Chapter 14: Nian Nian Conquers a Sixty-Year-Old Man
As soon as these words were spoken, the only sound on the table was the crisp clatter of dishes and chopsticks.
Shi Guilin had not been home for a long time, and the news was a little delayed. He was puzzled by the silence at the dinner table, so he glanced at Shi Jianfeng, who was sitting at the main seat, inquiringly.
The old man of the Jiang family and Shi Jianfeng have been friends for many years. Many secrets of the two families are unknown to outsiders, but they are shared between each other without any concealment.
For example, Jiang Duan, the only heir of the Jiang family’s grandchildren, is suspected of having mental problems.
The Jiang family has been in business for generations, but their descendants haven't had much luck. Jiang Shengjun's wife died early from cancer, and they had only one son, Jiang Minglian.
It's not a big deal. Although the couple has only one son, Jiang Minglian, he is very hardworking and has outstanding business talent. He is fully capable of taking over the huge Jiang family.
But man proposes, God disposes. Soon after Jiang Minglian and his wife Cheng Huili got married, they were framed by a branch of the Jiang family and had a car accident. He died young and lost his life.
After sending his branch of the family to prison, Mr. Jiang, overcome with grief and anger, cut off all ties with his relatives, treating them as strangers. Cheng Huili, newlywed, lost her lover and fell into depression.
What pulled her back from the brink of death was an unexpected little life.
She is pregnant.
For the sake of her unborn child, she rekindled her hope of continuing to live. Old Master Jiang also took on the position of chairman of Jiang Group again at an old age, not for anything else, but only for his only grandson Jiang Duan.
The future seemed full of longing and hope. If Cheng Huili hadn't discovered that her son Jiang Duan had mental problems.
"Dad," Shi Lihan seemed to realize that the situation was not good, "Is your illness serious? Will it affect your ability to take over the Jiang Group?"
His question was quite blunt. It was almost an unspoken certainty within the business community that Jiang Duan would become the heir to the Jiang family.
As an heir, you have the freedom and right to get sick, but if the illness affects your ability to inherit the company, that would be bad.
Everyone at the table was influenced by the business world, and they almost immediately thought of this. Even the fifteen-year-old Shi Linzhuo could understand the implication of Shi Lihan's words.
Shi Jianfeng let out a long breath and said thoughtfully, "It's confirmed. He does have mental problems."
Everyone was stunned, some not knowing what to say. But what could they say? Lament their bad luck?
"But the situation isn't too bad." Shi Jianfeng panted heavily, picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, and said, "He was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Not only is his IQ normal, it's far above the average person's level."
"Huh?" This reversal was so sudden that Shi Guilin even thought it was a bit dramatic. He stuffed a bottle into Nian Nian's mouth and asked her to sip from it. He continued, "It's a mental illness after all. What are the symptoms?"
"Sick...?" Nian Nian said in the tone of Gui Lin while holding the bottle of milk.
Shi Guilin smiled and lifted up the bottom of his milk bottle: "Little adult, drink your milk."
Shi Jianfeng watched Nian Nian sip milk with her cheeks puffed out for a while before he spoke slowly, "The doctor said the child is naturally sensitive to numbers and colors and is very talented in math and painting. The symptoms aren't serious. Currently, they only have mild social difficulties. They're quiet and have poor concentration, and their minds tend to wander and become distracted."
Shi Linzhuo interrupted: "He's so smart, why would he need concentration? He can focus on something for three minutes, which is probably better than the average person can focus on it for half an hour."
Shi Guilin thought his nephew's words made sense and nodded in agreement, "Gifted talent is indeed considered to be a step ahead innately. But in his case, we need to start intervention, otherwise it will affect his schooling, right?"
"Learn?" Nian Nian, wearing a bib, was also listening attentively to everyone's conversation.
Shi Guilin lowered his head to check his bottle, and seeing that it was empty, he reached out to help him take it away.
Shi Jianfeng: "The parents have intervened. The child is three years old and doesn't have autism that causes him to scream and attack others. Guidance has been relatively smooth."
At the end of the meal, he wiped his mouth and did not rush to leave the restaurant. Instead, he stayed at the table, glanced at Nian Nian who was playing with her bib, and continued, "As for school, it doesn't matter whether he goes to kindergarten or not. The Jiang family can just hire a private tutor."
"That's right." Shi Lihan finished his meal and put down his bowl and chopsticks. "Given his intelligence, maybe he can learn faster at home than in a regular kindergarten."
After he finished speaking, he stood up and patted Shi Guilin on the shoulder: "Have you eaten? If you have, come to the study. I have something for you." After that, he went upstairs first.
"Hmm? Okay." Shi Guilin nodded and rubbed Nian Nian's little head. "Mom and Dad, you guys take Nian Nian to play for a while. I'll go upstairs to find my brother."
Then he left.
Soon, only Wang Xiulin, Shi Jianfeng and Nian Nian were left in the restaurant.
"Oh, right." Wang Xiulin clapped her hands. "There's some bread I baked in the kitchen. I forgot to take it out. I'll go get it. Old man, please watch over Nian Nian and be careful not to let the child bump into anything."
"Okay." Shi Jianfeng had just agreed when he and Nian Nian were the only ones left in the restaurant.
Suddenly, the only sounds in the area were the breathing of an old man and a child. It was so quiet.
Nian Nian was a little at a loss. He pinched the little dumpling and looked at Shi Jianfeng, who had an expressionless face.
They sat in silence for a while, and Nian Nian was the first to give up, looking down at her feet, which were curling up repeatedly. Suddenly, as if he couldn't hold it in, or maybe he was too full, he burped a little, and his little body bounced like a spring.
The yellow bib was still tucked into his collar and hung on his chest, shaking from the burp.
After burping, Nian Nian pursed her lips and glanced at Shi Jianfeng stealthily, as if to judge whether Shi Jianfeng heard her burp.
Shi Jianfeng didn't say anything, but looked at Nian Nian meaningfully. His expression clearly said: I heard you hiccuping.
Nian Nian, who was very concerned about her reputation, twisted her body and pouted: "Woo."
Shi Jianfeng looked at his sulking, triangular figure, and his eyes softened. From the side, he could perfectly see Nian Nian's softly curved face. Shi Jianfeng stared at her, his fingers itching to pinch her.
Shi Jianfeng, an old man in his sixties, looked at Nian Nian and felt a sense of satisfaction in playing with his grandchildren. He attributed this kind of feeling to the relationship between generations.
This is normal, Shi Jianfeng thought, because Nian Nian is really well behaved. Shi Lihan and Shi Guilin were not so well behaved when they were young. When they were young, when they got angry, they would not turn into a bun like Nian Nian, but into a bomb, and only feel happy when they blow up the whole family.
Unfortunately, he'd been so paralyzed for decades that Nian Nian seemed quite afraid of him. After struggling for several seconds, he couldn't resist the urge to tease his grandson. He stood up and sat down at Shi Guilin's table, which was very close to Nian Nian.
Nian Nian noticed it, but said nothing. She just held the dumpling in her hand even tighter and tried to prevent herself from burping.
"Nian Nian."
Shi Jianfeng paused after calling the little guy's name. He realized that his tone seemed too flat and a little cold.
So he closed his mouth, thought for a moment, and imitated the tone of the other family members when they spoke to Nian Nian, trying his best to raise his voice, which had been low for decades. "Dear, call me grandpa, okay?"
Soon, the sixty-year-old man Shi Jianfeng was greeted by a pair of shocked eyes of the cub.
And when he came out of the study and went downstairs to look for Nian Nian, Gui Lin was surprised and concerned:
"Dad, what's wrong with your throat? Do you have a cold?!"
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