The young man standing beside them was specially assigned to protect Professor Qin. His name was Li Yang. The moment he heard Jiang Li’s words, his expression changed. He immediately turned around and rushed into the state-owned restaurant.
“We have to catch that spy! He actually dared to hide in the state-owned restaurant and poison Professor Qin!”
The middle-aged woman was still frantic and completely at a loss. Her husband had collapsed so quickly after finishing his meal, which meant the poison had to be extremely fast-acting.
“Young lady, can you save him? Or should we hurry and take him to the hospital?”
“I can save him. If we send him to the hospital now, it’ll probably be too late by the time we get there.”
Jiang Li guessed that Professor Qin must be an important scientist, someone who had been targeted by enemy agents. They had taken advantage of his meal at the state-owned restaurant to poison him.
Of course, it was also possible that the spy embedded in the restaurant specialized in eliminating influential figures who were valuable to the country by poisoning their food.
Without hesitation, she took out her silver acupuncture needles and asked the woman to roll up Professor Qin’s sleeves and pant legs. She inserted the needles into the appropriate acupuncture points, using them to force the poison out of his body.
A few minutes later, drops of black blood slowly seeped from the needles, and Professor Qin gradually regained consciousness, his eyelids fluttering open.
When he learned that Jiang Li had saved his life, he was deeply grateful.
“C-Comrade, you were the one who saved me. Thank you so much.”
Jiang Li took a small bottle of spiritual spring water from her bag and let him drink a little.
“Uncle Qin, you’re still very weak. Don’t talk too much yet. Get some rest first.”
After drinking the spring water, Professor Qin immediately felt much better. Following Jiang Li’s instructions, his wife supported his head and back so he could recline comfortably on the ground and rest with his eyes closed.
A short while later, Li Yang returned, dragging the spy who had been hiding in the state-owned restaurant. It turned out to be the restaurant’s head chef, Old Zhang, who was now firmly restrained.
The restaurant manager looked utterly shocked and dejected.
“Old Zhang… How could Old Zhang be the spy who poisoned Professor Qin? He’s always been the chef I trusted the most!”
“Professor Qin has already been poisoned by him. Whether you believe it or not doesn’t change the facts,” Li Yang said coldly. “As a traitor, he must have people backing him. Once I hand him over to the State Security Bureau, we’ll soon uncover the mastermind behind all this.”
He gritted his teeth in fury. People like this, who harmed their own countrymen—especially such an important figure—were obstructing the nation’s progress. He wished he could execute the man on the spot.
When they stepped outside, Jiang Li looked carefully at Old Zhang and immediately noticed something was wrong with his expression and complexion.
“He’s swallowed poison! Get the pill out of his mouth! We can’t let him die yet!”
Otherwise, they would never be able to identify the person behind him.
Li Yang immediately worked together with her to pry open Old Zhang’s mouth. They managed to remove part of the poison pill, but some had already gone down his throat.
The poison Old Zhang had taken was even deadlier than the one given to Professor Qin. It had been prepared specifically to ensure a quick suicide. Although they removed part of it, he soon lost consciousness.
Jiang Li checked his pulse, confirming that he was still alive while assessing the severity of the poisoning. She used her silver needles again to draw out the poison, though he remained unconscious.
She turned to Li Yang.
“You can hand him over to the authorities now. He’ll wake up before long, and then you can interrogate him about the mastermind.”
Li Yang nodded.
“Understood.”
He couldn’t help but marvel at Jiang Li. She looked so gentle, delicate, and beautiful, yet her medical skills were nothing short of miraculous.
He quickly asked a passerby to report the incident to the Public Security Bureau. When the officers arrived, they took Old Zhang into custody.
The restaurant manager no longer insisted that Old Zhang had been wrongfully accused. Hanging his head in shame, he realized that if Old Zhang truly had been an enemy spy hiding in the restaurant all this time, he himself might also be held accountable.
He had been far too careless, allowing such a dangerous man to remain hidden there for so long. If he ended up being punished, he could hardly complain.
Another half hour passed before Professor Qin had recovered enough to stand and walk on his own. Jiang Li checked his pulse once more and confirmed that every trace of poison had been eliminated from his body. Only then did she finally relax.
“Uncle Qin, all the poison has been cleared from your system. This poisoning won’t leave any lasting effects.”
“Young comrade, you’re remarkably capable for someone so young,” Professor Qin praised with a smile.
“You’re giving me too much credit, Uncle Qin. Compared to someone like you, my abilities are nothing extraordinary.”
“No, no. You’re already exceptional.”
Professor Qin and his wife, Liu Lan, wanted to invite Jiang Li to visit their home, but they had only just returned to the country and didn’t even have a permanent place to stay yet. Reluctantly, they put the idea aside.
Liu Lan took out a thick stack of cash and ration coupons, along with her wristwatch, and tried to press them into Jiang Li’s hands.
“Young lady, thank you so much for today. We don’t know how else to repay you, so please accept this. And if you ever need anything in the future, don’t hesitate to come to us. We’ve only just returned home, but whatever happens, we’ll do everything we can to help.”
Professor Qin smiled.
“My name is Qin Xiaozhong. Thank you, young lady.”
Jiang Li had heard of that name before. There had been news about a renowned overseas professor returning to China, and this had to be him.
His expertise lay in physics. With someone like him leading the way, the country’s aerospace and military research would surely advance to even greater heights.
Jiang Li refused to accept either the money or the watch. She wasn’t lacking in either.
“It was only a small thing. As long as you’re safe, Uncle Qin, that’s enough.”
“You’re such a kind-hearted girl,” Liu Lan said warmly. Then she asked, “Where do you live? We’ll definitely come visit you another day.”
Jiang Li was about to sell her house and leave anyway, so there was no point in giving them her address.
Besides, she had far too many things to take care of over the next few days and simply wouldn’t have time to receive visitors.
“Auntie, I’ll be joining my fiancé at his military post very soon. If we’re meant to meet again, I’m sure our paths will cross someday.”
“So your husband-to-be is a soldier,” Liu Lan said with a smile. “A soldier protects the nation with loyalty and courage, while you’re kind-hearted and possess such incredible medical skills. You two are truly an extraordinary couple.”
“You’re flattering us, Auntie.”
“I’m only telling the truth.”
Thinking of Professor Qin’s weakened condition, Jiang Li urged Liu Lan and Li Yang to take him back and let him rest. As for herself, she still needed to make a trip to the supply and marketing cooperative.
As she walked down the road, she couldn’t help sighing to herself.
I’ve been so busy today.
In her previous life, she had been the pampered young lady of a wealthy capitalist family, living in luxury and never lifting a finger to do housework. Yet after being reborn, she’d accomplished more in a single day than she ever imagined possible.
If the authorities could use the two spies captured today to uncover the larger enemy network, then perhaps she would have made a genuine contribution to the country.
She couldn’t help feeling a little proud of herself.
Maybe I’m something of a heroine after all.