"Hmph, dream on!" Li Hongmei sneered and turned to leave. Er Zhu ignored her and waved to Zhang Qiang.
In fact, Er Zhu disdained to bet with Li Hongmei, but seeing her attitude, he felt he had no choice but to agree. He could have resorted to force, but he deemed it unnecessary to clash with the police.
Zhang Qiang quickly returned with the prescription. Er Zhu, carrying the prepared medicinal soup, arrived at the village committee. Li Hongmei and many other police officers were already waiting.
"I'll stand here today and watch how you cure these lunatics!"
Li Hongmei crossed her arms, her dark eyes fixed on Er Zhu, full of contempt and disdain.
Though the young man had impressed her, Li Hongmei refused to believe he could be so accurate every time!
In her opinion, there were no divine doctors in the world, and even if there were, it wouldn't be a village doctor like Er Zhu!
The police officers behind her watched Er Zhu with amusement, their eyes filled with mockery.
"Is this kid crazy? Daring to make a bet with Forensic Doctor Li! She's the most skilled forensic doctor in the police force!"
"I heard he was here yesterday. Maybe he was bitten by a villager, so maybe he's really gone mad!"
"No, no, no, he's not mad. I heard from the villagers that this kid is a fool!"
...
Harsh taunts echoed around them. Zhang Qiang's face turned green with anger, but Er Zhu acted as if he heard nothing.
"Captain Zhang, give this medicinal soup to the villagers." Er Zhu, glancing at the wailing villagers, pointed to the soup in the thermos.
"Someone, take the soup in!" Zhang Qiang finally came to his senses and waved to a police officer at the door. The officer then took the soup inside.
"Everyone watch carefully. If even one person collapses, arrest this village doctor!"
Seeing Er Zhu's composed demeanor, Li Hongmei assumed it was a facade. She snorted and warned her colleagues.
The officers nodded repeatedly, their eyes glued to the villagers of Lihua Village, ready to pounce if anyone fell.
"Forensic Doctor Li, don't push it too far, or I'll report you to the bureau chief!"
Seeing Li Hongmei becoming increasingly unreasonable, Zhang Qiang couldn't hold back and reprimanded her loudly, his brow furrowed.
If he had known this would happen, he should have brought Li Hongmei in after Er Zhu, thus avoiding this ridiculous spectacle!
"I'm pushing it? You'd rather believe a village doctor than me. Who among us is being unreasonable?"
"I'm telling you, Zhang Qiang, if any of these villagers suffer any harm, you'll bear the primary responsibility!"
Zhang Qiang's reprimand only fueled Li Hongmei's anger. She pointed at the frenzied villagers and roared.
"You..." Zhang Qiang was so angry he couldn't speak. Er Zhu had displayed such remarkable medical skills before them. He couldn't understand why Li Hongmei refused to believe him!
He used to think Li Hongmei was quite intelligent, but now he realized she was simply foolish!
Gag!
Just then, a villager who had drunk the soup suddenly vomited. Everyone turned to see four or five villagers collapse heavily onto the ground!
"Quick, arrest this kid!" Seeing this, Li Hongmei immediately shouted to the officers behind her.
Instantly, four or five officers lunged towards Er Zhu, intending to apprehend him. However, intimidated by Zhang Qiang's eagle-like gaze, none dared to move.
"This is a normal reaction. They'll wake up in three minutes."
Er Zhu stared straight ahead, it was unclear if he was speaking to Li Hongmei or Zhang Qiang.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. He's just trying to buy time. Arrest him quickly, I'll take responsibility for everything else!"
As soon as Er Zhu finished speaking, Li Hongmei also rushed forward. She reached out to grab Er Zhu, but he subtly shifted, causing her to miss!
"Kid, you dare resist arrest!" Li Hongmei, stunned, became even more enraged. She pulled out her handcuffs and prepared to charge at Er Zhu again.
"Li Hongmei, that's enough!" At that moment, Zhang Qiang grabbed Li Hongmei's wrist. He was on the verge of losing his temper!
"What are you doing?" Just as Li Hongmei was about to confront Zhang Qiang, the bureau chief's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Bureau Chief, Er Zhu is treating these villagers, but Li Hongmei is not only obstructing him but also made a bet with Er Zhu!"
Seeing the Bureau Chief, Zhang Qiang quickly ran over and pointed at Li Hongmei, lodging a complaint.
"That's not true! A village doctor misdiagnosed them and refused to admit it. Bureau Chief, look, many villagers have collapsed after taking his soup!"
Li Hongmei, not to be outdone, pointed to the villagers lying on the ground and explained.
Wu Zhengxiong trusted her medical skills the most. He had personally invited her to the police force. With Wu Zhengxiong's backing, not only Er Zhu, but even Zhang Qiang would face repercussions!
Thinking this, Li Hongmei's eyes sparkled with triumph. She could already picture Er Zhu being driven away!
"Alright, Li Hongmei, you go back to the police station now!" Just as Li Hongmei expected Wu Zhengxiong to reprimand Er Zhu and Zhang Qiang, she was shocked to hear him say this. She looked at Wu Zhengxiong with disbelief.
"Er Zhu cured my liver cancer, let alone this minor poison. We don't need a forensic doctor here. Go back immediately!"
Without asking any questions, Wu Zhengxiong nodded to Er Zhu and then sternly ordered Li Hongmei to leave.
While Li Hongmei was indeed skilled, her arrogance had grown with her expertise. He had been looking for an opportunity to teach her a lesson, and now it had presented itself!
"What? He cured your illness?" A flicker of shock crossed Li Hongmei's eyes. She looked at Er Zhu in disbelief.
She had heard that Wu Zhengxiong was ill and had even visited him. However, Wu Zhengxiong had said his illness was cured, claiming a divine doctor had treated him. She had assumed it was some reclusive master, never expecting it to be this inconspicuous village doctor!
"Brother Er Zhu, I apologize for the trouble. I'll have her sent back immediately. If you're still not satisfied, I'll strip her of her police uniform!"
Wu Zhengxiong ignored Li Hongmei. He clasped his hands and cautiously apologized to Er Zhu.
He had heard that Zhang Qiang had invited Er Zhu and had come specifically to welcome him, only to encounter such an unpleasant situation!
Er Zhu had saved his life. He could never be an ungrateful wretch!
The more Wu Zhengxiong thought about it, the angrier he became. He suddenly turned and shouted at Zhang Qiang, "Strip her of her police uniform!"
Just as Zhang Qiang was about to act, he saw Li Hongmei staring blankly ahead. Following her gaze, Zhang Qiang was also stunned!