Come to buy groceries
Director Liu and Xiao Chen exchanged a glance, then turned and walked toward the Audi. The door opened and closed again, and the black sedan slowly started, turned around, and disappeared at the village entrance, following the same path they had come.
Only after the car had completely driven away did Zhong Ling withdraw her gaze and close the gate.
Provincial Agricultural Technology Extension Center? A barely perceptible smile curved her lips. It was a rather convincing fabrication.
As soon as the formation in the attic moved, she sensed it. The restriction in Li Qiang's body was a punishment for touching the center of the formation, and only she could remove it.
It seems that Li Qiang's abnormal behavior and the mistakes made by those people have indeed attracted the attention of certain departments. The people sent this time are obviously of a much higher level.
The black Audi A6 drove out of Yunxi Village, and the atmosphere inside the car was a bit depressing.
"Boss, this woman... is so stubborn." Xiao Chen, who was sitting in the driver's seat, glanced at Director Liu in the back seat through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but speak.
Master Liu, or code-named "Carrier Pigeon", had lost all the smile on his face, leaving only a solemn expression.
He rubbed his fingers, as if recalling the brief confrontation with Zhong Ling.
"Even more difficult than expected," he said in a deep voice, "She's impeccable and has a very strong psychological quality. Her official status can't suppress her, and commercial interests can't move her.
Especially the phrase "prices will continue to rise," it doesn't sound like a temper tantrum, but more like... a statement of fact."
Little Chen smacked his lips. "Two hundred a pound? How dare she ask for that? The whole village is going crazy, saying she's crazy about the money."
"Crazy?" Carrier Pigeon shook his head. "I don't think so. You've read Li Qiang's report. The activity and effects of 'YX Factor' far exceed our imagination."
If her food really had that effect, people would probably be vying for it even at two thousand, not to mention two hundred. She's not crazy, she's confident."
He took out his encrypted phone and dialed a number. "It's me, carrier pigeon."
The calm voice of Bobcat came from the other end of the phone: "How is the situation?"
"Contacted target. Preliminary assessment: obtaining cooperation or information through conventional means is extremely difficult. The target is extremely vigilant and has a clear stance: they will not accept official intervention and are indifferent to commercial interests." The carrier pigeon briefly reported the situation. "She explicitly stated that vegetable prices will continue to rise."
Shanmao was silent for a moment. "I understand. It seems that neither a strong attack nor a gentle approach will work. As planned, we will suspend direct contact and switch to external surveillance. How is Li Qiang doing?"
"We've arranged for a transfer to Base 7. Our personnel discovered an unknown force operating outside the hospital, suspected of targeting Li Qiang. Fortunately, the transfer was timely."
"Okay, protect Li Qiang. Although he can't give us much information, he is the only breakthrough point at the moment.
Besides, since Zhong Ling still wants to grow and sell vegetables... let's go with the backup plan. Send a few strangers, pretending to be buyers who came here to buy her vegetables.
Remember, just buy the food and don't reveal any intentions. We need samples for in-depth analysis."
"Understood." Hanging up the phone, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Zhong Ling...how many secrets does this woman hide?
After seeing off the two uninvited guests, Zhong Ling's life returned to normal. Looking at the balance in her account, she decided it was time to quickly replenish her "vacation" funds. She found the business card Qin Yali had left behind and called the number on it.
The phone rang a few times before it was picked up. Qin Yali's voice came: "Hello? Who is this?"
"I'm Zhong Ling."
"Ms. Zhong?!" Qin Yali's voice immediately became enthusiastic. "You finally contacted me! How's it going? Do you have any more food?"
Ever since the elderly in the family ate the vegetables grown by Zhong Ling, they have felt much better. She has been looking forward to Zhong Ling's early return.
"Well, we just planted a batch. The price has gone up, two hundred per kilogram." Zhong Ling directly quoted the price.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then Qin Yali's hearty laughter came: "No problem! Two hundred is two hundred! Good things are naturally worth the price. Are you in the village now? I'll be there this afternoon!"
"exist."
"Okay! See you this afternoon!" Qin Yali hung up the phone neatly.
For her, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem. The improvements Zhong Ling's cooking brings to her family's health are far beyond monetary measure. Two hundred yuan per pound? As long as it works, she doesn't mind it being too expensive.
That afternoon, a silver-gray Porsche Cayenne stopped at the door of Zhong Ling's house, which was more eye-catching than the Mercedes-Benz last time.
Qin Yali walked in quickly, wearing a well-tailored Chanel suit.
"Miss Zhong!" A genuine smile crossed her face, and her gaze immediately turned to the vegetable patch in the corner of the courtyard, a flicker of wonder in her eyes. It had only been a short time, and the soil had already recovered to this state? And it seemed to be growing even better than before.
"Miss Qin." Zhong Ling nodded and pointed to several bamboo baskets beside her. "Freshly picked, all here. Greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, take a look."
Qin Yali didn't hesitate, stepping forward to carefully select the vegetables. The vegetables were juicy and shiny, giving off an alluring glow. She took a good portion of each, quickly filling the several large shopping bags she had brought with her.
"I want them all." Qin Yali said without hesitation.
Zhong Ling pulled out her phone and pulled up the payment code. Qin Yali scanned the code and paid in one smooth motion.
"Ms. Zhong, please let me know first if you have any dishes in the future." Qin Yali said with a smile, her tone sincere, "Price is not a problem."
"It depends." Zhong Ling did not comment.
Qin Yali didn't care and left contentedly with several bags full of "treasures".
At the same time, at a secret base hundreds of kilometers away.
Li Qiang sat on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had been transferred here, surrounded by researchers in white coats and armed guards. He knew he had completely lost his freedom.
He tried to recall what happened that night again, but every time he touched that memory, a severe headache would come over him, as if his brain was about to split open.
He didn't even dare to mention anything about "Yunxi Village" or "Zhongling Old House". The researchers tried various methods, including hypnosis and drug induction, but could not get any specific information about the source of the samples from him.
In the end, they could only confirm that the source of the "YX factor" was indeed Yunxi Village and the woman named Zhong Ling.
The restrictions on Li Qiang proved that there was a power there that was far beyond their understanding.
The day after Qin Yali left, two groups of people came to her door.
The first group was a middle-aged couple wearing outdoor sportswear and driving an off-road vehicle. They claimed that they were passing by on a self-driving tour. They heard that there were particularly delicious organic vegetables here, so they made a special detour to try them.
The man looked honest and enthusiastic, while the woman was taking pictures of the surrounding scenery with her mobile phone.
Zhong Ling watched them, her mind clear as a mirror. Their acting was quite convincing, but unfortunately, the well-trained smell on their bodies could be smelled from several meters away.
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