novelbin Chapter 896 - 870: Qian Gets Shafted by Her Own Family
Chapter 896 - 870: Qian Gets Shafted by Her Own Family
Qian handed the phone to Yu Minglang as quick as a flash and then dashed off to apply a face mask.
What is a husband for?
Professional scapegoat!
Yu Minglang smiled and answered the phone.
"Mom, it’s me."
"Oh! Minglang, you’re off work! Are you tired? Have you eaten yet? Is that lazy girl Qian’er not cooking again?" When it comes to her daughter and son-in-law, Qian’s mom treats them with two completely different attitudes. She asked Yu Minglang very kindly.
"I haven’t eaten yet. I’m going to cook noodles for Qian’er in a bit."
"Oh dear, this child still doesn’t know better, how can she make you cook - for the noodles, put some shrimp in, otherwise there’s no nutrition!"
"Sure, sure! You’re right, Mom. There are still some frozen shrimp in the fridge that you brought last time. I’ll put a few more in. Qian’er worked hard today, busy with the competition, so I thought we’d have a comforting noodle meal together. We celebrated outside at noon, with my mom and brother there."
Qian’s mom laughed delightedly but still had to express some mild disdain for Qian. "That girl is too much, I’ve told her countless times to learn how to cook, but she’s too busy with her studies. I definitely have to teach her well this time when she comes home!"
"No worries, Mom. We aren’t living together right now, so I cook whenever I’m at home. We’re in the process of hiring a nanny, so someone will take care of Qian’er’s meals when I’m not here. Qian’er is busy with her career, so please don’t make her learn. My mom and sister-in-law rarely cook; we have a housemaid at home."
Upon hearing that this was a tradition in the Yu Family, Qian’s mom didn’t say anything more. She knew to let the topic rest, acknowledging that her daughter’s cooking skills were certainly not impressive, burning the kitchen down each time she attempted to cook.
"Do you still have enough shrimp to eat? They’re from last year, and it’s currently sea closure season, so it’s hard to buy shrimp. I’ll freeze some more for you when they’re available in two months."
"There’s enough to eat, Mom. Your skills are amazing; the frozen shrimp taste fresh after thawing, almost like they’re fresh."
"Of course! Let me tell you, I have a special secret trick! You have to put live shrimp in mineral water bottles with a bit of water, then..."
Yu Minglang’s flattering made Qian’s mom feel extremely comfortable. Praising a housewife’s skills had the same effect as honoring Qian’s award, and Xiaoqiang had evidently mastered the art of pleasing the mother-in-law.
Work hard without complaining, praise the wife in front of the mother-in-law while subtly commending her for raising her daughter well, and intermittently laud her life experience without appearing overly deliberate.
Once Qian’s mom started talking, she couldn’t stop; her son-in-law was very skilled at chatting, making the old lady extremely happy, asking endless questions warmly. Normally, men don’t have much to say to their mothers-in-law; Xiaoqiang was an exception.
By the time Qian finished applying her mask and came out, Yu Minglang was still on the call wrapped in various compliments for the mother-in-law.
Xiaoqiang widened his eyes.
Gone was the bright red mask from before; it’s black this time?
He reached out a finger, curious to poke at it. What’s this black stuff?
Last time he smeared some pee-like stuff on his face, now it’s mud? Women are truly incomprehensible creatures; why do they put anything on their smooth little faces?
Qian slapped away his naughty paw, pushing him aside and mouthing to him not to cook yet, as they have something to do shortly.
Yu Minglang nodded, sitting down next to her and hugging her.
Of course, he hugged her with her back to his face to avoid seeing that little black face. Even with deep love for his wife, seeing her with a colorful mask still carried some pressure.
Qian comfortably leaned against his chest and continued chatting with her mom.
"Mom, which cousin did you want me to help with? What does he do?"
"The one who works with iron! There’s a metal barrel he made in the old house. You forget?"
"Him!" Qian remembered.
Qian picked up the glass pot, planning to let Xiaoqiang try the fruit tea she microwaved. She had searched for a long time to find this glass pot that could microwave tea without exploding; it was excellent.
As soon as she picked up the pot, she saw a shameless man behind her making faces through the polished surface.
Qian squinted and turned her head, and he immediately assumed a serious expression, as if the face-maker was someone else.
"Qian’er?" Qian’s mom hadn’t heard anything from her daughter’s side and asked.
"I’m here, Mom. You said my cousin had something wrong?" Qian turned her head, pretending not to care.
Yu Minglang immediately made another funny face, taunting, "You black masked little demon!"
Qian quickly turned her head, catching Yu Minglang in the act with his hand still humorously pinching his face.
A second later, Qian was the one pinching Yu Minglang’s face, and Xiaoqiang didn’t dare fight back.
"Wah! This woman is too crafty and too fierce!"
"Mom, you continue," Qian said, still exerting effort with both hands as she twisted, twisting your thick-skinned face!
Yu Minglang grimaced in pain, "Hey, wife, go easy, you’re so emotional your black mask will start falling off in chunks!"
"What I’m saying is, it’s not your cousin who’s the issue, but his son. His son is almost 38 this year, but his wife refuses to get pregnant. The whole family is in a fuss. Could you take a look at what’s wrong with your cousin Zhuzi’s wife? They’ve seen all the village shamans, who said it was directed at the deceased grandmother, but they burned paper and made clothes and stuff. The wife just doesn’t want to give birth. That’s why they thought of you, aren’t you a state-licensed professional?"
Qian, frustrated, loosened her grip on Xiaoqiang’s thick-skinned face; what was this all about!
Even rural shamans couldn’t fix it, and they turned to her, having the feeling they were using a dead horse as a living one, trying everything before giving up?
The sense she got was like they were treating her as a joke, meaning it didn’t matter if she couldn’t help. It was as if they had a "why not give it a try" attitude. She, with her accolades and awards as a highly-educated psychologist, capable of charging 5000 an hour, how could she end up lesser than rural shamans?
"Tell them to go to the hospital and register. Psychological doctors can see them now."
"Going to the hospital costs money, I heard it’s not cheap. Registration itself is 20. Last time they took his wife to the city for a check-up, they said it required registering for two people. Both needed to be seen together. Isn’t this a scam? Registration alone costs 40!"
Qian’s mom considered herself particularly righteous, exposing medical scandals!
Yu Minglang laughed through gritted teeth. Qian used the speaker to prevent the screen from smudging the volcanic mud mask. He could hear everything.
His wife’s heart was probably shattered; even 40 yuan was considered expensive. His wife could earn thousands an hour. Her mother was quite the expert at cornering his wife!
Qian’s temples throbbed as she hadn’t had a chance to protest before her mom added.