Chapter 62: The Autistic Child

In her previous life, Fang Mingxi had seen quite a few autistic children. They were much like this little girl, generally falling into two distinct categories.

Autism either produced geniuses… or fools.

Some people, because of autism, would become extraordinarily skilled in a certain field, eventually turning into brilliant, world-famous prodigies.

Others, however, were entirely ordinary, forever closed off, and as long as they could manage basic daily life, that was already considered good enough.

The little girl beside them was quiet and well-behaved. She was dressed neatly, her clothes clean and tidy, which showed that her family doted on her.

Such a sweet, obedient child… how could she be autistic?

Fang Mingxi felt a twinge of regret for her. Tong Xueyan also withdrew her gaze.

Just then, the dumplings were ready. Tong Xueyan quickly went to bring over the dumplings and meat buns.

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“Dkmk, lyv wr.”

Wydt Ykdtmk rknjle wr y ewxrzkdt yde rzynle kv kd bla csoz. Walpb swv sq vbl rsv, kv oyp pvkzz iwkvl bsv. Fbl czlo sd kv tldvzu clqsal vyjkdt y ckvl.

Ebyv pbl’e pyke lyazkla oypd’v oasdt; vbl pvyvl-sodle alpvywaydv blal alyzzu oyp clvvla vbyd vbl sdl kd vsod. Kwpv zssj yv vbl nblq’p pjkzzp, vbl ekqqlaldnl oyp schkswp.

Rq vbl nblq yv vbl vsod’p pvyvl-sodle alpvywaydv pnsale qkhl rskdvp, vbkp rzynl lypkzu elplahle yd lktbv. Mbl ewxrzkdtp olal elzknkswp, dsv kdqlaksa vs ydu qyxswp cayde.

Mbl vos sq vblx yvl byrrkzu. Gv vbl dlktbcsakdt vyczl, vbl qsse oyp yzps plahle, zkjlokpl y rzyvl sq pvlyxkdt bsv ewxrzkdtp.

Cw Nkydukdt ryvkldvzu vywtbv bla taydeeywtbvla bso vs wpl nbsrpvknjp, cwv yqvla tlpvwakdt qsa iwkvl y obkzl, Nw Msdtvsdt nswzed’v lhld cl csvblale vs zkqv bla bydep.

Kwpv yp Cw Nkydukdt oyp ycswv vs tkhl wr yde qlle bla rlapsdyzzu, Nw Msdtvsdt pweeldzu vwadle bla blye yde pvyale yv Wydt Ykdtmk, obs oyp lyvkdt okvb alzkpb.

Wydt Ykdtmk rywple, rknjle wr bla csoz, yde blze y ewxrzkdt vs Nw Msdtvsdt’p xswvb.

“Older sister, want to eat?”

“No, no, thank you, little one,” Qu Lianying hurriedly declined. “We have dumplings here.”

But before she could stop it, the granddaughter, who had shown no expression just moments ago, suddenly opened her mouth and took a big bite of the dumpling Fang Mingxi was offering.

Qu Lianying and Tong Xueyan stared in shock as Lu Tongtong ate half the dumpling, then finished the other half. After that, she still wasn’t satisfied and kept staring at Fang Mingxi.

Fang Mingxi put down her chopsticks, broke off half of a meat bun, and handed it to Lu Tongtong.

Under Qu Lianying’s horrified gaze, Lu Tongtong actually reached out on her own, took the large meat bun, and took a huge bite.

“Tongtong… y-you… you can eat by yourself?” Qu Lianying finally snapped back to her senses. Her lips trembled, her face filled with disbelief.

Tongtong could eat on her own. She could actually eat on her own!!

Lu Tongtong didn’t respond. She just kept eating the bun, as if everything that had just happened was merely Qu Lianying’s imagination.

Even Tong Xueyan was stunned. She picked up a dumpling from her own plate and took a bite, but couldn’t taste anything special about it.

She looked at Fang Mingxi, then at Lu Tongtong beside her, her mind full of questions.

Was her little cousin’s affinity with people really that good?

Qu Lianying hurriedly pulled out a handful of candy from her bag and placed it in front of Fang Mingxi. “Thank you, little girl. This is the first time my Tongtong has eaten by herself. I really can’t thank you enough.”

“No need to thank me, Grandma,” Fang Mingxi said. After receiving a confirming look from Tong Xueyan, she accepted the candy.

“Little girl, thank you both. I have something urgent to take care of, so I’ll be leaving first. Tongtong’s change is such a pleasant surprise; I need to take her to the hospital.”

Leaving the untouched plate of dumplings behind for Fang Mingxi, Qu Lianying scooped up Lu Tongtong and rushed out of the restaurant.

Fang Mingxi and Tong Xueyan looked at each other, then at the two plates of dumplings and meat buns on the table, and both let out a satisfied burp.

In the end, they still couldn’t finish everything. Tong Xueyan could only pack the leftovers to take back to the inn.

On the way, Tong Xueyan was extremely curious about what had just happened, but Fang Mingxi said she didn’t understand it either.

She had simply noticed Lu Tongtong staring at her and assumed she wanted the dumplings in her bowl. Who knew she would actually eat them?

Tong Xueyan fell into thought. Her little cousin had spoken very early, and now she’d even prompted another child to eat voluntarily. Could there be something special about her?

……

After getting a room at the inn and resting properly for an hour, Tong Xueyan took Fang Mingxi to the supply and marketing cooperative.

It wasn’t the busiest time yet; the peak flow of customers had just passed, so there weren’t many people when they arrived.

As soon as Tong Xueyan went in, she made a large purchase, sweeping up everything they needed.

This included, but wasn’t limited to, clothes, padded jackets, various shoes, socks, basins, and kitchen utensils. She bought a bit of everything.

The cooperative had never seen such a big-spending customer before. Several counters became busy at the same time.

While no one was paying attention to her, Fang Mingxi slipped over to the non-staple food counter and checked the prices of the dried goods.

There were some sun-dried shiitake mushrooms and black fungus inside. The prices were about the same as at the town’s cooperative, though the variety here was greater. Still, there were no fresh wild mushrooms for sale.

Fang Mingxi hesitated, unsure how to bring it up.

She knew this kind of private trade had to be done discreetly. Selling things openly through the cooperative might make people think she was engaging in speculation. If reported, she’d be in serious trouble.

She opened her mouth three times, but in the end still didn’t call out to the salesperson behind the counter.

Carrying her basket, she returned to Tong Xueyan’s side and sat down gloomily by her feet.

Could it really be that she wouldn’t be able to sell the mushrooms at all? She had already promised Yaoyao she’d split the money with her.

Tong Xueyan finished buying everything they needed, ending up with two huge bundles packed full of supplies.

Looking at the bundles that were almost as tall as herself, Fang Mingxi felt deeply impressed. As expected, women were natural shopping experts, but could the two of them really carry all this back?

Very soon, Fang Mingxi stopped worrying, because the bundles were indeed carried back.

Don’t be fooled by Tong Xueyan’s slender figure; she was actually quite strong. With one bundle on her back and the other in her arms, she walked back to the inn with ease.

After returning to the inn, Tong Xueyan didn’t complain of being tired at all. After just drinking a mouthful of water, she took Fang Mingxi straight to the garment factory.

Fang Mingxi was stunned. It seemed she truly had no chance to sell her mushrooms.

……

At Tongluo County People’s Hospital, Qu Lianying hurriedly pushed open the door to an office, holding Lu Tongtong in her arms.

“Guoqing, come take a look at Tongtong! What’s going on with her?”

Lu Guoqing, who was organizing documents, looked up when he heard this. Seeing his mother-in-law rushing in with his daughter, he quickly stood up.

“Mom, what’s wrong? Did something happen to Tongtong?”

Qu Lianying set the child down and briefly recounted what had happened at the state-owned restaurant, emphasizing that Lu Tongtong had eaten on her own, without anyone forcing her.

Lu Guoqing was startled and immediately began examining Lu Tongtong.

His daughter showing any change was what he wanted to see most. Even the smallest improvement could make him happy for half a day. But after completing the examination, he was deeply disappointed.

Tongtong was still exactly the same as she had been in the morning; none of the changes his mother-in-law described were present. Even her gaze hadn’t changed at all.

Lu Guoqing said dejectedly, “Mom, Tongtong still seems the same as before. There doesn’t appear to be any change.”