I'm a Master in India

The patrol officer in the distance looked to be in a bad mood. He was currently staring with a dark face at a foreign couple.

The couple was arguing with a vendor a few steps away. If nothing unexpected happened, the situation would escalate in a few minutes, and the patrol officer would seize the opportunity to intervene.

"Don't Indian police usually avoid making trouble for foreigners?" Ron, who was watching the excitement, couldn't help but gossip.

After spending so many days in Mumbai, Ron now vaguely knew some of the unspoken rules.

For example, Indian police could beat and scold the locals as they pleased, depending on their mood. That meter-long stick had struck countless heads.

It could be said that they acted without any scruples, but they would basically not actively cause trouble for foreign tourists.

"Rajesh recently encountered a troublesome matter." Anand's face revealed a wretched smile.

"What is it?"

"Ron, you may not know, Rajesh is very influential in this area. Some time ago, he locked up a clever rascal.

But that clever rascal persuaded Rajesh to release him because he told Rajesh that he had gold and jewelry. Not only that, but he actually gave Rajesh some gold and jewelry after he was released.

However, those things were not real gold, they were fake, very cheap things. The funniest thing is that before the clever rascal sold the fake jewelry, he stayed at Rajesh's house for a week.

Legend has it that the clever rascal even slept with Rajesh's wife. Now Rajesh is furious and freaking out. Everyone who sees him quickly avoids him, lest they run into the line of fire."

"So, Rajesh has lost both his money and his woman?"

"Haha, yes, so someone is going to be unlucky."

Ron's gaze shifted back to the foreign couple, "I wonder where they're staying?"

"Who? Ron, are you talking about Rajesh's wife?"

"Get lost!"

A burst of low laughter came from around them.

Caught off guard, Ron turned his head and saw that they were already surrounded by a circle of people.

Dark-skinned men, skinny old people, and half-grown children with bare bodies were all staring at them with smiles.

Damn, Indians have no sense of personal space. When did they gather around?

"Anand, what's going on?" Ron was a little worried. He hoped he wasn't going to become the target of the drama.

Anand used his actions to prove the reason why everyone had gathered. He put away the half-empty bottle of whiskey and glared back vigilantly.

The people gathered nearby swallowed a few times and then dispersed reluctantly.

"These drunks have noses sharper than dogs."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have drunk the celebration wine here." Ron got up and walked towards Rajesh.

"Wait, Ron, what are you going to do?"

While Anand was frantically packing things up, Ron had already seized the opportunity to block Rajesh's path.

The foreign couple didn't seem prepared to compromise, and the vendor was equally unwilling to give in. At this time, Rajesh should have stepped forward.

But now there was an uninvited guest in front of him, "Get out of the way! Don't obstruct the police from performing their duties."

"Are you Officer Rajesh?" Ron switched to Marathi, which local police officers liked to use.

Sure enough, Rajesh stopped. He sized Ron up, "What's your caste?"

"Shudra."

"Okay, what do you want?"

Ron didn't say anything. He just raised his hand and slipped a 50-rupee note over.

The moment the money touched Rajesh's palm, it disappeared without a trace. His skill was unparalleled in Mumbai's police circle, and even the street magicians had to sigh in inferiority.

"Mr. Shudra, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Those two over there are my French friends. They may have some misunderstandings with the locals due to language problems. I can handle it."

Rajesh stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded, "Okay, I can hold back for now."

"Thank you, please wait for me for a while."

Ron turned around and went to the foreign couple and spoke a lot of gibberish.

They were a little wary at first, but soon their faces lit up, then they looked thoughtful, and finally nodded.

No one could understand what the two sides said. It was neither English, nor Hindi or Marathi.

After dealing with the foreign couple, Ron turned around and whispered a few words to the vendor, who reluctantly agreed.

"My two dear friends, be careful of other people's kindness in India. Obviously, the other party will not give up without paying a penny. I think a third of the price is acceptable to both sides."

"Thank you, Ron. Without you, we wouldn't know what would have happened later. Oh my god, we've practiced English, but we can't understand the English he speaks at all. Fortunately, you can speak French."

The foreign wife, Anna, thanked Ron while counting out a few rupees for the persistent vendor. This dispute finally came to an end.

The matter was very simple. The couple was from France. English was not their strong suit, and the vendor's curry-flavored English was also mediocre.

As soon as the two got off the train, they encountered an overly enthusiastic vendor. After chatting for a few words, he took out an exquisite bracelet in the name of blessing. Then, taking advantage of Anna's unpreparedness, he directly put it on her wrist.

It was easy to put on, but it was difficult to take off. Pay up, 500 US dollars, no bargaining.

If you don't pay, you can't leave. It's a very old trick.

But it's only 1992, and people outside the Indian subcontinent are pure and foolish.

Fortunately, they met Ron, who not only reduced the price unit from US dollars to rupees, but also cut the price by two-thirds.

Less than 100 rupees, this amount of money is acceptable to both the scammer and the scammed.

After settling this small dispute, Ron smiled and shook hands with them.

"You two, is this your first time in Mumbai? Have you found a place to stay? I can recommend some affordable and clean hotels."

"That would be great—"

"No, no, thank you. We have booked a hotel in advance."

Just as Anna was about to agree, her husband, Henry, suddenly interrupted her.

Ron glanced at them, then smiled nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter, you can contact me at any time if you have any needs in Mumbai."

After handing them a note with his phone number, he left without pestering them.

"Hey, Henry. Ron is clearly being kind. He just helped us, and he can also speak French."

"It's precisely because we haven't forgotten the lesson just now that we need to be more careful. I suspect that he and that greedy vendor are in cahoots, first gaining our trust, and then slowly swindling our money."

"Henry, are you being too sensitive?"

"It's always right to be careful. Besides, don't forget our mission to Mumbai this time, to update the travel guide for 《Lonely Planet》 magazine. We have to walk our own path, not rely on others."

Ron, who had already left, didn't care about this little thing. There was a more important task than soliciting customers in front of him.

"Officer Rajesh, thank you for your patience."

Rajesh, who had been watching the excitement from the side, shook his head left and right, "Ahem, you handled it very well."

He wasn't waiting here out of a sense of responsibility. He was purely bored and wanted to take a few more glances at the French woman's towering breasts.

"Then, do you have time to find a place to chat for a while?" Ron gave Anand a look.

The latter immediately followed up, "I know a great restaurant nearby. The food is so delicious that I guarantee you'll eat until you burst."

Rajesh looked up at the clock in the train station, "It's still an hour until noon, I think I can start my lunch break early."

"Of course." Ron smiled and let Anand lead the way.