Chapter 030: A Mother-in-Law Sizes Up Her Son-in-Law

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Zhang Jing had just finished tidying the examination table when the first patient walked in.

It was none other than Li Ziqi’s mother, the little old lady.

The various aunts and older female relatives were quite perceptive. Since the principal person involved was unwilling to go first, they had decided to let the future mother-in-law lead the way.

“Hello, ma’am. Please, have a seat,” Zhang Jing greeted her.

Ma’am?

The little old lady froze. Did she really look that young?

Then again, it was hardly surprising. In order to meet this prospective son-in-law, she had carefully dressed herself up before leaving home.

She was just about to accept the compliment with a pleased smile when she suddenly changed her mind.

No, that wouldn’t do!

If he addressed her that way, wouldn’t that put them in the wrong generation?

If things worked out with Little Qi, how awkward would it be when he came to visit in the future?

At that thought, she hurriedly corrected him with a smile. “Doctor Zhang, my eldest daughter should be about your age. You’d better call me Auntie.”

Zhang Jing did not take offense and obediently changed his form of address. “All right, Auntie. Please don’t speak for the moment. I’ll take your pulse.”

“There’s no rush about that, Doctor Zhang. May I ask you a few questions first?” The little old lady stared straight at him and asked in a kindly tone.

Zhang Jing was somewhat bewildered. What kind of eccentric patient was this?

Even during a consultation, he was supposed to be the one asking the questions first. What sense did it make for a patient to question the doctor before the examination had even begun?

And why did her gaze seem so strange? Could she have some sort of mental disorder?

Still, whether or not she was mentally ill, since the patient had asked directly, Zhang Jing felt it would be better not to refuse her outright.

“Certainly. Go ahead,” he said, nodding slightly.

“All right, Doctor Zhang. I’d like to ask how much you can roughly earn in a month working here.”

Zhang Jing never would have imagined that this would be the patient’s first question.

After thinking briefly, he replied tactfully, “I’m sorry, but that’s personal information, and it certainly has nothing to do with your condition.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. That question was a little too blunt. Let me ask something else. Doctor Zhang, do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Zhang Jing was about to say that this was private information too, but then he reconsidered. Perhaps this patient had a peculiar habit and needed to make small talk before she could settle down and accept treatment.

In any case, there was no harm in answering. So he told her the truth. “My parents had only one child—me.”

“Very good, very good. And what kind of work do your parents do?”

Seeing that she had no intention of stopping her idle chatter, even Zhang Jing’s normally excellent patience began to wear thin.

He straightened his expression. “I’m sorry, Auntie, but this is a medical consultation.”

“Oh, right, right. Of course. I’m sorry—I’m usually rather talkative. Let’s begin the examination, then. I… I have quite a few problems, and I don’t know where to start.”

“Auntie, I already told you. I’ll take your pulse first and ask you questions afterward.”

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The little old lady obediently nodded.

Zhang Jing, however, shook his head inwardly. This patient was not only peculiar; her memory seemed poor as well. He had just said something, and she had already forgotten it.

“All right, Auntie. Please place your left hand flat on the pulse pillow, palm facing upward,” Zhang Jing said patiently.

Fortunately, the patient finally stopped rambling, allowing Zhang Jing to compose himself.

He first extended the index, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand. Using the standard method of positioning, he located the three pulse regions—the inch, bar, and cubit.

Then he formally began taking her pulse.

Zhang Jing carefully focused on the sensations beneath his fingers.

The pulse was straight and long, like the string of a zither when pressed. There was no doubt that it was a wiry pulse.

At first, he also sensed that the pulse was coming and going with conspicuous rapidity, nearly six beats in a single breath. Gradually, it dropped to five beats, but before long it rose again to six.

Whether five beats or six in one breath, both were faster than normal, indicating a rapid pulse.

In other words, based on the combined findings, it should be classified as a wiry and rapid pulse.

Yet Zhang Jing kept feeling that this could not be the patient’s natural pulse.

He remembered that his teacher, Li Yu, had given him a stern warning: whenever the pulse rate fluctuated markedly, one must first rule out nervousness or the effects of strenuous exercise.

However, the patient had already been upstairs for quite some time, and she had spent ages chatting.

In theory, her pulse should not have been caused by strenuous exercise, nor should it have been influenced by nervousness.

In any case, because some doubt remained, Zhang Jing did not record the pulse in the medical file just yet. Instead, he proceeded with a tongue examination to seek further confirmation.

“Auntie, please stick out your tongue as far as you can.”

For some reason, the little old lady’s movements seemed rather coy.

Zhang Jing did not dwell on it. He simply examined her tongue carefully, recording his observations on the computer as he went:

The tongue body was pale and dusky; the coating was thin, white, and greasy; and the sublingual veins were markedly congested.

It was clearly a sign of cold congealing and blood stasis. There was no sign of heat, which a rapid pulse would normally indicate!

Zhang Jing fell into deep thought. The pulse and tongue findings were obviously inconsistent. Could he have encountered a difficult and unusual disorder?

He immediately recalled a theory his teacher Li Yu had once tested him on: the hidden clue in an isolated discordance.

Put simply, when the findings from the four diagnostic methods do not agree in a difficult case, one must reexamine each of them, search for omissions, and carefully identify that single outlying clue. The truth often lies hidden there.

The condition of the tongue was perfectly clear and unmistakable. It could not be wrong.

Then the problem had to lie in the pulse.

After thinking it over, Zhang Jing decided to rule out nervousness first. He asked, “Auntie, do you feel nervous right now?”

The little old lady laughed at once. “Nervous would be putting it too strongly, but I am rather excited. How could you tell?”

Zhang Jing was slightly startled, then immediately understood.

So that was it!

Still, he could not help wondering: was there really any need to become this excited over having one’s pulse taken?

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He smiled and offered her some basic information. “Auntie, have you never consulted a traditional Chinese doctor before? Pulse diagnosis is actually one of the most routine methods in traditional Chinese medicine. It isn’t as mysterious as television dramas make it seem.”

“That’s not it. I see traditional Chinese doctors quite often. I usually make appointments with specialists at the county hospital of traditional Chinese medicine.”

If that was the case, why was she still so excited? Zhang Jing grew increasingly perplexed.

Could it be simply because this was a small clinic and he was a young traditional Chinese physician?

But that clearly did not explain it either!

He remembered that, before registering downstairs, she had personally said she had come because a friend had recommended him. So she should not have had much doubt about his medical skills.

If that was not the reason, then what was?

Zhang Jing felt that his brain was completely inadequate for the task.

Seeing his bewildered expression, the little old lady finally burst out laughing again.

“All right, stop guessing, young man. I’ll tell you the truth. I didn’t really come here to see a doctor. I came to see you.”

“To see me? But I’ve never met you before,” Zhang Jing said, utterly confused.

“I’ve never met you either, but I’ve seen your photograph on my daughter’s phone.”

“What’s your daughter’s name?” Zhang Jing asked curiously.

“Li Ziqi. Though you probably don’t know her either.”

Zhang Jing thought for a moment. The name meant nothing to him, so he continued asking, “I really don’t know her. Then how did she get my photograph?”

“One of my daughter’s close friends sent it to her. I think the girl’s name was Bai Bing.”

Bai Bing?

The moment Zhang Jing heard the name, he remembered.

Wasn’t she his very first acupuncture patient—the strange girl who had insisted on making a bet and having lunch with him?

So she had been trying to introduce her close friend, Li Ziqi, to him!

Which meant that the patient sitting before him had come to arrange a blind date for her daughter?

And what about that whole group of middle-aged women downstairs…

Zhang Jing felt both exasperated and amused. What on earth was going on? No wonder he had initially assumed that the two mothers downstairs had referred these patients to him.

It had all been one enormous misunderstanding!

Seeing Zhang Jing freeze again, the little old lady continued cheerfully, “Well, young man? You remember now, don’t you? My daughter is an excellent girl too, and she’s downstairs right now. I’ll go call her up.”

Zhang Jing had been about to stop her immediately, but then he reconsidered. To resolve the matter, he would have to speak directly with the person at the heart of it all.

Otherwise, who knew how this farce would end?

Besides, there were a few things he especially needed to make clear to her.

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