Chapter 86: The Dog That Needs Care

Zhang Congwen asked the landlord’s daughter to bring out the snacks that Dabai loved most, and then placed on the floor various items Dabai usually held in his paws—such as a broom, a mobile phone, a mop, toys, and an umbrella. Next, he scattered some of Dabai’s favorite treats onto these objects. Only after arranging everything did Zhang Congwen ask the landlord’s daughter to find a piece of black cloth, blindfold Dabai, and ensure he couldn’t see before leading him out of the room.

From Dabai’s previous behavior, it was clear that he relied heavily on his eyes to observe the world. This habit meant that, before he could familiarize himself with new objects, he was already filled with fear, cut off from understanding them. Zhang Congwen’s plan was to blindfold Dabai, forcing him to use his sense of smell to perceive these objects and thus change his impression of them, to show him that these things weren’t as frightening as he imagined. With the reward of snacks, Dabai would develop positive associations, completely reversing his predicament.

“Will this really work?” The landlord’s daughter, having already heard Zhang Congwen’s explanation, watched anxiously as Dabai was brought out.

“It should be fine,” Zhang Congwen replied with confidence.

Seeing Zhang Congwen’s assured demeanor, the landlord no longer hesitated and began guiding blindfolded Dabai to explore the surroundings. Under the landlord’s subtle guidance, Dabai soon approached the items laid out on the floor. With his vision blocked, Dabai had to rely on his nose.

As Zhang Congwen anticipated, Dabai was indeed more accustomed to using his eyes, but when he sniffed the objects on the ground, he showed no signs of fear—instead, curiosity got the better of him, and he started sniffing around. Through this exploration, Dabai quickly found the treats placed atop the objects and, without hesitation, devoured them all.

Afterward, Dabai sniffed around once more, ensuring he hadn’t missed any food, then calmly settled nearby.

"You can take off his blindfold now," Zhang Congwen said with a smile.

The landlord removed Dabai’s blindfold, and Dabai showed no unusual reaction. At that moment, Zhang Congwen instructed the landlord’s daughter to pick up any item from the floor and offer it for Dabai to sniff.

She hesitated, glancing at Dabai and then at Zhang Congwen, clearly unsure. Biting her lip, she ultimately shook her head at Zhang Congwen; she simply couldn’t bear to see Dabai hurt himself again.

Zhang Congwen had no choice but to pick up a broom himself and present it to Dabai. At first, Dabai was anxious seeing Zhang Congwen bend down to pick something up, but since Zhang Congwen made no further move, Dabai mustered his courage and sniffed at the broom. The earlier anxiety dissipated imperceptibly.

Zhang Congwen put down the broom and picked up another item. This time, Dabai didn’t even show initial fear and actively sniffed whatever Zhang Congwen handed him.

The landlord and his daughter were astonished. Previously, whenever Dabai saw someone holding something, he would bite himself in distress; now, he was utterly calm, no longer attacking himself. The change was not brought about by the arduous training they had imagined, but rather by these seemingly insignificant actions.

Only then did Zhang Congwen bend down and gently stroke Dabai’s round dog head, which was incredibly pleasant to touch.

“Training is over. If you ever find anything else that scares him, you can use this method to help him,” Zhang Congwen said, although he doubted anything would frighten Dabai again unless someone deliberately provoked him.

The landlord and his daughter nodded, gazing at Dabai sprawled on the floor, belly up and eyes half-closed in bliss, their eyes filled with affection.

Even though Dabai had been mistreated, he never sought revenge against humans; instead, he silently endured, bearing his pain alone. He would rather suffer himself than take it out on others.

Such a dog truly deserves to be cherished.

With Dabai’s problem resolved, the landlord quickly signed the lease with Zhang Congwen. When her father wasn’t looking, the landlord’s daughter quietly added Zhang Congwen’s contact information.

The venue for the dog training center was settled, so Zhang Congwen had little else to do for the time being. The remaining issues were funding and company registration, which Zhu Qingyan and Song Jiawei were already handling, leaving Zhang Congwen with nothing more to contribute.

Yet he didn’t idle away his days. His mind constantly returned to Xiaoxiao. He wanted to train an assistance dog for her, but first, he needed to select the right dog. What breed to choose, where to find one, how to train it—Zhang Congwen had no answers. Over the next few days, he searched for suitable breeds and immersed himself in literature on training assistance dogs for autism.

For several days, Zhang Congwen shut himself in his room, only emerging for meals and bathroom breaks.

Even Song Jiawei felt that Zhang Congwen seemed possessed; he had never seen him so driven and focused on a single task.

During this time, Zhu Qingyan brought good news: she had persuaded Zhu Chang to contribute more funds. Not as a loan, nor as an investment, but as a donation. Initially, Zhu Chang was strongly opposed to his daughter entering this field, but upon hearing they wanted to train an assistance dog for Xiaoxiao, he personally went to see her. After fully understanding the situation, Zhu Chang’s attitude changed, and he cheerfully donated, giving twice as much as Zhu Qingyan had expected.

Song Jiawei’s progress on the paperwork was also swift, and everything was settled in no time.

Bang, bang, bang! Zhang Congwen’s door was knocked by Song Jiawei.

As soon as Zhang Congwen opened the door, Song Jiawei jumped back in surprise. “Damn! Who are you?”

During those days, Zhang Congwen had kept himself locked indoors, away from sunlight, leaving his face ghostly pale. His beard was unkempt, his hair a mess, crusted eyes, and his clothes were disheveled and worn backwards, making him look like a wild man.

Both had been busy, rarely seeing each other, so Song Jiawei didn’t recognize him at first glance.

“I’m your father,” Zhang Congwen retorted with annoyance, seeing he’d startled Song Jiawei.

“And I’m your uncle,” Song Jiawei shot back indignantly, now certain it was Zhang Congwen. He couldn’t believe how his handsome friend had transformed in just a few days. “Why are you acting like a wild man from the mountains in broad daylight? Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Just spit it out if you have something to say—your father’s busy,” Zhang Congwen grumbled.

Song Jiawei didn’t bother arguing. “Clean yourself up and come with me.”