Chapter 397: Chapter 397 This is Medicine, Not Flowers
"It’s no problem, sister-in-law, we’re just looking around here casually. If we need anything, I’ll contact you later. Okay, you go ahead and get busy."
Since the mayor’s wife wanted to leave, this was actually quite convenient for Liu Jiaxin.
Because Liu Zheng’s requests had filled her with doubts. She had no idea what this man was up to; he hadn’t even examined the patient yet and was already out admiring the flowers. She felt there must be more to it than met the eye.
Only after the mayor’s wife had left did she turn back and glance over. Liu Jiaxin saw Liu Zheng squatting in front of a pot of flowers, seemingly deep in thought about something.
"What’s up, have you found anything?"
Liu Jiaxin suddenly spoke up, snapping Liu Zheng back to reality. He just turned around, looked at her, and showed a helpless expression on his face.
"Do you also think that me looking at these flowers and plants is meaningless? Just now, I could tell Mayor Liu was showing disdain, but there’s no help for it. To determine the cause of the illness, I have to start investigating from the surrounding environment."
"I’ve known you for so many years, so I understand your every word and action very well. You certainly have your own purpose for coming here, and you definitely didn’t come just to admire these flowers. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be Liu Zheng."
"You’re right, that’s exactly the case. But I just found something strange upstairs. In the old lady’s room, there was also a pot of flowers like these, and it was the only one. So, when I entered the yard just now, I smelled a very strange scent, and this scent was exactly the same as the one I smelled in the room upstairs."
Liu Zheng continued observing the flowers while explaining the situation to Liu Jiaxin.
In fact, Liu Jiaxin couldn’t distinguish any particular scent at all. Upon entering, she only smelled the pleasant fragrance of flowers, nothing else. Even the thought of discerning anything was beyond her.
But she knew very well that Liu Zheng had an extraordinary sense of smell, extremely sensitive, and if he smelled something wrong, there must indeed be a reason for it.
"So you’re saying that the problem might be with this pot of flowers? But it’s strange, isn’t it? Just smelling a scent could cause someone’s skin to ulcerate? Don’t you find that odd?"
"You haven’t been upstairs yet. How do you know her skin is ulcerated?"
"When I was downstairs chatting with your sister-in-law, I asked her about the old lady’s symptoms. Besides, I had some idea from before."
"Normally, just the scent alone, even if it penetrates the human body, shouldn’t affect the central nervous system. So, I suspect some element in the old lady’s body combined with this scent, causing the skin ulceration."
"If that’s the case, where could the toxins in the body be originating from? Why would she be poisoned all of a sudden? Earlier, she had a comprehensive blood test and other examinations that suggested she was fully recovered, and nothing was found."
"If it were simply a bacteria growing inside her body, that could explain it, but the key issue is if it combines with something from the outside environment, it could hide very well in the human body, like a normal cell. That’s why no matter how many tests you do, you won’t find anything."
"With such advanced technology unable to uncover it, how are you going to address this?"
"It’s just a feeling I can’t fully explain. And remember, I’ve told you before that my sense of smell is very sensitive, unlike ordinary people’s. So when I smell the scent of flowers, it’s just that—a floral scent. But this scent definitely isn’t floral; it should be strictly classified as an herbal medicine."
"What? Herbal medicine? Are you saying that what they’re growing isn’t just some flowers, but actually an herb?"
"I can’t verify the real situation right now, but I do feel there’s something wrong with this pot of flowers. Therefore, I need to take some samples back for a thorough analysis to figure out exactly what it is. However, all I know now is that we can’t let this pot of flowers harm anyone else. Only by doing this can the patient be completely freed from this disease."
"The key issue is, with you saying that, will Mayor Liu believe you? I might believe you because I know you well, but what about Mayor Liu? If you attribute all the illness to this pot of flowers, I reckon any normal person would find it hard to accept."
"It doesn’t matter if they can’t accept it; the key issue is that now, I can tailor a treatment and also provide the right cure. But, there’s only one prerequisite: she can no longer suffer under the torment of these flowers, no, from this drug interference. So, we need to thoroughly disinfect and clean her room, eliminate all the flowers and the native scents they carry."
While talking, Liu Zheng carefully plucked a leaf from that special flower and placed it cautiously into his portable toolbox.
"So, you’re saying that you can only determine what it is after you get back to the clinic?"
"Right, I need to study it to find out which substances and combinations of substances could cause this kind of toxic reaction. So, that’s what I’m going to work on. Only by finding the cause can we treat the symptoms effectively and remove the toxins from her body. From now on, you won’t be troubled by this illness anymore."
"It sounds like a good plan, but putting it into practice may not be as simple as we imagine. If it doesn’t work out, we should stick to the original plan. I advise you not to say too much to him. If you do, you’ll only make Mayor Liu more suspicious of you."
