Chapter 75
After lunch, Zhou Li had a pleasant chat with them.
Ji Qingshu and Zhang Man liked Zhou Li very much and they talked about topics related to opera. Zhou Li's younger and older brothers did not come back, saying that they had something to do. They asked Zhou Li to see that they just didn't care about Tang Jing. They said that not all the people at the family dinner were there, but it was just the intention of Ji Qingshu, the stepmother.
Tang Jing presented the gifts she brought. The two ladies in the family did not know her secret identity. They only knew that she was working for her father. Tang Jing would bring local specialties every time she went on a mission. Ji Qingshu didn't even know that she was undercover in someone else's house as a concubine. If she knew, she would definitely quarrel with Zhang Mei, because Ji Qingshu was from a noble family and valued family background the most. Since Tang Jing had been adopted as their adopted daughter, even if her surname was not Zhang, she was still a member of the Zhang family. If this kind of thing were to spread, it would be a disgrace to the Zhang family and would have a bad influence on future Zhang women.
After receiving the gift, Zhang Man whispered, "Thank you, I like it very much."
Ji Qingshu even called Tang Jing over and helped her smooth the hair on her forehead with a loving look on her face.
"Thank you for your hard work. Every time you go out, you remember to bring me a gift when you come home."
Tang Jing curled his lips slightly, "As long as mother and sister like it."
The two said goodbye to their mother and returned to Tang Jing's yard. The servants had already cleaned the house from top to bottom, and Zhou Li's clothes were also collected for washing. The house was clean and filled with fragrance. Zhou Li found that the fragrance came from the newly changed flowers in the hall.
Tang Jing looked at the sky and said to Zhou Li, "You take a rest. When your adoptive father takes a nap, we can go visit him."
Zhou Li looked a little nervous and nodded.
Tang Jing smiled at her and raised her hand to remove the leaves from Zhou Li's head. They had just walked over from the garden, and a leaf had fallen from Zhou Li's head at some point. Tang Jing picked up a small piece in her hand. She couldn't bear to throw it away. After seeing Zhou Li turn around, she went back to the house and tucked it into her book.
In the afternoon, as the sun was setting, Tang Jing and Zhou Li stood outside Zhang Mei's study, waiting for a message. She shook Zhou Li's hand, then let go. The person who had gone to report came out, closed the door, nodded to Tang Jing, and said, "The Lord is waiting for you in the West Hall."
Zhou Li saw that Tang Jing was visibly relaxed and smiled at the man.
The West Hall is not an office, but the adoptive father's private reception room, which means that the adoptive father brought Zhou Li back to take care of household affairs.
The two of them went in and walked through the winding corridor to the west hall.
The west hall is surrounded by bamboo curtains. The curtains on the west side are lowered to provide shade, while the curtains on the east side are all rolled up. There is a large tea table on the east side. Opposite the tea table, there are several low tables and cushions for kneeling cross-legged. In front of the tea table, a thin man is making tea. He has a handsome face, a short beard on his chin, and his hair is cut very short like the people in the mansion. He wears a white short coat and looks like an immortal. He does not look like a powerful person, but rather a Taoist practitioner in a Taoist temple. The only difference is that his hair is too short and he does not have a Taoist bun.
Tang Jing walked over and lowered his head and whispered, "Father."
Zhang Mei was in no hurry to answer and poured the tea into the pot. Zhou Li took the opportunity to observe his face. Zhang Mei's cheeks were flushed and his lips were rosy. He looked like he had a smooth flow of qi and blood and did not look like someone who had been poisoned.
Zhang Mei suddenly looked up and met Zhou Li's eyes. He had a pair of sharp eyes, and when he stared at people, he felt very oppressive. Zhou Li did not lower his head, and endured the oppression of being stabbed. He looked at Zhang Mei and laughed at him, saying, "You are quite brave."
Tang Jing looked up, and Zhou Li said calmly, "You're not a tiger."
"Oh? But people are afraid of me like a tiger." Zhang Mei raised her hand. "We are all family. Let's not talk nonsense. Just sit down."
Zhou Li was more relaxed than Tang Jing. He pulled out the round stool from under the tea table and sat down.
Zhang Mei likes simple people like Zhou Li. He is also straightforward, but he is in a high position and often cannot be straightforward.
Zhang Mei watched Tang Jing grow up.
This child has a cold personality. When her adoptive father died, she was only a few years old, but she only shed a tear. She then held her adoptive father's hand and said, "Father, I will realize your dream. I will help you see the world that you cannot see."
Her adoptive father closed his eyes.
Zhang Mei often didn't know how to get along with children. He could love Zhang Man and beat up the two boys, but he didn't know what approach to take when facing Tang Jing. In short, it was her adoptive father who saved him, and he owed her a life.
Someone else should have been sent to go undercover this time, but no one could reassure him like Tang Jing. He waited for Tang Jing to ask him and explain to the child, but Tang Jing just carried out the task meticulously, which made him helpless and distressed. Many times it was not that Zhang Mei did not feel sorry for her adopted daughter, but that she did not know what to do.
He was extremely short of people around him, and even fewer could be trusted. Although there were many talented people who came to him along the way, there were very few who could understand his ambitions and stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Tang Jing's adoptive father was one of them, but the old friend had passed away, and Zhang Mei felt even more lonely.
Zhang Mei couldn't help coughing twice, and her face turned even redder.
Tang Jing's brows showed worry, but Zhou Li asked directly and casually, "Are you feeling unwell? I once studied medicine with you for a period of time. Why don't you let me take a look at you?"
Tang Jing looked at Zhou Li instantly. How come she didn’t know that Zhou Li knew medical skills?
Zhang Mei was stunned for a moment, then laughed again, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
He thought to himself that Tang Jing had shot too many swallows but ended up getting his eyes pecked by an eagle. This was another person who came to inquire about his physical condition. Yesterday was the first time Tang Jing had said so many words in front of him. He understood the seriousness of this and felt that she was just a woman. Tang Jing had done so many things for her, so it was not a big deal for him to recognize her. It seemed that this person had ulterior motives.
Zhang Mei's smile faded. She glanced at Tang Jing and said to Zhou Li, "It's okay if I let you take a look."
In fact, the current rumor is correct. He was indeed poisoned, but the poison was a voodoo, and normal medical examinations could not find any physical problems with him.
Tang Jing was still looking at Zhou Li. She didn't believe that Zhou Li was a spy.
Her relationship with Zhou Li was not fake. Could it be that everything was planned by Zhou Li since he saved her?
Tang Jing remained silent, watching his adoptive father stretch out his hand while Zhou Li pretended to feel his pulse. In fact, Zhou Li was shouting in his heart, "The system is scanning."
Only with direct physical contact of no less than one minute can the system scan the poison that Zhang Mei is infected with and provide the appropriate treatment.
Zhou Li had a serious expression, and looked like she was treating a patient. She asked Zhang Mei to open his mouth, looked at his tongue coating, and then looked at his complexion. She briefly described some symptoms, all of which Zhang Mei had.
Zhou Li was glad that he had some exposure to Chinese medicine, otherwise he wouldn't be able to speak such nonsense now.
After the system scan was completed, Zhou Li let go of his hand. When he heard the system say that it was indeed poisoning and Zhang Mei would definitely die within half a year, Zhou Li's pupils trembled.
Is there any solution to the system?
The system replied to Zhou Li that the detoxification pills she bought last time were effective, and Zhou Li had to find a way to give them to Zhang Mei.
"How is my health?" Zhang Meiqin asked with a smile.
Zhou Li frowned and decided to tell the truth.
"Your health is very poor. I believe you've been poisoned. The poison is quite deep and has already damaged your internal organs. You will undoubtedly die within six months!"
"Zhou Li!" Tang Jing interrupted her solemnly, "This is my father, don't talk nonsense!"
Zhang Mei's face also turned cold. Even the spies who were gathering information would not be so foolish as to rush forward directly.
Zhou Li pretended not to understand their expressions and said directly, "The master I studied under at the time taught me some medical skills and left me three life-saving pills. I gave one of them to Tang Jing, and she saved her life. I still have two pills left, which may be able to save her life."
Zhang Mei looked at Tang Jing, and Tang Jing nodded. Zhou Li did save her, but she didn't know that Zhou Li had fed her medicine. However, she did feel a cool feeling at that time and she woke up.
Zhang Mei looked at Zhou Li, and Zhou Li let him look at him with a righteous look.
Zhang Mei asked, "Where is the medicine now?"
"In my room." Zhou Li replied.
"How dare you carry such a valuable thing with you?" Zhang Mei didn't believe it, but Zhou Li did reveal the truth about his physical condition.
"It's precisely because it's valuable that I carry it with me," Zhou Li said. "It can save my life if I encounter any problems on the road."
Zhang Meixiao, it was hard to tell whether she believed it or not.
Zhou Li said, "If you don't believe it, why not give it a try and see for yourself?"
Zhang Mei narrowed her eyes slightly, "Why?"
Zhou Li said: "Find the same poison, put it on the animal, and then feed it the medicine."
"Don't you feel sorry for your medicine?" Zhang Mei laughed loudly.
Zhou Li glanced at Tang Jing and said, "You are her father, and you are the sky for countless people in Guanshi County. If the sky falls, this man will not survive."
"good!"
Zhou Li went back with someone to get medicine. He didn't even drink a sip of the tea on the table. He came and left in a hurry, leaving only Tang Jing and Zhang Mei in the room.
Zhang Mei looked at Tang Jing and said, "If she can save me, you should come back too. There's no rush for the Northern Government's affairs."
Tang Jing pursed his lips: "Father..."
Zhang Mei said, "I know I've wronged you over the years, and this incident is especially unfair to you, but you also heard that I only have six months to live, and within this six months I must take down the Northern Government!"
Zhang Mei closed his eyes, otherwise after his death, his son would not be able to withstand their reputation and would be swallowed up sooner or later. Zhang Mei wanted to leave his children a future without worries before he died, but it made Tang Jing suffer.
Tang Jing knelt on both knees and said in a low voice: "Father, I am not suffering."
Once she entered this line of work, she had already disregarded life and death. Her only regret was that she didn't have someone to collect the bodies, but now she has one.
"Good boy." Zhang Mei patted Tang Jing's shoulder, helped him up, her eyes red.
Tang Jing was his first child, and he raised her as a boy. He only realized something was wrong when his eldest son was born. However, Tang Jing's character had already been formed, and he was powerless to change it. He was short of manpower, so he treated this older girl as a man. However, Tang Jing went through life and death, and completed all dangerous tasks exceptionally well.
For example, the last time we went to assassinate the Northern government support team.
If Tang Jing's assassination had not been successful, and the 10,000 people had not joined forces with the enemy and attacked Guanshi County directly, I'm afraid they would not have been able to defend their hometown.
Zhang Mei really owes her daughter a lot.
Tang Jing was not good at dealing with this kind of situation. He just pursed his lips, not knowing how to handle it.
Things between her and her adoptive father had always been official, but when her adoptive father suddenly revealed his true feelings, Tang Jing was at a loss.
Zhou Li finally returned with the medicine. She placed the bottle in front of Zhang Mei and said, "There are only two pills left. One pill can detoxify your body."
Zhang Mei looked at the medicine bottle carefully, took out a pill, and asked someone to do it.
In order to detoxify, Zhang Mei sent people to find the voodoo, but all the doctors had no antidote. Now he saw with his own eyes that his personal guards fed the poison to the dog. The dog was poisoned just like he was when he was poisoned. First, its eyes turned red, then it went crazy, and then foamed at the mouth. When all the symptoms came back, it became like a normal person again, except that its body temperature was higher than normal.
After confirming everything was correct, Zhou Li poured the pill into the dog's mouth. After three days of observation, the dog showed no signs of illness. Zhang Mei was eager to take the medicine, but was stopped again. This time, it was Zhang Mei's youngest son, Zhang Zixin. He had finally returned from his work and stopped Zhang Mei, angrily saying, "Father, would you rather trust an outsider than the doctor I brought here? He said he could cure you!"
Zhou Li didn't want this matter to have any more ups and downs. He was extremely angry when he heard the system report.
She is an outsider, but isn’t the liar Zhang Zixin brought back a liar?
No wonder she heard Tang Jing say that Zhang Mei was worried about her family. Now she understood that the son of a powerful hero might not be a good person either.
Tang Jing placed the water next to Zhou Li and said, "Father has the ability to distinguish right from wrong."
At this moment, someone suddenly came to report: "Someone from the Ranger Hall is coming!"
Zhou Li stood up and asked, "Who is it?"
The man reported, "The master asked me to find Miss Zhou, saying that Xu Ziyi from the Wanderer Hall is here to visit. I heard that Miss Zhou is also here, so I specifically asked me to come find you. Let's move to the East Hall to reminisce about the past." He then looked at Tang Jing and said in a low voice, "And the eldest lady, you can come if you want."
Zhou Li's face suddenly lit up with a smile: "Brother Ziyi is here, I'll go right away."
Tang Jing had never seen such an expression on Zhou Li's face. She felt a little uneasy. She followed Zhou Li and listened to her chattering about the past. She actually forgot about her previous anger.
A surge of jealousy rushed from Tang Jing's chest to her forehead, but was suppressed by her.
This was just Zhou Li's reaction after not seeing her friend for a long time. She shouldn't be jealous, her mind told her so. But when she arrived at the East Hall, she saw the tall and handsome Xu Ziyi reminiscing with Zhou Li. The two of them were in perfect harmony from words to actions, and Tang Jing couldn't understand the jargon of the Ranger Hall.
After openly discussing Xu Ziyi's intention of coming, Zhou Li laughed even more happily. It turned out that the elders in the Ranger Hall finally figured it out and sent Xu Ziyi to test Zhang Mei's attitude. Just now, Xu Ziyi was talking to Zhang Mei and mentioned Zhou Li. Xu Ziyi patted his chest and praised Zhou Li for being reliable.
Zhou Li thought that her brother would be the one to do the job.
The two exchanged information with each other through their eyes, which made Zhang Zixin and Tang Jing frown more and more. One of them couldn't stand Zhou Li acting like Tang Jing, and the other was jealous.
Tang Jing stepped forward and pulled Zhou Li's sleeve, taking the initiative: "You haven't introduced me yet."
Zhou Li smiled and said to Xu Ziyi, "Tang Jing."
"My friend, Xu Ziyi."
Zhang Zixin snorted coldly at the side. Zhang Mei had just been called away for something.
Xu Ziyi said cheerfully, showing off his large white teeth. "Hello, you're the follower girl Gousheng mentioned, right? You don't know how many people Zhou Li has saved. Everyone wants to follow her. Keats Hospital is almost becoming a Zhou family army!"
Zhou Li glared at him: "Nonsense."
The two of them started laughing as they talked. Tang Jing felt out of place being caught in the middle. The more she looked at Xu Ziyi, the more annoying she felt. Dapeng, who was by Zhou Li's side, had never been so close to Zhou Li. It seemed like she couldn't get in on the closeness between the two of them.
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