The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

In the afternoon, Yang Shuisheng went to the dilapidated shack area behind the scrap yard at the west end of the town and found Ma San.

"Brother Yang! You've arrived!"

Ma San seemed to have been waiting. Hearing the noise, he crawled out of the house. When he saw Yang Shuisheng, a look of relief and pride immediately appeared on his face. He lowered his voice and said, "The thing is here."

He carefully handed the canvas bag containing the camera to Yang Shuisheng.

"All filmed? Are the shots clear?" Yang Shuisheng took the bag and asked in a low voice.

"It's done, and it's crystal clear." Ma San patted his chest confidently. "As you instructed, I carefully photographed all the papers with writing on them in the drawer, especially the receipts and documents with Hong Dachang's name on them. I just ran out of film, so I guarantee there won't be any problems."

Yang Shuisheng nodded, took out two ten-yuan bills from his pocket, and handed them to Ma San: "Stop gambling. What happened today, and everything that happened before, you must keep to yourself. Don't mention it to anyone, not even in your sleep, understand?"

"Don't worry, Brother Yang!"

Ma San took the money, his face beaming with joy. He nodded and bowed repeatedly, swearing, "Although I, Ma San, am not a clean thief, I am a man of my word. I took your money and did your job, and I'll keep this a secret."

"If even a single word leaks out of my possession, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

"Okay, I'll remember that. I'm leaving now. I'll contact you again if I need anything." Yang Shuisheng said no more, slung his camera bag over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

He went directly to the Red Star Photo Studio.

The boss was taking ID photos for someone when he saw Yang Shuisheng come in, especially when he saw the camera bag on Yang's back. His eyes lit up immediately. After taking the photos and seeing the customer off, he immediately came over to greet him.

"The camera's used up? Is there anything wrong with it?" the boss asked warmly.

"I'm done using it, no problem." Yang Shuisheng handed over the camera and the remaining deposit receipt. "Boss, could you please print out the film inside? You can deduct the cost from the deposit."

"Okay, I'll go to the darkroom to wash it for you right away."

The shopkeeper took the camera, checked that it looked fine, then took out the film roll, examined it against the light, and nodded: "However, developing these photos requires several steps: developing, fixing, washing, and drying. It will take at least several hours, so you see..."

"It's okay, I'll come pick it up around 6 p.m.

"Okay! Don't worry, I guarantee I'll wash it perfectly." The boss readily agreed, taking the camera and film into the darkroom at the back.

Seeing that it was still early, Yang Shuisheng went to the general store again and bought two new watering cans, intending to use one for watering with ordinary water and the other for spraying the prepared medicine.

Then they went to Huichuntang.

Feng Jichun happened to be sitting in the shop when he saw Yang Shuisheng. He greeted him warmly, "Young man, are you here? Is there a problem with the medicine you prescribed for Miss Su?"

"No, Mr. Feng, I want to buy some other medicinal herbs."

As Yang Shuisheng spoke, he named several medicinal herbs, all of which were very common, such as mugwort, mint, dried tangerine peel, and licorice, and the quantities were not large.

This is a simplified version of the Lingwu San formula, which is based on one of the most basic traditional formulas used to gently stimulate the vitality of ordinary plants and improve the local soil microenvironment.

The true Spirit Mist Powder requires medicinal herbs containing spiritual energy, which he cannot find now. He can only use these ordinary medicinal herbs as substitutes. Although the effects are vastly different, they should still have some effect on watering newly planted bok choy, helping the seeds germinate better and resist early pests and diseases.

The key is the proportions and the soaking and spraying techniques; even if outsiders see the recipe, they can't learn it.

Although Feng Jichun was curious about why Yang Shuisheng bought these common medicinal herbs, he didn't ask any questions. He quickly packed them up for him, took the money, and politely saw him out.

After buying his things, Yang Shuisheng carried the spray bottle and the herbal medicine bag, preparing to head back.

As he passed by the Shili Xiang restaurant, he glanced at it subconsciously.

The shop remained deserted, without a single customer.

The proprietress, Xu Xiuxia, was still sitting on the small stool by the door, her hands supporting her chin, staring blankly at the street.

Today she wore a light blue floral shirt, her hair loosely tied back, revealing her fair neck and beautiful profile.

Her shirt collar was slightly open, and as she rested her chin on her hand, a small patch of delicate collarbone and a hint of cleavage could be seen.

The afternoon sun shone on her, casting a soft halo around her, giving her a serene yet slightly melancholic beauty. However, the lingering sorrow between her brows marred this beauty.

Yang Shuisheng happened to feel a little thirsty, so he went over.

"Sister Xia, could you please have a bowl of water?" Yang Shuisheng said, standing at the door.

Xu Xiuxia, who was lost in thought, looked up when she heard the voice. When she saw Yang Shuisheng, her eyes lit up instantly, and the worry on her face vanished, replaced by surprise and enthusiasm.

"Shuisheng's here! Please come in. What kind of water do you want? I'll make you some tea."

As she spoke, she quickly ushered Yang Shuisheng into the shop, wiping a table swiftly before rushing to the kitchen to fetch a thermos, taking out a clean teacup, brewing a cup of hot tea for Yang Shuisheng, and presenting it to him with both hands.

"Thank you, Sister Xia."

Yang Shuisheng took the teacup, blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip.

The tea was ordinary high-quality tea, but it was brewed just right.

"Shuisheng, what brings you here today?"

Xu Xiuxia sat down opposite him, her hands on her knees, somewhat reserved, yet unable to resist stealing glances at him, her eyes full of gratitude and affection.

Ever since the day Yang Shuisheng helped her deal with Brother Leopard's gang and forced Brother Leopard to pay compensation and promise not to cause trouble again, she has regarded Yang Shuisheng as her benefactor and the only person she can trust and rely on in town.

"I came to town to run some errands and happened to be thirsty while passing by." Yang Shuisheng put down his teacup, glanced at the still empty shop, and said, "Business... is still not very good?"

"Hmm... same as always."

Xu Xiuxia's smile faded, she sighed softly, and nodded: "There are more and more small restaurants selling food in town, and they all taste pretty much the same."

"My few regular customers don't eat out every day, so my business... has already been divided up."

"If we can get two or three tables of customers a day, that's considered good. Sometimes we don't get a single customer all day."

She became more and more depressed as she spoke.

"If this continues, I really won't be able to hold on much longer."

"Brother Leopard and his gang aren't causing trouble anymore, but without business, they still have to close down."

Looking at her distressed expression and remembering her excellent cooking skills, Yang Shuisheng felt a slight stirring in his heart.

He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Sister Xia, have you thought about organizing any activities?"

"An event? What event?"

Xu Xiuxia raised her head and looked at Yang Shuisheng blankly, clearly not understanding this somewhat fashionable term.

"It's about finding ways to attract customers and make them feel that eating here is more cost-effective and worthwhile than going to other places," Yang Shuisheng explained in words she could understand. "Simply put, it's about small profits but quick turnover."

"You could lower the prices of the dishes a little, or offer some affordable set meals, so that people feel they can eat well for less money when they eat here."

"Although you might earn less per table, if more people come, the total amount you make might be more than you used to."

"It's better than sitting around with no business, right?"

As Xu Xiuxia listened, her eyes slowly brightened.

She understands the principle of "small profits but quick turnover"!

Previously, we were afraid that lowering prices would damage the market and also displease our competitors.

But now that we're barely surviving, who cares about those things?

"Shuisheng, you're right. Small profits but quick turnover is better than no business at all."

She nodded excitedly, her body leaning forward unconsciously, her hands braced on the table. The collar of her light blue shirt opened a little wider because of this movement, revealing more of her snow-white skin and her exaggeratedly full curves, swaying in front of Yang Shuisheng.

"Then... what exactly should I do?"

Unaware of anything else, she looked at Yang Shuisheng eagerly, her eyes filled with trust and expectation. "Can you teach me? I'll listen to anything you say!"