"Other than that... I remember now, your second uncle borrowed money from me a few days ago, saying he wanted to buy an air conditioner. Your grandma stays at both of our homes alternately, and he said it’s too hot at his place, fearing your grandma might suffer." Qian’s mom remembered this matter.

"They had the nerve to rely on our family for buying an air conditioner. If they use the elderly as an excuse again, just tell them to use the old folks’ pension money. That’ll surely shut them up. As for Zhuzi’s situation..." Qian paused, thinking for a moment.

"Don’t give them money, it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish."

"What’s all this fish talk?" Qian’s mom only knew about braised fish.

"What I mean is, given our family’s situation, if you give money, you definitely won’t get it back, and it might cause other troubles. I’ll arrange a job for Zhuzi’s wife in their area, so she can earn a bit more each month. This way, her status in the family will rise, and as long as the couple is determined, they can save up for their child’s surgery over time."

This is a long-term solution that will let the other party remember the kindness of our family while also keeping Zhuzi from causing trouble.

"Why bother with all that? Just give them the money."

"Are you getting carried away because you have a bit of money? Let me tell you, people don’t cherish things that are too easily obtained. If you give it to them for free, Zhuzi won’t appreciate our help. Next time they need something and you don’t assist, you’ll be their enemy. But if you give his wife a job, she’ll always think of you."

The biggest beneficiary from doing this is that six-fingered child Qian has never met.

"That sounds reasonable, but do you have anyone there?"

"Shi Tou’s pharmaceutical factory should have a distribution point over there. We’ll arrange for Zhuzi’s wife to work in sales. Although it’s hard work, the income is good. By then, Zhuzi won’t have a choice but to help with the kid." The benefit of men with a rural mindset is that you control them by controlling the money, ensuring they behave honestly henceforth.

"Your brother Zhuzi is truly frustrating. If your sister-in-law hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have seen him as someone who neglects his children. He’s my nephew, so I can’t say much, but Qian’er, your approach this time surprised me."

"Oh? How so?"

"I’ve listened to so many of your shows, and you often bring up divorce. I was worried you’d advise them to split up."

"Uh... mom, can you listen to my show a bit less? Staying up late is tiring." It felt slightly embarrassing for her own mother to be listening to her program.

"No worries, your Uncle Liao records it for me, and I not only listen to it myself, I share it with my friends. I’m proud of how well you’re doing."

"Alright... let’s pretend I didn’t say anything..."

And sharing it with others!!!

Qian’s temples throbbed a few times.

"Mom, there’s something I must tell you upfront: my job may seem effortless, but dealing with just one case takes a toll on my brain. For instance, after handling Zhuzi’s wife’s situation, I need to rest for half a month. Minglang and I are planning to have a child soon. I’m okay with providing free advice to people you introduce, but if it delays me from having a child—"

"Oh! You’re planning to have a child? Thank heavens, you’re finally coming around. Don’t worry! I’ll turn them away and won’t let them disturb you. Sweetheart, won’t this interrupt your studies? Maybe you should skip the PhD, everyone says female PhDs aren’t the same as normal people..."

To Qian’s mom, she was thrilled that her daughter was pursuing a graduate degree. In her mind, the difference between a PhD and a master’s is just like the difference between a top-tier and second-tier college, not to mention the many with associate degrees, isn’t there?

"You should also limit reading this nonsense. How many PhD holders have you seen that aren’t normal? Isn’t Fugui normal? Didn’t Liumei marry such a nice girl?"

"They say female PhDs, not male ones! I recently heard a joke: undergraduates are Huang Rong, master’s graduates are Zhao Min, PhDs are Master Miejue, and postdocs are Eastern Invincible!"

Qian took a deep breath, silently reminding herself, this is my mom, this is my mom, I should not argue with her...

"Mom, why are you jumping on the bandwagon of demonizing highly educated women? If I become Master Miejue, what does that make Xiaoqiang?"

"A bald monk from Shaolin?" Qian’s mom had recently switched from melodrama to wuxia dramas, coming up with an answer on the spot.

Your own mom, your own mom, don’t get mad at your own mom...

Qian gave herself a pep talk while her mom probably realized it wasn’t appropriate to speak like that about their considerate son-in-law, spit twice as a way to change the subject.

"You crafty girl got me all mixed up! Now, where were we?"

"We were discussing why I don’t suggest Zhuzi’s wife divorce, not just because Zhuzi is your nephew, but because I believe this saying: sainthood is rare in the world, most people are ordinary. Zhuzi’s wife is an ordinary woman, and Zhuzi is an ordinary man. She can’t afford the cost of starting a new life if divorced, what about the child?"

The reality is, unless an economically dependent woman looks like a movie star, even if she remarries, can she really find someone better than Zhuzi?

Zhuzi’s chauvinistic views can be daunting, but he’s not beyond help. He wants shortcuts, but he’s not having inappropriate relations outside. He doesn’t want to spend money on his disabled daughter but hasn’t mistreated her either.

Once Zhuzi’s wife earns more, becomes economically independent, and grows more confident, will Zhuzi still behave the same?

People change. When she changes, so does he. Materialistic men are annoying, but they have an upside: as long as Zhuzi’s wife earns more and holds the financial power, this guy will stay honest, won’t dare bully her, and will have to share family responsibilities. This way, he won’t bother Qian’s soft-hearted mom, allowing Qian to solve this family problem once and for all.

There are harsher methods to prevent Zhuzi from bothering her mom permanently, but doing so would worsen things for the six-fingered child. With plans to have her own child, Qian wanted to accumulate good karma during this time.

"You’ve really grown up, marriage has changed you."

Qian’s mom felt comforted, seeing how much her daughter had matured. She recalled how Qian’er nearly married Ni Jianren back then, not even knowing to choose an expensive basin for the wedding, yet now, she can analyze matters clearly.

"It’s not about marriage. The divorces I mention on my shows are all due to fundamental issues, but what’s between Zhuzi and his wife is a minor marital issue, not irreversible."