The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

Yang Shuisheng walked briskly and soon arrived at Daliang Town.

Instead of going directly to the vegetable market or the butcher shop, he first turned a corner and came to the vicinity of the Shili Xiang restaurant run by Xu Xiuxia.

He stood across the street, observing from a distance.

It was nearing noon, the perfect time to pick up customers.

But the entrance to Shili Xiang was deserted, with only two neighbors sitting at a small table eating noodles, and no lively sounds could be heard inside.

This was in stark contrast to the bustling scene he had witnessed on his last visit, with several tables occupied by guests.

Yang Shuisheng frowned.

Not right.

The idea he gave Xu Xiuxia, offering "half price on the second dish," worked very well. Logically, the business should have become increasingly prosperous, so why has it become so quiet instead?

He stopped looking and walked straight over.

Just as he reached the door, Xu Xiuxia, who was busy at the stove and seemed somewhat absent-minded, saw him.

Her eyes lit up for a moment, and a look of surprise appeared on her face, but that surprise was quickly replaced by a complex mix of embarrassment and sorrow.

She put down the rag in her hand, wiped her hands on her apron, and came out to greet them.

"Shuisheng, you've come."

Xu Xiuxia's voice was somewhat hoarse, and the smile she forced onto her face was also very strained.

She glanced at the only two customers in the shop, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Sister Xia, what's wrong with business? It doesn't look so good," Yang Shuisheng asked in a low voice, getting straight to the point.

"Shuisheng, I...I was just about to tell you."

Xu Xiuxia bit her lip, pulled Yang Shuisheng to a secluded spot in the kitchen, and then lowered her voice, saying with grievance and anger, "These past few days, I don't know which bastard has been spreading rumors and gossip in town."

"They go around telling everyone... that I, Xu Xiuxia, couldn't stay a widow and found a young gigolo from out of town. That gigolo even tried to become my son's father, spending money lavishly on me. His background is unclear. They made it sound very convincing."

Her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion: "Now many people in town know, and they're all looking at me strangely."

"Many of our regular customers are afraid of causing gossip, so they don't dare to come anymore and would rather walk a few more steps to another restaurant."

"Business suddenly plummeted."

A gigolo? A spendthrift? Someone's father?

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuisheng's eyes instantly turned cold.

Isn't that him?

A few days ago, he took Dong Xiaoqiang to town to buy toys and stationery. He was quite generous with his money. I guess someone with ulterior motives saw this and, combined with his status as Dong Xiaoqiang's godfather, embellished the story and fabricated this tale.

"Who spread the rumors? Do you know who's gossiping behind your back?" Yang Shuisheng asked in a deep voice, his tone filled with suppressed anger.

Although he did have an overly intimate relationship with Xu Xiuxia, it was none of the business of outsiders spreading rumors.

Reputation is too important for a woman, especially in this conservative town.

This rumor is simply trying to destroy the restaurant that Xu Xiuxia has worked so hard to maintain, and to destroy the foundation of her life.

"I don't know... I really don't know who's so wicked."

Xu Xiuhong shook her head blankly, and tears finally fell: "I asked a few people, and they all said they heard it from others. It's been passed around and passed on, and the source can't be found anymore."

"Shuisheng, what am I going to do? I finally managed to get the restaurant starting to do well."

Seeing Xu Xiuxia's helpless tears, Yang Shuisheng felt both angry and pitiful.

He squinted, his mind racing.

The town had a grudge against him, and they just happened to see him spending money lavishly on Dong Xiaoqiang...

It seems that it was that day at the stationery store, the woman who tried to outdo him but ended up losing face and leaving in a huff with her son, that was Erpang's mother!

And her equally pale-faced husband.

The more I thought about it, the more likely it was them; it was probably them.

We made them lose face in public and wasted their money. They didn't dare to retaliate openly, so they resorted to such despicable means, spreading rumors behind our backs and ruining our reputations.

It's a double tactic—it allows her to get revenge on him and disgust Xu Xiuxia at the same time. It's truly insidious.

"Sister Xia, don't cry."

"Leave this to me." Yang Shuisheng took a deep breath, patted Xu Xiuxia on the shoulder, and said firmly, "I know roughly who did it."

"Don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter for you and find out who is spreading rumors. I won't let you suffer this injustice for nothing."

"You...you know who it is?"

Xu Xiuxia looked up with tearful eyes, somewhat incredulous: "Shuisheng, please don't do anything reckless."

"I know what I'm doing. Just relax and mind the shop. Wait for my news." Yang Shuisheng didn't explain much, but comforted Xu Xiuxia with a few words, telling her not to worry too much. It's okay if business is a little slow for now; the most important thing is that you're safe.

Then, he turned and left Shili Xiang.

His good mood, which had originally been about to go buy meat and vegetables to celebrate, was now replaced by anger.

Instead of going to the market, he turned into a narrower alley and headed towards the barbershop owned by Tiger.

Tiger is well-informed and has many underlings. Asking him for information about someone or something inconvenient is usually very efficient.

When I arrived at the barbershop, it was still early, and the shop had just opened, so there weren't many customers.

Only three or four young men, dressed in floral shirts and with slicked-back hair, were sitting idly on the bench, smoking and playing cards.

"Hey! Brother Yang! What brings you here? Please have a seat." One of the quick-witted underlings recognized Yang Shuisheng, quickly threw down his cards, stood up, and greeted him with a big smile.

They all knew very well that they absolutely could not afford to offend the person in front of them.

"Is Tiger here?" Yang Shuisheng glanced around but didn't see Tiger.

"Tiger had something to do and just went out. He'll be back in a bit."

"Brother Yang, is there something you need from Brother Hu? Why don't you sit down and wait a bit?" The underling solicitously brought over a stool and poured a glass of water.

"Hmm, waiting for him a while is fine." Yang Shuisheng sat down, thought for a moment, and asked, "I want to ask you about someone."

"There's a little boy in town, about five or six years old, nicknamed Erpang. I think his dad's surname is Zhang. Do you know where he lives? Or do you know his parents?"

"Erpang?"

The henchmen exchanged glances, and one of them immediately patted his chest and said, "Isn't it that chubby guy, the one who's really loud?"

"right!"

"I know! He lives in that residential compound at the east end of town. Brother Yang, what do you need him for?"

"Should we go and invite them over now?"

They clearly wanted to impress Yang Shuisheng.

"No need, just tell me the exact location."

"I have some personal matters I'd like to discuss with them." Yang Shuisheng waved his hand, his tone calm, but the coldness in his eyes sent a chill down the spines of his underlings.

"Okay! I'll draw you a map, I guarantee you'll find it." Another henchman quickly found paper and pen and began drawing a simple route map.

Yang Shuisheng took the drawing, looked at it, and memorized it.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she realized her hair was indeed a bit long, so she said to the quick-witted young man, "How's your skill? Give me a haircut and a shave."

"Okay! Don't worry, Brother Yang, even Brother Hu praised my skills." Upon hearing this, the younger brother became even more enthusiastic and quickly invited Yang Shuisheng to sit in the barber's chair, put on the apron, and took out the clippers and scissors to get to work.

Yang Shuisheng closed his eyes, letting the manipulator work on his head, while he pondered how to talk to the couple when he met them later.

The shop was quiet, with only the buzzing of clippers and the snip of scissors.

Just as the haircut was almost finished, and the barber was lathering Yang Shuisheng's face with soap, preparing to shave him, the curtain of the barbershop was lifted, and a man humming a tune sauntered in.

"Give me a haircut and a shave!" The man's voice carried a hint of smugness, as if he were in a good mood.

Although Yang Shuisheng had his eyes closed, his ears twitched slightly.

The voice sounds familiar.

He opened his eyes slightly and looked into the large mirror in front of him.

The mirror reflected a middle-aged man in overalls, slightly overweight, with a slight smile on his face, casually sitting down in another barber chair next to him. It was Zhang Fugui, Erpang's father, who had left the stationery store in a sorry state that day!