Chapter 61: Medical Consultation Preparation in Progress

Soon, a sumptuous spread of dishes was served on the table.

At the sight of them, Li Ziqi felt her mouth watering.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She turned to her mother and elder sister and said, "Don't touch your chopsticks just yet. I'm going to bring my live-streaming equipment over."

Hearing this, the elderly mother didn't react much; after all, this wasn't the first or second time it had happened.

Li Ziqi, however, wore a puzzled expression. "What is she up to now? Is she planning to stream us eating?"

"Yes, well, this is Ziqi's job after all. But previously your relationship was quite strained, so Ziqi felt awkward streaming in front of you. Since the two of you have made up today, I reckon Ziqi just wants to commemorate this special day."

After hearing her mother's explanation, Li Ziqi remained unpersuaded. She immediately stood up and said coldly, "I'm not going on any live stream to make a fool of myself. You guys can stream if you want; I don't have much of an appetite anyway. I'll just eat something simple after you're finished."

By this time, Li Ziqi had already lugged the live-streaming equipment over with a huff and a puff.

The elderly mother wanted to step forward and help, but Li Ziqi waved her hand in polite refusal, explaining that the equipment was very delicate and easily damaged.

This wasn't Li Ziqi deliberately trying to scare them with exaggeration. At a glance, the setup simply looked like an iron frame with a ring light.

Upon closer inspection, however, the components included a phone holder, a streaming phone, a fill light, a sound card, a microphone, and an audio receiver.

Yet, to Li Ziqi's ears, this sounded like her younger sister treating their mother's good intentions like donkey's liver and lungs, which only made her angrier.

Sitting back down, she shot a disdainful look and muttered under her breath, "Look at her showing off. She really thinks she's a top internet celebrity."

Li Ziqi carefully set down the live-streaming equipment.

Refusing to back down verbally, she retorted, "Li... oh wait, Sis, if you're so capable, why don't you become an internet celebrity yourself?"

"I wouldn't deign to do it. Speaking of figure, I'm better than you; speaking of looks, I'm not inferior to you either; and as for brains, I'm smarter than you..."

"Stop blowing your own horn. If you've got the guts, let's compete right here on the live stream today and see whose popularity is higher!" Li Ziqi challenged with a look of utter contempt.

Li Ziqi refused without even thinking. "I already said, I have no desire to be an internet celebrity. Besides, this is your streaming room, and they're all your fans. How is that fair?"

Seeing the two sisters start bickering again, the elderly mother finally lost her patience and snapped harshly, "That's enough! The two of you start fighting the moment you lay eyes on each other. Do you really want to scare your mother to death, is that it?"

Li Ziqi had heard such threats so often her ears had grown calloused, so naturally she remained utterly unfazed, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

However, as the younger sister, Li Ziqi suddenly remembered the stern warning Zhang Jing had given her.

So, assuming a serious expression, she said, "Sis, you mustn't argue in front of Mom next time. Otherwise, if Mom really gets so angry she falls seriously ill, see how much you'll regret it!"

Li Ziqi still turned a deaf ear, her icy expression unchanged.

With no other choice, Li Ziqi turned serious. "My boyfriend, Dr. Zhang, said that Mom is showing early signs of a stroke, and getting too angry could very well trigger one."

As soon as these words were uttered, Li Ziqi could no longer sit still.

With a sudden "whoosh," she sprang to her feet and asked anxiously, "Is what you're saying true?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you? Mom went to consult Dr. Zhang in person yesterday, and he said it himself. Could that possibly be false?"

The elderly mother wanted to say that she didn't believe it at all.

On second thought, however, if this could stop her two daughters from fighting every time they met—or at least stop them from quarreling in front of her—wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

With that realization, she immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right, Xiaomeng, it's true. Look at how sensible your sister is, always keeping your mother's health in mind. This time, I simply have to play favorites and praise Ziqi."

After all, Li Ziqi was a top-tier graduate from a prestigious double-first-class university. In her daily work, she frequently had to look up information online, and her understanding of strokes was clearly much deeper than that of her mother and sister.

With a solemn expression on her face, she asked Li Ziqi, "Little sister, how is that Dr. Zhang's medical skill? Is he good at treating strokes? Is there any possibility of a misdiagnosis?"

Before Li Ziqi could open her mouth to sing his praises, the elderly mother chimed in eagerly, "Xiaozhang's medical skills are excellent. Don't let his youth fool you, and his Mingdetang Clinic isn't very large either. Yet every day, countless patients come from afar and line up to see him. Moreover, when he was examining me, he was exceptionally thorough and careful, so I completely trust his diagnosis."

"Really? How about I go ask him in person tomorrow? A stroke is a very dangerous condition when it strikes; even with timely rescue, it can leave behind numerous sequelae. We absolutely cannot be careless about this." Li Ziqi wore a deeply worried expression.

Upon hearing that she intended to seek out Zhang Jing in person, both the elderly mother and Li Ziqi panicked instantly.

However, the reasons for their anxiety were completely different.

The elderly mother worried because she felt she had bragged too much; in her view, Zhang Jing was just a young practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine with practically no patients, let alone anyone lining up to see him.

Li Ziqi, on the other hand, worried because her older sister was superior to her in every aspect and still single; she feared Zhang Jing might have a change of heart, even though her own feelings were currently unrequited.

In near unison, the two of them blurted out two words: "No way!"

"No way?" Li Ziqi froze.

Yet, clever as she was, she immediately concluded that there must be something fishy going on.

Smiling, she said, "Why not? To be honest, I was just saying it off the top of my head at first, but since the two of you are reacting this strongly, I definitely have to go check it out now. Mom, where exactly is this Mingdetang Clinic you mentioned? Is it far from our house?"

"This..." The elderly mother hesitated.

After all, it wasn't just her who didn't want the eldest daughter to go; judging by the situation, the younger daughter was strongly opposed to it as well!

Sure enough, Li Ziqi immediately shrieked, "Mom, you are not allowed to tell her!"

This only made Li Ziqi even more certain that something was definitely amiss.

Putting on a victor's smile, she said, "Too bad you guys still slipped up. Since I already know the clinic is called Mingdetang, can't I just use Baidu Maps for navigation?"

"And don't worry, I'll play it by ear—like pretending to consult him for some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate my constitution, or something."

Mother and daughter were left speechless, their faces dark with dismay!

...

The buckwheat pillow Bai Bing bought on VIPshop arrived just as she started work today.

Unable to contain her impatience, she unwrapped it right on the spot.

Qin Qing, who shared the same office, curiously leaned in closer.

At first, she thought Bai Bing had bought some designer clothes again, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a pillow—and a buckwheat one at that.

Unable to hide her puzzlement, she asked, "Sister Bing, why did you buy such an old-fashioned thing? It clearly doesn't match your style at all. Everyone in my family is using latex pillows now."

Bai Bing smiled faintly. "I've had latex pillows at home for a while. I picked them up during my trip to Thailand."

"Then what is this for?"

"Hah! Didn't I take time off a couple of days ago because I slept in a draft and had a stiff neck? The doctor recommended that I sleep on a buckwheat pillow. He said this kind of pillow is good and lessens the chance of getting cervical spondylosis."

"I don't think that's right, is it? Don't latex pillow advertisements also claim they can effectively prevent and relieve cervical spondylosis?"

"Can advertising hype be compared to a doctor's words?" Bai Bing asked with a smile.

Hearing this, Qin Qing found it rather reasonable.

Advertisements were essentially a form of packaging and could rarely avoid exaggerated claims.

She nodded in agreement. "Sister Bing, you're right. I've been sleeping on a latex pillow for a long time for my cervical spondylosis, and I haven't seen any noticeable improvement. It still aches and gets sore all the time, and sometimes it's even accompanied by dizziness."

"Then your cervical spondylosis is a bit severe. Have you seen a doctor?" Bai Bing asked casually.

"I've been to see acupuncture and tuina doctors several times, but it never did much good, so I lost confidence." Qin Qing shook her head helplessly.

"I see." Bai Bing pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Would you like to try seeing my traditional Chinese medicine doctor?"

"Can he cure it?"

"I wouldn't dare guarantee that, but my stiff neck was cured instantly after just a single session of acupuncture with him," Bai Bing said indifferently.

"Ah? Such a miraculous TCM doctor? Sister Bing, why didn't you recommend him to me earlier?" Qin Qing instantly grew excited.

Bai Bing smiled faintly. "We aren't particularly close in our daily lives. If I recommended a doctor to you out of the blue, wouldn't people say I was a medical scalper?"

"Sister Bing, look at what you're saying. Am I that kind of person? Please, tell me the doctor's name and address, I'm begging you," Qin Qing pleaded excitedly.

"I must state first that it's just a small clinic, and the doctor is also very young. If you really want to go, you'll have to consider it carefully for yourself."

"Sister Bing, how could I not trust you!" Qin Qing replied hastily.