"No way, I have exams coming up and need some advice. Uncle Liao is an expert in this field and can give me some pointers. As for Brother Zhuzi—" Xiaoqiang looked at Zhuzi, who was already a bit embarrassed, and said, "Aren’t the couple supposed to cooperate with Qian for the conversation? There’s no point for Uncle Liao to stay here."

"That’s right, that’s exactly it, don’t delay their treatment," Mr. Liao nodded repeatedly.

This kind of nonsense can only fool Qian’s mom.

This is just to get Zhuzi off Mr. Liao, to get Mr. Liao out of here.

Zhuzi came for treatment this time as an excuse. He really wanted to get close to Mr. Liao. He thought he could let his wife chat casually with Qian after dinner—even if he didn’t believe a psychologist could change his wife’s mind about not having kids, he wanted to use this opportunity to build a relationship with Mr. Liao.

Although the hometown is nice, it doesn’t compare to the bustling Q City. The stable job in the small county is no longer satisfying for him. He hopes to connect with Mr. Liao and transfer here. That would be great.

But Xiaoqiang didn’t give him this chance, pulling Mr. Liao away swiftly.

Once out the door, Xiaoqiang said to Mr. Liao.

"Uncle Liao, do you play chess?"

"A little, not very proficient."

"That’s good enough." He took him straight to his old man’s place to appease the grumpy old chess player!

Mrs. Yu had gone to Lishi for a while, leaving Mr. Yu as a lonely old man without love.

He thought his wife would come back after supporting Qian, but Mrs. Yu got busy with the youngest son’s affairs and went to stay at the second son’s house, reportedly for several days.

Thus, Mr. Yu became a minefield, sulking at home.

Xiaoqiang pulled Mr. Liao over to keep the irritable old man company. It’d be good for the two old men to play chess—chess skills mustn’t be too good; the more mediocre, the better to soothe his dad’s impending emotional breakdown.

Xiaoqiang felt he was quite dutiful.

After they left, Zhuzi didn’t seem to give up. He still wanted to get close to Qian’s mom. Seeing him talking to Qian’s mom, Qian immediately interrupted.

"Brother Zhuzi, this psychological counseling requires both partners to be present; why don’t you come into the room with me."

"Me?"

"Yes, this treatment requires both partners." It’s not a lie—many marriage issues require both spouses during therapy.

Hearing Qian’s words, Zhuzi was caught in a dilemma. He didn’t think he had any issues, but he came under this guise to get close. Without a symbolic therapy session with Qian, he wouldn’t be able to come again.

So he could only follow Qian into the room, while his wife remained silent throughout the process. From dinner to now, she hadn’t spoken more than five words, as if she were a puppet without thoughts, maintaining silence at everything her husband said.

Qian’s room at her parents’ was kept very tidy. She rarely came back, but just as her mom promised, this home will always have a place for her.

"Your house is really spacious." Zhuzi commented on Qian’s room, seeing it for the first time as it was usually kept closed.

"My mom asked for a three-bedroom suite after the house was demolished. After marrying Uncle Liao, there were more people in the family, so he bought the place next door and connected them."

Qian brought out a small hardwood table, and the group sat down on the floor face-to-face.

"It’s not easy for a remarried family to be this harmonious," Zhuzi tried to get close to Qian.

"There’s nothing difficult about it. Everyone in our family has simple thoughts, not many complex ideas. Actually, let me say this, considering Uncle Liao’s level, he shouldn’t have been matched with my mom. The two family backgrounds are different. I even opposed my mom’s remarriage back then, saying with so many relatives, what if they all come bothering Uncle Liao? Uncle Liao has been an honest man all his life, never opened that door. What if his reputation is tarnished because of my mom’s side?"

This... is awkward!

Zhuzi could barely laugh.

Isn’t this little girl still in school? Is it possible that she’s studied too much and her head has gone foolish without understanding social signals?

How could anyone voice such things? How is he supposed to respond?

"Brother Zhuzi, aren’t you curious about what my mom said?"

"What did my aunt say?" Zhuzi, led by Qian, was awkward and couldn’t refute.

The worst situation: when trying to connect playfully, she replies with a retort leaving no room for rebuttal—is it because she’s studied so much that she doesn’t know how to give someone a way out, or what?

"My mom gave me a sharp look, almost slapped me! She said, ’You brat, spouting nonsense! When we were in tough times, no family reached out to help us, now that life is just a bit better, who’d be shameless enough to cozy up?’ Brother Zhuzi, I’m not talking about you. You see, you’re here seeking treatment; it’s different from those who misrepresent themselves. I’m a doctor, and a doctor must have compassion. If someone comes to me for treatment, I must treat them properly."

Zhuzi felt as if a small slap landed on his face; if such words came from Qian’s mom or Mr. Liao, he could understand them, but from such a young girl’s mouth, he didn’t know if it was intentional or careless, and could only give an awkward smile.

"Then let’s start our treatment. What unresolved issues are there in your marriage?" Qian, having said enough, brought the topic back.

It was already clearly stated: treatment is fine, but seeking connections certainly isn’t.

"Your sister-in-law doesn’t want kids; you see, I’m already 27, and without a son before 30, the conditions back home aren’t good. Though I work at a bank, the banks in my hometown can’t compare with those you have in Q City; the benefits and policies are not comparable. If I could get a job here—"

Qian interrupted him, not letting him pull the topic in an unspeakable direction.

"So, the issue is that sister-in-law doesn’t want to have kids, right? Sister-in-law, how do you feel about it?"

"I..." The always-silent sister-in-law looked at her husband, seemingly unable to speak plainly.

Qian encouraged, saying.

"You don’t have to treat me like a relative; just see me as a regular doctor. Please feel free to speak."

"It’s not that I don’t want children; I want to work after having kids, but your brother disagrees and insists I stay home to take care of the kids."

Whether it was Qian’s gentle voice, making one unconsciously want to trust her, or the suffocating feelings pent up over these days, some words can no longer be held back, longing to be spoken—and with one sentence from Zhuzi’s sister-in-law, Zhuzi’s smooth persona crumbled.

"What are you saying!" Zhuzi only wanted an excuse to get close to Mr. Liao; while the fact that his wife didn’t want kids was true, he didn’t intend to reveal all his family matters. He believed kid issues could be discussed behind closed doors on their own.