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After a good night’s sleep, Wang Xuan came over early in the morning to find Wang Zhenhe. There wasn’t much stock left in the warehouse, so she asked him to contact Lin Xi to arrange for the goods to be shipped over soon.
After their meal, Wang Qian and the others said that Zuo He and Mingyuan had to leave for some business. Wang Qian approached her uncle, Zhang Weiguo, subtly after he finished eating, “Uncle, why don’t you take me out for a stroll? I haven’t had the chance to explore the capital since I arrived.”
Zhang Weiguo looked at his niece with some curiosity, “Qianqian, why not have your sister accompany you instead? It doesn’t look quite right for a grown man like me to go shopping.”
Without waiting for Wang Xuan to speak, Wang Qian replied, “Uncle, my sister has to do inventory, so you might as well take the trouble to keep me company.”
While saying this, she winked at her sister. The sisters had been together for so many years, and Wang Xuan knew that her sister must have some unspeakable reason for insisting that their uncle go out. Otherwise, given her sensible nature, she wouldn’t bother Zhang Weiguo without a good reason.
Wang Xuan said with a smile to Zhang Weiguo, “Uncle, just go out for a walk. Who knows, you might even run into Aunt Jianing. Fate has a curious way of bringing people together, doesn’t it, sister?”
Wang Qian nodded with a smile, “Exactly. You might really bump into her. Uncle, please get moving.”
Zhang Weiguo had originally planned to take the day off to think about how to solve his own problems, but he couldn’t resist his niece’s pestering. Reluctantly, he got dressed and went out with her.
Zuo He and Mingyuan arrived at the predetermined location and watched Han Ying, with her basket, going out to buy vegetables. The old lady went out at the same time every morning. When Zuo He saw her coming out, he gave a nod to someone in the distance.
As Han Ying leisurely made her way to the vegetable market, a blind man tapping a cane and wearing dark sunglasses approached her. At first, she paid him no mind, but just as she was about to pass him, the blind man’s cane swept across her, hitting her. The old lady, somewhat annoyed, scolded, “What’s the matter with you? How do you walk, hitting people with that stick of yours? What’s the use of that stick if you’re not tapping the ground with it, but flailing it in the air instead?”
Hearing the old lady’s words, the blind man quickly apologized, “Big sister, I am really sorry. I’ve been using this cane for decades without a single mishap. I don’t know what happened today that I bumped into you. It must be fate, perhaps even our ancestor has meant for us to meet. Let me do a fortune-telling for you as an apology, no charge, completely free.”
Initially, Han Ying didn’t pay much attention to the blind fortune-teller in front of her. However, upon hearing that he was offering free fortune-telling, her interest was piqued. Who would pass up a free offer? That would be foolish. Suddenly, as if possessed, Han Ying spoke up, “Oh, you tell fortunes? Well, go on then, tell mine. I want to see just how accurate you are.”
The blind man asked for Han Ying’s birthdate and time, and she watched as he moved his fingers and muttered to himself. She couldn’t understand what he was saying though.
“Big sister, you have the fortune of wealth and nobility. You’ve been enjoying life with your husband. Despite the hardships you’ve faced in the past, your future is that of a lady of high rank, living a life of luxury. You have three sons and a daughter, am I right?”
Han Ying initially thought he was just guessing and didn’t respond, but when he accurately mentioned her children, she was inwardly startled. However, she didn’t show any reaction on her face. “Then tell me more about my children’s marriages,” she said.
Han Ying figured that although the blind man had guessed correctly twice, he might not be accurate with the third guess. But as soon as the blind man spoke again, she was completely astounded.
“Big sister, all three of your sons are married, and you have a young daughter who is not yet betrothed. However, the suitor your daughter is currently seeing doesn’t quite meet your approval, am I right?”
Han Ying had always been unsatisfied with her little daughter’s marital affairs. Aside from her immediate family, she hadn’t spoken of it to anyone, and she had even made her family members swear to secrecy, fearing it would hinder her daughter’s chances of finding a better match in the future.
She couldn’t contain her excitement and grabbed the blind man’s hand tightly, “Master, can you tell me what’s going on with the man destined for my daughter?”
The blind man smiled faintly and shook his head, “Big sister, your daughter’s fate lacks the water element; she needs to find a man who lives by the water.”
The blind man then pretended to examine his fingers again and exclaimed, “Ah, big sister, your daughter’s situation seems a bit ominous. She was often sick as a child, and now as she’s grown up, she works in places with heavy yin energy, which is greatly detrimental to her health. If this continues, I’m certain there will be trouble within three years.”
Upon hearing this, the old lady panicked. Her daughter was the apple of her and her husband’s eye, not yet married. She couldn’t just watch her daughter suffer misfortune, regardless of whether what the blind man said was accurate or not. She decided to wait and see what he had to say next, “Master, do you have a solution?”
The blind man pondered for a moment before speaking, “Big sister, I really shouldn’t be meddling in your family’s affairs. After all, revealing the will of Heaven is against the rules. But since we are fated to meet, I’ll give you some advice. Take it if it resonates with you, and if it doesn’t, pretend we never met, alright? Your daughter’s fate is inherently weak, and working in that place, it’s inevitable she’ll come into contact with unclean things. From my calculations, she needs to find a partner who can suppress those negative influences, otherwise, it will lead to disaster sooner or later.”
Han Ying, gripping the blind man’s arm in urgency, asked, “Master, what kind of person should my daughter seek to ensure her safety?”
The blind man’s next words took her by surprise, “A person who has killed can suppress the malevolent energy on your daughter and enhance her fortune. A person who has killed carries a strong energy that can subdue your daughter’s negative aura, ensuring her safety throughout her life.”
Upon hearing that she should find a murderer to be her son-in-law, Han Ying became agitated and looked at the blind man with a hint of hostility, “What are you saying, old man? Are you cursing my daughter? Finding a murderer for her to marry? I’d rather she remain unmarried. We might as well have her quit that job. I can’t let her marry a killer.”
The blind man, upon hearing her words, stroked his sparse beard and shook his head, “Big sister, calm down and listen to me explain. Not everyone who has killed is a murderer. Think about it, have police officers killed? When they carry out death sentences on criminals, they kill, don’t they? But does that make them bad people? And what about soldiers who charge into battle? You can’t say they haven’t killed, nor can you call them bad people. So it’s not as you think.”
Han Ying was somewhat suspicious as she watched him carefully, “Blind man, have you overheard something and come here specifically to swindle me?”
The blind man, sensing her hostility, shook his head, “Big sister, you’re wronging me. We don’t know each other. Why would I swindle you? I’m not asking for money or goods. What would I gain from this? If you don’t believe it, just forget I said anything. However, I must warn you, you’re surrounded by misfortune recently. It’s best to stay indoors to avoid financial loss.”
Without waiting for Han Ying to respond, he had already started to leave with his cane. The old lady did not follow him because she herself was somewhat skeptical. It seemed too coincidental to stumble upon this blind man.
She was half-convinced and half-doubtful, and she didn’t take the blind man’s final words seriously. After all, who would dare trouble her, and as for losing money, she thought no one born could trick her out of her money.
Continuing on her way to the vegetable market with her basket in hand, she was determined to see if what the blind man said would come true. If his prediction proved accurate, she would believe his words. Otherwise, if she ever encountered that blind man again, he would have a difficult time dealing with her.
While the old lady was walking and pondering her thoughts, she accidentally bumped into someone. There was a crashing sound as something hit the ground and shattered. Han Ying snapped back to reality and saw a bottle of Wuliangye liquor on the ground, broken, with the contents spilled all over and the scent of alcohol permeating the air.
“You old lady, how do you walk? You’ve got eyes to see, don’t you? Look what you did, you broke the wine I bought for my grandfather’s birthday gift. What are we going to do about this?”
Han Ying hadn’t quite figured out how the bottle got broken, but seeing the mess on the ground, she felt somewhat apologetic, yet she was defensive, “Listen here, young lady, you should also watch where you’re going. How come you’re bumping into people while holding a bottle of wine? Why is it my fault when the bottle breaks? I’m an old woman with poor eyesight, are you telling me you, a young person, can’t see?”
The young woman, with her eyebrows furrowed, pointed at the old lady indignantly, “Old lady, be reasonable, will you? If you hadn’t touched my wine bottle, how could it have fallen and broken? You, on the other hand, don’t even apologize; instead, you’re blaming me. Fine, if you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, this isn’t over.”
This incident reflects the blind man’s warning about Han Ying’s potential misfortune and the possibility of financial loss. It appears that, whether by coincidence or not, his prediction has come to pass, suggesting that Han Ying should perhaps reconsider the veracity of the blind man’s earlier fortune-telling about her daughter. However, the immediate problem at hand is resolving the conflict with the young woman and the broken bottle of liquor.
The argument between the two women on the street quickly drew a crowd, as is often the case when there’s a public dispute; people are naturally curious and gather around. The onlookers learned the details of the incident from the back-and-forth between Han Ying and the young woman.
A bystander spoke up, suggesting that regardless of the circumstances, Han Ying should apologize for breaking the bottle, as her attitude was not helping the situation. They implied that an apology might simplify matters.
With someone taking the lead, the crowd began discussing the incident, putting more pressure on Han Ying. Knowing she was partly in the wrong and fearing that the situation might escalate, potentially embarrassing her family, she decided to negotiate. She wanted to resolve the issue but also didn’t want to accept full responsibility.
Han Ying proposed a compromise to the young woman: “Young lady, it was wrong of me to bump into you, but it’s also your fault for not holding your things properly. You can’t blame it all on me. Look, if there’s a fault, it lies with both of us, and I can’t be solely responsible. I’m willing to compensate, but only for half the cost. If you don’t agree with this, we should take this matter to the police station.”