"You had a clear chat with your brother-in-law?" Qian asked casually as she put down the bowl.

"Totally clear! Absolutely, Sis, my brother-in-law is so straightforward!" Da Long praised Yu Minglang highly.

Poor naive kid, willingly counting money even after being sold by Yu Minglang, Qian glanced at him but said nothing.

Originally planned to give Da Long some pre-exam psychological counseling, but the kid seems to have completely let loose after chatting with Yu Minglang, not a bit nervous, with a confident look.

In the blink of an eye, it was the college entrance exam day.

After the final exam, Qian’s mom brought Qian and Mr. Liao to wait outside. The sun had wilted the willows by the roadside, and the students coming out of the campus had relieved looks on their faces.

Qian’s mom anxiously looked through the crowd, seeing her son come out with a relaxed face, quickly approached him.

"How did it go?"

"So-so, some of the stuff Fugui talked about—Huh, Sis, what’s this?" Da Long was surprised to see Qian holding flowers.

"To celebrate the end of an important phase in your life, regardless of how you develop in the future, always remember the years of effort you put in. These 12 years, even though your grades haven’t been great, you persevered, so congratulations! The road ahead is long and winding, and there is a longer path waiting for you."

Da Long was astonished by Qian’s sudden sentimentality, gaping in surprise and touched as he accepted the flowers from his elder sister, a bit moved.

"Sis, like this, I’m not really used to it. Isn’t this a bit too nice for me?"

"Yeah, I should be nicer to you. After all, in a couple of months, you won’t have any good days."

"What?"

Da Long didn’t quite hear.

Qian flashed him a bright smile, "Nothing, Sis just says college entrance exams are over, you can relax now. Sis will take you to eat, drink, play, and enjoy, my wallet is loaded. Whatever you want to eat, play, go for it."

"Oh my!"

Happiness came so suddenly!

"Sis, is there nothing up at your school? Don’t you need to go back?"

"Nope, I’ve taken leave. These days, besides providing psychological counseling to Zhuzi and his wife, my main task is to spend money and have fun with you. Everything’s fair game except going to bawdy houses looking for women."

Because, in fact, you might not have days this good in the coming years.

Da Long’s eyes were moist with emotion; his sister was too kind!

Qian’s mom also felt gratified, seeing her son and daughter getting along so well, feeling blessed.

In the following days, Qian indeed fulfilled her promise.

They went to well-known restaurants in the city with Da Long, eating until his face shone with oil. The arcades were fair game; whether it was karaoke, having a drink with companions, absolutely no problem!

Money was given, food was provided, it was great.

With no pressure and no mental burden, Da Long performed exceptionally well, estimating his score at 350, much better than the third mock exam. Qian’s mom held a bit of hope, thinking if the scores came out even better, maybe he’d make it to the third-tier college.

Qian had already taken a laissez-faire approach to her brother; he could do whatever he wanted. This unprecedented relaxation made Qian’s mom a bit worried, fearing the kid might stir up trouble.

Yet, Qian remained calm, reassuring Qian’s mom not to worry. During these days, her therapy sessions with Mrs. Zhuzi came to a close.

Just as Qian planned earlier, she first eliminated the emotional inadequacy that Zhuzi’s wife experienced due to her father in childhood, letting her realize the adorable nature of her child, and then found a way to gently have Zhuzi help with childcare.

Actually, most interactions between couples require skill. Taking childcare as an example, men generally do not want to do such tiring tasks. If the woman uses moral superiority to suppress the man, crying and complaining about the hardship of childbirth, laying out all the reasoning.

Men’s verbal abilities are not as developed as women’s; not being able to win an argument can lead to losing temper.

The ultimate result is likely annoying the man, with a milder response being silent resistance, or shamelessly claiming that work is tiring and thus not taking care of the child, or if aggravated by women’s arguments, possibly resorting to hitting—since the woman has spoken all the logic, the man, having nothing to say, may easily resort to violence.

Thus, such situations require a roundabout approach.

Qian advised Mrs. Zhuzi not to argue with Zhuzi when she went home, avoiding direct confrontation; sensitive topics should not be mentioned, including child surgery and having a second child. Instead, initiate encounters when the child was cute and charming, placing the little angel in Zhuzi’s arms, trying to increase his interactions with the child.

At first, don’t choose times when the child is troublesome or weary; a baby is half angel, half devil, so present the adorable little angel. Initially, keep the sessions short, gradually increase the time, let the child praise the man, learn little songs glorifying fathers, the affection coaxing increasing Zhuzi’s responsibility.

Women can’t bear the labor of parenting all at once, and men won’t readily step into the role of a father, so men need more exposure to the child to regard the child’s cuteness. The wrong approach is the mother vigorously arguing with the father, saying how a dad should do this and that.

This wouldn’t sit well on women, let alone most men, who are rebellious; the more they are told, the more they see childcare as a nuisance.

As for the second child, Qian’s advice was not to refuse yet also not to remove the intrauterine device, keeping things hanging like boiling a frog in warm water. Wait for improvements in their financial situation and Zhuzi’s maturity, and for Mrs. Zhuzi to adapt more to the maternal role before considering it naturally; there are constant changes happening every day, there’s no need to rush this decision now.

After several therapy sessions, Mrs. Zhuzi clearly gained confidence in the child and the future, recognizing her affection for the child as more than initially thought, after Qian explained that not loving the child instantly was normal psychology. As for the child’s surgery costs, before Qian could offer advice, Qian’s mom had already stepped up.

On the day before Zhuzi left, Qian’s mom ran to Qian’s room to discuss.

"Qian’er, don’t you think that after Zhuzi’s visit here, it wouldn’t be appropriate to send him back empty-handed, especially since he bought us so many things? I saw since their child needs surgery, why not loan them the money upfront?"

Qian’s mom made quite a bit from the construction material business, and she owned several storefronts collecting rent, so this amount was insignificant.

Qian wasn’t surprised by her mother’s altruistic tendencies, having anticipated this.

"If you lend them this, what will you do when other relatives come asking for money?"

It’s a butterfly effect—one benefits, and soon a swarm will come borrowing; lending it and not getting it back, not lending invites moral coercion, especially since Qian’s mom is too soft-hearted, easily taken advantage of.

Fortunately, Qian had already vaccinated against her mom’s benevolent nature, having established an agreement that all major financial actions must consult Qian first. This tailored approach suits her mom’s dependency personality, and now Qian must involve herself in this matter, preventing her mom from playing the saint, and keeping Zhuzi in check!