Although Baihua Town is not large, it has a much larger population than other towns because it is located at the confluence of rivers and has a developed shipping industry.
Jian Yang recognized this advantage and eventually rented an empty shop near the dock.
The shop has two floors, including a backyard, three side rooms, a kitchen, and a latrine.
Jian Yang decided to set up a pharmacy on the first floor and hire two employees to manage it.
The second floor was converted into consultation rooms and inpatient wards, where she personally oversaw operations.
She can provide accommodation for the staff if they want, otherwise they can stay by themselves.
Now both my work and housing issues are resolved.
Moreover, she had already done her research; although there were other clinics in town, they were all quite far from her.
She opened her clinic here, so she won't steal anyone else's business, nor will anyone steal her business.
After planning everything, Jian Yang immediately threw herself into purchasing equipment and decorating.
Having previous experience organizing palace banquets, setting up a small medical clinic was a piece of cake for Jian Yang.
In less than ten days, she had renovated the clinic, purchased the medicinal herbs, and hired two apprentices. The clinic officially opened for business.
As expected, her site selection strategy was correct. On the day of the opening, a dockworker who was injured while carrying a heavy bag came to seek treatment, and Jian Yang warmly welcomed him.
Because Jian Yang's service attitude was excellent, her consultation fees were very reasonable, even lower than the market rate, and most importantly, she had excellent medical skills that could cure any disease.
So the workers went back and immediately recommended her clinic to their fellow workers. The next day, many dockworkers came to treat their sprains and bruises.
Soon, Jian Yang's clinic, named Ping An Tang, became famous in the dock area.
On this day, as soon as the shop door opened, three burly men came in.
Jian Yang was brushing her teeth in the backyard at that moment, unaware of what was happening inside the shop.
Just as she was boiling warm water to wash her face, one of the young men, named Mao Li, rushed into the backyard and banged on Jian Yang's door.
"Boss, something terrible has happened! Someone's here to collect protection money!"
Jian Yang paused in washing her face, then immediately threw the towel into the basin, put on the mask, and strode towards the shop.
How dare they bully her! Today she'll make these thugs regret ever being born!
Upon entering the pharmacy, one of the shop assistants, Bai Guo, was being grabbed by the collar and lifted up with one hand by one of the men.
The other two were each chewing on a handful of licorice to pass the time.
"Shopkeeper, help me!" Bai Guo cried out for help as soon as she saw Jian Yang.
Jian Yang also shouted in perfect unison, "Put my guy down!"
The three thugs all looked at Jian Yang.
The man who picked up the ginkgo said disdainfully, "So he's a sissy."
But he still let go, and said with a malicious smile, "Shopkeeper, right? You must already know why the three of us brothers are here. Pay up obediently, or you might lose your shop today."
Startled, Bai Guo quickly ran behind Jian Yang.
From the moment the three men appeared at Ping An Tang, the surrounding people knew that the clinic was likely to suffer a terrible fate. So they all crowded around the shop, craning their necks to look inside, and discussions arose all around.
"Oh dear, the manager of Ping An Tang is such a good person, how did he manage to offend these three scourges?"
Who are they?
"You don't know that? These three are notorious scoundrels, known as the Three Tigers. They make a living by robbing shops and collecting protection money."
"Isn't anyone going to do anything about them?"
"What can we do? They are highly skilled in martial arts, strong, and were only recently released from prison, but they just won't change their ways. Nobody can do anything about it."
Inside the room, Jian Yang coldly observed the three men, who were as tall as small mountains, without showing any fear whatsoever.
"How much money are you guys planning to ask for?"
The three men assumed Jian Yang was easy to talk to and laughed, "It's not much. We know you're running a small business, so we'll just give you a hundred taels."
The onlookers gasped in surprise.
This is not much?!
You have to understand, ten taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family's expenses for a year, but these three scoundrels are asking for a hundred taels. This is simply pushing people to their deaths.
Jian Yang laughed and said, "Okay, I'll go get the money."
The onlookers gasped in amazement once again.
One of the patients treated by Jian Yang boldly said, "Dr. Jian, we can't give them this money. They're a pack of insatiable wolves!"
The three men glared fiercely at the crowd, which frightened the man who had spoken, causing him to quickly shrink back.
Jian Yang smiled and said, "It's alright. Our clinic has plenty of medicinal herbs and money. It's only a hundred taels, no big deal." After saying that, she went upstairs.
The three immediately laughed and said, "The shopkeeper is so straightforward!"
A moment later, Jian Yang came down from the second floor carrying a red lacquered wooden box.
“Brothers, go ahead,” Jian Yang walked up to them and handed them the box. “There are one hundred taels of silver in here. Take it and go.”
The three happily accepted the box, so excited that they overlooked how light it was.
When they opened the box, a white mist-like powder sprayed out, hitting all three of them in the face.
The three men then realized they had been tricked, immediately smashed the wooden box, and cursed, "Damn it, you dared to play tricks on us! We'll skin you alive today!"
However, as soon as they finished speaking, the three of them deflated like punctured balloons, their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground in unison, falling silent in an instant.
This scene stunned the onlookers outside the door.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Shopkeeper, could those three be dead?"
Jian Yang shook her head and smiled, "How could I dare to kill anyone in front of everyone? They were just drugged by my concoction, and they will naturally wake up in three to five days."
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Many of them are small business owners and vendors, and everyone lives in fear of being extorted.
Now that Jian Yang had stood up for them, they were naturally overjoyed.
"But boss, what should we do next? Once they wake up, won't they continue to harm us?" someone else asked.
Jian Yang smiled and said, "Does anyone have a boat? Even a small one will do. Sell me one."
Among the onlookers were indeed people in the shipping business, who asked, "Is Manager Jian planning to buy a boat and run away?"
Jian Yang shook his head and said, "Of course not. I'm just buying a boat for the three of them and letting them drift downstream. As for where they end up, that's up to fate."
Everyone chimed in, "That's a great idea!"
It doesn't require killing anyone, it avoids extortion, and it's not illegal.
The boat shop owner immediately donated a small boat, and the group worked together to lift the three people onto the boat, then pushed it into the river.
The river ends at the sea, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the three of them will most likely drift into the sea.
"Oh dear, I forgot something," said the shipowner.
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