Chapter 42: Master Qin

This group of enthusiastic homeowners, true to their word, immediately set up a welcoming group chat. The group wasn’t small, with nearly 20 people.

They planned a welcome ceremony in the chat, and Qin Qing observed the whole process.

If Liu Simin hadn’t privately tipped off Qin Qing, saying she had a request, Qin Qing would have fled the community overnight.

Given their enthusiasm, it seemed less like welcoming a new neighbor and more like planning how to divide and devour the new neighbor.

This group was quite particular; they really did organize a welcome ceremony. Before that, they hadn’t mentioned any personal matters. It seemed that if they didn’t put in some effort first, what they gained wouldn’t feel substantial.

Since the clients hadn’t brought it up, Qin Qing naturally wouldn’t rush into it.

The welcome dinner was set to take place in the community’s public activity room. To show their sincerity, the neighbors didn’t even hire outside chefs; they all rolled up their sleeves and got to work themselves, vowing to showcase their lifelong culinary skills.

Just listening to the menu proposals in the group chat, it was as if chefs from all over the world were holding a conference there.

There was Japanese tempura, Spanish paella, French foie gras, Bordeaux beef, Thai Tom Yum Goong, Greek salad, Italian tiramisu…

But there wasn’t a single real chef to coordinate and arrange everything, so on that day, Qin Qing felt like she was eating a strange-tasting hodgepodge.

She didn’t cook herself, so she packed several portions of braised pork bones from a restaurant outside, a signature dish she had recently discovered. In the end, apart from the dishes she packed, nothing else was finished.

Many dishes were merely tasted and praised upon serving, then no one touched them again.

The dining table was a mess, but the people around it were all smiles and laughter.

Elegant, truly elegant.

Qin Qing had been waiting for clients to place orders, but until the very end of the gathering, no one brought up any requests.

The other shoe just wouldn’t drop, and Qin Qing felt tired for them.

It had been days, and they were still building up to it.

After the gathering, Qin Qing returned to her new home. Before she even changed her shoes, she noticed her phone dinging with notifications.

They were all friend requests.

Perhaps fearing she wouldn’t recognize them, the request notes were varied and colorful.

“The one in the green shirt,” “The one who can make foie gras,” “The one sitting on the left side”…

Qin Qing: “…”

Who wants to work overtime late at night?

She didn’t want to deal with it, absolutely not.

And she really didn’t. At the gathering, she had briefly scanned everyone’s System Panel, and there wasn’t anything particularly major. It wouldn’t make much difference whether she was there or not.

The next morning, Mumu woke Qin Qing up very early. It loved running around in this community. Its daily walk time was always met with great enthusiasm.

Qin Qing was still half-asleep and just put on a hat before heading out.

As soon as she opened the door, she found two “door gods” standing outside.

“Auntie!” This was Liu Xingchen.

“Ultraman Jie Jie!” This was Ming Youqian.

Liu Xingchen held a large fruit basket: “These fruits are especially sweet. They were given to our family by others. I brought them for Auntie to try.”

Ming Youqian held his lazy, fat cat on a leash: “I came to find Mumu to go for a walk together.”

Who would have thought that the only two children among Qin Qing’s former clients lived in the same community?

Qin Qing asked, “You two came, why didn’t you knock?”

The two little ones didn’t speak, looking at the sky and the ground, just not at her.

Could they really be silent about this?

Qin Qing took the fruit basket back inside: “Mumu wants to go out and play, so we can’t entertain you today.”

Ming Youqian picked up his fat cat from the ground and grinned: “Let’s go, I’m ready.”

Liu Xingchen looked at the cat in Ming Youqian’s arms, then at the dog by Qin Qing’s feet, and then at his own empty hands, looking a little disappointed.

With no parents around, Qin Qing couldn’t let other people’s children play with her dog.

She couldn’t let him hold the leash, but she asked, “Xingchen, do you want to come for a walk with us?”

“Yes!”

Walking out with the two little ones, they hadn’t gone far when they saw two tall, strong men with serious expressions at the elevator entrance.

Liu Xingchen introduced them to Qin Qing: “These are the bodyguards my mom told me to always have with me.” Then he said to the latter, “Bodyguard uncles, let’s go.”

Qin Qing rationally understood that it was normal for parents of a child who had been kidnapped to be worried.

But, in reality, it was very strange.

As she wandered around the community with the two little ones, these two stern-faced bodyguards trailed behind.

It created an immediate sense of “do not approach strangers.”

If Mumu started running excitedly, the scene became even stranger.

Imagine the scene: Qin Qing being pulled by Mumu, running ahead, with the two children following behind, running and teasing Mumu, making it bark, and finally, two men in black chasing after them…

The first time they encountered the community patrol security, the officer came up with a taser: “I’ve called for backup, please surrender.”

Qin Qing, running ahead, couldn’t explain in time. The security guard was subdued by one of the men in black, who twisted his arm, while the other dutifully stayed by Liu Xingchen’s side.

Soon after, the security around the community arrived with steel forks and shields.

What a chaotic misunderstanding.

Qin Qing: “…”

When they reached Liu Xingchen’s building, she tactfully declined the continued company of the child with the built-in martial arts cheat.

The child was reluctant and pitiful: “Auntie…”

Qin Qing realized that “Auntie” and “Aunt” were different relationships.

“Auntie” made it harder to say no.

Ming Youqian said seriously, “You don’t have a pet to walk, so you don’t have to run this far with us.”

Then, the next morning.

When Qin Qing opened the door to walk her dog, she found Liu Xingchen had come again. This time, he was holding a small, chubby Paparazzi dog that could do a front flip just by walking.

Liu Xingchen happily invited them to team up: “Auntie, from now on, we can all walk our dogs together.”

He glanced at Ming Youqian’s fat cat, puffed out his little chest proudly, and said, “Cats don’t need to be walked, you don’t have to run this far with us.”

Qin Qing wanted to say that their two fat gourds weren’t much different.

She bent down to stroke the chubby dog. Mumu came over, nudged her hand away, sniffed the chubby dog’s nose, and then gently nudged it, causing the unstable chubby dog to tumble to the ground.

Mumu then went to nudge the “gas tank” cat. The cat was even more brazen, simply lying on the ground as if to make itself at home. It was slow to react to everything around it and seemed indifferent.

Mumu looked back at Qin Qing, and she clearly saw the disdain in its eyes.

Qin Qing: “…”

What kind of Shura field was this?

Three people, three pets, six hearts.

From then on, Qin Qing’s daily dog-walking routine became her leading two children and three pets, with two men in black chasing behind them, forming a grand procession. It had become a scenic spot in the community.

Sometimes, other pet-owning neighbors would join in, making the procession even larger.

But the neighbors were all quite busy; usually, it was nannies who helped walk the dogs.

Nannies generally wouldn’t approach Qin Qing.

In fact, she had become the public enemy of the nannies’ circle in the community.

The story began when she started taking orders from the neighbors.

The first orders from the neighbors were basically conservative household background checks.

Checking household staff, no risk, and it could test Qin Qing’s business capabilities, a side job.

This household background check didn’t uncover any major villains. There was one who disliked the employer’s crying, non-verbal child and would intimidate the child in places without surveillance. After being discovered, the employer dismissed her.

There were also heartwarming stories.

Some household staff had family emergencies and urgently needed money, but never showed it to their employers. When the employers found out, they actively lent money to help.

There were also strange ones.

For example, a young couple who had just gotten together lived downstairs from Qin Qing.

The house was bought by the man, so the household staff had been taking care of the male owner in this house for several years, and their relationship was reportedly good.

When the community conducted this household background check, the male owner was away on a business trip. His girlfriend was said to be an artist who had just returned from a tour exhibition and was resting at home. Her relationship with the household staff was not very good.

When it was said that their relationship was not good, it was actually the household staff’s unilateral opinion.

The artist simply didn’t care about these household chores.

She hadn’t even hired Qin Qing.

But the household staff seemed to have misunderstood and got into an argument with the artist.

“I’ve taken care of Mr. for several years, it’s not your place, an outsider, to point fingers. Don’t think you’re so great just because he found you as a friend; who knows what will happen in the future.”

They argued not at home, but downstairs in the building, in front of several other household staff.

The household staff complained with snot and tears: “She doesn’t even fold her clothes at home, and she waits for me to wash the dishes after eating. I’m so good to her, and she actually wants to hire someone to check on me. Where do I put my face…”

The artist was clearly unaccustomed to such a scene and didn’t argue back, just pursed her lips and stood by, listening to the household staff enumerate her various lazinesses.

Qin Qing told this story to her studio staff. She wasn’t present at the time, but someone who witnessed it had recorded a video.

“If you hadn’t said it was an employer and household staff, boss, I would have thought it was a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.”

“What happened next?”

Qin Qing: “Later, the artist’s boyfriend came back. The household staff complained to the male owner and then said, ‘It’s either me or her in this house, who do you choose?'”

The group in the studio listening to the gossip were all dumbfounded.

“Could that household staff be the male owner’s long-lost birth mother?”

No, she wasn’t.

And this later incident didn’t happen in public. Qin Qing just happened to see the household staff, pale-faced, carrying luggage out of the building while walking her dog.

Through the System Panel, Qin Qing knew: “She was fired by the male owner.”

The studio staff clicked their tongues: “How dare she? So brave.”

Lou Xinyue said, “Perhaps the employer’s long-term respect led to a misplaced transference. Some people treat others’ good manners as their own protective umbrella. It’s not a big deal, just disgusting. I also hired household staff in my late pregnancy. At the time, we agreed she would specifically cook. Besides kitchen hygiene, other areas were cleaned by an hourly worker, so she didn’t need to do them.

“She looked quite amiable, and living under the same roof, I was also amiable and never bossed her around. Later, I found that the nicer I was to her, the more she would overstep. For example, she would cook a lot of dishes at noon, and if we couldn’t finish them, we’d have to eat leftovers at night. Being pregnant, I didn’t want my child to eat leftovers, so I told her to cook less at noon. At first, she didn’t listen and said it was hot and she’d sweat a lot every time she cooked, telling me to just make do, and then she’d sarcastically call me delicate. Only when she saw I was truly angry did she reluctantly cook fresh dishes for dinner.

“Then she would deliberately cook very little at noon. I hadn’t even finished half a bowl of rice when there were no more dishes. When asked, she’d say I told her to cook less, and she was just following orders.

“Sometimes I’d get hungry around 10 PM and want a late-night snack. Two out of three times, she’d refuse, saying her job was three meals a day, and late-night snacks were overtime. If I had friends over, she never showed a good face. She also told me that adding more dishes meant overtime pay.”

Young Master Lu was stunned: “Sister, you actually tolerated her for so long.”

“Anyway, changing people would be similar. At that time, I couldn’t do it myself either. I could only wait until my mother-in-law came before I fired her. Later, when the household service company did a follow-up, I heard she gave me a very low rating, classifying me as a ‘demanding employer.’ In such cases, if I wanted to hire someone from their company again, I might have to pay more.”

Qin Qing also understood.

In the household service industry, service quality varied greatly.

But no matter what the household staff’s level was, her reputation in the community’s household service circle was completely ruined.

Household staff naturally had more empathy for their colleagues.

After the household staff who wanted to compete with the employer’s girlfriend left, they didn’t know the truth, but in their hearts, it was as if two colleagues had been “driven away” by Qin Qing.

However, they could only give her dirty looks, which wouldn’t affect her life.

The orders from the community owners were varied and nothing major, but they paid promptly, and Qin Qing was quite willing to take such jobs.

For example, there was a highly superstitious owner. His superstition, like Chen Daguang’s, lacked a system and sincerity; he only believed what he wanted to believe, a kind of mixed belief.

He and his wife were both second-generation rich, good-looking, but in the eyes of their elders, they were a “good-for-nothing” combination.

Their elders only hoped they wouldn’t squander their wealth together and would live well on their dividends.

This couple found Qin Qing.

The husband was Yu Hang, and the wife was Fan Qi.

If they didn’t speak, they were truly a handsome man and beautiful woman, but once they opened their mouths, their image plummeted.

Yu Hang said very sincerely, “My siblings are all very capable. They’re good at studying and good at business. Those who didn’t work in our family company went out and made a name for themselves. Only I’m a bit ordinary; I almost didn’t even get into university.”

Qin Qing wanted to comfort him, but then he continued, “But Master, you see, my appearance doesn’t look like an ordinary person, does it?”

Qin Qing had a question mark on her face. What kind of confusing statement was this? Are good-looking people so spoiled that they have such a strange self-confidence?

Yu Hang said, “So, combining these two points, I think my luck has been stolen. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing so poorly.” He said earnestly, “Master, do you think my logic is correct, is it seamless?”

You have no logic whatsoever.

Instead of doubting that he was swapped at birth, he suspected his luck was stolen.

Fan Qi also said with a serious face, “My family has two sisters. My older sister is very capable, and my parents plan to hand over the family business to her.”

Qin Qing asked, “Do you also suspect your luck was stolen? Or do you want to go back and fight for the family inheritance?”

“Not at all. My sister is smarter than me. It’s good for her to inherit the family business, and I’m not interested. But, since I was little, I’ve always stumbled when walking. Master, do you think there’s something unclean clinging to me, always tripping me up?”

Yu Hang also said, “Yes, my wife is so beautiful, this isn’t an ordinary configuration either.”

Qin Qing: “…”

Have you two never considered that you’re just uncoordinated?

And what is an “ordinary configuration”?

How did these two brainless people go out without getting beaten?

Facing two pairs of eager eyes, Qin Qing said, “Actually, 99% of the things people encounter can be explained by science, not necessarily by metaphysics.”

“So, you mean I was born ordinary, and no one stole my luck?” Yu Hang asked.

“…”

How was she supposed to answer that? This silly child’s thinking wasn’t hurting anyone. Even his parents hadn’t shattered his fantasy, so why should she be the bad guy?

So Qin Qing decided to change her approach.

She asked, “Have you encountered anything unlucky recently?”

Yu Hang sighed, “My wife and I recently opened a company. Business was good when we opened, but we haven’t had many orders lately.”

Qin Qing thought it was quite normal. At first, family and friends supported them, and the decline in performance was because they hadn’t attracted new customers.

But she knew Yu Hang’s mind wouldn’t think that way. Sure enough, he didn’t disappoint, and he said something surprising: “And then, I found that the Money Tree I was growing at the company entrance slowly started to look bad. It must be that a competitor wants to kill my Money Tree to destroy my company’s financial luck.”

Yu Hang was quite indignant.

Qin Qing: “A Money Tree wilting doesn’t necessarily mean your financial luck is being destroyed. Is there a possibility of improper care?”

“Impossible. I personally take care of this tree. I water it every day. I’m so dedicated; the problem definitely isn’t with me.”

Qin Qing: “How about we go to your company to take a look?”

On the way, she also dragged along someone who understood horticulture.

Qin Qing didn’t even need to speak. The gardener immediately found the problem. He stuck his finger into the soil and said, “You’ve watered it too much, and the roots are rotting. Also, this spot isn’t well-ventilated, so the water evaporates slowly.”

Qin Qing asked, “Can it be saved?”

“Yes, change the soil and put it in a well-ventilated place. It will recover quickly.”

Yu Hang: “That’s it?”

The gardener was puzzled: “That’s it.”

Qin Qing took the opportunity to promote scientific education: “So, many times, anomalies are not necessarily unscientific things.”

Yu Hang pondered: “Master can know the condition of a tree from over ten kilometers away. That’s already very unscientific.”

Qin Qing: “…”

Your brain is sharp now.

Yu Hang asked expectantly, “Then, Master, about my luck…”

Qin Qing held her head: “No rush, no rush, hehe, let me think, let me think first.”

Help, this client’s stubbornness was giving her a headache.

Yu Hang and his wife left a deep impression.

The next day, she heard Yu Hang speak in the owner’s group. He @ the property management and said, “The cicadas in the community are too noisy, affecting my nap. Send someone to climb the trees and catch them.”

The property management replied with an emoji that meant “I cannot do it.”

Other owners, probably knowing his character, said, “Loud cicada calls mean our community is having good luck. It’s an auspicious sign. It would be bad to destroy it.”

Yu Hang said, “Oh, I see. Then I’ll just take a few more sleeping pills.”

Property management: “Don’t do that…”

Twenty minutes later, property management replied in the group chat: “We’ve already gone to the owner’s house and checked—it’s melatonin, not sleeping pills!!!”

Even through the screen, Qin Qing could feel the calm madness in those three exclamation marks—property management torn between a desperate will to survive and utter despair.

She gave them a minute of sympathy.

Then she got a message: “Master, any update on my luck?”

Qin Qing turned off her phone and pretended not to see it.

—

That day, just as Qin Qing was getting off work and walking out of the office, someone called out to her.

“Master Qin, please wait.”

At first, Qin Qing didn’t realize she was the one being called, until a young woman caught up to her from behind and called again, “Master Qin, please wait.”

Qin Qing pointed to herself, puzzled. “Me?”

The woman nodded seriously. “Sorry to bother you, but I have a tricky matter and would like to ask for your guidance.”

Getting stopped after work was annoying.

Basically forced overtime.

But “Master Qin” sounded pretty good—like her professional level had suddenly skyrocketed.

So, she decided to hear the woman out.

The woman’s outfit was eye-catching.

She had an enviable head of hair, styled into numerous little braids tied with colorful ribbons. She wore a loose white V-neck T-shirt and a brown asymmetrical cotton-linen maxi skirt, paired with matching Roman sandals. Both wrists were adorned with thin silver bangles that jingled as she walked. As if that weren’t enough, she also wore some kind of red bead string and a complexly knotted red cord bracelet.

She looked to be about the same age as Qin Qing.

“Let me introduce myself—my name is Gao Yang. I’m a sorcerer.”

What the heck?

Another scammer?

Gao Yang continued, “Granny Shun is my grandmother. I’m the heir of the Gao family’s practice in this area.”

She paused, seemingly waiting for Qin Qing’s reaction.

But Qin Qing had no reaction.

She was waiting for Gao Yang to keep talking—so she could learn something.

Learn how a “colleague” marketed herself. She might even borrow some of it for her own fortune-telling business.

Unique titles, professional positioning, family legacy…

Qin Qing felt she’d learned something. That sure sounded more credible than her usual “I just know things” spiel. If she had introduced herself like this from the beginning, maybe people would’ve doubted her less.

She blinked.

So… what now?

Gao Yang stopped speaking.

Qin Qing stared back.

Based on her expression, Gao Yang must have thought “Granny Shun” was someone famous?

Qin Qing pretended to have a sudden realization. “Oh, you’re Granny Shun’s granddaughter? My apologies, I didn’t recognize you.”

Gao Yang relaxed and smiled.

“Truthfully, Master Qin, I’ve been observing you for a while. Your skills and talent are truly admirable.”

Qin Qing smiled politely while cursing the System Panel in her head.

That stupid panel—someone was watching her and it didn’t even warn her?

Can it get any more useless?

Now she was caught off guard and cornered.

Grumbling internally, Qin Qing opened Gao Yang’s System Panel.

Basic stats looked normal. Talent: None. But the Skills section listed two:

Skill 1: Funerary Rites – 69

Skill 2: Feng Shui Geomancy – 61

So this “Gao family” is in the funeral business?

Meanwhile, Gao Yang was rambling: “You look younger than me, yet you’re already established and doing so well. May I ask who your teacher is?”

Qin Qing kept smiling.

Now that was a real question. Her teacher? She didn’t have one. How was she supposed to fabricate one out of thin air?

So she deflected, “Master Gao, what brings you here today?”

That’s how the title works, right?

Gao Yang was clearly pleased but remained modest. “I wouldn’t dare. I haven’t formally graduated—I still assist my grandmother.”

So this “Master” thing isn’t just a title—it’s earned?

Qin Qing didn’t understand these supposed industry rules, but she understood social cues.

“You will soon. Please, Master Gao, go ahead.”

With that, Gao Yang finally accepted the title.

She continued, “My grandmother took on a tricky case. She’d like to ask Master Qin to take a look.”

Qin Qing: “…”

She really didn’t want to get involved in funeral work. Also, she honestly had no clue what to do.