The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

"I don't smoke this stuff." Yang Shuisheng glanced at the Daqianmen cigarettes in his hand and waved his hand dismissively. "Was anyone seen when you came?"

"Don't worry, Brother Yang, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that."

Ma San immediately put the cigarette back in his pocket and patted his chest to assure everyone: "I came here before dawn, at the first crow of the rooster, and I took the quietest paths. I've been hiding in this bamboo forest for almost two hours and haven't seen a single ghost."

"And for those of us in this line of work, the first rule is to be careful and not leave any loose ends."

"Okay, you're being quite careful." Yang Shuisheng nodded, somewhat satisfied with his cautious attitude. "Once this is done, what you owe me will be wiped clean."

"Hey! Thank you, Brother Yang. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to redeem myself." Ma San quickly thanked him, his face bearing a fawning smile, but there was also a hint of confidence in his skills in his eyes. "I'm not bragging, Brother Yang, in our town, when it comes to unlocking doors and breaking in cleanly without leaving a trace, I, Ma San, am second to none. Caution is a must."

"Just tell me, which company are you targeting?"

Yang Shuisheng didn't say anything. He squatted down, picked up a dry twig from the ground, and started scratching it on the damp mud.

He sketched out the general layout of Taohua'ao Village: a few main roads, a few rows of houses, and then pointed heavily at one spot: "This is the house of village chief Zhao Youcai."

"It's a two-story building painted white and covered with tiles; it's easy to spot."

"There's a small shop up ahead."

"There is a small courtyard behind his house, and the courtyard wall is not high."

Ma San leaned closer to examine the map on the ground intently.

"In the middle of the village, a two-story white building, a small shop, a low wall... Hmm, I've got it."

"Brother Yang, should we make our move now, or...?"

"No rush." ​​Yang Shuisheng threw away the tree branch and stood up. "This afternoon, Director Yu from the village is holding a banquet to celebrate his graduation. Most of the villagers will be going to his house for the feast."

"Zhao Youcai's family will definitely go too. No one will be home at that time, so it will be the most convenient."

"Wait until they leave before you make your move."

"Understood!" Ma San's eyes lit up, then he asked, "Brother Yang, what exactly do you want me to take in? Money? Jewelry? Or...?"

"Neither." Yang Shuisheng shook his head, his voice even lower. "On the second floor of his house, in the master bedroom, there's a five-drawer chest, and the bottom drawer is locked."

"Find a way to open it, see what's inside, remember it, and come back and tell me."

"Remember, put it back exactly as it was and lock it up. No one can tell it's been tampered with, understand?"

Ma San was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the task to be so simple. He scratched his head: "Just...just to see what's inside? Don't I need to bring it to you?"

"Yes, let's take a look first," Yang Shuisheng said confidently. "Make sure you understand what it is, and the details are as detailed as possible. If it's really necessary, I'll trouble you to make another trip."

"That's it?" Ma San was still a little incredulous. This was far too easy for him, simpler than stealing a wallet from someone. "Brother Yang, what's in that drawer that made you go through so much trouble?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask." Yang Shuisheng glanced at him, his eyes calm but carrying pressure. "Just focus on getting things done."

"Yes, yes, I was too talkative." Ma San nodded quickly. "Brother Yang, don't worry, I've got it covered."

"It's just checking a drawer, a piece of cake."

"I'll go take a walk around the neighborhood and scout it out. I'll go in when I see them leaving the house this afternoon."

"Okay, go ahead, be careful, don't give away your whereabouts," Yang Shuisheng instructed.

"Alright! Brother Yang, just wait for my good news." Ma San bowed respectfully again, turned around and disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest in a few flashes.

Yang Shuisheng looked in the direction where Ma San disappeared, then glanced at the simple map on the ground, his eyes deep.

Hopefully, he'll find what he wants in that locked drawer.

He picked up the hoe, slung it over his shoulder, turned and left the bamboo grove, heading towards his two acres of land at the west end of the village.

It's still early, we can work a little longer.

The sooner we turn over the soil, the sooner we can plant things.

He flipped through the pages until the sun was high in the sky, close to noon.

Yang Shuisheng was sweating profusely, his vest was soaked, but the five strands of energy flowing through his body made him feel not too tired.

Seeing that there wasn't much land left, he planned to finish the job in one go before going back.

Just then, in another vegetable garden not far away, an old woman with gray hair and a wrinkled face, wearing a dark blue jacket, was slowly picking green beans with a basket on her shoulder.

She is Bai Qinglian's mother-in-law, Sun Guixiang.

"Grandma Sun, picking vegetables."

Yang Shuisheng straightened up, wiped his sweat, and politely called out in that direction.

Sun Guixiang raised her head, squinted at Yang Shuisheng for a while before recognizing him. However, she had no expression on her face, gave a lukewarm "hmm," and lowered her head to continue picking green beans.

He muttered to himself, "If it weren't for that woman Bai Qinglian begging me, saying you're a pitiful child, without parents or land to cultivate, what would happen if you starved to death? I wouldn't have let you cultivate this land even if it was overgrown with weeds..."

The disdain and condescension in his words were quite obvious.

Yang Shuisheng frowned slightly upon hearing this, but remembering Bai Qinglian's good intentions before leaving, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Forget it, why bother arguing with a confused old woman?

He ignored it and picked up his hoe to continue turning over the last bit of soil.

I planned to wash my face after finishing my work and then go to Yu Qianwei's college entrance celebration banquet. The timing was just right.

"Bang!"

The hoe made a dull sound, as if it had hit something that was both soft and hard.

Yang Shuisheng thought it was a rock or an old tree root, so he didn't pay much attention and pried it open with force.

A black plastic bag was turned over along with the mud and rolled to one side.

The plastic bag looked quite new, not like it had been buried for a long time, and the soil on it was damp.

Yang Shuisheng poked around in the bag with his hoe and felt that it was bulging and full of things.

He didn't take it seriously at first; it's perfectly normal to occasionally dig up some junk in the fields in the countryside.

He prepared to use a hoe to hook it up and throw it aside.

But as soon as the tip of the hoe touched the bag, the feel was off.

It doesn't look like waste plastic or scraps of cloth; it looks more like a stack of paper!

Yang Shuisheng's heart skipped a beat, and he stopped what he was doing and looked around.

All around was quiet. Sun Guixiang had finished picking the vegetables and was slowly walking away with her basket slung over her shoulder.

There was no one on the roadside in the distance.

He crouched down, carefully hooked the plastic bag in front of him with a hoe, and picked it up.

It feels quite heavy when you hold it.

He untied the plastic bag and looked inside.

Inside, there was a neat stack of brand-new 100-yuan bills.

A united front of all colors, all in dark green!

He quickly counted them: ten bills, exactly one thousand yuan.

I'm rich! I dug up a thousand dollars while digging!

But then I thought, who would wrap a thousand dollars in a plastic bag and bury it in the ground?

They are still buried on the land that Bai Qinglian rented to herself.

Moreover, judging from the condition of the plastic bags, they probably haven't been buried for very long.

Yang Shuisheng was filled with doubts.

His first thought was of Bai Qinglian. This land belonged to her family. Could it be her hidden stash of money?

But Bai Qinglian was struggling to make ends meet, and Wang Youfu was a scoundrel, so where did she get so much money from her own savings?

And why bury it in the ground?

Or perhaps someone else buried it?

But who would choose to bury money here?

I don't understand.

Yang Shuisheng put the money in his pocket.

He planned to wait until he returned from the banquet at Yu Jian's house, then find an opportunity to quietly ask Bai Qinglian if she knew anything about it.

After all, it's her land, and it's a bit too much for her to handle. It's better to return it to her.

He quickly turned over the last bit of land, picked up his hoe, and strode home.

However, as soon as he reached the vicinity of his own row of dilapidated old houses, still dozens of meters away, his pace slowed down.

Two people stood outside his crooked, dilapidated wooden door: Wang Youfu and Bai Qinglian.

Wang Youfu was wearing a slightly worn jacket, his hair was slicked back, and he had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He looked nonchalant and was glancing sideways at his dilapidated house with disdain and an arrogant air of hostility on his face.

Bai Qinglian stood half a step behind Wang Youfu, her head lowered, her eyes darting away. She dared not look in the direction of Yang Shuisheng's house, much less at Wang Youfu beside her. Her whole being exuded tension and fear.

How did they get here?

And judging from their demeanor, they don't seem to be just passing by.