Three Years and Three Years

Chapter 1 : The Origin of Misfortune in the Nest of Fortune

On a winter day, the northern wind was inevitably accompanied by desolation, and even during the day, there were few people near the vegetable market.

Carrying a plastic bag, Zhou Mushi walked out of a narrow alley, forgetting to wear gloves and a mask. His hands and face were red from the cold.

He wrapped his clothes tightly around him and quickly walked through this area littered with uncleaned garbage bins. At least it was cold enough that the odors didn’t spread too much. A few pieces of white toilet paper were floating in the wind, which was nauseating.

“Young man, come over here.”

As soon as he turned the corner after passing through the alley, an elderly man who worked in traditional fortune-telling grabbed his wrist.

Fortune-telling is an ancient and traditional profession that is still active today in countless small urban areas.

At the hospital entrance, they charge ten yuan to use the baby’s birth date to choose a name; at lively temple fairs, they predict a person’s life by reading their palm; or they observe a person’s features and complexion to predict their wealth, and so on.

The “masters” among them are usually comfortably waiting for people to bring them gold, silver, and valuables. Those who haven’t made a name for themselves naturally take advantage of the good times to make some money.

“Young man, have you ever had your fortune told? No? Don’t be so sure. Maybe your name, which you’ve been writing for over a decade, was sought after by your father or grandfather who waited outside a hospital to get a ticket from a bespectacled old man with ten yuan.”

As a good young man who grew up under the good education and influence of socialist core values, Zhou Mushi, although not disdainful of fortune-telling behavior, was not very interested in it before.

One sunny winter day, this young man who thought he was running forward on the scientific and rigorous, down-to-earth and trustworthy socialist road was forced to associate with the decadent and superstitious behavior of fortune-telling.

“Do you want your fortune told or your writing analyzed? It’s only ten yuan.”

The weather outside was freezing, the sky was dark, and there was a tendency for snow. It was not easy to hail a taxi in this place. Zhou Mushi had just checked the bus route on his phone’s map and found out that it would take seven or eight stops to get here. The small stall indoors was a good place to shelter from the wind.

The old man with a side-hanging dress looked very much like the gentleman who told the Old Dragon King when it would rain in Journey to the West.

“Let’s analyze your writing.”

“Please give me a pen.” The master made a gesture of invitation.

Zhou Mushi picked up a brush lying next to him, but suddenly didn’t know what to write. After hanging for a while, he wrote a “百” on the white paper.

The master took the paper, smoothed his goatee, and nodded. “It’s almost a day old. You write well. Have you studied calligraphy? It looks like you have mastered the art of the Calligraphy?”

Zhou Mushi forced a smile, feeling a little regretful, but he didn’t want to lose face and just wanted to finish the reading quickly. “Please analyze my writing.”

The old man leisurely sipped some Bi Luo Chun tea.

“This ‘百’ is elegant and powerful, but although it’s beautiful, it’s a bit thin. Young man, there’s a dispute between you and this ‘百’. Good fortune and misfortune depend on it. It’s both your blessing and your defeat.”

Seeing Zhou Mushi’s confusion, he continued, “The Heavenly Palace is full, which is a sign of wealth and fortune, but your path is fraught with difficulties. The flowers of love bloom early, but it’s a sinful fate. Clearly, it’s a sinful fate, but it’s also helpful to you. You are well-connected, with gold and jade in high places, and good luck and bad luck intertwined. You will be confronted by enemies this year.”

Even though Zhou Mushi didn’t believe in these things on a regular basis, he furrowed his brow and listened attentively.

As soon as the timing was right, the master immediately took out a small box from a drawer. “Do you want to buy a peace buckle? It’s only 998 yuan!”

Zhou Mushi quickly declined, paid for the fortune-telling, picked up the plastic bag containing vegetables and fresh beef, and braved the wind and snow out the door.

Today’s cold weather was a good time to stew beef. Yang Ge had been busy lately, and it was time to get him some good supplements.

End of Chapter 1