There was a saying in ancient times, "The streets droop a thousand steps under the willows, the clouds illuminate the two cities. The sky is jade-green, the pavilion is beautiful, the wind is cool and the song is clear. "This was referring to Yangzhou's prosperity and affluence. Because of its convenient water and land transportation, it was a distribution center for commodity transactions. Therefore, it had all kinds of industries, including red buildings, art pavilions, tea houses, wine shops, and many other shops, selling all kinds of exotic goods.
Shuijing's fortune-telling stall was on Nanfang Street. Compared to the most prosperous East-West Street, most of the people coming and going here were locals, so the local customs were stronger.
There was originally a fortune-teller on this street. He was a lean old man. What did he look like? His hair was gray, and he wore a Taoist robe that was washed white. On the table in front of him was a tattered book, a turtle shell, a few copper coins, and a bamboo tube filled with bamboo sticks. At first glance, he looked much more credible than the fortune-telling stall in Shuijing.
Shuijing hated monks and Taoist priests the most after that incident. Seeing his stall was less than a hundred meters diagonally across from the old Taoist priest, his face darkened. He planned to go back and reprimand the secret guard who chose this position for him.
Shuijing did not notice that when he passed by the old Taoist priest's fortune-telling stall, the old Taoist priest, who originally had his eyes half closed, raised his eyelids and stared at Shuijing's back. He did not close his eyes again until Shuijing took a seat.
Ten taels per divination. Even if there were many rich families in Yangzhou, not many people were willing to spend this much money on illusory fortune-telling, not to mention there was a more reliable fortune-telling master not far away, who only cost ten copper coins per divination.
Shuijing did not care about the bleak situation of having so many customers coming in and no one patronizing him. Instead, he was happy to be idle and picked up a travel book to read.
After an unknown amount of time, while he was reading with great interest, the sunlight in front of him was suddenly blocked. He raised his head and saw an old man in his fifties or sixties standing in front of his stall. He was dressed plainly but did not lose his dignity. His bearing was calm and somewhat dignified. Based on Shuijing's judgment, if this person did not have a small fortune, then he was a steward of a big family. However, the space between this person's eyebrows was short and deep. Shuijing was afraid he had been troubled for a long time. Looking at his face, there was no illness or disaster recently. It seemed the person who was troubled.
"Fortune telling?" Shuijing was the first to speak.
The old man hesitated for a moment and looked at the Shuijing several times. Then, he sat down and said, "I have a friend. Many things have happened in his family recently. I want to ask for a divination for him. When will his family turn from sorrow to joy?"
Shuijing raised her eyebrows. "Where is he? Why didn't he come personally?"
"My friend's identity is a little special, and … he doesn't really believe in this." The old man was a little embarrassed. "I came here without telling him."
Shuijing thought for a moment. "Since that's the case, let's do a word reading." He pointed at the paper and pen. "Write anything."
The old man picked up a pen and wrote "Lin" on the paper. Then, he looked at the Shuijing expectantly.
Shuijing looked at the words on the paper, frowned slightly, and said bluntly, "'Lin' is a good character. With two trees together, there is no difficulty that can stump him. But … "
The old man looked happy for a moment, then became nervous again. "But what?"
Shuijing pointed at the "tree" on the right side of "Lin" and said, "This" tree "is bigger than the one on the left. It is especially conspicuous in the" Lin ". As the saying goes, the tallest tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. With your friend's current situation, I'm afraid … "He shook his head.
The old man's face turned pale. "You, you mean … Mister, do you have a way to solve this problem? Please, you must save my master. "
Master?
Shuijing looked at the old man without batting an eyelid. He didn't care about the old man's fear and anxiety. He said bluntly, "No."
The old man didn't expect the answer from Shuijing so bluntly. He was stunned. Then, as if he remembered something, he took out two silver ingots from his sleeve. "This is ten taels of silver. It's the money for the word reading." After he finished speaking, he took out a banknote from his bosom. "Sir, this old man only has this much on me, but my master is very rich. As long as you are willing to help him out of his current predicament, you can have as much money as you want. This banknote is a deposit for you. I beg you to do a good deed and save my master. My master has never done anything bad in his life. Every year, he gives medicine and porridge. He has never left behind money for incense and oil to the temple. For such a good person, do you really have the heart to stand by and do nothing? "
Stand by and do nothing? How could he be so sure that he could help his master?
Thinking of this, Shuijing began to narrow his eyes and carefully size up the old man. He didn't notice that although the old man was dressed plainly, the fabric was expensive. This was not something that an ordinary family could afford, let alone a servant. This meant that his master's family was either rich or noble. There were many salt merchants in Jiangnan. Not only were they rich, but they also secretly controlled Jiangnan's economic lifeline and even the officialdom. Among the officials, he thought of someone who had power and money and was related to the word "Lin" — — Lantai Temple's doctor, Imperial Salt Patrol, Lin Ruhai.
Unfortunately, no matter who it was, he didn't like any of them. Was giving porridge and adding money for incense and oil a good person?
Thinking of this, Shuijing put the two silver ingots into his pocket and pushed the banknote to the old man. "Sorry, I really can't help. Please find someone else."
The old man looked as if the sky had collapsed. He said mournfully, "Does Sir not have any compassion?"
"How strange." Shuijing laughed instead of being angry. "With your master's identity and status, why would you think that a fortune-teller like me can help? And the person who can destroy him is definitely not an ordinary person. What can a fortune-teller like me help with? "
Even if he could help, why would he waste time and energy to help someone he didn't like? He wasn't a saint. To put it bluntly, he was a bit narrow-minded.
The old man's face stiffened. He stammered for a long time but couldn't say anything.
"I'm very curious." Shuijing tapped the table, his voice cold. "What makes you think that I can help your master?"
The old man lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "I-I'm sorry to disturb you."
Looking at the old man's back until he disappeared, Shuijing picked up the travel book again and read it.
He wasn't afraid that someone knew his identity and wanted to harm him. They came, but they had to be alive to return.
Time flew by and the sun soon set. At this time, it was a bit difficult to read the book. Shuijing stretched his stiff neck and decided to go home.
"I-I'm wondering if Sir can read my fortune?"
A mosquito-like voice sounded. Shuijing looked at the person who came. It was a burly man with a dark face. If he wasn't the only one around, Shuijing would find it hard to believe that he was the one who spoke.
When the burly man saw that Shuijing didn't speak for a long time, he couldn't help but become nervous. He said in a panic, "Sir, I-I want to have my fortune read."
Shuijing touched his forehead.
Today was really strange. With such a strong competitor like the lean Daoist priest, there were actually two people who wanted to have their fortunes read. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that something was wrong.
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