Chapter 7, The Cliché of Fraudulent Schemes

Is the barber not back yet?" Lin Quan sat up straight

The proprietress's bosom pressed against her skirt, revealing an enticing cleavage. Lin Quan took a glance and pondered whether there were other services available in this establishment. Since 1996, the hair washing salons in Jinghai have flourished unprecedentedly. According to investigations by senior reporters from the Jinghai Daily, there are as many as sixty-seven hair washing salons concentrated on East City Wall Street alone, with an estimated total of no less than a thousand salons in the Jinghai urban area and its suburbs. Lin Quan couldn't help but doubt the proprietress's haircutting skills and asked her, "Just for a haircut, how skilled are you?"

"Help you claim the prize, and you can share a reward of 10,000 yuan?" Lin Quan took out 10 yuan from his pocket and placed it on the mirror stand, "Madam boss, this is for the haircut, I'm leaving now." He hurriedly exited the barbershop, not even pushing his bicycle, and walked across the street. A middle-aged man approached the intersection, turned, and then disappeared from sight. Lin Quan, taking advantage of the shade provided by the elm tree by the roadside, watched the scene inside the barbershop through the glass door from a distance.

A middle-aged man held a knife; only a fool would truly pursue. Lin Quan pretended to chase for a while, feigning a limp. The middle-aged man attempted to come over to snatch the paper bag from his hand, but was caught by his female companion, who flagged down a passing car. In a short while, he disappeared from sight

Lin Quan walked out of the barbershop, casting a lingering glance at the proprietress. He pushed his cart out of the intersection and casually tossed the pull ring into the sewage ditch by the road.

Yes, this is the Jianlibao Jing'an Office. May I ask if you are inquiring about the prize redemption?

What do you want to do

He will be ready soon, are you getting your hair washed

Then go ahead and wash your hair; I will wait for him here

"How can you be so kind?" The woman looked warily at the middle-aged man, "What if the ring ends up in your hands and you don't return it to me?"

He turned off the speakerphone, looked at the woman, and said: "You are truly fortunate. If you wait four more days to drink this bottle of beverage, it will be of no use, as the deadline for claiming the prize will have passed. Hurry and take your ID to No. 31 Hongjiang Road to claim your prize, and remember to express your gratitude to us."

Then you give us 5,000 yuan, and we will let you take the pull tabs to claim the prize. After you claim the prize, you just need to give me 15,000 yuan, so I can give it to that big sister

Lin Quan picked up the pull tab, then picked up a slightly crumpled Jianlibao can from the corner, carefully comparing the design: "This is it." He placed the money in front of the shop owner, "You just need to point it out, five thousand yuan, and tomorrow I will go to exchange it for gold. After I collect the prize, I will bring the extra fifteen thousand yuan to the shop."

A middle-aged man picked up the briefcase from the dressing table and hurriedly walked out of the barbershop

Is that true? That woman still lacks some confidence

The middle-aged man impatiently stepped aside and rudely said, "I stepped on someone!"

The proprietress, with her slightly reddened eyes, turned a few times, forcing a smile as she said: "The man hasn't arrived yet; that woman had an urgent matter and left in a hurry. She took five thousand yuan from me, and the winning pull-tab is still with me. Once I claim the prize, she will come over to share it."

A moment later, the woman emerged from the barbershop, holding a large, bulging package wrapped in newspaper. She strode purposefully in the direction where the middle-aged man had disappeared, immersed in the excitement of her success, completely unaware that Lin Quan was closely following her.

"It's really the Ace of Hearts," the middle-aged man exclaimed in astonishment, "You are truly lucky; the first prize is over 40,000 yuan"

Although the rented house does not have air conditioning, the tall trees with lush branches cast a cool shade over the courtyard. Lin Quan rode his bike out of the community, enveloped by the sweltering heat waves rising from the concrete pavement, and in a short while, his short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat. Upon reaching Jiangxu Town, he turned onto Yuejiang Road, which was a bumpy surface flanked by old single-story houses. Lin Quan noticed a barbershop with no customers; only the proprietress sat in a chair, bored, watching the sparse pedestrians on the road. She wore a light blue floral long dress, with a row of metal buttons fastening from just below her chest down to the hem of the dress. The bottom three buttons were undone, revealing a glimpse of skin above her knees, not much to see, yet somehow enticing. The glass door was tightly closed, and it seemed as if there was air conditioning inside, where a public telephone was placed.

Please bring your identification card and the winning pull tab to No. 31 Hongjiang Road. The deadline for redemption is July 6. Good, good, good ... ...

Enjoying the cool air of the air conditioning, Lin Quan, with a slight frown, was truly reluctant to dive back into the suffocating heat. Nevertheless, he sat down, took off his glasses, and placed them in the pocket of his jacket.

Reporting to the police is useless; those green-skinned dogs only know how to grope my breasts. Do they know how to catch thieves? Reporting to the police is useless.

The proprietress suddenly grabbed him and he nearly fell over backwards. After a moment to collect her thoughts, she looked at Lin Quan and asked, "Are you the young man who just washed his hair?"

Really

"Of course it's true," the middle-aged man said emphatically. "There is a phone number on the can, 800 is a toll-free number, you can call it from here." The middle-aged man enthusiastically picked up the receiver, tilted his head to dial, and while dialing, he loudly recited: "800850... Hello, hello, is this the Jianlibao prize redemption hotline? Yes, yes, yes, I have someone here who has won the grand prize, may I ask how to redeem it?" While dialing, he loudly recited again: "800850... Hello, hello, is this the Jianlibao prize redemption hotline? Yes, yes, yes, I have someone here who has won the grand prize, may I ask how to redeem it?" "Jinghai, Jinghai City, I am in Jinghai City," he said, covering the receiver and asking the woman, "Do you want to redeem it for cash?"

However, my ID card has been taken to apply for a temporary residence permit, and it will only be returned to me ten days later at m.hetushu.com

The middle-aged man put down the phone, took the paper noted by the boss's wife, glanced at it, handed it to the woman, and said: "For the prize redemption, just go directly to the Jianlibao office in Jing'an. You can just call and ask."

"Mind your own business; I fear you won't live to enjoy that money." The middle-aged man pulled a spring knife from his pocket and waved it in front of Lin Quan. The cold gleam of the blade made one's legs tremble. Without stabbing Lin Quan, the middle-aged man suddenly turned around and ran west, pulling his female companion's hand with him.

Lin Quan lived in a family with traditional values. His father, Lin Mingda, the principal of Xinghu Middle School in the Jinghai Development Zone, would not tolerate any deviation in behavior from his children. Even though Lin Quan was his adopted son, he was subjected to the same strictness.

"It's me. Didn't I just say I would accompany her to receive the award? Just give her a bonus of 10,000 yuan. I just withdrew 5,000 yuan and will put it with her to go claim the prize together." Lin Quan glanced into the barbershop, "Could it be that the man took the money and left with her first? Sigh, I live in Xinpu, which is a bit far; otherwise, the 10,000 yuan would have been mine."

Forget it. The middle-aged man, filled with disgust, took another step back and pressed himself against the boss's wife.

While rinsing his hair, the glass door was pushed open from the outside. Lin Quan turned to take a look, and a neatly dressed middle-aged man was stepping inside. Upon seeing someone inside, he paused, holding the glass door and asked, "Is there no room?"

A simple haircut costs 5 yuan. It's really hot right now; would you like to have your hair washed for an additional 10 yuan? The shop owner assessed Lin Quan's height, adjusting the chair so that it was at the right level, with the collar directly facing Lin Quan

The proprietress took out paper and pen from the drawer beneath the mirror.

A middle-aged man stood under a tree at another intersection. Upon seeing his companion succeed, he waved for her to come over. Suddenly, he noticed Lin Quan behind her, and the triumphant expression on his face froze. The woman raised the paper bag in her hand, but suddenly felt it empty, and when she turned around, she was startled to see Lin Quan, with wet hair covering most of his face.

"Cash redemption, um, phone consultation, alright." The middle-aged man gestured towards the woman, "Paper and pen, note down the phone number."

The man's voice was deep and resonant, filled with anger after realizing he had been deceived

Lin Quan suppressed the smile at the corners of his mouth, opened the newspaper, and indeed found two thick stacks of coins. The two scammers knew that there was 20,000 yuan in cash in the barbershop, indicating they had observed for quite some time before acting calmly. Lin Quan confirmed that no one had witnessed the earlier scene, walked a bit further, and then hailed a taxi. Indulging himself, he had the taxi take him around the Jiangxi Town's river embankment road before getting off near the barbershop. He took out 5,000 yuan, holding it in his hand, and heard a heated argument coming from the barbershop: "Are you out of your mind? Where in the world can you find such a cheap deal?"

What else can be done without reporting it to the authorities

"With so much money, who would still go to Europe? Change money, Master, change money, could you please ask how to exchange money?"

I will be back shortly

Little brother, you don't know, I just remembered that I submitted both my and my husband's ID cards to apply for a temporary residence permit. We won't be able to process her cash exchange until the day after tomorrow. Not only would it be unfair to her, but I also feel embarrassed to ask for the five thousand yuan we worked so hard to earn back. Little brother, you have a Jinghai ID card, right

How much does a haircut cost? That woman seemed dissatisfied with the air conditioning, lifting the hem of her clothing to fan herself, exposing a section of her belly, her rude gestures were off-putting. Seemingly unable to bear the heat, the woman exclaimed, "I'm dying of thirst, you go ahead and serve them first, I'll buy a bottle of drink and be right back, remember I'm third in line." As soon as she finished speaking, she dashed out the door with the briskness typical of rural women from central China. After a while, the woman returned holding a bottle of Jianlibao, her left hand gripping the pull tab of the can, as she leaned in closely to examine it, nearly colliding with the glass door.

Listening to the accented response on the other end of the phone, Lin Quan almost burst into laughter, yet his expression grew increasingly stern. The landlady, in a state of urgency and warmth, looked at the woman with a gaze filled with both jealousy and envy

The boss lady was flustered and reached out to take the money, but Lin Quan withdrew his hand: "What about the winning pull tab?"

First, let's wash your hair; the barber will be back shortly.

"The money scam has come to Jinghai, I don't want to live anymore." Lin Quan glared fiercely at the woman, kicking her in the lower back. Caught off guard, she tumbled into the drainage ditch by the roadside, groaning in pain. Seeing the middle-aged man approaching, Lin Quan raised the paper package in his hand, "You can file a report at the police station; there's a reward of 20,000 yuan."

"What a load of nonsense..." a thin man in his thirties cursed vehemently

A middle-aged man pushed the door open and walked in, casually placing the briefcase he had tucked under his arm onto the dressing table. He stood under the air conditioning unit, just like Lin Quan, to enjoy the cool air. Lin Quan took a dry towel from the boss's wife, wiping his head while observing the middle-aged man's back: Guo Dequan was worth millions, yet he dressed like this. However, Guo Dequan would never come to such a small street-side shop for a haircut, nor would he boldly seek other services in such a place.

Lin Quan stopped the car, pushed open the door, and walked inside. He glanced at the proprietress, who appeared to be just over thirty, fair-skinned, and quite delicate. He thought to himself that a barbershop like this should be bustling with customers. He walked over to the air conditioner, enjoyed the cool breeze for a while to dry his sweaty back, and asked the proprietress, "How much does a haircut cost?"

The boss's wife's fingers struck firmly yet gently, causing the slightly raised head to lean against her ample chest, after which she took two dry towels and placed them on the back of his head, allowing his head to rest on her chest through the towels

There are kind-hearted people in Jinghai. How about this: I will immediately take 5,000 yuan from home to put as a deposit with you, and you will follow me. However, after the prize is redeemed, you must give me 10,000 yuan of the prize money.

Lin Quan had been busy with them for a while and was considering leaving. Yesterday was the first day back in Jinghai, and by the time he returned home, it was already deep into the night. He had endured quite a bit of scolding, so today he had to go home for dinner first before finding an opportunity to sneak out. Lin Quan looked at his reflection in the clear water; his hair was tousled by the wind, with the front strands hanging down to the tip of his nose. He thought about going to tidy up his hair first, otherwise, he would surely become the target of ridicule at the dinner table.

The quarrel in the barbershop gradually subsided. After jumping in place dozens of times, he suddenly rushed to the front of the barbershop, pushed open the glass door, looked inside, caught a glimpse of the exasperated proprietress, and loudly asked: "Madam, where is that person, the one who won the prize?"

Of course. Lin Quan opened the wallet and shook the identification card inside.

Where were you when the business was running, you scoundrel? So what if I was cheated out of 20,000 yuan? I earned it back through my own means. Can your pathetic haircutting skills support me?

Guo Baolin and Fang Nan, driving a pickup truck and accompanied by a staff member from the restaurant, made two rounds in the two fruit and vegetable wholesale markets in Jinghai. Before the market closed, they received over 100 spoiled cantaloupes.

Indeed. The proprietress was both astonished and envious, only wishing that good fortune would have fallen upon her instead

Where is the pull ring? The boss's wife remembered that when she was anxious and irritable, she would smash the pull ring on her man's face. Now, where could she find a pull ring? She could only hope that the young man in front of her would not become suspicious, as recovering five thousand yuan would indicate that the heavens were still somewhat kind to them. The thin man, with keen eyes, found the pull ring from under the washbasin and, with a smile on his face, handed it to Lin Quan, saying: "Is this it? I've never seen such a valuable item; it accidentally fell on the ground."

Ten days? The deadline for exchanging gold has already passed

Elder brother, I am very anxious, my speech is trembling. Please help me inquire, and I will definitely express my gratitude to you later.

"A bonus of 10,000?" The woman hesitated for a moment, but then her expression became very resolute, "Alright, it’s settled. 10,000 is 10,000. With an extra 20,000, I can return to my hometown and build a small house."

We do not have identification cards, and there is no way for us to earn this money; it will just be a loss for you, young brother. Young brother, please write down your identification number so that we can ask you for the money later

Master, do you think I have won the grand prize?

What should we do now? After working tirelessly for two years, everything has been filled with chaos. Let's call the police

What should I do? The woman in the picture was anxiously pacing back and forth, sometimes staring intently at the pull tab of the can in her hand, and at other times, she was striking her own head with force, as if the overwhelming joy of winning and the troubles of her identification card were tormenting her.

Thank you, but you said this. With so many people in the store, you should let everyone share in your good fortune. The middle-aged man said with a smile, this time pressing the "speakerphone" button on the phone, dialing the number on the paper, "Hello, hello, is this the Jianlibao Jinghai office?"

I apologize. That woman spoke with a distinctly foreign accent, her demeanor both reserved and humble

Lin Quan took the wooden comb from the proprietress's hand and, facing the mirror, smoothed his disheveled hair. His damp hair nearly reached his lips, covering most of his face. Lin Quan still observed the middle-aged man in the mirror with the corner of his eye. The proprietress seemed to see a big customer, her plump body leaning in: "Is this your first time visiting our shop?"

"What, you don't believe me?" Lin Quan exclaimed, tossing a handful of banknotes into the air. "I worked hard to withdraw this money and ran all the way here, and my sweat hasn't even dried yet, yet you don't believe me"

At that moment, a woman pushed the door open and walked in, wearing a wrinkled synthetic shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and yellow rubber shoes commonly worn by migrant workers. Her sweat-soaked hair clung to her dark forehead, and her lips were cracked and purplish. As soon as she entered, she exclaimed that it was hot and squeezed under the air conditioning unit, nearly stepping on a middle-aged man.

051... 888, this number is truly easy to remember, as expected of a large company. Even at the office in Jinghai, they use such a good number. To install this number, one has to pay the telecommunications bureau more than 20,000 yuan.

The woman held the pull tab in front of the middle-aged man. As he reached to take it, she tightly clenched the pull tab in her hand, as if fearing that he might seize the opportunity to snatch it away. "Master, you can just look at it this way," she said, shoving the can into the middle-aged man's hand and pointing to the words on it, saying, "The first prize is the red heart A"

The proprietress stood on tiptoe to take a closer look. The middle-aged man pointed to the text on the can and read it aloud to her: "Summer promotion with genuine rebates, one grand prize, a luxury car worth 260,000 yuan, ten first prizes, a ten-day tour in Europe worth 42,000 yuan, second prize... fifth prize for 5,000 winners, a sports watch. The grand prize, first prize, and second prize can all be exchanged for cash of equal value, with taxes to be borne by the winner. Oh, and there is also a 20% income tax to be paid, which amounts to over 30,000 yuan. What good luck! Just by going out for a drink, one could gain over 30,000 yuan for free." The middle-aged man then grabbed the woman's wrist, tightly holding the hand that was gripping the can's pull tab, and presented it before the proprietress for her to examine closely.

You are truly fortunate, having received ten thousand yuan for free

How about this, I will use my ID card to help you claim the prize