The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 78 Fortune Telling

(Please subscribe and support...)

Qinhuangdao is a tourist city. Legend has it that it was from here that Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu to sea to seek the elixir of immortality. If you drift downstream from this area, you can reach Japan without controlling the direction.

Old Xu was probably forced into a corner by Qin Shi Huang back then. Starving to death at sea was better than facing a tyrant, right? There were no human rights back then; they could bury you alive if they wanted to. So, he hardened his heart and took five hundred young girls and boys downstream. Later, some people also went downstream from here and reached Japan, leading many to believe that the Japanese are descendants of these young boys and girls. In reality, they are far from it. The Japanese are short, and just in terms of height, they are far inferior to the Chinese. Although we don't know where those five hundred young girls and boys came from, it is certain that they were the most outstanding in the country at that time. They were sacrifices for Qin Shi Huang to obtain the elixir of immortality. For the sake of immortality, given Qin Shi Huang's personality, he would never be stingy with handsome men and beautiful women. He would even sacrifice his own son without batting an eye.

The western sky was ablaze with fiery clouds, which reflected a crimson hue onto the turbulent sea.

"Hmph, this is Laolongtou, the starting point of the Ming Great Wall, and also our last stop..." Yang Ming held Wei Qingqing's little hand in one hand and Xiao Bao'er's little hand in the other, standing on Chenghai Tower facing the sea breeze, with waves crashing and water splashing.

"Shall we change into Hanfu and take a picture here?" Wei Qingqing said.

"Still taking pictures? How many photos have we taken in the last two days? It's only with digital cameras. If it were film, we would have taken a whole sack of them." Yang Ming's face was bitter, and Xiao Bao'er also looked miserable.

Since yesterday's visit to Beidaihe, Wei Qingqing had to change into Hanfu at each scenic spot and take photos. Of course, Yang Ming was the green leaf to complement the red flower, so he was also required to wear Hanfu to complement her. The repeated and tedious changes of Hanfu were almost giving Yang Ming a phobia of Hanfu.

"It's the last one, the last one, okay? We're going back in a bit, it's the last one..." Wei Qingqing giggled and pleaded.

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. Fortunately, this was the last attraction; they could just bear it and it would pass.

After taking out his Hanfu from his packed suitcase and changing into it, Yang Ming found a tourist nearby. This tourist was a female student from Yanshan University who had invited her family to come here for the National Day holiday. Her family had gone back home yesterday, and coincidentally, several of her roommates hadn't gone home for the holiday, so they joined the family for the fun. If she didn't have some company, her family wouldn't feel comfortable letting her wander around the scenic area alone.

She probably drank too much at lunch, because all her roommates had gone to the bathroom, leaving her alone here.

The female student was intrigued by their unusual attire and readily agreed to take their picture.

So the couple took their little one and stood in front of the railing, facing the sea breeze, striking a pose as if they were surveying the world. And you know what? Their crimson fur coat fluttered in the sea breeze, giving them a real air of riding a dragon and looking down at the heavens.

After the photos were taken, the female student came over and said with a smile, "Brother, your clothes are really nice, where did you buy them?"

"It wasn't bought, my mom made it..." Xiao Bao'er said first.

"Really? Little sister, your mother's cooking is really skillful..." The female student smiled and pinched Xiaobao's cheek, then looked up at Yang Ming, "Big brother, can I ask you something?"

"What's the matter?" Yang Ming asked with a smile.

"I'd like to take a picture wearing your outfit..." the female student said, a little embarrassed.

"Of course, no problem. Wear mine, it's a women's style!" Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

"Thank you, sister..." the female student said happily, thanking her repeatedly.

This female student is also a pretty young lady. Wearing Wei Qingqing's Hanfu, although it was a little loose, it still elevated her natural charm to its peak—lively, cheerful, and generous…

"Sister, can my older brother take a picture with me? He can be my foil..." the female student made another request.

"Hmm...okay..." Wei Qingqing considered it for a moment, then nodded and raised her head at Yang Ming.

Yang Ming could only take one picture with this female student. This female student was really bold. In front of Wei Qingqing, she put her arm around Yang Ming's arm, leaned her head on him intimately, and looked very happy. This made Wei Qingqing feel jealous and a little regretful.

"Thank you so much, sister! Here's my QQ number. Remember to send the photos to my QQ email." The female student, satisfied, took off her Hanfu, thanked Wei Qingqing, gave her a number, and then walked up to Yang Ming. "Big brother, my name is Wang Huifang. Don't forget me..." Before Yang Ming could react, she kissed him on the cheek, then blushed and ran away...

"You must be feeling really happy inside, right?" Wei Qingqing's tone was tinged with a hint of jealousy.

"What a load of rubbish! I let someone take advantage of me, and you didn't even beat her up..." Yang Ming touched his cheek, looking at Wei Qingqing with some resentment.

"Pfft..." Wei Qingqing, who was originally about to confront him, suddenly burst out laughing, and all her sourness vanished instantly. "Let's go, let me comfort you, we'll have barbecue tonight..."

"Is eating barbecue all you want? Shouldn't you do something to comfort my wounded heart?"

"In front of children! How annoying..."

The city at night is always shimmering with neon lights. After having barbecue, the three of them took a taxi and headed to the station, satisfied. They had bought their tickets in advance at the train station when they arrived in Qinhuangdao city earlier that day. Fortunately, the train originated from Qinhuangdao and they had seats available, but it wasn't an express train; it was a faster bullet train.

"Young man, your lucky star is shining brightly, indicating a life destined for romantic entanglements. This is a calamity; you need to dispel the evil and avert disaster."

When the taxi arrived at Qinhuangdao Railway Station, just as the three of them got out, an old man in a Taoist robe stood in front of Yang Ming and looked at him with a very serious expression.

Yang Ming stared at the old man for a long time before saying, "A fortune teller? I don't believe in fate..." He then tried to lead the two of them around him.

"Young man, you'll regret not heeding the advice of your elders. When your time comes, it will be too late for regrets." The old man was quite agile, stepping directly in front of Yang Ming, glancing at Wei Qingqing, "I'm afraid this young lady will also be implicated..."

They had just gotten married and were supposed to be having a happy time, but this old man wouldn't say anything nice. Yang Ming immediately got angry and said, "I need to break the curse. How much will it cost?"

"One thousand..." The old man held up one finger.

"Here's two thousand. Say a hundred auspicious phrases to me without repeating yourself, and it's yours..." Yang Ming took out two thousand yuan from his pocket.

"You think I'm a con artist?" the old man glared at Yang Ming.

"Aren't you one? If you can say a hundred auspicious phrases without repeating yourself, this money is yours..." Yang Ming held the money in one hand and patted it in his palm, making a clattering sound.

"Hmph! This child is beyond redemption..." The old man turned and left.

"Let's go..." Yang Ming put the money away, took Wei Qingqing and Xiao Bao'er's hands, and walked towards the train station.

"Honey, seeing how serious he is, I'm not entirely sure. How about we spend a thousand yuan to have him break the curse? Just a thousand yuan, just for peace of mind. There's still more than an hour before departure." Wei Qingqing said with a worried look on her face.

"You actually believed that? You spent six years in elementary school, six years in middle school, and four years in university. In those sixteen years, you learned to be superstitious?" Yang Ming rolled his eyes.

"Hehe, I just want peace of mind. After he said that, I started to have some doubts," Wei Qingqing said with a wry smile.

"Are you out of your mind? Someone just casually mentioned it, and you're already rushing to give them money? Did this money just fall from the sky?" Yang Ming was getting annoyed by the old man, and his tone became a bit harsh. Wei Qingqing immediately dared not say anything more.

"Alright, alright, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. Let's go home, I miss home..." Yang Ming put his arm around Wei Qingqing's shoulder and said gently.

"Mmm!" Wei Qingqing nodded with a hint of grievance, snuggling into his arms. Speaking of which, today, from the moment the two of them came out of the bedroom hand in hand in the morning, Wei Qingqing had been quite clingy to Yang Ming. If Yang Ming said east, she would never say west.

So the three of them went into the train station. Yang Ming and the others had bought train tickets for a train that departed at 9:30 p.m. and would arrive in S City at 3:00 a.m. the next morning.

The speed of the bullet train is absolutely frightening. At 3 a.m., the train stopped in S City on time. Yang Ming had already called Lao Yang and asked him to drive to the station to pick them up.

As soon as the three of them came out of the station, they saw their own large RV parked quietly outside. It was 3 a.m., and the weather was absolutely freezing. The three of them didn't dare to linger and quickly climbed into the RV. The RV slowly started and drove towards Zhengjia Village. In a little over three hours, Xiaobao'er would be going to school.

As dawn broke, Zhengjia Village came into view.

Zhang Shufang, Zhang Yingning, Liu Yun, Zhang Fenghuang, Liu Lili, Liu's wife, Liu Nannan, and little Xia Xiaoyang all gathered in the east room of Yang Ming's house, talking and chatting, waiting for the three who were returning from their trip. Xue Hua, Zhang Yang, and Sun Fangfang had returned to the city yesterday, and today is October 8th. The National Day holiday is over, and they will have to continue working.

A burst of cheerful, nasal barking came from outside, and everyone knew that Yang Ming and the others had returned. So they all came out of the house to greet them.

The car stopped under the willow tree at the gate. The back door opened, and Yang Ming, Wei Qingqing, and Xiao Bao'er got out one by one. When Xiao Bao'er saw her mother, her little mouth immediately twitched, and she cried and rushed into her mother's arms. She had never been separated from her mother since she was a child, and she missed her terribly after being away for so long.

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing also greeted everyone.

"Mingming, Qingqing, how was your time?" Zhang Shufang asked with a smile, holding her son and daughter-in-law's arms.

"Hehe..." Yang Ming chuckled, "We had a great time and took a lot of photos and videos. I'll show them to you in a bit."

"Mom, we even went out to sea..." Wei Qingqing added.

"Hehe, we know you went out to sea to fish. Did you record the process? I'm very curious, how did you catch so many fish?" Zhang Yingning laughed.

"Hehe, you'll see how powerful we are in a moment," Yang Ming laughed.

As everyone chatted, they went into the east room together. Xiao Bao cuddled with his mother for a while, then grabbed a big apple for breakfast, put on his little backpack, and went to school. Hehe, he definitely had to tell his friends about his trip with his godparents and make them all envious.

The young girl, Liu Nannan, went to the greenhouse. She was quite dedicated; she wanted to rightfully collect Yang Ming's wages.

Yang Ming turned on the TV, connected the DV camera to the TV with a data cable, and started playing the recording.

The screen first showed a security door. Wei Qingqing pushed the door open, revealing a dark stairwell. Footsteps sounded, and the motion-activated lights in the stairwell turned on. In the scene, Wei Qingqing held Xiao Bao'er's hand and slowly walked downstairs.

After leaving the residential area, the three walked towards the beach under the dim streetlights...

Yang Ming used a DV camera to truthfully record his fishing experience, which made everyone a little envious. Especially when the video played the part where Wei Qingqing was catching apples for Xiao Bao'er but ended up catching a large net of sea fish, Zhang Fenghuang, Liu Lili, and Liu Yun were extremely envious. Their eyes were practically spitting fire with jealousy as they looked at Wei Qingqing.

"Hehe, after half a day, I only managed to make this little bit. I'm ashamed..." Wei Qingqing said she was ashamed, but everyone could see the smug look on her face.

Zhang Yingning noticed something was wrong: "Wait a minute? I remember you sold us 40,000 jin of seafood, how come... these two buckets definitely don't contain 40,000 jin..."

"Mingming, you didn't cheat your aunt, did you? By selling inferior goods as superior ones?" Zhang Shufang frowned when she heard Zhang Yingning say this, sensing that the situation was somewhat serious.

"Please continue reading..." Yang Ming smiled.

The scene on the TV changed again, and suddenly a large silver-white ship appeared. Wei Qingqing stood on the deck, casting the fishing net down again and again, and then pulling up hundreds of pounds of fish. With each net brought up, Xiao Bao'er cheered and jumped for joy, pushing a small cart with his bare feet to deliver the fish to the fish storage room.

"Oh, so you dare to employ child labor? Have you paid our Bao'er a wage?" Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"It's open! It's open! What a huge peach..." Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

"That ship is quite beautiful. How much would it cost to hire it for a day?" Liu Yun looked at the large ship on the screen, feeling somewhat envious.

"This is our own boat, newly bought, it cost over ten million..." Yang Ming said with a smile.

"Your ship? I didn't realize! You've actually made a fortune, buying a ship worth over ten million just like that..." Zhang Fenghuang looked Yang Ming up and down with some surprise.

"They're rich now..." Liu Lili pouted a little sourly.

"Hehe, it's alright, thanks to Aunt Zhang's support," Yang Ming said with a smile.

Zhang Yingning shook her head and laughed, "You kid..." This person spends too much money! First, he bought two houses, and now he's bought a boat... Well, it's true, he makes money easily, so he naturally spends it lavishly without feeling any pain.

"Mingming, you can't just squander money. You're not even living there permanently, so why buy a boat?" Zhang Shufang felt that her son had changed since he became rich, and she couldn't help but scold him with a stern face.

"Mom, do you know how much money we made from the seafood we caught in just half a day? A million! If we work like this for five days, we can earn back the price of this boat. We decided to buy a boat because we saw that fishing is profitable," Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

"That's more like it..." Zhang Shufang's expression finally softened a bit.

"We also bought a house in Nandaihe, 120 square meters, for only 600,000 yuan. In the future, when everyone comes to Beidaihe, they can stay at our house," Yang Ming said.

"You even bought a house?" Zhang Shufang's face turned a little pale again.

"What can we do? When we went there, all the hotels and guesthouses were full. We couldn't just sleep on the streets, could we? Besides, a house is a fixed asset. It can appreciate in value if left untouched. Once Nandaihe develops, it will be impossible to buy a house like this for 600,000 yuan again..." Yang Ming said.

"That makes sense. Instead of putting money in the bank to earn interest, it's better to use it to buy a house..." Zhang Fenghuang said.

"Phoenix, how about we go to Beidaihe for fun? We have a place to stay, and all we have left is food. But wait, we don't have to worry about food either. We can go out to sea to fish and cook it ourselves when we get back..." Liu Lili said.

"What you said makes sense..." Zhang Fenghuang's eyes lit up. "We only need to spend money on travel expenses..."

"Hey, hey, hey, count me in, let's go together as a trio..." Liu Yun said excitedly.

Zhang Yingning smiled and looked at Zhang Shufang: "Little sister, why don't we go too?"

"Of course I'll go. I have to help them earn back that ten million, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night..." Zhang Shufang nodded very seriously.

Xia Xiaoyang didn't dare to say anything. He was very well-behaved in front of his grandmother and mother, but his big, dark eyes were shining. He was very envious of the video that was just shown on TV, especially when he saw the girl jumping for joy.

"Let me tell you, we have a trick for fishing. Peel an apple and throw it into the sea, and it will definitely attract fish..." Yang Ming saw that they were talking about going to Beidaihe, so he quickly told them about the use of apples. Otherwise, it would be strange if these two amateurs could catch any fish.

"Is it... the apple that Bao'er fell into the sea?" Aunt Liu suddenly remembered. On that wooden fishing boat, weren't they catching fish to retrieve the apple for Bao'er?

"That's right, so if you're going, bring a basket of apples... How about this, to save you from squeezing onto the train, I'll have Lao Yang drive you there..." Yang Ming said.

So, as soon as Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing returned, Zhang Shufang, Zhang Yingning, Liu Yun, Zhang Fenghuang, Liu Lili, and the little guy Xia Xiaoyang all went to Beidaihe. Yang Ming gave the house key to Zhang Shufang, gave the "cell phone" for driving the boat to Lao Yang, and watched Lao Yang drive them away.

"Hehe, Aunt Liu, this is Bao'er's share. The password is Bao'er's birthday..." After everyone left, Wei Qingqing handed a bank card to Aunt Liu.

"What does this mean?" Aunt Liu didn't answer, but looked at Wei Qingqing in surprise.

"We earn money by fishing, and Bao'er has helped a lot. This is what she deserves, but she's still young, so we can only give it to you," Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

"I can't take this money. What can a little kid like Bao'er do to help?" Aunt Liu said, turning to go home.

"Sister Liu, this isn't for you, it's for Bao'er. We just asked you to keep it for us..." Yang Ming said.

"Well... alright..." Aunt Liu turned around, took the bank card, and went home.

"Why is Aunt Liu so obedient to you?" Wei Qingqing was a little confused. She had been talking for so long, but the other woman wouldn't accept it. How come she accepted it after Yang Ming only said one sentence?

"This isn't for her, it's for Bao'er. Parents have no right to deprive their children of their hard-earned money," Yang Ming said.

"...That makes sense." Wei Qingqing pondered for a while, then nodded very seriously.

Back inside, lying on the familiar earthen bed, both of them felt a sense of peace and security. Home is the best place...

"Hmm! It seems we haven't taken out the little gifts we bought for them yet?" Wei Qingqing turned to look at Yang Ming.

"What are we supposed to bring? They'll just buy it themselves... Maybe when they come back, they'll bring us a whole bunch of stuff..." Yang Ming laughed.

"That's true..." Wei Qingqing thought for a moment and said.

"Yang Ming, Qingqing..." The two had only been lying down for a short while when Aunt Liu's voice came from outside.

"Sister Liu? What's wrong?" The two of them jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

Aunt Liu walked into the house and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "Yang Mingqing, I just wanted to ask when our company will start work? In the past few days, our company has already pre-ordered several sets of Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), including sets for Aunt Zhang's family and your two classmates, a total of seven sets, all of them Shenyi (a type of traditional Chinese robe). I'm just waiting for your silk fabric."

"Go back and prepare immediately. We'll get the materials ready for you right away," Yang Ming said.

"Okay, make a women's set first, black or white will do..." Aunt Liu instructed before going home to prepare.

"Our silkworms have grown four or five times already, numbering in the tens of thousands. That's definitely enough to make a set of Hanfu," Yang Ming said, putting on his shoes and getting off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Wei Qingqing quickly put on her shoes and got off the kang (heated brick bed). "Let me tell you, that spinning machine is mine, and you're not allowed to use it..."

The two went to the hot spring pool together and went into the cabin. With a buzzing sound, a piece of black silk cloth and a piece of white silk cloth were freshly made. There were still some silkworm cocoons left, so they also made two spools of silk thread, one black and one white.

"Go, take the silk cloth to Aunt Liu. I want to soak in the hot spring here." Wei Qingqing handed two bolts of silk cloth to Yang Ming, took off her clothes, and entered the hot spring pool. She hadn't taken a bath for several days, and now she couldn't resist the sight of the hot spring.

Yang Ming carried two bolts of silk to Liu Sao's house. Liu Sao had already prepared her sewing tools. When she saw Yang Ming carrying the two bolts of silk, she immediately came to greet him, took the two bolts of silk, stroked the silk with her delicate hands, and praised, "This silk feels so good."

"Hehe, Qingqing put in a lot of effort to knit this..." Yang Ming said with a smile.

"You're always lying. These two bolts of silk would take at least three days to weave. You just got back, when did you finish weaving them? Don't worry, I won't laugh at your wife..." Aunt Liu rolled her eyes at Yang Ming.

"...Then I'll go back first..." Yang Ming smiled awkwardly, turned around and walked outside.

"Sigh..." Aunt Liu exclaimed, and when Yang Ming turned around, she asked, "Tell me, how much money is in that card?"

"30 is quite a lot... Bao'er is still young and can't help much, so 30 is already a lot. We only sold it for 100 million in total."

Judging from the man's tone, Liu Sao assumed she was complaining about the small amount he had given her. She angrily waved her hand, as if shooing away a fly, and said, "Go away, don't make me angry..."

After Yang Ming left, Aunt Liu thought about it carefully and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Yang Ming had just come out of Liu Sao's house when he ran into Zheng Dabao.

"Hey, when did Xiao Yang get back?" Zheng Dabao greeted him with a smile.

"Hehe, I just got back this morning. Uncle Da Bao, what's going on...?"

"Hey, isn't it all because of Sister Liu? She's partnering with you to start a company, and she's not planning to farm those few acres of land anymore. It's such a waste to leave such fertile land lying fallow. A lot of people in the village want to lease it, so that's why I came to sound out Sister Liu's opinion," Zheng Dabao said.

"Oh, I see. Please come in then..." Yang Ming said.

Yang Ming did not return to his own courtyard, but went to the hot spring pool, where Wei Qingqing was still soaking.

Thanks to the hot spring pool, the temperature in this small valley is pleasant, and the flowers, grasses, and saplings show no signs of autumn's desolation, appearing vibrant, fragrant, and lush.

"Qingqing, come up quickly, let's go inside and practice our lessons..." Yang Ming said to the thick white fog.

"I don't..." Wei Qingqing said sweetly.

"Hehe, you don't have a choice..." Yang Ming chuckled mischievously, and amidst Wei Qingqing's scream, he yanked her out of the hot spring, pulled her into his arms, and carried her into the wooden cabin, closing the doors and windows tightly...

"Uncle Da Bao, I don't plan to lease out our land. I can only apologize to you," Aunt Liu said with an apologetic smile.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's my own land, so of course I can make my own decisions. Nobody can say anything about it..." Zheng Dabao laughed.

"Thank you for your understanding, Uncle Da Bao."

"Well, Xiaofen, you're busy, I'll go back and let them know..."

"Take care, Uncle Da Bao." Aunt Liu smiled and saw Zheng Da Bao to the door. If Zheng Da Bao had brought this up yesterday, she might have actually agreed. But now? Her daughter had 30 yuan in her account, enough to support her from elementary school to university without worrying about food or clothing, and even if she added…

With a maternal smile on her lips, Aunt Liu went back inside to cut Hanfu.

P.S.: Please recommend and add to your favorites...

(End of this chapter)