The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

"Three hundred? Boss, that's the same price as the camera deposit." Yang Shuisheng looked at the boss's greedy face, his tone unreadable. "Besides, what the content of my photos has absolutely nothing to do with your photo studio."

"You get your photos printed, I'll pay for the printing, that's all. Now you're trying to raise the price and extort money from me? Isn't that a bit dishonest?"

The boss was a little embarrassed by what he said, but when he thought about the signatures of village officials like the village chief on those photos and the sensitive contents of those receipts, he became firm again and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Comrade, what you're saying is true. I, Old Wang, have been running a photo studio for over ten years, and I'm a man of integrity."

"Look, you give me three hundred yuan, and I'll sell you the photos, the film, and my 'silence fee' all together. Isn't that a fair trade? How can you call it extortion?"

"I don't have that much money, only a hundred. Take it or leave it, I'll find another way," Yang Shuisheng said coldly. He didn't want to get entangled in this matter any longer, but he was also unwilling to be ripped off like this.

"One hundred? That won't do." The shopkeeper shook his head vigorously, pointing to the receipt Yang Shuisheng had left on the counter that morning when he paid the deposit. "The deposit was three hundred, which means you're not short of money."

"Comrade, I advise you to be more straightforward. If even a tiny bit of these things accidentally leaks out, it could cause a lot of trouble, and three hundred yuan won't be enough to settle it."

His words were a blatant threat.

Yang Shuisheng's eyes turned cold: "Aren't you afraid I'll go to the police station and report you for extortion?"

"Sue me?" The shopkeeper seemed to have heard a joke, and crossed his arms confidently. "Go ahead and sue me. When the police come, I'll just say that you're a regular customer who came to get your photos developed. I think the content of the photos might involve illegal activities, so I didn't dare to develop them and didn't charge you or give you the photos."

"As for your so-called evidence and extortion, who saw it? Is there any evidence?"

"If the contents of your photo are made public... hehe, you'll probably be more anxious than I am, right?"

He was certain that Yang Shuisheng took these photos in a way that could not be made public and dared not speak out, which was why he dared to be so arrogant.

Looking at his shameless face, Yang Shuisheng felt a surge of anger, but his face slowly regained its composure.

He remained silent for a few seconds, as if weighing the pros and cons.

"Okay, three hundred it is."

In the end, he compromised, gritting his teeth.

"I don't need the deposit refunded, is that alright?"

"Give me the photos and film rolls. Also, keep what happened today to yourself."

"If I hear even the slightest hint of it..." Yang Shuisheng stared at the boss, his eyes sharp.

"Don't worry! Don't worry!" The shopkeeper, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of money, beamed with joy. He hurriedly handed Yang Shuisheng the packet of photos and the paper-wrapped film rolls, feigning generosity as he said, "Comrade, you're so straightforward. I'll waive the cost of developing and printing for you today. Take care, and come back if you need anything in the future."

Yang Shuisheng took the items, gave him a deep look, and without saying another word, turned and left the photo studio.

As the boss watched Yang Shuisheng leave, a smug smile spread across his face.

He bent down and took out a small package wrapped in oil paper from the bottom drawer of the counter. He opened it and found another set of identical photos inside.

"Heh heh, kid, you think you can mess with me?"

"So what if I gave you the film roll? I washed an extra one!"

The boss picked up the extra set of photos, greedily eyeing the receipts and signatures on them, his eyes gleaming with calculation.

"Zhao Youcai... Hong Dachang... this is all valuable information."

"It might come in very handy someday."

He carefully wrapped the extra photos again and hid them in the deepest part of the drawer, already planning how to use these extra gains.

As Yang Shuisheng walked out of the photo studio, the gloom on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold calm.

Three hundred yuan? Consider it temporarily stored with him.

He touched the thick stack of photos in his arms; having the evidence was the most important thing.

As for the three hundred yuan, he had plenty of ways to make the greedy boss return it with interest, and teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget.

So instead of returning to the village, he turned a corner and headed towards the other end of the town.

Across from the Jishetang barbershop he visited last time, there was a Limin barbershop. He remembered that Ah Hu usually hung out there.

As I arrived at the barbershop, I could hear a cacophony of laughter and the sounds of clippers and scissors coming from inside.

As Yang Shuisheng pushed open the door, a strong smell of cheap hairspray and sweat hit him.

Several young men with oddly shaved heads, wearing floral shirts, were smoking and chatting inside. Ah Hu was sitting in the innermost chair, having an apprentice shave his beard.

"Brother Tiger, someone's looking for you." A henchman at the door called out to Yang Shuisheng as he entered.

Ah Hu looked up impatiently: "Who is it? Didn't you see I was shaving... Yang... Brother Yang?"

He was halfway through his sentence when he realized it was Yang Shuisheng. He was so startled that he almost jumped off his chair. The impatience on his face instantly turned into astonishment and fear. He quickly waved for his apprentice to stop, hastily wiped the soap off his face with a towel, stood up, and awkwardly approached.

"Brother Yang... what brings you here?"

"Do you need a haircut? I'll have them arrange the best stylist for you." Ah Hu's face was plastered with a fawning smile, and he even bent over a little.

"I'm not getting a haircut, I need to talk to you about something." Yang Shuisheng said calmly.

Ah Hu's heart skipped a beat. He wondered what this scoundrel wanted from him, but he didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly waved to his henchmen beside him, "Get out, close the door, and don't come in without my permission."

After the henchmen and the barber had all left, Ah Hu carefully led Yang Shuisheng to a quieter room in the back, closed the door, and respectfully asked, "Brother Yang, what can I do for you? Just say the word! I, Ah Hu, will definitely handle it perfectly for you."

Yang Shuisheng didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "The owner of a photo studio doesn't do things very ethically."

"Take a few brothers and go look after him. Don't go too far. Just follow your usual rules and charge him 300 yuan for sanitation management."

"Let him learn a lesson: there are rules to follow in doing business."

Ah Hu has been around for so many years, he understood immediately.

This must be that clueless photo studio owner. I don't know how he offended Brother Yang, but he probably cheated Brother Yang out of his money. Brother Yang is using them to get the money back and teach that owner a lesson.

"Understood, Brother Yang." Ah Hu immediately patted his chest, a fierce look on his face. "That bastard dared to cheat you out of your money, Brother Yang, he's got a death wish!"

"Don't worry, Brother Yang, leave this to me. I'll take the brothers right now and make sure they wear down the threshold of that shabby photo studio."

"Three hundred yuan, not a penny less or I'll smash his camera!"

"Okay, remember not to mention me. Just say that you see his business is doing well and it's time to pay the management fee," Yang Shuisheng specifically instructed.

"I understand! I understand! I know the rules!" Ah Hu nodded repeatedly. "Brother Yang, just you wait and see."

He was all too familiar with this tactic of subtly suggesting money.

Yang Shuisheng nodded, said no more, and turned to leave the barbershop.

Once Yang Shuisheng was out of sight, Ah Hu's respectful expression instantly turned into excitement.

Opportunities to shine in front of Brother Yang are few and far between.

He flung open the door to the inner room, stepped out, and yelled at the few underlings who were still peeking around, "You all better be damned! Grab your weapons and come with me to take care of something."

"Brother Tiger, what's up?" one of the underlings asked curiously.

"Enough with the nonsense! There's some clueless old geezer at the Red Star Photo Studio who needs a beating. Come with me."

Ah Hu waved his hand and walked out first, followed by five or six rubbing their hands together, looking fierce. The group strode quickly toward the Red Star Photo Studio.

Seeing this, pedestrians on the street quickly moved aside, knowing that someone else was about to suffer misfortune.