novelweb Chapter 969 The Character "Liu" - A New Lease on Life
Chapter 969 The Character "Liu" - A New Lease on Life
Amidst a chorus of disgust and disdain.
Wang Tiezhu kept repeating the same sentence: "I'm sorry, my car is inside... I'm sorry... my car is inside."
He spoke as he pushed his way into the crowd.
Finally, they entered the crowd and saw Shen Sanshi sitting on the ground with A4 papers in front of him. The papers said things like, "If your fortune telling is wrong, you don't have to pay, and I'll even give you a pack of cigarettes."
If it works, I'll invite you to visit, and it won't cost you anything.
Fortune telling is free.
Playing is free.
They advertise it as free, and even give away cigarettes...
At that moment, several people were queuing up, seemingly waiting to have their fortunes told.
A young man in his early twenties was squatting in front of Shen Sanshi, having his fortune told.
Wang Tiezhu frowned. It was agreed before that he shouldn't be allowed to continue fortune telling. From now on, he would be a fortune-telling NPC in the Jiulong Mountain Scenic Area.
Fortune telling no longer costs money, nor does it promote feudal superstition; it's now just for entertainment.
Occasionally, tourists who participate in fortune-telling games will ask him to tell their fortunes, but even if the predictions are accurate, it's just for entertainment.
Just treat it as a fun experience.
If the calculation is accurate, it will add a gimmick to the Jiulong Mountain tourism project; if it's inaccurate, it will still be an unconventional experience.
Therefore, he forbade his old apprentice from performing fortune-telling outside of Jiulong Mountain.
Moreover, the salary he receives is enough for his food, clothing, and other expenses, and he could even find a young old woman to live with.
I never expected this guy to set up a fortune-telling stall again.
But to save face for his old apprentice, he couldn't scold him to his face, so he just said, "Old Shen, the sun is about to set, it's about time to pack up and go."
We still have a long way to go home, we can't stay out too late.
Shen Sanshi was busy telling fortunes. He told Wang Tiezhu that he understood, and then continued to tell the fortunes of the young man.
Having nothing else to do, Wang Tiezhu bent down, picked up a sheet of A4 paper, placed it on the ground as a cushion, and sat down to watch his old apprentice tell fortunes.
Shen Sanshi looked at the young man indifferently, his face showing no extra expression.
Like an old man full of life experience and wisdom, who has seen through all things in the world, no matter how big the matter is, he doesn't show any emotion on his face.
He spoke slowly, as calmly as his expression: "Don't say your name. There's a note and a pen on the ground."
Write your name down, and remember, don't let me see it when you write it.
After you finish writing, fold it up.
I don't know your first name, but I can guess your last name. My skills aren't up to par; I can only guess your last name.
Liu Yefei wore a mocking expression, his lips curling upwards, his disdain and contempt for Shen Sanshi's words evident in his reply: "What if you guess wrong?"
Shen Sanshi picked up a pack of Huazi cigarettes beside him: "Take this pack of cigarettes, consider it a reward for you."
Liu Yefei reached out and snatched Hua Zi from Shen Sanshi's hand: "Let me see if it's real or fake."
Shen Sanshi smiled and said, "I bought it at the shop across the street. If it's real, you can take it and smoke it. If it's fake, go find the shop owner."
It has nothing to do with me.
Liu Yefei held the cigarettes, turning them from side to side and examining them. Unable to tell if they were real or fake, he laughed and said, "Since you're a fortune teller, surely you can tell whether this pack of cigarettes is real or fake?"
As soon as he said that, the people around him started to jeer.
"That's right, if you can't even tell if a pack of cigarettes is real or fake, you shouldn't be out here trying to fool people."
"I think we should just give the cigarettes away. Fortune tellers in this world are all bluffers, they're all fake."
……
Shen Sanshi ignored the words of those around him and simply said to Liu Yefei, "I am just an old man in my fifties, not a god. There are many things I cannot predict."
Even if it's your name, I can only count your surname.
If you don't believe me, that's fine too.
In this world, some things exist if you believe in them, and don't if you don't.
Liu Yefei played with the Hua Zi in his hand and said, "Alright, I'll play with you for a bit."
As they spoke, he picked up the note and pen from the ground, placed the note on Hua Zi's cigarette box, lifted it up to block Shen Sanshi's view, and was about to write with the pen in hand.
Shen Sanshi suddenly spoke up: "Don't rush, you have to turn your back to write, otherwise if I see it, you'll say I'm cheating."
Liu Yefei frowned. The cigarette box was blocking the note, so Shen Sanshi across from him couldn't see it at all. But he still turned around, put Hua Zi on his lap, placed the note on Hua Zi, and wrote three words: Liu Yefei.
Then I folded it a few times to make sure the words inside were not visible.
He then turned around and placed the folded paper on the ground.
He said to Shen Sanshi, "Don't bother guessing, my surname is very rare... you'll never guess."
Shen Sanshi frowned, his expression turning solemn. He squinted at Liu Yefei's face for a long time before saying, "Your surname is one of the five elements. It thrives with water and lives when buried in the earth... right?"
what?
Liu Yefei was confused: "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by 'you live when you're buried' and 'you're buried only when you're dead'?"
"Prosperity comes with water"... What utter nonsense.
You lost, this cigarette is mine now.
As he spoke, he stood up, making a move to leave.
The people around them joined in the commotion.
"If you can't guess, you lose. Do you still have any Hua Zi? It's my turn soon. I want to win a pack of Hua Zi too."
"Old man, have you ever studied fortune telling? What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I've seen people predict marriage, wealth, and career, but I've never seen anyone guess your surname."
Whether other predictions are accurate or not is another matter, because no one knows what will happen next.
Therefore, they won't be exposed on the spot.
But you... were exposed on the spot.
Let's try a different trick.
……
The people around were making a racket, saying all sorts of things.
Shen Sanshi acted as if he hadn't heard, and said to Liu Yefei, "Don't go, I'm not wrong."
Liu Yefei stopped and turned to look at Shen Sanshi: "Guessing the surname isn't about 'being buried and thriving' or 'being in water and prospering.' After all this time, you still can't guess it."
Why did you stop me?
"Could it be that you're reluctant to part with this bag of cigarettes?"
Shen Sanshi laughed and said, "At my age, I don't care about a pack of cigarettes."
You said I couldn't guess.
I'm just asking you, does your surname contain the character for "wood"?
what?
Liu Yefei was stunned. His surname was Liu, and it really did contain the character "Mu" (木).
The people around fell silent, their eyes fixed on Liu Yefei with curiosity, wondering if what Shen Sanshi said was true.
Seeing that Liu Yefei remained silent, Shen Sanshi smiled and said, "Wood lives when it enters the soil and thrives when it gets water. Am I right?"
Did I guess right?
Liu Yefei curled his lips and said disdainfully, "There are many surnames with the 'wood' radical: Yang, Li, Lin, Liang, Fan, Cha, Mei, Du, Ke... and many more."
Which one is it?
Can't explain it now, huh? Hahaha, fortune telling, don't you find it ridiculous?
"You're just fooling those old people who haven't finished their studies. I graduated with a bachelor's degree from a top-tier university (985), and my IQ is 135. You can't fool me with your superstitious tricks!"
Shen Sanshi shook his head slightly: "Your surname is Liu, the Liu in the 'Liu An Hua Ming You Yi Cun' (meaning 'a village appears after a dark willow tree')."