Song Xiaotian and I escorted An Ning, one on either side.
When we reached the psychiatric hospital's main gate, a security guard naturally stopped us to ask some questions.
"Are you here to admit a patient?"
The guard needed to register her, so he hurried out with a logbook.
I nodded. "Yes, this is my wife. She has that... intermittent... manic psychosis."
The guard glanced at An Ning and asked, "Does she hit people?"
"Absolutely!" I hurriedly said. "She beats me at home whenever she has nothing to do. Before meals, after meals, before bed, and again when she wakes up!"
"That serious, huh?"
The guard sighed. "She's so young, too. You'd better get her treated properly, or you'll have plenty of suffering ahead."
He had already asked all the basic questions he needed to, but whether he was nosy or just talkative, the guard stood at the gate chatting with us.
An Ning probably noticed my impatience. She suddenly raised her hand and slapped the guard across the face.
"Hey! You!"
The slap stunned the guard, and he instinctively started to lose his temper.
An Ning immediately clapped and laughed. "Hehehe, I'll stab you to death."
"Damn, your wife's seriously ill." With nowhere to vent his anger, the guard hurriedly waved us on. "Quick, quick, get her inside."
"Sorry about that, man." I apologized and hurriedly pulled An Ning inside.
Once we were out of the guard's sight, An Ning stopped pretending.
We wandered around inside, not knowing what we had come in to do.
"Seventh Master didn't give us much to go on. Just an address, without saying what we were supposed to do here."
Song Xiaotian gazed blankly at the buildings. "Are we here to count psychiatric patients...?"
It was already dark, and many staff members were