Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Agony of Teacher Li

"Zhou Xuan, dinner's ready." The sound of Teacher Li's voice drifted in from outside, bringing Zhou Xuan out of his typing trance.

He shook his hands, which were beginning to ache, and felt deeply satisfied with what he’d accomplished that afternoon. There was no denying that Zhou Xuan typed quickly—up to five thousand characters an hour. Though he couldn't recall every detail of "The Love of the Hawthorn Tree," he remembered most of it. Even with a few embellishments of his own, Zhou Xuan felt his version was just as good, if not better.

Leaving the study, he saw a beautiful woman with long hair, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, sitting on the sofa and teasing a toddler who looked to be a year or two old.

Yet the child seemed slow to respond, his face expressionless, a little odd.

That must be Teacher Li's wife and son, Zhou Xuan thought.

Just then, Teacher Li emerged from the kitchen with a dish in hand. Spotting Zhou Xuan, he said, "Zhou Xuan, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Chen Lin, and my son, Li Tianyi."

"Hello, Ma'am," Zhou Xuan greeted, not knowing what Mrs. Li did for a living and choosing the respectful form of address.

Chen Lin said, "Zhou Xuan, come, sit down—dinner's almost ready. I've been hearing about you from Old Li for a month now. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

As she spoke, Chen Lin placed the child in a high chair and sat down at the table herself.

Zhou Xuan glanced at Teacher Li's son, growing more certain that something was strange about the baby. Li Tianyi looked fair and chubby, but his face was vacant. He neither smiled nor cried, even after all this time.

Could Li Tianyi have some intellectual disability? Zhou Xuan wondered, stealing a few more glances at the child.

Dinner was a feast, far better than anything served in the cafeteria, and Zhou Xuan ate three bowls of rice in a row.

After dinner, Zhou Xuan continued typing, adding another ten thousand characters to "The Love of the Hawthorn Tree." By half past seven, he finally said his goodbyes to Teacher Li, saying he needed to return to school.

But Li Yunxi insisted on walking him back, and Zhou Xuan couldn't refuse. So, the two of them headed downstairs and strolled toward the campus.

As they walked along the cool evening streets, Zhou Xuan chatted with Teacher Li about this and that.

Thinking of Teacher Li's son, Zhou Xuan hesitated, unsure whether to ask. After a moment, he ventured cautiously, "Teacher Li, may I ask you something? If you’d rather not talk about it, that’s fine."

Li Yunxi looked puzzled. "Zhou Xuan, just ask. No need to be so hesitant."

"It’s about your son, Tianyi. He seemed... less lively than most children." Zhou Xuan spoke uncertainly.

There was a long silence. Zhou Xuan felt the atmosphere grow heavy, broken only by the sound of passing cars.

"Teacher Li, honestly, if it’s difficult, you don’t have to answer."

Several seconds passed before Li Yunxi replied, "There's nothing I can't talk about. My son was diagnosed with congenital intellectual disability at birth. Delayed development, severe language impairment, unresponsive to his surroundings, poor cognition. The doctors say he’ll never be able to live independently, let alone study or work."

"Isn’t there any cure?" Zhou Xuan asked.

A flash of pain and despair crossed Li Yunxi’s eyes. "Since he was born, my wife and I have taken him to many hospitals across the country. All the experts have seen him, and none held out hope. This condition is congenital; there’s no effective treatment. At best, medication and years of behavioral therapy might help him manage basic self-care."

Seeing the pain in Teacher Li’s eyes, Zhou Xuan said, "I'm sorry, Teacher Li."

"It’s all right. How I wish Tianyi could get better," Teacher Li replied. "The reason I bought a computer was to go online and learn about overseas medical advances, hoping that one day there will be a cure for Tianyi."

Zhou Xuan knew there was no real treatment for such congenital conditions at present. But decades in the future, after the development of the Brain Domain Activation Agent, this kind of congenital intellectual disability could be addressed.

Still, even with the Brain Domain Activation Agent, there was no guarantee of complete recovery. All Zhou Xuan could do was wait until winter break to manufacture it himself and see what happened.

Teacher Li had helped him so much. If there was a chance to help Li Tianyi regain normalcy, Zhou Xuan would certainly try.

"Don’t worry, Teacher Li. I believe with the advancement of science and technology, there will be a solution," he consoled.

Teacher Li sighed. "Let’s hope so."

"Oh, by the way, Teacher Li, isn't this kind of congenital condition usually genetic? Do you or your wife have any hereditary illnesses?" Zhou Xuan was puzzled; both Teacher Li and his wife seemed perfectly healthy, so how could they have an unhealthy child?

Did they not have a premarital health check before marrying?

"That’s the strangest part," Teacher Li replied. "My wife and I are both healthy, and all the pregnancy checkups were normal. I don’t know how this happened."

"That is odd—could it be a genetic mutation? But the odds are so low; it’s unlikely you'd be so unlucky."

"From birth, our child wasn't like other babies—no crying or fussing. Instead, he was quiet and unresponsive to sound; my wife and I would call him, and he'd barely react. It worried us so much."

"Other children can say 'mommy' and 'daddy' before their first birthday, but our child still looks dull and vacant. My wife cries every day over it, and seeing her like this breaks my heart."

"In college, she was the belle of another department, admired by many. The first time I met her, I fell for her. One of my old classmates from No. 3 High School, Wang Tianli, liked her too. We both pursued her, but in the end, it was my sincerity that won her heart. She agreed to be with me and then became my wife."

"I once promised her a lifetime of happiness, but I couldn't even give her a healthy son. I’ve let her down—I’ve truly let her down."

Standing on Fengxiang Bridge, Zhou Xuan listened as Teacher Li recounted much: the story of his wife, his old classmate, and the events that followed.

Looking at Li Yunxi’s pain, Zhou Xuan was deeply moved.

Usually, Teacher Li was a strong, masculine figure in their eyes; who could have imagined him like this? But Zhou Xuan felt no less respect for him—in fact, he respected him even more. Li Yunxi was a true man.

For his child, he had visited hospitals across the country; for his child, he learned English and read foreign websites, hoping to find a way to help.

At that moment, Zhou Xuan made a silent vow: when the Brain Domain Activation Agent was ready, he would give it to Teacher Li’s child, hoping it could cure his congenital condition.

At the school gate, Zhou Xuan turned to thank Teacher Li for walking him back.

"I should be the one thanking you, for listening to me ramble all evening. Honestly, it feels better just to talk about it."

"Teacher Li, trust the future. Your child will get better one day."