RPAGF Chapter 303 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 7
Chapter 303 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 7
The medicinal herb market is located in the old street area in the west of the city. The buildings with blue bricks and gray tiles are adorned with red banners that read "Serve the People".
Ji Xiaosong followed Officer Zhao across the street, the air thick with the scent of medicine.
Several market management personnel wearing red armbands were patrolling the area, and there wasn't a single private stall in sight.
"Comrade Xiao Ji, this way."
Zhao, the clerk, straightened the collar of his Zhongshan suit and pointed to the building in front of him with a sign that read "XX District State-owned Medicinal Herbs Store". "We have all kinds of medicines for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis here. They are all regular medicinal herbs that are centrally purchased and distributed by the state."
The words "Develop the economy and ensure supply" are painted in red on the cement wall in front of the store.
The glass counter was spotless, and behind it stood a middle-aged female sales clerk with short, ear-length hair.
"Hello comrade, this is a letter of introduction from the Commerce Bureau."
Zhao, the clerk, solemnly took out a piece of paper stamped with a red seal from his briefcase. "We want to buy some medicinal herbs to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis."
The saleswoman carefully checked the official seal and date on the letter of introduction before nodding: "What kind of medicinal herbs do you want to buy? Are they part of your planned purchase, or not?"
Officer Zhao immediately replied, "Of course it's part of the plan. These are standard medicines for the unit's staff medical room."
He then pointed to the purpose stated on the letter of introduction.
"Comrade, I want to buy two ounces of safflower, one ounce of angelica, and one packet of Panax notoginseng powder."
Ji Xiaosong leaned over the glass counter, pointing to the medicinal herb samples below, and deliberately spoke with a heavy local accent, "This is a prescription left by my father, it's very effective for treating sprains and bruises."
The saleswoman adjusted her glasses: "Panax notoginseng powder is a controlled medicinal material, and requires a certificate from a barefoot doctor."
She looked Ji Xiaosong up and down, noticing his simple blue clothes and two braids. "Do you have any proof?"
Zhao, the clerk, quickly pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from his briefcase: "This is Comrade Xiao Ji's father's medical certificate. He was a barefoot doctor in the Red Flag Commune before his death."
Ji Xiaosong's eyes reddened at the opportune moment: "My father fell down the mountain while gathering herbs last year..."
She wiped her eyes, took out a red cloth bag from her bosom, and carefully opened it. Inside were several handwritten herbal medicine manuals. "These were left by my father."
The saleswoman's expression softened, and she carefully examined the certificate and handwritten copy: "A descendant of the old barefoot doctor."
She turned around and took a brown glass bottle from the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. "According to regulations, I can only give five qian (a unit of weight), but in special circumstances, I can give one liang (another unit of weight)."
"Thank you so much, comrade!"
Ji Xiaosong bowed repeatedly, and while the saleswoman was weighing the medicine, his eyes swept across the outside of the store.
The man in the blue work clothes was pretending to queue in front of the grocery store across the street.
The medicinal herbs were wrapped in yellow straw paper and tied neatly with hemp rope.
When Officer Zhao paid, he used a special purchase voucher approved by the Commerce Bureau, instead of ordinary currency.
Ji Xiaosong carefully placed the medicine packet close to her body, then suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and grabbed the counter for support.
"What's wrong, Comrade Xiao Ji?" Officer Zhao asked anxiously.
"I twisted my ankle."
Ji Xiaosong smiled innocently, and as she bent down to rub her ankle, she quickly smeared some scattered medicine powder from the gap in the counter and hid it under her fingernails.
As they walked out of the herbal medicine shop, Officer Zhao lowered his voice and said, "That person was just across the street."
Ji Xiaosong pretended to adjust her hair tie, peering through her fingers: "Hmm, they've been following me since the guesthouse."
She suddenly raised her voice, "Officer Zhao, I want to go to Xinhua Bookstore. Brother Weidong told me to study more!"
At Xinhua Bookstore, Ji Xiaosong stopped in front of the medicine and health section and carefully flipped through a book titled "Illustrated Atlas of Common Chinese Herbal Medicines".
Officer Zhao helped her carry the medicine bag, glancing around warily from time to time.
"Comrade, can I borrow this book?" Ji Xiaosong asked the sales clerk behind the counter.
The salesperson shook his head: "This is internal reference material and is not available for public lending."
He glanced at Ji Xiaosong's rough hands. "Are you a medical worker?"
"My father was a barefoot doctor."
Ji Xiaosong pointed to a medicinal herb in the book, "I've seen this in the mountains, but I don't know what it can cure."
The salesperson immediately became enthusiastic: "Ah, this is chicken blood vine, a good medicine for promoting blood circulation and replenishing blood!"
He lowered his voice, "If you're really interested, I can ask the director for you..."
Half an hour later, Ji Xiaosong not only borrowed the book, but also received a note stamped with the bookstore's official seal, allowing her to copy some of the contents.
She sat on a bench in the reading area, diligently copying in her notebook, occasionally rubbing her reddened wrists.
"Officer Zhao, I need to go to the restroom."
After copying the last page, Ji Xiaosong suddenly said.
The window of the women's restroom faces the alley behind the bookstore.
Ji Xiaosong stood on the water tank and, through the dusty glass, clearly saw the man in blue talking to another man. The man was holding an envelope, the same kind he had seen at the guesthouse yesterday.
Back in the reading area, Ji Xiaosong noticed that Officer Zhao's face was pale: "What's wrong?"
“The service desk just received a call,” Officer Zhao’s voice trembled, “saying they were looking for you. I told them you weren’t here, and they hung up…”
Ji Xiaosong's heart tightened, but he smiled sheepishly and said, "It's probably Brother Weidong looking for me!"
On the way back to the guesthouse, Officer Zhao was clearly distracted and nearly bumped into pedestrians several times.
Ji Xiaosong noticed that the number of people following them had increased from one to three.
During dinner, Ji Xiaosong borrowed a stove from the guesthouse canteen to brew medicine.
The bitter smell of medicine filled the corridor, attracting several guests to peek out.
"Is Comrade Xiao Ji feeling unwell?" the duty attendant asked with concern.
Ji Xiaosong fanned himself with a palm leaf fan and smiled憨厚ly: "It's an old ailment, a prescription left by my father."
She deliberately made the fire burn very brightly, and the bubbling sound of the medicine pot could be heard throughout the entire floor.
At 10 o'clock sharp, the entire building fell silent.
Ji Xiaosong poured the decocted medicine into a bowl and placed it on the windowsill to cool.
Through the gap in the curtains, she saw two red dots flickering in the shadows of the trees downstairs.
Someone was smoking and keeping watch.
Without making a sound, she took a small paper packet from her luggage and poured the white powder inside into a medicine bowl.
This is a mixture of various medicinal powders that she collected from the cracks in the counter of the herbal medicine shop. Although she doesn't know the specific ingredients, it's definitely not a good thing.
"Cough cough..."
She deliberately coughed loudly, then gulped down the medicine, intentionally leaving some dark brown residue at the bottom of the bowl.
Before turning off the lights, she made a point of placing the empty bowl on the bedside table in a prominent position.
In the darkness, Ji Xiaosong lay fully clothed on the bed, her breathing steady and long.
The hemp rope used to bind the medicinal herbs, hidden in her sleeve, had been twisted into a strong, thin rope.
At 2:13 a.m., a very faint clicking sound came from the door lock.
Ji Xiaosong's eyeballs under her eyelids moved slightly, but her breathing rhythm remained unchanged.
Three dark figures silently crept into the room, the beams of flashlights sweeping across her face.
"The medication has taken effect."
It was the voice of the man in blue, "Quick, put her in a sack."
As the rough burlap sack opened, Ji Xiaosong suddenly opened her eyes!
She kicked out with both legs, hitting the person in front of her squarely in the chest, who groaned as he crashed into the wall.
At the same time, the hemp rope in her hand darted out like a nimble snake, looped around the neck of the second person, and tightened its grip.
"Well!"
The man reached for his neck with both hands, but Ji Xiaosong struck him on the temple with an elbow, causing him to collapse limply.
The man in blue turned to run, but found that his ankle was entangled in something.
Looking down, he saw that the hemp rope had somehow wrapped around his calf.
"Comrade, is there something you need from me so late?"
Ji Xiaosong still had that same honest tone, but suddenly pulled hard on his hand.
The man in blue fell heavily to the ground, his head hitting the threshold with a sickening thud.
In less than twenty seconds, all three grown men were lying on the ground.
Ji Xiaosong patted the dust off her hands and took the envelope from the blue-clad man's arms.
By the moonlight, she could make out the postmark: a city in the south, and a number written in pen: 714.
"Tell me, what do you want with my brother Weidong?"
She crouched down and gently patted the man in blue's face with the hemp rope.
The man in blue gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Ji Xiaosong sighed and picked up the last bit of herbal medicine from the bedside table:
"Do you know what this is?" She pinched the man in blue's nose. "I'll count to three..."
"I'll tell you!" the man in blue finally broke down, "Xu Weidong wasn't going there for any technical training at all! He... he went to..."
Suddenly, a sharp whistle came from outside the window.
The man in blue's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly bit his own collar!
Ji Xiaosong reacted quickly and grabbed his chin, but it was too late.
White foam was already overflowing from the corners of the man's mouth.
"Taken poison?" Ji Xiaosong released her grip in shock.
She quickly checked the other two, and found the same thing.
Within seconds, all three survivors were turned into corpses.
Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Ji Xiaosong quickly stuffed the envelope into her inner pocket, and then did something unexpected.
She grabbed the medicine bowl, wiped it on her lips, and then collapsed by the bed, pretending to be unconscious.
The moment the door was flung open, she saw through her eyelashes that Officer Zhao led two policemen in.
"Comrade Xiao Ji!" Officer Zhao exclaimed, helping her up. "Are you alright?"
Ji Xiaosong weakly opened her eyes: "Zhao... Officer Zhao... they... they drugged me..."
As he spoke, he even gagged a few times in “pain.”
The police examined the body on the ground, their expressions grave: "It's an enemy agent; he had cyanide hidden in his collar."
He looked at Ji Xiaosong suspiciously, "Comrade, what's wrong with you...?"
"I...I don't know either..."
Ji Xiaosong's tears came easily, "I fell asleep after taking my medicine, and when I woke up I saw you all..."
Officer Zhao interrupted the police's questioning: "What can a rural woman do? It's obviously these bad elements fighting amongst themselves!" He helped Ji Xiaosong up, "I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup."
As I stepped out of the guesthouse, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
Ji Xiaosong walked slowly and "weakly," but her fingers secretly touched the envelope.
714—she was all too familiar with that number; it was the serial number on Xu Weidong's watch.
As the jeep drove through the misty streets, Ji Xiaosong gazed out the window at the city gradually awakening, her eyes clear and showing no sign of having taken too much traditional Chinese medicine.
She silently calculated in her heart:
Xu Weidong, Xu Weidong, your trickery this time has fooled me too.