Chapter 027

The child sat in the shade of a tree. Today, he wore light blue denim overalls over a small yellow short-sleeved shirt, an outfit Lu Jianxing had personally picked out from the wardrobe and styled this morning. His fluffy short hair lay neatly against his cheeks, and his fair, tender face was round and adorable. When he looked over with his dark, obsidian eyes, no one could tell he was a five-year-old Little Master who could tell fortunes.

But the elderly men and women currently gathered around him were all incredibly convinced of his skills.

Especially Grandpa Zhang.

The elderly man who had just received a bad fortune reading was named Zhang. He was a resident of the same housing complex and a loyal customer of Master Xiao Man. Before Lu Jianxing had even noticed, he had already paid several ten-yuan bills.

The first time he met Master Xiao Man was also in this garden within the complex.

That evening, he had gone downstairs for a stroll. It wasn’t dark yet, and many seniors and children were playing in the small garden. Qiao Man was driving his little toy car, pressing the horn with a series of beeps. Being up there in years, Grandpa Zhang was very indulgent toward children, so he proactively walked along the side of the path to leave plenty of space for the kids to play.

Although the child was a new face, he was quite famous in the complex. Word was that he had been on television and was a little star! Every day, when the child drove his little car around the complex, many people recognized him.

Today was no exception. Qiao Man drove his little car out with a majestic air. Some people who had watched Wilderness Challenge would call out his name, and Qiao Man responded to each one. Grandpa Zhang watched with a smile, but as he watched, the child glanced at him while driving past, and the car came to a stop right in front of him.

Before Grandpa Zhang could react, he heard the child say to him, “Grandpa, your house is about to catch fire!”

What fire?

His house?

No, how could this child be so impolite, cursing his home to catch fire the moment he opened his mouth!

Grandpa Zhang’s eyebrows shot up, and he was just about to scold the boy, but before he could lose his temper, other nearby residents anxiously chimed in. “What? A fire?”

“This is a serious matter!”

“Grandpa Zhang, hurry home and take a look.”

“If Master Xiao Man said so, you definitely won’t be wrong to go check!”

Grandpa Zhang was bewildered.

Wait? Isn’t this just a five-year-old kid? How did he become a Master? And how could he “definitely not be wrong”?

And these people helping to persuade him – although they all lived in the same complex, they didn’t usually talk much. How had they suddenly become this kid’s support group?

It was clearly this child who had cursed his house to catch fire first, so why were they all on the kid’s side?

Grandpa Zhang hadn’t intended to believe it, but with everyone around him urging him one after another, he ended his walk early in a daze and was hurried all the way back home.

To his surprise, the moment he stepped through the door, he smelled something burning.

Grandpa Zhang rushed into the kitchen and broke into a cold sweat. There was a pot of soup simmering on the stove; he had forgotten to turn off the burner before leaving. By now, the soup had boiled dry, and it had almost started a fire!

Fortunately, he had returned in time before anything happened. Grandpa Zhang quickly turned off the stove, thinking with lingering fear: If he hadn’t listened to that child and had stayed out until dark like usual, it would have been too late by the time he got back.

Once he regained his composure, he felt puzzled again. He was the one who forgot to turn off the stove, and the fire hadn’t even started yet, so how did that child know?

Many people in the garden had witnessed the incident. Afterward, when people asked Grandpa Zhang about what happened, he didn’t hide anything and told them every detail. Upon learning that a fire really had almost broken out, everyone was shocked.

At the same time, someone answered Grandpa Zhang’s confusion.

“That child can tell fortunes, he’s got real ability!” an old lady from Building 3 said. “My granddaughter watches a variety show every day, and I saw him on that program. With just one look, he could even tell if someone was their parents’ biological child.”

“Fortune-telling?” an old man from Building 8 scoffed. “There are so many scammers these days. Everything on TV is fake, you can’t take it seriously.”

“Exactly. There are plenty of scammers over at People’s Park who tell everyone they see that disaster is imminent just because they want to swindle money.”

“In this day and age, even kids are coming out to deceive people?”

“If he can’t tell fortunes, how did he know Old Zhang needed to turn off his stove before it caught fire?”

“Maybe he just smelled the gas when he passed by Old Zhang’s front door.”

Both sides had their own arguments, and Grandpa Zhang was also feeling conflicted.

He and the child weren’t neighbors, nor had they ever had any contact before. The fire hadn’t even happened yet, but the other party had predicted it. Could that child really be a “Master”?

The next day, Grandpa Zhang bought a large snack gift pack along with some fruit and milk. He specifically waited in the garden, and as soon as he saw the little boy appear, he immediately walked over with the snacks.

Qiao Man still remembered him and greeted him politely, “Hello, Grandpa.”

“Little one, thank you so much for yesterday. If you hadn’t reminded me, something terrible would have happened at home.”

Just as Grandpa Zhang was about to hand over the items, Qiao Man quickly tucked his small hands behind his back and scrambled back several steps in a panic. He shook his head vigorously. “Xingxing said I can’t take things from strangers.”

Grandpa Zhang hurriedly asked, “Then where do you live? When will your guardians be home? I’ll go to your door to thank them.”

“No need,” Qiao Man said nonchalantly. “It was a small thing, don’t worry about it.”

“How is this a small thing? I…”

“Master Xiao Man!”

An excited voice suddenly cut in from the side. Grandpa Zhang turned his head and saw a fashionably dressed young woman. She looked a bit familiar, likely another resident of the complex.

The woman was wearing high heels and came jogging over from a distance. She bypassed Grandpa Zhang without a glance and ran straight to Qiao Man before stopping. She was out of breath, her face filled with gratitude.

“Sweetie, you were right! That boyfriend of mine really was cheating!” Before the woman could even catch her breath, she began to complain indignantly. “If you hadn’t reminded me last time, I would have been fooled by that scumbag! Sweetie, it’s all thanks to you. I really don’t know how to thank you enough.”

Qiao Man said with a calm face, “Just remember to pay.”

“Right, right, I almost forgot.” The young woman pulled a pre-prepared ten-yuan bill from her bag. Seeing the child take it, she hesitated slightly. “Sweetie, is ten yuan really enough? Are you making any profit?”

“It’s enough.” Qiao Man happily folded the money and tucked it into his chest pocket. “Like I said, ten yuan per reading. If it’s not accurate, you don’t pay.”

The girl quickly said, “Sweetie, how about you give me another reading?”

“Did you break up with your boyfriend?”

“I did, I did! As soon as I found out he was cheating, I broke it off immediately.”

Qiao Man shook his head. “Then there’s no need for another reading.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “If he comes back to harass you, you can come find me again. I can help you curse him!”

The girl was amused and offered many more words of gratitude before reluctantly leaving.

Grandpa Zhang had watched the entire exchange from the side. When he heard the price was only ten yuan, his mind stirred. He felt he had found a way to express his gratitude.

Young people mostly used mobile payments, but elderly people like him often carried cash. Once the girl left, he pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and asked Qiao Man, “Can I get a fortune-telling reading too?”

The child, who had been indifferent to the snacks earlier, saw his eyes light up the moment the bill appeared. Like a puppy seeing a bone or a kitten seeing canned food, Xiao Man’s gaze was instantly drawn to the paper money.

However, he didn’t take it. He said regretfully, “Grandpa, it’s ten yuan a reading. This bill is too big, I don’t have change.”

Grandpa Zhang had no choice but to swap it for a ten-yuan bill.

Only then did the child happily accept it. He turned the ten-yuan note over and over to check it, and once he was sure it was real, the joy on his face intensified. He tilted his head back, his eyes sparkling as he looked up. “Grandpa, what do you want to calculate?”

Grandpa Zhang thought about it. Truthfully, he didn’t have anything he needed to calculate, but he had to ask for something or the child wouldn’t accept the money. He racked his brains and finally remembered a difficult problem. “Can you find things?”

“Find things?”

“When my late wife was alive, she had a necklace I gave her. She lost it before she passed away, and we never found it.” Grandpa Zhang reminisced, his heart feeling a bit heavy.

He and his wife had shared a deep affection, never once raising their voices at each other in decades. After she passed, he had carefully kept all her belongings, but that necklace was nowhere to be found. His old lady had been talking about it even as she passed. Later, Grandpa Zhang had searched several more times, turning the house upside down, but he never found a trace of it.

Grandpa Zhang described it. “The necklace wasn’t very expensive. I didn’t have much money when we were young. The gemstone was small, shaped like a leaf.”

“A necklace? Let me see…”

Qiao Man lowered his head, his fingers beginning to move in rapid calculations.

“Hmm… it’s in the east.” The child’s small face crumpled as if he were facing a great difficulty. He grew so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. “A cabinet… little birds… so many words… Ah! I know! It’s in the letters!”

“In the letters?”

“Yes, it’s in the letters.” Qiao Man said obediently, “Grandpa, go back and look. You’ll find the necklace in the letters.”

Grandpa Zhang immediately agreed. “Alright, alright. I’ll go look as soon as I get back.”

Having helped someone solve a problem and earned twenty yuan, Qiao Man waved his little hand to say goodbye to Grandpa Zhang. He skipped away, heading toward the convenience store to buy himself an ice cream.

After parting with the child, Grandpa Zhang returned home carrying the gifts he hadn’t been able to give away.

Of course, Grandpa Zhang didn’t hold much hope. He just wanted an excuse to give the boy some money. Ten yuan was simply too little; he figured he would find more opportunities to use this excuse in the future.

However, after he returned home and sat down, he unexpectedly recalled the child’s words.

The east?

The room to the east was the family study. When his wife was alive, the study was where she spent most of her time.

Grandpa Zhang stood up and walked into the study. He looked around and his gaze landed on the bookcase. He opened it to find many books left behind by his old lady. Since her passing, Grandpa Zhang hadn’t moved them, keeping everything exactly as it was. Looking at them now, beautiful memories flooded his mind.

Perhaps because his late wife had been mentioned today, he missed her exceptionally much, suddenly sinking into memories of the past. Every old book held many stories. Grandpa Zhang pulled down a mooncake tin¹ and opened it. To his surprise, it was filled with love letters he had written to his wife when they were young.

Seeing his youthful love letters so carefully preserved, the pages slightly yellowed, Grandpa Zhang couldn’t help but smile, his eyes turning misty.

He opened the letters and read through them one by one. The old memories felt fresh. The passions of his youth were so intense that looking back now, Grandpa Zhang’s old face turned red. He felt a bit embarrassed seeing his own handwriting.

When he reached the tenth or so letter, he pulled out the stationery. Just as he was about to open it, he felt something else inside the envelope. The weight was different from the previous letters. Grandpa Zhang tipped it over, and a necklace with a green leaf gemstone pendant slid out of the envelope.

Wasn’t this the very necklace he had searched so long for and couldn’t find!

Grandpa Zhang froze on the spot.

Suddenly, he remembered something and picked up the mooncake tin again. On the lid of the tin, two little birds were perched on a branch, looking incredibly lifelike.

He looked at the bookcase, then the mooncake tin, and then the envelope.

This… this…

His eyes widened in disbelief.

This was practically divine!

And so, Master Xiao Man’s fortune-telling stall officially opened in the neighborhood!

The neighborhood’s senior group, led by Grandpa Zhang, quickly became Master Xiao Man’s loyal clients. Master Xiao Man’s business was extensive; whether it was finding lost items, checking Feng Shui, or calculating fortunes for romance or career, he was an expert at everything. A few days ago, he had even helped an old man see through a health supplement scam.

The only downside was that Master Xiao Man only performed three readings a day. Sometimes, you had to scramble to get a spot.

At the moment Lu Jianxing stumbled upon them, Grandpa Zhang had snatched the first reading of the day and was currently getting a fortune told for his son.

Grandpa Zhang’s son ran a business out of town. He was reportedly a big boss who had started from nothing, very successful and extremely filial to his elderly father. However, his business had run into some trouble recently. Grandpa Zhang didn’t understand the world of business and couldn’t help, but he was worried, so he thought of coming to Master Xiao Man for a reading.

As it turned out, the results of Master Xiao Man’s divination weren’t very good either.

Qiao Man’s small face grew solemn. “In his case, it’s likely that someone close to him is working against him.”

“Working against him?” Grandpa Zhang asked hurriedly. “Does that mean we need to perform a ritual? Do we need a ceremony? My son is in City X. Since he’s so far away, can your powers reach him, Master?”

“By ‘someone,’ I don’t mean a ghost or a demon, but a person near him,” Master Xiao Man explained. “Based on what I’ve calculated, his current streak of bad luck is because someone close to him wants to harm him. As for the specifics, I’ll need to see him in person to be sure.”

Grandpa Zhang didn’t feel relieved; instead, he grew even more worried.

If it were a ghost, it would be fine, he could just ask the Master to exorcise it. But the one harming his son was a human. The human heart was unpredictable, far more terrifying than ghosts or gods.

Unable to sit still, Grandpa Zhang immediately pulled out his phone and called his son.

The phone rang twice before it was answered. “Hello, Dad?”

Grandpa Zhang got straight to the point. “Son, hasn’t your company been having problems lately? I was worried, so I asked Master Xiao Man to do a reading for you. The Master said…”

Before he could finish, President Zhang interrupted him. “Wait, what ‘Master Xiao Man’? Dad, have you been scammed? My company is fine, everything’s great!”

“Great? What’s so great about it?” Grandpa Zhang barked. “I saw it on the news! Do you think I don’t know how to use the internet? Master Xiao Man already figured it out, someone close to you is sabotaging you!”

The other end of the line fell silent. Grandpa Zhang barked a few “hellos” into the phone before his son finally asked, “What’s this Master Xiao Man’s background? Is he reliable?”

“Reliable? Of course he’s reliable! Don’t be fooled by the fact that Master Xiao Man is only five years old, he’s incredibly talented. Everything he predicts comes true.” Grandpa Zhang urged, “See when you have time to come back for a visit. Master Xiao Man said he needs to see you in person to get the full picture.”

President Zhang sounded incredulous. “Dad, are you telling me the ‘Master’ you found is a five-year-old kid?!”

“That’s right,” Grandpa Zhang replied, sounding perfectly justified.

President Zhang: “…”

President Zhang fell silent.

“Son?”

“Dad, just stay out of this,” President Zhang said, his voice dropping. “I also felt like something strange was going on at the company, so I found a master of my own…”

Grandpa Zhang blinked. “You found a master too?”

“Yeah,” President Zhang said. “The master said there’s a ghost causing trouble in the company. A simple ritual will solve it.”

Grandpa Zhang immediately lost his temper. His face flushed as he roared into the phone, “Zhang Juncai! How can you be so superstitious? Of all the things to believe in, you choose this? Are any of those ‘masters’ even real? They’re all charlatans out for your money!”

President Zhang was speechless after being berated by his father. “Wait… which one of us is being superstitious here?”

No matter what, surely he was better off than his father, who was putting his faith in a five-year-old?

Another voice seemed to drift from the other end of the line. Soon, President Zhang said, “Dad, I’ve got things to do, I’m hanging up now. Don’t worry about the company. I’ve got it under control.”

“Zhang Juncai? …Hello? Hello?”

Grandpa Zhang pulled the phone away and saw that the call had already ended.

Grandpa Zhang clutched his phone, fuming. He wanted to curse his son, but with so many people watching, he felt too embarrassed to let loose. He took several deep breaths before turning to Qiao Man with an apologetic expression. “Master Xiao Man, I’m truly sorry.”

Qiao Man shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Master had said that if people didn’t believe, it just meant they weren’t destined to, and that was perfectly normal.

He looked at the others. “Does anyone else want… Huh?”

Amidst the crowd of elderly men and women, Lu Jianxing stood out, even with his hat and mask. Though he stayed on the periphery, he was much taller than everyone else, with a straight posture and an elegant aura. When their eyes met, Lu Jianxing raised the bag in his hand to signal him.

Qiao Man scrambled up from the ground and threw himself toward Lu Jianxing with joy.

“Xingxing, you’re back!”

His eyes lit up when he saw what was in the bag. “Wow, ice cream too!”

It was so hot that the ice cream was already starting to melt. Qiao Man hurriedly pulled Lu Jianxing toward home. “Quick, quick, let’s go home and eat the ice cream!”

The others called out, “Master Xiao Man, what about the other two readings?”

“No more for today.” Qiao Man jogged back to pick up his cardboard sign and told the crowd, “That’s it for today. I’m going home!”

A collective sigh rose from the crowd.

As Lu Jianxing led his ward away, he couldn’t help but look back. The white-haired seniors hadn’t dispersed yet, they were huddled together, gossiping about what had just happened.

Lu Jianxing looked down at the child beside him. “You’ve been fortune-telling in the neighborhood?”

“Yep!”

“For how long?”

“Mm, not long.”

“Do a lot of people ask you for readings?”

Unable to wait, Qiao Man was already tearing into the ice cream. He took a huge spoonful and said muffle-voiced, “I listened to you and didn’t leave the complex. Lately, I’ve only been doing readings for people I know.”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Lu Jianxing had lived in this complex for several years and barely knew anyone. Unlike him, Qiao Man had only been here a short while and had already turned all the seniors in the neighborhood into his clients.

But seeing how the boy was like a fish in water among the elderly, Lu Jianxing felt a bit more at ease.

He also remembered Qiao Man telling him that he used to live on a mountain with his master. One day, his master went down the mountain and never returned, leaving him to live alone for a month. At the very least, his kid was different from others, his survival skills were incredibly strong.

Perhaps knowing that he had to join a film crew wouldn’t be so hard for the boy to accept?

After dinner, Lu Jianxing brought out the second ice cream. While the boy was in a great mood, eating his treat and watching cartoons with his little feet swinging back and forth, Lu Jianxing brought up the fact that he had to join the production crew.

He had barely started when Qiao Man froze, stunned. “Can’t I go with you?”

“No. The set is very busy, and there are so many people…”

Qiao Man let out a loud sob and burst into tears.

He forgot all about his ice cream and cartoons, forcing himself into Lu Jianxing’s embrace. He clung to him with everything he had, and before long, his tears had soaked Lu Jianxing’s shoulder.

Lu Jianxing gently patted his back. Feeling the child’s wet cheek pressed against his neck, his heart grew heavy. “I’ve already asked Sister Yun to stay with you,” he coaxed. “Besides, we can video call all the time…”

Qiao Man looked up with teary eyes, his vision blurred. He pitifully wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “But I’ll miss you, Xingxing! I’m still just a kid. I’ll miss you so much I won’t be able to sleep, and I’ll dream about you every night. Waaa, I’m so miserable!”

Lu Jianxing was speechless.

But he had to harden his heart. “The contract is already signed. I have to join the production. You…”

“Then I’m going too,” Qiao Man blurted out immediately.

Lu Jianxing tried to negotiate. “When Sister Yun has time, she can bring you to visit the set. We’ll see each other then.”

“It’s okay, I can find you myself.” Qiao Man clenched his small fists, his expression determined. “I know how to find the way!”

Lu Jianxing sighed. “…The filming location is in City X. Do you have any idea how far that is? You have to take a plane.”

“I have money!”

Qiao Man frantically dug through his pockets, pulling out the ten yuan he had earned that day. He also had a piggy bank filled with the savings he’d accumulated from fortune-telling. “I can tell fortunes! I can earn enough for a plane ticket… Plane tickets are expensive, so… so I can also beg for food along the way!”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Was he really planning to become a little beggar and beg his way across the country?

What was he supposed to do? Why did he have the sinking feeling that Xiao Man would actually go through with it?

To prevent seeing a familiar face on the front page of the local news, he soothingly stroked the child’s head, his voice soft and coaxing. “You need to stay home like a good boy so I can focus on my work. If you don’t, I’ll be constantly worried about your safety.”

The child’s dark, round eyes were swimming with tears. He tried his best to hold them back, looking utterly pathetic. “I can work with you, just like before. I’m really good at it! I can help you.”

Lu Jianxing felt helpless. “A film set isn’t like a variety show, Xiao Man. They don’t need fortune-telling there.”

“But… but I… I…”

But fortune-telling was all Xiao Man knew how to do!

Qiao Man stammered, unable to come up with a second skill to save his life. His head drooped, the picture of utter dejection.

Just then, a spark of inspiration struck him. Remembering something, his entire demeanor shifted as he suddenly perked up. “I’m going to City X too!” he announced loudly. “I… I’m going on a business trip!”

Lu Jianxing: “…???”

A what now?

Translator’s Notes