System Only Gives Me Useless Gifts

During lunch break, Zuiba hurried out of the shop, leaving her son to look over the incense store. The heavy set woman walked down the street, wishing good afternoons to the regulars and people she met on the way.

She walked further down Caoben Street until she arrived at a vendor cart selling trinkets. The owner of the trinket cart was her gossip partner, Bizi. As she got closer, she saw Bizi in the midst of selling a little trinket to a tourist.

"Look Miss, this is the most famous booth in Caoben," said Bizi, a woman with large ears. "And this trinket is only sold by me on this street. It looks like the ones online, but only mine comes with its original packaging!"

The tourist still looked hesitant. She had only stopped by the corner to take a quick look. Anyone looking at her would realized that she wasn't used to going out much.

"Oh my! Is that the last one!?" Zuiba intervened as she walked closer. "I have  wanted to give my mother something for her birthday, young lady, if you're not interested, I'll take it from your hand."

Not wanting to let a product go, the tourist naturally decided to buy the silver trinket with red ribbons, one that could be found on every corner of the street.

"Wonder choice Miss!" said Bizi, accepting the payment via Teebee app.

As the tourist walked away, the two friends gave each other a sly look.

"You two causing trouble again?" asked Datou, the tea shop owner right behind Bizi's stand.

"No!!! Why would we!?" Zuiba responded with an exaggerated tone.

The famed Caoben Street was only two kilometers long, so many of the shop owners and vendors knew each other for a long time.

Bizi and Zuiba both ordered some tea from Datou, and gossiped about everything that happened on the street. They were naturally curious about the clinic shop that was down the street a couple of shops down. There was a new sign above the door and the front looked welcoming, but they hadn't seen the clinic during opening hours.

The newly opened clinic had only been open for three weeks, and only on the weekends, so some of the neighbors were still unfamiliar with it.

"Hey Datou, have ya been to the clinic?" asked Bizi. Although she only worked on the weekdays, she knew that Datou worked on the weekend.

"Yeah, went over there to say hello last week," said Datou, the tea shop owner leaning against the counter.

"The place where that strange couple was working?" asked Bizi. "Isn't that place haunted now? How in the world did they even open it? Did that guy Pao Lie hire a Taoist priest?"

"Nope, there's a new owner there now," explained Datou. "A handsome chap, says there was some radon leak, whatever that is, and it was causing people to feel sick."

"So it wasn't bad karma?" asked Bizi. "Hard to believe with everything happening over there."

"Seems like it," said Datou. "I don't feel any weird vibe walking into the front shop."

"Seriously? You went inside?"

"Yeah, pretty nice and bright in there now. It looks like a medicinal shop, but he said it's a clinic. He is a western doctor, and he even gave me a free checkup just for being neighbors."

"Is he a real doctor?"

"The license looks real, and I know a nurse at Qinbei. She said he's a new attending there. Probably why it opens up only on the weekend. But Doctor Li is a bit strange."

"What do you mean by strange?" Bizi asked.

"Well, he does pulse diagnosis like a TCM doctor and he writes everything with a brush," Datou said as he took out a sheet of paper. "You see this, it's my diagnosis."

Bizi and Zuiba both looked at a sheet of paper filled with small, but refined characters.

"You know what else is amazing? He told me what was wrong with me before I could even tell him. He asked me what my favorite childhood activities were. When I told him it was to paint, he told me I should start painting weekly. He also did some acupuncture in the afternoon. I swear, I don't think I have ever slept so well afterward."

Listening to his account, Bizi and Zuiba both suddenly wanted to visit the clinic. Most of the hospitals in Yide had a queuing system, so seeing a doctor was sometimes expensive and an all day event. If the doctor in the clinic could provide checkups, then they also wanted to get one.

"You can request appointments on the Teebee app," said Datou.

Bizi and Zuiba both checked the app and searched for the clinic page. They were surprised that the appointments were already filled up on Saturday. There were sixteen 15-minutes slots per day, starting from 8am. They both booked the last two slots available for Sunday. It looked like the clinic was getting more popular.

At around the same time, Li Yun arrived back home to his parent's apartment. Typically, on the weekends, Li Yun avoided going home and headed directly to the Dong Xuan Clinic. It was a celebration for his grandparents' fiftieth anniversary, so he had to return.

Inside the courtyard, all the elders and residents of the apartment were already out celebrating. There was the smell of freshly grilled pork, wings, and quails. The tables were lined with an assortment of dishes made by the residents.

"Ah! Little Yun, you're late!" Called out Uncle Yuen Sho.

Li Yun approached the tall man, who looked to have gained a bit of weight since the last time they met. Aunt Xu was feeding him well.

"How are ya uncle?" Li Yun gave his uncle a hug, and a couple of the residents surrounding the area.

Li Yun then approached his grandparents and gave them both a painting he did of the mountain side view from the apartment. Grandpa Lu Yan and grandma Nai had always kept everything Li Yun made for them, even the ugly bamboo ones he did as a kid.

His parents gave him a plate full of food, and then continued socializing with the others. Li Yun looked around until he saw a table where the guys in his age group were sitting. It was very common for people to sit by age and gender.

Li Yun sat next to Bu Tao, "Hey."

"Hey," Bu Tao said as he passed Li Yun a beer.

"Sorry for worrying you."

"I've already forgotten, why ya have to bring it up?" Bu Tao chugged down his beer, feeling a bit relieved.

"What's with the weird vibe?" Bufu asked, watching the two interact. "Did you get into a fight or something?"

"What fight?" Bu Tao asked. "I was pissed off for a day, or two."

Friends were like that. Sometimes, after an argument, friends simply drifted apart. Other times, they could easily shrug it off. No matter how flawed someone was, keeping the friendship was more important.

"Why are you even here?" asked Bufu.

Bu Tao wasn't part of the apartment, but Li Yun naturally knew that Bu Tao arrived at the party hoping to see him. They haven't talked for a few weeks, but it was enough time for things to settle.

"I'm a neighbor, why can't I come?" asked Bu Tao. "Besides, Wu Bin invited me."

"I almost forgot you guys were in high school together," Bufu said.

"It's because someone kept kicking me out of the groupchat!" Wu Bin glared at Li Yun.

"Family should not be a part of the groupchat," Li Yun responded.

"Xuxu and Ju de are siblings, and Mu Lian and I are about to get married," said Fatty Fang.

"My therapist should not be a part of the groupchat," Li Yun replied.

"You f****** brat!" Wu Bin threw his slipper at Li Yun, who leaned sideways to avoid the impact. Instead, Wu Ling caught the slipper that was about to hit Mu Lian.

"What the f*** Old Bin!?" Wu Ling hissed at her brother.

"What's with your language!?" Wu Bin.

"Like you don't swear more than me," Wu Ling then threw the slipper back to Wu Bin.

Wu Bin cursed slightly to himself as the slipper hit his shin. "I don't know how we are going to marry off this girl," Wu Bin complained, rubbing his shin.

"Why are you planning her wedding when she's still in college?" Fatty Fang asked.

"That's my concern, she's already in her third year, and she has never gone out on a date yet."

"How would you even know?" Bufu wondered. "Like a college girl is going to tell her brother who she's dating, are you dumb?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I would hear something by now," Wu Bin barked back. "You know her group of friends can't keep a secret."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but if she specifically asks them, they won't say anything," said Fatty Fang.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Isn't Ju De in their detective club?" asked Bufu. "Just ask him to spy for you."