Chapter 054

Soon, Lu Jianxing became busy once again.

In the morning, Qiao Man had barely opened his eyes before he was dug out of his warm blankets. Lu Jianxing pulled a sweater over him. As the weather turned cold, the child had become sleepier and more prone to lingering in bed. Only after a damp towel was wiped across his face did Qiao Man sluggishly take hold of his toothbrush.

When Maomao came to pick him up, he brought breakfast along. It was fresh from the stove and still piping hot, consisting entirely of things Qiao Man loved to eat. Lu Jianxing warmed some milk for him, said goodbye to the child sitting at the dining table, and hurried out the door.

To promote his upcoming television drama, he had taken on many more public appearances recently, and his schedule was packed. With more work came more exposure. Now, whenever Qiao Man went online, he could find news related to Lu Jianxing without much effort at all.

Slowly finishing his last custard bun and drinking every drop of the warm milk in his cup, Qiao Man wiped his mouth. He carefully carried his dishes to the kitchen sink.

When Xingxing wasn’t home, Xiao Man had plenty of things to do.

First, he watched two episodes of cartoons and played with his newly bought toys. When the time was right, he ran to the window to see if it was raining outside. The weather was lovely today, and many elderly residents were exercising or strolling in the open space below.

Then he put on his hat, donned his coat, and shouldered his Little Yellow Duck Backpack. He hung his keys, which were strung on a cord, around his neck. Finally, he pushed his bicycle out and headed off to work as well!

Qiao Man skillfully rode his bicycle to the small garden within the residential complex.

As soon as the bike stopped and his “Ten yuan per reading” sign was displayed, the elderly people exercising and walking nearby immediately swarmed around him.

A middle-aged woman with freshly permed curls squeezed to the front, clutching a brand new ten-yuan bill. “Master Xiao Man, it’s my turn for a fortune-telling today.”

“Alright then.”

Qiao Man took the bill and tucked it into his pocket. “Auntie, what do you want to calculate?”

Auntie Jin smiled, smoothing her new curls. “Let’s calculate my daughter’s marriage prospects!”

“Your daughter?”

“My daughter recently started seeing a boyfriend, and they’re getting married soon,” Auntie Jin said happily. “Oh, you have no idea, my daughter really had me worried sick. Before, she was so busy with work she had no heart for dating. Later, when she wanted to find a boyfriend, she was a bit older. She went on so many blind dates, but none of them were right. It wasn’t easy to finally find this current one.”

Living in the same complex, everyone knew each other. They were well aware that Auntie Jin had been fretting over her daughter’s marriage, so hearing the good news, they all offered their congratulations.

“The big day is near, congratulations!”

“Don’t forget to give us wedding candy¹ when the time comes.”

“Your daughter has finally found a good place to settle down!”

Listening to the congratulations around her, Auntie Jin grinned from ear to ear. “Of course, of course. When my daughter gets married, I’ll treat everyone to wedding candy.”

“Wait, if your daughter has already found a boyfriend, what’s left to calculate?” someone asked. “Isn’t that a waste of a reading?”

Auntie Jin immediately grew defensive and retorted, “They’re about to get married. If Master Xiao Man calculates that it’s a good match, then I can truly be at ease.”

The crowd heard this and agreed it made sense.

If it was a good match, she wouldn’t have to worry about picking the wrong person. If even Master Xiao Man said it was good, then he was definitely a one-in-a-million candidate!

Auntie Jin looked at the child before her with a beaming smile. “Master Xiao Man, can you calculate this?”

Qiao Man nodded, then added, “But I need to see her to be able to tell.”

“I know, I know.”

Everyone present was a regular customer of Master Xiao Man and knew his rules. Auntie Jin pulled out her phone and opened a photo from her album. It was a picture of her daughter and the boyfriend together. Auntie Jin asked, “Master Xiao Man, is this okay?”

Qiao Man looked down at it.

The photo on the phone was a group shot from a trip. It wasn’t just Auntie Jin’s daughter and the future son-in-law; they had each brought their own friends. Qiao Man had never met Auntie Jin’s daughter and couldn’t recognize her. “Auntie, which one is your daughter?”

“This one.” Auntie Jin pointed to the long-haired woman in the center of the photo, saying proudly, “This is my daughter. She looks just like I did when I was young.”

Qiao Man looked closer. “Then which one is your daughter’s boyfriend?”

Auntie Jin pointed to the man next to her daughter. The two of them were leaning close together.

“This future son-in-law of mine not only does excellent work, but he’s also gentle and considerate. He’s not bad-looking either, though he’s two years younger than my daughter.” When Auntie Jin spoke of her son-in-law, she was a fountain of praise. “Being two years younger is fine. Young people have energy, and he’s steady too. He doesn’t mess around with important matters.”

Someone nearby said, “No wonder you’re so invested. He sounds like a good catch.”

“Only two years, that’s nothing.”

“This young man looks handsome. You won’t find many like that out there.”

“He’s just a bit short compared to Xingxing.”

Having known Master Xiao Man for a long time, everyone knew a big star lived in their complex. Without Lu Jianxing knowing it, he had already acquired a fan club of elderly residents.

Hearing someone compare Lu Jianxing to her future son-in-law, Auntie Jin didn’t get angry. That was a big star; how could an ordinary person compare? Among ordinary people, her future son-in-law was already quite the handsome young man.

Listening to the others’ praise, Auntie Jin smiled and couldn’t stop smoothing the curls on her head.

However, among all the praise, the most important voice was missing.

Auntie Jin looked down and saw that the child in front of her didn’t have a pleased expression at all. Instead, his small face was wrinkled in a frown as he stared intensely at the photo, as if trying to stare a hole through it.

Her heart skipped a beat. “Master Xiao Man, is there a problem?”

“It’s so strange,” Qiao Man said, his face full of confusion.

Auntie Jin’s heart hammered. “What’s strange?”

“This person.” Qiao Man pointed to the man standing next to Auntie Jin’s future son-in-law. “Who is he?”

Auntie Jin looked. “That’s a friend of my daughter’s boyfriend.”

“Those two…” Qiao Man pointed at her daughter’s boyfriend again, his short finger tracing a line between the two men. “Those two are a couple!”

“What did you say?!”

Auntie Jin’s face changed drastically. “The two of them are a couple?!”

The onlookers widened their eyes, staring at the child in disbelief.

Weren’t they both men?

Two men being together wasn’t unheard of, but one of them was Auntie Jin’s daughter’s boyfriend. They were at the stage of discussing marriage, the kind that was about to happen any day now.

A man about to get married had a boyfriend? What did that mean?

It was a marriage scam²!

Auntie Jin’s face turned ashen.

The elders present had all seen their fair share of life’s storms. While the child still looked confused, they had already figured it out. Everyone was convinced of Master Xiao Man’s abilities and didn’t doubt him for a second. Soon, they were fuming, helping Auntie Jin scold the man.

“Shameless!”

“How can someone be so brazen? He’s gay but he’s tricking a girl from a good family into marriage!”

“It’s a good thing you consulted Master Xiao Man, Sister Jin. Otherwise, you would’ve been fooled by that man!”

Auntie Jin gritted her teeth. “I knew it. With such good qualities, why was he still single? The first time I met him, I felt something was off about that man.”

“This won’t do.” Auntie Jin rolled up her sleeves. “I have to settle the score with him!”

With that, she was about to rush off, but her phone was still in Qiao Man’s hands.

Qiao Man wrinkled his little face and pointed at the short-haired woman next to Auntie Jin’s daughter. “Grandma, who is this?”

Auntie Jin looked. “That’s my daughter’s best friend. They’ve known each other for over ten years.”

Qiao Man’s finger traced a line between the two women as well. “Those two are also a couple.”

“…”

The crowd: “…”

For a moment, all the indignant elders fell silent.

Qiao Man said with a troubled expression, “It’s so strange. Isn’t your daughter getting married? Why are both their fates tied to other people?”

Had he calculated wrong?

Impossible. He had never been wrong before.

Auntie Jin: “…”

Auntie Jin felt everyone’s eyes fall on her.

Looking at the distressed child across from her, she pursed her lips, then stomped her foot, snatched her phone, and pushed through the crowd toward home.

That brat!

If she had a girlfriend, she should have said so earlier instead of making her mother lose so much face!

So what if she had a girlfriend? Why play around with a marriage of convenience? Wasn’t she afraid of being scammed?

Watching Auntie Jin run off, the crowd quickly looked back and surrounded Qiao Man again until the area was impassable.

“Master Xiao Man, it’s my turn!”

“Master Xiao Man, I want to check my daughter’s marriage prospects too!”

“Master Xiao Man…”

Several bills were thrust in front of him. Qiao Man took two of them. He helped a white-haired old lady find a lost item and calculated whether an old man’s late-life romance would go smoothly.

After three divinations, he patted his bottom and stood up, packing away his cardboard sign. “That’s all for today.”

Once he was done, the elders weren’t in a hurry to leave. They warmly invited him, “Master Xiao Man, come to my house for dinner today?”

“Isn’t Xingxing at work? Perfect, I made soup this morning. Come have some at my place.”

“I’ll make fried shrimp for you.”

Grandpa Zhang, who had been watching from the back of the crowd, squeezed his way in. “I already made plans with Master Xiao Man. He’s eating at my place today.”

The crowd was instantly disappointed and headed home.

Lu Jianxing was busy with work and sometimes wasn’t home all day, so Qiao Man started eating around the neighborhood³.

Master Xiao Man’s fans were very enthusiastic, but no one could beat Grandpa Zhang. Using his son as a lobbyist, he had made it so that whenever Lu Jianxing wasn’t home, Qiao Man would eat at Grandpa Zhang’s.

Grandpa Zhang greeted Qiao Man with a smile, “Let’s go, Master Xiao Man. Let’s go grocery shopping.”

“Coming!”

Qiao Man hopped on his bicycle and pedaled along beside Grandpa Zhang, the wheels rumbling as the old man and the young boy headed toward the market.

The market was familiar territory for Qiao Man. With his extensive hunting experience, he could tell at a glance which vendors were short-changing customers or overcharging. He led Grandpa Zhang to pick out two crabs, select some eggs, and weigh out a pound of pork and some vegetables. The small basket on the front of his bike was full. Finally, he pulled out the money he just earned from his backpack and bought two large, sweet Autumn Moon pears for himself and Grandpa Zhang.

Passing a poultry stall, the owner laughed and said, “Xiao Man, not buying a chicken for your Xingxing?”

Qiao Man waved his little hand and said expertly, “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

Back home, Grandpa Zhang turned the groceries into a delicious feast. After lunch and some fruit, Qiao Man made sure Grandpa Zhang took his blood pressure medication. Only then did he pat his round belly and pedal his bike back home, the ears on his bear hat fluttering in the wind.

He took a long nap, watched two episodes of cartoons, and finally took out his homework… By the time he finished, Lu Jianxing was usually home.

Cartoons were playing on TV. Qiao Man was sprawled on the coffee table, doing math problems while distracted. After half an episode, he was still on the same problem.

The doorbell rang.

Qiao Man immediately dropped his pencil and ran over. He stepped on a small stool and stood on his tiptoes to look through the peephole. It was a familiar long-bearded Taoist.

He leaned close to the door crack and muttered softly, “Xingxing isn’t home.”

“Master Xiao Man?” Master Yu recognized his voice from outside. “I’m here to see you.”

Qiao Man tilted his head. “Me?”

“The matter from the amusement park has been resolved. I thought I should let you know.” After all, the child deserved much of the credit for catching the Vengeful Ghost. Master Yu looked back at the hallway. “It’s not convenient to talk here. May I come in?”

Master Ding, who had come along, pulled the corner of a check from his pocket. “We’re here to deliver the payment.”

Click.

The door before them creaked open.

Qiao Man hopped down from his little stool and pulled the door open, greeting them with a loud, enthusiastic, “Please, come in!”

Translator’s Notes