Upon hearing this, Yunyi, for reasons unknown, saw the faces of Zhong Liyuan and that man flash through her mind. Why am I thinking of them? "Jingrui," she said, "I asked you to investigate Zhong Liyuan before. Did you have someone look into it?" Huo Jingrui knew Yunyi wasn’t one to make groundless accusations. "I’ve already sent people to check it out," he replied. "I’ll urge them to speed up the progress later." As Yunyi spoke, she went to the cabinet, found a piece of letter paper, and then a pencil. She quickly started to sketch. Soon, an unremarkable man’s face appeared on the paper. "Have someone check this man out," she said. "I saw him with Zhong Liyuan that day. They were acting so cautiously, just like they were meeting in secret." Huo Jingrui took the portrait and examined it closely. "Yiyi, you must be careful these next few days. I suspect they might still be planning something." The two of them discussed their next moves. "Yiyi, you go back to the clinic first," Huo Jingrui said. "I’ll go find Chief Qiao. I need his cooperation for some matters." I can’t leave Hua’an Farm Reclamation now, he thought. Leaving and then showing up again would likely arouse the suspicions of those lurking in the shadows. He had no choice but to arrange for someone else to deliver the portrait to the public security office, so they could investigate the man’s whereabouts as soon as possible. He also needed to share his suspicions with the comrades at the armed forces department immediately, asking them to begin inspecting all factories for hidden dangers. I’ll pretend to be visiting my partner, he decided, using it as cover to investigate for suspicious individuals at the timber and agricultural farms.And if my guess is correct, he mused, those people might use the relatives of the two deceased to cause a disturbance, diverting everyone’s attention to achieve their ulterior motives. Yunyi nodded. "This is urgent; any delay could lead to complications. You go handle it. I’ll keep an eye out for anyone suspicious around here." Huo Jingrui was anxious, but he didn’t forget to remind Yunyi, "If anything unusual happens, prioritize your own safety." Yunyi nodded. "Don’t worry. You still don’t trust my skills?" Even as Huo Jingrui walked towards the door, he couldn’t help but add worriedly, "You mustn’t be careless. Promise me you’ll listen." To reassure him, Yunyi replied, "I know. I’ll remember." She watched him leave through the front door, then gathered her emotions before relocking it and returning to the clinic. She had just stepped inside when she heard Doctor Qiu’s voice. "You two, help the patient into the back room! Nurse Chen, go find Doctor Chu." Yunyi quickened her pace. "Doctor Qiu, I’m here." Seeing her, Doctor Qiu immediately explained, "This expectant mother isn’t due yet, but she’s experiencing severe abdominal pain. I’ve examined her but can’t find the cause." They headed towards the back room together as they spoke. Seeing the expectant mother’s forehead drenched in fine beads of sweat, Yunyi quickly approached. "Help her lie down first. I’ll take her pulse." The middle-aged woman accompanying the expectant mother, seeing how young Yunyi was, asked, "Are you a doctor?" Yunyi nodded reassuringly, trying to ease their tension. "Yes. I’ve learned traditional Chinese medicine from my grandfather since I was a child. Don’t worry, I’m not a charlatan." The middle-aged woman looked a bit embarrassed. "I didn’t doubt you. It’s just that you look so young, and I assumed only older people were skilled at taking pulses." Even as she spoke, her hands were busy, struggling to help the expectant mother lie down. "Doctor, please take a look at her and see what’s wrong. She says her stomach has been hurting continuously, but there’s no sign of labor yet." Yunyi took her pulse, her expression growing increasingly grim. It seems Huo Jingrui was right, she thought. Those people really might be up to something. "Don’t worry," she said to the women. "She’s caught a bit of a chill and probably ate something she shouldn’t have." The woman was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed, "What did I tell you? I told you to stay home, and here you are, spending all day by the village entrance gossiping with those old biddies! Now look where it’s got you! And what have you been eating behind our backs?" The expectant mother clutched her stomach, perhaps feeling guilty. "Mom, I didn’t eat anything secretly." The middle-aged woman glared at her. "Still not telling the truth? It’d serve you right if you died in pain!" Yunyi released her wrist. "What did you eat that promotes blood circulation and induces menstruation?" The expectant mother turned pale. Though not versed in medicine, she knew such things shouldn’t be consumed during pregnancy. "I didn’t eat..." She stopped mid-sentence, her expression suddenly changing. "Doctor, is my baby... is my baby alright?" Seeing her agitation, Yunyi quickly tried to comfort her. "I’ll perform acupuncture in a moment to relieve your discomfort, but..." Before she could finish, she turned to Nurse Chen. "Prepare some alcohol for me." Nurse Chen quickly prepared it, and Yunyi placed all her silver needles in the alcohol to sterilize, keeping them ready for use. However, Yunyi’s mind was racing. The woman hasn’t just eaten something to induce menstruation; she’s also been drugged. The drug is reacting adversely with the food, causing severe abdominal pain but no signs of labor.What a malicious scheme! Are they trying to torture her to death? Saving her is the priority, Yunyi decided, but some things need to be clarified first. The silver needles still needed a little more time to sterilize. Yunyi pulled the middle-aged woman aside with a meaningful look, then said to Nurse Chen, "Look after her for a moment. I’ll be right back." She also signaled Doctor Qiu with her eyes, indicating he should come out with them. The middle-aged woman was perceptive and realized Yunyi must have something important to discuss. "Juanzi," she said to the patient, "bear with it a little longer. The doctor will help with the pain soon. Mom will go get you a glass of warm water and be right back." Once outside, she quickly went to Yunyi’s side. "Doctor, whatever it is, tell me straight. I can handle it." Yunyi glanced around outside, then motioned for them to go into the office. Fresh chapters posted on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽 Once inside, Yunyi began, "She not only ate food that promotes circulation and induces menstruation, but she was also poisoned. The two substances are antagonistic. No matter how much her abdomen hurts, her cervix won’t dilate." The middle-aged woman was so frightened she covered her mouth. "Who could be so malicious? Targeting my pregnant daughter-in-law ?" Yunyi had called her out specifically to use the needle sterilization time to gather information. "Think carefully," she urged. "Have there been any suspicious people or incidents lately?" The middle-aged woman’s mind was a mess; she couldn’t think of anything. "I can’t think of anything... We haven’t had disputes with anyone. Who would be so cruel as to harm my daughter-in-law?" Seeing the woman couldn’t think of anything for the moment, Yunyi said, "Take your time. When you remember something, don’t rush to tell everyone. I’m going back to give her acupuncture to ease the pain. Also, the poison in her system can’t be treated with Western medicine at the hospital. We’ll need to draw the poison to her hand, then make an incision on a finger to let it bleed out. Later, pretend you know nothing. Don’t cause a commotion that could alert whoever poisoned her."