Chapter 2

Xiaohua had gone to great lengths to arrange this meeting with her parents, so I naturally made meticulous preparations.

First, I got a haircut, then I went home and changed into a T-shirt and three-quarter pants from a certain sports brand. I then went to the county town's mall, where I wandered around a few times and bought some health supplements for Xiaohua's parents.

The money spent on these supplements was almost equivalent to a month's living expenses for my grandfather and me.

It was almost noon, so I rode the family's 28-inch bicycle, loaded with the things I had bought, and headed to Xiaohua's house.

This 28-inch Phoenix brand bicycle had been left by my father, and my grandfather had been reluctant to throw it away. He had even bought new parts and repaired it several times, so it could still be ridden, albeit with some difficulty.

I naturally wanted to buy a new bicycle, but my grandfather firmly disagreed. He said I could either ride the old one or not ride at all.

When I pedaled the 28-inch bicycle to Xiaohua's building, I saw her already waiting there. I stopped the bike, but before I could say anything, Xiaohua said, "Why are you riding this old bike again?"

Before I could respond, Xiaohua continued, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

I took out my Nokia "brick" and said, "I was riding the bike and didn't hear it. What's the matter? You called me over a dozen times, but I'm here now. It's only half past eleven, not late at all."

As I spoke, I took the two boxes of supplements off the bicycle handle. Xiaohua stopped me and said, "Li Chuyi, let's break up."

"What!" I thought Xiaohua was joking.

Xiaohua continued, "Let's break up. We agreed to meet at half past eleven, but you only arrived at my building at that time. You didn't even cherish this last chance. Also, to be honest, my mother invited you over today just to have a meal and talk about our breakup. I was afraid you would be embarrassed at the dinner table, so I stopped you here. Let's just break up. Take the things back, and let's not see each other again."

As she spoke, Xiaohua pushed me, and I stepped back, causing my 28-inch bicycle to fall over. My bike was too old and slow.

"Clang!"

The sound of the fall echoed, and Xiaohua opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She went inside and closed the door of the building, leaving me standing in front of the fallen 28-inch bicycle.

I thought about calling Xiaohua again, but when I dialed, her mother answered. Before I could speak, she shouted, "That's enough. Xiaohua has already explained everything to you. Get out of here. Look at yourself in the mirror. You have no money, no education, no job. What makes you think you can marry my daughter? Get lost."

"Go to hell!"

I cursed and hung up the phone, then picked up my 28-inch bicycle and carried the two "expensive" boxes of supplements and left.

I still had the receipt for the supplements, which said they could be returned within three days. I had to go back and return them; the money was enough to sell several wreaths.

Breaking up with Xiaohua didn't make me particularly sad, but I was a bit heartbroken over the money I had spent.

After returning the supplements, I went straight back to our family store. When I entered, there were two middle-aged men standing inside, and my grandfather was sitting in a rocking chair watching TV, not greeting the customers.

So when I came in, I smiled and greeted them, asking who had passed away in their family and offering condolences. Without waiting for their response, I asked what they needed.

One of the middle-aged men looked at me closely and then at my grandfather, saying, "Master of Divination, is this your grandson? I didn't expect him to grow up so much."

Hmm, who are these people, and how do they know my grandfather's old nickname?

My grandfather didn't say anything and continued to watch TV. The middle-aged man who spoke wasn't angry and said to my grandfather, "I'm here for nothing else but to ask for your divination. I'll pay whatever you ask."

My grandfather finally looked at the middle-aged man and said, "I've retired and won't help anyone with divination or fortune-telling anymore. Go find someone else."

The middle-aged man still refused to leave and said to my grandfather, "Master of Divination, there are many fortune-tellers in the world, but few can match your skills. Asking me to find someone else is just making things difficult for me."

Before my grandfather could speak, I stepped forward and said to the middle-aged man, "Enough. We only sell wreaths and funeral clothes here. If you're not buying, leave now. For divination, turn right at the door and go to the willow tree by the Minxin River. There are many fortune-tellers there."

As I said this, I was about to push him.

At that moment, the other middle-aged man who hadn't spoken tried to stop me, but the one who had been talking shouted, "Old Qiu, don't touch him. This is the Master of Divination's home. How can we act rashly?"

Old Qiu then stepped back.

The middle-aged man turned to look at me and my grandfather and said, "Master of Divination, we'll leave now, but I'll come back until you agree to help me with the divination. Only you can solve this problem."

As he said this, I paid more attention to his face. His eyebrows were asymmetrical, with a significant difference.

The eyebrows represent the Palace of Siblings, and this face suggests he has a half-sibling.

His eyebrows were also relatively short and thick, indicating a lack of harmony with his siblings.

He looked to be around forty years old. At this stage, the annual fortune is usually seen between the eyebrows and above the eyes, near the inner corners. His eyes showed some darkness, indicating that his recent fortune hasn't been good, even quite bad.

If he was thirty-nine, it would be a year of water and fire, with low luck, and mishandling it could lead to disaster. If he was forty, it would be a year of fire and earth, where fire generates earth, and it's a time when things in his life will come to a conclusion.

As for whether the outcome would be good or bad, it was hard to tell just from his face. If there were no other signs, it would likely be a mixed result. For a more detailed reading, I would need to look at his palm lines or do a divination for him.

Since there were no other signs on his face, and only the Palace of Siblings showed disharmony, it suggested that his troubles were likely due to his siblings. So, the reason he came to ask my grandfather was probably related to this.

I looked at the middle-aged man a few more times, and he curiously asked, "Young man, do you know how to read faces?"

I was a bit surprised and said, "A little."

He asked, "What did you see?"

I turned to look at my grandfather, who was still watching TV, seemingly uninterested in what was happening. After thinking for a moment, I told the middle-aged man everything I had observed. After listening, he was stunned and said, "Amazing, amazing. Master of Divination, your grandson is truly talented. Everything he said is correct. I do have a conflict with my half-brother, and..."

Before he could finish, my grandfather sat up from the rocking chair and said, "Enough. I don't want to hear your story. If you want to talk, come back tomorrow. That's enough for today. Leave now."

After my grandfather spoke, the middle-aged man nodded respectfully and smiled as he left the funeral parlor.

Once they were gone, I asked my grandfather who they were.

My grandfather didn't answer my question but instead told me to close the store. I asked, "Not doing business anymore?"

My grandfather said, "Not doing business, but there's no business today. Follow me inside; I have something to tell you."

This was the first time my grandfather had spoken to me so seriously since my parents died.

I had to follow his instructions, so I closed the store and followed him inside.

Once inside, my grandfather made me kneel in front of my parents' memorial tablets, and I did as he said, but I already sensed that something was about to happen.

After I knelt, my grandfather gave me a few incense sticks and told me to light them. After I did, he said, "Chuyi, today I will tell you some things in front of your parents."

I nodded and asked, "Grandfather, what is it? Why are you being so formal?"

My grandfather sighed and said, "There are too many things I can't say. I can only tell you that some aspects of your fate are beyond my control and cannot be suppressed. What is meant to happen will happen, but I can no longer help you with these things because I am leaving."

Hearing this, I was shocked and said, "Grandfather, are you dying? Did you calculate it for yourself? You can't die; you're the only family I have left in this world."

After I cried, my grandfather scolded me, "You fool, who said I'm dying? I'm leaving, leaving this county. I can't stay with you anymore; it's not good for you. If I stay, it will eventually harm you. I can't say more, but remember, I'm leaving for your own good."

I wanted to say more, but my grandfather said, "Don't worry, I'll leave everything to you. I'll take two-thirds of our savings, leaving one-third for you to live on. Of course, the future rent and the income from the wreath shop will be yours. You can also earn money with the skills I taught you, but remember, never try to find me. It will bring great disaster, just like what happened to your parents."

I was already sad that my grandfather was leaving, and he was taking two-thirds of my savings, which made me even sadder...

So, when my grandfather finished speaking, I cried.

My grandfather didn't waste any words. After explaining everything, he packed a few things and left, not telling me much or letting me see him off.

As for the middle-aged man's request tomorrow, my grandfather said I should handle it myself. If I was accurate, I could ask for money; if not, I would have to bear the consequences.

With my grandfather gone and Xiaohua breaking up with me, I was left alone in this county.

What would become of my fate?

I also felt that my grandfather had taken two-thirds of my savings to avoid the burden of finding me a wife, in other words, I had driven my grandfather away...

Thinking about this, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt.