The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 128: Testing IQ, Chance Encounter with Yan Yi at the Hospital

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Testing IQ, Chance Encounter with Yan Yi at the Hospital

Shen Mingzhu hadn’t slept well all night.

She had previously thought that Pei Ziheng was just a little smarter and more mature than the average child, but last night’s perfect score made her realize that his talent might far exceed her imagination.

After breakfast, Shen Mingzhu took Pei Ziheng to the kindergarten to ask for leave, and then she took him to the Medical University Hospital.

She was preparing to have Pei Ziheng take an IQ test.

The reason she chose Medical University was that it was the only tier-three hospital in Fengcheng, and she hoped that the best hospital could deliver a more accurate result.

Before registering, Shen Mingzhu first consulted with a nurse. She learned that there were four doctors in the psychology department with considerable experience, three of whom were directors, and another was a chief expert.

However, this chief expert was specially recruited by the hospital and only worked for two and a half days each week. To get an appointment with this expert, one would have to wait at least three months.

Shen Mingzhu immediately dismissed the idea of trying to get an appointment with the chief expert.

It was just an IQ test, not a treatment for a serious illness; a general doctor would suffice.

Yet the psychology department was so busy that even getting an appointment with a general doctor required waiting for three days later.

Three days it would be, which was still better than waiting three months.

After registering, Shen Mingzhu took Pei Ziheng downstairs, and as soon as they reached the stairway, they encountered a few doctors in white coats.

Shen Mingzhu held Pei Ziheng’s hand and made way for the doctors.

The other doctors passed by directly, but one of them came straight up to her.

Framed by gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes, visible through the lenses, seemed somewhat familiar.

"You don’t recognize me already?"

The familiar voice made Shen Mingzhu show a look of surprise.

"Yan Yi?"

"Good, you haven’t forgotten my name."

After joking, Yan Yi pulled down his mask and his gaze swept back and forth between her and Pei Ziheng.

"Are you here to see someone, or...?"

This entire floor was the psychology department, and judging from the appearance of the mother and son, he didn’t think they were troubled by any psychological or mental issues.

Shen Mingzhu told him the truth.

Upon learning that she wanted to have Pei Ziheng’s IQ tested, Yan Yi thought for a moment, then said, "Let me ask for you, I should be able to arrange a spot."

"No need to bother, I’ve already registered," she said.

"It’s no bother, just a word away," Yan Yi replied.

Before Shen Mingzhu had the chance to refuse, Yan Yi had already walked towards the registration window.

Shen Mingzhu looked down at her son, who was also gazing up at her with his beautiful little face.

Shen Mingzhu thought to herself: Well, since we’re already here, it’s better to get the results sooner rather than later.

Pei Ziheng watched Yan Yi at the registration window, feeling annoyed: Despite all caution, he still couldn’t avoid it—it was unexpected to encounter him even in the hospital.

——

At the registration window.

Hearing that Yan Yi wanted to squeeze in an IQ test appointment, the registrar was a bit surprised, "Dr. Yan, for children under six years old who need IQ testing, they could go to the pediatric health department, there’s no need..."

Yan Yi looked at the person warmly, "Do you need me to offer you my office to sit in?"

The registrar immediately became embarrassed and quickly processed the registration for Yan Yi.

"Come with me."

Shen Mingzhu stopped Yan Yi, "Your work must be quite busy, right?"

Yan Yi nodded, "A bit."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "We can go there by ourselves, you should get back to your work, it’s not good to keep holding you up."

Yan Yi stared at her for two solemn seconds, smiled, handed her the registration form he was holding, and pointed her in the right direction, then shoved his hands in his pockets and left.

Shen Mingzhu let out a sigh of relief, looked down at the registration form, and to her surprise, discovered it was actually for a chief expert’s appointment.

Did Yan Yi have such influence in this hospital? To be able to bypass the usual process for a chief expert? And to even become the very first in line?

Immediately, Shen Mingzhu did not dare to delay and led Pei Ziheng toward the office of the chief expert.

"Please come in, have a seat."

Seeing Yan Yi seated behind the office desk, Shen Mingzhu was stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses.

"You’re a psychologist?"

And a chief expert? You’ve got to be joking, right?

She found the remark somewhat offensive and did not say it out loud, merely daring to think it in her mind.

However, Yan Yi saw right through her thoughts; if he didn’t have even this capability, he certainly wouldn’t be occupying the position of head psychologist.

"Regarding my profession, we will have time to talk about it in detail later. First, let’s do a test for Ziheng."

"Okay."

Fifteen minutes later.

Yan Yi handed the test results to Shen Mingzhu, "Given the limited time, I only did a preliminary test for Ziheng. According to the evaluation results, his IQ is between 130-150."

"Does that mean he won’t have any problem starting first grade next term?"

Yan Yi smiled, "With his intelligence, there won’t be a problem, but I don’t recommend it. He is still young, and for a child like him, a good growth environment and mental wellbeing are far more important than academic achievements. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. How to proceed is still your own decision as parents."

Pausing for a moment, Yan Yi then asked, "What does Ziheng’s father think?"

"He, he listens to me."

The half-second hesitation from Shen Mingzhu didn’t escape Yan Yi’s accurate perception.

"Your husband hasn’t returned yet?"

Shen Mingzhu did not really want to discuss this topic, so she gave a perfunctory reply and, after thanking Yan Yi with Pei Ziheng, left his office.

As she passed by the registration window, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to pay the consultation fee but didn’t want to go back to Yan Yi’s office, so she simply left the money with the registrar to pass it on.

----

In the following days, Shen Mingzhu agonized over whether or not to send Pei Ziheng to first grade in the latter half of the year.

Pei Ziheng himself was very eager to start first grade, and she had already promised him.

On the other hand, she also felt that Yan Yi’s reminder made sense. She worried that if Pei Ziheng entered the first grade, he might not get along with his seven- or eight-year-old classmates, and more importantly, she feared he might be bullied.

As Shen Mingzhu fretted over Pei Ziheng’s schooling, Du Juan came to her door.

"Mingzhu, I really had no other choice but to come to you..."

Since the family split, the farmland had also been divided, with each brother taking their respective shares.

During the recent spring planting, having tasted the sweetness of earning money, Du Juan could not bear to give up the profitable venture. She and Shen Chaobei planned to split the work, with Shen Chaobei taking care of spring planting at home and Du Juan continuing to sell egg cakes.

Even though they didn’t have much farmland, it was still somewhat strenuous for Shen Chaobei to manage it all on his own.

Just at this busy time, Shen Xiangnan took the initiative to help out.

Once the spring planting was over, Qin Jinlian called Shen Chaobei over, asking him to teach the egg cake recipe to Shen Xiangnan.

The reason given was that siblings should help and support each other. Since Shen Xiangnan helped with their farm work, they should reciprocate by helping Shen Xiangnan make money together; otherwise, it would be heartless.

Qin Jinlian also incited some relatives of the Shen Family to persuade the couple. Even the family of Yang Lizhen, who lived far away, kept running to Shenjiagou every other day, begging the couple to provide for Yang Lizhen and the child in her womb.

As time went on, even the villagers who initially supported Du Juan and her husband began to change their opinions, gossiping that the couple was selfish and callous, unwilling to lend a helping hand even to close relatives.

Their situation in the village now was akin to being roasted on an open fire.

Everywhere they went, they faced pointing fingers and endless idle chatter.

Wiping her tears non-stop, Du Juan said, "Mingzhu, Chaobei and I really can’t stand it anymore. We can only turn to you for advice."