Thanking the Three Purities for Saving My Life

Jian Lianyun readily agreed to the dinner invitation.

Wei Kang had not expected her to agree so quickly, and for a moment, he could not decide which restaurant to go to.

Jian Lianyun was already heading toward the door. As she walked, she said, "It's almost seven. I'm a little hungry too, so let's just find somewhere nearby to eat."

The two of them left through the hospital's back entrance one after the other and arrived at a street lined with restaurants.

The street was packed with eateries serving flavors from all over the country. Every storefront was small, their doorframes greasy and blackened with age. Pedestrians and diners streamed in and out, making the place exceptionally lively.

Breathing in the enticing aromas of stir-fried dishes, Wei Kang practically started drooling.

It was the scent of authentic home-style cooking, reminding him of his mother's cooking.

Ever since his parents passed away, he had never again eaten home-style stir-fried dishes at home.

He looked around. There was a beef noodle shop, Sichuan-style boiled fish, a clay-pot chicken restaurant, a Jinggangshan cuisine restaurant, a barbecue and crayfish joint, clay-pot rice noodles, Xiangyuan Home Cooking, and more. The sheer variety dazzled him, and he had no idea where to go.

Jian Lianyun, beside him, did not slow down in the slightest. She turned right and headed straight for Xiangyuan Home Cooking.

Wei Kang hurried after her and entered the inconspicuous little restaurant.

The place was small, with around ten square tables, more than half of them occupied.

Wei Kang casually picked a table against the wall and sat down. He took a thin paper napkin and wiped it until the tabletop gleamed with grease, only then stopping to look at the menu.

The menu was just a laminated sheet placed on the table, filled with typical home-style dishes.

Jian Lianyun seemed to be a regular. The proprietress behind the cashier warmly greeted her as soon as she saw her.

Without any ceremony, she expertly ordered stir-fried pork with green peppers, hand-shredded cabbage, eggplant with green beans, and seaweed egg-drop soup.

Wei Kang took the initiative to scan the code and pay. Before long, the kitchen erupted with the sizzle of food hitting hot oil.

A television was mounted on the wall opposite them, broadcasting the news.

The dishes were served quickly. Though they were ordinary home-style dishes, they had excellent color, aroma, and flavor.

After taking a few bites, Wei Kang praised them repeatedly. "This is so good! I never expected the home cooking in such a tiny place to be this delicious."

Jian Lianyun ate slowly, one bite at a time. "Yeah. This street is right behind the hospital, and there's lots of good food here. This place is practically our cafeteria. It's just that lately, I've mostly been ordering delivery and rarely eating in."

"By the way," Wei Kang said, making conversation, "your dad is in Sea City. Why didn't you work at his organization? What brought you here?"

Jian Lianyun looked helpless. "Sigh, my dad keeps pressuring me to get married. I've gone on so many blind dates, but he still won't let up. I had no choice but to run away. Director Qin happened to think highly of me, so I came here."

"I see. You look pretty young, though—early twenties, maybe? Why is your family already in such a rush?" Wei Kang asked with a puzzled expression.

Jian Lianyun smiled faintly. Being told she looked young still made her happy. "Not really. I'm already twenty-seven, practically pushing thirty."

Wei Kang nodded, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "I can understand that. Maybe parents think it's better for girls to marry earlier. Still, Dr. Jian, you're amazing. You became an associate chief physician at twenty-seven. The other doctors all seem convinced by you. That couldn't have been easy."

With a hint of pride beneath her shyness, Jian Lianyun said, "It's nothing. I just got into university at thirteen, then did an eight-year combined master's and doctoral program, and worked as a doctor for another six years. So I'm maybe just a tiny bit better than ordinary people. I definitely can't compare to you, Wei Kang."

Wei Kang shook his head. "Not at all. You're a genius young beauty of a doctor. I'm just an unremarkable little boss of a pharmaceutical company. How could I compare to you?"

They ate and chatted at the same time. Their previous interactions had all revolved around work, but this time they talked about personal matters. By the end of the meal, they finally felt they understood each other a little better.

Suddenly, Jian Lianyun caught sight of the television screen on the opposite wall from the corner of her eye. She immediately put down her chopsticks. "Ma'am, turn up the TV volume a little."

Wei Kang looked toward the television. It was already past seven, and the news was playing.

At the center of the screen stood an elderly man with graying hair. Solemn and dignified, he stood at the podium in a grand conference hall, speaking passionately.

"I am deeply grateful to receive this Honor Medal. I thank the people for remembering my efforts. In the future, I will continue striving and devote everything to the people..."

The narration continued in the background. "Academician Qi Zhengyang, the country's only Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, has received the highest Honor Medal for his outstanding contributions to theoretical physics. We are now bringing you a live broadcast of this morning's ceremony in Sea City..."

It turned out that the television was broadcasting the National Honor Medal award ceremony. It immediately drew the attention of the other diners, and a large group gathered around to watch.

Wei Kang stared blankly at the screen. Academician Qi had just been mentioned earlier, yet he had not expected to see him on television so soon.

After a while, he said in surprise, "Wow, so that's Academician Qi. He really is famous. This is the first time I've seen him on TV. He looks so healthy—absolutely radiant. You can't tell at all that he's had cancer."

Jian Lianyun said happily, "Isn't that all thanks to you? Otherwise, he'd still be lying in a hospital bed receiving treatment. How could he possibly attend an award ceremony?"

"Haha!" Wei Kang laughed, then said no more and focused on watching Academician Qi's ceremony.

The National Honor Medal was an extremely prestigious honor, and the ceremony was grand and magnificent.

Soon, Academician Qi received a gleaming golden medal and wore it on his chest. Overwhelmed with emotion, he wept tears of joy.

Then, he spoke passionately into the microphone once more.

"For someone like me, with one foot already in the grave, I never expected to encounter two tremendous joys in succession over the past few days. The first was receiving this medal, which symbolizes a lifetime of honor. The other is something I must share with everyone."

"Many of you may know that my health has not been very good these past few years. To be honest, I had pancreatic cancer. Recently, it had even reached its terminal stage, and I was bedridden and unable to move. I had thought I would miss this ceremony."

"If I had missed it, I believe it would have been the greatest regret of my life."

"But fortunately, my attending physician, Dr. Jian, recommended a domestic New Anti-Cancer Drug to me. It seemed to have been developed by a pharmaceutical company called Sanqing. After taking it, I improved very quickly."

"Thanks to Sanqing's anti-cancer medicine, I can stand here now and accept this medal."

"I would like to express my gratitude to the people of the entire country, and I would also like to thank Sanqing Pharmaceutical."

"Thank you to my country and its people for your care, and thank you to Sanqing for saving my life."

The image froze on that moment.

As thunderous applause erupted, the camera switched back to the host's studio.

The host's voice was filled with excitement. "Academician Qi not only thanked the motherland and its people, but also thanked a pharmaceutical company. This is huge news! In the upcoming news interview, we'll continue speaking with Academician Qi and dig deeper into the story behind it."

"Viewers in front of your televisions, please don't go away. Next, we'll play the following news report..."

The diners watching in front of the TV immediately burst into an uproar.

"What's the deal with this Sanqing? How the hell is it so impressive?"

"Holy shit, Academician Qi actually thanked them on the spot. How much did that ad cost?"

"Are you stupid? He's a respected academician—why would he take a commercial endorsement? This has to be real."

"Exactly. This is Academician Qi, a Nobel Prize winner in physics. How could he possibly be short of money?"

"Come to think of it, I think I've heard of the Sanqing Anti-Cancer Drug. It was really popular online a while back."

"Look, Sanqing Anti-Cancer Drug is trending again. That old drug trial video has been dug up too."

"Holy shit, this Sanqing stuff is the real deal!"

"Yeah, it's miraculous. Isn't it way better than those foreign cancer drugs?"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man present covered his mouth. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably as he choked out, "Dad, you left too soon... If you'd held on for just a few more months, you could've taken this medicine. You could've been saved..."

He instantly broke down, unable to continue speaking. Seeing his grief-stricken expression, everyone else fell silent as well.