Chapter 3

The town was neither large nor small, with over six hundred households. Chen Ping'an knew most of the poor families in town, but the wealthy ones, with their high thresholds, were places he could not enter. Some of the spacious alleys where the wealthy clustered together, he had never even set foot in. The streets there were mostly paved with large slabs of bluestone, and on rainy days, one would never step into a puddle of mud. These high-quality bluestones, after being trodden and rolled by people, horses, and vehicles for thousands of years, had been polished smooth as a mirror.

The surnames Lu, Li, Zhao, and Song were the most common in the town. The village school was funded by these families, and most of them owned two or three large kilns outside the town. The residences of the successive kiln supervisors were on the same street as these families.

Unfortunately, the ten letters Chen Ping'an had to deliver today were almost all to the well-known wealthy households in the town. This made sense, as the saying goes, "Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and rats dig holes." Those who could send letters home from afar must have come from good families; otherwise, they wouldn't have had the courage to travel far. Of the nine letters, Chen Ping'an actually went to only two places: Fulu Street and Taoye Alley. When he first stepped on the bluestone slabs as large as bed boards, the young boy felt somewhat uneasy, slowed his pace, and even felt a bit ashamed, thinking his straw shoes dirtied the street.

The first letter Chen Ping'an delivered was to the Lu family, who had received an imperial jade ruyi from an ancestor. As the young boy stood at the door, he became increasingly uneasy.

The wealthy families had many formalities. The Lu family's house was large, and there were two stone lions at the entrance, as tall as a person, with a commanding presence. Song Jixin said these things could ward off evil and protect the home. Chen Ping'an didn't know what evil and misfortune were, but he was very curious about the round stone ball in the mouth of the lion, which seemed to be as tall as a person. How was it carved? Chen Ping'an resisted the urge to touch the stone ball, walked up the steps, and knocked on the bronze lion door knocker. Soon, a young man opened the door. Upon hearing that Chen Ping'an was there to deliver a letter, the man's expression remained unchanged. He took the letter with two fingers and quickly walked back into the house, slamming the door with a colorful painting of the God of Wealth on it.

The rest of the letter delivery process was similarly uneventful. At the corner of Taoye Alley, there was a household with a low profile. An elderly man with a kind and benevolent face opened the door. After receiving the letter, he smiled and said, "Young man, you've worked hard. Would you like to come in and rest for a moment, and have a cup of hot water?"

The young boy shyly smiled, shook his head, and ran away.

The old man gently placed the letter in his sleeve, did not rush back to the house, and looked into the distance with a hazy gaze.

His gaze moved from high to low, from far to near, focusing on the peach trees lining the street. The old man, who seemed to be senile and blind, finally managed a smile.

The old man turned and left.

Not long after, a small, cute yellow sparrow landed on a peach tree branch, its beak still tender, and let out a soft chirp.

The last letter Chen Ping'an had to deliver was to the teacher at the village school. On the way, he passed by a fortune-telling stall, where a young Taoist in an old Taoist robe sat straight behind the table. He wore a tall hat that looked like a blooming lotus.

The young Taoist, seeing the boy running past, quickly called out, "Young man, don't miss out as you pass by. Come and draw a lot, and I'll help you predict your fortune and misfortune."

Chen Ping'an didn't stop but turned his head and waved.

The Taoist, not giving up, leaned forward and raised his voice, "Young man, in the past, I would charge ten coins for a reading, but today, I'll make an exception and charge you only three coins! Of course, if you draw a good lot, you can add one more coin as a tip, and if you have great fortune, a very good lot, I'll only charge you five coins. What do you say?"

Chen Ping'an's steps clearly paused for a moment, and the young Taoist quickly stood up, taking advantage of the opportunity, and said loudly, "In the early morning, you are my first customer. I'll do a good deed and help you. If you sit down and draw a lot, I'll write some yellow paper talismans to help your ancestors and accumulate good karma. With my abilities, I can't guarantee that you'll be born into a wealthy family, but I can try to add a bit more good fortune."

Chen Ping'an hesitated, turned back, and sat on the bench in front of the stall.

A simple Taoist and a poor young boy, two penniless individuals, sat facing each other.

The Taoist smiled and extended his hand, indicating that the boy should pick up the lot tube.

Chen Ping'an hesitated and suddenly said, "I won't draw a lot. Can you just write a yellow paper talisman for me?"

In Chen Ping'an's memory, this traveling young Taoist had been in the town for at least five or six years, with no significant changes in his appearance. He was always friendly to everyone, helping them with bone reading, fortune-telling, and writing letters. Interestingly, the lot tube on the table, which contained 108 bamboo lots, had never produced a very good lot or a bad lot for the town's men and women. It seemed that all 108 lots were good.

So, if it was a festival and people wanted to have a good omen, they would spend ten coins, which was acceptable. But if they had real troubles, no one would come here to be taken advantage of. If the Taoist were a complete fraud, he would have been driven out long ago. So, the young Taoist's skills were not in fortune-telling or reading lots. Instead, many people who drank his talisman water for minor illnesses quickly recovered, which was quite effective.

The young Taoist shook his head and said, "I am honest with everyone, and I said I would charge you five coins for a reading and a talisman."

Chen Ping'an whispered, "It was three coins."

The Taoist laughed and said, "If you draw a very good lot, it would be five coins, wouldn't it?"

Chen Ping'an made up his mind, reached for the lot tube, and suddenly asked, "How did you know I had exactly five coins?"

The Taoist sat up straight and said, "I can tell a person's fortune and wealth very accurately."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and picked up the lot tube.

The Taoist smiled and said, "Young man, don't be nervous. If it's meant to be, it will be; if not, don't force it. Viewing the extraordinary with an ordinary heart is the best way."

Chen Ping'an put the lot tube back on the table, his expression serious, and asked, "Taoist, I'll give you all five coins, and I won't draw a lot. Can you write the yellow paper talisman better than usual?"

The Taoist's smile remained, and after a moment's thought, he nodded, "Sure."

On the table, the ink, brush, and paper were already prepared. The Taoist carefully asked for Chen Ping'an's parents' names, birthplaces, and birthdays, then quickly wrote on a yellow talisman in one go.

Chen Ping'an had no idea what was written.

The Taoist put down the brush, picked up the talisman, and blew on the ink. "After you get home, stand inside the threshold and burn the yellow paper outside the threshold."

The young boy solemnly took the talisman, carefully stored it, and didn't forget to place five copper coins on the table, bowing in gratitude.

The young Taoist waved his hand, indicating that the boy should go about his business.

Chen Ping'an ran off to deliver the last letter.

The Taoist lazily leaned back in his chair, glanced at the copper coins, and bent down to pick them up.

At that moment, a small, cute yellow sparrow flew down from the sky, pecked at one of the copper coins, and quickly flew away, losing interest.

"The yellow sparrow wants to bring flowers, but your home's peach blossoms have not yet bloomed."

The Taoist leisurely recited this line of poetry, then casually waved his sleeve and sighed, "If your fate is eight feet, don't seek ten feet."

With this wave of the sleeve, two bamboo lots slipped out of his sleeve and fell to the ground. The Taoist exclaimed, "Oh!" and quickly picked them up, then looked around furtively, seeing no one paying attention, and felt relieved, hiding the two lots back in his wide sleeve.

The young Taoist coughed, put on a serious face, and continued to wait for the next customer.

He felt that it was indeed easier to earn money from women.

Actually, the two lots hidden in the Taoist's sleeve were the best and the worst lots, both used to make big money.

This was not something to be told to outsiders.

The young boy, of course, did not know these secrets, and with a light step, he arrived at the village school, surrounded by lush bamboo.

Chen Ping'an slowed his pace, and a deep, resonant voice came from inside the house, "The sun rises, and the lamb's fur is moist."

Then a chorus of clear, young voices echoed, "The sun rises, and the lamb's fur is moist."

Chen Ping'an looked up, and the sun was rising, bright and magnificent.

The young boy was lost in thought.

When he came to his senses, the children were swaying their heads and reciting, as the teacher required, "At the Awakening of Insects, the earth and sky are rejuvenated, and all things flourish. Sleep early and rise early, walk in the courtyard, and the gentleman walks slowly to foster his will..."

Chen Ping'an stood at the school door, hesitating to speak.

The middle-aged scholar with a touch of gray in his temples turned and walked out of the house.

Chen Ping'an handed the letter with both hands and respectfully said, "This is the teacher's letter."

The tall man in a blue robe took the letter and said warmly, "In the future, when you have free time, you can come here to listen to the lessons."

Chen Ping'an was somewhat hesitant, as he might not have the time to come and listen to the teacher's lessons. He didn't want to lie.

The man smiled and said understandingly, "It's fine. The truth is in the books, but life is outside the books. You can go about your business."

Chen Ping'an sighed with relief and bid farewell.

After running far away, he turned back, almost involuntarily.

He saw the teacher still standing at the door, his figure bathed in sunlight, looking like a divine being from a distance.