Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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While supervising the workers, Zhuang Lao Er frequently looked back at his son who was not far away.
Liu Chunhua also often made mistakes in her calculations when selling pancakes, fearing something might happen to her son.
The couple were familiar faces at the docks, and many people knew them well. One busybody pointed at Zhuang Li and said, “Look, look, that’s Zhuang Lao Er’s eldest son. He was supposed to be a scholar, but who would have thought he’d end up as a fortune teller. Did he give up on himself after failing the imperial examinations?”
The others chimed in with their own opinions: “Probably. They say his son has a strange illness; his head hurts whenever he looks at a book.”
“Nine out of ten fortune tellers on the street are swindlers. This scholar only knows how to read books, how could he know how to tell fortunes? Why would he choose to be a swindler when he could do anything else?”
“How do you know he’s a fraud? What if he actually has real skills?”
“What real skill does he have! In this Bazhou City, the only master I truly respect is Master Xuan Zhenzi of Qingtian Temple.”
“Me too! Master Xuan Zhenzi is a guest of honor of the Qi Wang. He has even entered the palace to tell the fortune of the Empress Dowager. Although he has not been officially appointed, he is actually the national teacher of our Jin Kingdom. He always receives gifts from the palace and the Qi Wang’s residence during festivals. His status is very high. I dream of meeting Master Xuan Zhenzi and asking him to tell my fortune.”
“How could someone as important as him possibly be someone we could ever meet?”
“Yes, the real masters are hermits like Xuan Zhenzi. These people sitting on the street are just pretending to be gods. Come on, let’s go and have some fun with that scholar.” The group got excited as they talked and walked toward the street together.
When Zhuang Lao Er’s men heard these words, they immediately ran to inform their boss.
Not long after, Zhuang Lao Er also gathered a group of people and marched menacingly toward the street.
The two groups gradually approached Zhuang Li’s fortune-telling stall, but unexpectedly, a woman seized the initiative.
The woman, completely oblivious to the two groups of people behind her, sat pale-faced on a small stool and timidly called out, “Sir, sir, do you tell fortunes?” As she spoke, she looked around frantically, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness, as if she were being chased and driven into a corner.
But this sense of urgency stemmed only from her anxiety, not from any actual harm.
It was clear that she had gotten herself into trouble, and a big one at that.
To make matters worse, she couldn’t tell anyone about this problem and could only turn to a fortune teller she didn’t know on the street for help.
She wore an exquisitely made jacket and skirt, but the fabric was not luxurious. She could walk around outside without any servants, which showed that she was already used to showing her face in public. She must be the wife of a merchant, with some money, but certainly not very wealthy.
Zhuang Li opened his eyes and looked at the woman, making the above judgment in just a short moment.
“Can you read?” Zhuang Li asked instead of answering.
The woman nodded quickly: “I can read.”
“Then write a character, and I’ll calculate it for you.” Zhuang Li took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and laid them out on the steps by the street.
The woman casually dipped her brush in ink and wrote the character “珠” (pearl) on the paper, then stared intently at Zhuang Li with her bloodshot eyes.
7480 lamented, “Master, I told you long ago not to burn the Eye of Karma! With the Eye of Karma, you could know what happened to this woman just by looking at her! Do you regret it now?”
Zhuang Li ignored the system and silently observed the crooked character “珠” (zhu, meaning pearl).
The group that originally wanted to play tricks on Zhuang Li, along with the dozen or so dockworkers brought by Zhuang Lao Er, also arrived at this moment, their eyes fixed intently on them.
Neither of them spoke up; one was waiting to see what would happen, while the other was afraid of disrupting Zhuang Li’s business.
Surrounded by so many people, Zhuang Li didn’t feel nervous at all. On the contrary, the woman showed remorse and quietly moved her feet, wanting to leave. She had done something wrong and didn’t want to attract attention.
But Zhuang Li convinced her to stay with just one sentence: “You’re looking for something.”
The woman opened her eyes wide and stared at him in astonishment, her slightly raised buttocks slamming back down with a soft thud.
Anyone with eyes could see that Zhuang Li had hit the nail on the head
Hey! He actually predicted it correctly!
Zhuang Li pointed to the left half of the character “珠” (zhu) and said, “Three strokes connected in the middle form the character ‘王’ (wang), which represents heaven, earth, and man. The vastness of the world belongs to the king, signifying its immensity.” Finally, he pointed to the right half of the character “珠” and said, “朱 (zhu) represents the red heart of a tree, which is red and scorched.” He then drew a circle around the character “珠” and said, “The combination of left and right forms ‘珠,’ the ‘pearl’ in jewels, truly a precious object.”
Zhuang Li looked up at the woman and slowly said, “Judging from the words you wrote, you are extremely anxious because you have lost something very valuable. You are determined to find it no matter how hard you try, but because the world is so vast, you cannot find it. Am I right?”
The woman had no intention of leaving now. Instead, she gripped the small stool beneath her tightly and nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes, sir, you’re absolutely right! I am indeed looking for something! Can you help me find it? If you can find it, I will reward you handsomely!”
As the woman spoke, she took off the purse from her waist and pulled out a small gold ingot.
Passersby stared wide-eyed at the glittering gold ingot.
Those who had initially thought Zhuang Li was a fraud were now dumbfounded, their faces filled with horror.
Zhuang Lao Er was genuinely taken aback. He truly hadn’t expected his eldest son to be a fortune teller, and so accurate at that!
7480 slowly knelt down before its host. Who is this person?! They can even tell fortunes and interpret characters!
Zhuang Li smiled at the gold ingot and said in a soft voice, “My cultivation is still shallow, and I can’t figure out where that thing is lost, but I can ask the local earth god to help you.”
7480, who had just stood up, suddenly knelt down again. Good heavens, the host can even summon spirits! Isn’t he a scientist?
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