57. The Prospective Mother-in-Law Arrives

After leaving Xiaoxiao’s house and boarding the bus, Tang Yiyi glanced back at Xiaoxiao, who was returning inside, and suddenly felt that the Xiaoxiao she had met before and the girl she’d seen tonight were completely different people. Tonight, Xiaoxiao truly seemed like an Aries, but how could one person be so different?

When she arrived at Magnolia Alley, carrying the gifts Xiaoxiao had given her, she walked briskly back to the clinic. At the entrance, she was spotted by Xiao Xie. “Yiyi, the boss wants to see you,” he said.

Tang Yiyi turned and walked over. Xiao Xie got a good look at her face. “Wow! Yiyi, you look so pretty tonight!”

His exclamation drew the attention of everyone in the noodle shop. Tang Yiyi raised a hand to shield her face and said helplessly, “When will you ever learn to speak a little quieter?”

Seeing her embarrassment, Xiao Xie hurried over, spreading his arms to block her from view. “It’s fine, it’s fine, everyone please keep eating.”

Qin Baike walked over, reached out, and pulled Xiao Xie aside. Tang Yiyi still had her hand on her face; he gently took her hand away, and upon seeing her clearly, was truly stunned.

Tang Yiyi glanced at him, then shyly lowered her head. “Baike, did you want to see me?”

“Who did your makeup?”

“A friend.” Her head dropped even lower.

“It’s very pretty,” he said.

She looked up in delight. “Really? Is it really pretty?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

She cupped her face in both hands, her smile blooming like a flower.

Er Tong came over and saw her. “Wow, your makeup’s really good. Before, you were just a village girl; now you’re a pretty village girl.”

Tang Yiyi rolled her eyes at him, ignoring him. He noticed the pouch hanging from her wrist. “You bought skincare products from this brand?”

“What about it?”

“Not that great.” He took the products out of the pouch and looked them over. “Just this set, three items, nearly a thousand.”

“So expensive?” Tang Yiyi exclaimed in surprise.

“Did a guy give them to you?” Er Tong teased.

“No guy! A girlfriend gave them to me. I had no idea they’d be so pricey. I was thinking of giving her a moxibustion box tomorrow—what a difference that is,” Tang Yiyi said, troubled.

Qin Baike said, “Did you help her with her health or something?”

“How did you know?”

“If she’s a friend, don’t be so calculating. There’ll be plenty of chances in the future; just accept her kindness.”

Tang Yiyi considered this and nodded. “Okay.”

Qin Baike handed her a shopping bag. “Here’s the chocolate you wanted.”

“Thank you, Baike.” Tang Yiyi reached out to take it.

Er Tong pulled it over to take a look. “Bro, why are you giving her chocolate? That’s something lovers give to each other. Look at the box—a big heart. Are you confessing to this village girl?”

“No,” Tang Yiyi murmured, “I just wanted chocolate because of my breakup, so I asked Baike to buy it for me.”

“You broke up, so why did Baike buy it for you?”

Qin Baike smacked Er Tong on the head. “Two boxes of chocolate—where’s all this confessing coming from?” He turned to leave, then came back to whisper in Er Tong’s ear, “I used your money.”

Er Tong: “…”

Tang Yiyi laughed and took a box out of the plastic bag to hand to Xiao Xie. “Here, it’s really good.”

Xiao Xie accepted it with delight. “Thank you, Yiyi!”

Inside the shop, Qin Baike heard the commotion behind him and suddenly felt a slight irritation in his heart.

Seeing it was getting late, Tang Yiyi said to Er Tong, “Let’s go upstairs and check your wound.”

They went upstairs. Just as Er Tong took off his shirt, Qin Baike came up as well. “I’ll check how his wound is healing.”

Tang Yiyi removed the bandage from Er Tong’s shoulder; the wound had healed well. She smiled. “You can have the stitches removed in three days.” She checked the wound on his waist—it was healing less well but hadn’t become infected. She asked Qin Baike, “Did you buy the no-stitch wound patch I mentioned yesterday?”

“I did.” He found it in the medical kit and handed it to her.

She reapplied medicine to Er Tong and bandaged him up. Leaving Er Tong’s room, she saw a ladder leaning against the wall. “Hey, Baike, can you set up the ladder now? I’ll climb up and go back to my room, so I won’t have to take the long way around.”

Qin Baike looked at her with a faint smile. “You’re not tall enough. I need to go up first and then help you up. Did you forget?”

“…Hehe, I really did forget. I’ll go ahead.”

“Mm.”

Tang Yiyi sighed all the way, thinking, Why not just help me up?

Back in her room, she went to the bathroom to check her makeup, smiled in satisfaction, and said to herself: From tomorrow—no, from tonight—skincare! Tomorrow, lipstick! That’s it.

The next morning, after her morning run, Tang Yiyi washed her face and carefully applied her skincare products. She slipped the lipstick into her pocket. After breakfast, she rushed to the bathroom and carefully put on lipstick in front of the mirror.

She used Xiaoxiao’s method, dabbing a bit of lipstick on her cheeks for blush. Instantly, her complexion looked much better. Luckily, the lipstick wasn’t too red, so even though she got a few more looks from people, she quickly got used to it.

Xu Mingtang said: If you’re seeing a Chinese medicine doctor, definitely don’t wear makeup, or else they won’t be able to “observe” properly.

Xiaoxiao’s mother arrived at the clinic around noon, using her lunch break to come by.

Xu Bin was eating at the counter. When he saw Xiaoxiao’s mother come in, he was so startled he nearly choked. He stood up and blurted, “Ah… uh, you’re here to…”

Xiaoxiao’s mother said, “I heard Dr. Xu’s medicine is especially effective for menopause. I wanted to try it.”

“I see. But Dr. Xu is resting now, not seeing patients. Maybe you could wait a bit?”

“When does Dr. Xu start seeing patients in the afternoon?”

“Two o’clock.”

“I can’t wait that long. I have to be back at work by two.”

“In that case, let me check if Dr. Xu has gone to sleep yet. If not, I’ll ask him to see you.”

“You’re such a good young man. Thank you so much.”

Xu Bin went upstairs and found Xu Mingtang just setting down his chopsticks and getting up. He hurried over. “Dad, please help me out—my good friend’s mother is here for a consultation. Just one more patient, I beg you.”

“What friend? Why are you so anxious?”

Tang Yiyi jumped in, “I know her! She’s a good friend’s mother. Has she arrived?”

“Yes, she’s downstairs,” Xu Bin replied.

“You both know her?” Xu Mingtang asked.

“Yes. She has common menopausal symptoms, very resistant to aging, an auntie I recommended to Master yesterday.”

“Let’s go, then. One more patient.”

Xu Mingtang went downstairs, saw Xiaoxiao’s mother, gave her a consultation, and wrote a prescription before going upstairs to rest.

The prescription was handed to Xu Bin, and Xiaoxiao’s mother thanked him repeatedly, making Xu Bin say over and over that it was no trouble.

Xiaoxiao’s mother warmly took Tang Yiyi’s hand. “If your weight-loss treatments work for me, I’ll get all my colleagues to come. I’ll advertise for you.”

Tang Yiyi laughed, covering her mouth, “Auntie, let’s focus on your health first. That’s much more important than just being thin.”

In the treatment room, Tang Yiyi laid out a disposable sheet, let Xiaoxiao’s mother lie down with her stomach and limbs exposed, and inserted the needles. “I’ll take the needles out in half an hour. If you want to nap, go ahead. I’ll be right here.”

“Alright, Yiyi, you really are a good girl.”

Xiaoxiao’s mother lay for a while but couldn’t sleep. She asked Tang Yiyi, “What’s that young man’s name outside? He’s quite nice.”

“Yes, he’s wonderful. He’s my master’s son, my senior apprentice.”

“Oh, senior and junior apprentice. He isn’t your boyfriend, is he?”

“Hahaha, no! Xiaoxiao knows him too. My senior is very gentle; you can tell from how helpful he was earlier.”

“He’s Dr. Xu’s son? That’s great. This clinic seems profitable, and Magnolia Alley is full of old residents—houses passed down through generations. The young man is handsome, has good prospects. You should keep him in the family, not let outsiders have him.”

“Auntie, you like him too?”

“He’s good. I have a keen eye.”

“Maybe we should match him with Xiaoxiao instead.”

“Xiaoxiao? I’m afraid their family wouldn’t agree.” Xiaoxiao’s mother said sadly.

“But Xiaoxiao is great. Why wouldn’t they agree?”

“Don’t ask, Yiyi. Would you like to meet a young man who works at the bank? I can introduce you.”

Tang Yiyi was torn between laughter and tears. This truly seemed to be a matchmaking gene embedded in middle-aged women. “I just broke up. Let me take some time.”

“Don’t wait. The best way to forget your ex is to start a new relationship.”

“Hehehe.”

After the acupuncture, Tang Yiyi told Xiaoxiao’s mother she only needed to come once every few days, no need to strictly follow the schedule.

After she left with her medicine, Tang Yiyi rushed up to Xu Bin. “Senior, Xiaoxiao’s mother said you’re really nice—especially suitable as a son-in-law.”

Xu Bin was stunned. “She… really said that?”

“She said ‘boyfriend,’ I said ‘son-in-law,’ but it’s pretty much the same! I suggested matching you with Xiaoxiao, but she seemed to think Xiaoxiao wasn’t good enough for you, and that Master wouldn’t agree,” Tang Yiyi said, confused.

Xu Bin was silent for a moment. “How did this become about me?”

“She thinks you’re great and wants me to nab you as a son-in-law.”

“…” Xu Bin glared at her.

“As a boyfriend.”

“Don’t repeat any of this to anyone, especially my mom, my aunt, or the neighborhood gossips.”

Tang Yiyi nodded. “Okay. Why does your love life feel like a spy operation?”

“Would you want your personal life discussed by everyone?”

“No.”

“Exactly. Neither do I.”

“Wen Tao said before that Xiaoxiao is a loner, doesn’t want marriage or kids. Is that why Master can’t know? But her song lyrics don’t sound like someone who’s against marriage.”

“Lyrics are just for appeal; they don’t mean anything.” Xu Bin pointed to the treatment room. “You usually nap at noon. You missed it today. Go lie down and rest your heart. Go on.” With that, he sat in a wicker chair and closed his eyes for a nap.