Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 144: Hidden Meanings

Yu Minglang seemed not to have had enough fun yet, "Second sister-in-law, I heard you still have——"

"I have some things to attend to at home, so I’ll leave Panpan with you overnight. This child always cries for grandma and doesn’t stay with me. I’m leaving first!"

She couldn’t even bother to take the caterpillar fungus, afraid Yu Minglang might covet something else, and sped off, abandoning the child.

After Mrs. Yu and others left, she pushed Yu Minglang and glared at him fiercely.

Yu Minglang looked indifferent, "Qian isn’t an outsider. Sooner or later, she’ll see it. There’s no point hiding it."

Hearing this, Mrs. Yu wanted to kick him even more. This brat, doesn’t he know what shame is?

As for Qian... Mrs. Yu thoughtfully looked at Qian—her behavior just now really didn’t seem like that of a young girl in her teens.

The eldest sister-in-law and eldest brother exchanged a glance. The sister-in-law looked at Qian and then at her brother, and he nodded. She understood, Qian did that on purpose just now.

Qian picked up Panpan, holding his little hand. Panpan had many hangnails, what people in the north called daggers and guns. The child seemed to have a habit of pulling at his hangnails, leaving many small cuts on his fingers, which looked painful.

"Auntie, how old is this child?"

"21 months old."

Qian gently asked the child, "Baby, where did mommy go?"

The child didn’t answer her.

"This child talks a bit late," Mrs. Yu said, walking over, looking at the little grandson in Qian’s arms.

"My two brats at this age were running all over the house and jabbering non-stop, so annoying," said the eldest sister-in-law.

The eldest sister-in-law had twin sons, already 7 years old this year. They were taken by grandma at night and didn’t come over. Normally, if there’s nothing to do, they would come running over to their grandparents’ place.

"Did you take him for a check-up?" Qian asked.

Communication between doctors is usually direct, and by asking this, neither Mrs. Yu nor the eldest sister-in-law was offended.

"We had him checked, and there’s nothing wrong. From what I can tell, he just has a bit of a stomach issue." Mrs. Yu thought about it and felt anxious. She believed Panpan was talking late and took the child for a check-up.

When they returned, Wang Xiaohong found out and started crying variously, thinking her mother-in-law distrusted her and believed she was mistreating the child, overthinking the actions of others.

"What do you think is wrong?" Yu Minglang asked Qian.

"I don’t know if I should say it in front of Auntie and the eldest sister-in-law."

After all, the family’s daughters-in-law are proper doctors. If Qian had a PhD in psychology like in her past life, it would be reasonable to say something. As of now, she’s still a student.

"We don’t have so many formalities in our family, just say it." Mrs. Yu said.

"I can’t diagnose—Minglang, go get paper and pen." Qian knew in her heart that she should keep a low profile during her first visit to the boyfriend’s house, but when it involves children, she can’t stand idly by.

Yu Minglang brought over paper and pen, and Qian drew some shapes on it, with the Yu Family watching. Even Mr. Yu quietly came out of the study.

Qian showed the drawings to Panpan one by one, who went from having no response to pointing at shapes and babbling. Qian communicated gently with him, and finally, as she held Panpan, he leaned his head against her shoulder.

"Where did daddy go?"

"Fly!"

Hearing Qian able to converse with the child, the Yu Family was very surprised.

Panpan spoke very little, but unexpectedly, he could communicate with the newly acquainted Qian.

Mrs. Yu distracted Panpan with fruit puree, managing to get him out of Qian’s arms.

"What’s up with this child?" Yu Minglang asked.

Qian glanced at Panpan and gestured towards the inside room.

Mrs. Yu followed Qian and Yu Minglang into the room, while Mr. Yu wanted to listen but felt it might be inappropriate. Normally, he would sneak at the door to eavesdrop, but today his youngest son’s girlfriend was around, so it wouldn’t be right...

The eldest brother smilingly brought his father to the study and signaled to his sister-in-law. She handed the fruit puree to the little aunt, and she also followed Qian and the others into the room.

The child was still very young but could understand some words, so Qian didn’t say these things in front of him.

"I suspect Panpan has toddler anxiety accompanied by a tendency for fear." Once inside the room, Qian spoke.

"What?"

"I initially suspected autism in Panpan, which would have been hard to deal with. Luckily, his intelligence is normal. He can understand what we say, but this child has some anxiety. Look at his hands, the skin on his hands is torn up."

Behavior in infants and toddlers differs from adults; adults express anxiety outwardly, while children who can’t speak express anxiety by subconsciously tearing the skin on their hands, doing so repeatedly.

"I thought it was a vitamin deficiency." Mrs. Yu also noticed this issue.

"He must be deficient in vitamins too, otherwise, his skin wouldn’t peel so easily. He reacts slowly to the outside world. I feel this child is anxious coupled with fear, he’s afraid to open up his heart."

"What causes it?"

"...It’s hard to say. It could be congenital, or it might be due to environmental influences." Qian understood that the congenital possibility was small, seeing Wang Xiaohong’s behavior, it was clear that the child was affected by her.

She couldn’t say it directly in front of Mrs. Yu.

"What should be done then?"

"Isolate the source of his fear, let him interact with peers more, and most importantly, make him feel the warmth of family. Correct it while he is still young, or else..."

Qian didn’t say the rest, but everyone could imagine what might happen.

Qian was not an authority in infant and child psychology; she could only make simple judgments and couldn’t provide detailed treatment.

"You could try consulting domestic authorities on infant and child psychology; they would provide more professional solutions than me."

Mrs. Yu nodded seriously, feeling guilty inside.

As a doctor, she hadn’t noticed the child’s issues. Mainly because, after she took the child for a check-up and Wang Xiaohong caused a scene, Mrs. Yu rarely went to visit her. She didn’t expect the child would be like this, and if it weren’t for Qian’s observation, the two doctors in the family wouldn’t have noticed this issue.

Qian stayed with Yu Minglang for a while longer before leaving.

Only the eldest sister-in-law and Mrs. Yu remained in the room.

"I long knew Xiaohong wasn’t competent with the child. Last time I went, she wasn’t home; her mother-in-law left Panpan alone in the yard and led a group inside to play mahjong. I don’t know where she found that many idle elderly women."

Mrs. Yu remembered that scene and was still angry inside. When she went over, Panpan sat miserably in the yard, wearing filthy clothes, surrounded by free-range chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, and cats. The child was obviously frightened.

"We can’t let her take care of the child; let’s bring him to our home."

"I’ll think about how to talk to Mr. Yu about this later. I’m scared of Wang Xiaohong; she cries at the drop of a hat, making my ears ache." Mrs. Yu sighed.

"Mom... Do you think Xiaohong and Mingyi can really stay together?" The eldest sister-in-law had long wanted to say this.

She and her mother-in-law had their ways to deal with Wang Xiaohong, but since Mr. Yu brought Panpan back, the Yu Family felt indebted to Wang Xiaohong and had always been lenient with her. Today, Yu Laomao stood up firmly, and this made the sister-in-law’s heart satisfied.

"Mr. Yu made his own choice, it’s up to him. Mr. Yu was a smart kid; how did he become so confused in choosing a spouse? Compared to Qian, Wang Xiaohong seems like such a waste of years." Mrs. Yu fretted at this thought.

"Indeed, I kind of like that girl Qian. She was really impressive today..."

In the study, Mr. Yu poured a cup of green tea for his father.

"What do you think of the girl that Laomao found?" Mr. Yu asked his father. Mr. Yu always smiled gently; no matter how successful he was outside, at home, he was always the easygoing person who saw through everything but rarely spoke.

Whenever there was a family matter, his words always had an impact.

"I think she’s great."

Laomao wouldn’t initiate, but when prompted by Yu Minglang, Qian could follow smoothly, handling things particularly well. Based on these two points alone, Mr. Yu had reasons to believe Qian could accompany Yu Minglang to the end.

The father nodded, saying nothing. If Mr. Yu could also find such a woman, it would be great. Although Yu Laomao and Mr. Yu chose different paths, in terms of potential, both children were equally excellent. But if Mr. Yu continued to rise further, the woman in his home could become a liability.

"Laomao is young and passionate; he can’t just sit back and watch. It’s good for him to toughen up through this matter. His girlfriend isn’t ordinary; with her by his side, nothing will go wrong. Seeing how Laomao handles this will also be a learning experience for him. Dad, drink your tea."

An hour later, when the eldest brother and sister-in-law left the Yu Family, on their way back, the sister-in-law asked the brother-in-law.

"Mingli, Mom wants to bring Panpan over to raise by herself. What do you think?"

"With an empty stomach, one’s thoughts aren’t complete..." Mr. Yu touched his round belly and shook his head.

"You’re already overweight with three highs, and still eating! Stop changing the topic! I’m actually quite distressed. Look at Mr. Yu’s household; they cause a commotion every day. Mom is getting grey hairs because of them. Laomao’s actions today were really satisfying. Qian surprised me too; when I was 18, I was clueless while she seems to understand everything. It’s wonderful. If only Wang Xiaohong were half as sensible as Qian."

"Mr. Yu didn’t want to find a smart one; if Wang Xiaohong were a clear-headed person, Mr. Yu wouldn’t have married her."

"What?" The sister-in-law didn’t understand.

The brother-in-law glanced at the potted plant between the passenger and driver’s seat, smiling, and asked.

"This plant had several buds initially, why is there only one left?"

"I pruned it; the car’s space is limited, too many won’t do. One can absorb nutrients and grow better—not, why are you changing the subject again?"

"Silly wife, I’ve given you the answer; figure it out yourself. Mr. Yu, I can only tell you, he’s been smart since childhood, but he’s too responsible and emotional, which can sometimes lead to hurting himself. His marriage to Wang Xiaohong might have been a move for dual purposes or a result of his own issues after encountering certain matters. These all require time. The key problem is still how Laomao acts."

Yu Mingli shifted his gaze outside the car, gathering his smile, just hoping Yu Laomao wouldn’t disappoint expectations and grow swiftly to guard this home with him and Mingyi.

Meanwhile, Qian was contemplating an important issue, whether to make a decisive move...