Chapter 226: “My Mom Doesn’t Recognize Me.”
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Guo Dongyue didn’t really care about Zhang Zian’s questioning face. He whipped his ponytail and smiled. This was the first time Zhang Zian saw a smile on his face. He never smiled and looked as if he was worried all the time.
"I really like your parrot. Smart and talkative. Did you teach it how to talk? Don’t worry. I don’t mean anything bad. I am only curious who trained it if it wasn’t you. As long as you tell me, I will renovate your store for free!" He said this peacefully but Zhang Zian could tell he was very interested.
"Well, it was me," Zhang Zian said vaguely.
Before knowing his full intentions, Zhang Zian would not disclose or agree to anything, no matter how much money he offered. Zhang Zian tried to train a parrot when he was young, but he gave up after a little bit. Training a parrot took time and persistence. After he grew up, he also found that the breed of the parrot was also essential.
Guo Dongyue had worked with many people in his life. He realized that Zhang Zian was, in fact, more sophisticated than he appeared. Most importantly, he would have to feel 100% comfortable before he would reveal any information.
"Well, I want to give a parrot to someone, a talking parrot," he explained.
"I am not selling this one," Zhang Zian was proactive.
"I know. I don’t want to take away your pet," Guo Dongyue replied, "I wanted to find an expert who could train a parrot for me. Of course, my requirement is quite high. If you can help me, I am going to pay you well."
"What are your high standards? You can tell me. I will evaluate them."
Zhang Zian was interested. It wasn’t the compensation that attracted him. He was interested out of pure curiosity in what Guo Dongyue was looking for.
It wasn’t just him either; even Richard was interested to find out. They both stared at Guo Dongyue curiously.
Guo Dongyue stood up from the chair, and walked around with his hands in his pockets. His face looked like a mixture of sadness and happiness. In the end, he sighed, "Mr. Zhang, have you heard of Alzheimer’s disease?"
Alzheimer’s disease?!
Zhang Zian thought it sounded familiar yet couldn’t recall what it was. Richard spoke immediately, "Dementia!"
Although it was right, Zhang Zian still flicked his finger on its head. For one, to warn it not to speak anymore; for two, Guo Dongyue used a big word like that because "dementia" was not polite to say to his relative or family.
"Oh! Beating shows affection and cursing shows love!" Richard yelled, flapping its wings.
Guo Dongyue was once again surprised to see the interaction between Zhang Zian and the parrot. He knew that Zhang Zian didn’t lie. He did make jokes with this bird when Guo Dongyue first arrived. At this time, Guo Dongyue felt as if he saw hope.
The grey parrot?… Nope. This owner was amazing. How did he train a parrot to be so smart? Saying "welcome" when someone came in might be normal. Saying "Beating shows affection and cursing shows love!" when being hit was not the most surprising. However, it quickly responded "dementia" as he talked about "Alzheimer’s disease"… It was astonishing. How big was this bird’s vocabulary?
"My parrot is naughty. Hope you don’t mind," Zhang Zian found that Guo Dongyue looked different.
"You are naughtier!" Richard fought back.
Zhang Zian pretended he was going to flick his fingers on Richard’s head again. It flew away to dodge from him.
"Please continue," Zhang Zian cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment.
Guo Dongyue was straightforward after making up his mind, "Well, Mr. Zhang. I am going to be honest. My mom has Alzheimer’s disease and it isn’t easy to cure. So…"
He felt sad and couldn’t force the words "she was dying" out of his mouth.
"So, she is on basic treatment until her time comes," Zhang Zian continued all of a sudden.
A warm feeling poured into Guo Dongyue’s heart. He smiled and said, "You are absolutely right."
When his parents were both in the hospital, that was exactly what Zhang Zian was told by the doctor. The doctor made it sound way more positive than it really was. Zhang Zian walked by the doctor’s office and overheard the doctors’ conversation. They said his parents were nothing but waiting to die.
Although Zhang Zian knew this was the final result yet he would still get really mad when people told him that his mom was dying. He almost started a fight with the doctor but he tried really hard to calm himself down.
"Well, medication is developing very quickly. Maybe the doctors will find a way as she waits," Zhang Zian said.
Looking at his face, Guo Dongyue could feel how sincere he was.
That was true. Everything was possible in this era. Even an Elfin game was possible.
Guo Dongyue continued, "My dad died. Now it is only me and my mom."
Zhang Zian nodded. He completely understood him.
"But…" Tightening his fist, Guo Dongyue looked extremely sad until he finally said, "She doesn’t recognize me anymore…"
Zhang Zian was shocked. He then realized what "dementia" really meant and understood Guo Dongyue better.
The most painful thing in the world is to see your kids die before you. The saddest thing is probably when your parents don’t remember you anymore.
He still wasn’t sure what that had to do with the parrot.