Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Jia Dongxu's family was seated in the main hall to pay their respects to the ancestral master.

Madam Jia opened the package, took out incense and candles, and lit them together with Tong Jie, bowing sincerely in worship.

Even the stick-shaped stalk was forced to kowtow three times.

That wasn't all; Tong Jie then took out 100 yuan and stuffed it into the donation box.

This caused a glint of light to flash in the eyes of the Taoist priest presiding over the ceremony, who thought to himself:

"It's so hard to find such a devout believer. I'm a real bastard." He then quietly switched the fortune-telling bucket in his hand to another one.

Then he stepped forward and handed the divination stick container to Tong Jie:

"Believer, draw a fortune stick. Remember to shake it three times, and your heart must be sincere!"

"Thank you, Taoist priest!" Tong Jie took the divination sticks, knelt down, closed her eyes, and murmured:

"May the ancestral master protect us!"

After speaking, she shook the divination stick container. After three wooden sticks came out, Tong Jie picked them up. She didn't dare to look at them for long and gave them directly to the Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest took the wooden slip, examined it, and smiled with satisfaction.

"Hahaha... It's truly a blessing from the ancestors! Three auspicious divination sticks in a row! Your family's troubles will surely be resolved today!"

Upon hearing this, the three adults of the Jia family showed joy on their faces.

In this solemn and majestic hall, they would never have any other thoughts, only trust!

At the entrance of the main hall, the Dharma Protector Elder had witnessed everything that had just happened, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly involuntarily.

However, his complexion quickly returned to normal. In these special times, they had no choice but to resort to some means to survive.

Making money is nothing to be ashamed of!

They don't really need the Jia family to pay a lot of money. Since they've come, Duan Ran has no reason to let the Jia family leave empty-handed.

The Dharma Protector Elder has already made up his mind, and this time he will probably be more serious.

After some thought, he went inside and got straight to the point, examining the bones, reading their faces, and calculating their birth dates for the three members of the Jia family!

Then they first assessed Jia Zhangshi and Tong Jie, calculating quickly and accurately, directly regarding the old protector as a deity.

After a lot of commotion, almost an hour had passed before it was Jia Dongxu's turn.

The three adults of the Jia family looked at the old immortal with a serene and otherworldly air on their faces with nervousness!

Seeing him frown, the three of them felt a sudden unease.

Jia Zhangshi showed a pleading expression:

"Old sage, if you've noticed anything, just say so. We're open to it."

Tong Jie also nervously said from the side:

"Yes, old immortal, now that we're here, we can accept it."

On the contrary, Jia Dongxu remained calm and even chuckled softly.

"Haha, old sage, just say it! Don't worry, even if I get hit by a car and die tomorrow, I can accept it. At worst, I'll be a hero again in eighteen years!"

Although Jia Dongxu spoke with great bravado, the cold sweat on his forehead and his trembling legs betrayed him, indicating that he was not as calm as he seemed.

The old protector closed his eyes and slowly spoke:

"The father died before the mother!"

"Jia Shanxin, your future path is not easy..."

The Jia family, who were not very educated, actually understood the phrase "father alive, mother dead"!

The old sage was absolutely right; Old Jia did indeed pass away first.

The saying "father alive, mother deceased" is true, it just depends on how you interpret it.

Suddenly, Jia Dongxu burst out laughing:

"Hahaha, old sage, who can know what the future holds? It doesn't matter if it's difficult, as long as I can still walk, a few bumps along the way are nothing!"

At this moment, Jia Dongxu was completely relaxed. As long as it wouldn't cost him his life, wasn't it normal for there to be some setbacks?

Everyone experiences ups and downs in life, so Jia Dongxu didn't care and wasn't afraid.

After he finished speaking, the old protector opened his eyes, his aged pupils gleaming with a sharp light:

"Jia Shanxin, don't misunderstand. What the old Taoist said about the road being difficult to travel is not just that it's difficult to travel, it's that the road is completely blocked..."

"The road is completely blocked?" Jia Dongxu's mouth gaped open, his face full of disbelief!

Doesn't that mean he might suddenly die in the future?

"Thump!"

Jia Dongxu immediately knelt down, hugged the old protector's legs, and shouted loudly:

"Old sage, save me!"

Realizing what had happened, Jia Zhangshi and Tong Jie also knelt down with a thud, shouting for help for their Jia family.

The hairdresser sighed:

"Ah... life is unpredictable, like a large intestine wrapped around a small intestine..."

"Gentlemen, get up. There is a solution, but whether you choose to do it or not is up to you."

Upon hearing this, the three quickly stood up. Jia Zhangshi trembled as she took out a cigarette from her pocket, lit it for the old protector, and then lit one for herself.

"Mom, give me a cigarette too." Jia Dongxu was also craving a cigarette; his heart was pounding, and he needed to calm down.

The old protector smiled calmly as he smoked his cigarette.

"Hahaha, don't be afraid. As long as you do as I say, Brother Dongxu will suffer a little, but his life won't be in danger!"

"I just don't know if you're willing. If you're not, there's nothing I can do. Let fate decide!"

"We are willing, old immortal, whatever you say, we will do!" Jia Zhangshi solemnly declared.

Upon hearing this, the old protector nodded, his smile gradually fading.

"Brother Dongxu will face a calamity in 62, which will surely endanger his life!"

"Do you believe it or not!"

Upon hearing this, the three members of the Jia family felt their legs tremble and were drenched in cold sweat, all due to fear.

They wanted to say they didn't believe it, but the old fortune teller was too accurate, so they couldn't help but believe.

Jia Zhangshi trembled, her voice trembling with tears:

"Old sage, we believe, please save my son..."

Hearing Jia Zhangshi say this, the old protector no longer had any worries:

"Since you believe me, then you'd better listen carefully to what this old Taoist priest has to say next!"

"Mmm-hmm!" The three members of the Jia family nodded vigorously.

Seeing this, the old protector's expression also became solemn:

"Remember, after the Lantern Festival in 62, find someone to break Dongxu's right leg. Remember, break it completely; he won't be able to get up for at least six months!"

"Six months from now, on the Ghost Festival, find someone to break your left leg too, and then you'll be bedridden for another six months!"

"Remember, don't rush recovery. If you can stay in bed until 63, absolutely do not go back to work. If you do that, you'll live!"

"If you can't do it, your money's coming your way!"

"Ah, this..." The three members of the Jia family were all incredulous upon hearing this, their eyes wide open!

Seeing that they remained silent, the old immortal chuckled self-deprecatingly; he had seen this kind of scene far too many times.

Anyway, I've done what I was supposed to do. You can't reason with a damned ghost. Believe it or not.

Tong Jie's eyes were filled with tears:

"Old sage, is it really necessary to do this?"

The old protector said calmly:

"You don't have to do it, but you can try it and see if the old Taoist's prediction is accurate."

"But the price won't be small; you'd better be prepared to become a widow!"

Tong Jie was horrified upon hearing this, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Jia Dongxu sat there silently, somewhat bewildered. After all, he was going to break his own legs. You try it, you bastard.

Although it happened several years later, who would believe it?