t a doctor or an expert. He wanted to help Xiaoxiao, but all he felt was a deep sense of helplessness.

On the road, as he watched Tuantuan, he racked his brain for a way to help Xiaoxiao. Suddenly, a word surfaced in his mind:

Autism assistance dog.

These dogs are a type of working animal, trained to provide intervention and therapeutic support for children with autism. They can offer emotional and psychological comfort, relieve stress, foster a sense of security, reduce emotional outbursts, and help develop social skills.

Xiaoxiao liked dogs—so this kind of working dog would be perfectly suited to her needs.

Abroad, autism assistance dogs had decades of clinical experience behind them. But in their own country, the field had only just begun to develop. Such dogs were exceedingly rare. Against the number of children with autism, these assistance dogs were like a single raindrop in the ocean. Securing one for Xiaoxiao would be almost impossible.

The only solution was for Zhang Congwen to train an assistance dog for Xiaoxiao himself.

But Zhang Congwen had no experience in this kind of training. To train an assistance dog well was no easy task, and the process would take a long time.

Three years might seem sufficient, but to Zhang Congwen, the time was alarmingly short. Not only would he need time to train a qualified assistance dog, but there was no guarantee that the trained dog would be compatible with Xiaoxiao. If not, all his effort would be for nothing. Moreover, the training required much time spent with the dog, and a great deal of money.

At present, Zhang Congwen met none of these conditions.

“You’re back? Zhu Qingyan and I were worried you might get lost,” Song Jiawei greeted Zhang Congwen as he returned with Tuantuan, looking distracted.

“Zhang Congwen, the reason we didn’t tell you about this beforehand was because...” Zhu Qingyan tried to explain.

“What are we going to name our dog training center?” Zhang Congwen interrupted before she could finish.

“What?” Zhu Qingyan and Song Jiawei were both caught off guard.

“Aren’t you two starting a business? You need a name. Even street vendors selling fried rice have a signboard,” Zhang Congwen said. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of one.”

“That’s strange,” Song Jiawei circled Zhang Congwen in puzzlement.

Nothing seemed different about him, and yet Song Jiawei couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhang Congwen had changed somehow since before he took the dog for a walk.

But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

“Qingyan, don’t you think there’s something different about Zhang Congwen?” Song Jiawei asked.

Girls are always more sensitive. The moment Zhang Congwen walked in, Zhu Qingyan sensed something unusual about him. But her mind had been full of apologies, thinking he was simply upset because they hadn’t told him everything.

“There is something different about him,” Zhu Qingyan agreed.

“What’s different?” Zhang Congwen asked, feigning confusion.

“I don’t know. I can’t say. But I can feel it,” Song Jiawei shook her head, and Zhu Qingyan nodded in agreement.

“Confess! Did some girl molest you while you were walking the dog?” Song Jiawei interrogated him.

Zhang Congwen rolled his eyes in exasperation and ignored her.

“Guess not,” Song Jiawei concluded. “Then maybe you fell and hit your head on the walk.”

Zhu Qingyan didn’t bother with Song Jiawei’s antics and instead asked Zhang Congwen directly if something had happened while he was out.

Zhang Congwen recounted his meeting with Xiaoxiao and shared his thoughts.

“You mean you want to train an autism assistance dog for that little girl Xiaoxiao?” Song Jiawei exclaimed in disbelief.

“You doubt my abilities?” Zhang Congwen replied.

“It’s not that you can’t do it—it’s that it’s fantastic! I support you wholeheartedly!” Song Jiawei exclaimed.

From childhood, he’d been taught to do good deeds like Lei Feng, and he’d always wanted to do something meaningful. But in reality, the only good deed he’d ever done was giving up his seat on the bus or subway. He’d never encountered the opportunity to do anything more.

Though small acts of kindness matter, offering your seat and training an autism assistance dog are worlds apart.

“So that’s why you suddenly changed your mind. You want to open a dog training center to get enough funds and spend more time with the dogs,” Song Jiawei said. “But whether I agree doesn’t matter. We need to ask Qingyan—she’s the one funding us.”

Song Jiawei knew nothing about training assistance dogs, but he could imagine it wouldn’t be easy.

Their dog training center wasn’t even officially established yet, and already they were taking on such a big project. If things went wrong, it could drag the whole venture down. Naturally, Zhu Qingyan’s opinion was crucial.

Zhu Qingyan had always been a compassionate person. As Zhang Congwen had described Xiaoxiao’s situation, she’d been thinking about how they could help. But, like Zhang Congwen at first, she’d had no idea where to begin.

When he mentioned training an assistance dog, she had already made up her mind to agree.

“Don’t rush to agree,” Zhang Congwen cautioned. “Training an assistance dog is expensive.”

Song Jiawei fell silent, turning to Zhu Qingyan.

Their funds were actually quite limited—a portion had only been secured after Song Jiawei had gone to great lengths to persuade Zhu Chang to lend it to them.

Zhu Chang had never thought opening a dog training center was a good idea; he wanted Zhu Qingyan to inherit his company someday.

“It’s all right. I think I can convince my father this time,” Zhu Qingyan said after a moment’s thought.

With everyone in agreement, the plan was set. Zhang Congwen finally returned to his initial question: “So, what are we going to call our dog training center?”