“I don’t know,” Jia Zizai said . “It looked very disgusting . Mr . Wang said don’t underestimate the bugs . If you are bitten by them but not treated in time, it could be life-threatening . ”
“Is it that serious?” Hu Mei asked .
“Several people have died because of these bugs,” Jia Zizai said . “There might be even related to the venom secreted at the hot spring . ”
“No wonder Mr . Wang said time was short . ”
It was not until now that they understood the meaning of Wang Yao’s words .
“How did he know?” Hu Mei asked .
“He smelled a unique smell in the water,” Jia Zizai replied .
Wang Yao drove in front to lead the way to the restaurant in Xia Village, where they always went .
“Hello, welcome . ” The manager came to meet them when he saw them .
Many guests had come for dinner . There were only five tables available .
“Our signature dish, stewed fish in a cauldron, has been improved,” the manager said . “Would you like to taste it and give us some suggestions?”
“OK,” Wang Yao replied
All the dishes were served quickly . The fish was served last . The fish soup was white, and it smelled delicious .
“It looks delicious . ”
“This is fresh carp we picked up from the reservoir,” the manager warmly said . “All the carp we selected were about three pounds . We also used angelica, ginseng, and other medicinal materials while cooking it to make it more delicious and nourishing . ”
“It’s time to taste it,” Wang Yao immediately said when he heard about the additional medicinal herbs in it .
“OK, taste it,” the manager said . “I hope you enjoy it . I will treat you this meal . ”
“You don’t have to do that,” Wang Yao said . “You are too kind . ”
“It’s no problem at all,” the manager said . “It’s settled, so please enjoy . Call me if you need anything else . ”
“OK, no problem!”
“Come on, let’s try this fish . ”
“Yeah, let’s try it . ”
The fish soup was delicious, and the fish was perfectly cooked .
“Well, it’s delicious!”
“It’s really delicious . I haven’t eaten such delicious fish for a long time,” Jia Zizai said .
Wang Yao drank the soup and carefully savored it .
“Sir, what do you think?”
“It is fine . ” Wang Yao smiled .
He could guess what was in it just by tasting it . There was ginseng, wolfberry, Huangjing, and other medicinal ingredients . Of course, those medicinal ingredients were not as good as those he grew on Nanshan Hill . In fact, they were all low-cost medicines . After all, a business aimed to make money and was not for charity .
“Sir, let’s enjoy the wine,” Jia Zizai said, holding up his glass .
“Thank you,” Wang Yao said with a smile .
“As for this fish, do not eat it too much . ” Wang Yao picked up a piece of fish and tasted it .
“Why? What’s the problem!” Jia Zizai spit out the fish he was chewing .
“There is no big problem,” Wang Yao smiled and said . “It’s just that there is some conflict between the two flavors of Chinese medicines . The most serious issue might be diarrhea . ”
“Ah, that’s fine,” Jia Zizai said . Afterward, he put another piece of fish into his mouth .
“Yes, it’s delicious, Sir . How can you tell there is a conflict between ingredients just by tasting it?”
“One medicine is licorice,” Wang Yao said . “That is a commonly used Chinese medicinal material . Its function is to reconcile all kinds of drugs, but it conflicts with the carp . That is why I say it is not suitable to use it . ”
“Is there anything else? What about the other medicinal ingredients?”
“Another medicine causes conflict to chicken . ”
“Chicken? Is that in here?”
“A small amount of chicken soup was added to it,” Wang Yao said . “The carp and chicken soup are slightly offensive . ”
“Isn’t there a famous dish called Farewell My Concubine that uses carp and chicken?”
“Like what I said, eating less is OK,” Wang Yao said . “It could cause some discomfort in the stomach but nothing very serious . ”
“I didn’t know I’d learn more just from eating with you,” Jia Zizai said .
In addition to stewed fish, there was also a distinctive spicy fried chicken dish .
“Well, both of these dishes were very good,” Pan Jun said . “I can see why people would come here for dinner . Even people from the county would want to taste these dishes . ”
After eating, Wang Yao returned to the mountain village .
“Would you like to go and drink some tea with me?”
“Don’t drink tea immediately after eating fish,” Wang Yao said . “You should wait for a while . ”
“Let’s play poker . Do you like to play?”
“No, thank you . I’ll go back to the clinic to study these bugs . You just enjoy your evening . ”
“Fine . ”
“Thank you, Sir . ”
“You’re welcome,” Wang Yao replied .
He walked back to the clinic and took out the glass bottle containing the poisonous insects . Several bugs were crawling inside .
Wang Yao gently opened the lid of the bottle . At first, the bugs were manic . They seemed to want to jump out . He didn’t know why, but the bugs suddenly gathered together and laid at the bottom of the bottle . It was as if they had encountered something terrible, such as a creature they greatly feared .
“Why didn’t they have this reaction when they were in the hot spring?” Wang Yao asked aloud . “Didn’t they respond fast enough?”
He returned home and took a rabbit from the cage .
“What are you doing with the rabbit?” Zhang Xiuying asked .
“I need it for an experiment,” Wang Yao said with a smile .
He put the rabbit in a cardboard box . Next, he put a bug into the box . The bug did nothing for a moment . Suddenly, it jumped on the rabbit . After a while, the rabbit began to twitch . Apparently, it was poisoned .
“It is so aggressive now!”
Wang Yao took the bug out and put it into a glass bottle . He poured a bowl of medicine soup made with detoxification grass into the rabbit’s mouth and quietly waiting for the medicine to take effect . Within an hour, the rabbit was better . The abnormal symptoms it had shown disappeared . Wang Yao put some leaves and grass into the box, and the rabbit began to eat .
“It is quite toxic . ”
Wang Yao did several other experiments to understand some of the characteristics of the poisonous insects .
He thought, This kind of poisonous insect grows where the geothermal is extremely hot . Its toxins are related to heat poisoning . It should be medicinal, but it is poisonous . Therefore, it is necessary to control the metering when it is used .
Thousands of miles away in southern Yunnan…
In a well-decorated hotel, in a private room, Guo Zhenghe was meeting a man in his 40s . He was thin, and his hair was a little yellow . His spirit was worse .
“Uncle Xu, I will count on you,” Guo Zhenghe said .
“Childe, you are too polite,” the man said . “You can order me to do anything you need . ”
“Uncle Xu, just call me Zhenghe . I feel awkward when I hear Childe from you . ” Guo Zhenghe filled the middle-aged man’s glass with wine .
“I prefer to call you Childe when there is no other one here, but I’ll call you Secretary Guo when I’m outside, right?”
“This is OK,” Guo Zhenghe said .
“What business do you need me to do?” the middle-aged man asked .
“Enjoy the meal first,” Guo Zhenghe said . “We will talk about it after eating . ”
“That is good . ”
After three rounds of drinking and five dishes, Guo Zhenghe passed over the bag of information that had suddenly appeared in his office .
“Read it first . ”
The middle-aged man opened the bag . He read the contents of the first page . His face changed . He read it very carefully .
“Where did these things come from?” the man asked .
Guo Zhenghe carefully explained what happened, including how this portfolio appeared on his desk without any notice .
“Did the boy have any contact with these strange people?” the man asked .
“So far there was no contact,” Guo Zhenghe said .
The middle-aged man was silent for a while .
“I saw the news before I came here,” the middle-aged man finally said . “A strange thing happened in a place under your control recently . In a village, 11 people were killed in three days, right?”
“Yes, that is the case,” Guo Zhenghe said . “The criminal investigation experts in the provincial capital have already come and investigated the case . ”
“Can I see the relevant information?”
“No problem,” Guo Zhenghe said . He took out another portfolio, which looked well-prepared .
The middle-aged man carefully read it . It had more information, so it took longer to read it . Guo Zhenghe was not in a hurry and quietly waited .
“I have no evidence, but based on my experience and feelings over the years, most of these people did not die naturally . They were killed,” the middle-aged man said .
“But no evidence of homicide was found on them,” Guo Zhenghe said . He preferred the idea that these people died unnaturally, but everything needed to be evidence-based . What he lacked most now was evidence .
“So, someone sent you this information,” the middle-aged man said .
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