Chapter 33: There Really Is a Reward

Su Miaomiao didn’t rush nor delay. She walked straight up to the man.

“Hello, Director,” she even greeted him respectfully.

Ling Liangxue couldn’t help but smile—this little girl was bold, wasn’t she?

“Aren’t you afraid?” Ling Liangxue asked, clearly amused and trying to tease her.

“You brought me here as part of a government organization, not to prison. What would I be afraid of?” Su Miaomiao replied calmly.

“You’re quite a clever girl. No wonder they chose you to deliver the letter for us.” Ling Liangxue smiled, but quickly grew serious as he fixed his eyes on her. “Don’t worry, the reason we brought you here today is just to ask you a few questions. Just answer truthfully.”

“Please go ahead, Director.”

“Who gave you that letter?” Ling Liangxue went straight to the point.

“It was a soldier covered in blood. I ran into him while I was gathering herbs in the mountains,” Su Miaomiao replied truthfully.

“Did he tell you his name?” Ling Liangxue asked again.

Su Miaomiao shook her head. “He only gave me the envelope.”

“Do you know where he is now?” Ling Liangxue pressed further.

“I don’t. He was seriously injured at the time and said someone was chasing him. After handing the letter to me, he went off alone to lure them away,” Su Miaomiao explained.

Upon hearing this, Ling Liangxue’s heart sank.

The team sent out on this secret mission still hadn’t returned.

And just when they finally got a clue, it turned out to be a dead end again.

Those men were heroes…

Suppressing his turmoil, Ling Liangxue stared at Su Miaomiao with sharp eyes.

“Your name is Su Miaomiao, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve done a great service for the organization this time. Don’t worry—I’ve already applied to the organization for a reward on your behalf. You should be hearing something soon,” Ling Liangxue said firmly.

Su Miaomiao had already guessed the organization would reward her, but hearing it confirmed by the director still brought her a sense of relief.

“Thank you, Director. But our family was sent down to Shimatuo Village from Beijing for reform,” Su Miaomiao said, pretending to hesitate.

“You silly girl, so what if you were sent down? The organization sent you down to be reformed, and now you’ve made a contribution. That’s exactly the kind of response we want to see,” Ling Liangxue raised his voice slightly.

Seeing that he wasn’t at all surprised by this fact, Su Miaomiao knew he had probably already investigated her background.

Still, she wanted to confirm something, so she asked again, “So I’ll still get the reward?”

“Of course. The organization has always clearly separated rewards and punishments. Mistakes won’t be tolerated, but merits will definitely be rewarded,” Ling Liangxue said, stressing every word.

“Then thank you, Director,” Su Miaomiao beamed, a dazzling smile spreading across her face.

“Alright then, escort Comrade Su out,” Ling Liangxue said, also smiling a bit more warmly.

This little girl was quite likable.

The man in the black hat escorted Su Miaomiao back to the guesthouse.

“Comrade Su, when are you planning to head back?” he asked.

“The morning after tomorrow.”

“Alright, I’ll come send you off then,” he offered.

“No need, I can go by myself. You all have important work to do—don’t waste your time on ordinary people like me,” Su Miaomiao said as she hopped out of the car and ran into the guesthouse.

The man in the black hat chuckled to himself.

The young lady was quite thoughtful.

But Su Miaomiao wasn’t quite as considerate as she seemed—she simply needed to go into the city over the next two days to buy some things, and having people from the organization tailing her would only be inconvenient.

…

After returning to the guesthouse, Su Miaomiao didn’t go out again.

She didn’t go out again until noon on the third day, and while she was at it, she also checked out of her room.

Su Miaomiao headed straight for the pharmacy she had visited the day before.

As soon as she reached the intersection, she saw the pharmacy owner standing outside, clearly waiting and looking around anxiously.

Seeing this, Su Miaomiao no longer felt the need to hurry and strolled over slowly.

“Hey, little girl, you finally came! I thought you weren’t coming back today,” the shopkeeper beamed the moment he saw her.

He enthusiastically welcomed her into the store and even personally poured her a cup of tea.

“Looks like you’ve already tested the ointment,” Su Miaomiao said slowly as she picked up the teacup and took a sip.

“That’s right. After you left yesterday, I found a patient to try it on. I didn’t expect that within five minutes of applying it, the patient said the pain had significantly lessened. When I followed up today, I found that he could already put weight on that foot!”

“Little girl, this ointment of yours is truly amazing! How much do you have left? I’ll take it all,” the shopkeeper said, eyes glowing like he was looking at a walking fortune.

“I only have that one piece for now,” Su Miaomiao replied calmly.

“What? Just that one?” The shopkeeper immediately looked like he was in agony.

If he had known, he wouldn’t have used it on just anyone. But he quickly collected himself.

“You were able to make one batch, so surely you can make another. Just tell me—how much do you want for each one?”

“Making the ointment takes a lot of time, and the herbs are hard to find. I can’t make many on my own. Why don’t I just sell you the recipe instead?” Su Miaomiao said casually.

The shopkeeper was so shocked he nearly jumped out of his chair.

“Are you serious? You’re really willing to sell me the formula?!” He had a moment where he genuinely wondered if he was hearing things.

In the world of medicine, improved or secret recipes are usually passed down through generations. Unless absolutely necessary, no one ever sells them just for money.

This was a golden opportunity!

“Of course I’m serious. But I have two conditions,” Su Miaomiao said, holding up two fingers.

“Forget two conditions—even if you had twenty, I’d agree to them!” the shopkeeper said urgently.

“Let me finish first.”

“Alright, alright, go on.”

“First, I need you to help me purchase some medications,” Su Miaomiao said as she pulled a handwritten list from her pocket.

The shopkeeper took it and examined it closely.

Most of the items were Western medicines, which his pharmacy didn’t carry, but he had the connections to get them. It wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Alright,” he nodded.

“Second,” Su Miaomiao continued firmly, “the ointment must carry my name.”

“Carry your name?” The shopkeeper hesitated at that.

He had been planning to buy the formula and brand it as a family secret remedy.

“If you can agree to these two conditions, we can discuss the price,” Su Miaomiao said calmly, lips barely moving.

“This…” The shopkeeper gritted his teeth but eventually agreed. “Fine, it’ll carry your name. But you must not sell this formula to any other pharmacy!”